“Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art.” The great Renaissance polymath Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) –timeless artist, engineer, architect, mathematician, and scientist, with profound knowledge in science from anatomy and optics to physics to light –is commemorated at the Louvre Museum, Paris for the fifth centenary of his death. In his quest to understand the relation between the physical and the metaphysical, he spent a lifetime studying the human being and its place in the universe. His extraordinary creativity, endless genius, and artistic talents arching far beyond the perceptual and scientific realities of …
Category: Philosophy
Siri Hustvedt, the prizewinning writer and scholar, describes the meaning of life through her work, the joy she finds in the creative impulse and the urgency to write driven by it. Her knowledge of psychoanalysis, art and neuroscience is woven in her stories in which she asks the essential question “Who are we ? ” In an interview about the creative impulse, the intersubjective experience of art and the emotional punch found in art, she discloses her “writing self. ” Märit Aronsson (M) : I’d like to start with a great question; what is art? Siri Hustvedt (S) : There …
The most difficult thing is to know yourself. – Thales The impact of our perceptual patterns on the way we navigate the “self” has always been a cornerstone in understanding human behavior. Long before neuroscience started thought experiments on the nature of reality, William James (1842-1910), the pioneer American psychologist put forward “ our view of the world is truly shaped by what we decide to perceive ” and that, in effect, shapes the world around us. Carl G. Jung (1875-1961), founder of the analytical school firmly believed that the “ unconscious is our great guide .” He proclaimed that …
“ The world is sown with good but unless I turn my glad thoughts into practical living and till my own field, I cannot reap a kernel of the good. The desire and will to work is optimism itself. ” Helen Keller (1880– 1968), the outstanding woman who grew up without sight or hearing, in her quest for knowing she not only became learned in philosophy, history, math, science and world matters, but also became an intellectual activist, a “doer” for the good of humankind, and the society at large. She recounts the transforming experience from her inner …
Plato’s ingenious parable on how we discern truth from fake, our huge distortions of perception and on the essence of true reality animated below.
Happiness has been a quest for humankind evers since; from ancient greek philosophers to contemporary psychologists, from physicists to ordinary people. Definitions of happiness were constructed and reconstructed. Roadmaps were given as to where one can find it and remedies were suggested for sustaining it. For one, it is to love and be loved, for another, happiness is attainable by social acceptance, status, sucess or material wealth. Some find joy in helping others or seek it in states of gratitude. The moments or states of happiness are variant, depending on the individual characteristics and the context. But the common …
How the Medicinal Herbs Grew in the Temple of Solomon — the Farther Mosque which Solomon visited daily for devotion and to guide the devotees During his prophecy, David received a Divine order which ordained that his son, Solomon should build a temple. Set out to fulfill this order, Solomon began constructing the temple which would be renowned as the Temple of Solomon. Also later known as the Farther Mosque, it would preserve its unprecedented standing in history. Rumi recounts the blissful story of Solomon’s Temple in his Mathnawi, and says that plentiful stones needed in the construction were fetched …
But already my desire and my willWere being turned like a wheel, all at one speed,By the love which moves the sun and the other stars. Dante Alighieri[1265 Florence-1321 Ravenna] Dante started to write Divine Comedy at the age of 35 when he had to leave his hometown Florence due to a political dispute between the two prominent families. His journey in exile coincides with the narration of Divine Comedy which is considered as one of the timeless masterpieces of western literature. In his epic book, he recounts his afterlife journey to the other world where souls dwell in …
Ostad Elahi (1895-1974) is a renowned Iranian magistrate, thinker and musician who devoted his life to self-knowledge and the quest for Truth. His approach is based on his personal experiences, observations, and research. Having spent first 25 years of his life in asceticism and traditional spirituality, he renounced traditional mysticism in order to join society. He undertook the judicial career to become a magistrate, and started to build his innovative approach to spirituality which he defined as natural spirituality. He defines spirituality : A true spirituality nourishes the soul, ensures its maturation and leads it towards perfection. Natural because …
The story is cited in the monumental spiritual epic Canticle of the Birds, written by the mystical poet Farîd-ud-Dîn ‘Attâr (1146-1221 ). All the birds in the world gather one day to discuss who their Sovereign king is and where they can find him. The gathering takes place in King Solomon’s court. Solomon who understands and speaks the language of the birds presides over the reunion. The little bird Hoopoe knows that Sîmorgh is the Sovereign Being’s name and that she lives in Mount Qâf, the mythical mountain which is believed to connect heaven and earth. According to …
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