Explores the views of Jewish religious/mystical work on life after death, survival of the soul in bodies, function, conflicting theories and how it is compared to Christianity.
2,250 words (approx. 9 pages), 11 sources, 1995, $ 79.95
Reincarnation is not a concept popularly associated with Western religious traditions, and certainly not with Judaism. In fact, however, the Jewish mystical tradition of the kabbalah has long accepted reincarnation in various forms as a valid doctrine. This paper will examine the views of the kabbalah on reincarnation, or Gilgul as it is referred to in the kabbalah, beginning with an explanation of the nature and significance of the kabbalah and of reincarnation.
Judaic scholar Dr. David Sheinkin describes the kabbalah as "the secret, mystical part of Judaism . . . the basis for all the later Western (mystical) paths; all are in some sense derivative of it" (Sheinkin, 1986, pp. 8,9).
Writer Harold Bloom traces the origins of the kabbalah ..."
Abstract This paper explores the abiding elements of Jewish belief, including the origins of the major ethical, ritual and theological aspects of Judaism, as described in David Ariel's book "What Do Jews Believe?" This paper discusses how various Jewish sects have vigorously searched for a better understanding of God as well as the influence of Kabbalah in Judaism. This paper also examines the differences between orthodox, Hassidic and conservative Judaism.
From the Paper "It is intriguing how the various Jewish sects vigorously have searched, with their intellects and their souls, for a better understanding of God. The difficult question Ariel tackles is the seeming duality of God's nature, His nearness and distance from the world and humanity or "(His)transcendence and immanence." In rabbinic Judaism, God is regarded as "different from and above the world, on one hand, and closely involved and concerned with the world and its inhabitants, on the other. This paradoxical information of God's simultaneous transcendence and immanence is central to understanding rabbinic conception of God." The rabbis believe that they as "designated disciples" are able to be the interpreters of the divine."
Abstract In this article, the writer offers a discussion of how the soul came about in the Jewish tradition. The writer looks at the Jewish belief of the reincarnation of the soul. The writer examines views of the soul from Kabbalistic to contemporary times, within Judaic doctrine and belief.
From the Paper "The belief in the reincarnation of the soul has been a belief among orthodox Jews for thousands of years. Among Kabbalistic Jews the Zohar is a primary authority stating 'All souls are subject to revolutions'. For many centuries in Jewish history and tradition, the concept of the soul has been linked with resurrection. During the Maccabean era, the concept of hell Gehenna was construed as a place of extreme punishment and purification. In this line of Jewish thought, the soul must be ... "
Abstract This paper discusses the essence of meditation practices, the particular forms in which God is revealed through meditation and how meditation leads to the discovery of the God within. The author points out the differences and similarities of meditation in various spiritual traditions especially Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism. The paper reports that, although meditation is an ancient practice, tracing more than 2000 years ago, many forms of meditation still exist today.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
The Phases of Meditation, Attention, Concentration, Contemplation
Forms of Meditation
Mysticism and Meditation. Finding God Within.
Tibetan Buddhist Meditation and Transcendental Meditation
The Differences between Yoga and Christianity
Finding God Within:
From Dream Sleep to Awakening
From Illusion to Realization
From Darkness to Enlightenment
From Imprisonment to Liberation
From Fragmentation to Wholeness
From Separation to Oneness
From Being on a Journey To Arriving at the Destination
From Being in Exile To Coming Home
From Seed to Flowering Plant or Fruitful Tree
From Death to Rebirth
Conclusions
From the Paper "The yogi are also characterized by their adherence to a strict code of moral behavior and by their practicing of a set of physical exercises called asanas and breath control methods called pranayama. O distinct type of yoga is kundalini, focused on unlocking the reserve of spiritual energy that is thought to reside at the base of the spine. The released energy reverberates in the seven chakras or bodily centers which capture emotions and mental states. The energy, kundalini, has to be moved from the lower chakras - dominated by inferior emotions to more elevated chakras, located ..."
Abstract This paper illustrates how, in Shakespeare's "Antony and Cleopatra", a climax is reached within the ancient Greek themes of creation and destruction that mirrors the distinctions between love and war, and the explicit and implicit communication of love to oneself and another, seen in the play's rendition of male and female love. The writer argues that "Antony and Cleopatra" offers a Christian-mystic-community-pagan parallelism centered around more ancient themes, and that, in the play, fate is in constant countermotion with freedom, which tragically can lead to neurosis, or positively to a romantically balanced catharsis. The writer contrasts the emotive content of the play with its cognitive content, the blurring and refocusing of which create the play's subjective ethical implications.
Outline:
Abstract
Introduction
The Contrast between What is and What Could be: Antony's Neurosis
Contrast Between the Written and Spoken Word
Intertextual Interpretations and Influences
The Intertextuality in Antony and Cleopatra: Hercules and Masochism
Hercules as Christian/Pagan Intertext
The Egyptian Other and the Roman Self
From the Paper "One priority in discussing things as complex as works of art, especially plays, is to acknowledge certain presuppositions about the nature of the subject matter. Is the philosophy of literature the same as literature that contains philosophy? While this has been widely debated, I think the issue lies in the distinction between the two, which if blurry, expresses an overlap such that literature can serve as philosophy, somewhat in the way that later Heidegger believed that poetry was the highest form of philosophical thinking."
