Winter School 2025 Unveils Impressive Results, Charts an Awareness Compass for the Digital Age
On May 10, the University for Life & Peace (ULP) held its Winter School 2025 Presentation Day, sharing the results of its online course series. As per tradition, the event opened with a 9-minute Peace Meditation led by ULP founder Dharma Master Hsin Tao. The practice helped faculty and students settle into a calm and focused state, setting the tone for thoughtful discussion. Graduate students from diverse backgrounds showcased a wealth of perspectives, presenting creative project ideas that explored the convergence of spirituality, ecology, and technology. Their proposals sparked fresh imagination around the future of education and social innovation.
Five Professors Guide Graduate Students in Shaping Bold New Ideas
Following the closing ceremony on April 13, nearly a month of incubation and in-depth dialogue culminated in the May 10 presentations. Under the guidance of five distinguished professors—Michael von Brueck, Alexander Benz, and Ernst Poeppel from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich; Anastasia Zabaniotou from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece; and Peter Edwards, Chair of the Sustainability Research Initiative at the Swiss Academy of Natural Sciences—the event showcased interdisciplinary innovations born of spirited collaboration.
Lively Exchange of Ideas Fosters a Shared Vision for Spiritual Ecology
Graduate students shared project concepts that combined depth with creativity, spanning topics from digital technology interfaces to the design of spiritual spaces. These sparked lively and multiple rounds of exchange between professors and students. One tech-focused group proposed a contemporary application integrating meditation, social challenges, and nature-based mindfulness to establish mechanisms for spiritual practice in daily life. Another team drew inspiration from monastic gardens to explore the spiritual dimensions of historical spaces and extended those insights to the design of healing landscapes in modern urban environments. Professors and students actively contributed concrete feedback in the virtual space, supplementing one another’s ideas from diverse perspectives—including philosophy, the arts, and sustainable agriculture—demonstrating a high level of interdisciplinary collaboration and academic engagement.
Dharma Master Hsin Tao Concludes with the Core Insight: “Ecology Is Spirituality”
Toward the end of the presentations, ULP founder Dharma Master Hsin Tao made a special digital appearance. He expressed his gratitude for the advice and suggestions offered by the professors and advisors, and went on to reaffirm the core principles of the University for Life & Peace: 'One is All and All is One; Ecology is Spirituality, and Spirituality is Ecology; God is Spirituality, and Spirituality is God.' The Master emphasized that ULP serves as a platform for fostering deep connections among people, allowing them to witness and practice the transformative power of spiritual ecology. He called on everyone to join together as 'seeds of peace and ecology.'
Next stop: A preview of spiritual ecology advancing toward the academic forefront in Europe.
Professor von Brueck made a preannouncement that ULP's next key event will take place from June 4 to 5 at the University of Passau in Germany, featuring the Spiritual Ecology Symposium, focusing on 'All Ways Towards an All-Encompassing Transformation'.Scholars and experts from a wide range of disciplines—including geography, engineering, theology, art, and more—will come together to explore how spiritual ecology courses can serve as a powerful catalyst for ecological transformation. The symposium will be held in a hybrid format, both in person and online, and all are warmly invited to attend.
Five Professors Guide Graduate Students in Shaping Bold New Ideas
Following the closing ceremony on April 13, nearly a month of incubation and in-depth dialogue culminated in the May 10 presentations. Under the guidance of five distinguished professors—Michael von Brueck, Alexander Benz, and Ernst Poeppel from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich; Anastasia Zabaniotou from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece; and Peter Edwards, Chair of the Sustainability Research Initiative at the Swiss Academy of Natural Sciences—the event showcased interdisciplinary innovations born of spirited collaboration.
Lively Exchange of Ideas Fosters a Shared Vision for Spiritual Ecology
Graduate students shared project concepts that combined depth with creativity, spanning topics from digital technology interfaces to the design of spiritual spaces. These sparked lively and multiple rounds of exchange between professors and students. One tech-focused group proposed a contemporary application integrating meditation, social challenges, and nature-based mindfulness to establish mechanisms for spiritual practice in daily life. Another team drew inspiration from monastic gardens to explore the spiritual dimensions of historical spaces and extended those insights to the design of healing landscapes in modern urban environments. Professors and students actively contributed concrete feedback in the virtual space, supplementing one another’s ideas from diverse perspectives—including philosophy, the arts, and sustainable agriculture—demonstrating a high level of interdisciplinary collaboration and academic engagement.
Dharma Master Hsin Tao Concludes with the Core Insight: “Ecology Is Spirituality”
Toward the end of the presentations, ULP founder Dharma Master Hsin Tao made a special digital appearance. He expressed his gratitude for the advice and suggestions offered by the professors and advisors, and went on to reaffirm the core principles of the University for Life & Peace: 'One is All and All is One; Ecology is Spirituality, and Spirituality is Ecology; God is Spirituality, and Spirituality is God.' The Master emphasized that ULP serves as a platform for fostering deep connections among people, allowing them to witness and practice the transformative power of spiritual ecology. He called on everyone to join together as 'seeds of peace and ecology.'
Next stop: A preview of spiritual ecology advancing toward the academic forefront in Europe.
Professor von Brueck made a preannouncement that ULP's next key event will take place from June 4 to 5 at the University of Passau in Germany, featuring the Spiritual Ecology Symposium, focusing on 'All Ways Towards an All-Encompassing Transformation'.Scholars and experts from a wide range of disciplines—including geography, engineering, theology, art, and more—will come together to explore how spiritual ecology courses can serve as a powerful catalyst for ecological transformation. The symposium will be held in a hybrid format, both in person and online, and all are warmly invited to attend.