Silent Place Research Articles

Inaudible Lessons: Interpreting the Amplitude of Silence in the Lotus Sutra

Articulation is positively the crux of Buddhism. For this reason, distinguishing the significance of silence from the dialogic teachings and vocal practices that shape the religion is a rewarding enterprise. While grounded in a close reading of the Lotus Sutra, this academic paper references The Holy Teaching of Vimalakīrti, The Awakened One: A Life of the Buddha by Sherab Chödzin Kohn, and Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. By interpreting at length instances of silence in the Lotus Sutra — from narrative setting to edifying content — the Buddha’s motivation behind his wordlessness gradually unfolds and emerges as a pregnant counter-device to sound. The appreciation of silence as ‘non-sound’ and an all-encompassing state allows insight into the implications of the Buddha sitting in silence, his silent agreement, and his respect for those who preach to a silent place. Essentially, to demonstrate how lessons communicated by the Buddha in words are also delivered in his silence is the objective of this essay.

Vocal Distortion as One of the Speaker's Means of Attenuation


 Most human societies shy away from indicative words or expressions of embarrassing meanings contrary to their social knowledge; therefore, they express their desired meaning decently and indirectly by various means, including the use of metaphors in the use of words and the use of phonetic distortion.
 This research seeks to monitor a number of linguistic evidence that has been distorted by the sound structure, especially those evidence where attentuation is a major motive in the distortion of its structure. The misrepresentation here is a silent change in a silent place in the word generally speaking; that is, in its whole sense, whether the change of voice is consistent with the rules that old linguists have accepted or are inconsistent.
 The research has been divided into two parts: theoretical and applied. The practical aspect has dealt with the issue of moderation: its concept, motives and methods. The practical section has come to monitor and analyze some of the words that have been distorted by voice where the social dimension of the speaker has been a major reason for distortion.
 
 

Progettare il silenzio. Una lettura acustica dell’ex villaggio sanatoriale Morelli a Sondalo

The sanatorium Morelli was built in Sondalo during the fascist era (1932-1940). The strong visual impact of the structure is counterbalanced by a delicate acoustic approach, made necessary by the need to create silent places for supporting medical treatments. The project of “silence” is not only the result of a punitive stance, which simply intends to reduce sound emissions, but above all the effect of a positive attitude, aiming at selecting specific sounds, in accordance with the social and environmental characteristics of place. This produces the sense of participation and identification of the users, generating collective cares and protection. That of Morelli, indeed, is a relevant lesson for the contemporary reflection, with a view to finding good strategies for soundscape design.

Network-centered homeostasis through inhibition maintains hippocampal spatial map and cortical circuit function.

SummaryDespite ongoing experiential change, neural activity maintains remarkable stability. Although this is thought to be mediated by homeostatic plasticity, what aspect of neural activity is conserved and how the flexibility necessary for learning and memory is maintained is not fully understood. Experimental studies suggest that there exists network-centered, in addition to the well-studied neuron-centered, control. Here we computationally study such a potential mechanism: input-dependent inhibitory plasticity (IDIP). In a hippocampal model, we show that IDIP can explain the emergence of active and silent place cells as well as remapping following silencing of active place cells. Furthermore, we show that IDIP can also stabilize recurrent dynamics while preserving firing rate heterogeneity and stimulus representation, as well as persistent activity after memory encoding. Hence, the establishment of global network balance with IDIP has diverse functional implications and may be able to explain experimental phenomena across different brain areas.

Gothic soundscapes and rhythm in Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories

Poe’s tales, though set in decaying, gloomy and silent places, are particularly sonorous. While several sound patterns are prototypical of the gothic (gusts of wind, shutting doors, absolute silence…), others denote Poe’s interest in uncanny sound perception and illusion. Acuteness of the senses is taken to an extreme, and the sounds of death take on a new dimension. Hearing the dead as well as the living, narrators are perpetually on the brink of insanity and draw their readers into a world rhythmed by sounding clocks, hissing pendulums and unstoppable heartbeats. Binary and ternary rhythms alternate, and it is ultimately in their composition that the tales show Poe’s mastery of rhythmic patterns and of their impact on the reading experience. Self-interruptions, refrains and other rhythmic strategies give the tales a dizzying quality, keeping the reader in a perpetual state of suspense.

