Ah This

The feeling that it is five minutes to midnight is known to many by now, and is often referred to as the "Doomsday Clock." As the many crises faced by humanity and planet Earth gather and tumble toward an emergency, some have even reduced the time left to two and a half minutes. It is no wonder that we feel increasingly helpless and at a loss what to do. Osho calls Zen not a teaching but an alarm to wake us up, because as individuals we are all deeply asleep, and this sleep has to be shattered. “For centuries, you have been asleep. Sleep has become your nature. You have forgotten what awareness is, what to be awake means.” He wants us to wake up...before it is too late. Zen, more than any other religious or spiritual tradition, is relevant to such times as these, when none of our old approaches to solving problems will do. Immediate, urgent, and direct, Zen is not interested in answers or in questions, not interested in teaching at all, because it is not a philosophy. As Osho begins here, by quoting the great Zen master, Diae: “All the teachings of the sages, of the saints, of the masters, have expounded no more than this: they are commentaries on your sudden cry, ‘Ah, This!’” In this series of talks, Osho unfolds a selection of classic Zen stories and responds to questions. Along the way, we learn how the tools of Zen can be used to embrace uncertainty, to be at ease with not-knowing, to act decisively and with clarity and awareness. To "get woke," in other words, so that we can use each moment between now and midnight for transformation.

The concept of ‘Ruakh Ra‘ah’ (Evil Spirit), is extremely rare in the Tanach, but is found much more frequently in post-Biblical rabbinic literature and even more in publications by rabbis of the last two centuries. This study focuses on the quite neglected period of responsa literature after the Second World War until the present. This literature consist fo answers given to questions about religious rules. The notion of the 'evil spirit' is strongly connected to the ritual of washing hands in the morning, but also before a meal, in connection with sexual relations and with visiting a graveyard. The washing of hands is supposed to be necessary to ward off bad influences. This ritual can be understood in between mysticism, gender studies, magic and embodied religion. This book analyses the meaning and role of the ‘Ruakh Ra‘ah’ in a corpus of almost 200 rabbinic orthodox response from 1945-2000. What happens to the term Ruakh Ra‘ah in these modern responsa? Does the ritual persist without being associated with the Ruakh Ra‘ah, or does the term continue to be linked to the ritual, but reinterpreted in cause of the possible tension between the traditional rabbinic paradigm and the modern scientific knowledge paradigm. The connection between this ritual and the stratification of the (ultra) orthodox society and cosmological representations offers a clue to the rationale of this practice. Questions of identity, gender and community boundaries that divide insiders from outsiders (Jewish and non-Jewish) seem to be related to the discourse in the corpus on this ritual. As the Ruakh Ra‘ah stands at the intersection between magical perceptions, religion (ritual), and premodern science (medicine) it is suitable as a possible test case for the way in which modern rabbinic responsa deal with other archaic terms and concepts that are related or comparable to the Ruakh Raah. This book is relevant to the debate on the relation of religion to the modern world as it provides insights into the ways contemporary believers deal with the modern world, and the various mechanisms to deal with potential discrepancies.

Compared with the original German edition this volume contains the results of more recent research which have to some extent originated from problems raised in the previous German edition. Moreover, many minor and some important modifications have been carried out. For example paragraphs 2 — 5 were amended and their order changed. On the advice of G. Pickert, paragraph 7 has been thoroughly revised. Many improvements originate from H. J. Weinert who, by enlisting the services of a working team of the Teachers' Training College of Potsdam, has subjected large parts of this book to an exact and constructive review. This applies particularly to paragraphs 9, 50, 51, 60, 63, 66, 79, 92, 94, 97 and 100 and to the exercises. In this connection paragraphs 64 and 79 have had to be partly rewritten in consequence of the correction

Research in Corporate and Shari'ah Governance in the Muslim World: Theory and Practice aims to address a critical disciplinary gap between Islamic theory and the practice of the corporate sector in the Muslim World. Adopting a critical approach, the book sheds light on the impact of corporate governance on the economies of the Muslim world.

Presents a systematic approach to one of math's most intimidating concepts. Avoiding the pitfalls common in the standard textbooks, this title begins with familiar topics such as rings, numbers, and groups before introducing more difficult concepts.