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1	The Brain on Ritual: How Tantric Puja Shapes the Mind Morton, Sherry Lynn 09 April 2010 (has links) Traditional ritual studies approaches to the body are effective for illuminating how the body functions as an entity that absorbs and expresses a variety of social, and political dynamics; however, they are less productive for understanding the body as a physical organism. This interdisciplinary thesis applies theoretical models from cognitive science, social psychology and ritual studies to the Śrī Cakra Pūjā in order to develop a more complete understanding of the ritual body as a physical body. Using Lawrence Barsalou’s theory of embodied cognition, which focuses on the impact of human experiences on the creation and integration of neural pathways, this essay, argues that Śrī Cakra Pūjā affects the mind by shaping the neural architecture of the brain. This cognitive perspective on religious ritual practice is compared with the more traditional ritual studies approach of Catherine Bell in an effort to provide a more complete understanding of the religious ritual body, brain and mind. Ritualization Catherine Bell Ritual body Ritual practice ?r? Cakra P?j? Tantric ritual Cognitive science Embodied Cognition Social psychology Evolution Brain Mind Lawrence Barsalou Religion