worldculture.org

Study Circle
2025-12-02 19:30 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Seminar Room, 1407 Chapala Street, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, United States
An ongoing study circle every Tuesday night covering a variety of themes.

If you would like to join the Study Circle via Zoom, please contact donna@worldculture.org for a link.

Vinoba Bhave: Contemplative Mystic and Social Revolutionary
2025-12-06 14:00 - 16:00 | Seminar Room of Concord House & Livestream, 1407 Chapala Street, Santa Barbara
Mahatma Gandhi’s disciple and spiritual heir, Vinoba Bhave creatively fused the sacred and the secular, through spiritual courage and non-violent social reform. Hear his life story.

Presenters:
Dr. Anand Mundra and
Dr. James Tepfer

Concord House Seminar Room
1407 Chapala Street, Santa Barbara
In-Person and Livestream*
Join us as Drs. Anand Mundra and James Tepfer narrate the life-story of Mahatma Gandhi’s disciple and spiritual heir, Vinoba Bhave, who became adept at creatively fusing the sacred and the secular, spiritual courage and non-violent social reform. After Gandhi’s death, Bhave became the heroic purveyor of non-violent political and social revolution at a critical turning point in the early, unstable days of the Republic of India. Inspired by his mentor, Bhave became the focal point for rescuing the fledgling Indian nation from class warfare, which was being actively and violently promoted by communists in rural India.
Listen also, to rare, real life stories of spiritual courage-in-action as told by Dr. Mundra, the son of the personal secretary of Vinobha Bhave.

Dr. Anand Mundra was born and raised in Gandhi and Vinoba’s ashrams and was witness to his father, mother, and devoted ashramites navigating the complex personal challenges of living lives dedicated to active political action, social regeneration and God-realization.

Dr. James Tepfer is a founding member of the Institute of World Culture, a retired Philosophy and Political Science Professor, and a Gandhian scholar.

Photo: (left) Vinoba Bhave and (center) Dr. Mundra’s father; on the occasion of giving away the first contribution of land donated to the Bhoodan voluntary land reform movement in India.

Study Circle
2025-12-09 19:30 - 21:00 | Seminar Room, 1407 Chapala Street, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, United States
An ongoing study circle every Tuesday night covering a variety of themes.

Annual Members' Holiday Reception
2025-12-13 19:00 - 21:00 | Concord House, 1407 Chapala Street, Santa Barbara
Join fellow members in a celebration of the seasonal observance of birth and renewal. Come and enjoy the opportunity for fellowship, live seasonal music, and holiday treats at this after dinner get-together at the Institute’s Concord House. Musicians will add to the festivity of the season with music based on Christmas themes and instrumental versions of Christmas carols.

Each member may bring one or two guests.

*IWC Membership: If you would like to become a member, or wish to renew your membership, you may donate HERE, or mail a check to IWC Membership, 1407 Chapala St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101. You may also bring your donation to the Holiday Reception.

The annual levels of membership include $15 Student; $35 Individual; $70 Supporting; $350 Sustaining. Questions about membership may be sent to memberships@worldculture.org, or you may leave a message at (805) 966-3941. Thank you for supporting the uplifting work of the Institute!

Study Circle
2025-12-16 19:30 - 21:00, 2025-12-30 19:30 - 21:00 | Seminar Room, 1407 Chapala Street, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, United States
An ongoing study circle every Tuesday night covering a variety of themes. This month’s schedule is HERE.

If you would like to join the Study Circle via Zoom, please contact donna@worldculture.org for a link.

Study Circle - no meeting, Holiday Break
2025-12-23 19:30 - 21:00 | Seminar Room, 1407 Chapala Street, Santa Barbara, CA, 93101, United States
Happy Holidays!

