Cosmological Koans: A Journey to the Heart of Physical Reality

Cosmological Koans: A Journey to the Heart of Physical Reality PDF Author: Anthony Aguirre
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393609227
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 384

Get Book

Book Description
Cosmological Koans invites the reader into an intellectual adventure of the highest order. Through more than fifty Koans—pleasingly paradoxical vignettes following the ancient Zen tradition—leading physicist Anthony Aguirre takes the reader across the world from West to East, and through ideas spanning the age, breadth, and depth of the Universe. Using these beguiling Koans (Could there be a civilization on a mote of dust? How much of your fate have you made? Who cleans the universe?) and a flair for explaining complex science, Aguirre covers cosmic questions that scientific giants from Aristotle to Galileo to Heisenberg have grappled with, from the meaning of quantum theory and the nature of time to the origin of multiple universes. A playful and enlightening book, Cosmological Koans explores the strange hinterland between the deep structure of the physical world and our personal experience of it, giving readers what Einstein himself called “the most beautiful and deepest experience” anyone can have: a sense of the mysterious.

Cosmological Koans: A Journey to the Heart of Physical Reality

Cosmological Koans: A Journey to the Heart of Physical Reality PDF Author: Anthony Aguirre
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393609227
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 384

Get Book

Book Description
Cosmological Koans invites the reader into an intellectual adventure of the highest order. Through more than fifty Koans—pleasingly paradoxical vignettes following the ancient Zen tradition—leading physicist Anthony Aguirre takes the reader across the world from West to East, and through ideas spanning the age, breadth, and depth of the Universe. Using these beguiling Koans (Could there be a civilization on a mote of dust? How much of your fate have you made? Who cleans the universe?) and a flair for explaining complex science, Aguirre covers cosmic questions that scientific giants from Aristotle to Galileo to Heisenberg have grappled with, from the meaning of quantum theory and the nature of time to the origin of multiple universes. A playful and enlightening book, Cosmological Koans explores the strange hinterland between the deep structure of the physical world and our personal experience of it, giving readers what Einstein himself called “the most beautiful and deepest experience” anyone can have: a sense of the mysterious.

The Koan

The Koan PDF Author: Steven Heine
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 019802780X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 335

Get Book

Book Description
Koans are enigmatic spiritual formulas used for religious training in the Zen Buddhist tradition. Arguing that our understanding of the koan tradition has been severely limited, contributors to this collection examine previously unrecognized factors in the formation of this tradition, and highlight the rich complexity and diversity of koan practice and literature.

Nothing Dies

Nothing Dies PDF Author: J W Dunne
Publisher: Resonancebookworks
ISBN: 9780955989872
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book

Book Description
A new edition of J W Dunne's famous and brilliant time theory work. A short, no fuss account of the theory without mathematics. Also in the series; An Experiment with Time; The Serial Universe; The New Immortality

The Book of Equanimity

The Book of Equanimity PDF Author: Gerry Shishin Wick
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0861713877
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 353

Get Book

Book Description
A thought-provoking collection of Zen koans culls the wisdom of thisnfluencial brand of Buddhism to present a series of "teaching stories" thatresent spiritual wisdom in interesting ways. Original.

Shifting Shape, Shaping Text

Shifting Shape, Shaping Text PDF Author: Steven Heine
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
ISBN: 0824864298
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 313

