Announcements

The Journal of Dharma (ISSN: 0253-7222), is an International Quarterly published by the Centre for the Study of World Religions (CSWR), established at Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram (DVK), Pontifical Athenaeum of Philosophy, Theology, and Canon Law, Bengaluru, India. It was launched in 1975, ‘to fill the gap of a felt need in the contemporary society’ ‘to foster intercultural understanding from an inner realization of religions.’ Understanding religion as ‘one of the deepest dimensions of culture’ the Journal of Dharma was committed to ‘disseminate the seeds of the Sacred in every bit of our secular existence and to re-integrate the entire material Universe in the Spirit of Truth and Holiness’ (Inaugural Editorial). Together with the promotion of inter-religious dialogue, Journal of Dharma promotes dialogue between the sacred and secular with the conviction that the ‘sacred’ and ‘secular’ are basic dimensions of reality. In a world of mass human migration and ever faster dissemination of ideas and images, no fact of human life is independent of religious influence and religious life and practices are also influenced by these branches of human knowledge and life. The Journal of Dharma is committed investigate and foster the Interface of Religion and Philosophy with other branches of academia.

  • From Philosafari to Theosafari: Integration and Application - Call for Papers 2025: Fifty Years of Journal of Dharma (1975-2025)

    2024-07-20

    Journal of Dharma proudly offers two significant concepts to the world of Religion and Philosophy. In 2022, the Faculty of Philosophy at Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram, Bengaluru, India, launched the First Philosafari Lecture Series. This series draws from the epistemic experiences of various scholars’ national and international travels, aiming to transform students’ academic journeys into an experience of search for unbound knowledge and inner truth rooted in contemporary empirical contexts. Safari is an expedition or a journey. Traditionally, it has been viewed as reaching a destination or a form of relaxation, but lengthy journeys often lead to fatigue and loss of interest. In response, the notion of Philosafari considers every journey as an epistemic adventure or an intellectual exploration into an onto(theo)logical treasure house. Activities happening during these journeys like reading, sleeping, dreaming, sightseeing, talking, watching movies, pondering, etc. directly or indirectly influence our pursuit of knowledge, beauty and truth. In this sense, Philosafari can also be likened to a meta-safari that leads to a metaphysical journey towards achieving the state of Turia - the contemplative and spiritual union with the Supreme Being. The Journal of Dharma’s 50-year legacy invites lovers of wisdom and seekers of Divine Truth to embrace Theosafari through Philosafari—a pilgrimage from philosophical concepts to a spiritual realization. Theosafari involves engaging with diverse religious traditions to promote interfaith dialogue and respect towards different belief systems. It seeks to explore the synergies between philosophy and theology, offering a holistic understanding of subjective and objective levels of reality.

    Selected papers after peer review will be published in four issues. The last dates to submit the manuscripts are given in brackets.

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  • Exploring Thoughts and Belief Systems: Advancement and Anticipation

    2023-09-29

    Philosophical thoughts and religious beliefs have always been intertwined throughout human history, shaping our understanding of existence, value systems and prospects. As we embark on the golden jubilee celebrations of Journal of Dharma (1975-2025), here is a call to reexamine the relationship between these two domains of life, with the goal of instilling the mantra of Dharma in both our individual lives and the broader public sphere.

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  • Towards Ethical Societies

    2022-07-06

    Human beings possess a reflective awareness of good and bad, right and wrong, just and unjust, etc. Though they may disagree on what is good and what is bad in each situation, they agree that good is to be done and evil is to be avoided. As homo sapiens, we distinguish between what seems to be the case and what is the case, and as ethical beings, homo ethicus, we distinguish between what is the case and what ought to be the case. Ethics is fundamental to the well-being of individuals and societies and is integral to all aspects of human life.

    The volume 48 (2023) Towards Ethical Societies proposes to examine critically and creatively Ethics as fundamental to human life and the interrelations between Ethics and other important aspects of human life. Focussing on the general theme, Towards Ethical Societies, researchers and scholars are invited to examine the hypothesis that all branches of human life are closely related to Ethics. They are impoverished conceptually and practically and perilous to humanity if separated from Ethics.

    Selected papers after peer review will be published in four issues:

    48.1. Ethical Interface of Knowledge Societies (15 Sept. 2022)

    48.2. Ethical Interface of Market Societies (15 Dec. 2022)

    48.3. Ethical Interface of Political Societies (15 Mar. 2023)

    48.4. Ethical Interface of Religious Societies (15 Jun. 2023).

    (The last dates to submit the manuscripts are given in brackets).

