Open Workshop: Mystical Consciousness in Society — Developing Frameworks for Global Peace
The aim of the Open Workshop Series in Business and Management Studies is to promote top-quality academic and applied research in various fields of the social sciences. This is a unique opportunity for sharing knowledge and networking with local and international community members.
It may be argued that global peace is implausible; yet the disruptive and highly destructive character of modern warfare begs the question of what elements could make it conceivable.
This workshop explores the elements that help envisioning a path to global peace. Dr. Portilla will first provide a historical perspective and theoretical basis to understand a crucial dimension of human existence that has been neglected in modern discourses on peace: the inner experience of peace as cultivated by sages and mystics since ancient times. He will also explain how the inner experience of peace is crucial for a) fostering harmony among different religions, philosophies, and world views, b) finding the less harmful ways to deal with conflict, and c) developing general frameworks for global peace (including politics, culture, and spirituality) that are stable and can be sustained over time.
Participants will then engage in developing a framework for global peace through practical exercises, following three stages: finding inner peace through the lens of mystical consciousness, understanding how to deal with conflict and violence through a perspective based on ancient Indian philosophy, and, finally, reflecting on politics, culture, and spirituality through a comprehensive framework for global peace. By the end of the workshop, participants will understand the importance of the inner experience of peace as central to personal and societal transformation, and they will be able to envision how inner (spiritual) work and outer (political, cultural) work can be integrated.
Speaker: Dr. Isaac Portilla, Kone Foundation & Tamere University, Finland; University of St Andrews, Scotland
Dr. Isaac Portilla (PhD, University of St Andrews), Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society, is a philosopher and a scholar of religion and spirituality currently working as a Kone Foundation Grant Researcher in the project, Mysticism in Society: Theorizing Mystical Consciousness (MISTIC) at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, Finland. His publications include “Interfaith Dialogue and Mystical Consciousness” (Harvard Theological Review) and Interfaith Dialogue and Mystical Consciousness in India: Sri Ramana Maharshi, Sri Aurobindo, the Hari-Hara Mystery, and the Hindu-Christian Encounter (Routledge).
Dr. Portilla’s work explores the future of religion and spirituality, paying special attention to existential dynamics and mystical narratives that are often overlooked, while developing practical frameworks—interfaith engagement, global peace—for common understanding and action. He is currently working on a monograph on the Indian philosopher Sri Aurobindo for Routledge Peacemakers dealing with the themes of peace, war, nonviolence, and social transformation. The framework for global peace developed through this monograph will be part of SSE Riga’s workshop.
Discussion moderated by Prof. Arnis Sauka.
Attendance is free of charge.
Please sign up for the seminar, by writing to arnis.sauka@sseriga.edu by May 14, 2026.
The aim of the SSE Riga Open Workshop Series is to:
- Foster cooperation between business and management researchers, practitioners and policymakers, as well as
- Promote academic and applied research in various fields of the social sciences, focusing on but not limited to entrepreneurship, marketing, management, public administration, and strategy.
Organised by Professor Arnis Sauka, the Centre for Sustainable Business at SSE Riga