scholarly journals Advanced Contemplation of the Impure: Reflections on a Capstone Event in the Meditation Sutra

Religions ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 386
Author(s):  
Michel Mohr
Keyword(s):  
Chinese Text ◽  
Cultural Factors ◽  
Fifth Century ◽  
Direct Perception ◽  
Pure Land ◽  
Specific Nature ◽  
True Nature ◽  
The Core ◽  
Mental Construct ◽  
Initial Results

The present article explores the form of meditation called contemplation of the impure (Skt aśubha-bhāvanā; Ch. bújìng guān 不淨觀) and its meticulous description in a Chinese text produced in the early fifth century CE. It illustrates the problematic nature of the pure-impure polarity and suggests that, ultimately, “purity” refers to two different things. As a generic category, it can be understood as a mental construct resulting from the mind’s discursive functioning, which tends to be further complicated by cultural factors. The other avenue for interpreting “purity” is provided in this meditation manual, which describes how meditation on impurity leads to the direct perception of purity, and to the vision of a “pure land.” This stage is identified as a “sign” marking the completion of this contemplative practice. Examining the specific nature of this capstone event and some of its implications lies at the core of the research whose initial results are presented here. Although this particular Buddhist contemplation of the impure begins with mental images of decaying corpses, it culminates with the manifestation of a vision filling the practitioner with a sense of light and purity. This high point indicates when the practice has been successful, an event that coincides for practitioners with a time when they catch a glimpse of their true nature. The last section of this article further discusses the extent to which positing an intrinsically pure nature—one of the major innovations introduced by Buddhism in fifth-century China—could inform ethical views.

scholarly journals Authenticity in Context: Being True to Working Selves

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Serena Chen
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Context ◽  
Social Power ◽  
Theoretical Background ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Specific Nature ◽  
The Core ◽  
Level I ◽  
Context Specific

The core premise of this article is that it is scientifically informative and psychologically meaningful to conceptualize and assess authenticity in context. I begin by providing some theoretical background on the nature of the self-concept, highlighting how the self-concept is composed of a collection of selves, with different selves activated and therefore at play in different contexts. This basic fact, that the self-concept is both multifaceted and malleable, implies that authenticity is a construct that requires study at a contextual level. I illustrate this by reviewing theory and findings from 3 areas of research, incorporating studies from my laboratory throughout. These areas are (a) authenticity in the context of close relationships; (b) authenticity in hierarchical contexts, wherein one occupies a lower versus higher position of social power; and (c) authenticity in relation to the larger cultural context. Finally, I address a number of issues and questions that arise when considering authenticity in context and propose a number of directions for future research on the context-specific nature of authenticity.

scholarly journals Ecological approach to perception and action: Fundaments for motor behavior

2007 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sérgio T. Fonseca ◽  
Christina D. C. M. Faria ◽  
Juliana M. Ocarino ◽  
Marisa C. Mancini
Keyword(s):  
Perception And Action ◽  
Motor Behavior ◽  
Direct Perception ◽  
Ecological Approach ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Direct Realism ◽  
The Core ◽  
Core Concepts ◽  
Philosophical Standpoint ◽  
Human Motor

The objective of the present study is to introduce the philosophical position and the core concepts of the Ecological Approach to Perception and Action, emphasizing its principles and its uniqueness in relation to other theories related to motor behavior. The Ecological Approach, as opposed to other approaches, assumes the direct realism as its philosophical standpoint. Thus, the Ecological Approach to Perception and Action proposes the concepts of specificity, direct perception and affordance. By assuming the direct realism, the Ecological Approach to Perception and Action commits to the mutuality animal  environment and perception and action, and proposes that the dualism, commonly found in other theories, does not contribute to the understanding of human motor behavior. The choice of a given theory, during the process of scientific investigation, implies in a commitment to the philosophical views and to the principles and assumptions in which it is based. The knowledge about the core concepts of the Ecological Approach may support the decision making process about accepting or rejecting the ideas advanced by James Gibson and, consequently, direct the use of this theory to the development of investigations on perception and action.