Study Circle
2026-01-06 19:30 - 21:00, 2026-01-13 19:30 - 21:00, 2026-01-20 19:30 - 21:00, 2026-01-27 19:30 - 21:00 | Seminar Room & Zoom, 1407 Chapala Street, Santa Barbara, CA, 93111, United States
JANUARY 2026 PROGRAM
Tuesdays, 7:30 PM PT
Institute of World Culture, Concord House
1407 Chapala Street, Santa Barbara, CA
In-Person and via Zoom*

GOVERNMENT AND SELF-GOVERNMENT

“Society in every state is a blessing, but government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil . . . For were the impulses of conscience clear, uniform and irresistibly obeyed, man would need no other law-giver.” – Thomas Paine

Jan 6, 2006 Hieros Logos, The Golden Verses of Pythagoras
We will begin our year with the wise, one could say axiomatic, council of Pythagoras, so that our voyage does not veer from its true course.
“Consult and deliberate before thou act, that thou may’st not commit foolish actions, for it is the part of a miserable man to speak and to act without reflection.”

Jan 13, 2026 Individuation
Chapter 6 of Parapolitics by Raghavan Iyer
“Man who man would be must rule the empire of himself.” P.B. Shelley

Jan 20, 2026 On the Decline of Society, the State, and Character
The Republic of Plato, Books VIII-IX
“Do you see, then, that there must be as many types of human character as there are forms of government? . . . So, if there are five forms of government, there must be five kinds of mental constitution among individuals.”

Jan 27, 2026 The Generous Spirit
Poetry of William Wordsworth.
“Who, with a natural instinct to discern what knowledge can perform, is diligent to learn; abides by this resolve, and stops not there, but makes his moral being his prime care.”

*Contact donna@worldculture.org for a link to join via Zoom

Awakening to Interdependence
2026-01-10 14:00 - 16:00 | Concord Hall and streaming on Youtube, 1407 Chapala Street, Santa Barbara
Interdependence Flyer 1-10-26 B

Presenters: Elton Hall, James Tepfer, Ghazala Rahman Rafiq
The Institute of World Culture (IWC) will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year. Its aims, laid out in its Declaration of Interdependence at its founding in 1976, reflect the rich heritage of human ideals that form the basis for a diverse library of talks, forums, and study circles dedicated to the promotion of universal brotherhood and to fostering human fellowship among all races, nations and cultures. In this keynote forum, our three speakers, themselves educators and long-time members of the Institute, will offer reflections on what it might mean to awaken to interdependence as individuals and as communities, in theory and in practice.

Expanding a Universal Vision of Liberty, Justice, Social Responsibility and Community
2026-01-24 14:00 - 16:30 | Concord Hall and streaming on Youtube, 1407 Chapala Street, Santa Barbara
Presenters: Carolyn Dorrance and Danson Kiplagat
Expanding a Universal Vision of Liberty, Justice, Social Responsibility and Community Core concepts and ethical practices that could be used in the development of a new Universal Vision for humanity’s welfare will be explored. The revolutionary vision that inspired the Republic of Conscience in 18th century America will be matched with current global trends to expand liberty, justice, social responsibility and community around the world. The contributions of leaders dedicated to a universal vision for improving the lives and opportunities for mankind will be presented.
Dr. Carolyn Dorrance and Danson Kiplagat are retired educators as well as
founding members of the Institute of World Culture. Dr. Dorrance served for many years as president of the Institute’s board.

Study Circle
2026-01-28 08:00 - 17:00 | CA
In February we will use 3 weeks considering various aspects of A.I., especially in relationship to consciousness. The Study Circle will end the month with a consideration of the extraordinary perceptions of George William Russell, which are quite beyond the parameters of A.I.
Feb. 3, 2026 A Truly Intelligent Machine, George Musser
‘Researchers seek not simply artificial intelligence but artificial general intelligence, or AGI – a system with humanlike adaptability and creativity.”

