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Transcendent Philosophy: An International Journal For Comparative Philosophy And Mysticism

Volume 25 Number 36

December 2024

Articles in This Issue

The Quiddity of Iranian Philosophy

Author(s): Seyed Salman Safavi – London Academy of Iranian Studies

Published: December 2024, Pages: 7-32

Type: Article

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Iranian Philosophy is a philosophical tradition developed by intellectuals of the great cultural Iran, focusing on theoretical and practical wisdom, particularly in ontology, epistemology, and anthropology. This tradition is original and independent rather than imitative. Iranian philosophy is independent of Greek philosophy. In the Iranian tradition of philosophy, philosophy and mysticism ('Irfan) are generally intertwined. Ḥukamāʾ (theosophists) refers to philosophers and mystics in the history of Iranian intellectual thought. In this tradition, Ḥikmah, which renders wisdom or philosophy, refers to a philosophy based on intellect and the heart. Prominent schools of thought in this tradition include Avicennian, Illuminative, and Transcendental philosophy. We can divide Iranian philosophy into two periods: before and after Islam. Of Iran's most important philosophical-mystical figures, we can mention Zoroaster, Fārābī, Ferdowsī, Ibn Sīnā, Khayyām, Suhrawardī, Rumi, Shaykh Ṣafī al-Dīn al-Ardabīlī, Mullā Ṣadrā, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn Ṭabāṭabāʾī, and Seyyed Hossein Nasr. There is disagreement about the characteristics of Iranian philosophy. This article explores eight key topics: defining Iranian philosophy, examining its characteristics, its encounter with modernity and technocracy, the relationship between Iranian philosophy and Islamic philosophy, and the global influence of Iranian philosophy.

Christian Mysticism – a subjective view

Author(s): William Morris – NCF, London, UK

Published: December 2024, Pages: 33-56

Type: Article

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Christian Mysticism is a subjective approach to God that involves an intense, impassioned love for God that can transport you into times of sustained bliss or of inspiration. Early Christianity had its mystical elements, and it had many practitioners in the Fathers of the early Church. Origen of Alexandria was a scholar whose beliefs influenced and continue to influence, the approach of many Christian mystics. In the modern era, mysticism is enjoying something of a revival, particularly in the “charismatic” Christian movement. Christian mysticism is not constrained by social mores and has a wide range of expression.

Divine Encounters: Christian Mysticism in Reformed Theology and Its Societal Implications

Author(s): Paul Gutteridge – Edward Cadbury Centre, University of Birmingham, UK

Published: December 2024, Pages: 57-80

Type: Article

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This paper explores the impact of Christian mysticism within Reformed theology, examining its theological basis, historical development, and modern interpretations and applications. Grounded in key Reformed doctrines such as the sovereignty of God, grace, the authority of Scripture, and total depravity, Reformed mysticism is presented as deeply integrated into the believer's spiritual journey. The contributions of historical figures like John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, John Owen, and Abraham Kuyper are analysed to understand how mystical experiences have been shaped and contextualized within the Reformed tradition. Contemporary theologians, including Timothy Keller, John Piper, and Chris Watkin, are discussed to highlight the ongoing relevance and application of these principles in modern contexts. The paper also addresses the societal implications of mystical experiences, emphasizing their role in driving cultural engagement and social transformation. By inviting dialogue with Islamic Sufism, this paper invites further engagement and comparison, enriching the understanding of global religious experiences. The integration of mystical experiences with principled pluralism and common grace underscores the transformative potential of Reformed mysticism in shaping both individual lives and broader cultural narratives.

Major Themes in the School of Ibn ‘Arabī: A Brief Selection

Author(s): Seyyed Shahabeddin Mesbahi – Majd Institute, Shiraz, Iran

Published: December 2024, Pages: 81-90

Type: Article

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Muḥyiddīn Ibn ‘Arabī’s exceptional and multidimensional influence, which perhaps was mainly the result of his extraordinary and comprehensive approach to spiritual concepts, through utilizing his unique linguistic skills in formation of an array of creative terms, expressions, and themes, earned him the title of shaykh al-akbar (the greatest master). This short note provides a few selected examples of central and popular themes in the School of Ibn ‘Arabī.[i]

