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Emile Durkheim and C. G. Jung: Structuring a Transpersonal Sociology of Religion
Get PDFReligion is a prevalent theme in the works of both Emile Durkheim and C. G. Jung, who participated in a common intellectual milieu. A comparison of Durkheim’s collective consciousness and Jung’s collective unconscious reveals strikingly similar concepts. The components of these structures, collective representations and archetypes, illustrate interdependent sociological and psychological processes in the theorized creation of religious phenomena. An analysis of the constitutive elements in these processes offers a basis for structuring a transpersonal sociology of religion
“Transpersonal Pakistan”
Get PDFThe essay is controversial. The argument that Sufi-inspired transpersonal experiences, practices and processes are widespread does not match the popular view of Pakistan as a major homeland of Islamic ‘fundamentalism’ and militancy. Neither does the argument match the views of all those Islamists who bind Sufism to the transcendent theism of tradition. In various ways and to varying degrees, the most illustrious of Sufi saints move away from tradition and the alterity of the Godhead. For this reason Sufi saints can serve as a powerful font of transpersonal humanism, a universal humanism of humanity which plays a critical role in holding the nation together. Exploration of ‘transpersonal Pakistan’ also serves to illustrate a way of working as a transpersonal sociologist, and what the approach has to offer
Dreaming and Reality: A Neuroanthropological Account
Get PDFIn what sense is dreaming real to people of different cultures? How do they come to conclude that dreaming is real, and how do they use dreams to expand their knowledge and control of real events? The reader is introduced to dream anthropology and shown that there are universal patterns to how dreams are experienced, expressed, and used by societies. The distinction between monophasic and polyphasic cultures is described, the latter being the majority of societies that consider dreaming as being in some sense real. Neuroscience supports the notion that there is a natural realism behind the experience of reality in any and all alternative states of consciousness (ASC), and that whatever the ASC, there is a transcendental set of obduracies and affordances that condition the modeling, expression, and social interpretation of experiences, most especially those encountered in archetypal (or special) dreams
Interreligious Dialog: Mystical Traditions & Contemplative Practices in Judaism, Islam & Christianity (panel discussion)
No full textIn this talk, Darleen will explore how being present at the bedside of the dying at Zen Hospice Project has informed her historical research in late medieval Christian spirituality. This talk focuses on the dying and death of Francis of Assisi and the lay woman who ministered to him, Jacoba dei Settesoli. While she is little known today, she offered the gentle ministry of presence to provide comfort in his final hours. Darleen will explore how her understanding of her spirituality and her leadership in ministry has been informed and deepened by sitting with the dying, having been trained to do so with Buddhist precepts.
Sufism: The Heart of Devotion
This presentation includes exploration of the transformative aspect of Sufi teachings rooted in the inter-religious understanding of mystical wisdom. Sufism is a journey within the heart to discover the inner landscape of love. Come discover the richness of your inner landscape. The Sufis have discovered the centrality of the human heart. The Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) has said: “Remembering God is the cure for the heart.” (Translated by Dr. Nahid Angha in Deliverance, 1995, p. 53.) Purified heart-centered intentions guide the human being to discover meaning beyond words, to uncover the veils of illusion that hide us from our hearts. To awaken to the inner experience of unity. As Dr. Nahid Angha wrote in The Journey of the Lovers: “In the journey of the heart, the goal for the Sufi is to attain the knowledge of the Self, as a doorway towards understanding the Divine.” (Angha, 1998b, p. 10.) The goal of the heart is to attain knowledge and the human being is guided to the doorway of the heart by the truthful Teacher. All hearts connect beyond labels of religion or spiritual practice that separate human beings. The fundamental principle of unity inwardly and outwardly connects all of humanity.
