Dynamics of the Sphere Model of Consciousness: Silence, Space, and Self

The Sphere Model of Consciousness (SMC) delineates a sphere-shaped matrix that aims to describe subjective experiences using geometric coordinates, in accordance with a neurophenomenological perspective. According to the SMC, an experience of overcoming the habitual self and the conditioning of memories could be placed at the center of the matrix, which can then be called the Place of Pre-Existence (PPE). The PPE is causally associated with self-determination. In this context, we suggest that silence could be considered an intentional inner environment enabling self-perception to focus on the “here and now,” which in turn improves perception of one’s own body in space. To investigate the hypotheses grounded in the model, the current preliminary study examined the Place of Pre-Existence Technique (PPEt), in which practitioners are guided to focus on a self-defined aim, reach a state of detachment from the habitual self, and envision the future. Four-hundred eighty-one volunteer PPEt practitioners completed self-report questionnaires before and after an intensive 3-day meditative training. We analyzed potential relationships between subjective experiences related to physical, emotional, mental, temporal, and spatial components, as well as self-determination and silence, before and after training. The results indicated a transition from a prevailing influence of mental dimension on the other aspects of experience, to a prevailing influence of the spatial dimension. Silence was reported more often following the training and was predominantly related to mental and emotional experiences. The results are discussed in the framework of the SMC, as compared to other models, and in relation to the shift from Narrative to Minimal Self and to increased balance among the considered dimensions

“L’espressione ‘apoteosi’ suona male alle orecchie dei musulmani”. Al-Bīrūnī tra falsafa e comparazione religiosa

Abstract This article is devoted to the third chapter of the Taḥqīq mā li-l-Hind by Abū Rayḥān al-Bīrūnī (973-1048) from the viewpoint of his vision of the history of religions and their relationship with the issue of human languages. The opinions held by the inhabitants of the Hind about the intelligibilia and sensibilia form the focus of the chapter, and as an introduction to these opinions al-Bīrūnī embarks on a complex series of comparisons involving texts and concepts of the classical Greece, the sufi tradition, as well as of the Hebrew, Christian, and Manichean doctrines. Such comparisons attest not only al-Birūnī’s linguistic skills and broad knowledge of multifarious religious traditions, but also his endeavour to include elements of the Sanscrit heritage in the intellectual context of the Islam of his age

Mario Kozah, The birth of Indology as an Islamic Science – Al-Bīrūnī’s Treatise on Yoga Psychology, Brill, Leiden 2016, pp. x+228. isbn: 978-90-04-29029-7 (hardback), 978-90-04-30554-0 (e-book)

Recensione del volume di Mario Kozah, The birth of Indology as an Islamic Science – Al-Bīrūnī’s Treatise on Yoga Psychology, Brill, Leiden 2016, pp. X, 228. ISBN 978-90-04-29029-7 (hardback), 978-90-04-30554-0 (e-book). Si presentano punti di forza e debolezze del testo, considerato come un lavoro innovativo sull'opera di al-Bīrūnī, con una specifica attenzione alla prospettiva storico-religiosa. Il volume offre considerazioni inedite grazie alle specifiche competenze dell'autore in fatto di lingua araba e conoscenza della così detta Epoca d'oro della cultura islamica. Si evidenziano mancanze dal punto di vista storico religioso per quanto attiene le categorie applicate al Subcontinente e alla relazione con la cultura islamica

Religione tradotta: dalla varietà lessicale al termine unico. Studi sulle traduzioni di al-Bīrūnī in lingua inglese

Abū al-Rayḥān al-Bīrūnī (973-1058) fu un contemporaneo, conterraneo e rivale di Avicenna e come quest’ultimo e molti rappresentanti della falsafa islamica medievale fu poligrafo e si occupò di molte discipline diverse. Al-Bīrūnī si distinse da altri autori per i suoi studi sulle tradizioni religiose, almeno una dozzina, tra le quali approfondì specialmente quelle del subcontinente indiano. Inoltre, al-Bīrūnī studiò queste tradizioni in modo eccezionalmente obiettivo per il suo tempo, riportando dati di fatto con un approccio neutrale. Le due opere di al-Bīrūnī più importanti dal punto di vista degli studi storico religiosi, furono tradotte in inglese alla fine del XIX secolo dall’orientalista tedesco Eduard Sachau. Nei due testi, tradotti come The Chronology of the Ancient Nations e India, Sachau fece ampiamente ricorso al termine religion per rendere una dozzina di diverse espressioni utilizzate da al-Bīrūnī. Il presente studio costituisce l’analisi lessicale delle rese traduttive nelle due direzioni, sia la terminologia tradotta come religion, sia la resa con termini diversi laddove al-Bīrūnī utilizzò termini in altri contesti resi con religion. L’analisi lessicale permette di fornire elementi utili ad individuare i limiti interpretativi delle traduzioni di Sachau in riferimento agli studi religionistici, aprendo al contempo nuove prospettive per future analisi dell’opera bīrūniana

Che cosa è la religione?

La religione è un fatto sociale e culturale, parte integrante della storia umana. Questo libro ha l'obiettivo di fornire al lettore la risposta alla domanda "che cosa è la religione?" da un punto di vista scientifico. Studiosi di diverse discipline si occupano del fatto religioso, ma che cosa fanno, come lo fanno e perché lo fanno? Tali interrogativi hanno un risvolto teorico e dunque questo libro è inteso anche come contributo alla riflessione teorica sulla religione in generale

Change in Time Perception Following the Place of Pre-Existence Technique

Time perception is closely related to spatial and bodily perception, yet little is known about how this interrelationship is impacted by meditation and biological sex. To examine this, we studied the effects of a stepwise application of three meditation techniques, from focused attention, to open monitoring to non-dual meditation, encompassed in the Place of Pre-Existence technique (PPEt) on the subjective perception of time, space and body using a pre–post research design. A total of 280 participants (mean age = 47.09 years; SD = 10.13; 127:153 males to females) completed the Subjective Time, Self, Space inventory before and after PPEt. Following PPEt, participants perceived time passing as slowing down, while time intensity, relaxation, ‘awareness of space’ and ‘awareness of body’ increased, suggesting heightened mindfulness to these constructs following the training. Awareness of space revealed to be modulated by biological sex and meditation expertise, with males showing a decrease of spatial awareness as a function of meditation expertise while females showed an opposite pattern. The speed and intensity of the experience of time both correlated with body and space awareness. In line with previous studies demonstrating a connection between relaxation and perception of time, a significant correlation was found between relaxation and the subjective experience of the intensity of time. The current results are discussed in the context of the embodied experience of time, and the Sphere Model of Consciousness