Me and Karma Vibe like That - Dr. Stephen Berkwitz

Dr. Stephen Berkwitz is department head of the Languages, Cultures and Religions at Missouri State. He is also an expert in religious studies with a special focus on South Asian religions. He teaches classes including Buddhism, Yoga and Meditation, and Theories of Religion – a class he developed.

We talk about comparative religion, Buddhism, and the Four Noble Truths. I pose questions on religious topics ranging from jet skis to beer styles, and Stephen deftly addresses them all.

As a Buddhism expert, I had to ask Stephen about the Taylor Swift song, Karma. Is karma really the breeze in Taylor Swift’s hair on the
weekend? Stephen (who has written books on Buddhist poetry, and who in a past life was a concert promoter) breaks it all down for us.

We also talk about the LCR department itself and its role in the University’s public affairs mission and it’s cultural competence pillar. Learning about something new, such as an unfamiliar language or religion, can help us look at things that are familiar to us in a new light.

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