Resumen: Este artículo tiene el propósito de examinar el significado de lo sagrado en una religión como el Budismo, donde no hay una idea de Dios como tal o ningún ser sobrenatural. En cambio, hay prácticas íntimas elaboradas para lograr la iluminación. El artículo tiene dos partes. La primera analíza los lugares sagrados en el Budismo, considerando así dos conceptos importantes el samsara y el nirvana. En la segunda parte se trata de los lugares sagrados en el Budismo comparando dos (...) estructuras espaciales: la estupa como representativa de una estructura vertical y el manadala como horizontal. Tomando como fundamento la yuxtaposición de estos, aparentemente, conceptos y estructuras opuestas, el artículo revela que en términos del Budismo lo verdaderamente sagrado es lo no-sagrado: este es un término que trasciende la oposición sagrado-profano y expresa la visión específica budista de la no-dualidad. Palabras claves: Budismo; sagrado-profano; no-dualidad. (shrink)

The paper aims to examine the meaning of sacredness in such a religion as Buddhism where there is no idea of God or any supernatural being. Instead, there are elaborated inner practices for achieving enlightenment. The paper consists of two parts. The first one analyses the place of the sacred in Buddhism considering the two important concepts of samsara and nirvana. The second part discusses sacred places in Buddhism comparing two different space structures: stupa as representative for a vertical structure (...) and mandala for a horizontal one. On the base of juxtaposing these seemingly opposite concepts and structures the paper reveals that in terms of Buddhism the real sacredness is non-sacredness: a term that transcends the opposition sacred-profane and expresses the specific Buddhist vision of non-duality.Key words: Buddhism; sacred-profane; non-duality. (shrink)

The article is based on the postmodern understanding about the collapse of grand narratives (Lyotard). One of the most significant grand narratives is the narrative about unidirectionality and irreversibility of development. Part of the roots of this narrative can be found in the ancient Greek idea of the inevitability of fate, Ananke, seen primarily as a necessity. In parallel to the ancient Greek thought, however, philosophical ideas in Ancient India and China were also developed. Therefore, the ideas of karma in (...) Ancient India and the related idea of svadharma, as well as the Chinese ideas of min, the will of Heaven, and of dao, the path as a reservoir of possibilities, are presented in comparative terms. The aim by highlighting these various options is to reveal the possibilities for different readings of the contemporary situation. (shrink)

The gut microbiota is an important component of the human body and its immune‐modulating and metabolic activities are critical to maintain good health. Gut microbes, however, are sensitive to changes in diet, exposure to antibiotics, or infections, all of which cause transient disruptions in the microbial composition, a phenomenon known as dysbiosis. It is now recognized that microbial dysbiosis is at the root of many gastrointestinal disorders. However, the mechanisms through which bacterial dysbiosis initiates disease are not fully understood. Microbially‐derived (...) metabolites and their role in disease have also attracted significant attention. Identification of cancer‐associated bacteria and understanding the contributions of microbial metabolism in health and disease are exciting but challenging areas that will allow defining microbial biomarkers for predicting gastrointestinal disorders. Understanding the complex interactions between gut microbiota, diet, host immune system and host genetics will be critical to developing more personalized therapies and approaches to treat disease. (shrink)

Maintaining intestinal homeostasis is a key prerequisite for a healthy gut. Recent evidence points out that microRNAs (miRNAs) act at the epicenter of the signaling networks regulating this process. The fine balance in the interaction between gut microbiota, intestinal epithelial cells, and the host immune system is achieved by constant transmission of signals and their precise regulation. Gut microbes extensively communicate with the host immune system and modulate host gene expression. On the other hand, sensing of gut microbiota by the (...) immune cells provides appropriate tolerant responses that facilitate the symbiotic relationships. While the role of many regulatory proteins, receptors and their signaling pathways in the regulation of the intestinal homeostasis is well documented, the involvement of non‐coding RNA molecules in this process has just emerged. This review discusses the most recent knowledge about the contribution of miRNAs in the regulation of the intestinal homeostasis. (shrink)

The mainstream science of consciousness offers a few predominate views of how the brain gives rise to awareness. Chief among these are the Higher-Order Thought Theory, Global Neuronal Workspace Theory, Integrated Information Theory, and hybrids thereof. In parallel, rapid development in predictive processing approaches have begun to outline concrete mechanisms by which interoceptive inference shapes selfhood, affect, and exteroceptive perception. Here, we consider these new approaches in terms of what they might offer our empirical, phenomenological, and philosophical understanding of consciousness (...) and its neurobiological roots. (shrink)

