On the distinction between Karma and Rebirth in Hinduism

The doctrines of Kanna and rebirth dovetail so neatly that they are often treated as a single philosophical package. This paper demonstrates that when they are each treated separately in their own right and their possible relationships are re‐examined, it leads to a much more nuanced understanding of not only these concepts but also the issues they were developed to address.     

Rebirth,Community and Communal Karma in Shan Communities in Northwestern Thailand

In the Shan community of Thongmakhsan, northwestern Thailand, where I have done most of my ethnographic research, children are often identified as so-and-so who was reborn. These identifications are based on appearance, personal proclivities, and dreams around the time the child was born. I begin with the account of Ay Phit and his rebirth since it is this story which piqued my interest in rebirth. I then provide some background information on Shan in Maehongson Province. With this background, I begin the discussion of rebirth by examining local ideas about attachment and its consequences and then go on to discuss the ongoing relationship between the living and the dead, reborn or not, through the transfer of merit. I then describe possible rebirths to argue that rebirth as a human being is the most likely rebirth. In conclusion, I discuss communal karma to raise the question of the relationship between textual analyses and current local practices.     

Cognitive Pathways to Belief in Karma and Belief in God

Supernatural beliefs are ubiquitous around the world, and mounting evidence indicates that these beliefs partly rely on intuitive, cross-culturally recurrent cognitive processes. Specifically, past research has focused on humans' intuitive tendency to perceive minds as part of the cognitive foundations of belief in a personified God—an agentic, morally concerned supernatural entity. However, much less is known about belief in karma—another culturally widespread but ostensibly non-agentic supernatural entity reflecting ethical causation across reincarnations. In two studies and four high-powered samples, including mostly Christian Canadians and mostly Hindu Indians (Study 1, N = 2,006) and mostly Christian Americans and Singaporean Buddhists (Study 2, N = 1,752), we provide the first systematic empirical investigation of the cognitive intuitions underlying various forms of belief in karma. We used path analyses to (a) replicate tests of the previously documented cognitive predictors of belief in God, (b) test whether this same network of variables predicts belief in karma, and (c) examine the relative contributions of cognitive and cultural variables to both sets of beliefs. We found that cognitive tendencies toward intuitive thinking, mentalizing, dualism, and teleological thinking predicted a variety of beliefs about karma—including morally laden, non-agentic, and agentic conceptualizations—above and beyond the variability explained by cultural learning about karma across cultures. These results provide further evidence for an independent role for both culture and cognition in supporting diverse types of supernatural beliefs in distinct cultural contexts.     

南京与佛教的殊胜因缘

南京是六朝古都、十朝都会,拥有2480余年的建城史和1780多年的佛教文化发展史。南朝四百八十寺,多少楼台烟雨中,既是人们对当年佛教兴盛的追忆,也是南京以佛教文化隆盛于中国的佐证。从东汉末年佛教东渐江南,到清     

Psychological healing and faith in the doctrine of Karma1

The doctrine of Karma enjoys wide acceptance by all cross-sections of the Hindu population. The doctrine is frequently invoked while seeking explanations for various life crises. This study is an effort to delineate its role in the healing process. A narrative study was conducted on middle-to-late age women who had undergone major life crises. Their narratives threw light on how these women used this doctrine to make sense of their suffering and readapt to the changed reality. The belief in the doctrine facilitated acceptance of and emergence from their tragic life events. It was concluded that more systematic work is required to understand the mental representation of the doctrine and its various tenets, which affect the healing process.     

Neutrality, Rebirth and Intergenerational Justice

A basic feature of liberal political philosophy is its commitment to religious neut-rality. Contemporary philosophical discussion of intergenerational justice violates this com-mitment, as it proceeds on the basis of controversial metaphysical assumptions. The Contractualist notion of a power imbalance between generations and Derek Parfit's non-identity claims both presuppose that humans are not reborn. Yet belief in rebirth underlies Hindu and Buddhist traditions espoused by millions throughout the world. These traditions clearly constitute what John Rawls dubs "reasonable comprehensive doctrines", and therefore cannot be dismissed by political liberals. In many societies, including the USA, the UK, and India, belief in rebirth exists alongside other traditions, as well as modern Western views. A liberal theory for such societies must be impartial regarding rebirth, and the after-life in general. Two alternatives forms of liberal neutrality are sketched, based on Contractualism and Consequentialism.     

