俄罗斯神秘主义流行现状研究(下)

神秘主义,从灵学史的角度来考察,是一个世界现象。所以考察俄罗斯神秘主义的流行,就必须放在一个大环境下来思考。俄罗斯神秘主义流行与前苏联的演变有密不可分的关系,与美苏的争霸及世界格局的变迁也息息相关。本文即是从与前苏联的比较研究中,寻找可以借鉴的历史教训。     

俄罗斯神秘主义流行现状研究(上)

神秘主义,从灵学史的角度来考察,是一个世界现象。所以考察俄罗斯神秘主义的流行,就必须放在一个大环境下来思考。俄罗斯神秘主义流行与前苏联的演变有密不可分的关系,与美苏的争霸及世界格局的变迁也息息相关。本文即是从与前苏联的比较研究中,寻找可以借鉴的历史教训。     

个体灵魂的神圣性与超脱——埃克哈特神秘主义思想探微

在埃克哈特看来,个体灵魂的神圣性与超脱对于上帝至关重要,因为这二者分别意味着上帝在俗世的"诞生"(Gottesgeburt)与自我成全。在灵魂的种种能力中,理性与意志最能体现这种神圣性与高贵性,但意志由于其软弱性而需要理性的指引,因此理性才是灵魂最高贵的能力。灵魂的能力不是为了高扬灵魂自身,而是为了去除灵魂对世界、自身乃至上帝的理解中的那些会导致自我封闭的执念,如此方能达到人与上帝"合一"之境。尽管如此,埃克哈特的神秘主义并不"神秘",因为它是理性之人皆可努力尝试的一条成圣之路。埃克哈特的神秘主义思想以其对理性与个体性的独特理解塑造了此后的德国思辨哲学,要真正理解后者,就不能局限于近代哲学框架内加以考察,而必须回溯到埃克哈特。     

自牧(四十四)

(九十三)受造意识在造物之主面前,我乃受造之物。怀着这一受造意识,我曾写过一篇《窑匠难道没有权柄》(《野地里的百合花》第55篇),窑匠指耶和华上帝:主是窑匠,我是泥土。窑匠如何转轮作器皿,我也如此在他手中。我可能报废无用,但他的深恩永不弃我。他将踩动转轮,从新再作。他看怎样为好,他有权如何作我。     

德国学术中的伊斯兰研究(续)

正我将把这个话题分为以下几个主题来论述:一、大学机构1960年德国研究学会(Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft;D.F.G.)发布了一份关于联邦共和国东方研究状况的报告。根据这份报告的说法,在当时,除萨尔布吕肯(Saarbrücken)大学外,所有大学都设有一个东方研究的教席,同时,报告也补充说,在大学外几乎没有东方研究。在当时的总共三十五个东方研究的教授席位中,有十二个是为闪族学     

德国汉学中的道教研究(二)

(六 )战后初期的道教研究艾克斯 (1891- 1985) ,原东德著名的汉学家 ,1913年以研究屈原《招魂》在莱比锡大学取得博士学位。 1917年又以《论 淮南子 的世界观》为题通过教授论文。他是老汉学家孔拉迪(1864- 192 5)的高足和女婿。生前在莱比锡大学讲授韩非子、列子、老子、中国古代宗教、中国历史 (一 ) ,在洪堡大学教庄子、中国历史 (二 ) ,发表大量论文。著有 :《中国》(1919)、《老子的神话式宇宙论探索》(德累斯顿 ,1932 )、《今日道教和它的文献》(莱比锡 ;1933)、《河上公老子注》(瑞士阿斯科纳 ,1951)。还有《道教的起源》(192 8)、…     

德国汉学中的道教研究(一)

德国是欧洲东方学最发达的国家之一,历史悠久。当人们谈到欧洲哲学史和东西方文化交流史时,都要述及到德国。道教研究也是这样。一般认为,道教研究,在欧洲以法国尤为发达,其实德国毫不逊色。多年来,有关德国的中国学情况一直介绍得很少,致使多数人不了解。近来有了...     

自牧(四十五)

(九十五)灵性与理性我灵性复兴的1949年秋至1951年初,约一年半左右,曾一度鄙视理性、鄙夷神学。但三位老师的神学教诲,对我起了启蒙作用。他们分别是杭州的蔡文浩牧师、金陵的孙汉书老师和陈泽民老师。蔡文浩牧师的系统神学和孙汉书老师的教义神学所教诲于我的,是如何基于圣经,思考上帝、救恩、历史与人生。陈泽民老师所揭示于我的,则是近两千年基督教思想这样一棵大     

论道教的"存想"与艺术创作中的"审美想象"之异同

道教修炼中的"存想"与艺术创作中的"审美想象"作为想象的两种类型,二者存在着较大的区别,也存在着一些相通、相似之处.本文就两种想象所要实现的目的、想象的方式、想象的内容、想象产生的源泉、想象给主体带来的自由等等方面的不同加以比较.同时指出两者存在的一些相似之处,认为"存想"具有着"审美想象"的因子,二者都伴随着强烈的情感体验.     

