- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- June 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780804759137
- eISBN:
- 9780804774871
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Stanford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.11126/stanford/9780804759137.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
A recurring theme in Isaac ben Samuel of Akko's writing is his repeated emphasis on the need for the kabbalist to transcend the realm of physical sensation for the sake of mental attachment to the ...
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A recurring theme in Isaac ben Samuel of Akko's writing is his repeated emphasis on the need for the kabbalist to transcend the realm of physical sensation for the sake of mental attachment to the intellective dimensions of the spirit. Isaac argues that the extrapolation of muskalot meaning from murgashot perception was part and parcel of a necessary transcendence of corporeal sensation. The intellective dimensions ultimately give rise to disembodied contemplation—a mode of mystical perception in which physical sensation is replaced by an interior, spiritualized vision of Being. The lived spiritual practice of Isaac certainly involved intense forms of asceticism, and he probably conceived of devequt as a state that ought to be attained after one overcomes the inhibiting forces of passion and desire. By subduing and transforming the murgashot, it is possible to become attached to the muskalot. In order to reach the climax of the devotee's connection to Divinity, the contemplative act of training the mind on the divine muskalot is necessary.Less
A recurring theme in Isaac ben Samuel of Akko's writing is his repeated emphasis on the need for the kabbalist to transcend the realm of physical sensation for the sake of mental attachment to the intellective dimensions of the spirit. Isaac argues that the extrapolation of muskalot meaning from murgashot perception was part and parcel of a necessary transcendence of corporeal sensation. The intellective dimensions ultimately give rise to disembodied contemplation—a mode of mystical perception in which physical sensation is replaced by an interior, spiritualized vision of Being. The lived spiritual practice of Isaac certainly involved intense forms of asceticism, and he probably conceived of devequt as a state that ought to be attained after one overcomes the inhibiting forces of passion and desire. By subduing and transforming the murgashot, it is possible to become attached to the muskalot. In order to reach the climax of the devotee's connection to Divinity, the contemplative act of training the mind on the divine muskalot is necessary.
Jason Rosenhouse
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199744633
- eISBN:
- 9780190267827
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199744633.003.0018
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology
In this chapter, the author comments on the religious experiences of his fellow attendees at the “Darwin vs. Design” conference held in Knoxville, Tennessee, in March 2007. Many of his fellow ...
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In this chapter, the author comments on the religious experiences of his fellow attendees at the “Darwin vs. Design” conference held in Knoxville, Tennessee, in March 2007. Many of his fellow skeptics and atheists are entirely dismissive of religious experiences, especially when they are used as evidence for God. While he agrees with them that such things have no apologetic value, he believes that experiences with the power to so transform a person's life are not to be dismissed lightly. It is often said that experience is the true wellspring of religion, with the churches and dogmas being secondary or even harmful. This idea was eloquently explained in 1932 by theologian Harry Emerson Fosdick. The author also considers the notion of a parallel between mystical perception and sense perception by citing the views of John Wesley. He argues that it is important to distinguish the true mystical perceptions from the false ones if we are to admit religious experience as evidence for God.Less
In this chapter, the author comments on the religious experiences of his fellow attendees at the “Darwin vs. Design” conference held in Knoxville, Tennessee, in March 2007. Many of his fellow skeptics and atheists are entirely dismissive of religious experiences, especially when they are used as evidence for God. While he agrees with them that such things have no apologetic value, he believes that experiences with the power to so transform a person's life are not to be dismissed lightly. It is often said that experience is the true wellspring of religion, with the churches and dogmas being secondary or even harmful. This idea was eloquently explained in 1932 by theologian Harry Emerson Fosdick. The author also considers the notion of a parallel between mystical perception and sense perception by citing the views of John Wesley. He argues that it is important to distinguish the true mystical perceptions from the false ones if we are to admit religious experience as evidence for God.
