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A Comparative Study of Tai Ji Quan and Qigong

Author(s): Borislava Lecheva / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2018

The paper analyses Tai Ji Quan and Qigong, two of the traditional Chinese types of exercising, from four different perspectives: philosophical concept; history; training principles; health benefits. After an extensive review of literature, the study shows that despite of differences in origin and choreography Tai Ji Quan and Qigong share similar theoretical roots, their training methods are overlapping so are the health benefits relatedto their practice. The purpose of the paper is to serve as an accurate source of information for people involved in the practice of Tai Ji Quan and Qigong as well as to contribute to their overall popularization.

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A korai njája istenképe

Author(s): Sándor Pajor / Language(s): Hungarian / Issue: 3/2019

This paper presents the theology of early nyāya, more precisely the theology of the Nyāyasūtra, Nyāya-bhāṣya, and Nyāya-vārttika. In the Nyāya-sūtra we find an argument for the existence of God which is quite probably the most ancient such argument in the history of Indian philosophy. This fragment – only three sentences long – outlines the concept of God as it is expounded in the commentaries. According to Nyāya, there must be a God who ensures that each individual’s karma produces the proper fruit. We also learn that God is a particular kind of soul, differing in its attributes from human souls.

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A NEW FRAGMENT OF AN UNKNOWN COMMENTARY TO THE YUANJUE JING

Author(s): Zhang Tieshan,Peter Zieme / Language(s): English / Issue: 4/2012

The fragment we are publishing here is preserved in the Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage (the former China Institute of Cultural Relics). It is the 53rd leaf of an Uigur manuscript that contains the beginning of an unknown commentary to the Yuanjue jing. Other leaves of the same manuscript of the Hedin Collection in Stockholm were studied by K. Kudara in 1992.

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A racionalitás Indiában

Author(s): Ferenc Ruzsa / Language(s): Hungarian / Issue: 3/2018

In his paper ‘Why is there philosophy in India?’ (1999), Bronkhorst suggested that rational philosophy appeared in India due to Greek influence as it can be found first in the innovations of the Sarvāsti-vāda Abhidharma rather than the Thera-vāda Abhidharma; Sarvāsti-vāda arose in Gandhāra, a Hellenistic kingdom. The present paper challenges this position in the following ways: (a) The theoretical framework is inadequate. Philosophy, rational inquiry, systematic philosophy and philosophical system are four distinct concepts, they cannot be used as synonyms. (b) Clear examples show that rational inquiry was present in Indian philosophy earlier. The Kathā-Vatthu of the Thera-vāda uses rational arguments, as did the Buddha himself. Sāṁkhya philosophy and several important passages of the earliest Upaniṣads, both earlier than the Buddha, defi nitely represent rational philosophy.

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A short summary of Ibn Gabirol’s Fons Vitae Book One

Author(s): Timo Schmitz / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2018

Ibn Gabirol Fons Vitae is one of the most renowned books of medieval Jewish Neoplatonism which is dedicated to the matter of true knowledge of the world and its substances. In this paper, we want to summarize the thought process of Ibn Gabirol as the work is very profound, it shall be a help for all students of Ibn Gabirol’s philosophy to grasp his basic world outlook. All references are taken from the Jacob-translation.

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A termékeny összecsapás

Author(s): Ferenc Ruzsa / Language(s): Hungarian / Issue: 3-4/2015

In this paper an important possible source of philosophical thinking in India is suggested: the fruitful conflict of two cultures. There are many clear traces in the Rg-Veda of the alien religion that the invading Aryan tribes found in India. Combining these data with the archaeological findings from the area, that is, from the Indus Valley Civilisation, and also with some very general considerations, the following picture emerges: The warlike, nomadic pastoralist Vedic people followed a sacrificial polytheistic religion with very strong masculine bias, while the native peasants practised fertility-oriented agricultural magic where Mother Earth had a central role.Features of the two cultures mingled in many interesting ways. For the victorious Aryans the impressive idea of the great female was distasteful for a long time and they tried to transform the concept of the world-woman repeatedly. The Purus a hymn of the Rg-Veda seems to be one such attempt, paving the way to the full-blown pantheism of the Bhagavad-Gītā. However, when, instead of being masculinised, the female principle is divested of its anthropomorphic traits, the neutral world-essence emerges, that is, the Brahman of the Upanis ads. This is quite clearly philosophical.

