Loading Events

« All Events

Mindfulness, heartfulness and compassion: a dialogue with faith leaders

4 July at 09:00 to 17:00

Line drawing of people from different communities

A one-day symposium in Brighton exploring the roots of contemporary mindfulness, heartfulness and compassion-based practices. This day is being hosted by the Sussex Mindfulness Centre, Heartfulness UK and the Brighton & Hove Interfaith Contact group.

What is the symposium about?

Contemporary mindfulness, heartfulness and compassion-based practices derive predominantly from established spiritual pathways or religious traditions. However, in the secularised workplaces in which they are often delivered, the religion has been necessarily stripped away from the practices. 

While this makes them more accessible to Westernised consumers, the danger is that by taking them out of their contexts and communities these practices may become technical, individualised and self-serving, losing their deeper meaning and their more profound capacity for change and connection.  

We need to be careful that our secularised inclusiveness does not exclude the diversity offered by religious and spiritual traditions and the people affiliated to them, on whose shoulders these contemporary practices rest. Increasingly, we recognise that passing off something that belongs to the wisdom of often non-Western, non-white cultures as a new, scientific discovery can be unacceptable cultural appropriation. 

By restricting conversations about these depth foundations, we miss an opportunity to find rich connections and understandings across many different faiths that have meditation and the cultivation of qualities such as presence, kindness and compassion at the heart of what they do. At a time in the world where religion can be the cause of division and tribalism, this opportunity to connect and build understanding in this domain seems more important than ever.

During this day, we plan to invite representatives of all the major faiths to share mindfulness, heartfulness and compassion practices from their traditions, and to engage in a dialogue about what unites us and what we can learn from one another. 

Who is this for?

Anyone interested in the roots of mindfulness. Everyone is welcome, from any faith or none.

The hosts

The Sussex Mindfulness Centre is hosting the day with the Interfaith Contact Group of Brighton and Hove and Heartfulness UK.

The Interfaith Contact Group of Brighton and Hove creates opportunities and safe spaces for people of different faiths and none to meet and talk. Most of their members and friends belong to faith groups but many don’t.

Heartfulness UK supports people in over 160 countries to achieve a more balanced, centred, and peaceful life through meditation, yoga, and other heartfulness initiatives that support inner transformation and well being.

The Sussex Mindfulness Centre aims to improve the wellbeing and mental health of all people who can benefit from mindfulness. We do this by running mindfulness and compassion programmes, training teachers, and conducting research.

The facilitator

Robert Marx

Portrait of Robert Marx
Robert Marx

Robert is a co-lead for the Sussex Mindfulness Centre. He is a consultant clinical psychologist and has been involved in running mindfulness groups for staff and patients since 2006. He also trains and supervises others doing mindfulness work. He is interested in relational mindfulness and in adaptations of Mindfulness-based Interventions using compassion practices.

There will be other facilitators, representatives of all the major faiths

Where?

Please join us in person at the Friends Meeting House, Ship street, Brighton (see below).

Ticket prices

Ticket prices are to help us cover venue costs.

  • Early bird tickets (before 28 February 2025): £20.00
  • Standard tickets (after 28 February): £30.00

We try to keep prices as low as possible so everyone can come. We are not seeking any profit but we do need to cover (mainly venue) costs.  Please contact us if you would like to come but the price is prohibitive.

Ship Street
Brighton, Sussex BN1 1AF United Kingdom
+ Google Map
01273 770258
View Venue Website