The Śaiva Mystic and the Symbol of Androgyny

1981 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 377-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl Olson

In probably the earliest Upanisad text, one learns that at the beginning of the world there was only Ātman in the form of a person. Discovering that only he existed, he declared ‘I am’. After losing his fear of being alone, he found that he did not have pleasure because of his solitary condition. Thereupon, he divided himself and became a man and a woman. When the two beings copulated other beings and forms of life were produced. Thus the original universal principle is androgynous. By knowing itself, it became all that there is in the universe. The philosophical implication of this myth is that he who knows that he is Brahman becomes the All. It is unclear, however, whether or not the author of this section of the text means to imply that the one who knows becomes androgynous.

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 91-106
Author(s):  
Zainun Wafiqatun Niam

The one of anxieties facing Muslims is about acts of violence in the name of Islam. Qur'an has mentioned that the Prophet was sent on earth as a mercy (rahmah) to the universe, and then the “rahmah” in question is to be implemented as such? Indonesia as a country with the largest Muslim population in the world is famous for Islam that is able to merge with the diversity of race, religion and culture. One of the things that influenced one of them is the existence of the largest Islamic organization in Indonesia NU and Muhammadiyah who always try to show Islam wasathiyah and rahmah. The existence of NU and Muahammadiyah is believed to be a great support to the peace of Indonesia with all its diversity. This paper is intended to further explore the concept of wasathiyah NU and Muhammadiyah in an effort to realize a peaceful Islam in Indonesia. The research method used is literature research using resources such as books, journal articles and mass media to analyze the concept of Islamic organization NU and Muhammadiyah. The results show that NU and Muhammadiyah carry the same concept to show the peaceful face of Islam that can unite with the differences. This is evidenced by the concept brought by each of both Islam Nusantara and Islam berkemajuan.


Xihmai ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel Alberto Morales Damián

2012:  IDEAS  MAYAS  ACERCA  DE  LA  RENOVACIÓN CíCLICA DEL UNIVERSO. 2012:                MAYA‟S    CIVILIZATION     IDEAS   ABOUT    THE CYCLIC RENEWAL OF THE UNIVERSE.       Resumen El pensamiento maya con respecto a la astronomí­a y el calendario poseen una gran originalidad y corresponden a una forma de entender la realidad completamente  diferente  a  la  del  pensamiento  occidental.  Los  mayas conciben que el tiempo está sujeto a recurrencias cí­clicas (dí­a-noche, año solar, perí­odos de 52 años), cada una de las cuales supone la destrucción y renovación del cosmos. Por otra parte, las supuestas profecí­as mayas acerca de un evento astronómico el próximo 21 de diciembre de 2012, en realidad no son acordes a la cosmovisión maya prehispánica, coinciden sin embargo con temores milenaristas propios del pensamiento occidental que se agudizan en una época de crisis global.   Palabras Clave: Mayas, religión, astronomí­a, profecí­as del 2012.   Abstract Mayan  thought  in  respect  to  astronomy  and  the  calendar  have  a  great originality and correspond to a way of understanding a complete different reality to the one of the western thought. Mayan people conceive that time is subject to cycle recurrences (day-night, solar year, and periods of 52 years), each one supposes destruction and renovation of cosmos. On the other hand, the supposed Mayan prophecies about an astronomical event next December 21st  2012, do not in fact agree with the view of the world of the pre Hispanic Mayans, however they coincide with millennial fear proper of the western thought that worsen in this times of global crisis.   Key words: Mayans, religion, astronomy, 2012 prophecies.      


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-116
Author(s):  
T. Ibrahim ◽  
N. V. Efremova
Keyword(s):  
Ibn Sina ◽  
The One ◽  

Abstract: it is a continuation of the translation into Russian of Ibn-Sina’s treatise al-Isharat wa-t-Tanbihat (“Remarks and Admonitions”). The present chapter deals with the origination of the world from the One / Necessary Existent. Divine creation is described as an act of intellection. The cosmogonic scheme is constructed through the synthesis of Neoplatonian emanationism with the Aristotelian-Ptolemy model of the Universe.


