This dissertation is composed of two parts. Part I discusses the evolution of meditative poetry as a genre, with a particular emphasis on the influence of women poets and feminist critical theory. Part II is a collection of poems. Although several popular and critically-acclaimed poets working today write meditative poems, meditative poetry as a genre has not been systematically examined since M.H. Abrams’s essay on the meditative mode in Romantic poetry, “Structure and Style in the Greater Romantic Lyric.” Because one of the driving forces of meditative poetry is a longing for, or recognition of, a state of perception that lies between individual being and some form of universal ordering principle, meditative poetry might seem to be antithetical to a postmodern world that is fragmentary, contingent, and performative; indeed, earlier definitions of meditative poetry, tied to historical and cultural understandings of the individual and the Universal, no longer reflect “how we know” but only “how we knew.” However, this essay argues that there is a contemporary meditative structure that allows for a continued relationship between the individual and the Universal without resorting to the essentialism implicit in the genre as traditionally described. This new structure owes much to feminist theory, in particular écriture féminine, which models a method for recovery of self in language that would seek to efface it. In order to expose the boundaries of the contemporary meditative mode, and to outline its relationship to écriture féminine, this essay analyzes meditative poems from four contemporary poets: Kay Ryan, Jorie Graham, Linda Gregerson, and Linda Bierds, and contrasts contemporary variations on the genre with earlier traditions, identifying an evolved form that better reflects a postmodern rhetoric.

Deepwater Vee began as a meditation on the rivers I have worked on as a wilderness guide—the Nahanni, the Thelon, the Burnside, the Tatshenshini / Alsek, and others. The lyric poems take wobbly bearings and try to track the phenomenal world. This collection of nature poetry also considers two of Canada’s most threatened waterways—the Athabasca, which runs through the heart of the Alberta tar sands, and the North Saskatchewan, the river that ran by my home but which I had never paddled until recently, a river stressed by dams and upgraders, sewage and pesticides. These rivers push the poems into a contemplation of loss and into the terrain of Alexander MacKenzie’s dreams, a busker’s street riffs and the imagined wanderings of a grandmother who returns to inhabit the earth. / Graduate / 10000-01-01

In the following thesis, I draw on these parallel ideas in works of Heidegger and Oakeshott, in order to develop two contrasting frameworks termed "the meditative idiom" and "the calculative idiom." My aim is to establish how these idioms can signal sweeping and mutually exclusive frameworks or mindsets by means of which human beings approach projects generally and literary projects in particular. Heidegger and Oakeshott present their accounts of various types of thinking and idioms in reference to the experience of literature in the context of living. My efforts to combine their frameworks continue in this same vein. This thesis focuses on what occurs when a person interacts with literature through the meditative or the calculative idioms. Drawing on Susan Sontag's essay Against Interpretation, I argue that when someone approaches literature with the aim of interpretation, they are working within the calculative idiom. This approach contrasts with the way events unfold in the meditative idiom or, better, the way this approach allows them to unfold and reveal themselves of themselves. Allowing as much is inherent to Heidegger's concept of aletheia as an "unconcealing." In this connection I claim that the meditative idiom prevents literature from becoming vitiated through interpretation. Along with consulting Heidegger, Oakeshott and Sontag, I draw upon other philosophers in attempt to elucidate what occurs during an interaction with literature.

A collection of poetry.

abstract: While obesity rates have plateaued within the last decade, two-thirds of the United States population is currently classified as overweight (defined a s a body mass index [BMI] of 25-29.9 kg/m²) or obese (a BMI greater than 30 kg/m²). Bariatric surgical interventions are not only more effective than behavioral treatments in the short term but are the only form of obesity intervention with evidence of consisten t long-term effectiveness. However, even among bariatric surgery patients, weight loss often stabilizes and it is estimated that more than 20% of bariatric surgery patient s will regain a significant amount of weight that was initially lost long-term. Li ttle research to date has been conducted on physical activity in post bariatric surgery pati ents. More specifically, there have been no studies to date examining the effects of Me ditative Movement (MM) programs on body composition in bariatric patients. A s tudy using an 8-week Tai Chi Easy program was conducted in female gastric bypass patient s to explore feasibility of MM in the bariatric population as well as pre- and post-in tervention changes in weight, mindfulness, eating behaviors, body awareness, physical a ctivity patterns, dietary quality and mood. Data analysis revealed that there were no s ignificant changes in weight or physical activity patterns; however, significant changes w ere observed in anxiety, overall body awareness and cognitive restraint in eating. Addit ionally, a significant decrease in processed meat consumption and a weak trend towards increa sed consumption of fruits may suggest an overall improvement in dietary quality. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Physical Activity, Nutrition and Wellness 2014

