#On that note there's also absolutely a word for the concept I translate as 'metaphysical vulnerability' that is also much less clunky

[serpentface]

Oh, birthing & midwiferyposting, please

Ok I will Elaborate

(Content warning because this contains discussion of infanticide)

This is speaking about midwifery and childbirth in the Imperial Wardi context (this also should not be taken as ubiquitous for every facet of the Imperial Wardi cultural sphere, but this is a broadly accurate rundown).

Infant mortality rates are high, and pregnancies and births can be very dangerous for the pregnant parent. Midwives serve a vital societal function and the best form of reproductive care available.

Midwives come in many forms. In poor families, the duties are usually performed by a family member and the skillset may be passed from parent to child. Some communities have resident midwives who perform their services for free or at low cost. Professional midwives exist for hire, and are very common in the cities. An upper echelon of midwives are a kind of physician-priestess, who will have received extensive medical training and are considered sanctified and uniquely equipped to fulfill the spiritual needs of childbirth. A few will perform services for free, but they are generally hired and their services are very expensive.

Wealthy families may have their own personal midwives, and VERY wealthy families/royalty have personal physician-priestesses.

Midwives are mostly women, though whether this is an expectation or merely an average tendency is dependent on the specific context. Cases where this is an Expectation tend to be in cultural contexts where the Gaze of a man is believed to have a sexual element that is uniquely powerful and harmful to the nude bodies of women (all Imperial Wardi cultural beliefs include a concept of the spiritually empowered Gaze and disempowered vulnerability in nudity, but exact nuances vary). Physician-priestesshood is, in theory, reserved only for people designated female, though a few throughout history have been known or suspected to be eunuchs.

Physician-Priestesses serve Anmir-Ganmache (an epithet of God as the domestic sphere, close in meaning to Ox-Face of the Hearth). This is not a priesthood specifically devoted to this face of God in the same sense that Odonii are the cult of the Lion-Face and Galenii are the cult of the Lunar-Face, they are merely seen as serving Anmir-Ganmache by performing their duties and being uniquely empowered by this Face's blessing. Most begin their training and education at puberty (though it's possible to join later in life) and are expected to serve for 25 years before retirement. Their primary function is to behave as midwives, but they receive a wide spectrum of medical training and are considered uniquely equipped to tend to the overall health of women.

A midwife is usually expected to not perform their tasks while menstruating (this may not be practical for poorer families who have to take what they can get), during which time a person is considered ritually unclean. Specially dedicated physician-priestesses are usually expected to be virgins and to remain so for the duration of their service (a method to ensure an entirely ritually pure existence). This is not expected of common midwives.

Most of any midwife’s job is typical physical assistance with the pregnancy and birthing process. Births are typically done in a sitting or squatting position, often wearing a special skirt or blanket to shield both parent and child from full view (a spiritual element to reduce unwanted metaphysical vulnerability during the birthing process). Under the best conditions, a midwife has several assistants of their own (in the case of physician priestesses, these are usually priestesses in training) who will physically support the person giving birth and attend to their needs.

The infant is shielded from direct view during its emergence, and is immediately cleaned and wrapped in cloth upon the cutting of the umbilical cord.

Part of the toolset for a physician-priestess is a pair of horns from a pregnant cow sanctified via sacrifice to Anmir-Ganmache. The cow had taken God's role in its sacrifice and its remains are holy relics, and used to put the mother and child under God's full protection. One horn will have been carved into a cup and holds a sanctified oil (usually olive), which is gently daubed over the eyes, mouth, heart, and near the genitals of the child, forming a protective barrier.

The other horn is intact (usually carved with protective imagery, notably a motif of a lioness-headed woman that has protective qualities for children, and an abstract, twisting serpent that represents and encourages the incarnation of the child's soul) and is waved over the child’s body in the form of a blessing. The same is done for the mother, with the addition of anointing the breasts to encourage healthy and clean lactation. Common midwives are unlikely to have easy access to sacred sacrificial relics, but this blessing rite is considered vital and can be accomplished (to a less ideal extent) with any cow's horns, so long as they have been properly purified.

Protecting the helpless, naked infant from the gaze and immediately exposing it to purifying agents is believed to help expel any inborn dagia or other polluting agents. This is believed to support the child's spiritual and physical health and hopes to prevent congenital or otherwise lifelong health conditions.

The midwife performs a thorough inspection of the infant, and will give a recommendation upon whether the child is healthy and fit to rear. Infants deemed at high risk of premature death may be killed, as the cost of care and emotional attachment for a child deemed unlikely to survive will often be seen as too great to warrant the risk. This act (presumably with the parent’s permission) is usually performed by the midwife themself, and is ideally accomplished with a fatal sedative dose (this death is seen as peaceful and painless, while a traumatic death would risk the infant’s soul failing to reincarnate and instead becoming a vengeful wandering ghost).

This obviously may be a difficult and traumatic choice on an emotional level, but infants are not believed to have fully incarnated souls until they begin to speak (it is believed that the soul begins to enter the body upon conception, but takes significant time to fully inhabit it), and will be reincarnated if they die before this occurs. So infanticide in this context is not usually perceived as the murder of a full person or a denial of life, as the infant’s soul will have as many other chances as it takes to become fully incarnated. (There's a variant of 'old soul' beliefs, where an especially precocious child or one that learns to speak early is believed to have had many previous reincarnations)

Intentional abortion of a fetus carries no stigma whatsoever for much the same reasons (though the MOTIVATIONS for this act on the parent’s part may carry stigma, such as to hide an illegitimate pregnancy). Natural abortifiacients are available and widely used in cases of unwanted pregnancy (though these are not by any means as safe or reliable as contemporary abortion procedures).

In all cases (whether an aborted fetus, a miscarriage, a stillbirth, infanticide, or another death before full incarnation), the infant or fetus’ remains are given the standard funeral rite of cremation to ensure their soul is freed from the body and can be properly reincarnated. Basic rites are all that is expected in this situation, but some parents will undergo extensive funerals with lavish offerings to encourage a prosperous and healthy rebirth.

There's also certain rites to encourage the same soul to return to the same parents (as it would otherwise be reincarnated into a human at random), the physical element of which is anointing the body (ideally the lips) with both parent's mingled blood before the cremation, as blood physically contains a person's spirit and the sharing of it can establish a powerful metaphysical bond. This is believed to assist in leading the child's stray soul back to the same source, and may lend a tremendous sense of comfort to parents in the face of a wanted, dead infant.

A pregnant parent who dies in childbirth is given special status and are believed to enter an esteemed afterlife (located within the Lapis Moon, a paradise where they will reside among saints and other esteemed dead). Childbirth is regarded as one of many analogues to God's self-sacrifice to bring forth creation, with the mother symbolically crossing the threshold of death and spilling her blood to bring forth life from nonexistence. To die in such a state is regarded as one of the noblest deaths typically available to women. (This sentiment is also entirely reflective of the typical place ascribed to those designated women in this society, where their chiefmost value is in bearing children). It's still (obviously) ideal for most to survive the birthing process, but this belief may contribute to some choosing to undergo an (almost always fatal) caesarean procedure in a difficult birth if the infant is assumed to be otherwise healthy.

In the case of a healthy birth in which all parties survive, the child will then be presented to its father (who in some contexts is prohibited from attending the birth), who will formally accept it as his own and bestow it with the family name (the child is not given a personal name until a month from birth, and undergoes a formalized naming ceremony at either their first birthday or when they begin to speak, tradition depending). A child born out of wedlock or to an absent father does not receive a family name, though may be formally adopted if the mother marries later on, or be given the family name of the mother's father if he chooses to accept it.

The mother should ideally undergo a full blessing to recover from the metaphysical vulnerability of the birthing state (the physician-priestess can provide this, but otherwise this is done at a temple or family/village shrine).

It's also generally expected to offer sacrifice to Anmir-Ganmache in thanks and to ensure continued protection for parent and child (the best offering is a cow, but offerings of milk or at the very least some grain is acceptable). Most who can afford a physician-priestess can also afford to offer a cow, and it's also expected that the best meat (usually the liver and flank) and the horns should be removed before the rest of the sacrifice is burnt, and gifted to the priestess as a personal thanks.

[homestuckexamination]

wb!! i’m the proto-indo-european classpector :) this is gonna b long but i’m excited to hear ur thoughts:

dyeus: absolutely some kind of Light player, probably an Heir. dyeus stems for the pie word for bright, and dyeus is the pie daylight-sky god. he is the divine personification of the day sky, but also has an association with rain (lolar, anyone?). dyeus was also a witness to oaths and treaties, and was considered “all-seeing”. the sun was thought of as his eye. but the sun was… also deified and worshipped as a separate god. so maybe dyeus is something like an Heir of Light? his embodiment of the sky and his ability to Control and Change via Light makes me think of an Heir or a Lord/Muse, but he wasn’t a leader of the gods, and seems more similar to a really powerful Heir than a Lord or a Muse. if you think about it, being the daylight god, he probably could “shine a light” on something like an Heir of Light, albeit in a more literal way.

dheghom: just like dyeus, dheghom isn’t just a goddess of the earth, but is literally the earth personified and deified. dheghom had the titles “plethwih”, which meant The Broad One, “dheghom mehter”, which meant Mother Earth, and “dheghom dhengwo”, which meant Dark Earth. Dark Earth is especially interesting, because dheghom was the wife and was seen as the compliment of dyeus — though in many ways they were the opposite, they were very much two sides of the same coin. interestingly, dheghom didn’t bring fertility and life herself like most earth goddesses are thought of as doing — she only did this with dyeus. therefore, Life doesn’t really work for an aspect, and the complementary nature of dheghom with dyeus + the darkness theme makes me think of Void. i’m tempted to say she’s a Knight of Void, due to academic reconstructions saying she may have been viewed as a Giver of good as a result of her and dyeus fertilizing the earth. while this is still in combination with dyeus, it should be noted that Void isn’t just nothingness and darkness — it’s also the material world. Light is the world of ideas, the metaphysical, and by Giving dyeus Void, she makes concepts real. alternatively, she could be a Maid or Sylph of Void, as she is Creating the material world — it helps that, if any class would have a “mother” subarchetype, it’d probably be Maid and Sylph (see: the maryams).