Author(s):  
Arkadiy Chevtayev

The article discusses the poetics of the poem «The Eagl» (1909) by N. Gumilyov in the aspect of mortal conceptualization of the poet’s literary worldview. It defines the meaning of his third book of poems «The Pearls». It is hypothesized that in Gumilyov’s poetic universe the death is a basis and guarantee of convergence found in the internal and external aspects of lyrical subject self-actualization. The study of this poetic text is carried out by combining structural-semiotic and mythopoetic methods that allow the researcher to detect deep semantic layers of Gumiltyov’s literary self-determination. The analysis of the the poem «The Eagle» narrative structure shows that the lyrical narration of the «ornithological» hero’s («the eagle’s») death represents death as an axiological ideal of N. Gumilyov’s lyrical subject. The sacrificial catastrophic nature of the «eagle» flight and the postmortem fusion of the bird with the cosmic universe becomes an ontological measure of existence. «The eagle’s» death is implicitly likened with an act of creative transformation of existance, due to which it is possible to comprehend secret movements of the world order and convergence of microcosm and macrocosm.In Gumilyov’s conception «the eagle» is presented as objectified outward incarnation of the lyrical hero. Therefore, the «the eagle’s» death is extremely alienated from the subjective «I» on the one hand, and it is inextricably assosiated with its thirst for magical overcoming of the universe laws, it is an act of ultimate existential heroism on the other hand. The bird’s sacral ability to posthumously exercise a «regal flight» in the universe gives this «ornithological » character status of an ideal «double» (alter ego) of the lyrical subject who wants to creatively get rid of death, thereby to achieve the world harmony. The author concludes that the ideal manner of the narrative hero’s death is entirely associated with the attainment of immortality in the light of the inviolability of the universe as a spiritual reality of the created world which possesses exceptional status in N. Gumilyov’s mythology.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 130-140
Author(s):  
S. V. Storozhuk ◽  
◽  
I. M. Hoian ◽  

The article shows that the modern mass interest in the occult is conditioned, on the one hand, by the world crisis, the lack of stable and reliable foundations for self-determination and human orientation in the world, and on the other – by the formation of impersonal man and the establishment of mass society. The lack of a stable worldview, universal values, ideals and social standards, and, at the same time, unwillingness to pose and solve complex socio-cultural problems, is the main reason why modern (postmodern) people choose occult ideals and norms that do not require deep reflection, however, they provide them with a sense of belonging to the universe. Most of them are offered by the modern mass culture industry. Although its products are of great concern to traditional Christian values and virtues, we have no reason to give them an unequivocally negative assessment at the moment, at least given that they offer models of The article shows that the modern mass interest in the occult is conditioned, on the one hand, by the world crisis, the lack of stable and reliable foundations for self-determination and human orientation in the world, and on the other – by the formation of impersonal man and the establishment of mass society. The lack of a stable worldview, universal values, ideals and social standards, and, at the same time, unwillingness to pose and solve complex socio-cultural problems, is the main reason why modern (postmodern) people choose occult ideals and norms that do not require deep reflection, however, they provide them with a sense of belonging to the universe. Most of them are offered by the modern mass culture industry. Although its products are of great concern to traditional Christian values and virtues, we have no reason to give them an unequivocally negative assessment at the moment, at least given that they offer models of The article shows that the modern mass interest in the occult is conditioned, on the one hand, by the world crisis, the lack of stable and reliable foundations for self-determination and human orientation in the world, and on the other – by the formation of impersonal man and the establishment of mass society. The lack of a stable worldview, universal values, ideals and social standards, and, at the same time, unwillingness to pose and solve complex socio-cultural problems, is the main reason why modern (postmodern) people choose occult ideals and norms that do not require deep reflection, however, they provide them with a sense of belonging to the universe. Most of them are offered by the modern mass culture industry. Although its products are of great concern to traditional Christian values and virtues, we have no reason to give them an unequivocally negative assessment at the moment, at least given that they offer models of social relations that due to testing by various occult organizations, may receive a public request, or be rejected.


2017 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 76-92
Author(s):  
Marius Ciprian Pop ◽  

In the universal beliefs, there are over twenty species of sacred trees considered as the center of the universe, ‘axis mundi’, and the apple is among the trees of these species. In our traditional culture, the apple has a bivalent symbolism magically and Christian religiously, representing the aspect of interdiction and only of reward. As a reflection of the influence of the Greek mythology, one also could find it as a symbol of love, ecstasy, fertility and abundance. According to the belief that each man has a correspondent in the vegetal world, the apple becomes “tree of destiny” accompanying the terrestrial existence in the following stages: birth, marriage, death. From birth the baby accompanies his life with its planting tree in the farmstead yard, and it will support the good way of his life, the one of passing to the world beyond. The multitude and the diversity of the customs and of the passage rituals clearly support the showed statements. It is also necessary to mention the symbolic, juridical valence that apple has in understanding the ancient mythology found in the dispute on the theme of beauty of the Gods Hera, Aphrodite and Athens, known as ‘the marriage of discord’, which defines this aspect. The complementarity of the apple with the fir tree, which is always seconded, is specific to our folk tradition in the context in which both trees have important roles in the mythology of life and death. The space of carols is often marked by the existence of a cosmic tree, the apple of the fir tree, which sums up much of the spiritual activities of our people. Like the fir tree, which is evergreen, the apple, which is preserved as a fruit over the winter, it becomes a symbol of the eternal longing seen in the wishes of passing between years, and as a symbol of fertility, one can find the apple ‘in the breast’ or in the incantation ‘White Apple Flowers’. Therefore, as a reflection of the solar cult, the apple is a landmark in the millennial existence of our nation.


