AMST 2660 Final Exam

Max Ehrmann

spiritual/mystical writer/poet; wrote “Desiderata” (1927), incorporated themes of harmony with the universe, staying true to oneself, acceptance of life’s challenges, importance of kindness

Humanistic Psychology

“Unites science and Ontology (study of being)”, took off after WWII, science of meaning/values/free will, focus on self-actualization

Peak Experience

moment when individual feels connected to universe and transcended, loss of ego, self-actualization, defined by Maslow

Abraham Maslow

psychologist who created the “hierarchy of needs” and pioneered Humanistic psychology; emphasized importance of self-actualization and peak experience

Esalen Institute

spiritual retreat center in California; founded by Michael Murphy and Dick Price in 1962; emphasized spiritual democratization/introduced spirituality that was exclusive to upper class (though still expensive, ironically)

Michael Murphy

founder of Esalen along with Dick Price; studied meditation in India; promoter of humanistic psychology/Huamán potential movement

Hierarchy of Needs

created by Abraham Maslow; ranking of human needs for physiological to self-actualization; lower needs must be satisfied for spiritual needs; implies spirituality cannot be fully realized without basic needs

Aldous Huxley

figure in psychedelic research; wrote “The Doors of Perception” (1954) which describes mescaline (peyote psychedelic) experiences; set up meditation centers/learned from Vivekananda; coined “Human Potential Movement”

LSD

psychedelic drug developed in 1943 by Albert Hofmann; shipped to people for “research purposes” until outlawed in 1966; used for enhanced spiritual experience and research (therapeutic applications, psyhcosis)

Good Friday Experiement

Done by Pahnke and Smith in Boston, 1962; 20 participants shown Good Friday sermon (10 with psychedelic, 10 with placebo) and behavior observed; focused on if spirituality was divine or a matter of brain chemistry

Dark Green Religion

defined by Bron Taylor in 2010; emphasizes nature is sacred and intrinsically valuable, everything is connected and mutually independent, open to science/individual experience

Animist vs. Gaia DGR

Belief that individual elements of nature (rocks, trees, etc.) have spiritual consciousness vs. all of nature as one interconnected/living divine system

naturalistic vs religious DGR

nature does not contain the supernatural and is only sacred through science vs. nature is scared and inhabited by spiritual forces

Avatar

movie by James Cameron from 2009; world of Pandora worship goddess Eywa that represents interconnection of all life; spiritual connection to nature and Gaia DGR

Jack Kerouac

novelist, poet, and proponent of the Beat Generation (“Beatnik”, though he’ll swear he’s a catholic), wrote “On the Road” (1957) describing spiritual journey between two buds and “Dharma Bums” (1958), which searches for a “Buddhist” context to his experiences

Alan Watts

“Philosophical entertainer”, for Anglican priest, writer, lecturer in Zen and Eastern tradition from UK; popularized ET in the west; wrote “The Way of Zen” (1959), emphasizing Zen as counterculture and call to SBNR

“Beat Zen”

Zen as it is within American Culture, more counterculture based and rebellious, taken up by youth

“Square Zen”

Real thing, “Zen of Japan”, traditional practices; authentic Zen Buddhism rather than western adaptation

Ruth Fuller Sasaki

American Zen practitioner: travelled to Japan and met D. T. Suzuki in 1930; learned traditional monastic style of Buddhism (culture'/gender clash); promoted Zen practice through the First Zen Institute of America

D. T. Susuki

Zen master who popularized the practice in the US through lecturing; focus on “satori”, or enlightenment; argued zen can be transmitted independent of its cultural'/monastic context

Raja Yoga

form of yoga focused on meditative practice and mental discipline; popularized in the US by “Raja Yoga” by Vivekananda

Jon Kabat-Zinn

started first MSBR program at UMass 1979; connection of Buddhist mindfulness and modern science; findings were extrapolated to hospitals for stress reduction/treatment of chronic pain

Mindfullness Based Stress Reduction

therapeutic program that combines Buddhist mindfulness/meditation with western medicine/psychology; originated by Jon Kabat-Zinn in 1979 at UMass

Thich Naht Hanh

buddhist monk/political actor (peacekeeping in vietnam war/civil rights); promoted Christian-Buddhist dialog; wrote “Living Buddha, Living Christ” (1995); emphasized mindfulness (google mindfulness day)

“Living Buddha, Living Christ'“ (1995)