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About Nature: Discourses on the Boundaries of East and West in Curtis Carter’s Concern over Contemporary Chinese Art

Author(s): Eva Kit Wah Man / Language(s): English / Issue: 22/2020

American aesthetician Curtis Carter demonstrates genuine concern for the subject of nature in contemporary Chinese art and its representations. He correctly points out that the Chinese tradition of featuring nature in the arts represents an imaginary paradise grounded in an idealized nature. Carter’s concern regarding China’s entry into a state of globalization is the impact of Westernizing globalization on the place of nature in Chinese art. Before discussing his concern, this article provides a review of the meaning of nature in traditional Chinese art and revisits ink painter Shitao’s notion of nature in his most representative painting notes, Hua-pu. Curtis also mentions the Chinese garden, stating that gardens in urban settings are supposed to maintain the presence of nature, and exemplifying them as symbolic presentations of nature. In addressing Carter’s concern, a review of the aesthetic experience of visiting a Chinese garden is provided for background. Carter also suggests examining the practices of contemporary Chinese experimental art versus the practices of traditional art to determine whether nature will retain a significant place in today’s Chinese art practices under the strong influences of globalization. This article examines the contemporary ink landscape scene and suggests that new Chinese art involves the invention of new paradigms in art creation, the resources of which are now available globally, and that representations of nature and reality are transforming.

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Al-Kindī’s treatise on definitions and its place in history of philosophy

Author(s): Tomasz Stefaniuk / Language(s): English / Issue: XXIX/2017

The paper focuses on al-Kindī’s Treatise on definitions - the oldest surviving Arabic glossary of philosophical and scientific terms. Its author presents more than one definition of the term falsafa (philosophy). Does this mean that he was not sure how to explain to his coreligionists what philosophy really is? In this article I aim to focus on the content of all six definitions of philosophy presented in the treatise. I also compare some of al-Kindī’s definitions of philosophy with the way in which some Greek philosophers, known to him, understood it, as well as with certain ideas derived from the source texts of Islam. The results of the study led to the belief that al-Kindī sought to induce his readers to agree that philosophy was not a threat to the Muslim faith, but rather a science which aims to improve man in the moral sense, and also to significantly increase the human knowledge of the world created by God.

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An Exploration of Mystical Contest in Andy Amenechi’s Oduduwa

Author(s): Stephen Ogheneruro Okpadah / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2017

The elegant portrayal of the transcendental in F. W. Marnau’s Nosferatu, the artistic representation of mysticism in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings, and the scenes of horror in Francis Ford Coppola’s filmic adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, are reflections of belief in the mystical in all cultures across the world. This archetypal phenomenon stems from universal valourisation, utility, and the relationship between man and the transcendental. The popular notion of the transcendental lends credence to its artistic exploration in the Nigerian home video film enterprise, popularly known as Nollywood. In fact, the genesis of the Nigerian film industry, attests to this as first generation filmmakers incorporated themes of mystical contentions. Thus, belief in mysticism and the spiritual have influenced the content of Nigerian home video films. It is against this backdrop that this study examines the mystical contest in Andy Amenechi’s film, Oduduwa. It argues that transcendental contests in Nollywood home video films are a portrayal of the Nigerian belief system. Using pictorial illustrations, I adopt historical and content analysis methods to analyse the film, Oduduwa. Among other findings, it comes to the fore in this study that mysticism holds sway in cinemas across all cultures and that Andy Amenechi’s Oduduwa could be located in this category. I therefore conclude that Nigerian filmmakers and cineastes across the world, should fully explore themes of mysticism in their films, to facilitate a documentation and propagation of this cultural component.

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ARİSTOTELES, STOACILAR VE İBN RÜŞD’ÜN KIYASA BAKIŞI

Author(s): İbrahim Çapak / Language(s): Turkish / Issue: 19/2009

This paper examines the main ideas on syllogism in the logical systems of Aristotle, Stoics and Averroes. Aristotle, is the first philosopher who formulated a system of logic. . He influenced many philosophers in this respect in the subsequent centuries. Aristotle gives an extreme importance to establishing the proof through syllogism which consists of two propositions or premises and conclusion. Aristotle investigates categorical and component syllogistic but not conditional one. According to Aristotle, there are three forms of syllogism. Stoics examine conditional syllogism. According to the latter, conditional syllogism consists of disjunctive and hypothetical syllogisms. Averroes is the most important of the commentators of Aristotle. However, he examines categorical and conditional syllogisms, too.

