Rethinking Meditation

Rethinking Meditation PDF Author: David L. McMahan
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0197661742
Category : Meditation
Languages : en
Pages : 265

Book Description
"Rethinking Meditation provides a new theoretical and historical approach to Buddhist and Buddhist-derived meditative practices. It shows how, rather than coming down to us unchanged from the time of the Buddha, the standard articulation of mindfulness as bare, non-judgmental attention to the present moment is a distillation of particular strands of classical Buddhist thought that have combined with western ideas to create a unique practice tailored to modern forms of thought and ways of life. Part genealogical study and part philosophical argument, it inquires into some of the widespread assumptions about how meditation works and what it does, presenting a view of meditative practices as technologies of the self embedded in cultural forms of life. It shows that the relationship between meditative practices and cultural context is much more crucial than is suggested in typical contemporary articulations, which often emphasize transcendence of cultural conditioning and achieving "objective" internal access to the contents of consciousness. Meditation, McMahan argues, is always situated in social contexts and draws from repertoires of cultural categories, concepts, and values, sometimes accommodating them and sometimes resisting them. Rethinking Meditation also considers the scientific study of meditation and meditation in relation to modern articulations of secularism, freedom, authenticity, appreciation, and interdependence. It also examines the potential for meditation to enhance autonomy and addresses recent attempts to bring meditative practices to bear on social, political, and environmental issues"--

Rethinking the Museum and Other Meditations

Rethinking the Museum and Other Meditations PDF Author: Stephen E. Weil
Publisher: Smithsonian Institution
ISBN: 1935623664
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 201

Book Description
In these 19 insightful and frequently witty meditations, Stephen E. Weil examines the purposes and functions of the museum in the late 20th century, proposing museums make encounters with a variety of visitors more central to their operation.

Rethinking Meditation

Rethinking Meditation PDF Author: David L. McMahan
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780197661772
Category : Meditation
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
"Rethinking Meditation provides a new theoretical and historical approach to Buddhist and Buddhist-derived meditative practices. It shows how, rather than coming down to us unchanged from the time of the Buddha, the standard articulation of mindfulness as bare, non-judgmental attention to the present moment is a distillation of particular strands of classical Buddhist thought that have combined with western ideas to create a unique practice tailored to modern forms of thought and ways of life. Part genealogical study and part philosophical argument, it inquires into some of the widespread assumptions about how meditation works and what it does, presenting a view of meditative practices as technologies of the self embedded in cultural forms of life. It shows that the relationship between meditative practices and cultural context is much more crucial than is suggested in typical contemporary articulations, which often emphasize transcendence of cultural conditioning and achieving "objective" internal access to the contents of consciousness. Meditation, McMahan argues, is always situated in social contexts and draws from repertoires of cultural categories, concepts, and values, sometimes accommodating them and sometimes resisting them. Rethinking Meditation also considers the scientific study of meditation and meditation in relation to modern articulations of secularism, freedom, authenticity, appreciation, and interdependence. It also examines the potential for meditation to enhance autonomy and addresses recent attempts to bring meditative practices to bear on social, political, and environmental issues"--

Rethinking 'Classical Yoga' and Buddhism

Rethinking 'Classical Yoga' and Buddhism PDF Author: Karen O'Brien-Kop
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1350230014
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 277

Book Description
This book revisits the early systemic formation of meditation practices called 'yoga' in South Asia by employing metaphor theory. Karen O'Brien-Kop also develops an alternative way of analysing the reception history of yoga that aims to decentre the Eurocentric and imperialist enterprises of the nineteenth-century to reframe the cultural period of the 1st – 5th centuries CE using categorical markers from South Asian intellectual history. Buddhist traditions were just as concerned as Hindu traditions with meditative disciplines of yoga. By exploring the intertextuality of the Patanjalayogasastra with texts such as Vasubandhu's Abhidharmakosabhasya and Asanga's Yogacarabhumisastra, this book highlights and clarifies many ideologically Buddhist concepts and practices in Patanjala yoga. Karen O'Brien-Kop demonstrates that 'classical yoga' was co-constructed systemically by both Hindu and Buddhist thinkers who were drawing on the same conceptual metaphors of the period. This analysis demystifies early yoga-meditation as a timeless 'classical' practice and locates it in a specific material context of agrarian and urban economies.

Apologetics

Apologetics PDF Author: Anil Kanda
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781736119402
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

Book Description
Apologetics For A New Generation was written for the chaotic times we live in. Ideas of justice, morality, mercy, existence, and many other ideas of society are being hotly debated. How does God, the Bible, and truth come into all of this? Apologetics has the answers we need for today.Do believers have meaningful ways to engage others?Anil Kanda shares insightful and practical ways that apologetics can be used to meet today's challenges. Although raised in the Indian faith traditions, Anil was transformed by an encounter with the powerful truths of God's Word. You'll enjoy this concise, practical, and provocative book on understanding and sharing the big ideas of God.Topics include:Why do we need apologetics?Atheism: Do we really need God?God at War: The problem of evil in our worldWhy is there genocide in the Old Testament?How does God deal with other nations not mentioned in the Bible?*Anil Kanda's testimonyAnd much more?

