Spirituality and religion
Spirituality and religion
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A monk showed me that spirituality needs more space in medicine
As a doctor, I’ve seen how brain diseases can become entwined with spiritual pain. Who is responsible for addressing it?
by Michael P H Stanley
Transcendent experience
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Our days are both rough and slippery. Hope brings traction
I want to defend and buoy hope – it’s a fragile, quirky thing, but it has the power to help us act in the face of finitude
by John Lysaker
Spirituality and religion
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UFO belief is a modern outlet for ancient spiritual yearnings
Even when it’s not explicitly religious, belief in alien visitors resembles our oldest ways of making sense of the world
by Francesco Dimitri
Sacred places
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Why Indian Buddhism has gardens, not monasteries
Wishing trees, jewels, unfading flowers – what place do these sensual pleasures have in the ascetic life of Buddhist monks?
by Simran Agarwal
Mindfulness and meditation
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When mindfulness meets capitalism, it loses its way
The modern business of mindfulness strips the practice of both its spiritual meaning and much of its practical value
by Chris Wheatley
Self-harm and suicide
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Why religious belief provides a real buffer against suicide risk
Under-recognised as a protective force against suicide, religious faith has multiple features that help to save lives
by David H Rosmarin
Cultural diversity
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The Quechua idea ‘pacha’ urges us beyond narrow self-concern
The Quechua term ‘pacha’ embodies an Andean worldview that sees everything as related, transcending narrow self-interest
by Jorge Sanchez Perez
Transcendent experience
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Your consciousness has been completely transformed. Now what?
Awakening experiences are spiritual states often believed to unlock life’s mysteries – but sacred knowledge comes at a cost
by Kevin Berryman
Spirituality and religion
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The Devil you don’t know: the Satan of the 19th century
Satan wasn’t always a wicked, horned figure. The Romantics imagined the Devil as a resourceful and well-spoken gentleman
by Erik Butler
Spirituality and religion
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One good way to understand religion is to break it apart
To understand what religion means, don’t reach for the dictionary. Better that you take it apart, break it, even throw it away
by Joseph Blankholm
Spirituality and religion
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Why religion without belief can still make perfect sense
Meet the practising agnostic and the religious fictionalist: people for whom religion can work well without sure belief
by Philip Goff
Spirituality and religion
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Religion gives life meaning. Can anything else take its place?
Religious faith promotes a sense of meaning in life – and it might take more than ‘social glue’ to duplicate the effect
by Michael M Prinzing