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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Aspects of religions (non-Christian) > Religious experience
First published in 1935, Men & Gods in Mongolia is rare and
unusual travel book that takes the reader into the virtually
unknwon world of Mongolia, a country only now opening up to the
West. Henning Haslund was a Swedish Explorer who accompanied Sven
Hedin and other explorers into Mongolia and Central Asia in the
1920s and 30s. Haslund takes the reader to the lost city of
Karakota in the Gobi desert, introduces the reader to the Bodgo
Gegen, a God-king in Mongolia, and allows the reader to meet Dambin
Jansang, the dreaded warlord of the 'Black Gobi'. Alongside the
esoteric and mystical material, there is plenty of adventure;
caravans across the Gobi desert; kidnapped and held for ransom;
initation into shamanic societies; encounters with warlords; and
the violent birth of a new nation.
A common objective of saint veneration in all three Abrahamic
religions is the recovery and perpetuation of the collective memory
of the saint. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam all yield intriguing
similarities and differences in their respective conceptions of
sanctity. This edited collection explores the various literary and
cultural productions associated with the cult of saints and pious
figures, as well as the socio-historical contexts in which
sainthood operates, in order to better understand the role of
saints in monotheistic religions. Using comparative religious and
anthropological approaches, an international panel of contributors
guides the reader through three main concerns. They describe and
illuminate the ways in which sanctity is often configured. In
addition, the diverse cultural manifestations of the cult of the
saints are examined and analysed. Finally, the various religious,
social, and political functions that saints came to play in
numerous societies are compared and contrasted. This ambitious
study covers sanctity from the Middle Ages until the contemporary
period, and has a geographical scope that includes Europe, Central
Asia, North Africa, the Americas, and the Asian Pacific. As such,
it will be of use to scholars of the history of religions,
religious pluralism, and interreligious dialogue, as well as
students of sainthood and hagiography.
Originally published in 1973, this volume consists of a sequence of
essays in religious thinking, responsive to the impact of Quranic
style and emphasis. It traces the implications of the Qur'an in the
related fields of man and history, evil and forgiveness, unity and
worship, wonder and the hallowing of the world. It does so with a
critical eye for the classical commentators, three of whom are
translated here in their exegesis of three important Surahs. The
underlying emphasis of this book is inter-religious converse and
responsibility in the contemporary world.
In The Synchronicity Key, David Wilcock goes beyond this new
understanding to investigate how our universe works. Using history
and astrology, as well as new research into fractals, spiritual
geometry and quantum physics, Wilcock demonstrates that there is a
hidden architecture within time which guides individuals and
nations through a system of enlightenment (which Joseph Campbell
called the Hero's Journey). Historical events occur in shockingly
precise and repeating cycles of time and once the hidden laws
governing our fate through seemingly random 'synchronicity' are
identified we are left with a remarkable blueprint of how to lead
our lives in an uncertain world. David Wilcock's understanding of
the living fabric that binds the universe together is behind his
knowledge of synchronicity, the connections between seemingly
unrelated events, and how we are guided by it. Synchronicity is a
means to awaken us to our true identity, the thoughts we think and
the actions we take are being guided by hidden cycles that repeat
throughout the universe and time. David Wilcock is our guide to
this new world.
Motherhood, Spirituality and Culture explores spiritual skills that
may assist women in changes, challenges and transformations
undergone through the transition to motherhood. This study
comprises rich, qualitative data gathered from interviews with 11
mothers. Results are analysed by constructing seven unique maternal
narratives that elucidate and give voice to the mothers in their
transition by in depth exploration of six themes emerging from the
analysis. Overall discussion ranges across such realities as: *
desires, expectations and illusions for mothering; * birth and
spiritual embodied experiences of mothering; * instinctual knowing;
identity and crisis, and connections of motherhood; * changes and
transformations undergone through motherhood. This study presents a
unique framework for qualitative studies of spirituality within
motherhood research; by weaving together transpersonal psychology,
humanistic psychology, spiritual intelligence and the spiritual
maternal literature.This book will appeal to all women who have
transitioned to motherhood. It willalso be of assistance to
professionals who wish to approach any aspect of maternity care and
support from a transpersonal perspective. It will also
provideunique insights for academics and postgraduate students in
the fields of anthropology, psychology, psychotherapy and feminism
studies.