Spanish prepositions and silent <small>PLACE</small>

In this work I investigate the syntax and interpretation of two groups of spatial prepositions in Spanish: “small” Ps (e.g. bajo ‘under’) and “big” Ps (e.g. debajo ‘DE.under’). I show that small versus big Ps display a series of asymmetries, such as the (in)ability to take bare nominals and the (un)availability of coordination and adverb intervention. I propose that these contrasts can be derived under the hypothesis that small Ps select a single nominal complement, whereas big Ps select a more complex Possessor-Possessum structure, where the nominal occupies a specifier position, acting as the possessor of a silent PLACE element. Furthermore, I argue that unifying big Ps (but crucially not small Ps) with possessive structures accounts for the delimited versus non-delimited interpretation of these Ps.

Network-Centered Homeostasis Through Inhibition Maintains Hippocampal Spatial Map and Cortical Circuit Function

Despite ongoing experiential change, neural activity maintains remarkable stability. Such stability is thought to be mediated by homeostatic plasticity and is deemed to be critical for normal neural function. However, what aspect of neural activity does homeostatic plasticity conserve, and how it still maintains the flexibility necessary for learning and memory, is not fully understood. Homeostatic plasticity is often studied in the context of neuron-centered control, where the deviations from the target activity for each individual neuron are suppressed. However, experimental studies suggest that there are additional, network-centered mechanisms. These may act through the inhibitory neurons, due to their dense network connectivity. Here we use a computational framework to study a potential mechanism for such homeostasis, using experimentally inspired, input-dependent inhibitory plasticity (IDIP). In a hippocampal CA1 spiking model, we show that IDIP in combination with place tuned input can explain the formation of active and silent place cells, as well as place cells remapping following optogenetic silencing of active place cells. Furthermore, we show that IDIP can also stabilise recurrent network dynamics, as well as preserve network firing rate heterogeneity and stimulus representation. Interestingly, in an associative memory task, IDIP facilitates persistent activity after memory encoding, in line with some experimental data. Hence, the establishment of global network balance with IDIP has diverse functional implications and may be able to explain experimental phenomena across different brain areas. Finally, we make testable experimental predictions.

Wacana Pariwisata Bali Dalam Pusaran Pandemi Covid-19

Balinese people still depend on economy on tourism sector. This could become big problems because during Covid-19 pandemic, tourists are still not allowed to to visit other countries, especially Indonesia.This research used three theories, namely Michel Foucalt’s Power and Knowledge Theory, Jacques Derrida’s Deconstruction Theory, and Antonio Gramsci’s Hegemony Theory. The big swirl of the Covid-19 pandemic gave impacts to the tourism industry, agriculture, and other macro and micro sectors in Bali. Many tourism attractions experienced a decrease. This situa- tion became a tourism discourse that was very interesting to be studied.The Bali public which was very crowded with tourists has turned into a silent place. However, this pandemic would end although they are not sure when, but the people in Bali have their own way to survive. Many of them sell food and do other business.The effect of the Covid-19 pandemic closes many hotels and restaurants, work termination and finally, this leads to the people’s economy. This situation is explored deeper outside the shining tourism, that the needs of new jobs, food security, and education access are needed by the Balinese behind the pandemic problems.

THE COMPREHENSION OF THE CONCEPTS OF NOISE AND SILENCE IN PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN

Acoustically ergonomic classrooms prevent teachers’ voice disorders and improve comprehension of learning instructions by pupils. High activity noise in the classroom, which increases voice loudness, is one of the most common complaints by teachers. The aim of the study was to find out how primary school children comprehend the concepts of noise and silence. Two hundred eighty five children representing Grade 1 to four were included in the study. Children were asked to draw how they imagine the silence and noise. Drawings were categorised in the following groups: sources of noise and silence, effects of noise and silence, noisy and silent places. Drawings imagining school environment were analysed separately. We found that primary school pupils can identify noise sources in the classroom, at home, and in environment. They can detect the impact of noise on the psycho-emotional state of the person. Children reflected a much more extensive range of noise generating activities than activities related to silence. The silence was mostly associated with sleeping and learning while noise with positive (singing, playing) and negative (screaming, fighting) actions.Not only teachers but also pupils should know about classroom acoustic ergonomics. Teachers’ education programs should provide education in ergonomics, and teachers should forward this knowledge to children.