Understanding the Past by Sitting in the Present: How my Research in Medieval Christianity is Informed by my Volunteer Work at Zen Hospice Project
In this talk, Darleen will explore how being present at the bedside of the dying at Zen Hospice Project has informed her historical research in late medieval Christian spirituality. This talk focuses on the dying and death of Francis of Assisi and the lay woman who ministered to him, Jacoba dei Settesoli. While she is little known today, she offered the gentle ministry of presence to provide comfort in his final hours. Darleen will explore how her understanding of her spirituality and her leadership in ministry has been informed and deepened by sitting with the dying, having been trained to do so with Buddhist precepts.
The Transformative Power of Nothingness: Jewish Mystical Perspectives and Practices
In Kabbalah, Nothingness (Ayin) is the highest divine power, the first and foremost outpouring of the Infinite One. It is the boundless, formless energy that is the creative source of all being and non-being. By connecting to this infinite potentiality within and around us we are able to transform self and world. Kabbalists believe that in the depths of our souls, each of us is always rooted in the Nothingness, and they offer powerful practices for tapping this root reality which contains the sacred direction of our lives. The experience of Nothingness suggests that form is rooted in formlessness and that our formal religious differences are less fundamental than our common formless origin. It also reminds us to be humble about our ability to understand the mysteries of divinity, humanity and cosmos
CIIS Today, Fall 2013 Issue
Get PDFThis volume is the Fall 2013 issue of CIIS Today, the Magazine of the California Institute of Integral Studies.https://digitalcommons.ciis.edu/ciistoday/1005/thumbnail.jp
Integrative Health Studies Newsletter
Get PDFThis is the Fall 2013 issue of the Integrative Health Studies Newsletter at CIIS.https://digitalcommons.ciis.edu/integrative-healthnewsletter/1023/thumbnail.jp
Integrative Health Studies Newsletter
Get PDFThis is the Spring 2013 issue of the Integrative Health Studies Newsletter at CIIS.https://digitalcommons.ciis.edu/integrative-healthnewsletter/1024/thumbnail.jp
Shamanism in Cross-Cultural Perspective
Get PDFThis article reviews the origins of the concept of the shaman and the principal sources of
controversy regarding the existence and nature of shamanism. Confusion regarding the
nature of shamanism is clarified with a review of research providing empirical support for a
cross-cultural concept of shamans that distinguishes them from related shamanistic healers.
The common shamanistic universals involving altered states of consciousness are examined
from psychobiological perspectives to illustrate shamanism’s relationships to human nature.
Common biological aspects of altered states of consciousness help explain the origins of
shamanism while social influences on this aspect of human nature help to explain the
diverse manifestations of shamanistic phenomena involving an elicitation of endogenous
healing responses
Trauma and Transformative Passage
Get PDFThe strategic introduction of stressors to intentionally produce targeted psychological states
has a long history among indigenous peoples. Rites of passage ceremonies commonly involve
subjecting individuals to controlled violence to attain desired transformative outcomes. In
this context, violence is held to be sacred and generative, ritually introducing distress in
the service of loosening orientation and preparing the individual for spiritual advancement
and the acquisition of a new identity. Traditional ritual initiation ceremonies are typically
tripartite and characterized by stages of Separation, Ordeal, and Return. This article suggests
that accounts of the experiences of initiates in Separation and Ordeal stages bear striking
correspondences to trauma disorder phenomena, yielding insights that may contribute to
improving the effectiveness of modern trauma interventions
CIIS – School of Destiny: Reflections on seeds of the past that still beckon us on to magnificent future undertakings
No full textCIIS – School of Destiny: Reflections on seeds of the past that still beckon us on to magnificent future undertakings Our inspiration has always come from ancient wisdom teachings. We have accomplished our goals of enlightened leadership in our chosen fields of philosophy, mythology, comparative studies and women’s spirituality that inform practical applications in psychology and expressive arts honoring the body, mind and spirit. But perhaps there is one more creative step yet to be taken that asks us to match intellectual excellence with shared beauty within community. What will we call it, and how will we approach it