Studying the history of the notion of the 'Perfect Human' (al-insan
al-kamil), this book investigates a key idea in the history of
Sufism. First discussed by Ibn 'Arabi and later treated in greater
depth by al-Jili, the idea left its mark on later Islamic mystical,
metaphysical, and political thought, from North Africa to Southeast
Asia, up until modern times. The research tells the story of the
development of that idea from Ibn 'Arabi to al-Jili and beyond. It
does so through a thematic study, based on close reading of primary
sources in Arabic and Persian, of the key elements of the idea,
including the idea that the Perfect Human is a locus of divine
manifestation (mazhar), the concept of the 'Pole' (qutb) and the
'Muhammadan Reality' (al-haqiqah al-Muhammadiyyah), and the
identity of the Perfect Human. By setting the work of al-Jili
against the background of earlier Ibn 'Arabian treatments of the
idea, it demonstrates that al-Jili took the idea of the Perfect
Human in several new directions, with major consequences for how
the Prophet Muhammad - the archetypal Perfect Human - was viewed in
later Islamic thought. Introducing readers to the key Sufi idea of
the Perfect Human (al-insan al-kamil), this volume will be of
interest to scholars and students interested in Sufism, Islam,
religion and philosophy.
This thematic introduction to classical Islamic philosophy focuses
on the most prevalent philosophical debates of the medieval Islamic
world and their importance within the history of philosophy.
Approaching the topics in a comprehensive and accessible way in
this new volume, Luis Xavier Lopez-Farjeat, one of the co-editors
of The Routledge Companion to Islamic Philosophy, makes classical
Islamic philosophy approachable for both the new and returning
student of the history of philosophy, medieval philosophy, the
history of ideas, classical Islamic intellectual history, and the
history of religion. Providing readers with a complete view of the
most hotly contested debates in the Islamic philosophical
tradition, Lopez-Farjeat discusses the development of theology
(kalam) and philosophy ( falsafa) during the 'Abbasid period,
including the translation of Aristotle into Arabic, the philosophy
and theology of Islamic revelation, logic and philosophy of
language, philosophy of natural science, metaphysics, psychology
and cognition, and ethics and political philosophy. This volume
serves as an indispensable tool for teachers, students, and
independent learners aiming to discover the philosophical problems
and ideas that defined the classical Islamic world. Key Features *
Offers readers a broad, thorough view of the history of Islamic
philosophy by using a thematic approach. * Traces the dialogues
between philosophers and theologians about important and
controversial topics. * Offers both historical descriptions of the
key debates in classical Islamic philosophy and current
interpretations by contemporary scholars. * Includes extensive
lists for further reading at the end of each chapter, directing
curious students to the best avenues for further research.
This thematic introduction to classical Islamic philosophy focuses
on the most prevalent philosophical debates of the medieval Islamic
world and their importance within the history of philosophy.
Approaching the topics in a comprehensive and accessible way in
this new volume, Luis Xavier Lopez-Farjeat, one of the co-editors
of The Routledge Companion to Islamic Philosophy, makes classical
Islamic philosophy approachable for both the new and returning
student of the history of philosophy, medieval philosophy, the
history of ideas, classical Islamic intellectual history, and the
history of religion. Providing readers with a complete view of the
most hotly contested debates in the Islamic philosophical
tradition, Lopez-Farjeat discusses the development of theology
(kalam) and philosophy ( falsafa) during the 'Abbasid period,
including the translation of Aristotle into Arabic, the philosophy
and theology of Islamic revelation, logic and philosophy of
language, philosophy of natural science, metaphysics, psychology
and cognition, and ethics and political philosophy. This volume
serves as an indispensable tool for teachers, students, and
independent learners aiming to discover the philosophical problems
and ideas that defined the classical Islamic world. Key Features *
Offers readers a broad, thorough view of the history of Islamic
philosophy by using a thematic approach. * Traces the dialogues
between philosophers and theologians about important and
controversial topics. * Offers both historical descriptions of the
key debates in classical Islamic philosophy and current
interpretations by contemporary scholars. * Includes extensive
lists for further reading at the end of each chapter, directing
curious students to the best avenues for further research.