Peace and Harmony at Church Councils and in the Roman Empire under Theodosius II

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-86
Author(s):  
Luise Marion Frenkel
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Communication Strategies ◽  
Verbal Communication ◽  
Fifth Century ◽  
Written Communication ◽  
The Core ◽  
A Value ◽  
Church Councils ◽  
Christian Discourse

In fifth-century synods and councils, peace as a value linked to harmony is mentioned mainly in texts linked to the communication between the imperial administration and the bishops. The connection of peace and harmony is not foreign to Christian discourse, insofar as these values are usually expressed in terms that have Scriptural and patristic background related to religious strife to addressees whose identity is prominently Christian. Concurrently, in written communication with imperial officers, the relevance of the issues for the Roman empire and how Roman legislation could be applied to them was at the forefront, and theological or ecclesiastic details were accessory to the argument. In the context of the oral and written discourses and the use of non-verbal communication strategies, the selective appropriation of the elocution proper to the networking with the imperial administration in the core conciliar documentation of minutes and reports contributed to the partiality and incompleteness of the information they convey. Contextualising their rhetoric of peace, shows the influence of the authorial voices in the construction of the narratives.

Jerusalem in Rome

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Galit Noga-Banai
Keyword(s):  
Fifth Century ◽  
The Core ◽  
Promised Land ◽  
History Of ◽  
Apostolic See ◽  
The City

This chapter is about representations of contemporary constructions of earthly Christian Jerusalem in fifth-century Rome. Once the apostolic history of Rome had become visible in the city, and Rome had turned into a pilgrimage destination, where the faithful celebrated the commemoration of the local Roman martyrs, Jerusalem was welcomed to perform on stage, embraced by the strong arms of Peter and Paul. Thus, additional translations of relics from Palestine to Rome, as well as distinct appearances of Jerusalem and Bethlehem in mosaic decoration (S. Pudenziana; S. Maria Maggiore) and possibly architecture (S. Stefano Rotondo), will form the core of discussion. I will show how innovative Roman combinations of Rome and Jerusalem, as well as configurations of Rome as the “Promised Land,” were designed to reinforce the supreme position of Rome and its Apostolic See both in the present and at the End of Days.

Introduction: Nicaea in Context

2018 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Mark S. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Fifth Century ◽  
The Core ◽  
Doctrinal Development ◽  
Current State

This introductory chapter sets out the core dilemma of the centrality of the idea of ‘Nicaea’ in fifth-century orthodox discourse, but also its inadequacy as a means to resolve the doctrinal questions raised by the Christological controversy. The idea of ‘Nicaea’ was both the ground of the church’s unity and the source of her strife. Nicaea’s capacity for flexible re-expression opened up ways for subsequent councils to associate (and even elide) their own work with its sacred authority, but also made possible the refutation of such construals on equally impeccable ‘Nicene’ grounds. The current state of scholarship on the issue is surveyed and critiqued. Wider implications for theories of doctrinal development are considered, and Rush’s account of ‘rejuvenating reception’ is commended.

Extensive plastid-nuclear discordance in a recent radiation of Nicotiana section Suaveolentes (Solanaceae)

2020 ◽  
Vol 193 (4) ◽  
pp. 546-559 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Dodsworth ◽  
Maarten J M Christenhusz ◽  
John G Conran ◽  
Maïté S Guignard ◽  
Sandra Knapp ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chromosome Number ◽  
Arid Zone ◽  
Far East ◽  
Morphological Differentiation ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
Taxon Sampling ◽  
The Core ◽  
Plastid Genomes ◽  
Allotetraploid Species ◽  
Initial Results

Abstract Nicotiana section Suaveolentes is the largest section of Nicotiana and is a monophyletic group of allotetraploid species. Most of the species are endemic to Australia, but three species occur on islands in the South Pacific as far east as French Polynesia and one species is native to Namibia. Here, we present phylogenetic results based on genome skimming, with near-complete taxon sampling and multiple accessions sampled for several species. These represent the first phylogenetic results for the section that include most recognized taxa, using wild-sourced material wherever possible. Despite known chromosome number and genome size changes in the section, there is little divergence in the ribosomal DNA operon (26S, 18.S and 5.8S plus associated spacers) and plastid genomes, with little to no taxonomic signal in plastome phylogenetic results and clear plastid-nuclear discordance. These results contrast with strong morphological differentiation (both floral and vegetative) between most of the core Australian taxa and obvious differences in ecological preferences. Together, these initial results portray Nicotiana section Suaveolentes as experiencing recent and ongoing radiation in the arid zone of Australia.

