Form Of Spiritual Practice Research Articles

Духовные практики современной молодежи: социологический анализ

Spiritual practices are one of the promising and underdeveloped areas of sociological analysis, which at the current stage of development of Russian society is becoming especially relevant as a topic of public discus-sions and scientific research. The article presents the results of the initiative survey conducted among young people living in Moscow. The main categories of spiritual practices are identified: those implying direct and timely impact on the human body, practices of spiritual development and self-education, practices of social interaction. Their demand among young people was determined. To improve their spiritual world, young peo-ple most often use the following methods: hobbies, contemplation of the beauty of the world, introspection and broadening of their horizons. The overwhelming majority of respondents connect spiritual development directly with doing something they love. It is noteworthy that for half of the respondents the most frequently used form of spiritual practice is helping people around them. Body-related practices are inferior to other spiritual activi-ties. The results of federal surveys and the experience of theoretical and methodological research of these cat-egories are presented.

Moral education as the practice of virtue

Abstract This article proposes to reconceive moral education on the model of spiritual practice. Such an education would be defined not by its content—that is, explicit instruction about moral rules or particular virtues—but rather by the form of its constituent activities. Drawing on the works of both Plato and Foucault, the article addresses questions about the epistemic complexity of virtue raised in Mark E. Jonas and Yoshiaka Nakzawa’s A Platonic Theory of Moral Education. It then goes on to suggest that the form of spiritual practice is uniquely suited to the cultivation of virtue understood on their Platonic model.

Philosophy for children as a form of spiritual education

In the last two decades, some authors in the philosophy for children movement have theorized that the community of philosophical inquiry can be a form of spiritual practice, of the care of the self, or a wisdom practice (De Marzio, 2009; Gregory, 2009, 2013, 2014;Gregory & Laverty, 2009). Yet, it is unclear if philosophy for children is, by itself, a form of spiritual education, or if it requires some sorts of modification to be one. And, if it is or can be a form of spiritual education, we can interrogate in what ways and to what extent is it one. It is these questions that this text aims to explore. To do so, we will first clarify the meaning of spiritual education through the presentation of two authors who have explicitly written on that topic. The first is Parker J. Palmer, who has developed a perspective on what it means to reclaim the spiritual roots of education, derived from his study and practice of Quaker spirituality. The second is Pierre Hadot, who has explored how the practice of philosophy in Western antiquity was a form of spiritual exercise. From our presentation of these two authors will emerge a particular perspective of what spiritual education means. In the last section of the text we will use this presentation to examine in what ways philosophy for children can be a form of spiritual education and if requires adaptations to be one.

Toward an Integrative Model of Psychospiritual Therapy: Bringing Spirituality and Psychotherapy Together.

As a supervisor-educator for the Canadian Association of Spiritual Care, my primary task is to help developing spiritual care providers and psychospiritual therapists learn how to use psychotherapy within the field of spiritual care. The purpose of this essay is to share a psychospiritual model that I teach my students that helps them see how psychospiritual therapy is a form of spiritual practice that helps their clients experience healing from the sacred.

Ayahuasca Users in Estonia: Ceremonial Practices, Subjective Long-Term Effects, Mental Health, and Quality of Life

ABSTRACT The study aims to describe ayahuasca users in Estonia and compare their mental health and quality of life to those of nonusers. Ceremonial practices, motivation for ayahuasca use, use-related experiences, and subjective consequences of use are described. We conducted a cross-sectional case-controlled study of thirty ayahuasca users and thirty nonusers matched by gender, age, and education. The participants completed questionnaires, standardized psychometric tests, and neuropsychiatric interviews. Ayahuasca use in Estonia occurred mainly in (neo)shamanic group ceremonies. The main motives for ayahuasca use were spiritual development, self-knowledge, and spiritual experiences. The users reported mostly positive subjective consequences of ayahuasca use for their health and life. However, some difficult experiences and adverse effects were reported. No abuse of ayahuasca or addiction to it was found. Screening test indicators of depression and anxiety were lower in the ayahuasca-using group. No deterioration of the mental health of ayahuasca users in comparison to nonusers was found. The participants perceive their use of ayahuasca as a spiritual practice with mostly favorable outcomes for their health and life. They also perceive ayahuasca use in Estonia as a reasonably safe and self-limiting form of spiritual practice.

