His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, describes himself as a simple Buddhist monk. He is the spiritual leader of Tibet. He was born on 6 July 1935, to a farming family, in a small hamlet located in Taktser, Amdo, northeastern Tibet. At the age of two, the child, then named Lhamo Dhondup, was recognized as the reincarnation of the previous 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso.

The Dalai Lamas are believed to be manifestations of Avalokiteshvara or Chenrezig, the Bodhisattva of Compassion and the patron saint of Tibet. Bodhisattvas are realized beings inspired by a wish to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings, who have vowed to be reborn in the world to help humanity.

HRH Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal of Jordan (b. 1966) was educated at Harrow School, UK; received his BA summa cum laude from Princeton University, NJ, USA; his first PhD from Trinity College, Cambridge University, UK, and his second PhD from Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.

He is a Professor of Philosophy at Jordan University and the author of many books in a number of languages. He also serves as Chief Advisor for Religious and Cultural Affairs to HM King Abdullah II ibn Al-Hussein of Jordan.

Dr Chinmay Pandya was born into a highly accomplished religious family who were the direct disciples of Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya (1911-1990), a great yogi and seer who attained spiritual eminence and wrote lucid commentaries on the Vedas, Upanishads, Smritis, Yogavasisthas, Darshanas and Puranas, in Hindi. Thus as a child, Dr Chinmay was raised in a spiritual setting at home as well in the spiritual academy (Ashram) of Shantikunj, Haridwar.

After completing his medical studies at Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences at Dehradun, he proceeded to the United Kingdom for post-graduation. There he completed the Membership of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (MRC Psych). He became a Consultant and, as an Associate Specialist, he managed patients with Alzheimer disease and other neurological diseases, gaining valuable insight into mental disorders. He returned to India in 2010 and joined Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya (DSVV) to answer his inner call to serve the society and nation.

Alberto Melloni (Reggio nell'Emilia, 6 January 1959) is an Italian church historian, primarily known for his work on the Second Vatican Council. He studied in Bologna, at Cornell and in Fribourg (Switzerland) and he has taught at the University of Bologna and Roma Tre University. He is currently Professor of the History of Christianity at the University of Modena-Reggio Emilia. Holder of the Unesco Chair on religious pluralism and peace, he is Director of the Fondazione per le scienze religiose “Giovanni XXIII” in Bologna.

He is principal investigator for the European Infraia Rei Res project headed by the Fondazione, and coordinator of the Resilience research infrastructure project. He spearheaded the establishment of the European Academy of Religion. A research platform which includes institutions, associations, academies, publishers, reviews concerned with the study of religion throughout Europe, the Mediterrean, Middle East, the Balcans, Caucasus and Russia.