This study concerns the investigation of the mind training method called Lojong, as portrayed by the Gelug branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The emphasis is placed on the practical application of the philosophical tenets underlying this set of routines. Some of the issues to be addressed are: the use of imagery in the process of emotional healing, the ethical concerns that arise in regards to interpreting key concepts pertaining to the Mahayana Buddhist world view, the importance of individuality and the problem of selflessness in practices that deal with alleviating negative emotions, and the suitability of the specific practices for the contemporary western female practitioner. In consideration of the pragmatic nature of this study, conclusions have been drawn towards the possible changes that might be made, when a form of training devised for a distinct group of practitioners, is extended to a more diversified population.

No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Sydney, 2009. / Title from title screen (viewed September 18, 2009) Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the Dept. of Studies in Religion, Faculty of Arts. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print form.

Charles William Morris (1901-1979) was a student of George Herbert Mead in the early 1920s when Mead was involved in the Chicago School. Inspired by his mentor, Morris wrote extensively on semiotics, philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, aesthetics, axiology and religion. Morris has received wide acclaim for his writings on semiotics. However, his writings pertaining to religion--the study of which preoccupied him throughout his life--have been all but entirely overlooked. / Morris first presented the "Maitreyan path" in his Paths of Life: Preface to a World Religion (1942). The expression "Maitreyan path" is derived from the Sanskrit name Maitreya (Metteyya in Pali) meaning "the friendly one." Morris' understanding of this symbol is unorthodox and must be differentiated from traditional Buddhist conceptions. According to him, the Maitreyan path is best understood in terms of the paradoxical expression "generalized detached-attachment." At the centre of this expression is the idea of overcoming. Yet it is not a symbol in the traditional sense of the term. It is beyond all form yet open to all forms; it neither prescribes nor ascribes any path, yet it is open to all particular paths. / If the Maitreyan path is without any specifiable form or content, how can it be an effective symbol for self-overcoming? In answering this question this study will apply Morris' well-known theory of signs to his little-known study of religious behaviour. This being done, it is then possible to analyze the Maitreyan symbol in terms not only of overt behaviours, but also of sign functioning. Based on the preceding analysis, this study argues that self-overcoming is achieved not via negativa by diminishing the self through the negation and abandonment of language, but rather via positiva by increasing the self through the affirmation and reclamation of language.

No description available.