Journal articles on the topic 'Buddhism and humanism'

The article considers the history of Buddhism in Central Asia and in Russia. It outlines the main periods of development and special features of Buddhism in the region, its influence on the local culture. It explorers the contemporary state of the Buddhist sangha in Russia and Central Asian countries.Central Asia has played an important role in the development of Buddhism as a world religion. In I-III centuries A.D. missionaries from Central Asia carried out the sermon of the Buddhist teachings. The archeological findings illustrate the massive spread of Buddhism on the wide territories of the region which were part of the Kushan Kingdom. The second period of the flourishing of Buddhist teaching falls on the V – first part of the VIII centuries, when the geography on Buddhism in the region expanded, and it peacefully co-existed with other religions.By IX century, when the territories of the contemporary Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Tadjikistan stayed under the rule of Umayyad and Abbaside Caliphate, Islam eventually ousted Buddhism from these lands.The third period of rise of Buddhism in the region started with the appearance of Dzungars who aspired to take hold of the lands of Kazahstan. From 1690 to 1760 Central Asian region had become an area of struggle for the hegemony between the Buddhist Dzungarian khanate and China. The Dzungars promoted the spread of Buddhism in the Eastern part of Kazahstan and Northern part of Eastern Turkestan. The entry of Western Turkestan into the Russian Empire put an end to external threats and internal feudal strife. It gave the start to the process of consolidation of the Central Asian nations, which recognized their belonging to Muslim Ummah. In the absence of Dzungar and Chinese factors the influence of Buddhism in the region almost stopped.By the end of the XX century with the renaissance of religiosity on the post-Soviet space the interest to Buddhism slightly raised. However, at the present moment the number of the Buddhists in the region is insignificant. Among the followers of Buddhism the main place is taken by the Korean diaspora, residing in Central Asia since 1937. There also exist some single neo-Buddhist communities in the region.Buddhism made its contribution to the development of the unique socio-cultural identity of Russia as Eurasian by it’s nature. Buryatia, Kalmykia, Tuva, as well as several parts of Altai, Irkutsk and Chita regions represent historical areas of the spread of Buddhist teaching. At the present moment the Russian Buddhist sangha contains of the major independent centers in Buryatia, Kalmykia, Tuva, Moscow and St.Petersburg.Buddhism plays and important part in socio-cultural space of Russia, gradually moving far beyond the borders of the regions of its traditional location. Popularity of the Buddhist philosophy derives from the range of grounds, among which are the closeness of some of its principles to contemporary scientific ideas, first of all to cognitive sciences, as well as openness to dialogue with other cultural and religious traditions, humanism, ethics of non-violence and ideas of common responsibility.

This essay considers the importance of the transspecies imagination for moral cultivation in contemporary Chinese Buddhism. Drawing on scriptural, theoretical, and fieldwork-based ethnographic data, it argues that olfaction—often considered the most “animalistic” of the human senses—is uniquely efficacious for inspiring imaginative processes whereby Buddhists train themselves to inhabit the perspectives of non-human beings. In light of Buddhist theories of rebirth, this means extending human-like status to animals and recognizing the “animal” within the human as well. Responding to recent trends in the Humanities calling for an expanded notion of ontological continuity between the human and non-human—notably inspired by critical animal studies, post-humanism, the new materialism, and the “ontological turn”—this essay contends that Buddhist cosmological ideas, like those that demand the cultivation of the transspecies imagination, present resources for moral reflection that can challenge and enrich current mainstream thinking about humanity’s relation to the nonhuman world.

Chinese philosopher Tu Weiming (1940-) has spent a lifetime in dialogue with cultural and spiritual traditions beyond the sanjiao or ‘three religions’ (Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism) of the Sinic world. This engagement has included sustained intercourse with the Abrahamic monotheisms and Hellenic philosophy, Hinduism and Indian spirituality, and a variety of indigenous heritages. The outcome of such cross-cultural ferment has been the elaboration of a ‘spiritual humanist’ alternative to the secular humanism of post-Enlightenment modernity. We begin by introducing Tu’s concept of Spiritual Humanism in general and his engagement with the Islamic world in particular. Adonis is then identified as a natural ally; his Sufism and Surrealism is presented as a case study in Spiritual Humanism with obvious relevance for Sufi Studies. Contemporary Sufi Studies discourse, this paper ultimately argues, should likewise not restrict itself to hermetic philological analyses of traditional sources; following Adonis’s example in Sufism and Surrealism, it should embrace the creative reelaboration of this tradition in the face of contact with new stimuli. Tu’s Spiritual Humanism is both one such stimulus and an active Confucian embodiment of this spirit of creativity.

As artificial intelligence (AI) outpaces the human brain, it is invoking wide-spread fear that men and machines are moving into a conflicting zone. Some even suspect that AI machines may one day consider human beings as slow and sloppy, and thus worthy of subordination or elimination. A growing challenge to mitigate the looming crisis requires science to expand its artificially augmented intelligence by incorporating elements from the ethical–spiritual and human universe. Our endeavor to bridge the prevailing gap between science and spirituality focuses on Buddhism, which stands out in its ability to achieve a rare fusion between natural, spiritual and human worlds. This unique synthesis is specifically mediated by Buddhist ‘causality’, where one aspect explains reality based on a scientifically proven cause and effect paradigm, but the other aspect interprets it by compassionate humanism. It argues that the missing human–spiritual dimension in artificial intelligence can be remedied by the Buddhist concept of ‘causally’ linked to the idea of ‘self-enlightenment’. Being an integral part of Buddhist heritage and a leading player in cutting-edge science, Korea demonstrates abilities to emerge as a new balancer to incorporate the best of science, spiritually and humanism to build next-generation AI machines with distinct human qualities.

Introduction. The article is focused on studying the self-knowledge techniques used in Buddhism and their application in teaching philosophy. The relevance of the study is due to the search for new approaches to studying philosophy, including approaches related to philosophical practice, as well as the interest of modern scientists in the problem of consciousness. The problem of consciousness is interdisciplinary and its study is of practical importance for philosophers, psychologists, linguists, specialists in artificial intelligence. Buddhism as a philosophical doctrine provides rich material for the study of the phenomenon of consciousness, which does not lose its relevance today. A feature of the Buddhist approach to consciousness is that it has an axiological orientation that is directly related to the problem of self-knowledge. The practices of self-knowledge used in Buddhism enable a person to become happier and more harmonious, which is so important for each of us. The aim of the study is to conduct a philosophical analysis of Buddhist practices of self-knowledge and self-transformation in order to use them in the educational process. Methods: the author uses general scientific methods of analysis and synthesis, deduction and induction; phenomenological method to identify the intentions that are key for consciousness. The author also uses the hermeneutical method to interpret Buddhist texts. The method of introspection as self-observation of consciousness is used in Buddhist meditation techniques. The scientific novelty of the study is that we approach the study of extensive material on Buddhism in the context of the problem of selfknowledge, which is inextricably linked with the Buddhist concept of consciousness. The revealed and studied Buddhist techniques of self-knowledge have been adapted for teaching philosophy. Results. A philosophical analysis of the literature on Buddhism in the context of the problem of self-knowledge was carried out. As a result of the analysis, Buddhist techniques for working with consciousness, such as meditation, the method of pondering Zen koans, the method of getting rid of material attachments, or the practice of austerities, were studied and described. A philosophical analysis of various Buddhist meditation techniques showed that they are based on the Buddhist concept of consciousness, which denies the existence of an individual “I”, considers the “I” to be nothing more than a combination of various dharmas, therefore the purpose of meditation in Buddhism is to identify oneself with one’s own “I”, to achieve a state of voidness in which we must comprehend our true identity. The method of pondering Zen koans is also one of the techniques for working with one’s consciousness in Buddhism. As a result of deliberation of these paradoxical miniatures, a person goes beyond the boundaries of logical thinking; there is a transition from the level of profane consciousness to the level of deep consciousness. The basis of the method of getting rid of material attachments or the practice of austerities in Buddhism is the concept of the middle path. We have established a similarity between the method of getting rid of material attachments, the concept of the middle path and minimalism as a way of life. Findings. Elements of the Buddhist practices of self-transformation can be successfully used in the teaching of philosophy at the university as a practical aspect of studying this discipline, forming students with the idea of philosophy as a way of life leading to positive self-transformation. Studying the practical aspects of Buddhist philosophy contributes to the formation of tolerance, awareness, education of humanism and altruism, and the skills of psycho-emotional self-regulation.