The Raising of Lazarus—‘That green silent place where life and death are one.’

‘The Raising of Lazarus’ is explored with the help of Rainer Marie Rilke’s poem of that title. In particular, Franz Wright’s translation enters imaginatively into Jesus’ passionate desire that people should have the faith that does not need the resuscitation of corpses in order to realise the power of God’s spirit uniting his people across the border between life and death.

Phenomenology of Ma and Maai: An Interpretation of Zeami’s Body Cosmology from a Phenomenological Point of View

In this paper, I shall try to clarify from the standpoint of phenomenology, the essential features of the phenomenon of ma (間) and maai (間合い). I shall delineate their cultural and philosophical implications by interpreting the treatises of Noh by Motokiyo Zeami. Zeami was the most important Noh performer, playwright, and esthetic theorist. Ma is the physical/mental distance that prepares the advent of the future. It is a phenomenon which cannot be grasped by a dualistic conceptualization of object and subject; it is a phenomenon of temporalization which brings a future event and makes the present in the process of having been. Ma is an intersubjective occasion that provides us with an empty and silent place to encounter the other. Ma is the empty time–space that produces an event and rhythms. But rhythm is never a repetition of the same, but a return of the similar in a renewed form. Nature never produces the same thing, but renews things from times past. In this paper, I shall conclude that ma is finally defined as indivisible movement of life that articulates itself as rhythms; maai is an encounter of a power of life with another life. In Noh performance and martial arts, ma and maai have been attached importance because they are necessary conditions for artistic creation to renew the past and produce a return of the similar.

Places for silence and stillness in schools of today: A matter for educational policy

In this paper, it is my intention to not only explore the notions and significance of places for silence in education today, but also to develop insights into diverse understandings of silence – such as aspects of power in silence and issues of silent students – to inform school practices and educational policy. The discussion will be illustrated by some students’ experiences of a place in the school’s playground – the silent place known as the Peace Area. The students at this playground emphasised the significance of a silent place, a place of stillness, to visit during one’s time at school. A place for relaxing together with friends, but also a place to be alone with one’s thoughts. The students clearly expressed their desire to withdraw to a silent and peaceful place during the school day. But, how many places of silence and stillness are there in the schools of today? As humans, we are, in our daily life, more or less surrounded by different forms of sounds and noise, but also of silence and stillness, even though we do not always recognise or hear the silence. Silence can also be experienced and understood in various ways: pleasant and something to be longed for or unpleasant and unwelcome – or even in some cases as something to be feared. An essential question to raise for future educational policy is not only to what extent students can be in a place of silence and stillness during the school day, but also whether places of silence and stillness are appreciated in today’s schools.

Only in Silence

The oncology floor can be a silent place. Unlike the cardiology floor, with its insistent telemetry beeping, or the incessant bustle of the general ward below. Silence can be healing, and the oncology floor reveres all forms of healing it can find. Yet some voices ring loud on this floor. As an intern, I would grimace into my scut list as oncology attendings intoned dire diagnoses and exhorted still-reeling victims to altruistically enroll in clinical trials. I mutely ground my teeth listening to the relentless stream of probabilities and adverse reactions flooding into the shocked silence of a child baffled by his or her metamorphosis into a cancer patient between breakfast and lunch. The practiced script unwound, preemptively striking down every potential worry already foreseen. But sometimes what was unspoken was even worse. Silence can give patients space to comprehend, digest, formulate questions, and enunciate fears. I believe in the silence of the "great empty cup of attention." Still, ethics can founder in silence.