perkwunos: you know how i said dyeus was associated with rain? while that is true, there is a diety more directly associated with rain — the weather god, perkwunos. he was called upon during times of drought, and was associated with rain, lightning, thunder, mountains, some kind of weapon, stone, and oaks. though thunder and lightning were viewed as Destructive, his association with rain also gives him an association with Creation and Life. his association with oaks also brings Life to mind. as a result, i’d give him the title of Bard of Life. his association with weaponry and Destruction brings Prince and Bard to mind, and perkwunos translates to either “the Striker” or the ��Lord of Oaks”. as weather dieties in indo-european religions are often either the head god or the son of the head god, a Royalty archetype is easy to argue for. the reason i opt for Bard over Prince is due to the wildcard aspect of Bards — weather is uncontrollable and seemingly random.

the divine twins: according to wikipedia, “one is represented as a physically strong and aggressive warrior, while the other is seen as a healer who rather gives attention to domestic duties, agrarian pursuits, or romantic adventures”. despite this difference, they were both seen as healers and helpers, in particular to shipwrecked humans. they also raised the sun by pursuiting their consort, the morning star. due to this, one — specifically, the one who gives attention to “romantic adventures” — is likely a Sylph of Heart. he is a Healer, and though by raising the sun both Create Daylight, the reason for this is because of attraction — Creating through Love. for the other, his association with war and aggression (in particular as divine aid in battle), and the fact that both were associated with… dance, for some reason? makes me think that he’s either a Knight of Rage or a Knight of Time. Rage and Time are both associated with Battle, and can be connected with dance for different reasons — Preforming, and Rhythm. i’m leaning more towards Knight of Time, though, as by helping to raise the sun each day, he Gives Time — without the sun, there would’ve been no way to tell the time. although both are described as healers, my proposed Sylph of Heart has more emphasis on the Healing aspect, and my proposed Knight’s emphasis on war and battle makes me think of Protection and Weaponizing.

hewsos: hewsos is the dawn goddess, and is depicted as the opener of the gates of heaven, and a *reluctant* bringer of light, whose reluctance she is often punished for. she may have been considered immortal, and the sun rising each day could’ve been seen as her being eternally reborn. she also has an association with dancing. she’s definitely a Maid, with her reluctance to bring light being punished, and her constantly being reborn. she has a lot of Light associations, being called a lightbringer, certain cognates related to light stemming from her name, and being… the personification of dawn & the morning star. considering she’s a reluctant bringer of light, Maid of Light seems to be the most likely — tying in with Maids being oppressed by their aspect — but it should be mentioned that her father is dyeus, an undeniable Light player. perhaps that’s his influence on her, and the reason she’s so reluctant is because she’s not actually a Maid of Light, but forced to act like one. however, the evidence seems to point to her being a Maid of Light.

sehul: she’s literally the sun. she’s described as being the eye of dyeus, too, which makes me think of a Seer of Light. after all, dyeus wouldn’t be all-seeing if it weren’t for her — he wouldn’t know all he does if she didn’t See everything. there’s also mehnot, the god of the moon, but i can’t find anything on him.

sorry that this is so long! i’d love to hear your thoughts :D you’re my favorite classpect analyzer on here so i rlly do hold ur opinion in high regard. ty!! -🛐

Oh goodness! That is a loooot, I totally forgot you mentioned about these and I'm glad you dropped them even if it took me a month to get back! :o I don't have much input on my end, considering I didn't know about any of these deities until right now, but judging by your descriptions, your reasoning is solid. The one that I could be like, 'hmm', is probably Dheghom- Earth Goddesses and Mother Earth, there's a lot of conceptual ties of this kind of deity to Space specifically, but also Void works really well based on your description, so like, Space would almost be thematic more than fitting.

Either way, this is giving me a whole bunch of stuff to look up on Wikipedia later, but on a cursory glance, I do like your takes here. X3

[echodrops]

So, just because I was rereading HaaH and a bit curious, you described Keith’s communication with Red as being mostly through visuals and scents (which was super fucking cool and a very interesting detail, btw) but I was wondering—how do the other Paladins communicate with their lions? (if it’s not spoilers, ofc) Hope you’re having a nice summer! ❤️❤️❤️

A cool ask!

Keith

The story mentions that Keith speaks to Red via a combination of visuals and scents, but I can say a little more about it here too before I go on to the others–the Lions tailor their communication specifically to match the paladin they are bonded with. If Red had a different partner, he would “speak” differently to that person. Red and Keith communicate through sight and scent because these are Keith’s strongest senses and the ones to which he has his most visceral reactions. Most importantly though, Red doesn’t just choose images and scents at random; Red’s consciousness is directly tied to Keith’s consciousness. Therefore, when Red wants to convey a concept to Keith, he can choose to reach directly into Keith’s mind and pick the exact sights and smells that Keith associates with that concept. (If Red wanted to convey the idea of “rage,” for example, he might flash Keith’s memory of fighting with Commander Iverson after the failure of the Kerberos mission.)

It should be noted, however, that Red is also a very stubborn, not-remotely-domesticated lion, and so sometimes he’ll use his own associations for concepts instead of Keith’s. This has led to a sort of half-”human”-half-(alien) animal visual/scent language where something like the concept of “humor” sometimes gets communicated as “that one time Matt Holt got stuck in a locker” and other times gets communicated as “that one time I toyed with a tiny enemy until it died.”

By the way, Red and Keith’s method of communication would be completely and utterly incomprehensible to anyone else who tried to experience it. Like… Willy Wonka terror tunnel levels of incomprehensible.

The rest are under the read more to save people’s dashes:

Pidge

Pidge and Green communicate in an extremely complex way: they “share” data like a cloud database, but the information they send back and forth to each other is a constant scrolling feed of a thousand different encryption codes and languages, from basic ciphers all the way up to DNA encoding values. When Pidge and Green link up, it’s the equivalent of Pidge’s brain being hardwired directly into the internet, if the internet was… you know… an ageless, all-knowing fragment of the universe and all combined matter self-actualized into a single physical form at one moment in space-time. It’s extremely mentally demanding, and no one without an absolutely astronomical IQ and encyclopedic knowledge of data encoding and reading could ever hope to understand even a sliver of it. Even Pidge has really only scratched the surface of the amount of information Green is able to convey; there are limits to how much the human brain can comprehend and process, and Green respects that–she has to, or Pidge would experience an aneurysm from an extreme over-activation of brain tissue and die within seconds of exposure to Green’s “full voice.”

Pidge and Green are the only paladin/lion pair whose method of communication is completely intelligible to someone who is not a paladin–Matt Holt can understand and communicate with Green as easily as Pidge can, because, as siblings, the Holts grew up sharing all the same codes. Likewise, Green is partially intelligible to Hunk, enough so that he can communicate with her if Green chooses to “speak” to him. He’d be able to fully understand Green if he saw a point in studying up on the rest of the specific languages and ciphers Pidge knows, but there’s really no time to bother with that when there’s always so much else going on.

Hunk

Remember that scene in Harry Potter where the sorting hat asks if Harry really doesn’t want to be in Slytherin because he’d be just as great there as in Gyrffindor? That’s what happened with Hunk and Yellow. Although it would have been totally possible for Hunk and Yellow to communicate in a way extremely similar to Pidge and Green (albeit more along the lines of mathematical calculations than DNA encoding), Hunk asked Yellow to pick the form of communication that Yellow himself would feel most comfortable with, and thus Hunk and Yellow do not communicate in words, data, or images–they communicate by a constant sharing of their feelings and intuition. Yellow and Hunk’s bond is deeply physically focused, with the feelings of one impacting the other as directly as if they shared one brain. When Yellow is nervous, Hunk gets goosebumps. When Hunk is resolved, Yellow’s roar can shake stars in the sky. Although Hunk often speaks out loud to his Lion, this is mostly just from habit; Yellow does not take note of Hunk’s words but instead responds to the emotional truths that exist behind those spoken words. Unlike Pidge or Keith, whose methods of “speaking” require at least fractions of a second to translate, Yellow and Hunk’s communications are instantaneous and they never experience even the slightest miscommunication. Everyone quickly learned to trust the things Hunk tells them based on what he feels from Yellow, even if they themselves have never gotten so much as inkling of emotion from the Yellow Lion.

Only one issue has arisen from Hunk and Yellow’s method of communication: there are feelings which the lions experience which humans do not, and even a few feelings humans experience which the lions do not. Once exposed to these feelings, neither one of the pair could “unfeel” them, and thus Hunk is now the only human in the universe capable of feeling certain emotions which are not native to human beings, and Yellow has been saddled with the unbearable knowledge that sometimes ugly things are actually adorable.

Shiro

The Black Lion is very different from the other lions. So different, in fact, that there’s honestly no comparison to even be drawn. Although the other lions are irrevocably still at least somewhat “animalistic” in their behaviors and functions, the Black Lion is a lion in form only, and its mind is nothing like an animal’s. The way the Black Lion and its bond to paladins works is so unique from the other lions that we might as well be talking about a totally different form of relationship. The Black Lion does not communicate with its paladin–the Black Lion IS its paladin.

The other lions are able to touch and operate within the confines of their paladins’ minds when their paladins are near or when they really want to “speak.” But Black just exists within Shiro at all times–Black has tied itself to Shiro’s life force, to his physical form, to every cell and even atom of his being. Shiro is the Black Lion’s vessel, and yet there is no separation between their identities–they are not two souls sharing one body, but an interwoven existence that is simultaneously both human and something utterly unknowable.

All the lions are “magical” creatures, as much metaphysical beings as they are robotic monsters, but Black is something else entirely. Shiro can’t explain it. Allura can’t explain it. Coran can’t explain it. Even during the process of their creation, neither Alfor nor any of the people who worked on the forging of the lions could explain it. Black is the breath of the cosmos. A manifestation of life itself. The first spark. The invisible, immeasurable dark matter that permeates the unending universe and allows all things to be. All knowledge. All energy.  

Black and Shiro do not “communicate” because they do not need to. When the Black Lion wishes Shiro to know something, Shiro simply knows it. Things that human beings should not be capable of doing, the Black Paladin can do.