I understand humanism to be the meta‐ethical view that there exist discoverable (nonmoral) truths about the human condition, that is, about what it means to be human. We might think that as long as I believe I am realizing my unique human potential, I cannot be reasonably contradicted. Yet when we consider systemic oppression, this is unlikely. Systemic oppression makes dehumanizing conditions and treatment seem reasonable. In this paper, I consider the nature of understanding—drawing in particular upon recent defenses of realism in the philosophy of science—and argue that humanism makes sense if we recognize more thoroughly the role of cause and effect in practical deliberation. By this I mean the cause‐and‐effect relation between mind and body and between minds, bodies, and the world. Three philosophical sources—Marxism, Buddhism and Christianity—show what this might mean, as I indicate in the second half of the paper.

Rabindranath Tagore, the Nobel Prize winner for literature, is the first excellent Indian author whose creative efforts-poetry, prose, drama-present a superb Triveni of, mysticism, humanism and philosophy. His significant dance play Chandalika reveals the theme of marginal(Dalit) voice and role of Buddhism in the play. The play displays a chandal girl's realization that she's a human being like any other and it's wrong for her to believe under the notice of people from the upper castes. This play is about awakening a feeling of her identity in a Chandal-woman, and its awakened realization that she was born as a chandal-woman does not imply she is a non-entity. Prakriti finds that she is as human as anyone else, and that she has the right to give water to anyone high or low who requests that. Chandal girl in this play realizes that she isn't just someone with a personal identity but also causes her to love a Buddhist monk who is accountable for this new awakening.

Abstract The aim of the presentation is to Define the scope of Chinese Culture 正確的說明中國文化 and to introduce Chinese civilization, history, Chinese religions, Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism (in general but also specific meaning), the concept of Chinese archeology, Beijing man – 北京人, including discoveries like: china-ware, powder, silk 生絲, (Kung-fu, zhonguogongfu 中國功夫, Tai-chi-chuien, taijichuen 太極拳, and famous Chinese medicine, zhongyiao 中藥. Chinese Anthropological philosophy, Confucian ethic – 孔夫子的倫理. Silk road which linked Rome 羅馬 to Xian – 西安. The idea of harmony 和諧: joy of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism 佛家, 道家, 孔教 is included in Christianity. Taking into account Confucian humanism and traditional Chinese society 傳統的社會… Summing up everything is embraced by the definition of Chinese culture 中國文化.

This paper discusses a grace-based approach in managing the Gen A workforce in the digital age. It is a philosophical approach that covers grace, compassion, ethics, empowerment, and trust. On the basis of the conducted research the author proposes three theoretical lenses, organizational management, religious, and philosophical hybridism to conceptualize the grace-based leadership model that addresses the deterioration in ethical business behavior which gives rise to fraud, corruption, and loss of integrity. Specifically, this paper highlights the humanism aspect of organizations from the perspective of established philosophies and religions such as I Ching, Confucianism, Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism. The methodological basis for this paper is found within the theological, philosophical, psychological, and managerial fields. This study uses both interpretative phenomenological and hermeneutics approaches to interpret and understand the divine and classical texts of I Ching, Confucian Analects, Sutras, Quran, and Bhagavad Gita. The main hypothesis of the research is the idea that qualitative inquiries in management and leadership contexts can be enriched through linkages to the study of interpretative phenomenology and hermeneutics. The practical significance of this paper lies in the potential for developing a theoretical framework in humanistic leadership. According to the findings, this paper concludes that the deciding factor for an organization’s success in the digital era will be its ability to evolve its corporate culture to not only take advantage of emerging technologies but also to embrace the principle of humanism in the workplace. Keywords: Gen A, grace-based leadership, I Ching, Islam, Confucian, Buddhism, Hinduism, phenomenology, hermeneutics, grace-based approach.

Lord Buddha was the great preacher of non-violence and humanism. Dhammapada is an essential treatise on Buddhism. It regards as the most concise expression of Buddha's teachings from ancient to the present day. After the passing away of Lord Buddha, Arhants were accumulating to exercise his teaching. They collected some poetic speeches and many pieces of advice of Buddha, which is known as Tripitaka. We find Dhammapada as a part of Khuddaka Nikāya of the Sutta pitaka. Dhammapada is a reflective and poetical thought in Buddhist literature. Today we are facing different kinds of challenges. Especially the new generation becomes intolerant and violent because they are confused and sometimes, they are misguided. They do not have a clear path in their lives. As a result, they become frustrated. This paper attempts to show how the Dhammapada can become a significant and essential text to reduce the aggressive manifestation of intolerance from the early to modern-day. This paper also focuses on some positive teachings of Lord Buddha, such as 'Four Noble Truths, 'Eight-Fold Paths,' 'Pratitya samudpāda,' which offer definite ways to be patient and tolerant some extent.

This article argues that secular humanists’ scholars like postmodernists are developing great interest in spirituality as though they are beginning to have a positive approach towards religion and as though they are beginning to abandon their secular humanistic beliefs. Despite such positive approach towards spiritualism, they have not changed their position against religion. In fact, in the spiritual practices of Eastern religions such as the transcendental meditation of Buddhism and Hinduism in healing Western troubled souls has however no clear relationship with religiosity. In the same vein, Postmodern preaches that mental growth, development, inner peace and contentment are gained on a personal and individual level instead of developing a relationship with God. This kind of secularization to spirituality is absurd and confusing to Muslims who do not differentiate between the Western conceptions of spirituality and religiosity. Hence, the objective of this paper is to address the issue of spirituality brought forth by secular humanism and postmodern, by drawing the distinction between western secular conception of spirituality and Islamic spirituality, the nature and the significant of spirituality and the relationship between spirituality and religiosity and spiritual intelligence. This paper concludes there is a necessary and positive relationship between religious and spiritual practices and psycho-spiritual wellbeing and life as a whole. From Islamic perspective, no spirituality without religiosity. Spirituality is the essence of religiosity and they are undoubtedly of equal important and significant to understand the role of religion which is revealed from God, as a way of life. Hence, there is no good without God.

