American Gnosis

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Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0197653219
Total Pages : 297 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (976 download)

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Book Synopsis American Gnosis by : Versluis

Download or read book American Gnosis written by Versluis and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2023-10-10 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Greek word "gnosis," defined as direct spiritual knowledge or insight, has its origins in historical offshoots of Christianity in late antiquity. But the terms "Gnosticism" and "gnosis" have become widespread in many other contexts. They are common in contemporary scholarship on religion and in popular usage among magical, religious, and spiritual practitioners. And they have entered popular usage in contemporary society, with applications in numerous political, religious, and cultural contexts. Gnosis and Gnosticism have become leitmotifs in popular culture, in films such as The Matrix and Dark City, as well as in anime and other popular art forms. In American Gnosis, Arthur Versluis explores the fascinating connection between the Gnostic tradition and contemporary American spirituality, politics, and popular media. Versluis surveys themes of Gnosticism and gnosis in American culture, both within the United States and in global contexts. Versluis shows that gnosis is key to understanding a wide spectrum of global syncretic religious and intellectual movements-some sensational, even wild, but all fascinating. American gnosis, he argues, is a defining feature of hybrid new religious forms in the twenty-first century. Versluis provides case studies of major contemporary figures and texts that are emblematic of neo-gnosticism, offering a comprehensive framework of gnosis and an understanding of gnostic trends in modernity. He explores how neo-gnostic memes recur in social media and shows how American gnosis has manifested as spiritual independence, reflecting the ever-growing demographic category "spiritual but not religious." In delving into the intersection of contemporary American spirituality, politics, and literature, American Gnosis uncovers the remarkable prevalence of neo-gnostic elements today.

Virus of the Mind

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Publisher : Hay House, Inc
ISBN 13 : 1401924697
Total Pages : 289 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (19 download)

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Book Synopsis Virus of the Mind by : Richard Brodie

Download or read book Virus of the Mind written by Richard Brodie and published by Hay House, Inc. This book was released on 2011-02-15 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Virus of the Mind is the first popular book devoted to the science of memetics, a controversial new field that transcends psychology, biology, anthropology, and cognitive science. Memetics is the science of memes, the invisible but very real DNA of human society. In Virus of the Mind, Richard Brodie carefully builds on the work of scientists Richard Dawkins, Douglas Hofstadter, Daniel Dennett, and others who have become fascinated with memes and their potential impact on our lives. But Richard goes beyond science and dives into the meat of the issue: is the emergence of this new science going to have an impact on our lives like the emergence of atomic physics did in the Cold War? He would say the impact will be at least as great. While atomic bombs affect everybody’s life, viruses of the mind touch lives in a more personal and more pernicious way. Mind viruses have already infected governments, educational systems, and inner cities, leading to some of the most pervasive and troublesome problems of society today: youth gangs, the welfare cycle, the deterioration of the public schools, and ever-growing government bureaucracy. Viruses of the mind are not a future worry: they are here with us now and are evolving to become better and better at their job of infecting us. The recent explosion of mass media and the information superhighway has made the earth a prime breeding ground for viruses of the mind. Will there be a mental plague? Will only some of us survive with our free will intact? Richard Brodie weaves together science, ethics, and current events as he raises these and other very disturbing questions about memes.

Zen Buddhism and the Reality of Suffering

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Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 3031692446
Total Pages : 190 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (316 download)

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Book Synopsis Zen Buddhism and the Reality of Suffering by : Tullio Giraldi

Download or read book Zen Buddhism and the Reality of Suffering written by Tullio Giraldi and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Cyber Zen

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Publisher : Taylor & Francis
ISBN 13 : 1317293266
Total Pages : 278 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (172 download)

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Book Synopsis Cyber Zen by : Gregory Price Grieve

Download or read book Cyber Zen written by Gregory Price Grieve and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2016-12-08 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cyber Zen ethnographically explores Buddhist practices in the online virtual world of Second Life. Does typing at a keyboard and moving avatars around the screen, however, count as real Buddhism? If authentic practices must mimic the actual world, then Second Life Buddhism does not. In fact, a critical investigation reveals that online Buddhist practices have at best only a family resemblance to canonical Asian traditions and owe much of their methods to the late twentieth-century field of cybernetics. If, however, they are judged existentially, by how they enable users to respond to the suffering generated by living in a highly mediated consumer society, then Second Life Buddhism consists of authentic spiritual practices. Cyber Zen explores how Second Life Buddhist enthusiasts form communities, identities, locations, and practices that are both products of and authentic responses to contemporary Network Consumer Society. Gregory Price Grieve illustrates that to some extent all religion has always been virtual and gives a glimpse of possible future alternative forms of religion.