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  • Religion and Development for People, Planet, Prosperity, and Peace

    2021-08-24

    The Journal of Dharma, from its inception, understands religion as “one of the deepest dimensions of culture,” and is committed to “disseminate the seeds of the Sacred in every bit of our secular existence and to re-integrate the entire material Universe in the Spirit of Truth and Holiness” (Editorial of the first issue). Together with the promotion of inter-religious dialogue, the Journal of Dharma promotes critical and creative dialogue between the sacred and the secular with the conviction that they are inextricably intertwined and complementary in the forms of life. The present volume, Volume 47 in 2022 investigates the interface between Religion and Development. In tune with the focus of the Global Agenda 2030 on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), the Journal of Dharma invites scholars to share their fruits of research exploring the relationship between ‘Religion,’ the most ancient and ever new dimension of humanity, and ‘Development,’ the mantra of the industrialised and industrialising world and an essential feature of the secular today. People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnerships are presented as the Five Pillars of the 2030 Agenda for transforming our world. It is a call for all to live sustainably, individually and globally, keeping in mind the wisdom that our planet is on loan from our children, rather than a gift from our ancestors.

    From a religious point of view, there are no facts of the secular that are not influenced by the sacred, and the sacred aspects of human life are influenced directly or indirectly by the secular fields of human life. At a time when the convictions of millions of believers do so much to shape the geopolitics and the survival of humanity on the planet, it is not wise to discount them as misguided delusions. Listening to great experiences and insights of religious traditions of humanity is a source of knowledge and to ignore it would be an unacceptable policing by academia, economics, and politics. Rejecting the fruits of science, technology, democracy, and globalization are also delusional. In continuing with its noble tradition of dialogue between the sacred and the secular, the Journal of Dharma invites scholars to submit research papers, that are prepared following the Author Guidelines, focussing on one or more SDGs. Selected papers will be conceptually grouped into the five pillars of SDG, the five Ps: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnerships.

    47.1 Religion and Development for People (15 December 2021)

    47.2 Religion and Development for Planet (15 March 2022)

    47.3 Religion and Development for Prosperity (15 June 2022)

    47.4 Religion and Development for Peace (15 August 2022)

                                                       (Last dates of submissions are given in the brackets)

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  • Towards Sustainable Societies

    2020-09-20

    The Journal of Dharma volume 46 (2021) celebrates human quest ‘Towards Sustainable Societies’ and explores the Ethical interface of Sustainable Development Goals and the roles of educational, economic, political, legal, and religious policies, systems, and institutions, bringing together research from different academic fields including Literature, Media, Environmental Sciences, Law, Economics, Philosophy, and Religious studies. Researchers who care for the cry of the poor people and the cry of the ailing planet are invited to submit research papers scientifically prepared, following the Author Guidelines, focussing on one or more SDGs, which will be published in the four issues of the Journal of Dharma in 2021, subject to peer review reports, and editorial board decision. Selected papers after peer review will be conceptually grouped into the five pillars of SDG, the five Ps: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace and Partnerships.

    Vol. 46.1. Towards Sustainable Societies: People, Ethics, and Development (1 March 2021)

    Vol. 46.2. Towards Sustainable Societies: Planet, Ethics, and Development (8 May 2021)

    Vol. 46.3. Towards Sustainable Societies: Prosperity, Ethics, and Development (8 July 2021)

    Vol. 46.4. Towards Sustainable Societies: Peace, Partnerships, Ethics, and Development (15 August 2021)

                                                          (Last dates of submissions are given in brackets)

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  • Towards Ethical Societies

    2020-03-26

    Journal Dharma invites scholars to present and share the fruits of their research examining and showcasing the scale, scope, and complexity of the ethical dimensions of the forms of life, contributing to humanity’s journey “Towards Ethical Societies.” Kindly send the manuscripts for publication (6000 words) in MS Word with footnotes in MLA style, following the Guidelines, to the Editor-in-Chief via email: nandhikkara@dvk.in. Selected papers, after peer review, will be grouped into the following for publication in the 45th volume of the Journal of Dharma:

    Vol. 45.1. Towards Ethical Societies: Social Implications 

    Vol. 45.2. Towards Ethical Societies: Kairos of COVID-19 

    Vol. 45.3. Towards Ethical Societies: Philosophical Investigations 

    Vol. 45.4. Towards Ethical Societies: Religious Visions 

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  • Knowledge Society vis-a-vis Ethical Society

    2019-09-19

    In tune with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the mission Towards Knowledge Societies, Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram and Christ University in collaboration with Globethics.net India organize a national conference on 20 July 2019 to investigate critically and creatively the content, scope, management, and politics of the knowledge both at the local and global levels with special reference to Ethics and Values Education in Higher Education.

    The National Conference provides scholars with a forum to present and share the fruits of their research examining and showcasing the scale, scope, and complexity in different branches of knowledge, contributing to humanity’s journey towards Knowledge Society and Ethical Society.

    The papers could be published, after peer review, in the next two volumes of Journal of Dharma

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