abstract: Spousal bereavement is one of the most stressful life events, resulting in increased morbidities and mortality risk. Negative health outcomes include depressive episodes, anxiety, sleep disruption, and overall poorer physical health. The older adult population is rapidly increasing and over 30% of the US population 65 years and older are widowed. Current studies regarding older adults and spousal bereavement treatment have been limited to psychological and educational interventions. Meditative movement practices (e.g. Tai Chi) have shown benefits such as mood elevation, anxiety reduction, and other physical function improvements. A feasibility study applying an 8-week Tai Chi Easy intervention was examined to address the sequelae of spousal bereavement among adults 65 and older. Grounded in geriatric nursing as a discipline that addresses the unique needs of older adults' psychological and physiological health needs and related theoretical constructs, this project also draws from exercise science, mental health, and social psychology. Theoretical premises include Orem's Self Care Deficit Theory (nursing), Stroebe and Schut's Dual Process Model (thanatology), and Peter Salmon's Unifying Theory (exercise). Aims of the study examined feasibility as well as pre-post-intervention changes in grief, and the degree of loss orientation relative to restoration orientation (Inventory of Daily Widowed Life). A trend in the direction of improvement was found in measured subscales, as well as a statistically significant change within the loss orientation subscale. Based upon these encouraging findings, effect sizes may be used to power a future larger study of similar nature. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Nursing and Healthcare Innovation 2012

Following the example of Gary Snyder's "Axe Handles," I introduce my poetics and poems in the preface. Other influences, including Lucille Clifton, John Ashbery, and Anne Carson, are also explored. The original poetry that follows the preface attempts to enact the language of philosophical exploration, relationships, memory, conversation, and meditation while paying close attention to the musicality of everyday speech and avoiding clear and specific conclusions.

This collection of poems concerns contemplative silence, uncertainty, and the relationship between reverence, and constructions of littleness and absence. / Graduate / 10000-01-01

Any discussion of the growth and development of essays in Sepedi must include the name of E.K.K. Matlala. Matlala was the first author to publish a volume of Sepedi essays. This publishing of this volume, entitled Mengwalo (Essays) Puku II, by Fort Hare University in 1943 is an event of historical importance in Sepedi literature. This research study investigates Matlala’s essays. The aim of this study is to focus on all various possible types of essays, including the four types that Matlala wrote, namely descriptive, analytical, narrative and meditative essays. Matlala’s volume of Sepedi essays, Mengwalo (Essays) Puku II, consists of four essays, namely ‘Lexae’, ‘Fsika-thsipi la Ramošweu’, ‘Tato ya monnyana ke lesoxana’ and ‘Šakeng la bophelo’. Each of these four belongs to a specific category of essays. For this reason, it can be argued that Matlala is a skilled author of Sepedi essays. His skill becomes clear in an analysis of his essays, which shows that he arranges them to be in line with a clear structure, namely title, introduction, body and conclusion. This structure is generally accepted as the correct structure for an essay. As for thematic content, Matlala’s essays discuss both modernity and the days gone by. In three of his essays, Matlala writes about the importance of events that happened in the past. In the fourth essay, ‘Fsika-thsipi la Ramošweu’, Matlala depicts modernity. Matlala’s writing style is recognizably dated; he makes extensive use of loan words and the archaic language of the twenties and thirties. However, this language is important as it promotes multilingualism. Analysing the classification of Sepedi informal essays reveals that Matlala not only wrote essays but also made an attempt to elevate their status. Therefore, it could be argued that Matlala has a unique talent among the writers of Sepedi informal essays. The argument developed in this study is that Matlala is the most successful author of Sepedi informal essays who has ever been published. This study also examines the influence in Matlala’s work of his study of English essays. / Dissertation (MA (African Languages))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / African Languages / unrestricted

