scholarly journals Emptiness and Unknowing

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 81-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rupert Gethin

Over the last fifty years the study of mysticism has been shaped by the debate between ‘perennialists’, who claim that mystical experiences are the same across different cultures, and ‘constructivists’, who claim that mystical experiences are shaped by, and hence specific to, particular religious traditions. The constructivist view is associated with the ‘discursive turn’ that has dominated the humanities for the last half century, emphasising cultural relativism. Nonetheless, the constructivist position is not without problems. Inspired in part by Lance Cousins’ 1989 comparison of Buddhaghosa’s Path of Purification and Teresa of Ávila’s Interior Castle, the present article seeks to bring out parallels in the contemplative exercises and the progress of the ‘spiritual life’ found in Buddhist accounts of meditation (such as the C??a-Suññata-sutta) and Christian apophaticism (as presented in The Cloud of Unknowing). The article seeks to establish specific parallels in the techniques of and approaches to contemplative practice in both traditions, as well as in the phenomenology of the experiences of the meditator (yog?vacara) or contemplative at different stages in the work of meditation and contemplation.

2021 ◽  
Vol XXV (1) ◽  
pp. 55-73
Author(s):  
Irena Bogoczová ◽  
Lukáš Maršík

The present article introduces the results of the analysis of texts by Czech (Catholic) Christian young adults published in 2019 and 2020 on the website signaly.cz. This page is intended to unite Christians and support them in their faith. The texts are diverse in genre, their content is purely religious or secular, but it at least remotely touches on the issues of the spiritual life of man or his/her religiosity (“soft spirituality”). Posting on the internet testifies to the need for young people not only to strengthen themselves and others in their faith in God, but also to share trivial content that relates to daily life and behind which (in the background) they see God’s will, the expression of God’s love and wisdom.


2019 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-126
Author(s):  
IAN JAMES KIDD

AbstractThis article argues for a cross-culturally pluralistic conception of spiritual exemplarity. Three main modes of exemplarity are identified, distinguished by their underlying aspirations, which I label ‘allegiance’, ‘enlightened insight’, and ‘emulation’. After challenging some attempts to privilege the modes of exemplarity characteristic of theistic religions, I argue that perhaps the fullest example of the aspiration to emulation is the form of Daoism presented in The Book of Zhuāngzǐ. I conclude that what one finds across different cultures and traditions is a plurality of modes of spiritual exemplarity that should be acknowledge and explored, rather than given more reductive analyses that narrow our sense of the variety of ways of living a spiritual life.


Religions ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 286
Author(s):  
Elsa Lau ◽  
Clayton McClintock ◽  
Marianna Graziosi ◽  
Ashritha Nakkana ◽  
Albert Garcia ◽  
...  

This study investigates the lived-experience of spiritual life in contemporary USA, India, and China. A qualitative coding frame was constructed based on participant responses to open-ended questions regarding spirituality. Qualitative analysis was facilitated by the use of Dedoose, a mixed methods software. The exploratory approach of this study takes on a cross-culturally comparative lens, and has two primary questions: (1) What are the universal aspects of lived spirituality across cultures, and (2) How does culture shape spiritual experience (e.g., typology and prevalence)? A total of 6112 participants (41% women, mean age of 29 years, range 18–75 years) were recruited, and analysis was conducted on a subset of 900 participants. The primary thematic categories derived by content analysis included religion (religious traditions, religious conversion, religious professionals, religious figures “theophany,” and religious forces “heirophany”), contemplative practice (meditation, mindful movement, prayer, and rituals), ancestors (ancestral worship, dreams about ancestors, and general mention of ancestors), natural world (animals, and nature), and metaphysical phenomena. Metaphysical categories were further parsed apart to include extrasensory perception (telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, realistic dreams, and intuitive impressions), psychokinesis, survival hypothesis (near death experiences, out of body experiences, and apparitional experiences), and faith and energy healing (recovery/remission of illness, and spiritual practitioners). Explanatory factors for similarities and differences across groups, and the origins of spirituality, are discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 299-322
Author(s):  
Vanda Zajko

