Belmont University
A Literary Analysis Of The Origin Of Human Embryonic Stem Cells, Its Advancements, Philosophical, Ethical, Sociocultural, And Political Aspects; An Investigation Of The Underlying Attributes That Affect One’S Views On Hesc Research To Resolve Turkey And Brazil’S Hesc Policy, Religious, And Cultural Conflicts, Haleema Shamsuddin
Honors Scholars Collaborative Projects
Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are cells derived from 5-day human embryos and are self-renewing cell lines that change into any type of cell in the body, a trait called pluripotency. hESCs have almost unlimited clinical and medical research potential. Despite the great therapeutic promise of hESC research, it comes with a controversial ethical debate due to its involvement with the destruction of the human embryo. The central argument revolves around the question of whether or not these human embryos should be ascribed equal moral status to fully developed humans. This thesis aims to analyze the origin and advancements of …
Case Study: Religion, Socialism And Secularization In Modern Japan: The New Buddhist Fellowship,
2021
Bucknell University
Case Study: Religion, Socialism And Secularization In Modern Japan: The New Buddhist Fellowship, James Mark Shields
Faculty Contributions to Books
No abstract provided.
Skanda, The Multifaceted God: Skanda In Korean Buddhism And Beyond,
2021
DePauw University
Skanda, The Multifaceted God: Skanda In Korean Buddhism And Beyond, Su Jung Kim
Religious Studies Faculty publications
This article focuses on the worship of Skanda in Korean Buddhism, particularly Skanda depicted in Sinjung t’aenghwa (the Paintings of the Guardian Deities). In order to contextualize this complex pan-Asian god, the article tackles two different and yet related issues: while it chronologically presents Skanda’s transformation in Korean Buddhsm, the discussion also weaves Skanda with other Asian traditions to explain the functional aspects of Skanda worship that are cross-culturally found across time. The article demonstrates that even though a sinified version of Skanda worship dominated in Korean Buddhism, Korean interpretations of Skanda made significant connections with the Indian leitmotif of …
A Buddhist-Informed Conceptual Framework For Compassion Fatigue Prevention,
2021
Portland State University
A Buddhist-Informed Conceptual Framework For Compassion Fatigue Prevention, Andrei A. Agapi
University Honors Theses
The purpose of this thesis is to present Buddhist meditation practices and modes of investigation that can mitigate compassion fatigue, some of which have not yet been acknowledged in this research field. Conducting a literature review, I found multiple frameworks for compassion fatigue that have different and sometimes contradictory causes, and a lack of clear differentiation between sympathy, empathy and compassion. Both of these aspects are explored. I explain the Buddhist approach to compassion, and the cause of fatigue from a Yogachara philosophical perspective. Then, I write about a bodhisattva’s training in no-self, the five-aggregate model of mind, Chenrezig practice, …
The Passing Show,
2021
University of Massachusetts Amherst
The Passing Show, Kathryn Fanelli
Masters Theses
The Passing Show, examines the interface between contemplative practices and the destabilizing effect of the carnivalesque. A repurposed early 20th century merry-go- round is reconfigured as a conceptual vehicle for renewing our attention to removing hindrances. The site-specific installation, titled Vimoksha, is viewed through the lens of the radical imaginary, investigating notions of karmic inheritance through a heuristic approach to material processes, personal history, kinetics and sound.
Using Mathematical Equations To Communicate And Think About Karma,
2021
University of Texas at El Paso
Using Mathematical Equations To Communicate And Think About Karma, Kien H. Lim, Christopher Yakes
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
Two equations are presented in this article to communicate a particular understanding of karma. The first equation relates future experiences to past and present actions. Although the equation uses variables and mathematical symbols such as the integral sign and summation symbol, it reads more like a literal translation of an English sentence. Based on the key idea in the first equation, a second equation is then created to highlight the viability of using math to communicate concepts that are not readily quantifiable. Analyzing such equations can stimulate thinking, enhance understanding of spiritual concepts, raise issues, and uncover tensions between our …
Reflections On “To Study The Self Is To Forget The Self’: Zen Lessons On Ego And Leadership In Higher Education”,
2021
James Madison University
Reflections On “To Study The Self Is To Forget The Self’: Zen Lessons On Ego And Leadership In Higher Education”, Jody Condit Fagan
Libraries
Stuart Lachs kindly wrote a response to my conference paper, “To study the self is to forget the self’: Zen lessons on ego and leadership in higher education” (Fagan, 2020), which led to a highly fruitful correspondence and an expansion on my thinking related to Zen, ego, and Zen practice in America today. Conversations with fellow practitioners and follow-up readings have also continued to shape my thinking. This response paper summarizes my reflections.
