CIF: History, Philosophy, Main Objectives

History | Philosophy | Main Tenets | Location

The Cultural Integration Fellowship is a non-profit, cultural, non-denominational religious and educational organization that promotes intercultural understanding and harmony, nonsectarian universal religion and creative self-development and fulfillment.

History:

The Cultural Integration Fellowship was founded in March 1951 by Dr. Haridas Chaudhuri, philosopher, educator and humanist. Dr. Haridas Chaudhuri was born in May 1913 in Calcutta, India. At the invitation of Dr. Frederic Spiegelberg of Stanford University, Dr. Chaudhuri came to the United States in 1951. During his visit to India, Dr. Spiegelberg had requested Sri Aurobindo to recommend a philosopher who would travel to the United States to bridge the gap between West and East. Sri Aurobindo recommended Dr. Chaudhuri. Prior to coming to the United States, Dr. Chaudhuri was a member of the educational service of the Government of West Bengal, and the Chair of the department of philosophy at Krishnagar College, Bengal. Dr. Chaudhuri also founded the California Institute of Integral Studies, then known as the California Institute of Asian Studies. From 1968 through 1974, the Institute functioned as the educational arm of the Cultural Integration Fellowship. Since Dr. Chaudhuri's passing in 1975, Bina Chaudhuri, his wife, has been CIF's president and guiding presence.

Philosophy: Inspired by the Integral Yoga of Sri Aurobindo which brought the highest values of the East and West together in creative synthesis, the Cultural Integration Fellowship brings together from every cultural background and religious faith to share in a rich array of lectures, seminars and cultural events. Seeking a dynamic integration of the cultural and spiritual values of all peoples, the Fellowship teaches the complimentarity of the world's great religions and philosophies and gently shelters the spiritual search of all its members. The Fellowship's highest goal is a world in harmony. In the words of Dr. Chaudhuri, the Cultural Integration Fellowship looks toward, "... a new form of humanness-one where world citizens evince loyalty to the welfare of all human beings, transcending former barriers imposed by national, ethnic, religious, doctrinal and cultural differentiations."

Main Tenets: The three main tenets of the Cultural Integration Fellowship are 1. Intercultural understanding and harmony; 2. Nonsectarian universal religion; and 3. Creative self-development and self-fulfillment. Dr. Chaudhuri perceived intercultural understanding as one of the most important step toward the goal of harmony and felt that misconceptions about East and West were the main causes for the persistent rift between the two. Dr. Chaudhuri elucidated these misgivings in his article on Western Theology and Eastern Mysticism. Dr. Chaudhuri firmly believed in the efficacy of spiritual practices such as meditation as the tools of self-development and self-fulfillment. His talk on the Supramental Meditation is one of the many works in which Dr. Chaudhuri explains the importance of spiritual practices.

Location:
The Cultural Integration Fellowship is located in San Francisco. The CIF is located right accross the Golden Gate park and is in a walking distance from the Japanese Tea Garden, the California Academy of Sciences and the Conservatory of Flowers. Since its founding in 1951, CIF has offered its services at its Fulton Street facilities.

Address: 2650 Fulton Street at 3rd Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94118
Phone: 415.668.1559
E-Mail: info@culturalintegrationfellowship.org
Web: http://www.culturalintegrationfellowship.org
Buses: From downtown San Francisco, take 21 Hayes, 5 Fulton or 31 Balboa.