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Atomizmus a buddhista filozófiában

Author(s): Mónika Szegedi / Language(s): Hungarian / Issue: 3/2019

Buddhism shares some features with other Indic traditions, but it has two distinctive radical doctrines: transiency and insubstantiality. Abhidharma as an independent exegetical tradition can be traced with certainty from the third century BC. The scholar monks elaborated a theory of matter relating to physical objects, the human body, and morally determining acts (karma). According to the theory, the atom (paramāṇu) can be defined in three aspects: 1. as the smallest physical measure, the basic unit of material objects including living bodies, 2. as the ultimate, theoretical limit (paryanta) of the reduction of matter (rūpa); an indivisible, resistant, space occupying material entity with no parts and spatial directions; 3. and finally, as the spatiotemporal synthesis of inherent, coefficient qualities and functions (dravya). A special feature of this theory is that atoms comprising a sentient body have also the quality of sensitivity as an elementary constituent. On the other hand, an atom also incorporates the set of sensible qualities which manifest themselves only in the space of attention directed to them. These sub-atomic factors (dravyas) are not autonomous, substantial entities, not independent particles, but rather naturally and necessarily coexistent and coefficient material functiontypes. The material of the atom cannot be separated or distinguished from these subatomic factors: it cannot be set as an autonomous substrate independent of its features. These features are not static qualities but functions, corresponding to and explaining our experience of physical bodies and their workings.

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AYAGRĪVAVIDYĀ: SPELL TO THE HORSE-NECKED ONE

Author(s): Beáta Kakas / Language(s): English / Issue: 4/2011

The Hayagrīvavidyā included in a Gilgit manuscript belongs to the earliest works invoking the god Hayagrīva. It is a spell which could be applied to achieve several aims. The god destroys the enemies, rescues from danger, his mantra protects against all sorts of evil, demons and black magic. His mare-face is believed to counteract the effects of enemy mantras.

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BHAGAVADGITA

Author(s): / Language(s): Romany / Publication Year: 2009

Translation to Romany language of the ancient Indian epic "Bhagavad Gita". / "We translated the ancient Indian epic Bhagavadgita for the first time in the world in the Roma language some ten years ago. The first variant of the text was published in the Andral magazine Nos 10, 19-20, 21, 22-23, 24, 25-26, 27-28 and 29-30 from 2000 till 2003. A decade after the first translation came to light, the translation comes out in a separate revised version. Many times I have pointed out that for me the Andral translations are no more than preliminary attempts; it was far more important for us to participate in a ‘game’ aiming at a goal that was next to impossible in the past and dare tackle the linguistic problems that occurred. The different texts are merely challenges for different solutions. No venture, no win." / "U puranuindueku eposi “Bhagavadgita” irizyam rromani chshibati agu drom desh bresh anglal. Agu variantus hramusaribnasti mukyam andu zhuralusti “Andral” andw ila 10, 19-20, 21, 22-23, 24, 25-26, 27-28 ti 29-30 mashkaral 2000 ti 2003 breshwndi. Desh bresha palal kanatu mukyam u agu kotor, u sastu irizipi akana inkila korrkorimnangu pandakerdu ti lachshwskerdu inkalzipnasti. Aver drom da vakerimas, ta Andraliskw irizipya mangi sini butserni, amingi astsyal mangseyla pis u “khelwybi” ti ovil bizaprimi buti manushwndar, ti shiyzis ti kerws chshipas, kontu her manush anglisarni vakwtsindar phennasli, ta si … bishiyzimnu, hwzlws ti astarws tut ti alakhis u tertipya sar ti irizis u tekstuya, sar ti irizis u inkistu angla tw ekhindi swy nanwy chshibakw problemuya. U ekha-avera hramusaribya sade mangina ti benin andw tuti u indriya ti rodis ekha-avera tertipya ti kerws butsi twrri en lachshws. Bi ti kerws kiya butsi, si nanwyshiyzimis ti alakhis sotu ti ovil."