Abstract This article explores Neil Gaiman’s transmedial work American Gods as an example of contemporary mythmaking. Published in novel form in 2001 and launched as a television series in 2017, American Gods provides a commentary on the connectedness between different systems of stories and on myth itself as a vital present-day cultural form. It also provides us with a model for repurposing ancient material without reproducing the traditional hierarchies associated with cultures of storytelling. Gaiman’s text is an interesting case-study from the perspective of classical reception because he sidelines the ancient Greek gods in the main body of his story, while simultaneously positioning the ancient historian Herodotus as a significant intertext. The process of evaluating different cultures often veers between analyses which focus on similarities manifested across place and time and those which espouse a form of cultural relativism, a ‘live and let live’ philosophy. Gaiman seems to be offering something else here, namely a more vital and connected model for co-existence, one which is moving towards a pluri-versal perspective that acknowledges the links between political power, knowledge, and identity.


2012 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-80
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Halemba

This article reflects on the place of emotionally arousing ex- periences within religious organisations. Using data obtained through participant observation and interviews, it outlines a research approach for investigations of the interrelationships between particular features of religious practices. Those features have been pointed out in many previous anthropo- logical and sociological works, but few works attempted to analyse connections and interdependencies between con- crete features of religious traditions. The present article takes inspiration from contemporary 'modes of religiosity' theory to explore further the relationships between highly emotion- ally arousing religious experiences and centralised religious authority. Going beyond Whitehouse's theory, it is argued that centralised religious organisations can influence the so- cial features of a religious movement through management of emotionality in ritual practice.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 46-59
Author(s):  
Ioan CHIRILĂ ◽  
◽  
Stelian PAȘCA-TUȘA

Saint Symeon is one of the most representative Eastern theologians and mystics. His speech on God and the knowledge of heavenly realities through direct, unmitigated experience would gain him the title of “the New Theologian”, which, until him, had only belonged to Saint John the Evangelist and Saint Gregory of Nazianzus. Therefore, his writings have greatly influenced the Christian East. Saint Symeon has been perceived as a renewer of the tradition of spiritual life and a restorer of the lost or rather neglected spiritual life. In this study, we aim to highlight his experiences in which he partook of the sight of divine light. These mystical episodes marked his life and decisively influenced the way he related to God and to the spiritual life to which Christians must adhere. We will first present these experiences of heavenly light from a chronological point of view, starting with those from the period when he was a layman and culminating with those from Saint Mamas Monastery. Our main aim is to see how each of these mystical experiences has marked his spiritual evolution. We will see that these experiences have helped Saint Symeon reach deeper within the mystery of communion to the One Who is Light and Who is calling everyone to be like Him.


Author(s):  
Rodrigo Portella, Carlos Queiroz

A modernidade, e particularmente a pós-modernidade, tem colocado em crise a identidade humana, seu “porquê” e “para quê”. Diante de sociedades ocidentais cada vez mais descritianizadas e secularizadas, se faz necessário ao teólogo e ao cientista da religião o debruçar-se sobre as tradições religiosas para verificar o que veiculam em sua antropologia. No caso específico do presente artigo, a intenção é esclarecer como o cristianismo, particularmente o apóstolo Paulo, compreende o ser humano. Contudo, sendo esta tarefa que se encontra para além de um artigo, resta-nos esclarecer a visão de Paulo a respeito do ser humano a partir de um ponto que consideramos chave para sua antropologia: a ressurreição, o ser humano novo, particularmente descrito em 1Co 15. Entendemos que Paulo constrói muito de sua antropologia a partir da visão que tem sobre o futuro escatológico do ser humano, pois nele estaria a verdadeira medida do ser humano unido a Deus, isto é, sua realização plena. Contudo, para se chegar a esta visão prenunciada por Paulo, será preciso antes, ainda que de forma célere, percorrer alguns de seus conceitos ao referir-se ao ser humano, em várias situações, e compreender como tais conceitos constroem a antropologia paulina e apontam para sua concepção de ressurreição / novo ser humano.Modernity, and particularly postmodernity, has put human identity in crisis, its why and for what. In the face of ever more decritianized and secularized Western societies, it is necessary for the theologian and scientist of religion to dwell on religious traditions to verify what they convey in their anthropology. In the specific case of the present article, the intention is to clarify how Christianity, particularly the apostle Paul, understands the human being. However, since this task is beyond an article, we can clarify Paul's view of the human being from a point that we consider to be key to his anthropology: the resurrection, the new human being, particularly described in 1Co 15. We understand that Paul builds much of his anthropology from the view he has on the eschatological future of man, for in him would be the true measure of the human being united to God, that is, his full realization. However, in order to arrive at this vision foretold by Paul, it will be necessary, even if quickly, to go through some of his concepts when referring to the human being in various situations, and to understand how such concepts construct Pauline anthropology and point out for his conception of resurrection / new human being. 