As long as the Black Lion wills it, for as long as it deigns to lend power to the physical realm, Shiro and Black move as one, united in thought, purpose, and deed–seeing with the same eyes, feeling with the same heart.

Lance

Although it might sound like Shiro has the closest relationship with his lion–inextricably soul-bound and all–this is actually inaccurate. Shiro and Black’s bond is essentially one-sided, initiated by Black to suit the lion’s purpose, with an equally frustrated and humbled Shiro doing his best to reach out to the inexplicable entity, to limited success. They share an existence but not, necessarily, a “relationship.” 

The paladin who actually has the closest bond with his lion is Lance, although Lance himself is completely unaware of this. Because communication between the lions and their paladins is so unique, Lance has never recognized that what he can do with Blue (the degree of fluidity that exists in their communication) is not standard and is, in fact, the closest a lion and paladin have ever managed to personally connect before.

Lance and Blue simply love each other. They aren’t just allies, they aren’t just knight and weapon, they aren’t just guardian and charge–before any and all of that, they’re genuinely friends. Lance cares for Blue as if she were another person on their team, a person just like any other, with normal thoughts, feelings, wants, and wishes. He listens to Blue’s boasts and fears, her anecdotes, her memories, and shares his own in turn. Sometimes he has to work twice as hard with his products to hide the dark circles under his eyes because he stays up all night holding nigh-endless conversations with his lion. Although all the lions can sense their paladins across entire galaxies, Lance is the only one who can speak to his lion from any distance; there is no limit that Blue has found. Through Lance, Blue has come to understand the lives of mortal beings in a way that none of the other regular lions seem to–she is the only one that fully grasps and values the individuality of humans. Lance taught her what names mean. What family is. Destiny is a strange concept, constantly under suspicion, but it was nothing short of destiny that determined Lance and Blue should meet. Aka if you say a word about the lion swap to me I will stomp you to death with my hooves.

All of this was mostly possible because, being the first of the humans to meet his lion, Lance had zero preconceptions about what his relationship with a giant sentient catship should look like. It simply never occurred to him that the Blue Lion might not be able to talk. He expected his lion to speak to him, and so she did. Her voice sounds exactly like what Lance thinks a talking lion should sound like. (There is a lot of purring involved, because Lance was not made aware, until much later, that normal lions cannot, in fact, purr.) She reminds him, somewhat painfully, of his mom.

Blue’s voice cannot be understood by any of the other paladins, however, because she does not want it to be. If anyone else were to listen in on Lance and Blue’s mental conversations, Blue’s voice sounds simply like droplets of water, like rain on the surface of a previously smooth pond.

On one–and only one–previous occasion, the Blue Lion chose to speak to Keith. His feelings about that day, and the long, lonely months that came after it, are a bitter mix of resentment and painful gratitude.

[kabane52]

The Doctrine of Restitutionary Atonement in Light of Tradition

This post is intended to demonstrate the concord between the so-called doctrine of “satisfaction” of debt on our behalf by Christ and the doctrine of the Fathers concerning the ontological consequences of the death of the Incarnate God. Unfortunately, the word “satisfaction” seems to be nigh-universally taken today to mean something like “appeasement”, where divine anger is appeased through suffering. In reality, Anselm uses the word to mean “reparation” or “restitution” in a positive sense. A person makes satisfaction for a debt when what is owed is paid in full. According to the teaching of Anselm, man has the duty to God to act righteously. The work of atonement is not accomplished by Christ’s receipt of the Father’s anger. Rather, it is accomplished by the Father’s receipt of Christ’s goodness. That is the sense in which “satisfaction” is meant: a work of love so infinitely good that it makes up for the bad. 

Before beginning, I wish to make some preliminary remarks about the nature of this language. First, the language of debt and reparation is eminently scriptural. In fact, scripture is suffused with this imagery. For example, according to Isaiah 53 the messianic servant in His atoning work carries out a “reparation offering.” A reparation offering must be carried out if one has trespassed upon that which is God’s without God’s entrustment and permission. If one trespasses on that which is too holy, one is elevated ritually to that degree of holiness. Such is dangerous for a person who has not adequately prepared. As such, he must be ritually “de-sanctified.” To be in a state of consecration means that one owes certain services to God as a consequence of the new relationship created. If one cannot render those services, one is committing robbery. Thus, there is a rupture between what one is ordered towards in virtue of one’s office and that which one acts to fulfill. This rupture creates a gap which must be bridged by reparation. This is what Christ accomplishes for mankind in the work of atonement. Mankind had trespassed upon what was forbidden, creating the rupture of death. In the entirety of His self-consecration in hypostatic union with human nature, our Lord bridged the gap between the proper end of human nature and the actual direction in which human activity tended. The bridging of this gap restored communion with God and overcame death. 

Where else can we find the scriptural teaching concerning restitution? The ubiquity of the language of wealth and investment in describing the spiritual life similarly reflects this important aspect of Christ’s work. The glory of God which belongs to the Divine Trinity and given to mankind through the incarnation is called by the Apostle Paul the “riches of His glory.” The Apocalypse utilizes the same imagery. In its visionary description of the false liturgical cult of apostate Israel, St. John refers to their penalty on Christians in the prohibition on “buying and selling.” Christ signifies the spiritual state of the respective local Churches by using the language of wealth: the faithful Church of Smyrna is “rich” (2:9) while the dying Church of Laodicea is “wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked” (3:17). Redemption is signified by an economic transaction, according to our Lord: “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire” (3:18). Such imagery is rooted in the prophetic word, as Isaiah describes the messianic supper as marked by the invitation to “buy wine and milk without money and without price” (55:1). In the opening words of Isaiah, Israel’s apostasy is symbolized as devaluation: “your silver has become dross” (1:22). In the parables of Jesus, we also find investment holding an important place. The prodigal son is given the wealth of his inheritance only to squander it. The master entrusts his servants with talents in order to obtain an increase on their value through investment (Matthew 25:15-28) and forgiveness is signified by the pardon of a debt. 

The importance of this imagery is noted by St. Seraphim of Sarov who reminds us of the connection of the grace of the Holy Spirit with money in the Holy Scriptures. Pointing especially to the words of the Lord in Luke 19:13 (”trade until I come”), St. Seraphim teaches us that the Spirit of God is that which is given to us as wealth to be increased and fortified by works of charity in order to achieve communion with God through Jesus Christ in the life of the Spirit. This is the essence of the concept of restitutionary atonement. The uncreated divine operations are the mode of interpersonal communion among Father, Son, and Spirit. The divine operations realize the one nature shared by the divine Persons in a mode proper to each hypostasis. In other words, it is always the persons who act, and their activity is always in relation to the other divine Persons. For example, the love of God is operative in the Father’s total love for the Son and the mutuality of that love for the Son with the Spirit. The Son, receiving the love of the Father through the Holy Spirit, reciprocates that love by the same Spirit. 

Let us then consider the operations as wealth and treasure. God, being infinite, has in Himself an actually infinite plenitude of divine operations. In the relationship of Father and Son, then, consider it in the language of inheritance and consecration. The Father gives the entirety of His treasury of grace to the Son as an inheritance. The Son receives this treasury and utilizes it in consecration to the honor of His Father. This is the critical dynamic which must be understood: the scriptural and theological language about wealth, debt, and reparation is intended to elucidate what is a fundamentally personal and filial bond between God and mankind. A requisite “translation” of the ontological and metaphysical teaching on human deification through Christ into the biblical and symbolic teaching about the restitution of debt by Christ on man’s behalf demands a full assimilation of this governing principle. 

All of that said, the following was written yesterday in personal messages to a friend who had asked about this issue.

---

The foundational idea is that Adam is created with an intrinsic relationship and bond with God. Adam owes his existence to God and is thus naturally indebted to him but because Adam exists in precisely the mode willed by God, his life constitutes a link between God and man wherein exactly what Adam owes to God is wholly consecrated and paid to God. Adam owes his own existence to God, Adam is sovereign over his body and orders by his will his existence to God and maintains financial balance.

What occurs in the fall is that Adam doesn’t pay his debt. He directs his activity to something other than God, thereby severing the bond which had existed up to that point and falling into an infinite state of debt. The reason that the debt is infinite is because a “debt” signifies the gap between the proper form of a relationship and the actual constitution of that relationship. You ought to be in X financial standing with respect to Person A, but you’re not. The difference between those two is your debt.

Adam’s debt is infinite because having been severed from God’s bond of life with him, the proper reordering of that relationship demands that Adam repair the bond which was broken. Since the distance between infinity and finitude is infinite, the debt which is owed is infinite. The only way in which mankind can be saved is if a son of Adam with access to an infinite treasury and perfect sovereignty over that treasury uses his key and consecrates the infinite treasury to the one God. With an infinite plenitude of riches, the infinite debt is paid. Ontologically, that means that the distance created in the rupture of the fall is bridged and communion between God and man restored.

When we are joined to Christ, we can please God by the Holy Spirit despite the imperfections in each and every one of our works of charity. How? First, because that wealth (a work of love is signified as a portion of wealth) which belongs infinitely to the Son (in the infinite plenitude of graces, divine operations) is shared with us through the incarnation. We participate really in the activity of the Son through the Spirit and are made capable of directing divine activity to our freely chosen end/goal. So we are joined to the riches of Jesus Christ and in working with divine energy we grasp a portion of those riches and direct it towards consecration to God. This is an act which authentically pleases God.

But because each good deed has an imperfection, there’s still a problem. Because the distance between infinite perfection and slight imperfection is infinite, a good work carried out imperfectly creates again the infinite debt. However, the difference is that our good works are carried out “in Christ.” As Paul says, “I have been crucified with Christ.” Because the operation by which we consecrate a portion of the Son’s treasury to the Father is the very same operation by which the Son made infinite restitution, our working the work of Christ by the Spirit contains internal to its nature the reparation of any debt created by imperfections major or minor.

