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Letting be: Thoreau and Cavell on thinking after the bhagavatgita

Author(s): Branka Arsić / Language(s): English Issue: 07/2015

The essay starts from Cavell’s contention that what is sometimes called one’s “cultural identity” is never available to the one whose identity it is supposed to be, but is instead registered by those whose cultural identity it isn’t, and explores in particular Cavell’s propositions regarding how the mind can start revealing to itself what is opaque to it. The paradigmatic example of how the mind undoes itself to better access what is different from it is found in Thoreau’s practices at Walden. Analysis of Cavell’s reading of Thoreau leads me to propose that the work of undoing and leaving oneself – without which there is no substantive transformation – requires a certain joyous mourning over what is left behind.

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The Great Body Has No Shape, the Great Art Is Embodied. Conception of Body in Zhang Huan’s Performance Art

Author(s): Rafał Banka / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2014

Zhang Huan (b. 1965) can be considered a pioneering contemporary performance artist in China. His position on the Chinese art scene is highly regarded not only from a historical perspective. The use of the artist’s body as a means of expression can serve multiple purposes, which can touch upon, e.g. social or political issues, and seldom re-flects the role of the human body as a vehicle for mediation. Through his artistic activity, the artist tries to discuss this issue based on the Chinese philosophical intuitions of this aspect of human existence. In our paper, we shall try to examine the theoretical founda-tions of the artist’s approaches to performance and illustrate them with selected works.

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Body ‒ Tradition ‒ Expression. Remarks om Japanese Culture

Author(s): Leszek Sosnowski / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2014

The way the Japanese attribute the meaning to their world and how it becomes under-standable to them seems particularly attractive. This attitude underlies the fundamen-tal difference between the European and Japanese culture. A Westerner seeks to fully disclose the world, unveiling all its secrets. Accordingly, various strategies to achieve this goal have been developed in the Western culture, leading to different results. All scientific (philosophical) and non-scientific (commonsense) stands share a common conviction that truth is a Holy Grail of cognition, and that it is equally unattainable. The Japanese have been shaped by three religions: Shinto, Buddhism and Confucian-ism, and these regulate every aspect of their private as well as social functioning. An internal participant has no difficulties to adjust to the requirements of a particular re-ligion. Likewise, the truth also acquires different meanings depending on the context. For an external observer, however, the overlapping of these diverse domains of life creates a problem, as it results in an original but complicated culture.

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A NEW FRAGMENT OF AN UNKNOWN COMMENTARY TO THE YUANJUE JING

Author(s): Zhang Tieshan,Peter Zieme / Language(s): English Issue: 4/2012

The fragment we are publishing here is preserved in the Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage (the former China Institute of Cultural Relics). It is the 53rd leaf of an Uigur manuscript that contains the beginning of an unknown commentary to the Yuanjue jing. Other leaves of the same manuscript of the Hedin Collection in Stockholm were studied by K. Kudara in 1992.

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SLEEP WELL! SLEEPING PRACTICES IN BUDDHIST DISCIPLINARY RULES

Author(s): Ann Heirman / Language(s): English Issue: 4/2012

The present paper gives a detailed analysis of the guidelines on sleeping practices as stipulated in Buddhist monastic disciplinary texts and in Chinese manuals. It shows how sleep is perceived in normative texts, both in India and in China, and how monastics should deal with their daily need for sleep. The analysis reveals a striking contrast between sleep as a relatively innocent time when one’s actions incur no guilt, and sleep as a potentially harmful time of the day, given its assocation with disrespect, inactivity and sexual practices, and given the fact that during one’s sleep one might unwillingly display one’s true nature, which for some monastics appears to be quite detrimental.

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FALSE FRIENDS IN THE FANFANYU

Author(s): Gudrun Pinte / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2012

In the present article, a remarkable phenomenon is brought to the attention of those interested in early Chinese translations of Buddhist texts: false friends in the Fanfanyu (T54n2130). Baochang’s Sanskrit–Chinese lexicon that was compiled as early as 517 AD reveals some curious examples of faux amis. In the present contribution, this case will be illustrated with references from the Shanjian lü piposha (T24n1462), a 5th century Chinese translation of the Samantapāsādikā, Buddhaghosa’s commentary on the Pāli Vinaya. The fact that Baochang did not realise that this text was not translated from Sanskrit, inadvertently gave rise to some interesting jeux de mots.

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AYAGRĪVAVIDYĀ: SPELL TO THE HORSE-NECKED ONE

Author(s): Beáta Kakas / Language(s): English Issue: 4/2011

The Hayagrīvavidyā included in a Gilgit manuscript belongs to the earliest works invoking the god Hayagrīva. It is a spell which could be applied to achieve several aims. The god destroys the enemies, rescues from danger, his mantra protects against all sorts of evil, demons and black magic. His mare-face is believed to counteract the effects of enemy mantras.

