University for Life and Peace Winter School 2025 Opens / Online Discussions on Sustainability Culture Also Featured
The Ling Jiou Mountain (LJM) University for Life & Peace (ULP) commenced its 2025 Online Winter School program on March 9. Scholars, experts, and research students worldwide gathered online to explore innovative topics that bridge sustainability and inner awakening. The discussions spanned diverse fields, including psychology, technology, policy-making, socio-economic systems, philosophy, and spirituality. ULP founder, Grand Master Hsin Tao, expressed his hope that through learning, dialogue, and reflection, participants would uncover a balance between civilizational progress and ecological conservation—paving the way for lasting sustainability for the planet, its ecosystems, and humanity.
Master Hsin Tao, the founding abbot of Ling Jiou Mountain Buddhist Society and founder of the University for Life & Peace (ULP), delivered a unique online welcome address. He emphasized that the Winter School program is centered on "spirituality" and aims to highlight contemporary ecological issues while uncovering their underlying causes. By embracing the principles of "respect, inclusiveness, and sharing," participants are encouraged to establish ethical frameworks, wisely utilize technology, and ultimately contribute to finding solutions.
Master Hsin Tao emphasized that spirituality is the fundamental essence of all existence — the very DNA that shapes all things. The nature of all beings originates from the same primal spirit, giving rise to a diverse and beautiful world. This diversity brings beauty through differences and harmony through shared origins. Humanity and all forms of life share an interdependent, symbiotic relationship, existing as partners that support one another. He stressed that by adhering to the principles of "Respect for the value of Existence, Tolerance of Living Environment, Love in Giving What is Needed " we can identify effective solutions and implement concrete actions that restore the Earth's ecological balance and natural cycles.
Spirituality as A Solution to Environmental Crises: International Faculty and the Student Seeking Answers
The Winter School's international program, first launched in Yangon, Myanmar, in 2019, transitioned to an online format in 2021. Its unique curriculum design gathers professors, experts, and students from diverse disciplines and fields worldwide. Centered on a designated annual theme, the program integrates innovative professional approaches with perspectives on spiritual ecology. Through academic learning and practical insights, participants collectively explore ways to transform the global environmental crisis.
The 5th Online Winter School of the Ling Jiou Mountain University for Life & Peace (ULP) is themed "Environmental Transition and Socio-Economic Justice: New Perspectives and Dynamics of Spiritual Resources." The program runs until May 10, featuring seven lectures, two panel discussions, group debates, breakout discussions, and team-based seminars. These activities aim to generate research papers focusing on three key aspects: consciousness and awareness, healing the Earth, and examples of scientific and technological practices, to inspire constructive and innovative ideas.
Professors Michael von Brück and Alexander Benz from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, along with Professor Anastasia Zabaniotou from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, opened the first day of the program by outlining the course structure and defining the concept of spiritual ecology. This year's focus centers on the concept of "PERMA culture" — a sustainable cultural model, the construction of spiritual ecology, and how it can be implemented across different regions from a global perspective to achieve sufficiency, fairness, and ecological balance.
Winter School is All about Loving the Earth by Employing A Spiritual Perspective in Exploring Sustainability
The University for Life and Peace (ULP) Preparatory Office continues its collaboration with Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) this year and has for the first time launched credit courses at the Catholic University of Linz in Austria. The invited faculty and advisory team is impressive and includes: Honorary Professor Azizan Baharuddin from the University of Malaysia, entrepreneur Markus Bogner from Bavaria, three professors from LMU Munich – Michael von Brück, Markus Vogt, and Ernst Pöppel, two professors from Yale University – John Grim and Mary Evelyn Tucker, Professor Michael Rosenberger from the Catholic University of Linz, Professor Anastasia Zabaniotou from Aristotle University of Greece, as well as participating professors from the University of Passau, Germany – Werner Gamerith, and two professors from Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria – Dorothea Greiling and Erika Wagner. Additionally, Professor Josef Wieland from the University of Friedrichshafen in Germany will contribute. This group will provide comprehensive and enriching learning experiences, offering assistance when encountering obstacles in discussions.