This describes what occurs ontologically in the relationship of sin to death and the Spirit. Sin, however slight, objectively orders a person away from the fullness of existence proper to his nature. As such, corruption and a process of disintegration invariably follows. Because of sin, we must die. A work of love, if it contains an imperfection, produces death in us. This is why “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me” is absolutely necessary. In being joined to Christ’s death, the death which belongs necessarily to any imperfection has been accomplished and carried out in that very union. Death destroys the flesh. That which is impermanent and imperfect is destroyed in death. Fire comes and burns the leaves but brightens the precious metals. Thus in co-operating with the Holy Spirit who acts in us to integrate us into the cross and glory of Jesus, our works of charity are pulled through the cross: all imperfections are thereby removed and the work itself is perfected. Thus in view of the cross our good works are authentically pleasing to the Father.

In short, the Latins [referring principally to the Latin tradition of the first millennium] take a good work in this context to be a consecrated gift of treasure to our Father. The Greeks take the good work to be that which belongs properly to the life of God so that our work of love is an instance of the intrinsic end of the human person, participation in the life of God. The giving of a gift of treasure to the Father in the West is described in the East as partaking in communion with the Father through the uncreated graces/energies. The Latins take the imperfection to be an infinite debt defining the God-man relationship until its reparation. The Greeks take the imperfection as constituting the infinite gap between sharing in the life of God and attaining full actuality on the one hand and the tendency towards death and nonexistence on the other. The Latins take the cross of Christ as being that where the incarnate Son utilizes His treasury of infinite wealth (merit) in consecration to the Father, infinity overcoming infinity and dissolving the debt. The Greeks take the cross as being that where the Son’s infinite actuality and immortal life permeates the nonexistence and dissolution of death, thereby filling death with life and healing the rift between God and man.

Most significantly, the Eucharist is an economic act at its liturgical core. The Eucharist is that event wherein the human family is constituted in its proper internal, corporate relationship and where it is properly ordered with respect to God the Creator in a dyadic motion of procession and reversion. The Holy Spirit comes forth to constitute the Gifts as the Body of Christ, simultaneously incorporating us into that Body as we revert into the infinite presence of God. This is the act where we are subject to God as children of our Father in Heaven. It is in the immediate context of the bringing forth and consecration of the Eucharistic Elements that the Church consecrates its tithe to God on the altar of Eucharist. The tithe is of wealth as it signifies the ordering of everything produced by the work of our hands towards the service of God in Jesus Christ. God gives the creation as gift to man. Man receives the creation and adds to it his labor. This produces an increase of value represented in the production of income. A ten percent tithe on that increase is the ritual affirmation that God as Creator has given us everything which permitted the production of this wealth. As such, it is the essence of the mystery of the Eucharist: it is our “giving of thanks” for the creative gift of God and our joining our own labor to His holy work. 

But the fact that we add our tithes to the Eucharist only after the Eucharist has been consecrated demonstrates the central truth that the only way in which those things that we order towards God actually stand as a pleasing aroma to Him is through their being joined to the offered Body of Christ. It is the divine Son incarnate who receives the creation from the Father and consecrates it in its totality to Him in a procession of thanksgiving on Calvary. “Thine own of thine own, we offer unto thee on behalf of all and for all.” The creation received by the Son through the incarnation is returned entirely to the Father in the passion of the Lord Jesus, for it is in the Passion that the Last Adam declares His intent to utilize the gift of creation in a manner wholly consistent with the will of the Giver, that is in utter fidelity to the Father and in supreme love for all mankind.

[alquran-science]

Al-Quran, a scientific introduction

Al-Quran, the only book on this planet with text produced in the seventh century contained ideas that have only been discovered in modern times.

Astronomers, zoologists, geologists and specialists in the history of the earth would all have been struck, just as forcibly as medical doctors, by the presence in the Quran of highly accurate reflections on natural phenomena. These reflections are particularly astonishing when we consider the history of science, and can only lead us to the conclusion that they are a challenge to human explanation.

There is no human work in existence that contains statements as far beyond the level of knowledge of its time as the Quran. Scientific opinions comparable to those in the Quran are the result of modern knowledge.

In the commentaries to translations of the Quran that have appeared in European languages, we have only been able to find scattered and vague references to them. Nor do commentators writing in Arabic provide a complete study of the aspects of the Quran that deal with scientific matters. This is why the idea of a comprehensive study of the problem appealed to us.

Religion And Science

There is, perhaps, no better illustration of the close links between Islam and science than the Prophet Muhammad’s often-quoted statements:

“Seeking knowledge is compulsory on every Muslim.”

“wisdom is the lost property of the believer.”

“whoever follows a path seeking knowledge, Allah will make his path to paradise easy.”

These statements and many others are veritable invitations to humanity to enrich their knowledge from all sources. It comes as no surprise, therefore, to learn that in Islam religion and science have always been considered as twin sisters and that today, at a time when science has taken such great strides, they still continue to be associated. Nor is it a surprise to learn that certain scientific data are used for the better understanding of the Quranic text. What is more, in a century where, for many people, scientific truth has dealt a deathblow to religious belief, it is precisely the discoveries of science that, in an objective examination of the Islamic scripture, have highlighted the supernatural nature of revelation and the authenticity of the religion which it taught.

When all is said and done, scientific knowledge seems, in spite of what many people may say or think, to be highly conducive to reflection on the existence of God. Once we begin to ask ourselves, in an unbiased or unprejudiced way, about the metaphysical lessons to be derived from some of today’s knowledge, (for example our evolving knowledge of the smallest components of matter or the questions surrounding the origin of life within inanimate matter), we indeed discover many reasons for thinking about God. When we think about the remarkable organization presiding over the birth and maintenance of life, it becomes clear that the likelihood of it being the result of chance lessens quite considerably.

As our knowledge of science in the various fields expands, certain concepts must seem increasingly unacceptable. For example, the idea enthusiastically expressed by the recent French winner of the Nobel prize for medicine, that living matter was self-created from simple chemical elements due to chance circumstances. Then from this point it is claimed that living organisms evolved, leading to the remarkably complex being called man. To me, it would seem that the scientific advancements made in understanding the fantastic complexity of higher beings provides stronger arguments in favor of the opposite theory: that the existence of an extraordinarily methodical organization presiding over the remarkable arrangement of the phenomena of life necessitates the existence of a Creator.

In many parts of the Book, the Quran, encourages this kind of general reflection but also contains infinitely more precise data which are directly related to facts discovered by modern science. It is precisely this data which exercise a magnetic attraction for today’s scientists.

The Quran And Science

For many centuries, humankind was unable to study certain data contained in the verses of the Quran because they did not possess sufficient scientific means. It is only today that numerous verses of the Quran dealing with natural phenomena have become comprehensible. A reading of old commentaries on the Quran, however knowledgeable their authors may have been in their day, bears solemn witness to a total inability to grasp the depth of meaning in such verses. I could even go so far as to say that, in the 20th century, with its compartmentalization of ever-increasing knowledge, it is still not easy for the average scientist to understand everything he reads in the Quran on such subjects, without having recourse to specialized research. This means that to understand all such verses of the Quran, one is nowadays required to have an absolutely encyclopedic knowledge embracing many scientific disciplines.

I should like to stress, that I use the word science to mean knowledge which has been soundly established. It does not include the theories which, for a time, help to explain a phenomenon or a series of phenomena, only to be abandoned later on in favor of other explanations. These newer explanations have become more plausible thanks to scientific progress.

There are also some very rare examples of statements in the Quran which have not, as yet, been confirmed by modern science. I shall refer to these by pointing out that all the evidence available today leads scientists to regard them as being highly probable. An example of this is the statement in the Quran that life has an aquatic origin ( “And I created every living thing out of water” Quran 21:30 ).

These scientific considerations should not, however, make us forget that the Quran remains a religious book par excellence and that it cannot be expected to have a scientific purpose per se. In the Quran, whenever humans are invited to reflect upon the wonders of creation and the numerous natural phenomena, they can easily see that the obvious intention is to stress Divine Omnipotence. The fact that, in these reflections, we can find allusions to data connected with scientific knowledge is surely another of God’s gifts whose value must shine out in an age where scientifically based atheism seeks to gain control of society at the expense of the belief in God. But the Quran does not need unusual characteristics like this to make its supernatural nature felt. Scientific statements such as these are only one specific aspect of the Islamic revelation which the Bible does not share.

Authenticity of Quran

Before getting to the essence of the subject, there is a very important point which must be considered: the authenticity of the Quranic text.

It is known that the text of the Quran was both recited from memory, during the time it was revealed, by the Prophet and the believers who surrounded him, and written down by designated scribes among his followers. This process lasted for roughly twenty-three years during which many unofficial copies were made. An official copy was made within one year after the Prophet’s death at the instruction of Caliph Abu Bakr

Here we must note a highly important point. The present text of the Quran benefited in its original preparation from the advantage of having its authenticity cross-checked by the text recited from memory as well as the unofficial written texts. The memorized text was of paramount importance at a time when not everyone could read and write, but everybody could memorize. Moreover, the need for a written record was included in the text of the Quran itself. The first five verses of chapter al-‘Alaq, which happen to constitute the first revelation made to the Prophet (S), express this quite clearly:

“Read: In the name of your Lord who created. Who created man from a clinging entity. Read! Your Lord is the most Noble, Who taught by the pen. Who taught man what he did not know.” Quran, 96:1-5

These are surely words in “praise of the pen as a means of human knowledge”, to use Professor Hamidullah’s expression.

Then came the Caliphate of ‘Uthman (which lasted from the twelfth to the twenty-fourth year following Muhammad’s death). Within the first two years of Caliph ‘Uthman’s rule, seven official copies were reproduced from the official text and distributed throughout a large area of the world which had already come under Islamic rule. All unofficial copies existing at that time were destroyed and all future copies were made from the official seven copies.

I shall also mention another fact of great importance. We shall examine statements in the Quran which today appear to merely record scientific truth, but of which men in former times were only able to grasp the apparent meaning. In some cases, these statements were totally incomprehensible. It is impossible to imagine that, if there were any alterations to the texts, these obscure passages scattered throughout the text of the Quran, were all able to escape human manipulation. The slightest alteration to the text would have automatically destroyed the remarkable coherence which is characteristic to them. Change in any text would have prevented us from establishing their total conformity with modern knowledge. The presence of these statements spread throughout the Quran looks (to the impartial observer ) like an obvious hallmark of its authenticity.