Haiku, Spiritual Exercises, and Bioethics

Pierre Hadot has discussed the deep connections between ancient Western philosophy and spiritual exercises. The author appreciates these connections, but he explains why he explored a different path. He began to write haiku as a form of spiritual practice. He wanted to use these short verses to become more mindful, present, and responsive – in his life and in his work in bioethics. After comparing traditional haiku and modern haiku, the author gives some examples from classical sources. Then he considers how reading and writing haiku might help bioethics to focus less on deliberation and choice, and more on attention and perception. Haiku might help bioethics to attend to the contexts, life conditions, and lifeworlds that shape and situate people’s lives. These short poems might even illuminate some of the backgrounds and existential grounds of ethical life. At the end, the author presents some haiku that he wrote about modern life, young children, older adults, illness, medicine, and death.

Feminist Activism as Interfaith Dialogue: A Lesson from Gangjeong Village of Jeju Island, Korea

How do the religious engage with one another in Gangjeong village, Jeju when faced with the perceived threat to peace and human security presented by the construction of a naval base in the village? How do their religious teachings and spiritual practices motivate them to actively participate in peace activism? Exploring women’s roles in peace activism at Gangjeong, this essay suggests the dialogue of peacemaking activism informed by feminist activism as a desirable model for interfaith dialogue in Korea. Feminist activism is understood as a way of constructing shared power relations in every part of human society. Considering Korea’s particular geopolitics (i.e. ideological division and excessive militarization of Asia Pacific), this essay argues that first, the Korean religious should pay attention to the role of patriarchal masculinity in militarism and interfaith dialogue; second that a Korean model of dialogue in peace activism should incorporate gender perspectives by seriously considering women’s day-to-day activities as forms of spiritual practice; and third, that those who participate in the dialogue of peace activism should seek out practical ways of creating shared power relations among all living beings and liberate themselves from the fear fed by militarism.

Experience of gratitude, awe and beauty in life among patients with multiple sclerosis and psychiatric disorders.

BackgroundFeelings of gratitude and awe facilitate perceptions and cognitions that go beyond the focus of illness and include positive aspects of one’s personal and interpersonal reality, even in the face of disease. We intended to measure feelings of gratitude, awe, and experiences of beauty in life among patients with multiple sclerosis and psychiatric disorders, particularly with respect to their engagement in specific spiritual/religious practices and their life satisfaction.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional survey with standardized questionnaires to measure engagement in various spiritual practices (SpREUK-P) and their relation to experiences of Gratitude, Awe and Beauty in Life and life satisfaction (BMLSS-10). In total, 461 individuals (41 ± 13 years; 68% women) with multiple sclerosis (46%) and depressive (22%) or other psychiatric disorders (32%) participated.ResultsAmong participants, 23% never, 43% rarely, 24% often, and 10% frequently experienced Gratitude. In contrast, 41% never, 37% rarely, 17% often, and 6% frequently experienced Awe. Beauty in Life was never experienced by 8% of the sample, and 28% rarely, 46% often, and 18% frequently experienced it. Gratitude (F = 9.2; p = .003) and Beauty in Life (F = 6.0; p = .015) were experienced significantly more often by women than men. However, the experience of Awe did not differ between women and men (F = 2.2; n.s.). In contrast to our hypothesis, Gratitude/Awe cannot explain any relevant variance in patients’ life satisfaction (R2 = .04). Regression analyses (R2 = .42) revealed that Gratitude/Awe can be predicted best by a person’s engagement in religious practices, followed by other forms of spiritual practices and life satisfaction. Female gender was a weak predictor and underlying disease showed no effect.ConclusionsGratitude/Awe could be regarded as a life orientation towards noticing and appreciating the positive in life - despite the symptoms of disease. Positive spirituality/religiosity seems to be a source of gratitude and appreciation in life, whereas patients with neither spiritual nor religious sentiments (R-S-) seem to have a lower awareness for these feelings.