Spiritual Suffering from Medieval German Mysticism to Mother Teresa: A Psycholinguistic Analysis

Two computer programs, SSWC (Sundararajan-Schubert Word Count) and LIWC (Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count), were used in combination to analyze the texts of 3 religious writers—one true mystic (Johannes Tauler), one false mystic (Thomas Müntzer) from medieval German Christianity, and one modern “saint,” Mother Teresa (Warren, 2010 Warren , R. ( 2010 , Aug. 31 ). Introduction . In D. Van Biema & R. Lacayo (Eds.), Mother Teresa at 100/The life and works of a modern saint (pp. 6 – 7 ). New York , NY : TIME Books .[Crossref] , [Google Scholar], p. 7). Results suggest that reflections on spiritual suffering that loom large in both medieval German mysticism and Mother Teresa constitute an adaptive approach to negative emotions, so far unexplored. Implications for research on negative religious coping, and adaptive versus maladaptive reflections on negative emotions will be discussed.     

German Idealism and the Concept of Punishment

This paper examines the Leibnizian background to Kant's critique of the ontological argument. I present Kant's claim that existence is not a real predicate, already formulated in his pre-critical essay of 1673, as a generalization of Leibniz's reasoning regarding the existence of created things. The first section studies Leibniz's equivocations on the notion of existence and shows that he employs two distinct notions of existence – one for God and another for created substances. The second section examines Kant's position in his early paper of 1763. My claim is that Kant's view of existence in 1763, namely that it is not a predicate, is strongly related to the logical notion of possibility, formulated by Leibniz and accepted by Kant.     

Christian Mysticism and Science: The Phenomenological Dimension

Abstract

In this second of three papers, I identify three fundamental phenomenological themes that have informed Christian mystical theology and then explore how these themes might be given further understanding via natural science. The first theme, detachment, minimizes any association with the secular world in favor of humility and openness to God. Detachment is chosen in consciousness using a resonant global workspace linked through the hippocampus to reconstructions of both declarative and emotional memory. The second theme, infused contemplation, is concerned with God's top-down revelation to the recollected mind of the mystic. The resulting top-down resonance creates an appropriate theory of mind for infused contemplation, as the human mind is now more perfectly linked with the mind of God. The third theme is mystical union, which both theology and science claim occurs within consciousness. Starting in intentional consciousness, the mystic undergoes an unmediated surrender beyond cognition to non-intentional consciousness. Because God fills the center of our being, a resonating luminosity can thus occur arising from the union of God and self within pure consciousness.     

The God Mysticism Scale: a Brief Version

Pastoral Psychology - This paper presents two studies concerned with developing a brief version of the 32-item God Mysticism Scale (GMS; Hood Jr. and Williamson Journal of Psychology and...     

The Place of Mysticism in Personal Commemorative Films of Bereaved Parents

This article sheds light on the central place of mysticism in the world of Israeli parents who have lost a child in battle or in a terror attack, and demonstrates how bereaved parents, by including mystical events in their narratives, try to find order, rationale, and purpose that will enable them to move on with their lives. The data are based on a thorough qualitative analysis of 20 personal commemorative films created or commissioned by bereaved parents.     

Christian Mysticism and Science: The Psychological Dimension

Abstract

In this third of three papers, I identify three fundamental psychological themes that have informed Christian mystical theology and then explore how these themes might be given further understanding via natural science. The first theme, desire, represents an ever greater love for God: an insatiability related to the limitations of human language. Such focused desire for God is likely associated with brain activity in the caudate nucleus (CN); associated permanent changes in the neuroplastic brain further enhance this desire. The second theme, discernment, is about listening to God, being open to God's graces, and waiting for the right time to make godly decisions. Such decisions reflect both cognitive and emotive skills, as verified by their overlapping neural circuits within the brain. Psychotherapy indicates that the mind can control the brain, consciously improving and directing chosen events, thus leading to enhanced discernment. The third theme is charity, which represents the universal link between love of God and love of neighbor. Neuroscience demonstrates how cognition gives rise to such features as willfulness, surrender, fragmentation and wholeness—all of which play significant roles in mystical experiences, including the evolution to charity. Love of neighbor can be taken as shared attention building on intersubjective perception; such shared attention represents a deep interaction of lovers in voluntary self-disclosure—surely the ultimate basis for charity.