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Bir Anomali Olarak Varidat: Şeyh Bedreddin’in Varidat’inin Felsefi Boyutlari

Author(s): Çetin Türkyılmaz / Language(s): Turkish / Issue: 85/2016

This article deals with philosophical dimensions of various ideas in Sheikh Bedreddin’s work Varidat in relation to those of various currents of thought that are claimed to underlie Bedreddin’s work. First, Neo-platonist notions that are presumed to underpin Sheikh Bedreddin’s views will be presented with reference to Plotinus and Sühreverdi’s works, before pointing at several critical points that distinguish Varidat from the neo-platonist philosophy. At first, the basic difference between Bedreddin and Neo-platonism is based on a thought according to which a body that is a manifestation of God is never be “evil”. Besides, contrary to Sühreverdi’s view, Bedreddin wants to get rid of all transcendent conception of being in his thought. Secondly, considering those claims that Bedreddin was influenced by the Hurifi thought and materialism, the materialist standpoint (Dehrîyyun) represented by İbn Ravendi, and El-Maarri will be discussed to show how Bedreddin’s vision ties in and also differs from it. Bedreddin’s basic difference from materialism (Dehriyyun) stems from a fact that he asserts a mystical conception of being whereas materialism is based on a rationalist perspective in which all things can be explain in a rational way. In contrast to the messianic understanding of Hurufism, for Bedreddin such messianic inclinations and hopes are not important in respect of Sufi thought. Thirdly, Sheihk Bedreddin will placed at midway between the philosophies of İbn Arabi and Spinoza, and Sheikh Bedreddin will be argued to stand closer to Spinoza. On the other hand, it will also be argued that Sheikh Bedreddin departs from Spinoza particularly in terms of methodology. In conclusion, it will be claimed that Sheikh Bedreddin’s Varidat can be considered an anomaly as it stands apart from those all those views despite its resemblances.

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BİR MEŞŞÂÎ FİLOZOFUN GAZZÂLÎ ALGISI: İBN RÜŞD’ÜN GÖZÜYLE GAZZÂLÎ

Author(s): Atilla Arkan / Language(s): Turkish / Issue: 27/2013

In this research I will focus on the main and central features of Averroes'perception of Ghazali instead of concentrating on polemical debates between two thinkers. In other words, how Averreos, as an Peripatetic Philosopher, perceives Ghazali? What are the main characters of his perception regarding Ghazali? Consequently I hope that Ghazali's thought can be grasped more deeply and profoundly from another point of view. This research also may enlighten the relationships between theology and philosophy through Averroes's perception of Ghazali. First of all, Avrroes recognize and appreciates Ghazali's intellectual capacity, his deep effect and religious authority on Islamic Society very well. Secondly for Averroes mainly perceive Ghazali as Asharitean theologian. This fact guides Ghazali's thoughts directly or indirectly. Thirdly Averroes considers Ghazali who does not aim to discover the truth in itself and does not follow the demonstrative reasoning namely burhan. Therefore he grasped inappropriate conclusions regarding the theoretical subjects and the position and the intentions of the philosophers. Lastly, Averroes observes Ghazali as inconsistent and variable thinker regarding many theoretical subject such as the attribute of the hereafter, condemnation of the philosopher with heresy and whether there are mediatory existents between First Principle and sublunary worlds.

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Blurred boundaries: Francis Bacon’s portraits

Author(s): Timea Andrea Lelik / Language(s): English / Issue: 4/2019

In his oeuvre Francis Bacon hints at the fact that portraiture sacrifices the subject for the sake of representation. For this reason, portraiture as a genre needs to re-determine the conditions that originally shaped it. Through an analysis of the manner in which Bacon depicts his subjects I will argue that his portraits blur the boundaries between object and subject, portrait and viewer, in order to remodel conventional notions of portraiture. Through Gilles Deleuze’s theory on Francis Bacon, I will reinterpret Bacon’s works through the prism of Buddhism, arguing that understanding the works through Buddhist practices opens the possibility of a complete transformation of preexisting concepts which traditionally shaped portrait making.

