Bill Vendley, PhD
Bill Vendley, PhD, is passionate about collaboration among the world’s different religious traditions. Before joining Fetzer in November 2019, he served for 25 years as the Secretary-General of Religions for Peace, the world’s largest multi-religious organization. Bill served as an advisor to President Obama on the Multi-Religious Cooperation and International Affairs Task Force of the White House Faith-Based Council. He was also an advisor to the US State Department Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and John Kerry. Before his work in Religions for Peace, he was a professor and dean of a Roman Catholic graduate seminary. He studied Buddhism in Sri Lanka and practiced Zen meditation for five years in Japan. His graduate degrees are in systematic theology. He is married to Yasuko Vendley, and they enjoy a cross-cultural multi-religious partnership aligned with Fetzer’s commitment to building a more loving world.
Acts of Joy
Elegant and graceful sharing by all three speakers. Thank you for modeling compassion and inclusion.
Excelente exposición.
I am so inspired by this conversation. I volunteer with St. Vincent de Paul and see so much suffering and yet our Black neighbors pray with us with such faith and demonstrate determination and resilience. thank you from Cincinnati, OH
Beautiful perspective is delivered through the conversation, and strong message. Thank you for that.
I am Croatian and I was surprised to hear the war mentioned. As much as with a time passing and wounds of my nation is healing, remembrance still holds empty feeling and deep sadness. Sometimes even hatred arises still after all this 30 years. I can only allow myself to feel that with self compassion and say to my self gently, try to tell your self this story from different angle and perspective. Remaind my self that I am greater than “my story”.
thank you for the introduction to that divine bill vendley-what a gemstone.
As a Baha’i, I see us stepping up on a new platform away from the old stories and into a community strengthened by its diversity. Thank you for spreading the JOY.
The topic was wonderful and timely. I wish Doug could have given his guests more opportunity to share their wisdom and experiences.
Beautiful presentation. How important is not to cling to our stories. Thank you for your wisdom.
Fabulous conversation about the individual and collective “stories” or distorted beliefs we tell ourselves that keep us in chaos. We have the power to turn this around since our “stories” are no longer serving us. Shared humanity is truly the goal…Well done Doug, Ayo, and Bill…
Gréât conversations – so much shared in the alités time – all worthy of a camp fire shared experience …….. human communality
Thank you Pamela, Bill and Doug for your inspirational insights.
Hope, love and joy are definitely possibilities to share within our life’s journey.
Inspiration touching directly to my heart. Thank you!
Indeed, a fantastic conversation which enlightened and benefited me
thanks so much to all three of you. It is so inspiring and I am really thinking about how I could engage more in dialog of conflictparties. so admire what you have done and are doing in your life.
a retired psychotherapist and theologian from Austria
Such a lucid, insightful and valuable conversation! There are many people I would love to share this with! Thank you for your inspiring work. The world really needs ‘the balm of our true human goodness’ ….my takeaway as the core of what you are discussing here…to be liberally applied to all of humanity right now!
I am speechless! I am sending this to the people in my life whom I care deeply about, and whom I believe also care deeply about our global community! Thank you Doug for your intelligent, informative, and considerate moderation. Thank you Ayo and Bill for your deeply insightful and significant sharing. I am inspired and infused with hope — and JOY!!!
Thank you Doug Ayo and Bill.
Yes we constantly believe or even make up stories. Just the way we make up stories about constellations, even though there is no real connection between those stars.
I am sending this video presentation to people in my life whom I love and know share my concern for our global community! Thank you Doug, for your deft, considerate, and informed moderation. Thank you Ayo and Bill for your insightful, and generous dissemination of a tantalizing sample of your collective wisdom and experience. I could’ve listened to you all day! In gratitude, with hope – and JOY!!!!
What a beautiful and authentic conversation! Thank you for sharing your views. No doubt a new story needs to be told based on our common humanity as we focus on thriving together versus heading towards destroying ourselves and the planet we all depend on. It’s up to us. May we be blessed by Divine Inspiration. So be it and so it is. Namaste! 👍💖🙏🌷
Tellement intéressant, pertinent et porteur d’espoir. Merci infiniment cette conversation m’a captivée. J’aimerai beaucoup en savoir plus sur comment faire pour aider à changer de perspective par rapport aux histoires que l’on se raconte, car ce n’est pas facile, et quelles sont les études scientifiques sur ce sujet, sur la recherche de cohérence du cerveau, etc.
Great reflection, full of depth and discoveries. Relations are joy
The depth of Day 4 leaves me in awe and this conversation is among those at the top of the list. Thank you each and all for your sorrows having moved you more deeply toward consciousness instead of unconsciousness. Obi-Wan-Kanobi – consciousness is our only hope….
Thanks for those beautiful and intelligent words between you three forming the new “story” : we, all humans, are capable of evolving and creating a new wonderful narrative. The summit is a step. There are many people walking in that direction. Let’s keep walking together. Let’s keep spreading the new story: we can do this. Together. It is sacred. Let’s teach as many humans as we can how to control attention to realise where is most beneficial to focus on. I am very excited, from years ago, to be part of this wave.
Thanks for all the efforts behind this event. It does help to connect with many people around the World, with our own dreams, it’s inspiring and for sure brings a deep, beautiful, JOY.
Thank you very much. Glad to have learned the new word Ubuntu.
So grateful to have had a chance to hear this during the bonus day- I can’t imagine having missed it. A beautiful and hopeful conversation that can be applied collectively and individually. May more and more join this journey! Thank you to the three of you for this.
Truly enjoyed this inspirational conversation. Thank you all.
Thank you Ayo and Bill. This conversation is so relevant for my and our present moments. Thank you global joy summit for the extra bonus days which allowed me to listen. So grateful to have gotten these rays of wisdom to contemplate. And that others are also receiving and sharing.