Religion Online

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Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN 13 : 144085372X
Total Pages : 621 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (48 download)

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Book Synopsis Religion Online by : August E. Grant

Download or read book Religion Online written by August E. Grant and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2019-03-07 with total page 621 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Religion Online provides new insights about religiosity in a contemporary context, offering a comprehensive look at the intersection of digital media, faith communities, and practices of all sorts. Recent research on Apple users, video games, virtual worlds, artificial intelligence, digital music, and sports as religion supports the idea that media and religion, once considered separate entities, are in many cases the same thing. New media and religious practice can no longer be detached; this two-volume set discusses how religionists are embracing the Internet amidst cultural shifts of secularization, autonomous religious worship, millennials' affinity for new media, and the rise of fundamentalism in the global south. While other works describe case studies, this book explains how new media are interwoven into the very fabric of religious belief, behavior, and community. Chapters break down the past, present, and projected future of the use of digital media in relation to faith traditions of many varieties, extending from mainline Christianity to new religious movements. The book also examines the impacts of digital media on beliefs and practices around the world. In exploring these subjects, it calls on the study of culture, namely anthropology, to conceptualize a technological period as significant as the industrial revolution.

The Other Side of Nothing

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Publisher : New World Library
ISBN 13 : 1608688054
Total Pages : 402 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (86 download)

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Book Synopsis The Other Side of Nothing by : Brad Warner

Download or read book The Other Side of Nothing written by Brad Warner and published by New World Library. This book was released on 2022-05-10 with total page 402 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A reader-friendly guide to Zen Buddhist ethics for modern times In the West, Zen Buddhism has a reputation for paradoxes that defy logic. In particular, the Buddhist concept of nonduality — the realization that everything in the universe forms a single, integrated whole — is especially difficult to grasp. In The Other Side of Nothing, Zen teacher Brad Warner untangles the mystery and explains nonduality in plain English. To Warner, this is not just a philosophical problem: nonduality forms the bedrock of Zen ethics, and once we comprehend it, many of the perplexing aspects of Zen suddenly make sense. Drawing on decades of Zen practice, he traces the interlocking relationship between Zen metaphysics and ethics, showing how a true understanding of reality — and the ultimate unity of all things — instills in us a sense of responsibility for the welfare of all beings. When we realize that our feeling of separateness from others is illusory, we have no desire to harm any creature. Warner ultimately presents an expansive overview of the Zen ethos that will give beginners and experts alike a deeper understanding of one of the world’s enduring spiritual traditions.

The New American Spelling Book

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 420 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (243 download)

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Book Synopsis The New American Spelling Book by : P. Johnson

Download or read book The New American Spelling Book written by P. Johnson and published by . This book was released on 1849 with total page 420 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

The Grand Designer: Discovering the Quantum Mind Matrix of the Universe

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Author :
Publisher : Lulu.com
ISBN 13 : 1446636127
Total Pages : 418 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (466 download)

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Book Synopsis The Grand Designer: Discovering the Quantum Mind Matrix of the Universe by : graham smetham

Download or read book The Grand Designer: Discovering the Quantum Mind Matrix of the Universe written by graham smetham and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2010-10-31 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A thorough investigation of the implications of quantum theory for the Philosophy of Religion. This book shows that Stephen Hawking is incorrect when he says that modern physics disproves God. In fact his own book - The Grand Design - requires the existence of an infinite Cosmic Mind - The Grand Designer.

The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind

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Publisher : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN 13 : 0547527543
Total Pages : 580 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (475 download)

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Book Synopsis The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind by : Julian Jaynes

Download or read book The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind written by Julian Jaynes and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This book was released on 2000-08-15 with total page 580 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: National Book Award Finalist: “This man’s ideas may be the most influential, not to say controversial, of the second half of the twentieth century.”—Columbus Dispatch At the heart of this classic, seminal book is Julian Jaynes's still-controversial thesis that human consciousness did not begin far back in animal evolution but instead is a learned process that came about only three thousand years ago and is still developing. The implications of this revolutionary scientific paradigm extend into virtually every aspect of our psychology, our history and culture, our religion—and indeed our future. “Don’t be put off by the academic title of Julian Jaynes’s The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind. Its prose is always lucid and often lyrical…he unfolds his case with the utmost intellectual rigor.”—The New York Times “When Julian Jaynes . . . speculates that until late in the twentieth millennium BC men had no consciousness but were automatically obeying the voices of the gods, we are astounded but compelled to follow this remarkable thesis.”—John Updike, The New Yorker “He is as startling as Freud was in The Interpretation of Dreams, and Jaynes is equally as adept at forcing a new view of known human behavior.”—American Journal of Psychiatry

Presentation Zen

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Publisher : Pearson Education
ISBN 13 : 0321601890
Total Pages : 316 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (216 download)