Between 2007 and 2011, Michael Eigen gave three seminars in Seoul,
each running over three days and covering different aspects of
psychoanalysis, spirituality and the human psyche. This book is
based on a transcription of the third seminar, which took place in
2011, on the subject of Pain and Beauty. The first two were
published as Madness and Murder (2010) and Faith and Transformation
(2011). A conjunction of the pain that shatters and beauty that
heals is made by many authors, including Bion, Winnicott, Milner,
Meltzer, Perls, Ehrenzweig, Matte-Blanco, Schneur Zalman,
Chuang-Tzu, Buber, Castaneda, and Levinas. These and others are
used as windows of the psyche, adding to possibilities of
experience and opening dimensions that bring us life. Eigen
explores challenges of the human psyche, what we are up against and
the resources difficulties can stimulate. This work spans many
dimensions of human experience with interplay, fusions and
oppositions of pain, beauty, terror, and wonder, and makes use of
poetic and philosophical expressions of experience. It will be
vital reading for psychoanalysts, psychotherapists, and all those
with an interest in psychoanalytic and spiritual psychology.
"No scientific law can ever compare with the discovery of the
Living Word of Power, which unifies man's whole being and makes him
one in nature and character with his indwelling God". This is the
theme developed by Dr Thind, in this book - an inspiring volume for
all who seek to go ever onward, forward and Godward. The chapters
include: Modus Operandi; Walking in the Inner Path to God; How Sat
Guru Helps; Nature, Nurture and Nam; and, Overcoming the World.
Between 2007 and 2011, Michael Eigen gave three seminars in Seoul,
each running over three days and covering different aspects of
psychoanalysis, spirituality and the human psyche. This book is
based on a transcription of the third seminar, which took place in
2011, on the subject of Pain and Beauty. The first two were
published as Madness and Murder (2010) and Faith and Transformation
(2011). A conjunction of the pain that shatters and beauty that
heals is made by many authors, including Bion, Winnicott, Milner,
Meltzer, Perls, Ehrenzweig, Matte-Blanco, Schneur Zalman,
Chuang-Tzu, Buber, Castaneda, and Levinas. These and others are
used as windows of the psyche, adding to possibilities of
experience and opening dimensions that bring us life. Eigen
explores challenges of the human psyche, what we are up against and
the resources difficulties can stimulate. This work spans many
dimensions of human experience with interplay, fusions and
oppositions of pain, beauty, terror, and wonder, and makes use of
poetic and philosophical expressions of experience. It will be
vital reading for psychoanalysts, psychotherapists, and all those
with an interest in psychoanalytic and spiritual psychology.
This book examines the history of, and the contestations on, Islam
and the nature of religious change in 20th century Pakistan,
focusing in particular on movements of Islamic reform and revival.
This book is the first to bring the different facets of Islam,
particularly Islamic reformism and shrine-oriented traditions,
together within the confines of a single study ranging from the
colonial to post-colonial era. Using a rich corpus of Urdu and
Arabic material including biographical accounts, Sufi discourses
(malfuzat), letter collections, polemics and unexplored archival
sources, the author investigates how Islamic reformism and
shrine-oriented religiosity interacted with one another in the
post-colonial state of Pakistan. Focusing on the district of
Mianwali in Pakistani northwestern Punjab, the book demonstrates
how reformist ideas could only effectively find space to permeate
after accommodating Sufi thoughts and practices; the text-based
religious identity coalesced with overlapped traditional religious
rituals and practices. The book proceeds to show how reformist
Islam became the principal determinant of Islamic identity in the
post-colonial state of Pakistan and how one of its defining effects
was the hardening of religious boundaries. Challenging the approach
of viewing the contestation between reformist and shrine-oriented
Islam through the lens of binaries modern/traditional and
moderate/extremist, this book makes an important contribution to
the field of South Asian religion and Islam in modern South Asia.
We are born with our hearts and arms open wide-trusting, confident,
and brimming with vibrant life energy. Over time, though, the
challenges of life constrain that flow, leaving us unbalanced. We
often find ourselves stuck in inertia, exhausted by overdoing, or
strained and preoccupied with trying to control everything. Roaming
Free Inside the Cage will help you identify your unique pattern of
imbalance and reclaim your inborn freedom so that you can move
forward with clarity of vision, confidence in your own power, and
composure in the face of life's adversities.
