A Moment to Stop and Reflect
Author: Ilanit AdarOctober 19, 2017
This article is a compilation of excerpts from the book A Moment to Stop and Reflect by Ilanit Adar Matoki to be published in Korean. In times when knowledge is very accessible and there exists a flood of information, it is a challenge to acknowledge words of wisdom. The eyes quickly pass over unimportant words in the same manner as knowledge of great importance and value. My purpose here is [...]
The Ideal Activist: Inner Work for Outer Change
Author: Harianto H MehtaOctober 19, 2017
With a burning aspiration and courageous determination, many a youth dares to dream of a better world, driven by the need to take responsibility and participate in bringing about the clearly evident need for change, whether in the realm of ecology, literacy, socio-economic disparity, or the myriad other causes that demand attention in our times. It is fair to say that it is in vogue, almost [...]
Reflections on the Metaphysics of Music with Shubha Mudgal
Author: Manjula NanavatiOctober 19, 2017
“When the soul hears music, it drops its best guard.” - Socrates Music is perhaps the most philosophically puzzling of all the arts. Unlike painting or sculpture it does not culminate in a physical object. Unlike literature and drama, instrumental music has no semantic value. Yet every tune, melody, theme, raga or symphony is steeped in metaphysical meaning. Music has a tremendous [...]
Are We Human Beings or Human Doings?
Author: Archana SamarthOctober 19, 2017
This question is relevant to the times we live in. The pace of life accelerated by the need for constantly moving, rushing, or accomplishing emphasises the importance we associate with doing. Just being when the whole world seems to be caught up in a whirlwind of action, seems so passive! By doing, we feel we are active and taking charge of our lives. But are we really taking charge of our lives [...]
Raphael: The Drawings
Author: Siobhan FarrarOctober 19, 2017
Raphael was born in 1483 and by the age of 17 he had been given the title of ‘Magister’, meaning independent master. This exhibition of his drawings and studies at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford takes a look at the essence of the artist. The opening lines of the exhibition’s guide read as follows: ’Drawing drove Raphael’s creativity. Whether tentatively sketching or moving with [...]
The importance of knowing what is good
Author: Sabine LeitnerOctober 19, 2017
If morality is the discernment of what is good and consequently the ability to choose between what is good and what is bad, then we have clearly lost our moral compass some time ago. It seems that we don’t really know anymore what is good for us. And this starts at the most basic level of food and life-style. Our children start losing their healthy instincts about what is good for them early [...]
Yunus Emre, a Sufi Poet from Anatolia
Author: Pinar AkhanOctober 19, 2017
It is said that anyone in Turkey - even the illiterate - will have heard of Yunus Emre. Although he is not as popular here as he is in Turkey, the new TV series “Yunus Emre” is one of the attempts to make him known in the English-speaking world. What made him famous was not only his ability to write beautiful poems about Divine Love, but also his clarity and simple humanity that made most of [...]
Philosophy as a Way of Life
Author: Julian ScottOctober 19, 2017
The other day I heard a memorable phrase from the mouth of a Yorkshire farmer: “Farming is a way of life.” And it occurred to me that anything which is done properly must be a way of life. The same is true of philosophy. “Generally speaking, university philosophy is mere fencing in front of a mirror… And yet, if there is one thing desirable in this world, it is to see a ray of light [...]
Myths of the Starry Sky
Author: Natalya PetlevychOctober 19, 2017
The starry sky fascinates us with its beauty and mysteries. Its can also tell us many stories that we can relate to. The Pole Star is a symbol of the immovable centre around which everything revolves, a symbol of eternity that transcends the world of time and change in which we are born and live. It is around this axis mundi, the world tree, that an ancient stellar dragon whirled his massive [...]
Concrete from the past, for the future.
Author: Florimond KrinsOctober 19, 2017
Concrete is a compound composed of cement, water, sand and/or gravel, and it can also be reinforced with steel rods arranged in a mesh within the concrete slab or column. Our modern civilization is known for its abundant use of concrete, so abundant that there is an actual shortage of sand worldwide, which is also due to artificial island building. We use concrete because it’s a solid, easy, [...]
Encountering the Mind through Ashtanga Yoga
Author: Manjula NanavatiSeptember 12, 2017
“When the senses are stilled, when the mind is at rest, when the intellect wavers not - then say the wise, is reached the highest stage. This steady control of the senses and mind is defined as Yoga. He who attains it is free from delusion.” – Kathopanishad (1) All the greatest spiritual teachers have spoken about the need for man to awaken, to pursue a shift of consciousness. Krishna, [...]
The Little Prince: A Journey Inwards
Author: Krutika MehtaSeptember 10, 2017
Most ancient traditions seem to share a dominant myth that revolves around a long and arduous journey with the hero facing danger or death, overcoming obstacles, before accomplishing his purposeful goal and returning home. Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, among others, viewed some of these heroes even as gods. Hercules and Arjuna are examples of such heroes who, while fighting monumental [...]