Euesperides (Benghazi): preliminary report on the spring 2004 season

2004 ◽  
Vol 35 ◽  
pp. 149-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Wilson ◽  
Paul Bennett ◽  
Ahmed Buzaian ◽  
Vanessa Fell ◽  
Ben Found ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fifth Century ◽  
Wave Crest ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Final Phase ◽  
South Italy ◽  
Mediterranean World ◽  
Production Techniques ◽  
The City ◽  
Initial Results ◽  
Ongoing Project

AbstractThis article reports on the sixth season of the ongoing project at Euesperides (Benghazi). Excavation in Area P established the date of construction of the penultimate phase (and therefore of the plain pebble mosaic with inscription published last year) as 300-282 BC, following the abandonment and demolition of the antepenultimate phase beneath it. An area used for the preparation and cutting of the materials employed in the final-phase mosaics has been identified. In Area Q the dismantling of the street sequence was completed, and the W building fronting the street found to date from the fifth century BC. In Area R the crushed deposits of Murex shell were removed and working surfaces associated with purple dye production defined. Geological investigations to the west of the city revealed a possible location for the ancient harbour, and showed that the waterlogged deposits of the former sebkha are a good source for further palaeoenvironmental research.Study of the finds also continued. Further work on reconstructing the design of the final phase mosaic in Area P suggests a central motif probably of two dolphins set within a wave-crest surround. The initial results of the analysis of the mosaic samples taken from the final-phase Building A are presented. The study of the wall plaster fragments was begun, enabling some preliminary observations on the decoration. New forms of local black glaze pots have been recovered this year along with fineware imports from Attica, Corinth, East Greece, south Italy and the Punic world throwing light on the interrelations between Euesperides and the Mediterranean world from the fifth to third centuries BC. Full quantification of the coarse pottery assemblages continued this season, doubling the dataset of fully recorded pottery, whilst detailed analysis of vessel forms and their variations identified production techniques and chronological developments of vessel shapes within the local and imported wares. The study of the amphorae identified more Punic amphorae and an unusual basket-handled amphora which may be of Cypriot origin. Initial assessments of environmental and faunal remains were conducted.

scholarly journals Early references to collective punishment in an excavated Chinese text: analysis and discussion of an imprecation from the Wenxian covenant texts

2011 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 437-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Crispin Williams
Keyword(s):  
Chinese Text ◽  
Text Analysis ◽  
Collective Responsibility ◽  
Fifth Century ◽  
New Materials ◽  
Legal Context ◽  
Penal Codes ◽  
Social Units ◽  
Collective Punishment

AbstractSusan Roosevelt Weld has observed that the Houma and Wenxian covenant texts, excavated texts dating to the fifth centurybc, can be considered “examples of collective responsibility”. New materials from the Wenxian covenant texts provide further evidence relevant to this issue. In this article I present my analysis of a previously unseen imprecation, “Cause [you] to have no descendants” 俾毋有胄後. I suggest the excavated covenants provide the earliest references found in a legal context to collective punishment, a practice that, while archaic in origin, is generally better known from Qin and later penal codes. I also discuss the scope of the termshì氏, as it is used in the imprecation, in the context of Mark Lewis's work defining basic social units in the Zhou period.

scholarly journals Η εφαρμογή του ευρωπαϊκού δικαίου στον αθλητισμό

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ιωάννης Μουρνιανάκης
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Property ◽  
Intellectual Property Rights ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Geographical Indications ◽  
Geographical Indication ◽  
Specific Nature ◽  
International Protection ◽  
Modern Approach ◽  
The Core ◽  
Present Thesis

[…] The lacuna the present thesis is trying to fill is to present a modern approach of the international protection of geographical indications. Its intention is not to simply make an exhaustive presentation of all relevant literature. Instead, it endeavours to go further than merely reporting the situation thus far and, in highlighting the interplay of the systems (WTO-WIPO-CBD), to find the core of the geographical indication protection and where this protection stands today. On that account, the thesis intentionally bypasses a discussion on definitional matters of geographical indications and does not deal with the specific nature of geographical indications as intellectual property rights. The axis being the TRIPS Agreement, the interest moves to delimiting the protection afforded therein and seeks to find, in a progressive interpretation, their application in other agreements within the WTO, without though denying them their essence and without parting from the problematic already existing in the various international fora. […]

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document