This paper examines postsecularism, magic and disenchantment in the West with an emphasis on Wicca. Following a discussion of postsecularism, it provides a critical overview of the Weberian notion of disenchantment which describes the decline in magic in modernity. Magic, far from disappearing in the postsecular, has been transformed through a process of psychologization. While there is...
The Amitābha Sūtra, one of the central scriptures of Mahāyāna Buddhism, presents a profound vision of reality grounded in both metaphysical and soteriological insight. From a philosophical perspective, the Pure Land (Sukhāvatī) is not merely a transcendent realm but a symbolic manifestation of pure consciousness, where being and awakening coincide. This paper explores the metaphysical structure...
This literature review presents an overview of Kriya Yoga and its significance in traditional and modern contexts. The content for this review has been extracted from the Puranas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Tantric texts, Vedanta literature, and classical Kriya Yoga writings, as well as a total of 14 books and one relevant PubMed-indexed article identified using various keywords. Kriya Yoga is...
This paper examines the enduring metaphysical and epistemological problem of consciousness through physicalism and dualism. Physicalism, supported by extensive neuroscientific evidence, maintains that consciousness is entirely contingent upon or identical to physiological processes. Empirical findings from neuroimaging, brain injury studies, and psychoactive modulation support a systematic...
This paper explores the boundaries between dreams and reality, posing the question of whether an ontology grounded in lucid dreams is possible. It challenges the traditional distinction that perception is real while dreams are illusory, conducting a philosophical analysis through discussions of phenomenology, psychology, existentialism, and perceptual realism. It argues that both perception and...
The question as to whether imaginative experience involves phenomenal presence is increasingly a subject of philosophical debate. In contrast to many contemporary thinkers who hold that waking imaginative experience and dreaming involve a feeling of presence, Jean-Paul Sartre (1940/2004, 1936/2012) argues that the phenomenology of presence accompanies perception only. Sartre thus rejects both...
Phenomenal structuralism marks a significant shift in the study of consciousness, emphasizing the relational properties of experiential qualities rather than their intrinsic properties. This approach highlights how subjective qualities are organized and related, proposing that these structural relationships individuate such qualities within a multidimensional space. This paper focuses on the...
Understanding how perception transitions from an unconscious to conscious state is a central aim of visual consciousness research. The threshold is the boundary at which consciousness arises, and the process from unconsciousness to consciousness is the emergent process. Although studies have investigated the thresholds and emergent processes of visual consciousness in adults, how these...
Background and Study Aim. Competitive sport referees, in most cases, usually are cognitively demanding, and this can lead to their inability to focus, cope with their own feelings, and make good decisions. In badminton, where quick decision-making is inevitable, refereeing requires psychological resilience as well as quick decision-making. The objective of this research was to investigate the...
Abstract Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is a fascinating state characterized by vivid dream mentation, quick saccadic eye movements, skeletal muscle paralysis, and autonomic arousal. Abnormal behaviors and experiential phenomena emanating from REM sleep, the REM parasomnias, can be mesmerizing and terrifying. These REM-related experiences include nightmares, isolated sleep paralysis, and the...