The Phenomenon of Jewish Buddhists in Light of the History of Jewish Suffering

Studies on the practice of Buddhism in the West clearly show that, ever since the 1960s, Buddhism has won a significant following from individuals of Jewish background. This article explores the links between Jewish adoption of Buddhism (as a form of spiritual practice, philosophy, therapy or overarching religion) and the pains of Jewish history, and proposes that conversion may be an attempt to disassociate one's self not only from her or his own Jewishness, but from the entire Abrahamic religious model. At the same time, the trend is confronted by its countertrend, by which the disassociation from Judaism for the sake of engagement with Buddhism often seems to be temporary, partial, or both. It is argued that in such instances, engagement with Buddhism may serve post-Holocaust needs for spiritual convalescence while at the same time instilling a pluralistic spirit that holds vicarious ramifications for Jewish attitudes towards and relations with other faiths, Abrahamic and non-Abrahamic alike.

Patients' views of CAM as spiritual practice

Objectives This paper explores Danish cancer patients’ narratives on spiritual beliefs, practices and the relationship these practices may have to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Design Narrative inquiry was used to understand how spiritual beliefs and practices might be related to CAM. Thirty-two cancer patients, family, friends and alternative practitioners were followed up over a two year period by face to face interview, telephone and focus groups. Results Although religious and spiritual issues were not manifestly expressed by many of the subjects, these issues were significantly elaborated upon in narratives by four female participants to warrant more detailed consideration and analysis. Conclusion It is suggested that for some cancer patients CAM may function, not just as a treatment for cancer related symptoms and side effects, but also as a form of spiritual practice. For some individuals a belief in the ‘spiritual’ role of CAM per se may be analogous to religious belief.

Transcending the News: Religious Ambivalence Among the Famous Journalist-Literary Figures and Literature as the Uncertain Path to Immortality

Journalists in the work-a-day world have few opportunities to muse publicly about their religious beliefs or struggles. As a result, some of the most telling tales of journalists' feelings about religion and spirituality come from the accounts of the impressive number of British and American literary figures who began their careers as journalists but who came to express themselves most intimately in fiction. As part of a study of 189 of these well-known figures, this article focuses on how they expressed their religious and spiritual views in their journalism and their literature and how this reflected cultural attitudes that have become prominent within the journalism profession. Although many of these great journalist-literary figures are famous for their heterodox views and their antipathy for institutional religion, many continued to search for spiritual meaning in the private realm of faith and by exploring alternative and unconventional forms of spiritual practice.

Spirituality and the Integrity of Theology

How spirituality is defined depends on prior theological assumptions and conversely reinforces or subverts certain understandings of theology. Spirituality often prioritises inwardness over outward engagement. This underscores a contrast between the sacred conceived as "wholly other" and the everyday world. However, spirituality also questions what theology conventionally understands by "knowledge". For example, classic themes in spirituality, "contemplation" and "discernment", need to be recovered specifically as ways of knowing rather than simply devotional practices. These call into question a reductionist understanding of theology as the quest for detached knowledge rather than practical wisdom, a way of life, or, properly understood, itself a form of spiritual practice.

Make-Believe: Spiritual Practice, Embodiment, and Sacred Space

In this paper I examine different forms of spiritual practice which seek to (re)enchant the everyday and the ordinary. By considering the duality of sacred and profane as the relational outcome of both embodied action and the action of other objects or things that are nominally valued as profane, an account is sought which acknowledges the corporeal enacting and sensing of the sacred both in and of the everyday. Taking empirical examples from New Age spiritual seekers, I trace the ways in which profane spatialities and temporalities are reconfigured into sacred topologies and how these seekers realise spiritual enlightenment through a reinhabited appropriation or articulation of the world. The source of signification of this spiritual comportment lies in embodied practices of the everyday that are sensed as the spiritually ‘correct’ or ‘true’ way of doing things. New ways of thinking everyday spiritual practice are thus sought and elaborated upon.