Rethinking the Buddha

Rethinking the Buddha PDF Author: Eviatar Shulman
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 110706239X
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 225

Book Description
Shulman traces the development of the four noble truths, which in fact originated as observations to be cultivated during meditation.

The Making of Buddhist Modernism

The Making of Buddhist Modernism PDF Author: David L. McMahan
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199884781
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 320

Book Description
A great deal of Buddhist literature and scholarly writing about Buddhism of the past 150 years reflects, and indeed constructs, a historically unique modern Buddhism, even while purporting to represent ancient tradition, timeless teaching, or the "essentials" of Buddhism. This literature, Asian as well as Western, weaves together the strands of different traditions to create a novel hybrid that brings Buddhism into alignment with many of the ideologies and sensibilities of the post-Enlightenment West. In this book, David McMahan charts the development of this "Buddhist modernism." McMahan examines and analyzes a wide range of popular and scholarly writings produced by Buddhists around the globe. He focuses on ideological and imaginative encounters between Buddhism and modernity, for example in the realms of science, mythology, literature, art, psychology, and religious pluralism. He shows how certain themes cut across cultural and geographical contexts, and how this form of Buddhism has been created by multiple agents in a variety of times and places. His position is critical but empathetic: while he presents Buddhist modernism as a construction of numerous parties with varying interests, he does not reduce it to a mistake, a misrepresentation, or fabrication. Rather, he presents it as a complex historical process constituted by a variety of responses -- sometimes trivial, often profound -- to some of the most important concerns of the modern era.

How to Meditate Like a Buddhist

How to Meditate Like a Buddhist PDF Author: Cynthia Kane
Publisher: Hierophant Publishing
ISBN: 1950253015
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 178

Book Description
A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners. No religion or spiritual movement is more known for its association with meditation than Buddhism. Yet, in the Western world there has been very little comprehensive instruction available on this integral practice in book form—until now. In How to Meditate Like a Buddhist, best-selling author and certified meditation instructor Cynthia Kane demystifies this ancient practice and gently teaches you everything you need to know about building a meditation practice that works for you, including detailed guidance on posture, breathing, mindset, overcoming common obstacles, and more. Informed by her own journey and professional training, Kane has distilled the fundamentals of Buddhist meditation into a clear, instructive guide. With her expertise and encouragement, you will learn how to establish a foundational meditation practice that can help you: • Release stress, anxiety, and overwhelm • Change your relationship to unhelpful thoughts and emotions • Rediscover the quiet stillness that lies inside you • Experience greater peace, tranquility, and connection with yourself and others If you are ready to learn how to meditate like a Buddhist, this compact yet powerful book is the perfect place to start.

Rethinking Success

Rethinking Success PDF Author: J. Douglas Holladay
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0062897896
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 184

Book Description
The founder and CEO of Path North, Georgetown University professor, and former White House advisor teaches you how to find meaning, balance, and purpose throughout your career while reaching the highest levels of professional achievement—how to do well without losing yourself. Throughout his illustrious career, J. Douglas Holladay has taught generations of executives as well as students in his popular MBA course at Georgetown how to use a holistic approach to defining and reaching success in life and business. Success does not come with an instruction manual. Too often “successful” people end up feeling empty, isolated, and depressed because they have lost focus on what is most important in their lives. Rethinking Success can help anyone, no matter their field, maintain the practices and values that keep them in tune with their most cherished beliefs throughout their careers. Drawn from the insights of his network of famous friends as well as his experiences as an investment banker, White House advisor, diplomat, longtime business professor, and non-profit consultant, the advice in Rethinking Success is centered around eight essential questions we must ask ourselves regularly to stay focused, connected, and joyful throughout our working lives. Filled with essential wisdom, Rethinking Success is a powerful guide that allows us to do well while staying in tune with the values and beliefs that are most important to us.

The No-Nonsense Meditation Book

The No-Nonsense Meditation Book PDF Author: Steven Laureys
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472980506
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 225

Book Description
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER As featured in New Scientist: 'Meditation could retune our brains and help us cope with the long-term effects of the pandemic' 'Readers in search of an introduction to mindfulness that's free of woo-woo promises should look no further.' Publishers Weekly 'For a boost to your wellbeing don't miss the brilliant The No-Nonsense Meditation Book, which unites brain science with practical tips' – Stylist Rigorously researched and deeply illuminating, world-leading neurologist Dr Steven Laureys works with celebrated meditators to scientifically prove the positive impact meditation has on our brains. Dr Steven Laureys has conducted ground-breaking research into human consciousness for more than 20 years. For this bestselling book, translated into seven languages worldwide, Steven explores the effect of meditation on the brain, using hard science to explain the benefits of a practice that was once thought of as purely spiritual. The result is a highly accessible, scientifically questioning guide to meditation, designed to open the practice to a broader audience. A mix of fascinating science, inspiring anecdote and practical exercises, this accessible book offers thoroughly researched evidence that meditation can have a positive impact on all our lives.