The present contribution will seek to explore the notion of effortlessness in the Dzogchen commentaries by Nubchen Sangye Yeshe (ca. 844–mid-tenth century), examining its role as a key theme in the self-understanding of the emergent Dzogchen tradition’s approach to contemplative practice. We will also touch upon the (apparent?) paradox consisting of learning the meditative skill of uncontrived...
A recurrent theme in many forms of contemplative practice is the need to come to a state of outward solitude (i.e., being without distractions); this provides a framework for contemplation, which ultimately can give way to a suspension of all efforts, opening up a state of inner letting-be. This contribution explores these elements in the Christian tradition following the Biblical typology of...
The introduction to this special issue outlines the concept of Western learned magic and suggests to analyse it as an entangled tradition, thus calling for an interdisciplinary, transcultural and transreligious perspective on its history. A working heuristic of seven different types of entanglement in the history of Western learned magic is proposed, whereas special emphasis is placed on...
Drawing on long-term ethnographic research in the Blue Nile town of Sennar, supported by archival and historical documentation, this article explores the history of Zar spirit possession in Sudan, and the light this throws on the interplay of religions over the past 150 years. Life history data supports the argument that contemporary Zar is grounded in forms and rituals derived from the ranks...