Martin Wickramasinghe is a prominent figure who contributed to various academic spheres in Sri Lanka. Many who define Martin Wickramasinghe only as a creative writer disregards the fact that he was an expert who contributed to a Sri Lankan approach in anthropology. This qualitative research paper analyzes the role of Wickramasinghe in emphasizing the anthropological paradigms in Sri Lankan society during his period. The main objective of this analysis is to provide a comprehensive insight about the impact and contribution of Martin Wickramasinghe’s work to develop anthropology as an academic discipline in Sri Lanka. For this research, we utilized his publications related to anthropology and culture and analyzed the content which underlined important anthropological characteristics. His ‘Sathwa Santhathiya’, ‘Sakaskada’, ‘Mānawa Vidyāwa Ha Sinhala Sanskruthiya’, ‘Buddhism and Culture’ are some renowned works that were applied for this study. Wickramasinghe read widely the works of Darwin, Spencer, Huxley as well as the ethnographies of scholars like Malinowski, Ruth Benedict. One of his major views was that Sri Lankan culture was undermined by the conflict with Western culture, and that Buddhism is one of the institutions that protected it from collapse and disappearance. He comparatively expressed his ideas about diffusionism, one of the significant ideas in cultural anthropology, as an ordinary process which takes place in every society. Wickramasinghe related the ideals of democracy, humanism, socialism, religion, and culture to the context of Sri Lanka. This research concludes that Wickramasinghe's interest in anthropology came at a time when anthropology was not popular in Sri Lanka. He has used his knowledge and ideology from records on anthropology to express critical views on the socio-cultural divisions of Sri Lanka, although he cannot be defined as an anthropologist.

Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar has been a recognized Great Hero of the past century. He is neither a Shudra by birth nor a Brahmin by birth. He is a Brahmin and a Shudra on the basis of Karma. The philosophy and way of life in the form of liberty, equality and fraternity can be found only in Buddhism. Teachings and characteristics of Buddha and Dhamma: Individual centre, truth-exploration, self-promotion, humanism, the spiritual state of religion, and the highest state of conscience Ambedkar Praneet Navayana was the cornerstone of Humanity. Abstract in Hindi Language: विगत शताब्दी के मान्य महानायक रहे हैं डॉ भीमराव अम्बेडकर। डॉ अम्बेडकर का चिंतन-व्यवहार का आधार बिंदु मानवता ही है जो नस्ल, रंग, जाति, लिंग भेद से परे है जिसमें समता समाज ही उनके नवयान का आधार बनी। यह धारणः प्रत्येक व्यक्ति न जन्म से शूद्र होता है और न ही जन्म से ब्राह्मण। वह कर्म के आधार पर ही ब्राह्मण और शूद्र होता है। डॉ भीमराव का धर्मांतरण अन्धानुकरण नहीं था। उन्होंने बौद्ध धर्म की प्रज्ञा, करुणा, और समता आधारित दृष्टि को देखा और पाया कि स्वतंत्रता, समानता और बन्धुत्त्व रूपी जीवन दर्शन और जीवन पद्धति बौद्ध धर्म में ही पाई जा सकती है। बुद्ध और धम्म की शिक्षाएँ और विशेषताएँः व्यक्ति केंद्र, सत्यान्वेषण, आत्मोन्नति, मानवतावाद, धर्म की साधनावत स्थिति, विवेक की सर्वोच्च स्थिति ही अम्बेडकर प्रणीत नवयान की आधारशिला रही। Keywords: महानायक, मानवतावाद, अछूत, धर्मांतरण, समतामूलक समाज, व्यक्ति केंद्र, सत्यावेषण, आत्मोन्नति, विवेक की सर्वोच्च स्थिति

Purpose The continued rise of the multinational and debate as to what constitutes global business values is predicated on the UN Declaration and Global Business Compact. This research suggests both documents explicitly exclude the existence of a foundational ethereal power creating morals thereby nullifying two thirds of the general population’s belief system. The authors argue against humanism as a global value beginning and suggest theism as a better origin and use the scientific method to introduce mathematical axioms supporting theism and complimenting humanism. Ontologically, the theist becomes a stronger base for the scientific inquiry into morals, values and business ethics. A comparison of major religious morals revealed eight factors: assurance; candor, fairness and honesty; character, integrity, truthfulness and exacting in truth; charity and compassion; environment; perseverance and tolerance; sacrifice; and seriousness. The research suggests that the UN documents do not adequately reflect these morals suggesting a change for businesses especially in Islamic regions. Design/methodology/approach A comprehensive review of religious materials emphasizing morals rather than customs, eternal entity description or negative behaviors yielded 1,243 morals and associated synonyms via six religions (Buddhism, Confucianism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism) representing 4.5 billion people. All positive morals were cross-referenced and only common items across all six religions were included. With the 29 common morals, the authors completed a word meaning search and did a second comparison that yielded 8 moral factors or constructs. Findings Eight moral factors were found to be common in all major religions (assurance, fairness/honesty, character/integrity, charity/compassion, environment, tolerance, sacrifice and seriousness). By using the scientific method (Axioms), the authors argue that theism is a better beginning to researching morals and values within business and marketing. Social implications Multinationals should be made aware of the disconnect between the underlying problems of the Global Business Compacts’ values and the global morals identified. The results suggest adopting a codification system based on the pertinent morals as related to economic theories: capitalism, socialism and theism. The use of theism as a base to business and marketing ethics includes billions of customers and employees and their belief systems that should increase the validity and reliability of actions associated with corporate social responsibility, the environment and best practices. Originality/value The UN Declaration and subsequent Global Business Compact are argued to be flawed by its exclusion of religious morals and the historical period in which it was created. By using the scientific method and creating two axioms, the base to all business and marketing ethics must shift to the common moral factors identified.

This article discusses the roots of religious pluralism of Sheikh Siti Jenar. As one of theprosecution of Islam in the land of Java, he had a thought of religious pluralism, which is themeeting point of religions on the esoteric landscape (the transcendent unity of religions), in termsof Islamic mysticism known as Wahdat al-Adyan. The author deliberately used pluralism touncover the thoughts of Sheikh Siti Jenar based on his teachings. The theory of religiouspluralism classification, which includes secular humanism, global theology, syncretism, andlasting wisdom, is used to determine the pattern of religious pluralism found in the thought ofSheikh Siti Jenar. The problems discussed in this paper are the thoughts and patterns of religiouspluralism Sheikh Siti Jenar. For that purpose, the relevant data, obtained through the literaturestudy, is analyzed using a method of content analysis and descriptive-analytic. Based on thestudy conducted, it can be suggested that the concept of religious pluralism Sheikh Siti Jenar isthe implications of the plurality of scientific networks that accumulate in the developedteachings, Manunggaling Kawulo Gusti. The pluralism in the thought of Sheikh Siti Jenarcovered the meeting point of various religions at the esoteric level, because the difference forhim only occurred at the level of exoscorers alone. This view when associated with religiouspluralism classification belongs to the category of eternal wisdom. The thought of Sheik SitiJenar about the mystical maqamat in the process of discovering identity, the three elements thatbuild human beings, heaven and hell, and his views on nature, all of which are intertwined withthe teachings of Islamic mysticism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Javanese philosophy. The thoughtof Sheikh Siti Jenar took the pattern of religious pluralism, syncretism.