Languages of the Self: Convergences in Approaches of Ibn Arabi and Abhinavagupta

Author(s): Muhammad Maroof Shah – Department of Sheep Husbandry, Kashmir

Published: December 2024, Pages: 91-114

Type: Article

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This paper  compares  the language of the Self and associated metaphysical and mystical conceptions in Kashmir Saivism and Sufism, as presented in Abhinabgupta and Ibn Arabi, subsuming them   under the rubric of common    traditional metaphysics. It notes that both share the conceptions of Absolute and nondualism and advocate almost analogous schemes of descent of the Absolute towards the increasingly grosser or impure states of existence. Both share a realist ontology, affirmative transcendence, metaphysics of Beauty, pen and point and number of techniques and practices. Against fashionable uniformitarian syncretistic approach to Saivism and Sufism, the paper attempts to situate them in their respective traditions of Vedantic and Islamic frameworks that respects their unique character and different theologies while also emphasizing their shared metaphysics while critiquing reduction of Saivism and Sufism into exclusivist theological shibboleths as they are best comparable on mystical-metaphysical planes.  Accepting metaphysical reading of key theological notions and eschatological data presented in the scriptures (that both Ibn Arabi and Abhinavgupta plead for) we can decipher a fundamental transcendental unity between doctrinally divergent universes of Islam and Saivism.

Modern Psychology, Eros, and the Sexual Revolution

Author(s): Samuel Bendeck Sotillos – Institute of Traditional Psychology, Chicago, IL, USA

Published: December 2024, Pages: 115-166

Type: Article

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The immense confusion surrounding sexuality is a powerful indication of the spiritual crisis of the modern world. What are the causes and underlying factors of this state of confusion? The effects of the sexual revolution of the 1960s—a movement rooted in much earlier ideologies—have not diminished but, rather, expanded. The gradual emergence of the Enlightenment project has led to the desacralization of human existence, reducing higher realities to the plane of the material. Modern psychology has played a decisive role in this problem by limiting its account of sexuality to the purely horizontal level of the psycho-physical, when a true comprehension requires the vertical dimension of the Spirit. Modern mental health treatments initially identified the lack of sexual fulfillment as the etiology of psychopathology itself and, while many novel treatment modalities have since been created, to a great extent they only add to the confusion. By contrast, sacred psychology and its metaphysical foundations provide a framework that integrates the horizontal and vertical dimensions of sexuality.

Allegory as the Image of Philosophy

Author(s): Mahmoud Nuri – Tehran University of Art, Tehran

Published: December 2024, Pages: 167-180

Type: Article

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Farabi was a renowned philosopher having a variety of writings in the fields of metaphysics, political philosophy, ethics, logic, mathematics, and cosmology. He was also a musician and music scholar. Moreover, he is credited with his treatises and commentaries on the original Greek texts. He held that true artists in the ‘Utopia’ should make a variety of images for philosophical issues and divine happiness, distributing them among public. Frank in his article “Castrated Raphael: Friedrich Overbeck and allegory” pointed it out that true art reflects the divine. On the other hand, Suhrawardi, the Persian philosopher and the founder of Illumination school (Maktab al-Ishraq), in his real life, acts as if he is undertaking the role of the ideal artist in Farabi’s Utopia. He has ten allegorical treatises, illustrating his philosophical views through visual metaphors.

Ibn Arabi and Transcendence and Simile

Author(s): Seyed Sajad Sadatizadeh – Dezful University of Medical Sciences, Iran

Published: December 2024, Pages: 181-202

Type: Article

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The theological concepts of transcendence and simile have long been central issues in philosophical and theological discourse. These concepts present a complex dilemma, often leading to debates among scholars and mystics about reconciling the human-like attributes ascribed to God with the divine transcendence that places Him beyond all such characteristics. This article explores the perspectives of Ibn Arabi on the interplay of transcendence and simile, arguing that Ibn Arabi rejects both absolute transcendence and absolute simile. Instead, he proposes a comprehensive view harmonising the two, offering a balanced understanding of the divine.

Farabi vis-à-vis Sartre on Imagination

Author(s): Nadia Maftouni – University of Tehran

Published: December 2024, Pages: 203-214

Type: Article

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According to Farabi, imagination is able to embody intellectual affairs and beings. Inasmuch as imagination and imaginary art introduce the intellectual and embody them by the sensible, public can get knowledge and intellectual happiness through art. Happiness-oriented art includes sensible beauty and aesthetics evaluation and also might include enjoyment and pleasure. Sartre portrays imagination as the positing of an object as a nothingness and not being. While in memory and perception, we take our experience for real, in imagination we contribute a content that has no reality beyond our disposition to see it, and it is clear that this added content is time and again cited by art when we see a face in a picture or hear an emotion in a piece of music. For Sartre, imagination represents the power of human consciousness because it is a type of intentionality that posits in the same act both the existence of the object and its inexistence, since it intends it precisely as a virtual object. In imagination, the object is indeed intended by consciousness, but as absent, as containing a certain part of nothingness inasmuch as it is posited as not existing here and now. An artwork, according to Sartre, is an imaginary presentation of the world inasmuch as it requires human freedom. In other words, the artwork serves the purpose of making us feel essential in connection with the world. While Farabi considers both real as well as unreal aspects of imagination Sartre sees just imagination’s irreal side. Moreover, Farabi’s focus is on the social function of imagination which Sartre lacks.

