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DDA '26 Speaker & Panelist Portal

Decoding Dharma for a Digital Age
June 5 – 7, 2026 | University of Houston, Houston, TX

The Vision

Decoding Dharma for a Digital Age

In its third year, the Dharma in the Digital Age (DDA) conference serves as a premier gathering for scholars and domain experts to explore sustainable approaches to thriving in the modern world. Hosted by the Dharma Civilization Foundation (DCF), we aim to unpack, contextualize, and disseminate civilizational wisdom—Dharma—as “that which sustains” for the good of all.

Our Objectives

Cross-Pollination
Interactions across humanities, management, technology, and spirituality.
Research Catalyst
Initiating new projects that apply Dharmic wisdom to contemporary problems.
Ecosystem Building
Developing a global network of researchers and practitioners.

Important Dates & Timeline

  • Arrive in Houston: by 4 June 2026
  • Conference: 5–7 June 2026 (Friday–Sunday)
  • Scholars’ Retreat: 8–9 June 2026 (Monday–Tuesday)
  • Departure: after 6 p.m. 9 June or on 10 June 2026

Travel, Hotel & Logistics

Flight Reimbursement 

We are pleased to support our speakers with a dedicated travel budget. Please book your own travel at your earliest convenience to ensure the best rates. Reimbursements will be processed in Houston before your departure.

  • Domestic Travel (USA): Up to $500
  • Europe to Houston: Up to $1,000
  • India to Houston: Up to $2,000

Accommodation

  • Conference Stay: Your room at the Hilton University of Houston (June 4–7) is organized and covered by DCF.
  • Retreat Stay: For those attending the Scholars Retreat, a separate residential facility near Houston will be provided for June 8–9.

Local Transportation DCF will provide shuttle services to and from the airport, as well as transportation between the Hilton and the Scholars Retreat location.

Your Role and Expectations

  • Session format: Keynote talks (~20 minutes) and panel discussions (~10–15 minutes per speaker), followed by moderated Q&A.
  • Timing: Please adhere to the allotted time to ensure a smooth program.  Moderators will provide time cues during sessions.
  • Engagement: We encourage you to participate in other sessions, engage with fellow attendees, and attend networking events.

Forms & Submissions

Professional Profile Submit your short biography, social media handles, and a high-resolution headshot for inclusion on the DDA website and promotional materials.

(by 15 April 2026)

Submit Bio & Photo

Invited Papers We invite you to submit papers aligned with the conference themes by sending to president@dcfusa.org

Book Sales We are happy to facilitate the display and sale of your published works. If you intend to ship books to Houston for the event, please email us at dda@dcfusa.org

Concept Themes

The conference is organized around the following themes.  Each theme includes a concept note outlining the key questions and topics to guide your preparation.

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Sustainability: From Exploitation To Equilibrium

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Aligning Technology with Dharma

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Health Beyond Medicine

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Education: Learning Beyond Data

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Spirituality In The Age Of Algorithms

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Conversations Across Generations

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The Scholars Leadership Retreat

A Transformative Experience
After the main conference, we invite you to stay for a two‑day (June 8-9), invite‑only retreat of Dharma scholars with a focus on “From Dialogue to Action”. The retreat is designed as a “sacred space” to:

  • Develop shared perspectives
  • Foster kinship and community
  • Explore deep-level collaborations

Past Conferences – Glimpses

Curious what DDA looks like? Explore highlights from previous years:
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15
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17
12
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9
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16
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5
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About the Foundation

The Dharma Civilization Foundation is a U.S‑based think tank dedicated to researching, contextualizing and disseminating the civilizational wisdom of Dharma, understood as “that which sustains,” for the good of all. We support and amplify serious intellectual work in dharmic and civilizational studies by:
  • Fostering research and publications: providing PhD funding, fellowships, scholarships and book grants to scholars working to interpret and apply dharmic wisdom within contemporary contexts.
  • Cultivating networks: connecting scholars, practitioners, and institutions to collaborate on projects and share ideas.
  • Flagship initiatives: hosting the annual Dharma in Digital Age Conference, organizing the Tejas Indic book competition, and other programs that engage both new and seasoned audiences in thoughtful exploration of dharmic ideas.
Our work centers on sustainability—of the planet and its ecosystems, of families and communities, of body and mind, and of the systems that shape society, from governance to technology and media. We examine and promote the timeless principles that enable individuals and civilizations to thrive.

