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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Aspects of religions (non-Christian) > Religious experience
A cutting-edge guide to the psychology and neuroscience of
spiritual experiences Spiritual experiences have occurred within
people around the world and throughout history, up to and including
the present day. The founders of every major religion described
them, philosophers since antiquity have pondered them, and
according to recent polls, about 30% of people still report them. A
century ago, philosopher and psychologist William James famously
analyzed accounts of these experiences and raised questions for
future scientific study. What triggers these events? How are the
brain and body affected? How do these brief moments have such
lasting effects? Now, modern science has some answers. This book
invites readers into contemporary psychology and neuroscience
laboratories around the world to learn about these elusive yet
profound inner events. As it explores phenomena ranging from divine
revelations to paranormal experiences to life-changing experiences
of unity, findings from modern science are illustrated with a
diverse set of personal accounts from believers and non-believers
alike, plunging readers into deeply personal and sometimes
transformative moments. Written by two renowned scientists in the
field, this book is a deep exploration of the psychology and
neuroscience of a range of profoundly meaningful experiences.
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.
Prayer changes things. It is a stress-reliever. It's a
chain-breaker. It's a peace-bringer, and it's necessary for every
child of God no matter their age or experience. Throughout history,
women have been especially powerful in taking up the mantle of
prayer. It is largely the prayers of women that establish the
spiritual sanctuary of their family. Praying women warriors fight
against oppression and injustice. Their prayers defend the innocent
and the untrained. And through their prayers they are seen as
shining examples in the darkness of the world. This journal gives
you the space to write out your prayers and note how they are
answered. It will give you a place to continue your progressive
march of empowerment by dreaming like your daughters and praying
like your grandmothers.
Helps readers identify their personal vocation, or special way of
being, so that they may reach out more effectively to others.
Elaborates on the connection between personal vocation and the
Spiritual Exercises.
Within the general chaos that is our daily lives, there is a
perspective where everything falls into place and finally makes
sense. H.E. Tsem Rinpoche brings this perspective through
explaining the mechanism of life based on the fundamental
principles of Buddhism. In his characteristically logical and
down-to-earth manner, Rinpoche introduces the vast topics of
reincarnation and karma in a way that anyone can understand. He
also provides easily applicable guidelines on how we can
immediately unlock the liberating powers within us to lead a happy
and harmonious life, simply by finding the living Buddha within
each and every one of us.
How did the Oracle of Delphi obtain her prophecies? Can you access
information just by holding an object? Are itches actually
messages? Is it really possible to read the future in the bottom of
a teacup? In this condensed book, experienced seer Jewels Rocka
outlines the theory and practice of divination, using illuminating
examples from all over the world. Packed with useful information
and miniturised reference tables, this is the essential pocket
volume for the travelling prophet. "Fascinating" FINANCIAL TIMES.
"Beautiful" LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS. "Rich and Artful" THE LANCET.
"Genuinely mind-expanding" FORTEAN TIMES. "Excellent" NEW
SCIENTIST. "Stunning" NEW YORK TIMES. Small books, big ideas.
It has been argued that the mystical Sufi form of Islam is the most
sensitive to other cultures, being accommodative to other
traditions and generally tolerant to peoples of other faiths. It
readily becomes integrated into local cultures and they are
similarly often infused into Sufism. Examples of this reciprocity
are commonly reflected in Sufi poetry, music, hagiographic genres,
memoires, and in the ritualistic practices of Sufi traditions. This
volume shows how this often-side-lined tradition functions in the
societies in which it is found, and demonstrates how it relates to
mainstream Islam. The focus of this book ranges from reflecting
Sufi themes in the Qur'anic calligraphy to movies, from ideals to
everyday practices, from legends to actual history, from gender
segregation to gender transgression, and from legalism to
spiritualism. Consequently, the international panel of contributors
to this volume are trained in a range of disciplines that include
religious studies, history, comparative literature, anthropology,
and ethnography. Covering Southeast Asia to West Africa as well as
South Asia and the West, they address both historical and
contemporary issues, shedding light on Sufism's adaptability. This
book sets aside conventional methods of understanding Islam, such
as theological, juridical, and philosophical, in favour of
analysing its cultural impact. As such, it will be of great
interest to all scholars of Islamic Studies, the Sociology of
Religion, Religion and Media, as well as Religious Studies and Area
Studies more generally.
Sufism is all too often associated just with 'mysticism' in the
West. The author of this new textbook, a former pupil of Annemarie
Schimmel, suggests that conflating Sufism and mysticism is only
partially valid. He shows that the vast majority of Sufi practice,
both historically and in the contemporary world, has little or
nothing to do with a esoteric transcendence but is rather focused
on contemplative activity. Such practice might involve art, music,
devotional shrine visitation - even politics and psychology.