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in Chinese; abstract also in English.安樂死問題是當代生命倫理學中一個重要的問題，對於這一問題各界爭論不休。但是，就理論資源的角度來說，大多只是集中於醫學、哲學以及倫理學等領域，宗教倫理尤其是佛教倫理中蘊藏著豐富的理論資源，為我們認識安樂死問題提供了一個全新的視角，可以對安樂死問題的解決給出全新的答案。The problem of euthanasia (or mercy killing) is quite important in contemporary ethics. There have been a large amount of arguments among many circles. However, most contemporary discussions are limited to the theoretical resources of medicine, philosophy and ethics. In religious ethics, especially Buddhist ethics, there exists abundance of intellectual resources that could be drawn on.This essay analyses several general representative value judgments which support euthanasia. It is not difficult to find that both extreme utilitarian views and extreme human rights views on euthanasia can be taken as originating from either the classical Greek thinking or the modern Enlightenment thinking. Contemporary moralists are unable to take advantage of such views to get out of the difficulty around the issue of euthanasia. Such views often consist of some general principles, such as autonomy, beneficence, justice and etc. Interestingly, both the supporters and opponents of euthanasia can use the same set of such principles to make their arguments, and cannot persuade the other side. This situation indicates the impoverishment of such views for solving bioethical problems. It is then necessary to introduce some other traditional resources, especially Eastern religious perspectives, to reconsider the problem of euthanasia from a wider background.From the Buddhist view, all sides of the contemporary debate over the problem of euthanasia - no matter whether it is from the background of Christianity or from modern humanist thinking, actually share the same theoretical presuppositions and originate from the same cultural traditional background, although they seem to be dramatically and severely different. Both Christian theologians and modern Western Humanist intellectuals cut death from daily human life, viewing death as an enemy which people should challenge and overcome. As Buddhists see it, this attitude will surely bring the problem of euthanasia to a mess. Buddhism understands that death and life cannot be entirely separated from each other. This does not mean that Buddhism must support active euthanasia. Rather, to introduce Buddhist thinking resources into consideration over this problem could provide us a brand new perspective of understanding this problem, and may give us some new resolutions of euthanasia.DOWNLOAD HISTORY | This article has been downloaded 135 times in Digital Commons before migrating into this platform.

This paper explores the thoughts of Sutan Takdir Alisyahbana (STA). STA is referred to as a cultural practitioner, because it discusses more the cultures that enter Indonesia, such as Indian, Hindu, Buddhist, Islamic and native Indonesian culture, even it also discusses western culture. He also wrote a lot such as poetry, novels, philosophy books and he was among the first to make Indonesian terms, so he was called a writer. This research is a type of library research (library research) by presenting qualitative-interpretative data. The purpose of this study is to reveal the fact that the religion of Islam in Indonesia is a religion that does not dichotomize between the reality supported by invoices and spiritual reality because Islam today is deeply engrossed in the history of the development of Islam in the time of the Prophet Muhammad, also today Islam is shackled with religious myths, so as to be able to resolve Islam in Indonesia, it cannot develop and is anti-Western rationality. STA thinking is rooted in the humanist understanding that developed in Europe from the Renaissance to the rise of new-positivism. Its humanism is built on human liberation from the shackles of mythology and religion.

The articlefocuses on how the Christian presents a teaching doctrine of difference. Based on the research results, although Christian doctrine contains the exclusive doctrines, it isfound in its scripturesthe inclusive (humanist) doctrines. Christianity teaches that fanatics to human values as substantial religious values.This situation strengthens that every religion, including Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, has inclusive teaching of difference. Being religious fanaticism is important, but behaving extremists is not necessarily, especially those who are different. There are many ways that can be done to cultivate the attitude form of religious harmony such as disseminating pluralism, organizing interfaith dialogue, and studying religious studies.

The term and concept of bioethics (Bio-Ethik) originally were developed by Fritz Jahr, a Protestant Pastor in Halle an der Saale in 1927, long before in the 1970ties bioethics in the modern sense was recreated in the US and since has spread globally. Jahr’s bioethical imperative, influenced by Christian and humanist traditions from Assisi to Schopenhauer and by Buddhist philosophy holds its own position against Kant’s anthropological imperative and against dogmatic Buddhist reasoning: ‘Respect each living being as an end in itself and treat it, if possible, as such’. Jahr interprets the 5th Commandment ‘Thou shalt not kill’ offensively and liberally as ‘common morality’ which includes the obligation of caring for one’s own health, public health and health education within the wider framework of a universal bioethical Sittengesetz. Pastor Fritz Jahr, who had no immediate influence during his times, built a strong first Protestant foundation for contemporary theological and ethical concepts in medical ethics, bioethics, and environmental ethics.

<span lang="EN-US">This research offers a review of the concept of Walisongo's religious moderation. As for mapping the concept of religious moderation in Walisongo comprehensively, four indicators of moderation of the Ministry of Religion of the Republic of Indonesia are used as an analytical tool, including national commitment, tolerance, anti-violence, and accommodativeness to local culture. This research is descriptive qualitative research using the historical method. Meanwhile, primary data sources were obtained from the book "Atlas Walisongo", and secondary data sources were obtained from several other supporting kinds of literature. The results of this study show that Walisongo's concept of moderation in terms of four indicators, namely (1) national commitment includes a pledge of loyalty to Majapahit and the stipulation of the Kutara Manawa Dharmashastra law as the constitution of Demak. (2) Tolerance includes the equality of Nawa Dewata's Hinduistic cosmology with Walisongo's Sufistic cosmology and respect for the values </span><span lang="EN-US">of other religious beliefs. (3) Anti-violence includes expanding the influence of Islam through family ties with community leaders and nobles and applying da'wah based on religious humanism. (4) Accommodation of local culture includes Islamization of terms in Hindu-Buddhist and Kapitayan and harmonizing Islamic values </span><span lang="EN-US">with Hindu-Buddhist religious traditions, Kapitayan, and Bhairawa Tantra.</span>

Muhammadiyah is one of the two biggest Islamic organizations in Indonesia. Since it was founded on November 18, 1912 in Yogjakarta by K.H. Ahmad Dahlan, Muhammadiyah is known as the Islamic missionary movement of 'Amar ma'ruf nahi munkar (invite to do good and prevent evil deeds) to broadcast Islamic teachings from a humanist point of view and return to the Al-Qur'an and Hadith. Because of this model, Muhammadiyah becomes less attractive for most Muslim community, due to the religious patterns of the Javanese people that are heavily influenced by Hindu and Buddhist traditions that are mixed within Islamic practices of Javanese Muslims. The purpose of this study is to determine the model of the Muhammadiyah religious da'wah movement in Sidoarjo Regency. By using a qualitative approach through ethnographic model, this paper aims to describe the conditions of the Muhammadiyah religious missionary movement. This research is limited to understand how the model of the Muhammadiyah religious da'wah movement at the Muhammadiyah regency and district branches in Sidoarjo Regency. The results show that the model of the religious da'wah movement of Muhammadiyah in the regency of Sidoarjo is originated come from a social movement, namely taking real actions to help the surrounding community. Muhammadiyah merupakan salah satu dari dua organisasi Islam besar di Indonesia. Sejak didirikan pada 18 Nopember 1912 di Yogjakarta oleh K.H. Ahmad Dahlan Muhammadiyah dikenal dengan Gerakan dakwah Islam ‘Amar Ma’ruf Nahi Munkar (mengajak kepada kebaikan dan mencegah kemungkaran) untuk menyiarkan ajaran Islam dari sudut pandang yang humanis dan kembali kepada Al-Qur’an dan Hadits, karena model gerakan ini membuat Muhammadiyah kurang diminati oleh masyarakat muslim pada umumnya, disebabkan pola keagamaan masyarakat Jawa yang kental dengan tradisi-tradisi peninggalan Hindu dan Budha dikolaborasi dalam nilai-nilai kerohanian Islam. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah mengetahui model gerakan dakwah keagamaan Muhammadiyah di Kabupaten Sidoarjo. Dengan menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif model etnografi, bertujuan untuk mendiskripsikan kondisi gerakan dakwah keagamaan Muhammadiyah. Penelitian ini dibatasi pada bagaimana model gerakan dakwah keagamaan Muhammadiyah di tingkat ranting dan cabang Muhammadiyah di Kabupaten Sidoarjo. Ternyata dari hasil penelitian bisa ditemukan model gerakan dakwah keagamaan Muhammadiyah di tingkat ranting dan Cabang berawal dari gerakan sosial, yaitu melakukan aksi-aksi nyata membantu masyarakat sekitar.