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Body ‒ Tradition ‒ Expression. Remarks om Japanese Culture

Author(s): Leszek Sosnowski / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2014

The way the Japanese attribute the meaning to their world and how it becomes under-standable to them seems particularly attractive. This attitude underlies the fundamen-tal difference between the European and Japanese culture. A Westerner seeks to fully disclose the world, unveiling all its secrets. Accordingly, various strategies to achieve this goal have been developed in the Western culture, leading to different results. All scientific (philosophical) and non-scientific (commonsense) stands share a common conviction that truth is a Holy Grail of cognition, and that it is equally unattainable. The Japanese have been shaped by three religions: Shinto, Buddhism and Confucian-ism, and these regulate every aspect of their private as well as social functioning. An internal participant has no difficulties to adjust to the requirements of a particular re-ligion. Likewise, the truth also acquires different meanings depending on the context. For an external observer, however, the overlapping of these diverse domains of life creates a problem, as it results in an original but complicated culture.

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Buddhist philosophy for the treatment of problem gambling

Author(s): Edo Shonin,William Van Gordon,Mark D. Griffiths / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2013

In the last five years, scientific interest into the potential applications of Buddhist-derived interventions (BDIs) for the treatment of problem gambling has been growing. This paper reviews current directions, proposes conceptual applications, and discusses integration issues relating to the utilisation of BDIs as problem gambling treatments. Method: A literature search and evaluation of the empirical literature for BDIs as problem gambling treatments was undertaken. Results: To date, research has been limited to cross-sectional studies and clinical case studies and findings indicate that Buddhist-derived mindfulness practices have the potential to play an important role in ameliorating problem gambling symptomatology. As an adjunct to mindfulness, other Buddhist-derived practices are also of interest including: (i) insight meditation techniques (e.g., meditation on ‘emptiness’) to overcome avoidance and dissociation strategies, (ii) ‘antidotes’ (e.g., patience, impermanence, etc.) to attenuate impulsivity and salience-related issues, (iii) loving-kindness and compassion meditation to foster positive thinking and reduce conflict, and (iv) ‘middle-way’ principles and ‘bliss-substitution’ to reduce relapse and temper withdrawal symptoms. In addition to an absence of controlled treatment studies, the successful operationalisation of BDIs as effective treatments for problem gambling may be impeded by issues such as a deficiency of suitably experienced BDI clinicians, and the poor provision by service providers of both BDIs and dedicated gambling interventions. Conclusions: Preliminary findings for BDIs as problem gambling treatments are promising, however, further research is required.

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Buddyzm w literaturze na przykładzie opowiadania Iwan Kublachanow Wiktora Pielewina

Author(s): Aleksandra Imosa / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 5/2015

The subject of this article brings together literary theory and cultural studies as it concerns the introduction of Buddhist elements into literature. Victor Pelevin's Ivan Kublakhanov is studied as an example of this literary phenomenon. The axis of this short story is assumed to be the doctrine of dependent arising. The Four Noble Truths, the concept of Anatman and The Tibetan Book of the Dead are also taken into consideration. Each element is explained briefly and supported by a presentation of appropriate passages from the story.

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BUDISTINĖ JOGINĖS PERCEPCIJOS (YOGIPRATYAKṢ A) APOLOGIJA INDIJOJE

Author(s): Audrius Beinorius / Language(s): Lithuanian / Issue: 93/2018

The article is dedicated to the analysis of the conception of yogic perception (yogipratyakṣa) in Indian Buddhist philosophy. By relying on the primary Buddhist Sanskrit sources and contemporary critical studies, the historically relevant questions are raised: how yogic perception has been treated in Indian Buddhist tradition, and especially in the texts by the eminent representatives of its Yogācāra-Vijñānavada logico-epistemological school (Diṅnāga, Dharmakīrti, Ratnakīrti)? Why was it recognised as a valid source of knowledge, and what role was it granted to in the general Buddhist epistemological scheme (pramāṇavada)? Combined – textological semantic, hermeneutical and comparative – methodologies are applied in the course of analysis. The following conclusion has been made: while representing a coherent empiricist and phenomenalist approach, Buddhism has supplemented the classical Indian system of valid means of knowledge with two more means, namely, with that of yogic perception and authoritative testimony (āpta). However, by acknowledging the validity of yogic perception the Buddhists agreed, that it does not ensure per se the cognition of the truth and should be verified by the other valid means of knowledge. Most important from the Buddhist perspective is that such extraordinary perception should correspond to Buddha’s experience and its conceptual description.

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