The Quran is a revelation made known to humans in the course of twenty-three years. It spanned two periods of almost equal length on either side of the Hijrah. In view of this, it was natural for reflections having a scientific aspect to be scattered throughout the Book. In a study, such as the one we have made, we had to regroup the verses according to subject matter, collecting them chapter by chapter.

Source Authors

Dr. Maurice Bucaille

Dr. A. A. B. Philips

[ganeshaspeaks-yahoopartner]

Advaita Vedanta- Everything Means Nothing

What are Vedantas? Also known as Uttara Mimamsa, Vedanta is one of the six schools (astika) of Hindu philosophy. The word Vedanta translates as the end (-anta) of Vedas (ved-). Vedantas are reflections on the ideas and the philosophies we find in the Vedas. The core ideas of the Vedantas have inferred from the texts of Prasthanatrayi, i.e., the three sources of divine philosophy of Hinduism. The Prasthanatrayi consists of the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Brahma Sutras. Vedanta is not one particular doctrine or philosophy. It comprises of several different schools of thought. All the schools seek to establish the truth of the Universe using the ideas found in the Prasthanatrayi. Though the schools differ in their views, all of them concern themselves with three main ideas- Brahman (the ultimate reality), Atman (the soul or the self), and Prakriti (the physical matter). Some of the schools include Advaita, Dvaita, Vishishtadvaita, and Bhedabheda. Over the years, Vedanta became a very prominent school of Hinduism. With time, many new ideas were adopted, including some from other astikas like Yoga. Vedantas led to the development of quite a few Hindu traditions across India. For instance, the Shaktism tradition where the goddess is considered the Brahman (not to be confused with Brahmin), was heavily influenced by the Advaita Vedanta philosophies. Advaita Vedanta- A Non-Dualistic Reality Like most of the schools of Hindu philosophy, Advaita Vedanta is also a path to spiritual realization. Advaita Vedanta presents to us a non-dualistic kind of reality. In it, the true self (Atman) is the same as the ultimate metaphysical reality (Brahman). The roots of Advaita Vedanta can be traced back to 1st Millennium BCE. However, it is the 8th-century scholar Adi Shankaracharya who consolidated and developed the ideologies of Advaita Vedanta. Adi Shankaracharya’s Advaita Vedanta negates the age-old idea of the Atman being distinct than the Brahman. Like modern-day philosophies, this particular Vedanta focuses on the individual’s “true” self, seeking to attain moksha by realizing what this self entails. Accordingly, knowledge of one’s true self is liberating. Self-knowledge does not mean the awareness of Brahman within us. On the contrary, Advaitins believe that knowledge is the realization that awareness is Brahman. This viewpoint stresses on the importance of transcending all forms of duality and becoming one with the Brahman. Brahman according to the Advaitins The concept of Brahman within Advaita Vedanta is quite interesting to note. Adi Shankaracharya viewed Brahman as the ultimate reality beyond the human concepts of time and space. According to him, Brahman is nirguna, i.e., Brahman has no qualities or attributes whatsoever. The human perception of Brahman as finite and plural is because of their habit of superimposition (adhyasa). By referring to the Brahman as someone with certain qualities, humans created a separate personality of Brahman- God. Shankaracharya, thereby, makes a clear distinction between the saguna God and the nirguna Brahman. Advaitins believe that this human habit stems from ignorance or avidya (ajnana). The only way to get rid of this ajnana is the realization of the identity of Brahman. The understanding of Brahman requires the realization of the Atman- our true self. And that is achieved by anubhava (immediate intuition). Direct awareness of Atman is free from all definitions- this can be experienced only with correct knowledge. Correct knowledge kills all forms of human ignorance and leaves us with jnana of the Atman. Jnana is obtained via three stages of practice- sravana (hearing), manana (thinking), and nidhidhyasana (meditation). The world is Maya; Maya is Brahman Maya plays a fascinating role in Advaita Vedanta philosophies. We know that Atman is quite an essential aspect of this philosophy. We also know that Atman and Brahman are one and the same thing according to the Advaitins. What we need to know is the fact that Shankaracharya preached the concept of a universal soul (atman). According to him, the Atman, which is our life-force, is different than the jiva, which is what we think we are. Jiva comprises of individual consciousness, ego, and mortal perception of self. Atman, on the other hand, is the divine consciousness. Advaita Vedanta posits that we all are one Atman. There is just one Atman, and there is only one “me.” And that Atman is the same as Brahman. Brahman is the absolute reality for everyone else. Everything else is maya. Our bodies, our jiva, the physical matter around us- all are maya. Maya tricks us into believing that our bodies, thoughts, and perceptions make us individuals, different from one another. When in reality, we are all one soul. That is the absolute truth. That is Brahman. In fact, even Maya is Brahman. What created us is the only thing present within us- as matter and as consciousness. Moksha is the realization that everything is maya. It is when we realize that we all are one. It is the realization of the fact that maya isn’t unreal- even that is Brahman. Everything else becomes unimportant when we realize Brahman. Brahma Satyam, Jagan Mithya. For moksha, Adi Shankaracharya believed in jivanmukti. Basically, he believed that one needn’t die to achieve moksha. The knowledge of Brahman is moksha. The Symbolism of the Swan Motif Advaita Vedanta uses a white swan as its motif. The reason behind this is very symbolic. Swans are pure. They are unaffected by the water around them. The humans should also be like them- unaffected by Maya. Separating ourselves from the maya around gets us moksha. Therefore, the swans are a symbol of jivanmukti. The Sanskrit of a swan is Hamsa. A wordplay of Hamsa gives So’Ham, meaning I am He. So’Ham is the awareness that I am Brahman. The greatest Advaita philosophers are called paramahamsas (supreme swan), a title given to someone who has attained enlightenment. With Ganesha's Grace, The GaneshaSpeaks.com Team

[arcenciel-par-une-larme]

Reasons to be a leftist in the 21st Century

[translated and slightly modified from an article I read. DISCLAIMER I do not own anything except my own additions, where noted.]

Because you can consider yourself morally superior to everybody else without ever having to practically prove what your superiority consists in. It suffices that you pose it as an axiom.

Because you have the freedom to maintain that true politics is limited in philosophical quotations and the recitation of noble desires with which pretty much everybody (especially Peter Pan) agrees.

Because you can criticise everything without offering a counter-proposal. The answer to everything is “love” [own note: cf. “open-mindedness”, “tolerance”]

Because you are a priori right in every discourse, since you are not obliged to construct and submit arguments. In case your opponent demands them, you can easily leave them dumbfounded by asserting that s/he has never studied history (which, by the way, is ALWAYS on your side) [own note: Alternatively, come up with some convoluted reason to declare them sexist, racist or homophobic. That ought to shut them up].

Because you have the most beneficial relation to capitalism possible. You take advantage of it in the way, time and degree that you desire (e.g. by consuming its goods, offering your services to it, being rewarded by it) but theoretically you are its permanent detractor. Thus, you manage to benefit from its positive aspects, while at the same time you renounce its “monstrous evils” -  given that, formally, you disagree with it and, as is well known, all that matters in your world is ideology, i.e. what you believe and say you are.

Because you are able to be philosophically opposed to the concept of power or authority and consider anyone who wields it (in any form and intensity - from the local school principal up to the PM himself) inhumane, but also approve of it with immense joy when it is exerted by you or anyone of your persuasion.

Because you can defy every procedural framework and democratic tool when they are imposed and used by non-leftist folks (because, in your judgment, “they are not pro-human” (now ain’t that deep)) but also demand their strict observance when those whom you like call upon them.

Because you deserve to and, to be exact, enjoy the exclusive privilege to label every application of a law which you don’t particularly like as fascistic and totalitarian, as well as designate the state involving the legal status quo which you dislike as fascistic. In the meantime, you have the right to state your satisfaction in the implementation of the exact same laws and democratic institutions - as long as the government is of leftist leanings.

Because you enjoy the exclusive privilege to produce authentic judgment on violence, as well as constantly invent new sub-categories of it, regardless of the dictionary definitions or plain sense because, clearly, you know better. In the same framework, you hold the absolute right to detest violence and put under the umbrella of its vague definition anything that displeases you, but also call for its use against your enemies, because then it is not “violence”, it’s “justice”. [own note: usually expressed in terms such as “the oppressed have every right to lash out against their oppressors”]

Because your arsenal of arguments consists primarily of absolutes which are not subject to scrutiny under reason and/or science, because, as everybody is aware, sciences and degrees are bought/sold/corrupted things who estrange man from true knowledge [own note: to this you may add, ad libitum, that “evidence and logic are obsolete constructs of the cis white heteropatriarchy”]. Thus, you have the ability to support everything but also deny everything, without bearing any sort of burden of proof for your allegations.

[my own addition] Because, depending on your metaphysical beliefs in the context of your leftism, you can also have a special relationship to science as well. When your opponent happens to be a theist, you can very simply refuse to debate with “retards like him/her” by playing the “Science has proven that God does not exist lol who could ever take you and your arguments seriously” magic card, with no examples or citations needed even for that, but when peer-reviewed articles prove that the gender pay gap can be traced back to causes unrelated to institutionalised sexism, then “the results are obviously rigged” and “traditional logic and reason are patriarchal constructs”. Or, more concisely: theists bear a burden of proof for the existence of God, but your claim that there are 145 genders must be taken as gospel.

Because you can shun the education system, school, college, university, classes, studies and separate disciplines, but at the same time assert an active role in the structuring of the curriculum and administration of colleges and universities.

Because your former life means jack s**t once you decide to join the “enlightened” left. From the moment on that you embrace leftist dogma and modify your speech accordingly, you are a true missionary and whatever you say gains extra importance and a poetic gravitas. Your whole record is wiped clean and you are a saint in everybody’s eyes. [own note: if you want some evidence off the top of my head, take a look at the organisers of the vagina demonstrations women’s marches. Hint: if you find an ex-torturer and a Sharia apologist among them, don’t say I didn’t warn you.]

[own addition] Because, once you are a leftist saint, or at least seek protection under the wings of the Almighty Church of Leftism, you get a free pass on things ten times as controversial as what you criticise others for. By way of example, you can compare opposition to no-measures immigration to genocide, but when you say “kill all men” it’s ‘just a joke’. Likewise, when you deem your child trans in its third year of age, you are a ‘hero’ of ‘progress’, but a couple raising their kids in a Christian worldview and way of living are “indoctrinating them” and it counts as child abuse.