Placing Sufism in a wider Islamic contemplative context enables
Arthur F Buehler to examine Sufi history, as well as current
application, against a backdrop that is richer and more inclusive
than that portrayed in many competing introductory surveys.
Discussing the origins of Sufism; the development of Sufi lineages
(via three founder figures); Sufi lodges and the role of Sufism in
colonial resistance; Sufi poetry; Sufi shrines, and Sufism in the
West, the author rescues his topic from the idea that it means only
union with the divine. In this original new treatment, Sufism
emerges as complex and multi-layered.
This book explores the organic lives of popular Sufi shrines in
contemporary Northwest India. It traverses the worldview of shrine
spaces, rituals and their complex narratives, and provides an
insight into their urban and rural landscapes in the post-Partition
(Indian) Punjab. What happened to these shrines when attempts were
made to dissuade Sikhs, Muslims and Hindus from their veneration of
popular saints in the early twentieth century? What was the fate of
popular shrines that persisted even when the Muslim population was
virtually wiped off as a result of migration during Partition? How
did these shrines manifest in the context of the threat posed by
militants in the 1980s? How did such popular practices reconfigure
themselves when some important centres of Sufism were left behind
in the West Punjab (now Pakistan)? This book examines several of
these questions and utilizes a combination of analytical tools, new
theoretical tropes and an ethnographic approach to understand and
situate popular Sufi shrines so that they are both historicized and
spatialized. As such, it lays out some crucial contours of the
method and practice of understanding popular sacred spaces (within
India and elsewhere), bridging the everyday and the metanarratives
of power structures and state formation. This book will be useful
to scholars, researchers and those engaged in interdisciplinary
work in history, social anthropology, historical sociology,
cultural studies, historical geography, religion and art history,
as well as those interested in Sufism and its shrines in South
Asia.
Mysticism, which transcends the boundaries of time and space and
refers to a reality not grasped by means of ordinary human
cognition, is one of the central sources of inspiration of
religious thought. It is an attempt to decode the mystery of divine
existence by penetrating to the depths of consciousness through
language, memory, myth, and symbolism. Delving deep into the
psyche, mystics strive to redeem perceived reality from its
immediate meaning. Mystical texts constitute a history of this
religious creativity, of man's attempt to reveal the divine
structure underlying the chaos of reality and thereby endow life
with hope and purpose. By offering an alternative perspective on
the world that gives expression to yearnings for freedom and
change, mysticism engenders new modes of authority and leadership;
as such it plays a decisive role in moulding religious and social
history. For all these reasons, the mystical corpus deserves study
and discussion in the framework of cultural criticism and research.
This study is a lyrical exposition of the Jewish mystical
phenomenon. It is based on a close reading of the hundreds of
volumes written by Jewish mystics and incorporates mystical
testimonies drawn from the different countries and cultural
environments in which Jews have lived. Rachel Elior's purpose is to
present, as accurately as possible, the meanings of the mystical
works as they were perceived by their creators and readers. At the
same time, she contextualizes them within the boundaries of the
religion, culture, language, and spiritual and historical
circumstances in which the destiny of the Jewish people has
evolved. The author succeeds in drawing the reader into a mystical
world. With great intensity, she conveys the richness of the
mystical experience in discovering the infinity of meaning embedded
in the sacred text; teasing out the recurring themes, she explains
the multivalent symbols. Using copious extracts from Jewish
mystical sources, she illustrates the varieties of the mystical
experience from antiquity to the twentieth century. She succeeds in
eloquently conveying how mystics try to decipher reality by
penetrating beyond its apparent boundaries: how they experience
spiritual powers symbolically, imaginatively, or visually; how
hidden truths are revealed in visions or dreams, in an epiphany or
as 'lightning'; how they are 'engraved' in the mind or illuminate
in the soul. Most of the texts she draws on are written in very
obscure language, but the skilful translations communicate the
mystical experiences vividly and make it easy for the reader to
understand how Elior uses them to explain the relationship between
the revealed world and the hidden world and between the mystical
world and the traditional religious world, with all the social and
religious tensions this has caused.
This is the Volume Two in a three volume series, which was written
for all who have freed themselves of orthodox religious thinking
and for those who are ready to do so. The books serve as a
springboard to greater spiritual heights, wherein we appreciate
more than ever the message of Sat Gurus, the Saviours, the Avatars,
and the Christs, of whom Jesus Christ was one. Dr Thind analyses
the teachings of this Saviour of the western world and compares
them with the teachings of all the great religions.
