Buddhism was presented in the Exploring Faiths and Cultures Seminars Series 7 by Mr. Briz Ogburn. The event was held at Memorial Union, Arizona State University on April 30, 2007. Mr. Ogburn is currently the vice president of Arizona Interfaith Movement. He has been a teacher for the last nineteen years and have taught World History for the last 10 years. He has been a member of the SGI-USA and practicing Nichiren Buddhism for over 35 years and is currently a lay leader of about 150 members in the East Valley.

His talk last more than one hour. Mr. Ogburn stated that the roots of Buddhism went back to 500 BC and was based on the teachings of Siddharta Guantama in India. Mr. Ogburn briefly presented the history of Buddhism and the variations in it. His emphasis was on Nicheren Buddhism which was compiled from Nicheren's teachings. The talk was enriched by the questions of the audience.

Location: Memorial Union Room 208D (Havasupai), Arizona State University
Speaker: Iyalorisa Marilyn Omifunke Torres
Chief Olumeto Agbomola of Imota
Chief Iyasale Egungun of Imota
Imota, Nigeria
On 1 May 2006, the West African Ifa Tradition is presented in the Exploring Faiths and Cultures series by Ms. Iyalorisa Marilyn Omifunke Torres.
Ms. Torres has been actively involved in philanthropy, public policy, organizational management, program design, multicultural education, and training for over 20 years. Her main focus has been in coaching, training, public speaking/storytelling, international touring, lecturing, and multicultural program design, institutional development, legislative research, conference design, coordination and facilitation. In the area of multicultural education focus has been given to: West African, Caribbean, European, Polynesian, South and North American indigenous traditions.  read more »

We continued the Exploring Faiths and Cultures seminar with Baha'i Faith. Mr. Paul Harasha who works at Mesa Community College as a Professor in Sociology, was the guest speaker. First, he showed a 3-minute video about the three Oneness in Baha'i Faith, and then started his presentation. He outlined the principles of the Baha'i Faith and answered some questions while he was explaining the important points of the faith. Prof. Harasha also talked about the origin and history of the Baha'i faith. He emphasized the notion of fellowship and dialogue as well. The presentation was followed by a question and answer session. After the refreshments were served, participants interacted through informal conversations while enjoying refreshments in a friendly atmosphere.

Location: Memorial Union Room 221 (Apache), Arizona State University
Date and Time: Nov 29, 2005, 5:30pm-7:00pm
Guest Speaker: Anne Taylor, Christian Science Committee on Publication for Arizona

Exploring Faiths and Cultures seminar series was carried on with Christian Science. Ms. Anne Taylor, who serves as the Christian Science Committee on Publication for Arizona, provided information about Christian Science. She explained the Christian Science as a scientific system of healing based on Jesus’ teachings and works. She came to the event with her husband Lloyd Taylor and her co-worker in the Committee Office, Bob Livingston, who is a Christian Science practitioner in Sun City West and his wife, Kathy Livingston. The 30-minute presentation was followed by a question and answer session. The discussion continued after the refreshments were served.  read more »