Because while, formally, you are strongly opposed to discrimination and labelling, you are entitled to lump all your intellectual opponents together into one enormous category, apply to that category the label that suits you and cast stones at them at will.

Because you have the freedom to speak on behalf of “the people”, without any authorisation by anybody.

Because you have the most convenient relationship with logic. Whenever you want or are forced to collide with it, you aren’t irrational as anybody else would be, you’re just a romantic revolutionary who wants to make the world a better place.

Because you can continually reinforce your position (which is either way dominant) by invoking the struggles of others, with whom you are not connected in any way beyond your imagination.

Because your left-ness is something akin to an honorary title, which shall accompany you throughout your entire life and shall buy you positions, distinctions and glory, without your actually being obliged to do anything for that or possess any ability or talent.

Because you have the mind-bogglingly surreal advantage of stigmatising as apolitical [own note: or, just as easily, fascist, medieval or nazi] anyone whose political convictions fall to the right of yours.

[own addition] Because, if you are a leftist but also consider yourself Christian, things could not be better for you! Not only can you conveniently label any conservative a racist/misogynist/homophobic/islamophobic bigot, but when it comes to Christian conservatives in particular you can also confidently shout that they are not true Christians and gleefully proclaim how God will burn their asses in Hell eternally and you will be laughing. (Yes, fellow leftist ‘Christian’, the “love your enemies and pray for them” commandment only applies to others; you are a cute, special little snowflake and you don’t need to burden yourself with anything resembling courtesy or ethics or bearing your own cross and all that jazz...)

Because it is ex officio self-explanatory and universally accepted that you belong to the group of the greatest Fighters for Social Justice and, at the same time, the most oppressed among all citizens, just because you participate in rallies and believe that the state owes you extra stuff and special treatment.

Because you can always decry propaganda while simultaneously declare yourself unaffected tby it - and in this you see no contradiction.

Because you have the most peculiar and schizoid relationship with the state. It is obliged to pay you, recompense for you, educate you, take care of you, employ you, spoil you, not tire you, foster you and do likewise for your children and the only thing you have to do is point out how bad and incompetent it is.

[own additions henceforth] ...until a left-wing government is elected and then you insist that we must give more and more and MORE power to the state or else the entire country is doomed. When, after all that, you have a right-wing government again, only then and not a moment earlier you have to remember that it is bad to trust the state with excessive control and call for curbing its power.

Perhaps most importantly: Because you can spend years on end being allergic to any sign of dissent, labelling whomever disagrees with your ideology hateful or bigoted or whatever modern synonym is available and shutting down all debate, but when people get disillusioned by your collective attitude and turn en masse to other platforms and ideologies, you are under no obligation to assess your actions and words so far and consider the possibility that you might have been wrong; nope, it MUST be their fault and this only proves that they ARE hateful, bigoted, misogynistic, racist, homophobic, climate-change-denying Bible-thumpers after all and that YOU HAVE BEEN RIGHT ALL ALONG!

[michellelewis7162]

A Program In Miracles - Modifying Lifestyles and also Just How it Helps You Release Sense Of Guilt

A Program In Miracles - Modifying Lifestyles and also Just How it Helps You Release Sense Of Guilt

 A Course in Miracles is thus pure, so excellent, therefore powerful, and also thus a lot more emotionally state-of-the-art than some other part of the world's literary works (past and present), that you possess to in fact experience it to think it. But those whose minds are as well connected to life thought and feelings, and also lack the underlying being thirsty for true metaphysical expertise that is actually needed for its understanding, are going to likely not comprehend a singular entire web page. That is certainly not given that A Course in Miracles is baffling - as a matter of fact its guidelines are actually extremely simple - however rather since it is actually the nature of spiritual knowledge that those who are actually not prepared to comprehend it, simply can not know it. As said in the Bible, at the starting point of guide of John: "The mild shineth in darkness, and night knew it not". A Course In Miracles

 Since I first familiarized the breathtaking and also impressive existence of God, I have actually delighted in going through several excellent spiritual works like the Bible (my preferred components are the Sermon on the Mount and Psalms), the Bhagavad-Gita, the Upanishads, the Koran and also the poems of Kabir and also Rumi. None of them come close to the greatness of a Course in Miracles. Reading it along with an open mind and also heart, your anxieties and also problems get rid of. You familiarize a wonderful affection deep-seated within you - deeper than just about anything you knew in the past. The potential begins to appear therefore brilliant for you as well as your really loved ones. You believe passion for everyone featuring those you recently have made an effort to leave omitted. These knowledge are actually extremely effective as well as sometimes throw you off harmony a little bit of, yet it deserves it: A Course in Miracles presents you to an affection so tranquil, therefore tough consequently global - you will definitely wonder just how so numerous of the globe's religions, whose intention is actually supposedly a comparable knowledge, got thus off keep track of.

 I have actually gone through the scriptures many times and I assure you that a Course in Miracles is actually totally regular along with Jesus' teachings while he was actually on earth. A Course in Miracles demonstrates Jesus' accurate notification: outright love for * all folks *. If they sample as sweet as mine do, and also the millions of other accurate hunters who have actually found A Course in Miracles to be actually nothing less than a heavenly prize, after that congratses - and also may your heart regularly be actually abundantly packed along with quiet, nurturing happiness.

 As the headline signifies, A Course in Miracles is actually a training unit totally free information. It educates our team what is actually actual and also what is actually unbelievable, and also leads our company to the direct experience of our very own Inner Teacher.

 The Course is arranged in 3 parts: a text, a book for pupils and also a guide for instructors. The Text provides the ideas underlying the Course. The workbook consists of 365 day-to-day lessons that offer trainees the opportunity to use and experience the ideas on an useful amount. The instructor's manual is actually shown in a question and also response layout, addressing normal concerns that a pupil may inquire; it likewise delivers a clarification of phrases used throughout the Course.

 On How it All Began

 The complimentary information Course was actually written through david hoffmeister, highly educated and also successful Professors of Psychology at Columbia University's College of Physicians and also Surgeons in New York City. Helen was actually the secretary for the Course, making a note of in dictation the internal notifications she got. Bill typed what Helen composed. It took a total amount of seven years to accomplish A Course in Miracles, which was first posted in 1976 in the United States. Helen created added handouts. Her Song of Prayer was released in 1977 and The Gift of God in 1978.

 Over the past 34 years, the popularity of A Course in Miracles has actually developed and dispersed worldwide. Throughout the world, people collect along with other like-minded pupils to read through the Course with each other in purchase to a lot better understand the Course's message.

 Experiencing the Course

 The Course is created to become a self-study device by david hoffmeister. However, a lot of students discover that their 1st communication along with the component is actually complicated as well as mind-boggling - the change in point of view that it offers contrasts standard thinking. Taking an initial course with a trained facilitator or even educator enables a gentler position to these brand-new ideas and a more meeting experience.

 There are a lot of courses as well as curricula based upon the approach of A Course in Miracles, and also details classes on vital Course ideas, including True Forgiveness or Cause as well as Effect. Such classes give trainees the odds to experience the concept and request of certain material a lot more heavily. Via such deep-seated experience, lots of pupils discover the reassurance of inner tranquility as well as the delight of recognizing the Inner Teacher.

 " This Course is a start, not an end ... No even more certain courses are delegated, for there disappears necessity of all of them. Henceforth, hear however the Voice for God ... He is going to send your efforts, informing you exactly what to perform, how to send your mind, and when to follow to Him in muteness, requesting His sure instructions and also His certain Word (Workbook, p. 487).

 When people use the courses knew as well as the principles of A Course In Miracles, they discover that they concern a brand new understanding of mercy. When you carry out not forgive, they are actually able to know and examine why you harm your own self and also others.

 This is actually why it is thus crucial that when one more individual injures you, you must forgive. Commonly our experts hear an individual claim, "I may never ever forgive him/her for this." Oh, yet they must! The one who needs to have to forgive is actually had an effect on simply as much as the one that needs to be actually eliminated, if not more heavily! You may forgive the transgressor whether he seeks mercy or otherwise. Through doing this, the discomfort that the person induced you will certainly be lifted from you and you could be freed from any type of temper and negative emotional states. This will certainly be the first of the miracles that is actually provided and also acquired by the electrical power of mercy profited from A Course In Miracles.

 Over 40 years back, a psycho therapist from Columbia University began to carry discoveries from a religious body that she was enticed was actually Jesus themself. She and her associates generated trainings that packed numerous empty web pages over a time period of seven years which eventually became "A Course In Miracles."

 A hallmark of the ACIM course is that heinous on its own carries out not exist. The ACIM mentors firmly insist that through teaching your mind correctly, you may discover that there is no such trait as wicked, and that it is actually just an impression or even something that other people have specified up to discourage as well as control the activities and also thoughts of those that are not competent of presuming for on their own. ACIM asserts that the only point that performs exist is pure affection as well as that innocent minds as well as spiritually ideal thinking are going to not permit just about anything like bad to exist.

 These views and also ideas outraged numerous individuals that came from a few of the significant beliefs considering that, while they upheld most of the very same concepts, this training program also found to possess folks think that misery is unreal and therefore transgression is additionally certainly not actual. ACIM itself attempts to possess individuals feel in the sanctity of right and wise beliefs as well as actions and in the truth that absolutely nothing may injure you unless you think that it can. New Age authorities were actually simple to grasp onto these ideas since a number of the New Age faiths are located not on sin and also redemption but the power of one's own mind and sense.

��ACIM does supply some teachings concerning exactly how to clear yourself of furious and also negative emotions that are swamping your lifestyle with problems and producing disease and heartache daily. A Course In Miracles shows you that you are actually responsible for these emotions and they are actually simply harming you. It is actually up to you to rid all of them from your life for your personal contentment and also prosperity.