Get Book

Book Description
According to the fox koan, the second case in the Wu-men kuan koan collection, Zen master Pai-chang encounters a fox who claims to be a former abbot punished through endless reincarnations for denying the efficacy of karmic causality. In the end he is liberated by Pai-chang's turning word, which asserts the inexorability of cause-and-effect. Most traditional interpretations of the koan focus on the philosophical issue of causality in relation to earlier Buddhist doctrines, such as dependent origination and emptiness. Dogen, the founder of the Japanese Soto school, devoted two fascicles of the Shobogenzo exclusively to the fox koan. One fascicle supports a paradoxical view of causality and non-causality, the two being "two sides of the same coin"; the second strongly attacks this interpretation and defends a literal reading that asserts causality and denies non-causality. Dogen's apparent change of heart on this topic has inspired scholars of the recent Critical Buddhist methodology to evaluate the merits and weaknesses in Zen's attitude toward ethical issues and social affairs. Shifting Shape, Shaping Text examines the fox koan in relation to philosophical and institutional issues facing the Ch'an/Zen tradition in both Sung China and medieval and contemporary Japan. Steven Heine integrates his own philological analysis of the koan, textual analysis of koan collections and related literary genres in T'ang and Sung China, folklore studies, recent discourse theory, Dogen studies, and research on monastic codes and institutional history to craft an original and compelling work. More specifically, he illuminates a fascinating dimension of the entire Ch'an/Zen tradition as he carefully lays out the philosophical issues in the koan concerning causality/karma and enlightenment, the ethical issues contained therein, the bearing that certain interpretations of causality had on the creation of monastic codes and institutional security in China, the relation between Zen and folk religion as revealed by the koan, and the issue of possible antinomianism in Zen, especially as grappled with by later thinkers such as Dogen and contemporary representatives of Critical Buddhism. Finally he applies theories of "high" and "low" religion and contemporary discourse and in the process rethinks the theories and their applicability across cultures. Far-reaching yet rigorous, Shifting Shape, Shaping Text will not only attract the interest of Ch'an/Zen specialists, but also those studying folklore, popular religion, and issues concerning the nature of discourse and the relation between "high" and "low" religions.

Infinity and the Mind

Infinity and the Mind PDF Author: Rudy Rucker
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691191255
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages :

Get Book

Book Description
A dynamic exploration of infinity In Infinity and the Mind, Rudy Rucker leads an excursion to that stretch of the universe he calls the “Mindscape,” where he explores infinity in all its forms: potential and actual, mathematical and physical, theological and mundane. Using cartoons, puzzles, and quotations to enliven his text, Rucker acquaints us with staggeringly advanced levels of infinity, delves into the depths beneath daily awareness, and explains Kurt Gödel’s belief in the possibility of robot consciousness. In the realm of infinity, mathematics, science, and logic merge with the fantastic. By closely examining the paradoxes that arise, we gain profound insights into the human mind, its powers, and its limitations. This Princeton Science Library edition includes a new preface by the author.

Marvels of Science

Marvels of Science PDF Author: Kendall F. Haven
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780585220710
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 238

Get Book

Book Description
Focusing on the characters, events, and moments of genius that comprise the story of science, these 50 short reads are ideal for both read-alouds and reading assignments. The tales take just minutes to read but amply illustrate scientific principles and the evolution of science through history. Discussion questions and additional references correlate each story with elements of the science curriculum and provide direction for students to pursue their own discoveries. Stories are cross-indexed by year of occurrence and by scientist.

The Six Perfections

The Six Perfections PDF Author: Dale Stuart Wright
Publisher: Oxford University Press on Demand
ISBN: 0195382013
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 299

Get Book

Book Description
This book provides a guide to the six perfections, a set of Buddhist teachings designed to transform human character.

The Ascent of Humanity

The Ascent of Humanity PDF Author: Charles Eisenstein
Publisher: North Atlantic Books
ISBN: 1583946365
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 577

Get Book

Book Description
The author of The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible explores the history and potential future of civilization, tracing the converging crises of our age to the illusion of the separate self Our disconnection from one another and the natural world has mislaid the foundations of science, religion, money, technology, economics, medicine, and education as we know them. It has fired our near-pathological pursuit of technological Utopias even as we push ourselves and our planet to the brink of collapse. Fortunately, an Age of Reunion is emerging out of the birth pangs of an earth in crisis. Our journey of separation hasn't been a terrible mistake but an evolutionary process and an adventure in self-discovery. Even in our darkest hour, Eisenstein sees the possibility of a more beautiful world—not through the extension of millennia-old methods of management and control but by fundamentally reimagining ourselves and our systems. We must shift away from our Babelian efforts to build ever-higher towers to heaven and instead turn out attention to creating a new kind of civilization—one designed for beauty rather than height.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance PDF Author: Robert M. Pirsig
Publisher: Turtleback Books
ISBN: 9780606039604
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book

Book Description
"With a new introduction by the author"--Jacket.