Abstract New encounters in America, Africa, and Asia facilitated the “discovery” of non-Biblical religious traditions that were distinct from the ancient paganism known to Christian humanists and antiquarians from classical sources and patristic literature. Although Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism did not exist as concepts in the early modern period, the three articles in this special issue illustrate the learning process by which a number of influential and pioneering Catholic missionaries came to distinguish these various traditions from each other. We argue that they did not simply “invent” new religions arbitrarily: instead, on the basis of the very broad categories of true religion and idolatry, they engaged in some close interaction and “dialogue”—albeit usually polemical—with local religious elites and their writings, including Eastern Christians. In addition, in the case of the Jesuits in particular, we note that these various engagements were often connected events that influenced each other in important ways, from India to Japan, from Japan to China, and from all these to Tibet.

Suppose that I stand firmly in what Alasdair MacIntyre describes as the Thomistic tradition of moral enquiry. I try my best to recover a historical understanding of Aquinas's teachings, and I refuse to let my philosophical opponents set the terms of debate. Now suppose that you yourself are one of my opponents: a Buddhist, a Jew, a Muslim or perhaps a secular humanist. (It makes no difference whether or not you believe in God, just so long as whatever theological commitments you might have diverge sharply from my own.) Finally, suppose that I have always found you a considerate neighbour, a friendly and responsible colleague, and a reliable contributor to worthy causes: you run the neighbourhood recycling programme, do volunteer work at an AIDS hospice, and serve as den mother of your son's Cub Scout troop. All of my experience suggests that you are, by commonly accepted standards, morally admirable; but you don't believe in God, or at least your own understanding of God and God's law differs significantly from my own. Am I, as a loyal Thomist, able to acknowledge your virtues? Or must I dismiss them all as merely apparent?

The article presents the notion of person in Confucianism in the context of biographical background of Confucius (551-479 B.C.). As an itinerant sage Confucius taught the practical significance of moral values in the social and political life. His disciples collected his teachings in Analects, in which Confucius noticed that at his age of 50 he knew the will of Heaven (A 11:4). He began to teach Humanism with respect to Transcendence (T’ien).According to the great specialists, Prof. Tu Wei-Ming (Harvard University) and Prof. John Berthrong (Boston University), “the social dimension” of the human person in Confucianism is important and the person is conceived as “a center of relationships” and as a self of personal development (selfhood as creative transformation). There are five universal ways in human relations which are governed by five moral principles. The five ways are those governing the relationships between ruler and minister, between father and son, between husband and wife, between elder and younger brothers, and those in the intercourse between friends. The core of the human person is humanity (jen or ren).Just as “compassion” is the greatest Buddhist virtue, and “love” the Christian, jen is the ultimate goal of conduct and self-transformation for the Confucian. According to Confucius, education reforms a personal life as well as a social and political life in order to realize a universal love and a personal development of man (juncy).

Term and concept of bioethics (Bio-Ethik) originally were developed by Fritz Jahr, a Protestant Pastor in Halle an der Saale in 1927, long before the period, when bioethics in the modern sense was recreated in the US in 1970s and since that time has spread globally. Jahr’s bioethical imperative, influenced by Christian and humanist traditions from Assisi to Schopenhauer and by Buddhist philosophy holds its own position against Kant’s anthropological imperative and against dogmatic Buddhist reasoning: ‘Respect each living being as an end in itself and treat it, if possible, as such’. Jahr interprets the 5th Commandment ‘Thou shall not kill’ offensively and liberally as ‘common morality’ which includes the obligation of caring for one’s own health, public health and health education within the wider framework of a universal bioethical Sittengesetz. In the article-translation the actual contemporary thoughts about the bioethical imperative, which serves not only the object of interdisciplinary study, but also the practical approach to acquiring responsibility and environmental image of thinking, are found. Didactic considerations of Yahr go beyond the paternalistic upbringing, they point to the content and methodological purpose of teaching ethics to ethical discourse. According to Yahr, ethics does not regulate philosophical, theological or political knowledge, does not act as a dictatorship of a way of behavior. Ethics is the conduct of discussions, the culture of discussion and communication. Following the philosophy of Yahr, Professor Hans-Martin Zass formulated the geo-ethical imperative: "Respect the Mother Earth and all natural life as it is, for which the responsible person is an end in itself, and get around as much as possible in this way!". In respect for all living things, there is a relationship between man and animals, plants, nature, including the health systems, educational-informational and research organizations. Pastor Fritz Jahr, who had no immediate influence during his times, built a strong first Protestant foundation for contemporary theological and ethical concepts in medical ethics, bioethics, and environmental ethics.

This study examined the harmonization of five religions (Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism, Hinduism, and Buddhism) that are adhered to by the people of Mojorejo Village, Batu, East Java. This village has an important role, as it becomes the first area in Batu, East Java – that implement and develop the concept of religious pluralism and harmonization in one village area thus it has been awarded as “A Village that is Aware of Religious Harmony” from the government of Batu. Therefore, this study aimed to understand the constructs of religious harmony that have been successfully established in Mojorejo Village, Batu, East Java. The theory underlying this study is Nurcholis Madjid’s theory of humanist pluralism. This study used a qualitative approach to produce descriptive data in the form of oral, written, and observable behavior. Through three data collection methods (observation, in-depth interview, a study of documents), this study concludes that the religious harmony construct of the Mojorejo Village community is established from a pattern of accustoming mutual respect among villagers which is carried out both naturally and sustainably. This continuity manifests through cooperation in three ways: religious, social, and cultural cooperation so that it can lead to the emerge of perspectives, ideas, and a social environment capable of maintaining and preserving religious plurality in harmony. Therefore, the application of religious harmony in Mojorejo Village, Batu, East Java can be used as an alternative solution for other areas in locating and facilitating religious plurality so that it remains harmonious amid a pluralistic community.