The position of case markers relative to possessive agreement

This paper inquires into two issues of Hungarian PPs. Firstly, when Hungarian pronouns bear an oblique case, the case marker must be followed by possessive agreement. Secondly, this pronoun-case-agreement order contrasts with the order found in garden variety possessive structures: ordinary possessive DPs feature the order noun-agreement-case. The goal of this paper is to offer an account of these puzzling phenomena. I argue that a PP structure in which PPs are projected from a silent place noun and the Ground is merged as the possessor of place (Terzi 2005, 2008, 2010; Botwinik-Rotem 2008; Botwinik-Rotem and Terzi 2008; Pantcheva 2008; Cinque 2010a; Noonan 2010, and Nchare and Terzi 2014) allows an enlightening analysis of the appearance and position of the possessive agreement in PPs. I also discuss how certain surface differences between PPs and ordinary possessive constructions can be accounted for while maintaining the possessive analysis of PPs. By showing that a PP structure with a possessive core yields a natural account of the intricate Hungarian data, the paper strengthens the case for a possessive-based approach to PPs in Universal Grammar.

Inspired by the Past – Engaging the Present – Securing the Future

This is a challenging time for historic churches, but one with many new opportunities. Once-secure funding streams are drying up, and there is little prospect of them ever coming back. For religious heritage organisations this is particularly problematic, as the move to a secular society has meant younger generations simply do not have the same connection to church buildings as their parents and grandparents. There is a real danger that our rich religious heritage, and with it the histories of local communities nationwide, may be completely forgotten about, and lost forever. Yet churches have adapted to changing times throughout history. Pre-reformation they were the first community centres; meeting places and marketplaces. They successfully adapted first to Puritan stern, silent places exclusively for worship, then to the more relaxed religious culture of Anglicanism. They can adapt to a changing society today. This paper looks at the work of the Churches Conservation Trust in developing new and extended uses for its collection of historic churches.

Casualties on the Road to Ethical Authenticity

Casualties on the Road to Ethical Authenticity

Silent places, silent plans: Silent signification and the study of place transformation

In this paper, we explore the importance of silence in planning, an endeavor we deem relevant in an era where communication and planning are seen as nearly equivalent. We investigate the meanings and functions of silence in the interpretation of plans, planned space and the planning process. We distinguish silence in the literal sense, as absence of sound, and metaphorical silence, representing other forms of absence: of other voices, of oppressed discourse, of intentionality. The paradoxical nature of silence, as potential fullness and emptiness of meaning, increases complexity and unpredictability in the interpretation of space, plans and the planning process. It is argued that a process of participatory planning, including many actors, documents and interpretations of space, necessarily multiplies the ambiguities introduced by silence. This creates steering problems for planners, but it also introduces openness and flexibility. Silence can have the positive function of stretching up the interpretations of space, plans and the process.

On null spatial Ps and their arguments

This paper investigates the phenomenon of null spatial Ps, focusing primarily on Greek where these are most widely attested. It is demonstrated that only locatives (of the type that do not denote containment), as well as directional goal Ps, are able to surface without phonetic content when their nominal arguments are determinerless. It is suggested that the presence of null spatial Ps is contingent on nominals of special status, namely, on elements which, although similar in phonetic content to common nouns, are in fact closer to adverbials. In particular, it is suggested that the arguments of silent spatial Ps either instantiate or modify the silent noun PLACE. The latter raises to the specifier position the associated spatial P, with the consequence that P may appear without phonetic content – by virtue of the fact that its lexicalization requirements may (also) be satisfied in this manner.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Speech? The Construction of Cochlear Implant Identity on American Television and the “New Deaf Cyborg”

Do Androids Dream of Electric Speech? The Construction of Cochlear Implant Identity on American Television and the “New Deaf Cyborg”

建築的制作における場所の想起の問題 : ル・コルビュジエのEglise Saint Pierreの構想過程を通して

This paper aims to elucidate the relationship between the architectural conception and the recollection of place in the creation of 'Eglise Saint Pierre' (1960-65) by Le Corbusier. The conception about this church has a close connection with the building site ("the form in the landscape"), at the same time, Le Corbusier recollects "the place of meditation" in 'Eglise de Tremblay' planned in the late 20's and "the silent place" in 'Santa Sophia' (Istanbul) visited in his journey in 1911. Thus, the interaction between the recoltected places and the real site provokes the architect to find out the meaning of the architectural place.