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Book Synopsis Presentation Zen by : Garr Reynolds

Download or read book Presentation Zen written by Garr Reynolds and published by Pearson Education. This book was released on 2009-04-15 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: FOREWORD BY GUY KAWASAKI Presentation designer and internationally acclaimed communications expert Garr Reynolds, creator of the most popular Web site on presentation design and delivery on the Net — presentationzen.com — shares his experience in a provocative mix of illumination, inspiration, education, and guidance that will change the way you think about making presentations with PowerPoint or Keynote. Presentation Zen challenges the conventional wisdom of making "slide presentations" in today’s world and encourages you to think differently and more creatively about the preparation, design, and delivery of your presentations. Garr shares lessons and perspectives that draw upon practical advice from the fields of communication and business. Combining solid principles of design with the tenets of Zen simplicity, this book will help you along the path to simpler, more effective presentations.

F*ck That

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Publisher : Crown/Archetype
ISBN 13 : 110190724X
Total Pages : 66 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (19 download)

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Book Synopsis F*ck That by : Jason Headley

Download or read book F*ck That written by Jason Headley and published by Crown/Archetype. This book was released on 2016-04-12 with total page 66 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Like a yoga class you can hold in your hand, a beautiful, full-color guide to letting sh*t go Our world is filled with annoyances, and sometimes you need a little dose of humor to cope with the news cycle, your irritating co-worker, or that telemarketer who won’t stop calling. This refreshingly honest self-help book will guide you through a meditation to “breathe in strength, and breathe out bullsh*t.” An excellent gift for yourself or others, F*ck That is the very embodiment of modern-day self-care. May it help you find peace with the challenges that surround you…because they are f*cking everywhere. Based on the viral video that had everyone from yogis to workaholics raving, F*ck That is the completely truthful and oddly tranquil guide to relieving stress and achieving inner peace.

Consciousness

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Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1444128272
Total Pages : 555 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (441 download)

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Book Synopsis Consciousness by : Susan Blackmore

Download or read book Consciousness written by Susan Blackmore and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-11-26 with total page 555 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Is there a theory that explains the essence of consciousness? Or is consciousness itself just an illusion? The 'last great mystery of science', consciousness is a topic that was banned from serious research for most of the last century, but is now an area of increasing popular interest, as well as a rapidly expanding area of study for students of psychology, philosophy and neuroscience. This ground-breaking textbook by best-selling author Susan Blackmore was the first of its kind to bring together all the major theories of consciousness studies, from those based on neuroscience to those based on quantum theory or Eastern philosophy. The book examines topics such as how subjective experiences arise from objective brain processes, the basic neuroscience of consciousness, altered states of consciousness, out of body and near death experiences and the effects of drugs, dreams and meditation. It also explores the nature of self, the possibility of artificial consciousness in robots, and the question of whether animals are conscious. The new edition has been fully revised to include the latest developments in neuroscience, brain scanning techniques, and artificial consciousness and robotics. The new website includes self-assessment exercises, advanced further reading, flashcards and MCQs. For all those intrigued by what it means to be, to exist, this book could radically transform your understanding of your own consciousness.

The Citizen Marketer

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Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 019065807X
Total Pages : 265 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (96 download)

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Book Synopsis The Citizen Marketer by : Joel Penney

Download or read book The Citizen Marketer written by Joel Penney and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2017-05-05 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From hashtag activism to the flood of political memes on social media, the landscape of political communication is being transformed by the grassroots circulation of opinion on digital platforms and beyond. By exploring how everyday people assist in the promotion of political media messages to persuade their peers and shape the public mind, Joel Penney offers a new framework for understanding the phenomenon of viral political communication: the citizen marketer. Like the citizen consumer, the citizen marketer is guided by the logics of marketing practice, but, rather than being passive, actively circulates persuasive media to advance political interests. Such practices include using protest symbols in social media profile pictures, strategically tweeting links to news articles to raise awareness about select issues, sharing politically-charged internet memes and viral videos, and displaying mass-produced T-shirts, buttons, and bumper stickers that promote a favored electoral candidate or cause. Citizens view their participation in such activities not only in terms of how it may shape or influence outcomes, but as a statement of their own identity. As the book argues, these practices signal an important shift in how political participation is conceptualized and performed in advanced capitalist democratic societies, as they casually inject political ideas into the everyday spaces and places of popular culture. While marketing is considered a dirty word in certain critical circles -- particularly among segments of the left that have identified neoliberal market logics and consumer capitalist structures as a major focus of political struggle -- some of these very critics have determined that the most effective way to push back against the forces of neoliberal capitalism is to co-opt its own marketing and advertising techniques to spread counter-hegemonic ideas to the public. Accordingly, this book argues that the citizen marketer approach to political action is much broader than any one ideological constituency or bloc. Rather, it is a means of promoting a wide range of political ideas, including those that are broadly critical of elite uses of marketing in consumer capitalist societies. The book includes an extensive historical treatment of citizen-level political promotion in modern democratic societies, connecting contemporary digital practices to both the 19th century tradition of mass political spectacle as well as more informal, culturally-situated forms of political expression that emerge from postwar countercultures. By investigating the logics and motivations behind the citizen marketer approach, as well as how it has developed in response to key social, cultural, and technological changes, Penney charts the evolution of activism in an age of mediatized politics, promotional culture, and viral circulation.

