Lunch with Bokara

As she sautes pine nuts and herbs for her up-coming garden-lunch pasta dish, host Bokara Legendre brings forth a more serious tone than usual: "At the end of the Cold War, all of us thought that we were going to have a peaceful world. But in fact, we don't. Fifty- nine wars are presently being fought, and of these, many of them have to do with differences in religious faith. Many books have been written about the clash of civilizations and today all over the world religious leaders are trying to lead inter-faith dialogues to improve the situation." This unique, timely program brings together two internationally- renowned leaders in conflict resolution - one Muslim and one Christian, to discuss the possibilities for inter-faith dialogue and peace. Professor Abdul Aziz Said is the Director of the Center for Global Peace at American University, who meets here for the first time, Episcopal Bishop William E. Swing, Director of United Religions Initiative, an international inter-faith peace program. Most of us learn religion in a tribal setting. I learned it in an Episcopal tribe. You might have learned it in a Muslim tribe. And that's fine as long as we are living in tribes. But now that we live together side by side, all over the world we have to learn God not just in a tribal sense but in a global sense, and in a universal sense. Bishop William E. Swing What we call fundamentalism operates both on the political and religious level. We see it on the religious level when people are threatened. They take their belief system - be it Islam, Christianity, or Judaism - reduce it to a narrow formula, to separate themselves from others. On the political level, when a people or a nation finds itself hegemonic - as we are - we practice political fundamentalism. We take our general belief system, - Western Liberalism -and reduce it to a narrow formula to justify our own hegemony. So for me, it is a perception of threat, which is really a function of not having discovered one's genuine spirit. Professor Abdul Aziz Said.

In this episode, Taoist professor and psychologist Dr. Benjamin Tong meets environmental activist Julia Butterfly Hill, the world's most famous "tree-sitter." Julia became an international symbol of environmental activism by living for over two years high atop an old-growth redwood tree in northern California, a tree she named "Luna," which she ultimately saved from destruction.

Myths lie at the heart of the system of meanings that greatly influence our individual lives and the values of cultures and a societies as a whole. Have the classical, timeless myths that Joseph Campbell and others highlighted been offset by more contemporary myths based on commercialism and money? Join host Bokara Legendre as she explores some of the myths surrounding money, time and meaning in American society today and compares these with the dominant myths in other cultures. Philosopher and author Jacob Needleman, and anthropologist Dr. Angeles Arrien join Bokara for a lively discussion exploring some of the myths surrounding money, time freedom and meaning in our society today. In this lively discussion, these and other new American myths are compared with those of America1s founding fathers as well as the dominant myths underlying other cultures. "Money is the principle means by which our culture organizes its external life. Yet, a human being is a two natured being: we have an outer and an inner being. We are in the material doing world and we are also in an inner contemplative world. So I think we have to understand money to see that money can buy almost everything except meaning." (Prof. Jacob Needleman) "One of the great practices is learning to befriend one's self. It is the longest relationship you'll every have. Who are you going to sleep with the most? Talk to the most? Shower with the most? Eat with the most? It is yourself. And yet, we don't spend enough time really uncovering and discovering the deeper mystery of who we really are, rather than who we think we are." (Dr. Angeles Arrien)

Islam is arguably the most misunderstood and feared religion in the world today. Yet, few people know that sufism, the mystical branch of Islam, much like the core teachings of Christianity, is built around the concept of Love - Divine Love and love for all Creation. From the ecstatic bliss of the whirling dervishes to the multi-layered mystical poetry of Jalaluddin Rumi, sufism has recently become more well-known in the west, as a practice which promotes tolerance and acceptance among all peoples and faiths. Shakyh Ahmed Sidi Kostas, a Moroccan sufi of the Qadiri Order and a senior official in the Moroccan Ministry of Islamic Affairs, joins Bokara for a unique one-on-one lunch discussion, exploring a number of engaging topics from a sufi perspective, including justice, the veil and "Divine intoxication".

Bokara's guests today are Benedictine Brother David Steindl-Rast and Rabbi Lawrence Kushner. Together they explore the depths of religious fundamentalism, mystical experience, and the power of gratitude and forgiveness.

Over a lively lunch, Bokara compares notes with West African healer Sibonfu Some and psychologist and author Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen on the importance of family, community and ritual in the healing process. Dagara tribal concepts of "wholeness" and "purpose" in life are discussed from both African and western points of view. How do emotions cause illness? How can broken families heal? What is the difference between approval and acceptance? Insights abound as host and guests compare the strengths and weaknesses of western and African approaches to healing, family and community.

In her debut show, Bokara Legendre hosts meditation teacher Jack Kornfield and psychologist Paul Ekman. Meeting for the first time, the scientist and former Buddhist monk share insights on that exciting edge where the study of science meets the study of mind. What do scientists and psychologists understand about our minds and about our emotional states, and how does this compare with what meditation masters and spiritual traditions have studied and learned over the centuries? What do facial gestures tell us about a person's internal state? The program features segments from Kornfield's Vipassna meditation class, and Paul Ekman discussing scientific questions with the Dalai Lama in northern India.