Wisdom in Dialogue

A Cross-Cultural Conversation on Spiritual Ecology

Event Description

Facing climate change, ecological imbalance, and a rapidly changing world, humanity increasingly needs to rethink: How do we understand the relationships between ourselves, nature, others, and all living beings? And how can we face the future of the Earth together amidst our differences?

For years, Master Hsin Tao has advocated that "Spirituality is Ecology, and Ecology is Spirituality," reminding us to recognize anew the interdependent relationships among all life. Guided by this vision, the 1^st International Spiritual Ecology Forum 2026 aims to create a space for exchange that transcends the boundaries of religious, cultural, academic, and practice.

The Forum does not presuppose a single answer, nor does it expect different traditions to converge into uniformity. Instead, it cherishes the unique perspectives brought by every culture, faith, knowledge system, and lived experience. Through mutual listening and dialogue, diverse wisdoms can meet across differences and build connections through understanding.

From local experiences of nature and culture to international, interreligious, and interdisciplinary exchange, we hope this forum will become a starting point for joint exploration: allowing traditional wisdom and contemporary experiences to illuminate one another, enabling different generations and cultures to learn from each other, and inviting us to rethink the various possibilities of humans and all living beings how to coexist.

We are not in a hurry to seek a common answer. Instead, we begin by creating a space where we can truly meet one another.

Program Overview

This forum is structured into two phases, beginning with direct engagement in nature and local culture, and gradually extending into international exchange across religions, cultures and disciplines.

Phase 1:【Taiwan-Japan International Symposium on Spiritual Ecology】

（October 8–9) ｜ Conducted in Chinese

This symposium invites scholars, museum professionals, and educational teams from Taiwan and Japan to use the natural elements of earth, water, wind, and fire as mediums for exchange. Contributors will share diverse perspectives on human-nature interaction through folklore culture, environmental education, mind-body experiences, and local practices. Through this cross-cultural exchange of experiences, we hope to re-awaken our senses to how humans build relationships with the land, environment, and the living world, while opening up new possibilities for future education.

Phase 2: 【From Sacred Wisdom to Lived Systems and Collective Action Forum】

(November 7–9) ｜ Conducted in English, with simultaneous Chinese interpretation provided

This forum brings together representatives from diverse religious traditions—including Buddhism, Catholicism, Islam, and Sikhism—alongside figures from academia, education, and ecological practice to engage in dialogue. Every religion and culture carries its own way of understanding life, nature, and the universe. This forum aims to provide a platform for mutual listening and sharing, creating new connections between these ancient and diverse wisdom traditions and the ecological, educational, and everyday challenges faced by contemporary society.

We do not prescribe a single direction, nor do we require a uniform answer. Instead, we look forward to finding understanding within difference, building connections through understanding, and, from those connections, discovering possibilities for collective collaboration.

While this forum may not answer every question at once, we hope to begin with a sincere encounter: allowing different wisdoms to recognize one another, enabling diverse life experiences to listen to each other, and restoring the connections among humans, nature, culture, and the world. For it is through embracing differences that connections emerge, and through connection that we find the possibility to move forward together.