The Illusion Of Self Revisited: Replies To Critics,
2021
San Jose State University
The Illusion Of Self Revisited: Replies To Critics, Karsten J. Struhl
Comparative Philosophy
Anand Vaidya, Sean Smith, and Mark Siderits have presented thoughtful comments and provocative challenges to my article “What Kind of an Illusion is the Illusion of Self?” Their challenges raise significant questions about the nature of illusion, whether Buddhism is denying the self in all senses of the term, whether there could be a self that exists for some limited duration of time and has at least some measure of control, whether there is a phenomenal illusion of self, whether the neuropsychological assumptions embedded in Thomas Metzinger’s Phenomenal Self Model is consistent with Buddhist metaphysics, the usefulness of evolutionary psychology …
Is The Self Really That Kind Of Illusion?,
2021
San Jose State University
Is The Self Really That Kind Of Illusion?, Anand J. Vaidya
Comparative Philosophy
Karsten Struhl has offered an intriguing account of what kind of illusion the self is. His account is based on Buddhist philosophy, neuropsychology, and neuroscience. This critical notice examines his arguments, and aims to question whether or not the self is the kind of illusion Struhl argues it to be.
Buddhist Modernism, Scientific Explanation, And The Self,
2021
San Jose State University
Buddhist Modernism, Scientific Explanation, And The Self, Sean Smith
Comparative Philosophy
No abstract provided.
Born Believer?,
2021
San Jose State University
Empty Or Emergent Persons? A Critique Of Buddhist Personalism,
2021
San Jose State University
Empty Or Emergent Persons? A Critique Of Buddhist Personalism, Javier Hidalgo
Comparative Philosophy
In contrast to Buddhist Reductionists who deny the ultimate existence of the persons, Buddhist Personalists claim that persons are ultimately real in some important sense. Recently, some philosophers have offered philosophical reconstructions of Buddhist Personalism. In this paper, I critically evaluate one philosophical reconstruction of Buddhist Personalism according to which persons are irreducible to the parts that constitute them. Instead, persons are emergent entities and have novel properties that are distinct from the properties of their constituents. While this emergentist interpretation is an interesting and well-motivated reconstruction of the Personalist position, I ultimately reject it on substantive grounds. I distinguish …
Bernice Lee Bing’S Art And Spiritual Practice,
2021
CUNY Hunter College
Bernice Lee Bing’S Art And Spiritual Practice, Lin Ma
Theses and Dissertations
Living and working in northern California between the late 1950s and 1990s, abstract painter Bernice Lee Bing practiced Zen, Nichiren, and Nyingma Buddhism. This thesis studies what the visual and conceptual impact of these spiritual practices had on her abstract and visionary paintings.