Cette étude porte sur les productions iconographiques inspirées de la tradition huayan, l'une des principales écoles chinoises du bouddhisme mahāyāna, née de l’élaboration et de l'étude d’un texte, l’Avataṃsaka-sūtra (Huayan jing en chinois). L’analyse des œuvres se répartit en quatre chapitres. Le premier examine les premières figures du buddha sous sa forme dite de « buddha cosmique », c’est-à-dire dont les vêtements ou le corps, parfois l’auréole et la mandorle sont recouverts de figures plus petites qui se réfèrent au discours cosmologique du sūtra (et en particulier du Daśabhūmika-sūtra, un texte dédié à la méditation, autrefois indépendant et intégré ensuite dans l’Avataṃsaka-sūtra). Ces figures sculptées ou peintes, datant du Ve au IXe siècles, se trouvent principalement dans le Nord-Ouest de la Chine actuelle (Xinjiang et Gansu). Le second chapitre porte sur l’environnement imagier de ces buddhas du VIe au VIIe siècles et sur les premiers portraits sculptés de Vairocana, le buddha principal dans l’Avataṃsaka-sūtra. Ces images consacrées à la méditation furent réalisées dans le Shandong et le Henan actuels et marquées par l'influence d'autres écoles bouddhiques. Le troisième chapitre étudie le développement, sous l’influence du bouddhisme ésotérique, de nouveaux portraits de Vairocana et des bodhisattvas qui en émanent. Les rares exemples conservés se trouvent au Sichuan et datent principalement de la dynastie Song (XIe-XIIIe siècles). Le quatrième chapitre traite de différents types d'images mettant en scène ou combinant plusieurs figures. Tout d'abord, les représentations d’assemblées réalisées en peinture à Dunhuang (Gansu) sous la dynastie Tang (VIIIe-Xe siècles). Puis les images peintes ou imprimées, réalisées sous des Tang aux Song (VIIIe-XIIe siècles), qui illustrent le Gaṇḍavyūha-sūtra, la dernière section de l’Avataṃsaka-sūtra qui narre l’histoire d’un jeune Indien parti en pèlerinage pour atteindre l’éveil. Sont enfin abordés les maṇḍala, représentations métaphysiques et symboliques de l’univers sous forme de diagrammes associés à des symboles bouddhiques et à une ou plusieurs divinités. / This study deals with the iconographic production inspired by the huayan tradition, one of the main Chinese schools of mahāyāna Buddhism born from the elaboration and study of a set of texts known as the Avataṃsaka-sūtra (Huayan jing in Chinese). The analysis of the artworksis organized into four chapters. The first one examines the first figures of the Buddha known as “cosmic Buddhas”, i.e. those whose clothes or body, or mandorla, are fully covered with smaller figures which refer to the cosmological discourse of the sūtra (particularlythat of the Daśabhūmika-sūtra, a text dedicated to meditation that was once a separate piece and was later included into the Avataṃsaka-sūtra). These sculpted or painted figures, dating from the 5th to the 9thcenturies, are mainly found in the Northwestern part of present-day China (Xinjiang and Gansu). The second chapter studies the iconographic environment of these Buddhas from the 6th to the 7th centuries as well as the first sculpted portraits of Vairocana, the main Buddha in the Avataṃsaka-sūtra. These images, which were used for meditation practices, were produced in what would be the present-day Shandong and Henan under the influence of other Buddhist schools. The third chapter studies the development of new portraits of Vairocana and his emanations as bodhisattvas under the influence of esoteric Buddhism.The only preserved examples are found in Sichuan and date from the Song dynasty (11th-12th centuries). The fourth chapter deals with various types of images which present or combine several figures. First, the painted representations of assemblies produced at Dunhuang (Gansu) during the Tang Dynasty (8th-10th centuries). Second, the painted or printed illustrations of the Gaṇḍavyūha-sūtra, the last section of the Avataṃsaka-sūtra, which tells the story of a young Indian boy gone on a pilgrimage to attain enlightenment. These images were produced from the Tang to the Song dynasty (8th-13th centuries).