"The Pari Dialogues" are the first in an annual series of essays contributed by experts in their fields who are known for the breadth and depth of their knowledge. The main focus of this first volume is on the dialogue between religion and science with essays by the former director of the Vatican Observatory who asks what should be the proper boundaries between religion and science and what can religion and science each say about creation? Other essays deal with the role of belief in the lives of scientists; the connection between science and Sufi mysticism; the parallel visions of Simone Weil and the theories of superstrings and multiverses; on ways in which religions can ensure a just society; the complementary visions of Western Science and the Native American world view; the possibilities of new paths to peace; and the nature of the creative act in both art and literature. The volume also includes a dialogue with the sculptor, Antony Gormley on how Buddhist meditation and his experience of "the inner darkness of the body" informs his art.