Twenty graduate students and nearly fifty auditors from Germany, Austria, Greece, India, Ethiopia, Turkey, China, Taiwan, and other countries are actively interacting and will present their research topics and directions. Master Hsin Tao affirmed that all participants, coming together online to explore ecological sustainability for humanity and the planet, are engaged in a unique and noble spiritual connection.
Master Hsin Tao, the founding abbot of Ling Jiou Mountain Buddhist Society and founder of the University for Life & Peace (ULP), delivered a unique online welcome address. He emphasized that the Winter School program is centered on "spirituality" and aims to highlight contemporary ecological issues while uncovering their underlying causes. By embracing the principles of "respect, inclusiveness, and sharing," participants are encouraged to establish ethical frameworks, wisely utilize technology, and ultimately contribute to finding solutions.
Master Hsin Tao emphasized that spirituality is the fundamental essence of all existence — the very DNA that shapes all things. The nature of all beings originates from the same primal spirit, giving rise to a diverse and beautiful world. This diversity brings beauty through differences and harmony through shared origins. Humanity and all forms of life share an interdependent, symbiotic relationship, existing as partners that support one another. He stressed that by adhering to the principles of "Respect for the value of Existence, Tolerance of Living Environment, Love in Giving What is Needed " we can identify effective solutions and implement concrete actions that restore the Earth's ecological balance and natural cycles.
Spirituality as A Solution to Environmental Crises: International Faculty and the Student Seeking Answers
The Winter School's international program, first launched in Yangon, Myanmar, in 2019, transitioned to an online format in 2021. Its unique curriculum design gathers professors, experts, and students from diverse disciplines and fields worldwide. Centered on a designated annual theme, the program integrates innovative professional approaches with perspectives on spiritual ecology. Through academic learning and practical insights, participants collectively explore ways to transform the global environmental crisis.
The 5th Online Winter School of the Ling Jiou Mountain University for Life & Peace (ULP) is themed "Environmental Transition and Socio-Economic Justice: New Perspectives and Dynamics of Spiritual Resources." The program runs until May 10, featuring seven lectures, two panel discussions, group debates, breakout discussions, and team-based seminars. These activities aim to generate research papers focusing on three key aspects: consciousness and awareness, healing the Earth, and examples of scientific and technological practices, to inspire constructive and innovative ideas.
Professors Michael von Brück and Alexander Benz from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, along with Professor Anastasia Zabaniotou from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, opened the first day of the program by outlining the course structure and defining the concept of spiritual ecology. This year's focus centers on the concept of "PERMA culture" — a sustainable cultural model, the construction of spiritual ecology, and how it can be implemented across different regions from a global perspective to achieve sufficiency, fairness, and ecological balance.
Winter School is All about Loving the Earth by Employing A Spiritual Perspective in Exploring Sustainability
The University for Life and Peace (ULP) Preparatory Office continues its collaboration with Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) this year and has for the first time launched credit courses at the Catholic University of Linz in Austria. The invited faculty and advisory team is impressive and includes: Honorary Professor Azizan Baharuddin from the University of Malaysia, entrepreneur Markus Bogner from Bavaria, three professors from LMU Munich – Michael von Brück, Markus Vogt, and Ernst Pöppel, two professors from Yale University – John Grim and Mary Evelyn Tucker, Professor Michael Rosenberger from the Catholic University of Linz, Professor Anastasia Zabaniotou from Aristotle University of Greece, as well as participating professors from the University of Passau, Germany – Werner Gamerith, and two professors from Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria – Dorothea Greiling and Erika Wagner. Additionally, Professor Josef Wieland from the University of Friedrichshafen in Germany will contribute. This group will provide comprehensive and enriching learning experiences, offering assistance when encountering obstacles in discussions.
Twenty graduate students and nearly fifty auditors from Germany, Austria, Greece, India, Ethiopia, Turkey, China, Taiwan, and other countries are actively interacting and will present their research topics and directions. Master Hsin Tao affirmed that all participants, coming together online to explore ecological sustainability for humanity and the planet, are engaged in a unique and noble spiritual connection.