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SUROCOLO BRONZES AND THEIR TANTRIC TEXT

Author(s): Nirmala Sharma / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2011

New identifications of seven statuettes from Surocolo are proposed on the basis of the Nayasūtramaṇḍala from the Shingon denomination of Japanese Mantrayāna, whose central Buddha is Vajrasattva.

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Buddhist philosophy for the treatment of problem gambling

Author(s): Edo Shonin,William Van Gordon,Mark D. Griffiths / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2013

In the last five years, scientific interest into the potential applications of Buddhist-derived interventions (BDIs) for the treatment of problem gambling has been growing. This paper reviews current directions, proposes conceptual applications, and discusses integration issues relating to the utilisation of BDIs as problem gambling treatments. Method: A literature search and evaluation of the empirical literature for BDIs as problem gambling treatments was undertaken. Results: To date, research has been limited to cross-sectional studies and clinical case studies and findings indicate that Buddhist-derived mindfulness practices have the potential to play an important role in ameliorating problem gambling symptomatology. As an adjunct to mindfulness, other Buddhist-derived practices are also of interest including: (i) insight meditation techniques (e.g., meditation on ‘emptiness’) to overcome avoidance and dissociation strategies, (ii) ‘antidotes’ (e.g., patience, impermanence, etc.) to attenuate impulsivity and salience-related issues, (iii) loving-kindness and compassion meditation to foster positive thinking and reduce conflict, and (iv) ‘middle-way’ principles and ‘bliss-substitution’ to reduce relapse and temper withdrawal symptoms. In addition to an absence of controlled treatment studies, the successful operationalisation of BDIs as effective treatments for problem gambling may be impeded by issues such as a deficiency of suitably experienced BDI clinicians, and the poor provision by service providers of both BDIs and dedicated gambling interventions. Conclusions: Preliminary findings for BDIs as problem gambling treatments are promising, however, further research is required.

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Origin and spread of Buddhism in Buryatia — A text of Buyandalai dooramba

Author(s): Zsuzsa Majer,Krisztina Teleki / Language(s): English Issue: 4/2008

The article presents a recovered text written by Buyandalai dooramba , bearing the title “ Buriyad γaǰar-un burqan-u šasin ker metü delgeregsen kiged šasin bariγči kedün blam-a-nar-un čadig tobči tedüi ögülegsen selte orosiba ” or “How the Teaching of Buddha spread in the Buryat land, together with a brief account of some of the lamas who upheld the Teaching”. The Romanised text in written Mongolian was published by Professor Rinčen in 1959. It gives an account of how the holy doctrine spread in Buryatia with providing names and data on Buryat monastic schools and faculties, describing the activity of eminent Buryat lamas and masters, narrating colourful legends about the Buryat Buddhist patriarchs, the Pandita Mkhanpo Lamas and the establishment of the most important monasteries and educational schools. Nowadays, many scholars cite the data given in this valuable and authentic source. From the 34 paragraphs of the text some parts were translated into English by Raghu Vira in 1959. In the present article, after a short summary, the English translation of the whole text follows with detailed explanation on the Tibetan and Mongolian religious terms and names. Data on Buryat lamas and religious leaders, monasteries and monastic schools as mentioned in the text are summarised in different lists of the appendix.

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Medieval Daoist Ordination: Origins, Structure, and Practice

Author(s): Livia Kohn / Language(s): English Issue: 2-4/2003

Medieval Daoist ordination developed under Buddhist influence in the fifth century, but retained models of ancient Chinese blood covenants. While following the Buddhist model, which was essentially a membership ceremony, in its formalities and overall organisation, in its essence Daoist ordination was an empowerment and transference of allegiance, not from the family to an overlord, but from the world to the celestial realm. Daoists through ordination do not just leave the family but become active members of an otherworldly administration, with all the powers and obligations of this role.

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What Can the Ŗgveda Tell Us on Agriculture?

Author(s): Gyula Wojtilla / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2003

The study fills the gaps in the lingustical database bearing on agriculture in the age of the Ŗgveda. Several corrections of existing standpoints have been made concerning purely philological issues as well as the semantical field of certain agricultural terms. The unbiassed reassessment of etymology of some terms reveals that beside the terms of Indo-European origin there are terms from extinct languages while the number of items of Dravidian origin is meagre and the Austro-Asiatic influence can be excluded. Language contacts with the Bactria-Margiana Complex (BMAC) must be taken into consideration. The all-around analysis of lingustic data and archaeological evidence together with the observations of historical ethnography allows us to form a more balanced view of economic conditions: although pastoralism played a dominant part in the life of Indo-Aryan speakers in the Panjab in the second half of the second millennium B.C., agriculture including wheat production gained also an established position in the region. Both the negligence and the overestimation of agriculture in this system are erroneous viewpoints.