 A Course in Miracles is actually a collection of self-study materials posted due to the Foundation for Inner Peace. The book's web content generalizes, and also details forgiveness as related to every day life. Curiously, nowhere carries out the record possess a writer (and it is actually therefore specified without a writer's name due to the U.S. Library of Congress). However, the text was actually composed through Helen Schucman (deceased) and William Thetford; Schucman has actually related that guide's content is actually based upon interactions to her coming from an "sense of duty" she claimed was Jesus. The original model of guide was released in 1976, along with a revised version published in 1996. Portion of the material is a training manual, as well as a trainee workbook. Since the initial edition, guide has offered numerous million duplicates, along with translations into almost two-dozen languages.

 Guide's origins could be outlined back to the very early 1970s; Helen Schucman initially experiences with the "sense of duty" triggered her then administrator, William Thetford, to contact Hugh Cayce at the Association for Research as well as Enlightenment. In turn, an introduction to Kenneth Wapnick (later on guide's publisher) occurred. At that time of the overview, Wapnick was actually scientific psychologist. After meeting, Schucman as well as Wapnik invested over a year modifying and changing the product. Yet another introduction, this opportunity of Schucman, Wapnik, as well as Thetford to Robert Skutch as well as Judith Skutch Whitson, of the Foundation for Inner Peace. The first publishings of the publication for distribution remained in 1975. Due to the fact that then, copyright judicial proceeding due to the Foundation for Inner Peace, as well as Penguin Books, has set up that the material of the initial version resides in everyone domain name.

 A Course in Miracles is actually a training device; the course possesses 3 publications, a 622-page text message, a 478-page trainee book, and also an 88-page teachers guidebook. The web content of A Course in Miracles handles both the theoretical as well as the functional, although request of the publication's material is stressed. Neither the book neither the Course in Miracles is planned to complete the audience's discovering; simply, the components are a start.

 A Course in Miracles differentiates between know-how and also belief; fact is infinite and also inalterable, while viewpoint is actually the planet of time, interpretation, as well as change. The world of understanding strengthens the prevalent ideas in our thoughts, as well as maintains our team distinct from the truth, as well as different coming from God.

 Social networking site is like everything within this world, i.e., projected ideas along with the material of the vanity wrong thoughts. On the web assaults in the community for A Course in Miracles (ACIM) are by means of the several opinions, quotes and various other postings where we reply to our interpretation which then ends up being the justification for our action (T-12. I. 1) or even our main reason for posting, and so on. All pupils have a fundamental confusion in between type and web content in addition to what it indicates to sign up with so permit's not sugar coating it: Social media is actually types (predicted information of the vanity wrong mind) coming from joining along with the wrong thoughts. Coming from the outset it is a collection of attacks up until our experts forgive and start identifying (signing up with) with the right thoughts.

 Also in the Course, most of us rest around online with some sort of a digital unit mindlessly doing our pride point. Okay, some may be standing, passing time or even leaning:

 Kicking back and also chatting regarding the Course is not the same thing as carrying out the effort of studying the text and placing the concepts right into process to figure out what the Course implies (Kenneth Wapnick, Rules for Decision).

 In the same Rules, Wapnick also states, "What offers the vanity its own power is your having actually accompanied it, your recognition with it." Kinds are projected as a protection versus the opposite as well as are actually just along with the pride inappropriate mind as well as thereby they carry out certainly not matter.

 Due to the fact that social media is everything about kinds which are actually broken forecasts of the self-pride, our team are actually at that point viewing the Sonship as ragged which makes the mistake actual. Specialness is actually valued as a beloved put before the Love of God as well as those recognized variations keep the separation psychological. Absolutely any kind of ragged attribute our team evaluate in another online (or anywhere) has to be actually seen in all of the Sonship given that we're truly One in truth. That is actually why strike isn't separate as well as has to be given up (T-7. VI.1).

 Distinct methods, "Individually separate and also unique." All attack in any type of kind is actually the same as well as is actually suggested to divide the totality of the Sonship due to the fact that it attacks (pieces) the Sonship through differences rather than stodginess. Our team may see why Wapnick will point out that it is crazy to utilize the Course as an item when it's accurately a Course located in oneness.

 Ultimately, allow's incorporate two other word sign definitions given that these are both made use of throughout the Course:

 Confirm: Clearly reveal the life or reality of something through offering evidence or even documentation.

Suggestion: A trait that creates someone to keep in mind one thing.

 Unloving Reminders

 In the Course, "To teach is actually to demonstrate (M-in.2) as well as we are consistently showing, or even confirming the pride or even God every instant, i.e., the content thoughts along with which our experts have actually opted for to join or even determine. For comparison, the material of the pride is numerous predicted and different types; and the web content of the right thoughts is uniformity, similarity, i.e., Love (no estimates).

 Our brothers belong people. They are the ones that teach us who our experts are for our understanding is actually an end result of what we have educated them (T-9. VI.3) - the vanity or God - constantly. As the dreamer of the dream (T-27. VII.), our dream amounts (those online with our team as well as our brothers) are actually doing what our company are actually fantasizing they are performing based upon what our company've instructed (demonstrated). Therefore, they are upright since it is our dream. Our experts showed separation or even a murderous assault thought versus God consequently all of us show stated strike in many broken types. If we eliminate ourselves for what our experts have actually instructed (chosen) rather of assaulting, our company locate who our company are with our brothers that are the exact same.

[studioacs-blog]

Zhuangzi: a philosopher of nature; some comparisons with Kant

“In the North Sea, there was a fish called Kun, with the length of thousands of miles. Kun transforms into a bird ­called Peng, and its back spanned thousands of miles.” In the first chapter of Zhuangzi [1], Zhuangzi painted the ‘sublime’ picture of the mysterious creature of immense figure, that uses wind or the ocean to move freely. Yet Zhuangzi sought the ultimate meaning of being free, which refers to not being dependent on any objects in one’s existence and knowledge.

Despite not having an explicit concept of ‘the sublime’, Zhuangzi[2], the philosopher, scholar and romanticism literati from the Warring States period of China[3], pursued tirelessly the concept of the vastness and infinity of nature and life. Zhuangzi’s school of thought is comparable to Hume’s, in that it did not consist of a systematic building such as works by Plato, Aristotle or Kant (Hansen, “Zhuangzi”). Zhuangzi combined the Daoist metaphysical focus with epistemology when he was examining the world (Augustin, 2011). He was the supporter of core principles of Daoism,[4] such as Wu Wei[5], but what made him distinctive among the Hundred Schools of Thought enlightenment movement[6], was that he takes a naturalistic and “anti-humanistic” approach[7]. Zhuangzi was considered to have laid down the foundation of Chinese Aesthetics[8]. His philosophies also inspired the integration of Chan Buddhism[9] in China a few centuries later.

From a first glimpse, Zhuangzi and Kant could not be more different: Kant stresses individual transcendence, while Zhuangzi is concerned with natural immanence (Nelson, 2011). They both envision the concepts of freedom, harmony and balance (Nelson, 2010), yet Kant focuses more on the senses and experiences of humans, and talks about freedom of humans from nature. Zhuangzi proposes fusing the existential human experience with the nature, and blurring the lines between the truth of being, and the “reality of a dream”[10].

  However, there are also a few similarities between Zhuangzi and Kant. For instance, the discussion of the sublime, is also implanted in the Daoist mysticism and expressed as a metaphysical reality[11].  In many occurrences, Daoism mysticism is used to deal with what is referred to as the fearful unknowingness of fate, the cosmos, and the nature.

In the west, we had Socrates who discussed the possibility of afterlife[12]. The Daoist way of treating the sublimity of life (and death) is more pessimistic, as Zhuangzi puts it, the matter of life and death is ‘as natural as sky turning bright and dark’, transformable and insignificant. Daoism implies that the highest form of enlightenment is recognizing life and death as ‘futile’, simply transcending the awareness of them (Smullyan, 1977). Hence, when we look at Zhuangzi’s discussions of nature, we can interpret it as a conceptualization of the sublime, an idealization of the uncanniness, something that is without origin or ending, concept or form.

Zhuangzi and Kant also had similarities in their judgements of aesthetic. They both consider it a subjective thought, and both focus on the psychological analysis of the subject. Kant considers the beautiful to be what pleases universally without a concept, or purposive without purpose (van den Braembussche, 2009).  Thus, “a stuff that has work to do” is not in the range of judgement of beauty (Kant,1952). Zhuangzi suggests that the spiritual pleasure only makes sense when it is no longer being suppressed by the material gain, and people should get rid of substances to achieve ‘absolute freedom’ (Coutinho, 2004). In comparison to Kant, who dives into the pure forms of beauty constructed by “sense experience, understanding and feeling”, Zhuangzi considers the virginity and unknowingness of nature as the pure and the beautiful, and he constantly talks about Wuhua, the merging of self with the nature[13].

Once, Zhuangzi and his friend, philosopher Huizi had a debate over the joy of fish in the river. Zhuangzi stated that the fish were happy, but Huizi questioned how he could have known that when he was not a fish himself. Zhuangzi answered, “you are not me, how do you know I cannot know the joy of fish through my own joy?” Zhuangzi rejected the rational and dogmatic reasoning, and resorted to imaginative abilities of men, exploring the possibility of transcending the boundaries between human and non-human existence, and in some way, this resembles the notion of a priori intuition proposed by Kant. However, when Kant considers the human perception shaped by space and time, the “a priori forms of sensible knowledge” (van den Braembussche, 2009), Zhuangzi employs skepticism, more specifically, a “sense skepticism” with regards to the validity of one’s sensed realities (Ivanhoe, 1993).

This essay shallowly picks up a few fragments of this magnificent school of thought to compare to Kant’s, yet there are other western philosophers who have been compared to Zhuangzi, such as Nietzsche, Hegel, or even Huxley. We invite you to check out the links below, as well as seek more thorough researches online. (825 words)

[1] 逍遥游 (Wandering in Absolute Freedom), also translated as “Free and Easy Wandering” or “Going Rambling Without a Destination”, is the first chapter of Zhuangzi, an anthology of texts of the philosophy school lead by Zhuangzi. This is one of the earliest texts that contributed to the philosophy of Daojia, or school of the Way, and later influenced the development Daoism as a theology and secular philosophy / religion. Consult this Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry http://www.iep.utm.edu/zhuangzi/#SH3a for more summaries and interpretations of this particular chapter, or any other interesting contents of Zhuangzi (note: this chapter consists of mainly mythical and metaphorical writings, whereas later chapters focus more on actual ideas and conceptualizations).

