Survey of the Active Intellect in Transcendent Theosophy

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 139-163
Author(s):  
Maryam Salem ◽  
Maryam Kheradmand
Keyword(s):  
General View ◽  
Human Soul ◽  
Islamic World ◽  
Philosophical Foundations ◽  
The World ◽  
Active Intellect ◽  
The Universe

Mull? ?adr? (1572–1640) can, as we will argue in this article, be considered the greatest philosopher in Islamic world, because he has tried to eliminate the shortcomings of all previous schools. He claimed that man unites with the Active Intellect in the process of his intellectual perception, which is the highest perceptive status of the soul. This union, in its intense form, dissolves the human soul in the Active Intellect. In this theory, Mull? ?adr? assimilates some specific principles which belong only to what Seyyed Hossein Nasr has defined as Transcendent Theosophy: the primacy of existence, graded unity of being, substantial motion, the evolutional motion of the soul in all perceptive steps, the unity of the intellect, the intelligent, and the intellegible and identity of knowledge and being. Since the Active Intellect is the archetype of humanity from Mull? ?adr?’s view, i.e. among the horizontal intellects or the same Platonic Ideas, and there is no plurality in the world of intellect, the main problem raised is how an Active Intellect is distinguished from other intellects, and the human soul is united with and eventually destroyed. Hence, Mull? ?adr?, in his theory of expanded emanation, envisages that the plurality of the universe is due to the quiddity, which is an ideational (?i?tib?ri) thing. Thus, according to him, we can say that the plurality of the world of the intellect is subjective and comes to the fore to justify the relation of God to the world of pluralities; so the theory of intellects is based on the substantive and natural view into the universe, which is the general view of the philosophers; however, the theory of expanded emanation is a particular view of Mull? ?adr?, which is in full harmony with important philosophical foundations of him. The present study tries to explain these issues through Mull? ?adr?’s texts.

Trigonometry: A Very Short Introduction

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glen Van Brummelen
Keyword(s):  
Computer Graphics ◽  
Ancient Greece ◽  
Short Introduction ◽  
Curved Space ◽  
Islamic World ◽  
The World ◽  
Key Concepts ◽  
History Of ◽  
Medieval India ◽  
The Universe

Trigonometry: A Very Short Introduction draws together the full history of trigonometry, stretching across two millennia and several cultures such as ancient Greece, medieval India, and the Islamic world. It introduces the key concepts of trigonometry, drawing readers beyond the basic relationships first encountered in school to reveal the richness of the entire subject of trigonometry and ideas such as curved space. It also explores connections with genuine modern applications, including navigation, the analysis of music, computer graphics, and powerful modelling tools in science, and shows how trigonometry has participated in big questions about the world, including the shape of the universe and the nature of infinity.

Some words on Jung, self, and mandala

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (100) ◽  
pp. 71-76
Author(s):  
T.V. Danylova ◽  
◽  
I.M. Hoian ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Modern Human ◽  
Natural Process ◽  
Analytical Psychology ◽  
The Self ◽  
Human Soul ◽  
The Unconscious ◽  
Contemporary World ◽  
The World ◽  
The Universe ◽  
Spiritual Unity

Trying to reconcile the continuity of being with the discreteness of consciousness, modern seekers for the truth appeal to the Eastern mystical traditions based on the idea of the unity of all things and singularity of the world. In terms of analytical psychology, to overcome the human alienation from the world and from themselves is to return to his/her Self. C.G. Jung considered the reintegration of a personality to be a prerequisite for solving the spiritual, social, ethical, and political problems humanity is facing now. This process is the basis for the integrity of the psyche. Successful reintegration requires centering, that is, unification with everything that exists into one organic whole. Observing his patients, the psychoanalyst concluded that the idea of centering was archetypal to the spiritual pole of the unconscious. His therapy was aimed at achieving the Self in the process of individuation, i.e., the reintegration of the instinctive and spiritual poles of the psyche. The process of individuation is similar to the reintegration process in Yoga philosophy, which is symbolized by a mandala that reintegrates the perception of the world and helps us to reconcile with the total cosmic reality. According to C.G. Jung, a mandala is the universal psychic image, the symbol of the Oneness, the deep essence of the human soul. C.G. Jung believed that the achievement of the Self was a natural process embedded in the individuals. The questions posed by a great psychoanalyst push us into searching for ourselves, the golden mean in ourselves, our actions, and our views. The salvation of a modern human in the contemporary world full of conflicts is to find the way to the spiritual unity with humankind, which is the highest manifestation of the spiritual unity with the universe. This becomes possible due to a return to our Self. The paper aims at analyzing the Jungian concept of the Self in the context of oriental religious and philosophical teachings.

scholarly journals Art. XVII.—The Ante-Brahmanical Religion of the Hindus

1846 ◽  
Vol 8 (15) ◽  
pp. 330-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stevenson
Keyword(s):  
Religious Belief ◽  
Small Proportion ◽  
General View ◽  
The Third ◽  
The World ◽  
Female Divinity ◽  
The Universe