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God’s Knowledge: A Study on The Idea of Al-Ghazālī And Maimonides

Author(s): Özcan Akdağ / Language(s): English Issue: 3/2018

Whether God has a knowledge is a controversial issue both philosophy and theology. Does God have a knowledge? If He has, does He know the particulars? When we assume that God knows particulars, is there any change in God’s essence? In the theistic tradition, it is accepted that God is wholly perfect, omniscience, omnipotent and wholly good. Therefore, it is not possible to say that there is a change in God. Because changing is a kind of imperfection. On God’s knowledge, another controversial issue is whether God knows particulars or not. Most of theist thinkers argued that God is wholly perfect; because of perfectness, He must have perfect attributes. Knowing and goodness are a kind of perfect attributes. Ignoring and evil are a kind of imperfectness. If God is perfect being, He should have the perfect attributes and must know the particulars. For me in this subject, there are some similarities between al-Ghazālī and Maimonides. In this study I took into consideration the idea of al-Ghazālī and Maimonides on this subject. Based on Griffel and Stroumsa’s argument, I tried to show similarity between al-Ghazālī and Maimonides on God’s knowledge.

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The Chinese Folk Model of the Mental Concept of “Soul”: A Linguistic Perspective

Author(s): Joanna Hryniewska,Arkadiusz Gut,Michał Wilczewski / Language(s): Polish Issue: 9/2018

The paper focuses on specific intuitions associated with mental concepts—especially with the concept of the soul in Mandarin. The main objective is to seek the basic linguistic meanings that shape folk intuitions about the mental space in Chinese culture through a linguistic analysis performed on the selected data from modern Chinese language dictionaries, authentic language corpora, and literary works. First, we briefly describe the phenomenon of high-level synonymy in Chinese language, including terms for describing mental concepts. Next, we discuss the linguistic realizations of the concept of the mind as it is presumed to be interrelated with the concept of the soul. Then, we present a linguistic analysis of terms used to talk about the soul in Mandarin to show how the concept of the soul is reflected in this language. The analysis allowed us to demarcate the semantic boundaries of the “soul.” We found that the Chinese folk model of this concept distinguishes between two main conceptualizations: (1) the “soul” as an invisible and immaterial part of living creatures, which is not bound permanently to the body, and as a seat of emotions and thoughts, and (2) the “soul” as a quasi-independent spiritual being that shows much creative potential and is able to persist after the physical death of a person or animal. Although we found a tendency to separate the “soul” from the “body”, the “soul” is still functionally conceptualized in relation to the “body.” Accordingly, we provided linguistic evidence supporting the arguments against the radical mind–body dualist position and for the sake of the weak mind–body holism.

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The Merchants of Heavenly Grace: On Academic Journals and Cultural Difference

Author(s): John T. Giordano / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2023

The increasing standardization, specialization and monetarization of academic publishing is designed to foster quality in research and expression. But these tendencies also pose serious challenges to the expression of cultural difference, particularly with regard to philosophy and religious studies. Scholars from various cultural backgrounds outside of mainstream universities often find themselves marginalized when the quality of their work is judged through the metrics of mainstream academic publishing. Smaller journals which give a forum to local research are gradually disappearing or becoming irrelevant. The corporate control of publishing limits the access and distribution of information making it difficult for smaller regional universities to access and conduct research. But these challenges to the expression of cultural difference also reflect the deeper tendencies of the information age. To approach this problem, we need to consider the conflict between culture and spirit on the one hand, with the flows of information and capital on the other. I will introduce this problem through an idea of hermeneutics presented by George McLean. I will then discuss the approaches to this problem by such writers as Michel Serres, Jean Francois Lyotard, Giorgio Agamben and Jacques Derrida. I will show that these latter writers devise strategies to reach something outside of the cybernetic flows of information in the media age, but that their solutions are incomplete because they rely on intellectual concepts of redemption and ignore the concrete practices of spiritual redemption. The issue that cross-cultural journals must consider is how to emphasize something beyond the merely intellectual; how to amplify practice within its expression. I will address this issue in the spirit of a poem by Emily Dickinson entitled “Publication – is the Auction” which supplies the title of this essay. MEΘEXIS Journal of Research in Values and Spirituality, Vol. III, No. 2 (2023): 84-101, ISSN 2821-6377

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A Philosophical Exploration of Spiritual Values and their Contribution to Shaping Humanity

Author(s): Amir Khan Ahmed / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2023