"There is much to digest and absorb here, principles and
practices, history, symbolism, and poetic expression. This work
requires only the caution that, as in much that is written about
the Enneagram, we are dealing with subjective internal experience
rather than objective external measurement. This is a book on
experience of, rather than knowledge about. Come to it with a
willingness to use the principles of optimal learning, be receptive
and grounded in order to open your heart and mind with curiosity,
and have the expectation of benefit. Then you will indeed benefit
greatly from this fundamental, deep and penetrating work on the
Enneagram and the Dao."
-David Daniels, M.D., September 2009, Clinical Professor, Dept.
of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Stanford Medical School
It is not words, song, or art that are tremendous, but the human
soul, and what is set in motion when it is stirred to the depths.
Where Epics Fail is a collection of over 800 aphorisms from
acclaimed writer, essayist and poet Yahia Lababidi. Offering wit
and wisdom, inspiration and spirituality, these meditations appeal
to our shared humanity and attempt, with art, to guide us through
the landscape of everyday life.
Thinking about ultimate reality is becoming increasingly
transreligious. This transreligious turn follows inevitably from
the discovery of divine truths in multiple traditions. Global
communications bring the full range of religious ideas and
practices to anyone with access to the internet. Moreover, the
growth of the "nones" and those who describe themselves as
"spiritual but not religious" creates a pressing need for
theological thinking not bound by prescribed doctrines and fixed
rituals. This book responds to this vital need. The chapters in
this volume each examine the claim that if the aim of theology is
to know and articulate all we can about the divine reality, and if
revelations, enlightenments, and insights into that reality are not
limited to a single tradition, then what is called for is a
theology without confessional restrictions. In other words, a
Theology Without Walls. To ground the project in examples, the
volume provides emerging models of transreligious inquiry. It also
includes sympathetic critics who raise valid concerns that such a
theology must face. This is a book that will be of urgent interest
to theologians, religious studies scholars, and philosophers of
religion. It will be especially suitable for those interested in
comparative theology, inter-religious and interfaith understanding,
new trends in constructive theology, normative religious studies,
and global philosophy of religion.
Disruptive practices to revolutionize your relationship with
meditation and fully engage with the full breadth of your
experience. Why do we meditate? The main reason most modern people
start meditating is because it helps us feel better--reducing
anxiety, improving sleep, decluttering the mind, and so forth. "But
where does your meditation go when things go bad?" asks Andrew
Holecek. "Where is your spirituality when 'rock meets bone, ' as
they say in Tibet--when the crap hits the fan?" Reverse Meditation
is for anyone who wants to bring the challenges of life onto the
path of awakening. When things get hard, it's time to turn your
practice on its head--and throw out any assumption that meditation
exists to insulate you from the confusion, difficulties, and
uncertainty of life. "By putting your meditation into reverse,"
Holecek teaches, "you'll actually find yourself going forward. Step
into your pain and you can step up your evolution." With his
signature blend of depth and accessibility, Holecek invites you to
explore: - Three core forms of meditation--mindfulness, open
awareness, and the boundary-smashing reverse meditations - How to
know when you're ready to engage with reverse meditation -
On-the-spot practices for snapping into a meditative mindset in
difficult situations - Contraction and expansion--how to dismantle
habits of avoidance to become more open, resilient, and fully alive
- How reverse meditation opens you to a direct experience of the
fundamental perfection of reality--just as it is "These unique
meditations are designed to reverse our relationship to unwanted
experiences, which means going directly into them instead of
avoiding them," says Andrew Holecek. "It's not an easy journey--yet
this path leads to the discovery of unconditional happiness, basic
goodness, and true freedom in the most turbulent situations."
This monograph explores the original literary produce of Muslim
mystics during the eighth-tenth centuries, with special attention
to ninth-century mystics, such as al-Tustari, al-Muhasibi,
al-Kharraz, al-Junayd and, in particular, al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi.