Sustainability: From Exploitation to Equilibrium

Contemporary ecological crises—including climate change, biodiversity loss, and resource depletion—reflect structural and cultural patterns that prioritize short-term growth over ecological resilience. This theme examines sustainability through ethical and long-term perspectives that emphasize restraint, reciprocity, and intergenerational responsibility.

  • How can sustainability be reframed beyond technocratic policy compliance?
  • What insights do indigenous and traditional ecological knowledge systems offer?
  • How do cultural values shape human–environment relationships?
  • Can economic systems be reoriented toward regenerative rather than extractive models?

Aligning Technology with Ethical Responsibility

Technological systems now shape decision-making, governance, labor markets, and social interaction. Artificial intelligence, algorithmic governance, biotechnology, and surveillance infrastructures increasingly mediate human life, often guided by efficiency-driven metrics. This theme examines how technological innovation can be aligned with accountability, human dignity, and collective well-being.

  • How can ethical accountability be meaningfully embedded in the design and deployment of emerging technologies?
  • What governance models can balance innovation with public interest and democratic oversight?
  • How do power asymmetries shape technological outcomes across societies?
  • Can plural ethical traditions enrich global frameworks for technology governan

Health Beyond Medicine

Current health systems and public discourse often emphasize bodily fitness, disease treatment, and short-term outcomes at the expense of a broader understanding of well-being. This theme examines health as a multidimensional and socially embedded condition shaped by physical, mental, behavioral, and environmental factors. It seeks to advance discussion on how individuals, institutions, and communities can cultivate conditions that support sustainable well-being, resilience, and social flourishing. 

  • What does it mean to be healthy vs. not being sick?
  • Are my physical and mental states aligned to facilitate appropriate behaviors?
  • Which healthy habits and environments we need to build to help us think of the wellbeing of, not just an individual, but society as a whole?

Education: Learning Beyond Data

Education systems worldwide increasingly prioritize standardized assessment, performance indicators, and data-driven evaluation. While such approaches enhance scalability and efficiency, they often marginalize deeper processes of reflection, ethical reasoning, and civic formation. This theme explores education as a holistic process oriented toward wisdom, agency, and social responsibility.

  • What constitutes meaningful learning in an era of artificial intelligence and automation?
  • How can education balance employability with ethical and civic development?
  • What is the evolving role of teachers in digitally mediated learning environments?
  • How can diverse knowledge traditions complement contemporary pedagogy?

Spirituality in the age of algorithms

In an age shaped by algorithmic systems, human choices are increasingly influenced by technologies that shape attention, perception, and behavior, leading to group think and driving acceptance, conformance and congruence of certain values instead of acting as a platform encouraging open thinking, respectful debate and resultant progressive actions. While these systems offer efficiency and personalization, they also raise urgent questions about agency, meaning, and inner stillness. This theme explores spirituality as a path to discernment, balance, and intentional living, and asks how individuals and communities can foster a healthier relationship between technology, consciousness, and the natural world. 

  • What does spirituality mean in today’s technologically advanced world? 
  • Can spirituality be encoded in AI or Algorithms?
  • Which boundaries and governance practices should we accept and adopt to find the right balance?
  • How do we find a way to live by awareness rather than algorithms?

Conversations across generations

In recent decades, accelerated social change, evolving family structures, and the rapid proliferation of technology have significantly altered the processes through which knowledge, values, and practices are transmitted across generations. Each generation is shaped by its inherited beliefs, formative experiences, social and economic environment, values, technologies and challenges. This theme explores the ways we can go beyond surface level communication and drive deeper dialogue across generations about what can we learn from each other if we truly listen!

  • In the contemporary age, what values and conditions can sustain family cohesion and shared social purpose? 
  • How can families remain centered on what matters most, while allowing the practical means, timing, and context of action to emerge through judgment and individual choice? 
  • What shifts in the home environment and modes of communication may foster more open, reflective, and meaningful dialogue within and across generations ?

To donate, please Zelle payment to donate@dcfusa.org