The Mystery of Time in Various Cultures
Author: Miha KosirMay 11, 2023
Part I, Individual Perception of Time Why is the phenomenon of time a mystery? It is easy to understand the idea of time taken as a norm to measure the passing minutes and hours, which we do with atomic precision, but when we start questioning the nature of time, it all starts to change. Many questions arise: can we perceive time as such or are we only aware of the events that pass through [...]
Education and Art
Author: Sabine LeitnerApril 30, 2022
There are many studies that show that involvement in the arts can lead to increased academic performance. Dance, drama, music, and the visual arts in the school curriculum enable children to develop self-confidence and self-understanding, problem solving skills, perseverance and discipline, focus and concentration, creativity, self-directed learning, collaboration and many others – these are [...]
Naad Yoga: The Search for Silence
Author: Manjula NanavatiMarch 31, 2021
Many ancient traditions unequivocally describe the role of sound in the divine process of creation. The Bible declares, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God”. (1) Hindu and Buddhist traditions believe that OM is the sound of creation, of the unmanifest diversifying into all the variations of energy that make up our universe. If sound characterizes [...]
Aesthetic Intelligence
Author: Sabine LeitnerOctober 1, 2020
We have probably all heard about different types of intelligence: kinaesthetic, verbal, logical-mathematical and lately also emotional and even spiritual intelligence. Recently I came across the term aesthetic intelligence and it inspired me to think about what this could mean in a philosophical and metaphysical way and why it might be important. From a philosophical perspective, we could [...]
Vipassana: Experience of Impermanence
Author: Manjula NanavatiJanuary 13, 2019
Twenty–five centuries ago in Northern India, a man desolated by the quantum and pervasiveness of human suffering in the world, resolved to find a solution. His investigation led him to many masters, abundant knowledge and a plethora of techniques to investigate Truth and Reality, until finally on achieving enlightenment, he devoted the rest of his life to teaching people how to come out of [...]
Language and Culture
Author: Pinar AkhanApril 17, 2017
If you have ever tried to learn a new language, you might have noticed that it is not only about learning the alphabet, vocabulary and grammar. It also involves learning a new way of thinking and expressing yourself. Language carries references to the culture to which it belongs and, by interacting with a language, we gain an insight into a particular culture. Examples of this can be found [...]
Beauty and Meaning
Author: Sabine LeitnerFebruary 29, 2016
Recently I have been pondering the ability to perceive beauty and meaning. In order to perceive anything it is necessary to develop organs of perception. In order to see we needed to develop eyes. Without ears, sound waves would be non-existent for us. If someone talked to us about fragrance and smells we wouldn’t know what they were talking about if we didn’t have a nose. However, at [...]