Unlike other studies dealing with the so-called 'Formative Period',
this book focuses on the extant writings of early mystics rather
than on the later Sufi compilations. These early mystics
articulated what would become a hallmark of Islamic mysticism: a
system built around the psychological tension between the self
(nafs) and the heart (qalb) and how to overcome it. Through their
writings, already at this early phase, the versatility, fluidity
and maturity of Islamic mysticism become apparent. This exploration
thus reveals that mysticism in Islam emerged earlier than
customarily acknowledged, long before Islamic mysticism became
generically known as Sufism. The central figure of this book is
al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi, whose teaching and inner world focus on
themes such as polarity, the training of the self, the opening of
the heart, the Friends of God (al-awliya'), dreams and visions,
divine language, mystical exegesis and more. This book thus offers
a fuller picture than hitherto presented of the versatility of
themes, processes, images, practices, terminology and thought
models during this early period. The volume will be a key resource
for scholars and students interested in the study of religion, Sufi
studies, Late Antiquity and Medieval Islam.
Book in Treasure Box. "Life in Beauty" demonstrates how experiences
of beauty bring us in close proximity with spirit and so, to pure
joy. Kate presents a unique view, demonstrating a rarely recognised
pathway to spirit through beauty. This enchanting book, artfully
packaged in a beauty treasure box, is as much an experience as an
idea. It delights, captivates and opens the heart and soul to
experience life differently. In gold and jade, rich with imagery,
the box captures the imagination, calling out to be touched and
used. The initial experience of the book begins with the beautiful
Beauty Treasure Box, which contains it. The box is intended as the
reader's own repository for beauty experiences, a place where
personal treasures can be safely stowed and brought out when one
wants to reclaim an experience of beauty. Thus, Porter, not only
shows the reader a pathway to spirit, but also gives him/her a tool
to use on the journey to awe and wonder. On opening the box, one is
presented with the little pocket book, "Life in Beauty". This
little book is such a sweet read, that it is likely to be viewed as
a treasure to be visited again and again. It may sit on a bedside
table or be hidden away in a handbag to be brought out and perused
whenever the mundane of life intrudes too much.
The story of the spiritual journey of the famous Tibetan yogi
Milarepa is often told, but less well known are the stories of his
encounters with those he met and taught after his own
Enlightenment, eleven of which are the catalyst for volumes 18 and
19 of the Complete Works. The first three were originally published
in The Yogi's Joy, and to these have been added an intriguing
fourth, `The Shepherd's Search for Mind'. The other seven stories
form a sequence tracing the relationship between Milarepa and his
disciple Rechungpa, from their first meeting to their final
parting, when Rechungpa is exhorted to go and teach the Dharma
himself. As portrayed in The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa,
Rechungpa is a promising disciple, but he has a lot to learn, being
sometimes proud, distracted, anxious, desirous of comfort and
praise, over-attached to book learning, stubborn, sulky and liable
to go to extremes. In other words, he is very human, and surely
recognizable to anyone who has embarked on the spiritual path. He
all too often takes his teacher's advice the wrong way, or simply
ignores it, and it takes all of Milarepa's skill, compassion and
patience to keep their relationship intact and help his unruly
disciple to stay on the path to Enlightenment. Sangharakshita's
commentary is based on seminars he gave to young, enthusiastic but
as yet inexperienced Dharma followers, and while much can be
gleaned from it about the path of practice of the Kagyu tradition,
the main emphasis is simply on how to overcome the difficulties
that are sure to befall the would-be spiritual practitioner, how to
learn what we need to learn - in short, the art of discipleship.
Explore the many ways to uncover the wonder and release the joy of teaching and learning in all areas of life.Drawing on her own experience as well as the stories and journeys of many other teachers in conventional and unconventional settings, Jane Vennard explores the elements that make teaching a sacred art recognizing teaching as a call to service and the teaching profession as a vocation.She paints a broad picture of the teaching experience and invites readers to learn from the stories of others and to remember their own stories of both teaching and learning. Every chapter offers reflections, practices and activities designed to draw the reader inward to learn from and be reinvigorated by their own experiences.Vennard writes vividly about the teaching life the messiness, wonder, joy and frustration. She captures the real day-to-day responsibility teachers have for those in their care. Although aimed primarily at those at all levels of the teaching profession, parents, grandparents and all those who have any interest in the teaching-learning process will find inspiration in the stories, information and ideas presented in this lively book."
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