It is a matter of no small difficulty to give a general view of the Religion of India, and so to arrange the different Deities composing the Hindu Pantheon, as to place before the student of Hindu Mythology a connected and harmonious system of the religious belief of the natives of Hindustan. Brahmá for example is styled the Creator of the Universe, and yet almost totally disregarded, not even a single temple being erected to his honour, although creation is one of the chief grounds of religious worship. Vishnu in the system stands forth as the Preserver, but in the eye of his votaries consisting of myriads in every part of the country, the world owes its origin, as well as its preservation to him; and Siva, though systematic writers tell us he is to be regarded as the author of Destruction, and the third God of the Hindu Triad, is worshipped by millions as the Supreme God, the Preserver as well as the Destroyer, the Imparter equally with the Taker away of life. Again, no small proportion of the Hindu nation ascribe the origin of the system of the Universe to a female divinity, whom they consider the Mother of all the Gods, and to whom also they attribute a principal share in its government.

Introduction

1991 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Keyword(s):  
Way Of Life ◽  
Loving Kindness ◽  
Moses Maimonides ◽  
The World ◽  
Virtuous Life ◽  
Active Intellect ◽  
Guide Of The Perplexed ◽  
The Universe ◽  
The Ideal

This introductory chapter provides an overview of Moses Maimonides’ discourse. Was the ideal of human perfection theoretical or practical? For Maimonides, it appears, the ultimate vision vouchsafed man is not a union with the active intellect, nor with the spiritual forms; it is contemplation of God’s governance in the world, of the orderly structure of the universe. True human perfection, then, is achieving, according to one’s capacity, apprehension of God and knowledge of his providence as expressed in creation and in his governance of the world. Having attained this apprehension, the way of life of this person will be assimilation to divine actions, and this comes about by always pursuing loving-kindness, righteousness, and judgement. Maimonides’ Guide of the Perplexed ends on this motif of assimilation to divine actions. Representing contrasting viewpoints and interpretations, this book discusses the contrast between Maimonides’ ideal of human perfection as intellectual fulfilment achieved in solitude and his extolling a virtuous life pursued within society.

scholarly journals Divine Ecozoics and Whitehead’s Adventure or Resurrection Metaphysics

Open Theology ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tokiyuki Nobuhara
Keyword(s):  
General View ◽  
General Argument ◽  
Present Essay ◽  
The World ◽  
The Universe ◽  
Visible Body

AbstractMy proposal of an Ecozoics of the Deity seeks to find the ground of ecology of the world in the fact that God is loyal to the place / Eco of emptiness as it empties itself, thereby paradoxically manifesting God as the only one in the universe who can and does actually evoke loyalty / life (Gr., Zoe) in us creatures. Thus, it endeavors to give a theological rationale to Thomas Berry’s idea of the Ecozoic Era. The proposal of Divine Ecozoics challenges Sallie McFague’s idea of the world as “God’s body” by advocating that God has God’s own secret indwelling place before entertaining the world as God’s visible body. The present essay, however, is endowed with the Johannine-Whiteheadian idea of the Great Friend with which to critically qualify my general argument for Divine Ecozoics. The vision of the Great Friend transmutes the general view of the reality into its unity of appearance, or the co-resurrection of the Son and of us creatures.

scholarly journals The Gaze of the Soul and of the Angel in the Renaissance Philosophy of Marsilio Ficino

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-75
Author(s):  
Marko Uršič
Keyword(s):  
Point Of View ◽  
Human Soul ◽  
Symbolic Form ◽  
The Gaze ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Marsilio Ficino ◽  
Renaissance Period ◽  
The World ◽  
Erwin Panofsky ◽  
The Universe

The Renaissance rediscovered the soul as the focus of the universe. Marsilio Ficino calls the soul the “bond of the world” (copula mundi), because it connects the earth and the heaven, immanence and transcendence, time and eternity. On the other hand, the centre of the world becomes more and more relative during the Renaissance period, and individual souls live more and more in their particular times and spaces. In Renaissance paintings, a soul's point of view is determined by perspective, as developed by Masaccio, Fra Angelico, Piero della Francesca et al., and the very position of the eye also features as a “symbolic form” (Erwin Panofsky). However, above each individual and “mobile” soul there are the wings of the “motionless” angel: super animam mobilem est immobilis angelus, as Ficino says in his renaissance Christianity, in reviewing the Platonic-Gnostic myth of the omnipresent angelic gaze. In the archetype of the angel Ficino perceives a metaphor for the all-knowing Intellect, towards which the human soul ascends. Following the iconology of Ernst Gombrich, this paper also takes notice of the influence of Ficino's philosophy on Botticelli's paintings.

scholarly journals GENESIS OF THE GENRE OF TALES

2020 ◽  
pp. 13-20
Keyword(s):  
Global Scale ◽  
Classical Literature ◽  
Human Soul ◽  
Stages Of Development ◽  
The Core ◽  
Psychological Analysis ◽  
The World ◽  
The Creation ◽  
The Universe ◽  
Holy Book

