Issues in Christian Encounters with Yoga: Exploring 3HO/Kundalini Yoga

The paper begins by drawing out current issues that have been raised by critics concerning the contemporary practice of Hindu postural types of yoga in western and specifically western Christian contexts, with some illustrative reference to contemporary movements and schools, especially to Bikram Yoga. These are: cultural misappropriation; commodification; lack of moral pre-requisites; narcissistic attachment to bodily effects; occult influences; and doctrinal differences. The paper then explores specific aspects of the theory and practice of 3HO/Kundalini Yoga (3HO/KY) by Christians in light of these possible issues, showing how this tradition of Kundalini Yoga seems to skirt or side-step most of them, simply by the way that it locates and grounds itself in Sikhism. The substantial concerns for Christians practicing 3H0/KY seem related to issues surrounding doctrinal compatibility and religious syncretism—criticisms that have been raised also by some Sikhs against 3HO/KY itself

Book Review: Majesty and Meekness: A Comparative Study of Contrast and Harmony in the Concept of God

A review of Majesty and Meekness: A Comparative Study of Contrast and Harmony in the Concept of God by John B. Carman

Book Review: Hindu Thought & Carmelite Mysticism

A review of Hindu Thought & Carmelite Mysticism by Swami Siddheswarananda

Exploring Processes and Dynamics of Mystical Contemplative Meditation: Some Christian-Buddhist Parallels in Relation to Transpersonal Theory

This paper explores Christian contemplative meditation, focusing on the prayer of Recollection as it is developed especially by Evelyn Underhill and St. Teresa of Avila. It outlines the practice and explores possible theoretical and therapeutic dynamics, including some comparative reflections of this form of Christian meditation with Buddhist Samatha Vipassanā meditation and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy. It also draws on the transpersonal theory of philosopher Michael Washburn, in exploring resistances, obstacles, and goals of such mystical practices

Book Reviews: The Unity of Reality: God, God-Experience, and Meditation in the Hindu-Christian Dialogue

Two reviews for Michael von Brück\u27s The Unity of Reality: God, God-Experience, and Meditation in the Hindu-Christian Dialogue

Inter-Religious Contexts and Comparative Theology in the Thought of Evelyn Underhill: Symbolic Narratives of Mysticism and the Songs of Kabīr

Evelyn Underhill (1875-1941) regards mysticism as the core of religion. All religions include various dimensions: scripture/ mythology, doctrine/ philosophy, ethics/ law, social/institutional features, ritual, material aspects, and personal and communal experience. For Underhill, personal religious experience inspires and influences the development of these other aspects of religion—the heart of which is mysticism. Underhill asserts: “The mystics are the pioneers of the spiritual world” (4); “Mysticism is the art of union with Reality”

Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda, and Hindu-Christian Dialogue

In the late summer of 1993, representatives of the major religions of the world met in interfaith dialogue in Chicago, to celebrate the centenary of the 1893 World\u27s Parliament of Religions. The 1893 Parliament was remarkable, both in its magnitude and its purpose: it brought together forty-one denominations and over four hundred men and women in a forum of mutual teaching and learning. That is to say, its formal purpose was reciprocal dialogue, something rather unusual for the 19th century, when interfaith preoccupations of the time still normally focused on proselytism

Perfectionism and efficiency: Accuracy, response bias, and invested time in proof-reading performance

Investigating problem-solving performance, Ishida, H. (2005: College students’ perfectionism and task-strategy inefficience: Why their efforts go unrewarded? Japanese Journal of Social Psychology, 20, 208–215) found high levels of perfectionism were associated with lower efficiency. Aiming to replicate and further explore this finding, the present study investigated how two dimensions of perfectionism (high standards, discrepancy between expectations and performance) predicted efficiency in proof-reading performance. N = 96 students completed a proof-reading task involving the detection of spelling, grammar, and format errors. When error-detection performance was subjected to signal detection analysis, high standards correlated positively with the number of incorrectly detected errors (false alarms). Moreover, when task-completion time was taken into account, high standards were negatively correlated with efficiency (accuracy/time). In comparison, discrepancy correlated negatively with the number of correctly detected errors (hits) and positively with a conservative response bias. The findings show that perfectionistic standards are associated with reduced efficiency demonstrating the importance of considering invested time, errors, and response bias when investigating the relationship between perfectionism and performance

Minimum Velocities for the Suspension of Fine Sediment in the Green River Canal

This paper focuses on a canal in the Gunnison Valley, located in central Utah, which diverts water from the sediment-laden Green River. Grain size analyses were performed on sediment samples taken from the canal. These grain size analyses were used to determine the grain size distribution of the fine sediment, classify the fine sediment, and compare the fine sediment to a sediment deposit in the Green River. The critical incipient velocity for the D50 and D100 and the critical grain entrainment velocity corresponding to the D95 were determined through flume experimentation. Two methods, developed by prior researchers, were chosen by the author to calculate the critical incipient velocity for the D50 and D100 of the fine sediment in the Green River Canal. The calculated critical incipient velocity for the D50 and D100 was compared to the critical incipient velocity for the D50 and D100 as determined from flume experimentation. Using flume data and one of the previously mentioned methods, the critical grain entrainment velocity was calculated and compared to the critical grain entrainment velocity as determined by flume experimentation. This study concluded that a minimum required average velocity of 1.14 feet per second will retain in suspension the fine sediment sampled from the Green River Canal. This minimum average critical grain entrainment velocity corresponds to the D95 of the fine sediment deposited in the Green River Canal. However, it is recommended that further research be conducted to determine if critical incipient velocity formulae accurately estimates the critical grain entrainment velocity. If so, the further research should address the grain diameter that should be used in the calculations

Nucleoporin 153 Arrests the Nuclear Import of Hepatitis B Virus Capsids in the Nuclear Basket

Virtually all DNA viruses including hepatitis B viruses (HBV) replicate their genome inside the nucleus. In non-dividing cells, the genome has to pass through the nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) by the aid of nuclear transport receptors as e.g. importin β (karyopherin). Most viruses release their genome in the cytoplasm or at the cytosolic face of the NPC, as the diameter of their capsids exceeds the size of the NPC. The DNA genome of HBV is derived from reverse transcription of an RNA pregenome. Genome maturation occurs in cytosolic capsids and progeny capsids can deliver the genome into the nucleus causing nuclear genome amplification. The karyophilic capsids are small enough to pass the NPC, but nuclear entry of capsids with an immature genome is halted in the nuclear basket on the nuclear side of the NPC, and the genome remains encapsidated. In contrast, capsids with a mature genome enter the basket and consequently liberate the genome. Investigating the difference between immature and mature capsids, we found that mature capsids had to disintegrate in order to leave the nuclear basket. The arrest of a karyophilic cargo at the nuclear pore is a rare phenomenon, which has been described for only very few cellular proteins participating in nuclear entry. We analyzed the interactions causing HBV capsid retention. By pull-down assays and partial siRNA depletion, we showed that HBV capsids directly interact with nucleoporin 153 (Nup153), an essential protein of the nuclear basket which participates in nuclear transport via importin β. The binding sites of importin β and capsids were shown to overlap but capsid binding was 150-fold stronger. In cellulo experiments using digitonin-permeabilized cells confirmed the interference between capsid binding and nuclear import by importin β. Collectively, our findings describe a unique nuclear import strategy not only for viruses but for all karyophilic cargos