EVANGELOS DENAXAS, Ambassador of Greece to Kazakhstan Some Remarks on the Notion of Culture Ladies and Gentlemen, I am very glad to address the Section 1 of the “World Forum of Spiritual Culture“, which has been placed under the high patronage of H.E. Mr. Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and has been arduously organised by the International Association “Peace Through Culture” under the capable chairmanship of H.E. Senator Mr. Tolegen Mukhamedzhanov. The Astana Forum is expected, through a multi-dimensional, a multi-disciplinary approach, to search and delimit solutions to the systemic crisis of modern civilisation by realising the priority of spirituality and culture, prime universal values of humanity whose importance grows more and more nowadays. I look forward to original presentations and to fruitful deliberations among the participants in this Section of the Forum which deals with the very core of spiritual culture.
Klaus-Dieter Buck, Germany PTC Germany, Scientist: field of Astronomy-Astrology Spiritual Culture and Cosmic (scientific) Thinking The cosmological and hierarchical orientation of early high cultures Early high cultures were cosmologically and hierarchically orientated. They had contact to higher spheres, to dimensions of the highest and purest ideas. They naturally envisioned themselves as a part of the world, as a microcosm within macrocosm and felt embedded in the great universal, cosmic order. “The cultures of mankind were always related to higher moral or ethical principles that were believed to be divine”. This means that these principles or laws originate from a higher source which is greater than mankind, planet Earth and the cosmos. Depending on the ideology, this higher source is called “law of nature”, “creation” or “deity”.
Marco Vukovic, Germany, PtC-Europe: Head of central-department IT-technology – scientist futurology Spiritual Culture – elementary Requirement for a modern, progressive Civilization Interpretation of „SPIRITUAL CULTURE“ Nowadays the global problems like continuous military conflicts, environmental destruction and also diverse existential crises do not only concern particular nations and individuals on a more or less large scale, but rather mankind on the whole. We notice that political, economical and social systems as well as denominational programs fail in confronting the current abstruse situation. „SPIRITUAL CULTURE” must permeate the civilization systems and in consequence point to a new direction for the ship of mankind in order to be able to escape from existing and threatening crises and disasters.
Masami Saionji, Japan A Shift Toward Spiritualized Thinking: Promoting the Development of Spiritual Culture In today’s society, the most generally accepted logic relates to surface conditions – objects, substances, and phenomena that we can perceive with our five senses. Up to now, humanity has somehow managed to survive with this limited kind of logic. At present, however, we human beings urgently need to tune in to a higher, expanded form of logic. Whereas conventional logic is based on recognition of the visible world and tangible phenomena, this expanded, supra-conventional logic recognizes principles that exist unconditionally in a realm surpassing the visible one.
Monika Holvoet, Germany research in “Human rights and duties” (male/female) Ethical and evolutive Potential of the Woman within the Global Social Process In true religion, the woman is highly esteemed due to her difficult way within evolution of mankind – as a symbol of self-sacrifice and everlasting giving. Women are said to have a better intuition and ability of synthesis, thus are said to be a step closer to the higher worlds than men. During the past century, a woman still had no right for higher general knowledge; her school education was comparable to that of mentally deficient individuals. There is no religion on earth that did not expel the woman and mother from the temple during the age of patriarchy. Dogmas in this era contain irreversible statements about the inferiority of women’s nature.
Sahibzada Asim Maharvi, Chairman Chishtiya Ribbat, Pakistan The Role Sufism Can Play in Global Spirituality The moment of truth has arrived. The assumption that there is nothing beyond or behind material reality is false. The moment of truth has arrived because the culture we have built on this assumption is not working. On an individual scale it is not working. On a national scale it is not working. On a global scale it is not working. This is in fact a matter of great honor to attend and celebrate the wonderful event of World Forum of Spiritual Culture, to celebrate the emergence and the growth of the Global Spirituality Based upon and limited by the knowledge and experience of the people who form it, a culture arises and develops within a specific enviornment. A culture has many unifying factors: the cohesiveness of the people who form it, their values, the cultures in proximity to them. By its very nature, a culture itself provides an important factor in unifying and harmonizing. As a culture develops, progresses and matures, it becomes more static, more homebound, for a man seeks stability.