Rebirth fantasy and the psychoanalytic process

In this paper, Jungian and Freudian perspectives on the fantasy of rebirth are explored and a brief review of the literature on the theme is used to show how that the rebirth fantasy seems to be a universal fantasy in the human mind, connected with the experience of both destruction and creation. In the psychoanalytic process the rebirth fantasy is connected with initial hopes for a better life, but is also a vehicle for creating the analytic pair and for separating from the 'totalitarian object'. An account of clinical work with a patient is given to illustrate the mutual and parallel process of rebirth in both the patient and the therapist. For the patient, the therapy was experienced as an awakening or a birth. The therapist was initially doubtful about the patient's capacity to engage in the analytic process but his involvement and interest were 'born' during the early sessions, enabling the patient to rely on him to lead her out of the claustrophobic power of the totalitarian object.     

Karma and redemption: A religious approach to family violence

Violence within the family is becoming so widespread that its treatment cannot be left to specialists alone, but increasingly will be faced by the helping professions generally. The Hindu concept of Karma and the Christian theory of redemption together provide a religious understanding for those who seek to help both the perpetrators and victims of family violence. Karma holds the truth that actions bear consequences, whereas redemption suggests that the evil consequences can be altered for good. The result is a new Karmic law which provides a fundamental starting point for family abuse counseling.Formerly, he was Assistant Professor of Religion at Alaska Pacific University in Anchorage. Prior to taking up his post with Scripture Union, he worked in Anchorage as Adult Education Specialist for two agencies dealing with sexual abuse and domestic violence. This paper formed the basis for his presentation at an Alaskan conference on violence in the family held in Anchorage in October 1985.     

论禅门神通和因果说的清净义

禅宗认为“神通”是禅者自性开发过程中的一种现象，通过禅修才能显现。禅宗虽然也以神通说法，但不以神通为根本，其旨趣在于直指人心，见性成佛，而不是崇尚神秘。所以，禅宗在神通说教上十分谨慎，懂得因应世间和韬光晦迹。由于神通不逾“因果”，所以真正的神通自在依赖于对因果法的贯通。禅宗一方面承认因果是实在的，说因果起于惑业，人可以由不昧因果而达到不落因果；另一方面禅宗认为因果见是执见，清净境界中因果法如梦幻，所以因果是空幻的假有存在，因果说也是不究竟的。因果实有而无让人落脚于清净心，禅宗以此直指当下，让人见清净自性而成佛。     

转型与新生：澳门白话文学的兴起及文体变革

近代以来,中国文学进入大变革时代,因地理位置的偏离、人才的匮乏和内驱性的不足,白话文学在澳门几无自发产生的可能。同时,文化上与内地同根同源,文学发展与内地息息相通,又构成澳门白话文学产生的必然性。陈子褒在澳门倡导白话文、编写白话启蒙读本、推动启蒙教育,是晚清白话文运动在澳门的响应,为澳门白话文学的兴起奠定了基础。1920年雪社成员冯秋雪发表澳门第一首新诗。20世纪30年代是澳门白话文学的初创期,澳门本土有白话诗、文、戏剧和小说的发表,20世纪30年代末到40年代,澳门白话文学全面兴起。澳门白话文学产生在澳门文学转型的大背景下,转型体现在作家主体的转型、文学观念与作品形态的变化及文化下移与文体变革等方面。知识分子的流动和市民对新思想的接受,对澳门新文学的产生起到了重要推动作用,相比同时期的内地和台港,澳门新文学的产生有其特殊性。     

A New Model of Job Training for Economic Rebirth

Many current welfare recipients lack the adequate training and education needed to become self-sufficient. Historically, government administered Job training programs have not been successful in efficiently moving people from government assistance to permanent employment, suggesting the need for a new model of job training. This article presents a resiliency model of job training that emphasizes applicant recruitment, assessment and development. Use of a resiliency model is intended to increase program success rates by using psychological assessment and professional development goals of the individual.     

古典政治哲学的再生——列奥·斯特劳斯述评

在 2 0世纪的政治哲学领域 ,列奥·斯特劳斯 (ＬｅｏＳｔｒａｕｓｓ)是最有影响的人物之一。他一生出版了 1 5本书和大量的文章。这些作品以深刻的哲思为核心 ,涵盖古今西方思想史 ,辐射其它多门学科 ,诸如神学、古典文献学以及中世纪学 (ｍｅｄｉｅｖａｌｉｓｔｉｃｓ)等。同时 ,斯特劳斯在他所涉足的领域中 ,又是一位最有争议的人物之一。究其主要原因 ,一方面 ,他崇尚古代希腊的风范 ,寻幽探古 ,挖掘其认识论理念 ;另一方面 ,他又追随时尚 ,关注当下话题。我们在寻访他的思想踪迹时 ,很难找到一个确切的术语来界定其思维方式。就其政治态…