The Science of Human Attachment and Rumi’s Insights into Spiritual Attachment

Author(s): Elnaz Zahed – University of Tehran, Alireza Moafi – Expert Therapy, UK

Published: December 2024, Pages: 215-234

Type: Article

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Attachment theory, first proposed by John Bowlby in the 1950s, explores the emotional bonds between individuals, particularly focusing on the parent-child relationship. This article delves into the foundations of attachment theory, outlining its significance in understanding how early experiences with caregivers’ shape individuals' emotional and social development. It reviews the central concepts of attachment behaviours, the formation of attachment styles, and the impact of these styles on adult relationships. The article identifies the primary attachment styles—secure, dismissive, fearful, and preoccupied—and examines the intergenerational transmission of attachment patterns, stability of attachment styles throughout life, and their implications for psychological adjustment. Additionally, this work seeks to highlight existing gaps in the literature regarding attachment theory and offers a unique perspective by integrating insights from Rumi's poetry. Through this examination, the article aims to contribute to the ongoing discourse on attachment theory and its relevance in contemporary psychological research. In this article, one of the psychological tales from the first book of the Mathnawi is analysed using a hermeneutic and holistic approach. The focal point of the third discourse is the dialogue between the child and the mother, followed by the dialogue between the King and the fire, as well as the King’s subsequent actions and reactions. The child is the primary hero of the tale, while the King serves as the antagonist. Composed in verse and using symbolic language, the discourse is filled with ups and downs, mirroring the true journey of human life. The central question of the article is about the mystical psychological dimensions of humanity, especially those of the mother, child, and power, as represented in this discourse. Metaphorically, in the current article, mother is representing all caregivers. The findings of the article indicate that Rumi illustrates a variety of conflicts within human nature and also depicts a mystical psychological perspective. In the chosen discourse for the present article, the child and mother play a constructive and nurturing interactive role. Verses 783–811 from the first chapter of Mathnawi convey the primary content of the child-mother relationship. This article thus bridges attachment theory with mystical perspectives, exploring the resonance between Bowlby's psychological insights and the rich symbolic framework of Rumi's insights and poetry, suggesting Spiritual Attachment to be complete map of human attachment process.

Exploring Expert Opinions on the Content of Expert Witness Psychological Reports

Author(s): Alireza Moafi – Expert Therapy, UK

Published: December 2024, Pages: 235-276

Type: Article

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The research examined the current state of expert witness psychological reports. Ten HCPC-registered, BPS-chartered practitioner psychologists shared their experiences and perspectives on qualifications, job titles, report preparation, content, and feedback from solicitors or court officials. Data were gathered through a 27-question survey and analysed using a thematic approach following Braun and Clarke’s (2019) six-step guide. This study explored three main areas: qualifications, report quality, and feedback from solicitors or courts. A critical review of the literature revealed significant variation in training, decision-making, knowledge of the field, and feedback from courts. Findings suggest a greater need for standardisation of expert witness psychological reports.

The One Vehicle of Emancipation: Buddhism and Other Religions

Author(s): John Paraskevopoulos – Fellow, International Association of Buddhist Culture, Kyōto

Published: December 2024, Pages: 277-234

Type: Article

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Buddhism appears exceptional in lacking any conventional notion of God, which is something that distinguishes practically every other religious tradition. However, while any strict form of theism is absent from its standpoint, it clearly espouses—in a number of its schools—the notion of an ultimate reality that is wholly transcendent, yet fully immanent in the world. Furthermore, its unique understanding of the Absolute provides a glimpse into how Buddhists might regard the significance and purpose of humanity’s other spiritual dispensations, without feeling compelled to reject them altogether. By examining some of its key doctrinal foundations, it will be argued that Buddhism—the Mahāyāna in particular—can shed light on the plurality of religions by focusing on what is most essential and universal in our longing for liberation.