This article describes a typical Javanese Islamic image that is featured in the movie series "Saridin" featuring Saridin as the main play. In his time, Saridin was one of the most important figures in the propagation of Islamic preaching in Pati, his birthplace, with a distinctive religiosity which in some ways was still influenced by Hindu-Buddhist traditions, such as; semedi, selametan, nyadran, and tirakatan. It is an example of a form of Islam-acculturation, which in the macro context is familiarly called "Islam Nusantara". Islam Nusantara is often accused of being a destroyer of the basics of true Islam, which for the pro-Islamic group of acculturation means otherwise. Initially, the film was released by the director, Alman Eko Darmo, along with his friends of the Pati humanist as an expression of their anxiety about the static ketoprak art in Pati, as well as the rebirth of Saridin's classic spectacles which are regularly featured in Ketoprak and last in the Mp3 version. On June 30, 2016, CMC successfully conducted the inaugural launch of the Saridin movie series; Saridin Andum Waris, Saridin Ngerombang, and followed by Saridin Geger Palembang and Saridin Ondo Rante in September 2016. The films have received various responses from various parties, including the observers of da'wah of Islamic –acculturation. For them the presence of Saridin the movie series contains educational message that is appropriate for their da'wah media.

In the mid-1920s the Soviet children’s press issued a lot of literature works about modern China, which was experiencing the storms of revolution. The aim of the research is to describe the artistic concept of “old” and “new” China in the short novel by S.A. Auslaender “Some remarkable incidents from the Life of Li Xiao”. The short novel is studied, on the one hand, against the close background of the Soviet publishing request for children’s works about the Chinese revolution, and on the other hand – against the contrasting background of the author’s early modernist experience. Auslaender turned to the “Far Eastern” model of the transition from symbolism to “beautiful clarity”, the materiality of art, proposed by M.A. Kuzmin. At the same time, he used this model to create a dual picture of revolutionary China – as the victory of the popular movement and as the victory of “demons” (according to F.M. Dostoevsky’s concept). The main idea of Auslaender is in the artistic understanding of the symbols of China (the Buddhist temple, the folk theater, the little bell) in the aspect of the problem of humanism and revolution. The central symbol in the story is a woman, represented in a series of images. The writer turns to the ideas of M.A. Kuzmin’s that are close to him and the ideas of A.A. Blok’s and N.S. Gumilev’s that he finds ambiguous, as well as those of Vs. Ivanov’s. The writer creates a literature piece with an implied propagandistic idea about the revolution as the highest phase of people’s life; however, he creates the counter movement of meanings, denying terror and the revolution itself. The “new” China is embodied only in the image of a girl, reminiscent of the heroines of N.G. Chernyshevsky’s utopia. S.A. Auslaender has built a multilevel dialogue with his growing readers. The short novel about Li-Xiao is one of those works of Soviet children’s literature that meets the new criterion of assessment, this is a book for “growing up”.

The article covers the proceedings of International academic online conference ‘The Roerich Family Heritage: Bridge between India and Russia. Marking the Centenary of the Creation of the Philosophical Teaching of Living Ethics’, which was held on November 27, 2020. The conference was organized by the Indian Association of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature (INDAPRYAL) and The International Centre of Roerichs (ICR). Researchers from India, Russia and Belarus took part in the project. The entire Roerich family was indeed brilliant in its versatility: Nicholas Roerich — a great Russian artist, humanist and public figure of the 20th century, Helena Roerich — a cosmist philosopher, George Roerich — a prominent orientalist, historian and linguist, and Svetoslav Roerich — an outstanding artist and public figure. The philosophical doctrine of Living Ethics was created by Helena Roerich in close connections with the ancient spiritual traditions of India. March 24, 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the beginning the creation of the corpus of these texts. Living Ethics was the main common factor of all the Roerichs’ works. The conference discussed the exceptional role of the Roerichs’ heritage in Indo-Russian cultural interrelations. The topics of the papers included a wide range of areas for studying the multi-faceted creative heritage of the Roerich family — the close connection between the philosophy of Living Ethics and Vedic and Buddhist philosophy, epistolary works of Helena Roerich as a detailed commentary on the texts of Living Ethics, images of India in the Roerich heritage, preservation and popularization of the Roerich heritage in the space of Indian culture etc. The conference showed that the Roerichs’ heritage contains a rich scientific, cultural and creative potential for the development of Russian-Indian relations, deepening mutual understanding and bringing the cultures of the two countries closer together.

This paper explores the themes of resistance emerged in a Hindu kingdom after the pervasion of a new religion namely the Buddhism in Rabindranath Tagore’s play Malini. The primary conflict arises when princess Malini follows the Buddhism in the land of orthodox Hindus. Her conversion and the conflicts that it drives, thus, is the major issue of this paper that invites a systematic exploration with the perspective of resistance theory. The ground of resistance solidifies with the oppositional feelings, beliefs, and the milieu of rebellions. Thus, these inciting aspects are enough to give birth to the resistance. As a qualitative applied research, this paper draws on ideas and theories of resistance postulated by the scholars like Kasper Masse, Miguel Tamen, Jocelyn A. Hollander, and Rachel L. Einwohner to observe the revolt and resistance in the play. Malini and Kemankar stand as the representatives of their respective religious ideologies, and their struggles against the “power bloc” expose the nature of the resistance. This resistance remains as the harbinger to spread the voice of humanity throughout the world. Tagore's idea of universal humanism sustains if only the religious dogmatism and fanaticism stop to judge, discriminate, and lynch people. It is only the resistance to such dogmatism that gives birth to the voice of humanity when the rationality rules the world.

Bruno Latour’s “practical climatoscepticism” expresses our moral inhibition with respect to the climate crisis. In spite of Clive Hamilton’s claim that the Anthropocene condition requires us to be suspicious of all previous (i.e. Holocene) ontologies, we propose a threefold Anthropocene ontological structure inspired by non-axial Buddhist elements. In the ontological field, the overall domain in which meaning is searched for, the Buddhist relationalist view on existence can nurture post-humanist philosophies. For the ontological home, one’s specific position and responsibilities, the Buddhist concept “dharma-position” can feed into Hamilton’s “new anthropocentrism.” For the ontological path, the ideal qualities of our interactions, the Buddhist “brahmaviharas” can lend functional structure to the tensions between philosophies of radical acceptance and engaged action. We discuss how this threefold ontological structure provides partial answers to Latour’s “practical climatoscepticism” and Hamilton’s no-analogue world. We sketch avenues for investigation for various Anthropocene ontologies.

Matila Ghyka - naval officer, engineer, mathematician, diplomat, but known as the author of studies on the golden number and rhythm, as well as his memoirs published in French and English. Today he is considered an old-fashioned scholar, with availability for access to ancient culture, from Pythagoras to the scientific knowledge of his life, from the theory of relativity and knowledge of the atom, to Buddhist and Taoist theories, all integrated. in the humanist effort for a better, more just world, without wars and discrimination.

Contemplative practices are becoming more common in educational environments for attending to whole-student learning, fostering empathy, and promoting social justice and socially just pedagogues. This conversation explores how holistic approaches facilitate and expand the parameters of sociological pedagogy to integrate humanist pedagogies and initiate emancipatory citizenship. By building a pedagogical bridge between sociology and contemplative practices educators can help inspire empathy and hopefulness among students as they navigate the challenging topics of injustice and collective trauma. We trace the rise of contemplative practices in the United States with a focus on the emergence of “contemplative sociology” from a variety of perspectives, including Buddhist sociology and sociological mindfulness. We then explore the utility of contemplative practices in the sociological classroom combining contemplation, embodied agency, and antioppression education for student learning. We offer two exercises to consider for developing the sociological imagination and increasing students’ capacity for critical thinking, stress management, and self-reflection.

