Journal of Religious Studies
Year:2011 | Volume:4 | Issue:8|Papers Count:9

The manuscripts unearthed in 1947 between the border of Israel and Jordan on the shore of the Dead Sea are known as The Dead Sea Scrolls. They belong to Essenes who had cut off from the main body of Judaism in opposition and constituted a community known as Qumran. There are interesting concepts in the Scrolls that are very similar to Zoroastrian ideas. The main idea in the Dead Sea Scrolls is the war of the Sons of Light against the Sons of Darkness which is similar to the contrast between Ahura Mazda and Ahriman in Zoroastrian mythology. The confrontation of the Good and the Evil leads to a universal war between angels and demons which finally by the victory of the Good forces comes to an end. Moreover, in both traditions the Good and Evil forces are organized in a precise hierarchy. Since these concepts are absent in the early Jewish traditions and Hebrew Bible, some scholars believe that they appear in Jewish tradition under the influence of Zoroastrianism.

In the history of Islamic thought, the conflicting views of the believers of “unity of being” have led to different interpretations, in as much as, some of these believers have claimed the novelty and uniqueness of their own theories. As a prominent example Ibn Sab‘in, a controversial Andalusian mystic, regards his theory of “absolute unity of being” as an essentially distinguished theory in the history of Islamic thought. Examining this claim, this article has arrived to the conclusion that it is not true. In fact, his theory is the continuation of the tradition of Muslim mystics.

There are eight stages in the Yoga school that start from physical stages to mental or super-mental stages. All of these stages are based on concentration and meditation and the degree of concentration is determined according to the subtlety of concentration subject (prakrti ’s productions). Samadhi is the last mystical stage in Yoga. It is divided to different stages which the last of them is called Asamprajnata Samadhi (enstasis without support). In this stage the deliverance of Purusa (spirit) from Prakrti (substance) will be realized. But before Asamprajnata Samadhi there is a stage called Samprajnata Samadhi (enstasis with support). Samprajnata Samadhi, in contrast to the Asamprajnata, is divided to different stages. The precise study of these stages is the main subject of this article.

Shekhinah is one of the key concepts in the Judaism and especially in the mystical tradition of Kabbalah. Although this concept is comparable with the concept of sakinah in the Islamic culture, its meaning is more extended and more complicated. According to the Kabbalah’s ontology there are ten sefirahs (divine qualities) in the cosmos that shekhinah is the last but not the least of them. Sometime shekhinah is described as a personified being that lives among people and sometime it is regarded as the God’s permanent presence in the world. However, in general shekhinah is mediator between the Ein Sof (the Infinite) and universe that without it our universe lose its order. The word Shekhinah first appeared in Talmud however its early meaning has been transformed throughout history- especially in Kabbalistic literture and under the influence of Gnostic Sophia. In studying Shekhinah the most important thing is the prominent role that this sefirah have played in realizing the order of cosmos and reestablishing peace for the sons of Israel. Meditation, contemplation and devotion to the religious practice cause the Shekhinah to descend on the Jewish believers and connect it to Ein Sof. On the contrary, neglecting to live under the divine commandments and the Laws of Scripture cause the Shekhinah to leave the world.

According to the Sufis the relation between God and the world is similar to the relation between sun and its rays so all prophets came from a single source of light; however lay people who have engaged in material matters could not appreciate this unity, therefore, called the prophets as Moses, Jesus and etc.Since people could not realize the essence of religion, they start interpreting it according to their understanding, and as a result, fighting with each other.Rumi believes that prophets are the representatives of God on the earth and by using allegory he tries to explain the unity of the path of prophets. According to Rumi, the mystery of the oneness of religion will be discovered only by cutting through the exoteric side of it. From his viewpoint the innate God-given religion, or the real divine unity, and the devotional prayer are the essence of religion and if people understand this reality, their conflict will be disappeared.

The phenomenology of Indian popular films, based on identifying both the philosophical and technical codes, is a prolegomenon for achieving a domestic dialogue as a global popular culture. The formation of the dialogues based on the structure of the indigenous philosophical and religious thought, and creation of a romantic, dreamy and imaginary world influenced by the philosophical, religious and mythological components and elements, have provided the possibility of realization of a global phenomenon regarding traditionalism and Indigenism. The main concern of this article is to survey the paradoxical narrative dialogue of the Indian popular cinema which besides its "mass production", "stereotypes", "audience-oriented approach" and … reflects the philosophical and religious heritage of the land. But the artistic and the intellectual works of the Indian cinema, in spite of their strong realism, characterization, poetic language and … are not able to express the minimums of the Indian cultural, ethnic, traditional, intellectual and philosophical identity.

The ritual of Soma and Haoma is one of the most important rituals in ancient India and Iran. In this ritual the plant Soma/Haoma was being squeezed until its juice being prepared. According to Avesta and Rgveda the first form of Soma/Haoma was a plant known because of its extraordinary effects and gradually special rites was developed around it. The rite of the preparation of Soma/Haoma juice was accompanied by special ceremonies and customs and it should be performed only under the direction of the priests. Holiness of this plant gradually opened the way for appearance of a god with the same name- i.e. the god Soma/Haoma. Therefore, several pieces in Avesta and Rgveda were dedicated to this god. According to these pieces the most important function of the god Soma/Haoma is bringing health and immortality. It seems likely that the curative properties of this plant have been attributed to the god.