Science and Spirituality

THEORIAS - Réseau international de chercheurs pour la théorisation transdisciplinaire de la spiritualité

by Jean Ehret

On February 18, 2012, an international network for the transdisciplinary theorization of spirituality was founded at... more On February 18, 2012, an international network for the transdisciplinary theorization of spirituality was founded at the Catholic University of Louvain. People interested may find the statutes in this document. For more information and for joining the group, please email me.

Yoga: Attainment of Ultimate Reality and Meaning

by Shiv Talwar

Piublished in the Journal of Ultimate Reality and Meaning, Vol. 27, No.1, March 2004.
Print a copy by visiting spiritualeducation.org.

Yoga is a serious system of contemplation with an integrated approach towards both the objective and transcendental... more Yoga is a serious system of contemplation with an integrated approach towards both the objective and transcendental knowledge. Yoga is a Sanskrit word, which is derived from the root yuj, meaning ‘to join’. Its purpose is first to unite the contemplative with the objective reality of the object of contemplation and then to enable unity with the realm transcending objectivity.

Yogic process begins with consciously stilling the mind to free it of its usual disturbances and fleetingness in order to develop an incisive focus of intellect to enable uninterrupted contemplation of one object. Eventually, even this one object fades and disappears from consciousness, which is left completely free of ordinary activity. The contemplative must want passionately to know the object of contemplation, or the effort needed for the contemplative union will not be possible. Any object of contemplation can enable the transcendence of objectivity, if the contemplative effort is uninterrupted.

The Ultimate Reality and Meaning of Samkhya

by Shiv Talwar

Published in the Journal of Ultimate Reality and Meaning, Vol. 24, No.1, March 2001.
Print a copy by visiting spiritualeducation.org.

It is in the nature of thinking and feeling minds to attempt to explain the totality of human experience. In the... more It is in the nature of thinking and feeling minds to attempt to explain the totality of human experience. In the absence of a plausible explanation, humanity attempts to improve its understanding until a reasonably satisfactory explanation is found that satisfies both the human head and the heart. Sages around the world have always searched for such explanations. In India, a school of thought known as the Samkhya philosophy is an outstanding example of this universal search for global truth.

Samkhya seems to understand the universe of sense perception as resulting from an unseen ultimate reality. Although this reality is totally imperceptible in itself, it is capable of being felt by the human heart and it underlies the entirety of perceptible universe.

Samkhya thinking regards the perceptible as a manifestation of the imperceptible underlying reality through some process of successive discretization. It enumerates the sequentially concrete and ephemeral principles emerging from the infinitely subtle and eternal ultimate reality. These principles together culminate in the universe of sense perception.

"Penser la science et la foi par la passion de la recherche. À propos de Chercheurs en science, chercheurs de sens" [Thinking about Science and Faith through the Passion for Research: Concerning Chercheurs en science, chercheurs de sens]

by Philippe Gagnon

Laval Théologique et Philosophique, vol. 67, no. 1 (February 2011): pp. 149-154.

This critical notice was occasioned by the reading of a recent monograph, published at the end of 2009, which features... more This critical notice was occasioned by the reading of a recent monograph, published at the end of 2009, which features a dialogue and a mutual critical assessment of the work of a microbiologist, also a priest from the Mission de France, and an astrophysicist who was agnostic. The book inquires into the motivations of scientific research, looks at the quest for a Creator behind the said work when done by a believer, and tries to retrieve the spiritual presuppositions that would be present at the heart of the same type of work when carried over without a religious affiliation or confession.

Welcome, sister death: On the remarkable departures of illumined beings

by Ronald L. Boyer

A reprint of one of my first published essays in 1981. Originally published in Laughing Man Magazine (1981). Please ignore typos in recreated version by unknown typist.

This article, originally published years ago in the Laughing Man, a journal of contemporary spirituality, examines... more This article, originally published years ago in the Laughing Man, a journal of contemporary spirituality, examines accounts of the extraordinary manners of death attributed to mystics, saints and sages of numerous spiritual traditions, including Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. 

Review of Ursula KING, The Search for Spirituality: Our Global Quest for a Spiritual Life

by Hans Gustafson