Статья посвящена деятельности выдающегося религиозного, общественно-политического деятеля, просветителя и гуманиста, внесшего бесценный вклад в историю и духовную культуру ойрат-калмыцкого народа Зая-пандиты Окторгуйн Далай. Цель исследования – проанализировать и осветить его многогранную деятельность как реформатора в распространении новой религии – буддизма среди монгольских народов, создателя старокалмыцкой письменности и литературы ойрат-калмыков. Показать миротворческую роль Зая-пандиты в сохранении и укреплении ойратских государств – Джунгарского, Калмыцкого и Хошеутовского ханств в середине XVII в. Актуальность данной работы определяется попыткой объективного освещения одной из важнейших сторон истории и культуры Калмыкии – истории создания национальной письменности и литературы, распространения и развития буддизма среди монгольских народов, прежде всего у ойрат-калмыков. В современных условиях развития Российского государства несомненно, актуальным становится необходимость осмысления культуры калмыков, как кочевой евразийской культуры номадов. Без изучения веками наработанного опыта духовного наследия, опыта межэтнического взаимодействия с различными народами, переосмысления всего того, что было наработано ранее, без критического анализа невозможно дальнейшее успешное культурно-историческое развитие. Основными методологическими принципами исследования стали научная объективность, выразившаяся в привлечении максимально возможного количества источников и системном подходе к анализируемому материалу, рассматриваемому во взаимосвязи всех составляющих элементов, а также принцип историзма, когда объект рассматривается в определенном историческом контексте. В работе применялись проблемно-хронологический, цивилизационный, историко-генетический, историографический анализ. Именно эти принципы и методы дают возможность решать поставленные в статье задачи. Эмпирическую основу работы составила достаточно широкая источниковая база, включающая в себя опубликованные и неопубликованные материалы. The article is devoted to the activities of Zaya-pandita Oktorguyin Dalai, an outstanding religious, social and political figure, educator and humanist who made an invaluable contribution to the history and spiritual culture of the Oirat-Kalmyk people. The purpose of the study is to analyze and highlight his multifaceted activity as a reformer in the spread of a new religion - Buddhism among the Mongolian peoples, the creator of the Old Kalmyk writing system and literature of the Oirat-Kalmyks, show the peacekeeping role of Zai-pandits in the preservation and strengthening of the Oirat states – the Dzungarian, Kalmyk and Khoshut khanates in the middle of the 17th century. The relevance of this work is determined by an attempt to objectively illuminate one of the most important aspects of the history and culture of Kalmykia – the history of the creation of national writing and literature, the spread and development of Buddhism among the Mongolian peoples, primarily among the Oirat-Kalmyks. In modern conditions of the development of the Russian state, undoubtedly, the need to comprehend the culture of the Kalmyks as Eurasian culture of nomads becomes urgent. Successful cultural and historical advance and development are impossible without studying the experience of the centuries long spiritual heritage, the experience of interethnic interaction with various peoples, reviewing everything that has been accumulated earlier, without a critical analysis. The main methodological principles of the study were scientific objectivity, expressed in attracting the maximum possible number of sources and a systematic approach to the analyzed material, considered in the interconnection of all constituent elements, as well as the principle of historicism, when an object is viewed in a certain historical context. The problem-chronological, civilizational, historical-genetic, historiographic analysis are applied in the research. These principles and methods enable to solve the tasks set in the article. The empirical basis of the work was formed by a fairly wide source base, which includes published and unpublished materials.

