Ishwar C. Harris
Encyclopedia
Ishwar C. Harris is a professor of religion whose focus spans Hinduism
, Buddhism
, and Islam
. He is considered an expert on the culture and history of India
and is the author of several books and numerous articles on the topic of Eastern religions. His works have also dealt with Gandhian
philosophy and the Sarvodaya
movement.
in India. This was followed by a M.Div. from the Howard Divinity School in 1967, S.T.M. from the Pacific School of Religion
in 1969, and a Ph.D. from Claremont Graduate School in 1974. Harris taught religion at Rutgers University
and San Bernardino State College before coming to the College of Wooster in 1981 where he was the Synod Professor of Religious Studies there until his formal retirement in May 2009. Harris has brought groups of students to study abroad in the Thai and Southeast Asian Studies Program (http://thaistudies.payap.ac.th) at Payap University in Chiang Mai, Thailand three times in 2003, 2007 and 2009 (Aug-Dec).
Harris is a member of the American Academy of Religion
, the Society for Asian Studies, ASIANetwork, and the Ohio Academy of Religion. Harris spent five weeks in 1999 at the Tofukuji Monastery in Kyoto with the Rinzai master and head abbot, Keido Fukushima
. This was followed by a three-month trip in 2001 and a return trip in 2003. The result of those trips was the book The Laughing Buddha of Tofukuji.
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
, Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
, and Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. He is considered an expert on the culture and history of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and is the author of several books and numerous articles on the topic of Eastern religions. His works have also dealt with Gandhian
Gandhism
Gandhism is the collection of inspirations, principles, beliefs and philosophy of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , who was a major political and spiritual leader of India and the Indian Independence Movement....
philosophy and the Sarvodaya
Sarvodaya
Sarvodaya is a term meaning 'universal uplift' or 'progress of all'. The term was first coined by Mahatma Gandhi as the title of his 1908 translation of John Ruskin's tract on political economy, Unto This Last, and Gandhi came to use the term for the ideal of his own political philosophy...
movement.
Biography
In 1961 Harris received his B.A. from the Lucknow Christian CollegeLucknow Christian College
Lucknow Christian Degree College is a post graduate college located in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is affiliated with the University of Lucknow.- Overview :...
in India. This was followed by a M.Div. from the Howard Divinity School in 1967, S.T.M. from the Pacific School of Religion
Pacific School of Religion
Pacific School of Religion is an ecumenical seminary located in Berkeley, California. It maintains covenantal relationships with the United Church of Christ, the United Methodist Church and the Disciples of Christ, providing all necessary expectations for candidates to their ordained ministries....
in 1969, and a Ph.D. from Claremont Graduate School in 1974. Harris taught religion at Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
and San Bernardino State College before coming to the College of Wooster in 1981 where he was the Synod Professor of Religious Studies there until his formal retirement in May 2009. Harris has brought groups of students to study abroad in the Thai and Southeast Asian Studies Program (http://thaistudies.payap.ac.th) at Payap University in Chiang Mai, Thailand three times in 2003, 2007 and 2009 (Aug-Dec).
Harris is a member of the American Academy of Religion
American Academy of Religion
The American Academy of Religion is the world's largest association of scholars in the field of religious studies and related topics. It is a nonprofit member association,...
, the Society for Asian Studies, ASIANetwork, and the Ohio Academy of Religion. Harris spent five weeks in 1999 at the Tofukuji Monastery in Kyoto with the Rinzai master and head abbot, Keido Fukushima
Keido Fukushima
Keido Fukushima （福島 慶道, Fukushima Keidō 1933 – March 1, 2011） was a Japanese Rinzai master who has had an influence on Rinzai practice in the United States. He was the abbot of Tofuku-ji in Kyoto, Japan, where several American teachers and Muho Noelke, the German abbot of Antaiji, have trained...
. This was followed by a three-month trip in 2001 and a return trip in 2003. The result of those trips was the book The Laughing Buddha of Tofukuji.