Ongoing Study Circle
2026-02-03 19:30 - 20:30 | Seminar Room & Zoom, 1407 Chapala Street, Santa Barbara, CA, 93111, United States

The Universal Voice of Rabindranath Tagore
2026-02-07 14:00 - 16:00 | Concord Hall and streaming on Youtube, 1407 Chapala Street, Santa Barbara
Tagore Flyer 2-7-26 final
This presentation reviews the remarkable life of Rabindranath Tagore, the first and
only Nobel Prize winner in Literature from India. As one of the architects of modern
India, Tagore’s synthesis of Eastern and Western thought offers vital insights for our
fractured contemporary world while firmly anchoring him as a global cultural and philosophical figure. His vision and contributions to literature, education, music, and the arts embody universal humanism and cross-civilizational thought, and offer a model for the possibility of unity without uniformity.
Susmita Sengupta (Rumi) began learning Tagore’s music at age six while growing up in central India to parents of Bengali descent. With a lifelong
commitment to the arts, she continues to actively engage in music. Rumi owns and runs TheRumiStudio, an independent consulting practice. She brings a unique perspective bridging analytical rigor with cultural insight.

Realizing the Principles of American Democracy
2026-02-14 14:00 - 16:00 | Concord Hall and streaming on Youtube, 1407 Chapala Street, Santa Barbara
Saturday, February 14, 2026
2:00 – 4:00 pm (PST)
Presenters: Cliff Tillotson and Jonathan Colbert
In-person at Concord Hall, 1407 Chapala Street, Santa Barbara, CA
Live Stream at https://www.youtube.com/@iwcinsantabarbara/streams
On this Presidents’ Day weekend, as we honor the sacrifices of two of America’s
greatest revolutionary leaders, the Institute invites you to join in an engaging
forum on the driving principles behind America’s experiment in democracy.
Realizing the principles of American Democracy is a hard and heroic journey
from independence to interdependence. Together in discussion let us “renew the
universal vision behind the American Dream” and open invisible gateways that
can lead us towards an “ever-evolving Republic of Conscience.”
Guest Speakers
Cliff Tillotson is a founding member of the Institute of World Culture (IWC), and
was an avid student of IWC Co-founders Raghavan Iyer and Nandini Iyer, taking
all the undergraduate classes they offered in the Political Science and Religious
Studies Departments at UC Santa Barbara. Cliff has given numerous
presentations at the Institute. He is Vice-President of Prometheus Construction in
Kapolie, Hawaii.
Jonathan Colbert is a long-time member of the Institute of World Culture, and
has given presentations at the IWC on a wide variety of topics, including
“Practicing Principles of Non-Violence” and “The New Learning.” He has a family-
owned business, Acacia Environmental Construction, based in California.
*Live Stream at: https://www.youtube.com/@iwcinsantabarbara/streams
For more information: https://www.worldculture.org
Printer friendly flyer

Study Circle
2026-02-17 19:30 - 21:00 | Seminar Room & Zoom, 1407 Chapala Street, Santa Barbara, CA, 93111, United States
Ongoing study circle in Emerson Room of Concord House.

Autobiography of a Yogi The Legacy of P. Yogananda
2026-03-07 14:00 - 16:00 | Concord Hall and streaming on Youtube, 1407 Chapala Street, Santa Barbara
Paramahansa Yogananda was an author, teacher and mystic as well as one of the first Hindu monks of the 20th century to teach and popularize the Eastern system of Kriya Yoga in the West. Immigrating to the US at the age of 27, he sought to demonstrate the underlying unity behind Eastern and Western religious traditions and advocate for a balance between material growth and spiritual values. In 1920 he founded the Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF), which has become a world-wide organization designed to carry on and disseminate his teachings. His bestselling book Autobiography of a Yogi continues to inspire readers worldwide and Ryan Quirk will provide us with an overview of its contents.
Ryan Quirk is a student of psychology and spirituality and a self-published author. Early in his youth, Ryan found that neither his school system, nor the priests of his church had answers to the questions that perplexed him and has therefore been engaged in an earnest search for deeper and richer forms of practical wisdom. His foremost concern is to share his best understanding in an accessible way, especially with persons his age and younger, where he sees the needs are most pressing and poignant.