Buddhist view on religious cosmopolitanism; emphasizes importance of both sides being willing to change in dialog; truth can exist outside of one’s own group; religions must be open to change

Thomas Merton

trappist monk and writer; explored Christian mysticism and argued for interfaith dialog (especially with Buddhism); seeker 60s and dweller 50s

“A Christian Looks at Zen” (1967)

written by Thomas Merton; argues for dialog between Christianity and Zen; draws commonality with Christian mysticism (detachment, contemplation); warns against western zen interpretations

Centering Prayer

non-verbal prayer inspired by Buddhism, focusing on inner silence and stillness, deep connection with God, initially preached by Thomas Merton

Engaged Buddhism

movement apply Buddhism to real-world issues, converting contemplation to action, promotes social and political justice, coined by Thich Nhat Hanh

UVA Contemplative Sciences Center

UVA building and foundation that emphasizes mindfulness, meditation, and contemplative practices in research

Panentheism

Belief that the divine and the natural are distinct, but the divine influences all aspects of nature; contrasts to Pantheism, which says that all reality is god/divinity

Wicca

School of neopaganism, focused on finding diving in the natural world, no central text/authority, engaging in rituals based of natural cycles (moon, stars, solstices), importance of gatherings

Starhawk

Original name Miriam Simos, Wicca practitioner and writer, came to wicca to fulfill calling of becoming spiritual leader, wrote “The Spiral Dance” (1979, central book of Wicca), which discussed feminist spirituality (celebration of body and spirituality) and connection of spirit and nature

Gaia hypothesis

created by James Lovelock; affirms earth as a self-regulating organism based on biological and ecological systems (oxygen regulation, etc.)

UFOs

Unidentified flying objects; encapsulate spirituality through being mysterious, powerful forces that aren’t supernatural; Carl Jung argued they were a religious phenomenon in “Flying Saucers” (1950)

Our Bodies Ourselves

book on women’s sexuality and health from 1971; encouraged women to celebrate their sexuality/bodies; include chapters about standing up for oneself in medical world through reproductive health/abortion

Radical Faeries

Queer countercultural movement founded 1979 by Harry Hay, reclaimed “faery” slur for gay men (double meaning), explored spiritual dimensions of queer identify

Harry Hay

Gay rights activist and founder of Radical Faeries; had a traditionalist father that led him to shun authority; organized Mattachine Society in 1950 to create community amongst queer people in Los Angeles

John Coltrane

jazz saxophonist; experienced religious awakening after heroin addiction that influenced “A Love Supreme” (1965), which expressed his gratitude to God; expressed spirituality in improvisation/expression of oneself

Wassily Kandinsky

Russian painter; wrote “Concerning the Spiritual in Art” (1911); created abstract works such as “Composition VII” (1913) that exemplified spirituality; argued that art must respond to “inner need” (spiritual desire of artist) or artist to be “true”; connected color and form to expressions and essence of art.

A Love Supreme (1965)

jazz album by John Coltrane; expressed devotion to God and spiritual awakening through four movements (Acknowledgements, Resolution, Pursuance, Psalm).

Concerning the Spiritual in Art (1911)

written by Wassily Kandinsky exploring spirituality in art; argued art of modern times is not tethered to reality, but is rather purely spiritual

Deepak Chopra

author and speaker known for combining eastern philosophy (meditation, mindfulness) and western wellness concepts; popularizes mindfulness concepts in the modern day

Neoliberalism

promotes free markets, limited government intervention, and overall economic growth; point of contingency in Selling Spirituality as it is viewed as driver of commodification.

The Whole Earth Catalog

created by Steward Brand; advocated for sustainable living and environmentalism by providing tools, resources, and information for individuals seeking to improve their ecological consciousness; reflects Brand’s belief that world can be “transformed” into an era of peace if it can be seen in its entirety

Black Lives Matter

continuation of civil rights movement; women-led, queer-affirming, diverse; based in spirituality as Civil Rights movement was based in religion; interconnected across institutions/individuals (DGR), leaderful rather than leaderless

Patrisse Cullors

Artist/activist/founder of BLM; differentiated “healing from and healing for” (healing for a goal or the greater good); involved in West African tradition (Ifa); spirituality in BLM through resilience of black people and memory (say their names)

B.K.S Iyenger

Indian yoga teacher and practitioner; known for introducing yoga to the West and promoting its physical and spiritual benefits; author of "Light on Yoga" (1913) and influential in developing Iyengar Yoga.