The study undertakes a philosophical inquiry into the profound influence of spiritual values on the trajectory of human civilization. Throughout history, diverse societies have developed intricate belief systems and spiritual frameworks that serve as the bedrock for their moral, ethical, and existential principles. These spiritual values, transcending religious confines, manifest in various cultural, philosophical, and ethical traditions. The study delves into the core essence of spirituality, probing its origins, and its pivotal role in human development. It examines how spiritual values have guided and molded human behavior, ethics, and social structures, simultaneously fostering unity and division within societies. Drawing from a rich philosophical tapestry, this study investigates how spiritual values have informed ethical philosophies, moral paradigms, and the pursuit of the greater good. It explores ethical quandaries and conflicts arising from diverse interpretations of these values, while also emphasizing their potential to ignite compassion, empathy, and societal transformation. It assesses the contemporary relevance of spiritual values in an increasingly secular world, where the boundaries between spirituality, ethics, and secular humanism blur. The study scrutinizes how modern philosophy and science intersect with spiritual values, contributing to a broader comprehension of human consciousness, purpose, and interconnectedness. Ultimately, the study seeks to contribute to the ongoing discourse on the significance of spiritual values in human existence and their enduring influence on our collective journey. By exploring the intersections of philosophy, spirituality, and humanity, it illuminates the profound ways in which spiritual values continue to shape and guide our shared destiny.

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Guqin: The Path of Music

Author(s): Bin Zhang / Language(s): English Issue: 115/2023

In Chinese culture prevails understanding that every thing and phenomena in the universe follow their own Dao (Cosmic Path). The article discusses how Chinese literati generation after generation continuously reinterpreted and reinforced the idea of muical instrument guqin as Dao Path, making it a significant symbolic representation of Chinese culture. The Dao of guqin was gradually linked with a cluster of other cultural and philosophical ideas – the “Path of Music”, the “Path of Confucianism”, the “Path of the Sage”, the “Path of the Universe” and other “Paths”. Thus, a special instrument was transformed beyond its mere musical function, and was connected with ineffable Dao. The article concludes that consequently Dao can be interpreted as Dao of national culture, where important cultural contributors not only inherit from cultural tradition, but also continuously reconstruct and give life to the core ideas and values - Dao of the nation.

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„Песента на Желанието (Кама)“: Ако срещнеш Кама, не го убивай

Author(s): Milena Bratoeva / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2024

The present article examines two narratives from the epic Mahābhārata (MBh), focused on the topic of desire (kāma) and the relationship erotic – ascetic (kāma – tapas). The first one is about the horned ascetic Ṛṣyaśṛṅga (MBh, 3); the second – about the teaching of God Kṛṣṇa Vāsudeva to the king Yudhiṣṭhira, culminating in the "Song of Kāma" (MBh, 14). Both narratives are interpreted in the perspective of Hindu ethics, whose foundation is dharma, a key concept of Hinduism. The epics propagate an ideal dharmic code of conduct, based on the so-called four life goals – puruṣārtha. One of these four life goals is kāma – the realm of desires, emotions and sensual pleasures.

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ON MIGRATION, HIĞRA, IN AL-FĀRĀBĪ’S MORAL PHILOSOPHY

Author(s): Grete Tartler Tabarasi,Grete Tartler / Language(s): English,Arabic Issue: 15/2015

Contemporary debates on the increasing role of migration are seldom seeing this as a question of ethics and a religious duty. My article intents to point out the religious motivation of migration, as mentioned inal-Fārābī‟s Fuṣūl al-madanī (The Aphorisms of the Stateman). The Medieval political philosopher is using theword hiğra in its classical meaning (from the times of the Prophet), connecting it with war and the qualities ofthe city‟s chief (king, philosopher and warrior). It is a virtuous man‟s duty to leave a corrupt city for a virtuousone, otherwise he will feel like a “stranger in this world” (ġarīb fī l-dunyā); migration being thus seen also in terms of methaphysical survival.

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KREATIVNA INDIFERENTNOST I DIFERENCIJACIJA NA POLOVE U GEŠTALT PSIHOTERAPIJI

Author(s): Milica Lazović / Language(s): Serbian Issue: 11/2024

The topic of the following paper is the influence of the ideas about creative indifference and polar differentiation of the German-Jewish philosopher Salomo Friedlaender on Fritz Perls and Gestalt psychotherapy. The founder of the gestalt psychotherapy was attracted to the dialogic nature of Friedlander’s ideas and incorporated them into the foundations of his theory and practice. The influence is evident in Perls’s understanding of being centered in the here and now, figure and background, then in the understanding of the field, organismic self-regulation, but also holism as a core concept of gestalt, which is contained in the very name of the method. Perls’s ideas about the self and the middle mode also arise from the fruitful contact of the two thinkers. With all this in mind, in addition to the three philosophical pillars on which Gestalt psychotherapy rests, namely phenomenology, existentialism and Eastern philosophy, Friedlander’s philosophical system, despite the fact that its influence has long been unrecognized in its full extent, could be considered as fourth pillar of the Gestalt.

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