2019 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-105
Author(s):  
Muhammad Imran ◽  
Muhammad Hussain

The relationship between psychology and mysticism has gained a great deal of currency over the years. Various psychological models have provided theoretical foundations allowing the researchers to grasp profound varieties and nuances in mystical experiences across cultures and religious traditions. This has, in fact, broadened the canvass for mystical studies. The current paper attempts to carry out a psychological analysis of mystical experience of a character (mystic) named Kimya in Muriel Maufroy’s novel “Rumi’s Daughter”. The study carries out an analysis of how the mystic’s experience of the Divine can be translated in terms of a psychological process of personality disintegration initiated by a conflict, deconstruction of preconceived notions and beliefs and ultimately leading towards secondary integration of personality. Kazimierz Dabrowski’s theory of positive disintegration is employed as a framework to analyse her spiritual encounter. Through a minute textual analysis of the novel, the research reveals certain parallels between the process of personality development and mystical experience. It confirms the contention that the culmination of mystical union underlies psychological wellbeing and serenity on the part of mystic. The study also shows that mystics are those rare individuals who are capable of reaching the final level of personality development characterised by self-autonomy and higher level of consciousness.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 48-54
Author(s):  
Shaun Anderson ◽  
Nigel McKelvey

Ubiquitous computing is the future of technology as the list of ubiquitous compatible devices is growing. The ambient nature of this technology generates high usage in notably populated countries and popular cities such as Belgium. The present article assesses the ethical issues of ubiquitous technology in Belgium. The use of ubiquitous technologies here is prevalent and coinciding this is various ethical issues. One of the many ethical theories common here is cultural relativism. A major issue here is the mishandling of data leading to private data being utilised unethically. This is an occurring incident that has happened in Belgium recently and other accounts of issues within Europe and outside of Europe have been identified. New European Union laws have been implemented to help eliminate any further misconduct but large multi-national companies are not providing clarity on their use thus, leading to the misuse of data. Although, the data being provided to these companies is solely down to the decision of the user.


2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-139
Author(s):  
Olga M. Sokolova

Based on historical-genetic and comparative research methods, the article reveals the determinants of formation and development of the city commemorative culture. This issue is relevant because of the increasing influence of the memory of the past on modern sociocultural processes. The scientific novelty of the article lies in the study of poorly studied issues of the impact of commemorative culture on the development of culture in general; the opportunities of regulating the nature and distribution of memorial forms; the factors determining the formation of the city commemorative culture in the context of the historical and sociocultural dynamics of applicable societies of the civilizations of the past and present. The article uses an integrated approach, which determines the interdisciplinary nature of scientific research, allowing analyzing the aspects of the origin, interpretation of the features of the history and existence of monuments in different cultures. There are provided examples of commemoration practices in the post-Soviet countries, including the Republic of Belarus. The article concludes that the content of commemorative culture is determined primarily by religious traditions and state priorities. The creation of monuments and places of memory is used as an agitation and manipulative resource making an emotional impact; as an ideological tool shaping the perception of history in accordance with the state ideology. Commemorative practices take on special significance during the formation of nations, influencing the subject’s identification with the nation, and the awareness of national solidity. In this case, the monument represents a universal form of embodying and conveying the national idea.


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