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 English Italiano     Presenters S - Z Weis, Kurt

English Italiano Print this page THE SEARCH FOR SPIRITUALITY, HOLISTIC EXPERIENCE AND IDENTITY: AN INTERCULTURAL LOOK AT BODY TECHNIQUES

Kurt WeisAll sensory perceptions, all experiences, all the knowledge about the inner and outer worlds thusly gained, are made with the body. Which body techniques and which physical structural conditions did or do other cultures use to direct inner processes and consciousness expanding experiences on the search for spirituality? In the rediscovery of traditional religious cultures, in our new focus on wellness, in sports and in fashion the body is “booming”. It is also being rediscovered for its ability to provide heightened spiritual and holistic experiences.

The paper addresses a wide range of spiritual disciplines, techniques, rituals and related practices applied to gain deeper insight, spiritual strength, expanded consciousness, healing and enlightenment. The author includes reports on his own experiences. The paper analyzes the distinct methods and goals of twelve different approaches. Among them are: fasting, silence, meditation and solitude as used by religious cultures and monastic traditions; yoga techniques; other breathing techniques; traditional Far Eastern martial arts; dancing used to produce trance- like states; self-mutilation used for penitence, trance and visions; old and neo-Shamanic cultures taking psychoactive plants for healing and altered consciousness; love, the art of surrender and melting together as addressed, quite differently, by all religions; etc.

 

Kurt Weis An interdisciplinary scholar trained both in Germany and the USA in both law and sociology, received his S.J.D. from the Harvard Law School and served as professor of sociology at the Technical University of Munich from 1980 until his retirement in 2006. Kurt Weis has become increasingly interested in learning through experience. Techniques for improving mental, physical and spiritual health fascinate him. He recently crossed the Gobi desert and the Takla Makan desert on foot.

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