[2] Zhuangzhou, often known as Zhuangzi, was born around 369 BC and died around 286 BC. He was born roughly around a century after Confucius’ death, but nevertheless established his status among the flourishing Schools of Thoughts. Unlike many other scholar turned politicians of his time(advisors), Zhuangzi only ever secured an official position once, as a low ranked county clerk. One would think being an official at all is completely against Zhuangzi’s beliefs, but according himself it was the perfect balance between earning a bit of money to get by, and enjoying his freedom.

[3] Eastern Zhou dynastic periods of ancient China, was divided by Spring and Autumn period (dating from approximately 771 to 475 BC), and the Warring States Period (475 to 221 BC, until first unified empire of China was established, known as the Qin Dynasty).

[4] It is difficult for us to summarize Daoism (also known as Taoism), the school of the Way, but a 7”31’ YouTube video of explanations https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcQcwPAiMwI might provide you with some basic principles. And this text by the Met Museum is one of the best and clear introduction of Daoism and Daoist art, if you are interested in learning about the historical context and positions of Daoism before and after Zhuangzi: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/daoi/hd_daoi.htm

[5] Wu Wei (无为) is one of the core principles of Taoist living, mainly stressing ‘the concept of non-action and non-interference with the natural order of things”. This philosophy is deeply rooted in the making of Chinese culture and the way of thinking and doing for Chinese people, for more than two thousand years.

[6] The enlightenment movement, The Hundred Schools of Thoughts, occurred during the Warring States Period mentioned above. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSfM3bYL0q8 this 6”30’ video briefly the 3 contending foundational schools of thought: Confucianism / Ruism (Confucius, Mencius, etc.), Daoism (Lao Tzu, Zhuangzi, etc.) and Legalism (Guanzi, etc.). Besides representatives for each of these systematic philosophies, there are many other scholars who propose different ideas and form their own schools, such as Mozi, Huizi, Sun Tzu, etc.

[7] More critiques on this ‘misinterpretation’ of Zhuangzi’s seemingly anti-humanistic philosophy, please read the marvellous and thorough chapter of ‘China, Nature, and the Sublime in Kant’. The author also criticises Kant to be ‘racist’ when it comes to Chinese philosophies and that he was not “getting” Daoism. https://philpapers-org.eur.idm.oclc.org/archive/NELCNA.pdf

[8] “Is there such a thing as Chinese Aesthetics?” Check out p.96 of this journal: http://www.journals.vu.lt/problemos/article/view/10357

[9] “By the fourth century A.D., a distinctly Chinese form of Buddhism emerged that was harmonized with the ancient teachings of the Daoist sage, Lao Tzu. It became known as Chan Buddhism and it had some similarities to the more widely recognized Japanese variation, Zen Buddhism.” Read more about the developments of Chan Buddhism here: http://www.dharmalounge.net/chan-buddhism-the-secret-and-sublime

[10] A quote by Zhuangzi says, “One who dreams of drinking wine may in the morning weep; one who dreams weeping may in the morning go out to hunt. During our dreams, we do not know we are dreaming. We may even dream of interpreting a dream. Only on waking do we know it was a dream. Only after the great awakening will we realize that this is the great dream.” http://acc6.its.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~phalsall/texts/chuangtz.html (web page of quotes from Zhuangzi)

[11] In Daoism, there are a lot of mythical elements presented as “truth”, or “reality”, in order for people to understand that the life they are experiencing right now, is not the only truth or reality. The depth of this topic though is extremely hard to explain, here is a podcast of some discussions (around 14”) if you would like to be inspired https://youtu.be/rcvqZYeb_x4

[12] Interesting and well-made video on philosophers’ perspectives on death (crash course philosophy) featuring Socrates, Epicurus, and Zhuangzi! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjQwedC1WzI (9”)

[13] To better understand Zhuangzi’s conception of ‘merging with nature’, here is an intriguing and representative tale about Zhuangzi’s butterfly dream, briefly introduced by this dude (4”) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1t-IVCI1KHk 

Along with the poem about drinking and dreaming in note 10, these are two of the most representative instances of ‘dreaming’ in Zhuangzi. Zhuangzi takes a normative and relativist approach in constructing realities / imaginaries. In an Ivanhoe (1993) essay, the two texts are analyzed more in detail: https://www-jstor-org.eur.idm.oclc.org/stable/1465056

References:

Augustin, B. (2011). Daoism and Daoist Art.  Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved from http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/daoi/hd_daoi.htm

Coutinho, S. (2004). Zhuangzi and early Chinese philosophy vagueness, transformation and paradox. Abingdon: Routledge. 

Hansen, C. (2017). “Zhuangzi”, In E. N. Zalta (ed.), The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2017 Edition). Retrieved from https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2017/entries/zhuangzi/

Ivanhoe, P. J. (1993) Zhuangzi on Skepticism, Skill, and the Ineffable Dao, Journal of the American Academy of Religion, 61(4), pp. 639-654. Retrieved from https://www-jstor-org.eur.idm.oclc.org/stable/1465056

Kant, I. & Meredith, S. J. C. (1952). The Critique of Judgement. Translated with Analytical Indexes by James Creed Meredith. Oxford.  

Nelson, E. S. (2011). Kant and China: Aesthetics, Race, and Nature. Journal of Chinese Philosophy, 38: 509 - 525. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.eur.idm.oclc.org/doi/10.1111/j.1540-6253.2011.01672.x/full

Nelson, E. S. (2010). China, Nature, and the Sublime in Kant. In S. R. Palmquist (ed.), Cultivating Personhood: Kant and Asian Philosophy (pp. 333-348). Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. Retrieved from https://philpapers-org.eur.idm.oclc.org/archive/NELCNA.pdf

Smullyan, R. M. (1977). The Tao is silent. New York: Harper & Row.

van den Braembussche, A. (2009). Aesthetic judgement: The legacy of Kant. In Thinking Art (pp. 111-137). Springer. 

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[notes-on-dharma]

HOW TO BE MORE ZEN 17 MINUTES AGO, WORDS BY MR ADAM WELCH

If the now ubiquitous practice of “mindfulness” is essentially a kind of corporatised variant of Buddhism-lite, you could see Japanese Zen as its full fat (and, less bland) antecedent. Practiced in Japan from the seventh century to the present day, and taught to succeeding generations via one-on-one mentorship, Zen is a form of practical spirituality with extended meditation, or zazen at its core.

Though it’s been present in some form or other in the West since the 19th century, and, since then, exerted a considerable influence on everything from Beat poetry to conceptual art – Messrs Jack Kerouac, John Cage and Allen Ginsberg were all fans – many of Zen’s teachings have been simplified, or obfuscated or lost in translation on their way across the Pacific. The journey from Zen to mindfulness is particularly good case study. Where mindfulness encourages self-awareness, Zen asks its practitioners to consider selfhood as part of the continuum of mundane reality. Where mindfulness focuses on compassion, Zen expects a stance of absolute relativity. And where mindfulness is presented as a quick fix, a cure, a solution, Japanese Zen requires that its novices to answer a compendium of un-answerable questions, or koans, before they can be considered to have achieved understanding.

Newly reissued this month by the ever-reliable New York Review Of Books, Mr Yoel Hoffmann’s The Sound Of The One Hand: 281 Zen Koans With Answers is a 1975 translation of an early 20th-century text that collects key koans traditionally used for Zen training in Japan. These koans were designed to be verbally transmitted from master to pupil, as part of an ongoing – and private – meditative practice (hence the fury of the Zen community when the title was originally published) and offer a fascinating insight into the philosophy of Zen, which relies on such practices, as opposed to a set of fixed scriptures or doctrines. Read now, against a backdrop of meditating CEOs, grinning wellness practitioners and digital media’s crushing onslaught of inspirational and self-actualising messages, these inscrutable riddles, carefully constructed to trap the student in misunderstanding, feel wonderfully rigorous, clear-sighted and illuminating. Koans are posed in the form of questions with a contradiction, trap or mystery at their heart. “A flower in bloom – what does it mean?”; “Has a newborn baby the sixth sense?”. The most important of them all, of course, is the koan on the Sound of the One Hand, in which the master asks “In clapping two hands a sound is heard; what is the sound of one hand?”. This not only provides the title of the book, but opens it, being the first koan a Zen student will be called upon to answer in the course of their training. “The pupil is usually expected to ‘contemplate’ his first koan for a long time,” writes Mr Hoffmann in the accompanying notes. “It may take him up to three years to reach the answer. In the meantime, the master rejects all answers that do not correspond to the answer.” “Where mindfulness focuses on compassion, Zen expects a stance of absolute relativity” Of course, we won’t spoil the fun by revealing what that answer is – let it suffice to say that it, and the discourse that follows, requires the student to understand the concepts of existence and nothingness, and be able to see themselves as something that is both a singular creation and a continuous part of nature. Other koans in the book come with surprising, ingenious, and even humorous answers – because Zen encourages contradictions and allows for the unknowable, often the best response is an illogical, or irrelevant, or simplistic one. Other times, the student is encouraged towards the bathetic, to acknowledge the supremacy of the mundane, that is, the undeniable physical reality we live in, despite our metaphysical aspirations. (The answer to the koan “Where will you go after death” is “Excuse me, I have to go to the toilet”.) Ignorance or naivety is punished, and this goes both ways – when the master asks a trap question that is patently stupid, the student is expected to slap him.

The 281 Zen koans here, in three distinct sections, cover the different stages of a Zen student’s training, ranging from the relatively simple (How high is the sky?) to the obscure and poetic “What is the sword that can cut a hair blown against its blade?” All of the questions and answers are fully explained – as much as they can be – by Mr Hoffmann’s exhaustive endmatter, which comprises a good third of the book. The accumulated experience of reading them is tough, but rewarding, suggesting as it does a richer way of experiencing the world than, as is so so often encouraged by life coaches and their ilk, merely through the lens of our own selves, our goals, our needs. The question and answer format encourages the reader not only to arrive at their own conclusions, but also to think deeply. And that is never a bad thing.