Los Budas Y El Lenguaje Corporal: El Tropo Literario De La Sonrisa Del Buda,
2021
Linfield University
Los Budas Y El Lenguaje Corporal: El Tropo Literario De La Sonrisa Del Buda, David Fiordalis
Faculty Publications
Este ensayo explora cómo retrata la literatura budista clásica la sonrisa del Buda. La sonrisa del Buda es un gesto no verbal, y para entender su significado debemos emplear un enfoque teórico que la trate como tal. La multimodalidad puede proporcionar tal enfoque. Un conjunto emergente de investigación psicológica ha argumentado que la sonrisa es un gesto humano universal conectado a un grupo limitado de estados emocionales, pero reconocer que las sonrisas pueden ser actos voluntarios destaca la importancia del contexto situacional. Dado que la sonrisa del Buda nos llega desde un contexto histórico y cultural ajeno a la evidencia …
方• 圓 Between Square And Circle,
2021
Sotheby's Institute of Art
方• 圓 Between Square And Circle, Xin Tong
MA Projects
Since ancient times, rarely have there been any motifs that can transcend the fetters of time, space, race, religion, territory as well as tradition, becoming cultural symbols, cultural prototypes, and cultural conception in broad terms, while the Mandala being one of them, a prototypical motif with superb transcendence. As the famous Swiss psychologist Jung has mentioned in his book, The Secret of the Golden Flower, Mandala is a magic ring, which, being a symbol, is not only widely spread in the whole East, but also common in the Middle Ages of his place, and the East undoubtedly has the most …
Saving Our Planet Through Faith: A Buddhist-Christian Response,
2021
Loyola Marymount University
Saving Our Planet Through Faith: A Buddhist-Christian Response, Guillermo Gonzalez
Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies
The main topic of this essay is how certain attributes and teachings from Christianity and Buddhism can inform us of what path we can take to combat global climate change. Although environmental work is not limited to these traditions, this paper aims to point out the teachings that help understand our role as humans as interconnected within these two traditions. One of the main points that are made for Christianity is a reinterpretation of Imago Dei which is explained in detail in the first section. In short, Imago Dei is the idea that human beings are made in the image …
Challenging Bias Against Women Academics In Religion,
2021
University of San Diego
Challenging Bias Against Women Academics In Religion, Karma Lekshe Tsomo Phd
Theology and Religious Studies: Faculty Scholarship
In today’s world, people access knowledge instantaneously on Internet-connected devices such as laptops, smartphones, and smart televisions. We can ask Siri and Alexa any question imaginable while driving or cooking a meal. The source for this readily accessible information is a changing array of digital, tertiary knowledge-sharing platforms. The day-to-day decisions we make, along with our opinions and views of the world, are shaped by the knowledge we glean from these sources. Bias exists on these digital platforms and matters, especially to underrepresented and oppressed populations, such as women and people of color. This volume attends to bias in knowledge …
Buddhas And Body Language: The Literary Trope Of The Buddha's Smile,
2021
Linfield University
Buddhas And Body Language: The Literary Trope Of The Buddha's Smile, David Fiordalis
Faculty Publications
This essay explores how classical Buddhist literature, across a variety of traditional genres, portrays the wondrous smile of the Buddha. Despite its literary register, the Buddha’s smile is first and foremost a nonverbal gesture, and if we are to understand its significance, then we must employ a theoretical approach that treats it as such. Multimodality provides such an approach. While an emergent body of psychological research has argued that the smile is a universal human gesture connected to a rather limited set of emotional states like happiness, the recognition that smiles can be voluntary acts highlights the importance of situational …
Righteous Remixes, Sacred Mashups: Rethinking Authority, Authenticity, And Originality In The Study Of Religion,
2021
University of Denver
Righteous Remixes, Sacred Mashups: Rethinking Authority, Authenticity, And Originality In The Study Of Religion, Seth M. Walker
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This dissertation sets out to place emergent theories of “remix” in conversation with scholarship exploring changes in the definitions and practices associated with the word “religion.” Through particular case studies, the dissertation analyzes the ways that certain contemporary creators, writers, and influencers have emerged as constructors of contemporary Buddhism. Specifically building upon the critiques of religion put forth by Jonathan Z. Smith, Russell T. McCutcheon, Brent Nongbri, Jane Iwamura, and others, I am concerned with how individuals who are not part of the religious studies scholarly community participate in the processes of constructing religion, and in this case, in constructing …
Metta, Mudita, And Metal: Dhamma Instruments In Burmese Buddhism,
2020
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Metta, Mudita, And Metal: Dhamma Instruments In Burmese Buddhism, Gavin D. Douglas
Yale Journal of Music & Religion
Bells, gongs, and other dhamma instruments offer valuable insights into the role of sound in Buddhist practice. Participation in musical events in the Theravada Buddhist world is deemed inappropriate for devote laity and for those who have taken monastic vows. The seventh Buddhist precept implores monks “to abstain from dancing, singing, and music,” yet Buddhist monasteries and pagodas are sonically vibrant places that contain a wide variety of layered bells, gongs, chants, and prayers sculpting the sonic environment. This study examines the soundscape of Burmese Buddhist social space and argues that these sounds are essential to understanding the lived practice …