Beloved and bestselling author Bob Goff provides you with a year's worth of inspiring, unexpected, thought-provoking teaching that will prepare you for the day ahead.
Bob Goff’s first two books, Love Does and Everybody, Always, spent dozens of weeks each as New York Times bestsellers with their unique combination of entertaining, witty storytelling, and challenging, surprising perspectives. Now Bob is back with a year-long devotional made up of his distinctive, entertaining, deceptively profound reflections on what it means to live every day in light of the grace of God.
Built on Bob's trademark storytelling and unique way of helping us to see things in a new way, Live in Grace, Walk in Love takes us through an entire calendar year of meditations on how we can step out in love and confidence in every aspect of our lives. More than a tweet, less than a blog post, these devotional readings--accompanied by Scripture--will inspire and galvanize you live a more liberated, love- and life-giving existence than you ever thought possible.
A 216-page hardcover book that makes the case for women in the
Catholic priesthood - even though the hierarchy of the Church has
traditionally opposed the idea, based largely on their belief that
Christ wanted a male-only priesthood for all time. The author, a
renowned theologian, disputes that ultra-conservative viewpoint and
explains why it is in the Church's best interest to ordain women.
Glossolalia (paranormal speaking in tongues) and zenolalia
(paranormal speaking in allegedly foreign languages) are features
of many sub-cultures and religions. The most obvious example is
Pentecostalism, where every believer in many denominations is
expected to speak in tongues at least once - the gift in other
cultures being limited to individuals, shamans and mediums. This
book, first published in 1978, surveys the practice of 'speaking in
tongues' in anthropology, Christianity and spiritualism, and
provides an analysis of the psychological, theological and
linguistic considerations of the phenomenon.
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.
Whether you are a businessperson, a homemaker, a student, or a head of state, author Myles Munroe explains how you can make your dreams and hopes a living reality. Your success is not dependent on the state of the economy or what the job market is like. You do not need to be hindered by the limited perceptions of others or by a lack of resources. Discover time-tested principles that will enable you to fulfill your vision no matter who you are or where you come from. You were not meant for a mundane or mediocre life. You do not exist just to earn a paycheck. Revive your passion for living. Pursue your dream. Discover your vision--and find your true life.
Death lies at the beginning of the Arab uprisings, and death
continues to haunt them. Most narratives about the 'Arab Spring'
begin with Mohammed Bouazizi, a Tunisian fruit vendor who set
himself on fire. Egyptian protesters in turn referred to Khaled
Said, a young man from Alexandria whom the police had beaten to
death. This book places death at the centre of its engagement with
the Arab uprisings, counterrevolutions, and their aftermaths. It
examines martyrdom and commemoration as performative acts through
which death and life are infused with meaning. Conversely, it shows
how, in the making, remembering, and erasing of martyrs,
hierarchies are (re)produced and possible futures are foreclosed.
The contributors argue that critical anthropological engagement
with death, martyrdom, and afterlife is indispensable if we want to
understand the making of pasts and futures in a revolutionary
present. This book was originally published as a special issue of
Ethnos: Journal of Anthropology.
This book analyses the development of Sufism in Ottoman Egypt,
during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Examining the
cultural, socio-economic and political backdrop against which
Sufism gained prominence, it looks at its influence in both the
institutions for religious learning and popular piety. The study
seeks to broaden the observed space of Sufism in Ottoman Egypt by
placing it within its imperial and international context,
highlighting on one hand the specificities of Egyptian Sufism, and
on the other the links that it maintained with other spiritual
traditions that influenced it. Studying Sufism as a global
phenomenon, taking into account its religious, cultural, social and
political dimensions, this book also focuses on the education of
the increasing number of aspirants on the Sufi path, as well as on
the social and political role of the Sufi masters in a period of
constant and often violent political upheaval. It ultimately argues
that, starting in medieval times, Egypt was simultaneously
attracting foreign scholars inward and transmitting ideas outward,
but these exchanges intensified during the seventeenth and
eighteenth centuries as a result of the new imperial context in
which the country and its people found themselves. Hence, this book
demonstrates that the concept of 'neosufism' should be dispensed
with and that the Ottoman period in no way constituted a time of
decline for religious culture, or the beginning of a normative and
fundamentalist Islam. Sufism in Ottoman Egypt provides a valuable
contribution to the new historiographical approach to the period,
challenging the prevailing teleology. As such, it will prove useful
to students and scholars of Islam, Sufism and religious history, as
well as Middle Eastern history more generally.
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