The article deals with the problem of the increasing emphasis on the genre of tales, a deeper analysis of reality, a look at the deep and dark pits of the human soul, and the essence of life. When we research the nature of the genre of tales, we can observe the versatility of images, the intensity of conflict, the depth of psychological analysis, the diversity of artistic and visual means, and the diversity of themes. Studying the development of the genre of the story, the stages of development further strengthens the view of the genre. Allah, possessor of the Exalted in Power, revealed in the Divine Book the knowledge of the universe to men. The scholars and scientists of the world are still astounded with the miracles of the Holy Word. The message of the creation of man is found in the holy verses of the Koran in a form of a compact narrative. It clearly shows human's inner and outer character. The secret of the place and time contains the underlying hint at centuries old mysteries. The criterion of time, which does not exist in the present, was also first shown on the pages of the Holy Book. The birth of the Prophets, the Divine Gospel has been synthesized in chronotopes, such as heaven, ocean, mountains, and earth. During their journeys, they show the character of the Prophecy and the Prophets, their intelligence and power. The story focuses on the origins and the core of such sciences as religion, history, philosophy, psychology, medicine, geography, logic, and art. In the Koran, the word narrative is used in Surahs, and presupposes the interpretation of events at a global scale, at a human level, from the celestial depth to the earthly layer, from the first Adam to the last messenger Muhammad. A particular attention is paid to the significance of narratives and tales in folklore and classical literature.

scholarly journals Leibnizian Philosophy and the Pluralism of Religion and Culture: The Case of China. Filosofía Leibniziana y el Pluralismo de la religión y la cultura: el caso de China

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shohei Edamura
Keyword(s):  
Natural Theology ◽  
Human Soul ◽  
Eternal Truths ◽  
The World ◽  
The Ancient Chinese ◽  
The Universe

In this paper, I present Leibniz’s understanding of natural theology and reason for which, according to him, any person in the world has her natural reason, through which she can realize eternal truths such as that every human soul is immortal. Secondly I discuss how Leibniz evaluated the Chinese theology. According to him, the ancient Chinese understood God or the supreme substance by the name of “Li (理)” or Shangdi (上帝), and without a revelation they knew that God created everything in the universe in accordance with His providence. Then I argue that although Leibniz’s understanding of the Chinese theology was not altogether accurate, we can still understand that in a limited sense, Leib- niz had a pluralistic view in terms of religion and culture that can foster dialogue today between the philosophies of the world. 

scholarly journals STRUKTUR RASA ADORASI

LOGOS ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-34
Author(s):  
Leo Agung Srie Gunawan
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
The Self ◽  
The Other ◽  
Human Soul ◽  
Experience Of God ◽  
Self Recognition ◽  
Religious Feeling ◽  
The World ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Universe

The true religious feeling is rooted in adoration. The taste of adoration is derived from the experience of God which indeed shake one’s soul. On one side, the experience of God leads to the recognition of God as the Great Creator of the universe. In this case, God is experienced as the everything. On the other side, it causes that human being encounters the self-recognition as a helpless creature. One feels as a nothingness of creature here. The feeling of adoration, therefore, has a religious structure in human soul that has a direction to God. As the structure of soul, the adoration is likely to be subjective which means that the subject experiences God (the world of ideas) and at the same time, it is objective that God is experienced by the subject (the real world). The object of the experience of adoration is, particularly, transcendent. Finally, the sense of adoration is needed to revive the living of faith for the believers.

The Three-Tiered World (Tam Phu) of the Tay People in Vietnam through the Performance of Then Rituals

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yen Nguyen Thi ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Minority ◽  
World View ◽  
The Body ◽  
Mountain Region ◽  
Language Poetry ◽  
Human Soul ◽  
Ritual Music ◽  
Water Region ◽  
The World ◽  
The Universe

The Tay people represent an ethnic minority in the mountainous north of Vietnam. As do Shaman rituals in all regions, the Shaman of the Tay people in Vietnam exhibit uniqueness in their languages and accommodation of their society’s world view through their ‘Then’ rituals. The Then rituals require an integration of many artistically positioned and framed elements, including language (poetry, vows, chanting, the dialogue in the ritual), music (singing, accompaniment), and dance. This paper investigates The Art of Speaking of the Tay Shaman, through their Then rituals, which include use of language to describe the imaginary journey of the Shaman into the three-tiered world (Muong fa - Heaven region (Thien phu); Muong Din - Mountain region (Nhac phu); Muong Nam - Water region (combination of Thuy phu and Dia phu) to describe dealings with deities and demons, and to describe the phenomenon of possession. The methodic framework of the paper thus includes discussions of in the comparison between the concept of the three-storey world in the Then ritual of the Tay people with the concept of Tam Tu phu in the Len dong ceremony of the Kinh in Vietnam. Thereby, it clearly shows the concept of Tay people of the universe, the world of gods, demons, the existence of the soul and the body, and the existence of human soul after death. The study contributes to Linguistics and Anthropology in that it observes and describes the world views of a Northern Vietnamese ethnicity, and their negotiation with spirituality, through languages of both a spiritualistic medium and society.

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