Abstract This paper examines how contemporary Christian contemplative discourse integrates two apparently opposed construals of religious experience: relational intimacy with a divine entity and non-conceptual states of pure awareness. We argue that relational intimacy is conceptualized through warmth, connection, spatial proximity, shared will, and resonance, underpinned by a linked goal...
Transcending the limiting dimension of corporeality for the betterment of the human condition lies at the core of the Transhumanist agenda. However, the Western Transhumanist assumption of the human condition is characterized by a materialist/techno-centric approach to matter and consciousness. On the other hand, the age-old Jnanaganja tradition of Siddha Yoga found its unique crystallization...
This essay introduces the Neuro-Existential Architecture System (NEAS) as a newly proposed neurophilosophical heuristic for interpreting Buddhist meditation in terms of predictive engagement. Moving beyond representationalist readings of predictive processing, it argues that meditation should not be understood primarily as the modification of internal models, but as a transformation of...
This paper explores how the teachings of Bhagavad Gita contribute to enhance occupational health and safety of the employees in the workplace. Modern occupational health and safety (OHS) practices have become effective in addressing physical and psychosocial risks. However, they fail to deal with emotional challenges faced by employees Hence, the spiritual approaches have drawn the attention of...
Mindfulness based sex therapy (MBST) represents an integrative modality within psychosexual treatment, synthesising principles from mindfulness meditation, rooted in Buddhist contemplative traditions, with contemporary psychotherapeutic techniques. A distinct, though often overlapping, influence derives from tantric philosophy, which reframes sexual intimacy as a practice of conscious...
The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the theoretical foundations of three significant fields: New Religious Movements (NRMs) studies, New Age studies, and Western Esotericism. The author offers a historical overview of these domains, reconstructing the scholarly background and interdisciplinary context of their conceptual formation. It is argued that the primary obstacle to their...
Abstract This chapter chronicles a personal journey of transforming suffering (dukkha) into healing through the application of Buddhist-informed contemplative practice and pedagogical engagement. Following a period of the author’s personal hardship, this narrative explores how Buddhist teachings—particularly those of Thich Nhat Hanh on mindfulness and loving-kindness—became instrumental in his...
The Hindu bhakti traditions are traditionally significant psychological, social, and spiritual assets of the South Asian society. Over the past few decades, there has been an increase in academic interest in the connection between devotional practices and psychological well-being, especially regarding the topics of resilience, emotional regulation, coping, and meaning-making. This...
While contemporary psychology focuses on developing a cohesive self for wellbeing, Indian philosophical traditions such as Advaita Vedanta, Buddhism and the teachings of J. Krishnamurti provide a critique of the notion of a fixed self-identity. This conceptual paper compares them at a phenomenological and functional level and relates these comparisons to contemplative neuroscience, particularly...
This article traces the evolution of Indian philosophical thought across seven historically distinct turning points: the Rigvedic period's focus on cosmic consciousness (Purusha, Brahman, Agni); the Upanishadic revolution's inward turn and the emergence of Brahman-Atman identity; the Shramana revolt of the 6th century BCE in which Buddhism and Jainism redirected Indian thought toward physical...