Rational Mysticism

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Publisher : HMH
ISBN 13 : 0547347804
Total Pages : 305 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (473 download)

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Book Synopsis Rational Mysticism by : John Horgan

Download or read book Rational Mysticism written by John Horgan and published by HMH. This book was released on 2004-03-22 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The author of The End of Science chronicles the most advanced research into such experiences as prayer, fasting, and trances in this “great read” (The Washington Post). How do trances, visions, prayer, satori, and other mystical experiences “work”? What induces and defines them? Is there a scientific explanation for religious mysteries and transcendent meditation? John Horgan investigates a wide range of fields—chemistry, neuroscience, psychology, anthropology, theology, and more—to narrow the gap between reason and mystical phenomena. As both a seeker and an award-winning journalist, Horgan consulted a wide range of experts, including theologian Huston Smith, spiritual heir to Joseph Campbell; Andrew Newberg, the scientist whose quest for the “God module” was the focus of a Newsweek cover story; Ken Wilber, prominent transpersonal psychologist; Alexander Shulgin, legendary psychedelic drug chemist; and Susan Blackmore, Oxford-educated psychologist, parapsychology debunker, and Zen practitioner. Horgan explores the striking similarities between “mystical technologies” like sensory deprivation, prayer, fasting, trance, dancing, meditation, and drug trips. He participates in experiments that seek the neurological underpinnings of mystical experiences. And, finally, he recounts his own search for enlightenment—adventurous, poignant, and sometimes surprisingly comic. Horgan’s conclusions resonate with the controversial climax of The End of Science, because, as he argues, the most enlightened mystics and the most enlightened scientists end up in the same place—confronting the imponderable depth of the universe.

When You Greet Me I Bow

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Publisher : Shambhala Publications
ISBN 13 : 0834843528
Total Pages : 337 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (348 download)

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Book Synopsis When You Greet Me I Bow by : Norman Fischer

Download or read book When You Greet Me I Bow written by Norman Fischer and published by Shambhala Publications. This book was released on 2021-05-18 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From beloved Zen teacher Norman Fischer, a collection of essays spanning a life of inquiry into Zen practice, relationship, social engagement, and spiritual creativity. "Looking backwards at a life lived, walking forward into more life to live built on all that, trying not to be too much influenced by what's already been said and done, not to be held to a point of view or an identity previously expressed, trying to be surprised and undone and maybe even dismayed by what lies ahead."--Norman Fischer Norman Fischer is a Zen priest, poet, and translator whose writings, teachings, and commitment to interfaith dialogue have supported and inspired Buddhist, Jewish, and other spiritual practitioners for decades. When You Greet Me I Bow spans the entirety of Norman Fischer's career and is the first collection of his writings on Buddhist philosophy and practice. Broken into four sections--the joy and catastrophe of relationship; thinking, writing, and emptiness; cultural encounters; and social engagement--this book allows us to see the fascinating development of the mind and interests of a gifted writer and profoundly committed practitioner.

Like Cats and Dogs

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Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199837287
Total Pages : 279 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (998 download)

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Book Synopsis Like Cats and Dogs by : Steven Heine

Download or read book Like Cats and Dogs written by Steven Heine and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2014 with total page 279 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Steven Heine offers a compelling examination of the Mu Koan, widely considered to be the single best known and most widely circulated and transmitted koan record of the Zen school of Buddhism.

The Psychology of Awakening

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Author :
Publisher : Weiser Books
ISBN 13 : 9781578631728
Total Pages : 364 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (317 download)

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Book Synopsis The Psychology of Awakening by : Gay Watson

Download or read book The Psychology of Awakening written by Gay Watson and published by Weiser Books. This book was released on 2000-02-01 with total page 364 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Gay Watson, Stephen Batchelor, and Guy Claxton have compiled a wide-ranging and penetrating selection of articles on the relevance and application of Buddhist philosophy and practice in the modern Western world. Divided into four parts, the book explores the philosophical issues in Buddhism and the contemporary mind; the scientific perspective of Buddhist concepts of the development of body, mind, and spirit; Buddhism and psychotherapy; and practical applications of Buddhism in contemporary life.