Buddhist? Christian? Both? Neither?

I was in my early twenties when I was introduced to Zen practice, under the guidance of Zen Master Yamada Koun, less than a year after I had arrived in Japan as a Jesuit seminarian preparing for ordination to the priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church. My earlier Jesuit training in the Philippines had already initiated me into the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, a monthlong rigorous program of meditative and contemplative practice that culminates in what is known as the Contemplatio ad Amorem. This is a feature of the exercises whereby one simply basks in the presence of that Divine Love that undergirds each and every element in this universe. This practice brings the exercitant right at the core of the very mystical experience of Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus. Each Jesuit undergoes these exercises soon after entry into the order, and is thereby oriented to a form of spiritual practice that can nourish one’s entire life from that point on, enabling each one to dispose of oneself totally to the beckoning of this Love. The Jesuit then takes vows of poverty, celibate chastity, and obedience to one’s superiors, offering oneself toward the service of one’s fellow beings on this earth through the Church. This was all in the background as I encountered Zen. In my first formal meeting with Yamada Roshi, I was given the koan Mu as the keystone for my practice. Shortly after, I was sitting in my room one afternoon at the language school in Kamakura, relaxing after coming back from a daylong Zen session at San-Un Zendo and having had a dokusan (formal interview) with Yamada Roshi earlier that afternoon. All of a sudden, something flashed through my whole being and overpowered me, leading to loud bursts of laughter and tears. I remember going out of my room and running up and down the corridor and to the next floor, knocking on Father Hand’s door, wanting to tell him excitedly, but not knowing exactly what to say, unable to control the laughter. One way I can describe what happened at this point is that in one flash of an instant, I understood, in a rather direct and intimate way—that is, from within—what was behind the intriguing half-smile of the Buddha figures we see in sculptures and paintings. I called Yamada Roshi’s

:The Light in Their Consciences: Early Quakers in Britain, 1646-1666

The Society of Friends, also known as the Quakers, originated in England during the civil wars of the mid-seventeenth century. Early Quakers have been variously described as founders of a fundamentally new form of spiritual practice, as the radical end of the Protestant Reformation, and as political revolutionaries. In The Light in Their Consciences, which recounts the earliest history of the Friends in England, Rosemary Moore suggests that all of these characterizations are accurate and can help us grasp the true significance of Quakerism. Moore offers compelling portraits of the leading figures of the Quaker movement, notably George Fox, James Nayler, and Margaret Fell. She shows their interrelationships and documents the emergence of George Fox as the leading Friend, relying not so much on Fox's own proclamations as on the perceptions of both his followers and his enemies as reflected in correspondence and printed pamphlets. Moore also charts the growth of a genuine denominational consciousness among Friends. This leads her to continue her account past the customary stopping point of 1660-the Restoration of Charles II-up through 1666. It was in that year that Fox initiated major organizational reforms that signaled the true dividing line between the early charismatic Quaker movement and the introverted sect of the later seventeenth century. The Light in Their Consciences combines a lively narrative with impeccable research. Moore draws upon unprecedented computer-based analysis of all the contemporary Quaker and anti-Quaker literature. Her account will interest historians, theologians, and members of the Society of Friends throughout the world.

Wrestling with a Wounding Word: Reading the Disjointed Lines of African American Spirituality

This essay examines African American spirituality as a complex web of arguments constituted by and shaped around a struggle with Christianity. With these arguments, this essay examines the dominant way in which Afro‐American spirituality is defined, along the lines of an essential African reality. This definition is shown to be a part of the struggle against Christianity. The positing of this essentialist definition is also a form of spiritual practice which points to a deep longing for freedom from the continuing power of the colonialist’s theologically derogatory vision of the African. However the effect of this definition is to render all Christian articulation and expression of the African transparent, pointing always and only to their blackness. Thus Afro‐spirituality as it is commonly articulated re‐establishes the colonialist vision of the African as always presenting a theological alterity, an inauthentic Christian.