–
December 6, 2023
Please join us and our guest, Dena Merriam, for a show on To Dance with Dakinis: In Search of Self. As with all of Dena’s books, To Dance with Dakinis is a study of the universal law of cause and effect, how events in our life, our deeds, thoughts, and reactions impel the process of rebirth. The story begins in 12th century Tibet with a woman's search for the Goddess and the deeper truths of life. You meet ordinary people dealing with human suffering and you visit magical lakes and mountains. You also meet the great Mother, and through her, dakinis, adepts, gurus, and loving souls who guide us life after life, all without revealing their spiritual stature. Then we meet the great Guru Rinpoche, known to Tibetans as Padmasambhava. The story unravels the threads that link together three lives. This book recounts deeply touching tales of her experiences and learnings amidst the cultural settings of the times she lived in. In the process of her journey, great teachings are conveyed that can be applied to our lives today.
Dena began working in the inter-faith movement in the late 1990s and served as Vice Chair of the Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders held at the United Nations in New York in 2000. She subsequently convened a meeting of women religious and spiritual leaders at the Palais des Nations in Geneva and from that gathering founded the Global Peace Initiative of Women (GPIW) in 2002. In 2008, Dena was one of the founding members of the Contemplative Alliance, which later became a program of GPIW. For over 40 years, she has been a student of Paramahansa Yogananda and a practitioner of Kriya Yoga meditation. Dena received her master’s degree from Columbia University and has served on numerous boards. She is currently the Chair of the International Advisory Council of the Auroville Foundation in India. Learn more at DenaMerriam.com.