2013 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-49
Author(s):  
Ilija Kajtez

In this paper, the author considers the enterprise of fasting, in which the man faces the important issues of his existence, the purpose and worldly life. The author is aware that all social, philosophical and theological phenomena are very complex, profound and obscure and quotes the French philosopher and scientist Pascal, who claimed: ?We do not possess enough knowledge to?understand the life of human body?While in nature everything is closely intertwined ? No part can be recognized unless we have studied the unit. The life of each body will be understood only when we learn all that it needs; and in order to achieve this, it is necessary to study the universe. But the universe is infinite and it is beyond the human ability to grasp it??It is clear from this quotation that we are facing many complex issues whenever we try to reveal one of the secrets of Christian life - the secret of fasting. The second part of the essay has to do with people and the time we live in, the relations between believing doctors and their profession and whether and to what extent a believing doctor who observes fasts is closer to the Truth and Goodness that the one who does not believe. The author argues that the doctor who is a believer and who observes a fast seeing it as the time when values of human life should be put to test and the meaning of medical profession reconsidered is closer to the truth of Existence and love of the world. There is no duty that is more important for a modern, egotistic, materialistic man than resuming fasts. A fast as a profound rethinking of the whole of a human being, as a human effort, as Solzhenitsyn would say, to self-restriction, abstinence, nurturing of his own freedom.


1973 ◽  
Vol 93 ◽  
pp. 13-22
Author(s):  
A. Hilary Armstrong

Plotinus is, up to a point, a classical intellectualist in the manner of Aristotle, and, he would himself have certainly thought, of Plato. He professes, that is, to give an account of everything that is in any degree real in the universe (and even a kind of account of the unreal) which is certainly and unchangingly true and can be demonstrated to be so by rational processes. This account culminates in the description of an eternal realm of intelligible intellect which can be (and indeed really always is) our own, certainly and imperturbably possessed. This systematic account of reality, as is well known, breaks down, and we have to break out of it, in a very startling way at the top. Beyond the Platonic-Aristotelian Intellect-Intelligible, the world of real being which is Νοῦς and νοητά, lies the One or Good beyond being, which is neither intelligent nor intelligible. When we have completed our understanding of reality, we have to leave it all behind in order to find what turns out to be the only thing we want, the source of all values and the goal of all desire, which alone makes it worth the effort to attain to Νοῦς on the way, as it is the only reason why Νοῦς is there at all.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 11
Author(s):  
Elvina Albertovna Khusnutdinova ◽  
Dmitry Evgenyevich Martynov ◽  
Yulia Aleksandrovna Martynova

This article discusses the difficult period of the XVII - XIX century in China's development. As a result of Manchu taking over China, the Qing empire was formed, and historiographers differ in evaluating the results of its rule. On the one hand, the Qing dynasty inherited the sinocentric view of the world from its predecessors - China was declared as the center of the universe, and all other states as sidelined vassals, who should not be subject to equal treatment. Manchu attempted to apply this doctrine in practice, which resulted in a significant expansion of the state, the annexation of Mongolia, Tibet and Xinjiang, and border wars with Russia, Vietnam and Burma. The self-isolation policy led to economic stagnation while the population was growing strongly. These problems could not have been resolved within the bounds of the traditional society.


sjesr ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 295-298
Author(s):  
Dr. Samina Begum ◽  
Dr. Hafiz Muhammad Ibrar Ullah ◽  
Dr. Hashmat Begum

The contemplation of God’s creation is one of the greatest forms of worship in Islam  every human being, when he observes the different scenes of this universe of colors and smells, enjoys seeing some of them so much that he longs to repeat this pleasure۔  It is not amazing, therefore, that countless Quranic verses give confidence this action and do so using a range of methods to appeal to every temperament and religious state. The mean is to switch people away from their dulled senses, awful habits, and monotonous familiarity, and encourage them to observe the signs of their Lord in the world with insight and vulnerable hearts. True Islamic contemplation can only spring from a mind that believes in God and a mind that submits to Him and His glorious Attributes. This is the unwavering faith of oneness (tawhÏd), which is to bear witness that the Almighty is the One and only God Who created, governs, and maintain the universe. Any other form of contemplation of the attractiveness and brilliance of the heavens and the earth would be measured atheism or polytheism (shirk) because the contemplator would not be distinguished, let alone admiring and express thanks to the Creator. In all religions, after beliefs, the highest importance is given to worship. Worship and contemplation are inseparable.


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