There are three stages in internet dating: first, the emailing back and forth; second, the phone conversation; and third, the meeting for 'coffee'. But before we discuss the three stages, here are some hints about the preliminary work you have to do. At the outset, you have to trawl through the thousands of people who have placed their profiles on the site. This is aided by limiting your search to a certain age spread, and your city or region. Then you can narrow it down further by checking educational background, whether they have kids, whether they write in New Age jargon, etc You have to try to assess, from their self-descriptions, which ones are likely to be compatible. You also scrutinise their photos, of course, as they will yours — but don't trust these images entirely — more on that later. Self-description. Almost without exception, women and men who describe their main interests as 'romantic walks on the beach and candle-lit dinners' have no real interests and as much personality as a lettuce. Those who say what matters to them is "good food and wine with a classy guy/lady" have a personality, but it's a repugnant one. Here is a useful binary opposition that could provide a useful key to gauging compatibility: people vary in terms of their degree of interiority and exteriority. People with interiority have the ability to think a little abstractly, can discuss emotions, probably read books as well as watch films. They analyse life rather than just describing it. People mainly given to exteriority find their pleasure in doing things — like boating or nightclubs or golf. They see themselves in the world in a different way. Of course, we are all a mixture of the two — and perhaps the best bet is someone who isn't at one extreme end of the spectrum or the other. Useful tip 1. The 'spiritual woman': for reasons unclear, and despite the fact that Australia is one of the most pagan nations on Earth, a disproportionate number of women, rather than men, claim to be religious. Perhaps because in general, women are still more inclined to interiority than men. But most religious women don't expect a partner to be. Instead, the people to be very careful about are the New Agers — they are a large and growing sub-group and apparently spend much of their time devouring books on spirituality, personal growth and self-love. If you have any sort of intellect, or are just a middling humanist who occasionally ponders "Is this all there is? " these people will drive you nuts with their vague platitudes about knowing their inner child. On the other hand, if they seem terrific in all other respects, you can probably gain their respect by saying in a reflective manner, "Is this all there is?" If you can arrange to be gazing at the star-stained night sky while saying this, all the better. This may seem calculating, but we are all putting on a performance when courting. A lot of single people have self-esteem and loneliness issues, and a personal God, the universe, and astrology make them feel less lonely. Useful tip 2: say that although you don't subscribe to mainstream religion, you feel close to some kind of spirituality when gardening — and add how you love to plant herbs. Some okay herbs to mention are: Rosemary, Thyme, Sage. Chuck a couple of these weed-like green things in your garden just in case. Useful tip 3: no matter what else you do, at all costs avoid anyone who smacks of fundamentalism. This cohort takes the Bible literally, think dinosaurs roamed the planet only a few years before Shakespeare, want gay people to admit they are an abomination - and above all, fundos cannot be reasoned with — not in your lifetime. They are deeply insecure and frightened people — which is sad, so be sympathetic to their plight - but don't get drawn into the vortex. Besides, talking about the approach of Armageddon every date gets a bit tedious. Education: It is usually best to pick someone who has an approximately similar level of education to yourself. Having a tertiary education often gives a person a different way of seeing themselves, and of perceiving others. On the other hand, it is possible to do a five year degree in a narrow professional area and know nothing at all useful about human beings and how they operate. (Ref: engineers, dentists, gynaecologists). There are high school graduates who are better-read and more intelligent than most products of a university. So it is up to the individual case. It is a plus to be interested in your partner's work, but not essential. It can be a minus to be in the same field. Ask yourself this: if you were living with this person and you asked them at night how their day had been, would the answer send you to sleep in less than a minute? A lovely man or woman who is an accountant will likely wax lyrical about having just discovered a $245 error in a billing data base. Their face will be flushed with pride. Can your respond appropriately? How often? Or the love of your life may work in an oncology ward, and regale you with the daily triumph of removing sputum from the chests of the moribund. Are you strong enough for that? And worst of all, you may go out with a writer or poet, who regularly drones on about how their rival always gets friendly reviews from his/her newspaper mates, even though they write books full of derivative, precious crap. Sense of humour (SOH): Most men and women will claim in their profile to have a sense of humour — to love to laugh — and, surprisingly often, to have a 'wicked sense of humour'. This is a difficult personal quality to get a bearing on. You may yourself be the kind of person who tricks themselves into thinking their date has a great sense of humour simply because they laughed at your jokes. That is not having a SOH. Having a SOH is possessing the ability to make others laugh — it is active as well as passive. Do they make you laugh? Are their emails touched with wit and whimsy — or just shades of cute? Is one of their close friends, the one who actually possesses a SOH, helping write their emails? It has been known to happen. You will gain a better sense of the SOH situation during the phone call, and definitely during the coffee. Interests: Most internet websites give people the chance to describe themselves by jotting down their favourite music, books, movies, sport. Often this is pretty much all you will know about what interests them, and it is an imperfect instrument. Many internet dating women say they like all music except heavy metal. Why there is this pervasive, gut-wrenching female fear of the E, A and B chords played loudly is a mystery. Anyway, some of those bands even throw in a G or C#m. But who cares. If you are a bloke, hide your Acca Dacca CDs and buy some world music CDs. New Agers of either sex will have collections full of warbling pan pipes, waterfalls and bird calls. If they are a great person in other respects, then you'll just have to get used to the flock of magpies and whip birds in the dining or bedroom. Photographs: Now, the photo on the profile is only a vague guide. It is useful for confirming the person belongs to homo sapiens, but not a lot else. Some people get a professional pic taken, but most include happy snaps, and that is a blow struck for candidness. The more the photo looks like a "glamour" shot, the softer the focus, the less reliable it is. You can get some idea of whether someone is attractive, handsome, cute or weird from the photo. But — and this is really important — they will always look different in the flesh. They will have grown a beard, cut or streaked their hair, and you will for the first time notice they have a nose the size of the AMP building. Fortunately for men, though women are not oblivious to the looks factor, they tend to be more tolerant and less shallow about it. There is a recent trend for women and men with children to put he most attractive and least manic one in the profile photo with them. This signifies: a) love me, love my kid, because I'm proud of James/Jessica/Jade; b) family values; c) at least my kid only has one head. Stage One. The first stage is in some ways the most enjoyable. It is low risk, low stress, you have the pleasurable experience of a comfortable adventure. There is anticipation, getting to know someone, being complimented on your fascinating emails and witty humour (if it's going well), and all the while wearing an old t-shirt and dirty, checked shorts or fluffy slippers. There is the extreme luxury of re-inventing yourself, of telling your favourite story (your own life-story) again and again to a new audience, the little joys of self-disclosures, the discoveries of like-interests, the occasion when they add at the bottom of their letter "looking forward to hearing from you soon". The writing stage is where you try to establish whether you have intellectual, emotional and cultural compatibility — and whether the person is sincere and relatively well-balanced (I stress 'relatively' — no one is perfect). The discovery process is one of exchanging increasingly personal information — work history, enthusiasms and dislikes, family background. She will want to know whether you are 'over' your last girlfriend/partner/wife. Not surprisingly. A lot of internet men are still bitter about their ex — either that, or they rave on about the saintliness of their ex. If encouraged, women will also tell you about the bastard who refused to pay maintenance. There are clearly a lot of those bastards out there. Both of these practices are unwise on the first coffee if you don't want to scare your potential partner off. In reality, you probably are still seething with hurt and injustice as a result of your last dumping, and maybe even the one before that. You may lie in bed at night thinking nostalgically of your ex's face — but this is a dark secret which you must never reveal. People will ask you to be open, but they don't want that open. Involve your friends: without exception, your close friends will enjoy being part of the process when you are deciding which men or women to contact on the internet. You first make a long short list by browsing through the hundreds of profiles. Print off those profiles, then get your friends to sort through them with you. If you have experience in being on selection panels for jobs, this will help. It is a quite complex matter of weighing up a whole range of variables. For example, candidate A will be gorgeous and sexy, have compatible interests, bearable taste in music, be the right age, but have two small children and live on the other side of town. Candidate B will be less attractive, but still look pretty good, have no children, and a very interesting job. Candidate C will be attractive, have two teenage children with whom he/she shares custody, a worthy but dull job, but seems to have an especially self-aware and witty personality. It's tough work rating these profiles, and the best you can do is whittle them down to a top three, and write to all of them. In the emailing stage, you will get more data to either enhance or diminish their desirability. And remember, no one is perfect: if you find someone with a beautiful brain and body who loves Celine Dion — just put up with it. As Buddhists point out, suffering cannot be avoided if you are to live a full life. But let your friends help you with that selection process — they will remind you of important issues that somehow escape your attention; such as: you really don't like other people's children in reality, just in theory. The last time you went out with someone who was newly broken up or divorced he/she hadn't got over his/her girlfriend/husband. Anyone who describes themselves as a 'passionate playmate' is probably unbalanced and tries to find male/female acceptance through over-sexualising or infantalising themselves. It means nothing that someone describes their children as "beautiful" — all mothers/fathers think that, even of the most ghastly, moronic offspring. You really don't like nightclubs any more and you are an awkward dancer. The last time you fell in love with, and tried to rescue, someone with serious emotional 'issues', it led to unimaginable misery, and you swore in future to leave such rescues to the professionals. And so on. Listen to your friends — they know you. And your bad choices impinge on their lives too. Writing is a powerful means of constructing a 'self' to project to others. There is a Thomas Hardy story about a young man who meets a beautiful girl at a fair — but he must return to London. They agree to write to each other. Only the beautiful girl is illiterate, so she asks her employer, an older woman, to ghost-write her love letters to the young man, and the employer kindly agrees. The young man falls in love with the soul and mind of the sensitive and intelligent writer of the letters and assumes the beautiful young girl has authored them. The employer also falls in love with him through his letters. Only on the day he marries the girl does he discover that he has married the wrong woman. This tale tells us about the richness of the written word, but it omits an important point — you can be intrigued and drawn to someone through his or her e-mails, but find on meeting him or her that there is no chemistry at all. Works Cited This creative non-fiction article was based on primary research. The largest Australian internet dating service is RSVP (www.rsvp.com.au). I mainly used that for my research and ensuing coffees/participant observation. There are other sites I checked out, including: www.datenet.com.au www.AussieMatchMaker.com.au www.findsomeone.com.au www.VitalPartners.com.au www.personals.yahoo.com.au There are also internet dating site guides such as: www.shoptheweb.com.au/dating.shtml www.theinternetdatingguide.com www.moonlitwalks.com www.singlesites.com/Australian_Dating.htm Citation reference for this article Substitute your date of access for Dn Month Year etc... MLA Style Neilsen, Philip. "An extract from 'The Internet of Love'" M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 5.6 (2002). Dn Month Year < http://www.media-culture.org.au/0211/internet.php>. APA Style Neilsen, P., (2002, Nov 20). An extract from "The Internet of Love". M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture, 5,(6). Retrieved Month Dn, Year, from http://www.media-culture.org.au/0211/internet.html