There are episodes in Norman Mailer’s novel The Naked and the Dead that seemingly contradict its realistic genre when ordinary soldiers experience moments of mystical awareness and knowledge about everything and everyone. Admittedly, these moments are fleeting. Yet, studying these flashes of insight inevitably leads to the conclusion that the young author of mere 25 years packed a lot more in...
Purpose - This article aims to examine the cosmology of love in the thought of Sachiko Murata and to explore its application to Qur'anic cosmic verses concerning the sky, the earth, and rain. While studies on Qur'anic cosmology and Murata's intellectual contributions have expanded considerably, limited attention has been given to integrating her Taoist-Sufistic framework into the interpretation...
The spiritual journey in Islamic wisdom aims at reaching the highest stage of perfection, which is direct intuitive knowledge of the Divine Reality. Achieving this goal demands accurate cognition, spiritual refinement, and guidance under a qualified master. This study examines the factors underlying spiritual wayfaring by comparing the foundations of Ghiyāth al-Din Dashtaki and Ayatollah Javadi...
This article examines the issues of knowledge, mystical wisdom (irfan), and spiritual perfection presented in Nizami Ganjavi’s Iskandarnama, particularly in its Iqbalnama section, which forms part of the Khamsa (Five Treasures). The study explores the artistic interpretation of Alexander as both a sage and a prophet and highlights the central role of knowledge in human life through a series of...
This paper develops a mystical atheist political theology drawing on Brook Ziporyn’s work, particularly his interpretation of Tiantai Buddhist metaphysics. Mainstream political theology rests on the idea that political concepts are secularized theological concepts. If true, this poses a challenge for mystical atheism, since this means that atheism is effectively barred from the political...
Abstract Background . It is widely accepted that beyond the pharmacological predictors, individuals’ pre-drug mental disposition, including intentions , influences the psychedelic experience. However, is it not fully clear how intentions and outcomes relate. This study explores the intention qualities beyond classically assessed category and explicitness in association with outcomes. Methods ....
The paper is the third article in the Pali-Psycho series. It compares the Pali Canon with the Desert Fathers, Rhineland Mysticism, Carmelite Mysticism, and Ignatian Spirituality. The analysis uses the convergence-type schema developed in the preceding integrative article and distinguishes empirical, structural-phenomenological, conceptual, and no-parallel relations. The central result is...
The fourteenth century witnessed the emergence of Indian women mystic/Bhakti/spiritual philosophers. Lal Ded, a key figure in ancient literary history, also called Lalleshwari, was a poetess from Kashmir known for her insights, learning, and perspicacity as well as her contributions to rhetoric and philosophical debates. Being an ardent follower of Trikha school of Kashmiri Shaivism, her...
Addressing physician burnout and patients' distrust of healthcare is a priority. To foster more reciprocally healing experiences in healthcare, we provide an evidence-based conceptual model of sacred moments. "Sacred moments" are brief periods in which people experience transcendence, boundlessness, ultimacy, deep interconnectedness, and spiritual emotions. First, we review empirical and...
Psilocybin has demonstrated promise for improving depressive symptoms in treatment-resistant depression, but its effects on anxiety, quality of life, functioning, and posttraumatic stress symptoms are less well studied. This study reports exploratory findings from an open-label trial in Veterans with TRD. Participants received a single 25-mg dose of psilocybin administered with psychological...