Стаття присвячена проблемі визначення сутності культурних парадигм Заходу та Сходу. Зроблено смисловий акцент на питанні про причини розмежування західної та східної культурних традицій. Наголошується, що біфуркацію Схід–Захід неодмінно слід пов’язувати з періодом «осьового часу» (VIII–II ст. до н.е.), визначеного К. Ясперсом як центральний момент, вихідна точка світової історії, осягнення смислу якої здатне наблизити до розуміння всесвітньої історії в цілому. З огляду на питання про причини біфуркації Схід–Захід доводиться важливість і продуктивність дослідження Е. С. Кульпіна, який з позицій соціоприродної історії запропонував (...) пояснення феномена поляризації матриць соціальних цінностей Сходу й Заходу й обгрунтував, що ця поляризація була зумовлена першою чергою наявністю двох негативних тенденцій у кліматі Землі періоду «осьового часу» – аридизації та похолодання раннього залізного віку. Особливу увагу у статті приділено проблемі визначення сутності й з’ясуванню причин поляризації світоглядних цінностей Заходу та Сходу. Доводиться необхідність врахування того, що К. Ясперсу вдалося лише зафіксувати феномен «осьового часу», проте не вдалося його пояснити, тобто показати його значення в контексті «до-осьових» і власне «осьових» культур, що, врешті решт, і призвело до наявності своєрідних «білих плям» – порушених, але так і не розв’язаних питань в його концепції. У зв’язку з цим було показано, що ліквідувати, «закрити» ці «білі плями» дає можливість здійснення компаративного аналізу концепцій двох авторів – К. Ясперса та М. О. Чмихова. Головним здобутком проведення такого роду компаративного аналізу стала ідея про те, що поляризація світоглядних матриць Заходу та Сходу зумовлена реальною загрозою трансформації перевіреної не одним тисячоліттям світоглядної «формули» П>С (домінування у світогляді природних сил над соціальними) на свою протилежність (С>П) саме в «осьовий» період. Більше того – в такий спосіб вдалося пов’язати докорінно відмінний зміст систем соціальних цінностей Заходу та Сходу зі змістом їхніх діаметрально протилежних світоглядних парадигм. (shrink)

Svrha ovog rada bila je utvrditi učestalost sudjelovanja učitelja Glazbene kulture u različitim aktivnostima informalnog cjeloživotnog učenja te saznati njihovo mišljenje o važnosti i doprinosu navedenog razvoju vlastitih kompetencija potrebnih za poučavanje Glazbene kulture. Utvrđeno je da učitelji najviše sudjeluju u informalnim aktivnostima učenja koje ne zahtijevaju dodatno izdvajanje vremena te shodno tome rjeđe sudjeluju u aktivnostima koje zahtijevaju veću njihovu pažnju. Osjećaju se kompetentnima u izvođenju svih glazbenih aktivnosti koje se provode u nastavi Glazbene kulture. Nadalje, vide doprinos i (...) važnost sudjelovanja u aktivnostima informalnog učenja, no podijeljeni su u razmišljaju trebaju li posvetiti više dodatnog vremena aktivnostima informalnog učenja te kada razmišljaju o tome bi li njihova nastava bila jednako kvalitetna da ne primjenjuju nova znanja stečena informalnim učenjem. (shrink)

The paper presents the research that analysed the use of the teaching strategies – methods and procedures, teaching methods, and evaluation of students’ achievements – at one public art university in Croatia. The results show that the higher education in arts is based on contemporary didactic principles with a dominant paradigm of student-centered learning. Accordingly, students are encouraged to take an active role in the learning process, procedures of teaching arts are individualized, and monitoring the work and evaluating student progress (...) is done systematically. However, there is a certain terminological inconsistency in the use of some didactic terms in teaching of art, since teaching art in higher education has appropriated the traditional didactic nomenclature, more suitable for teaching science. Through obtained results, the need for a conceptual redefinition was discovered, in which the specifics arising from the nature of artistic process, related to the specifics of individual artistic fields, would be emphasized and explained. The results show both positive and negative aspects of the current art teaching in higher education. The results of this research can contribute to better understanding of the art teaching as well as to the future systematization of teaching work at art faculties, especially in the part related to organization and evaluation of the teaching process. (shrink)

BackgroundGenealogical research and ancestry testing are popular recreational activities but little is known about the impact of the use of these services on clients’ biological and social families. Ancestry databases are being enriched with self-reported data and data from deoxyribonucleic acid analyses, but also are being linked to other direct-to-consumer genetic testing and research databases. As both family history data and DNA can provide information on more than just the individual, we asked whether companies, as a part of the consent (...) process, were informing clients, and through them clients’ relatives, of the potential implications of the use and linkage of their personal data.MethodsWe used content analysis to analyse publically-available consent and informational materials provided to potential clients of ancestry and direct-to-consumer genetic testing companies to determine what consent is required, what risks associated with participation were highlighted, and whether the consent or notification of third parties was suggested or required.ResultsWe identified four categories of companies providing: 1) services based only on self-reported data, such as personal or family history; 2) services based only on DNA provided by the client; 3) services using both; and 4) services using both that also have a research component. The amount of information provided on the potential issues varied significantly across the categories of companies. ‘Traditional’ ancestry companies showed the greatest awareness of the implications for family members, while companies only asking for DNA focused solely on the client. While in some cases companies included text recommending clients inform their relatives, showing they recognised the issues, often it was located within lengthy terms and conditions or privacy statements that may not be read by potential clients.ConclusionsWe recommend that companies should make it clearer that clients should inform third parties about their plans to participate, that third parties’ data will be provided to companies, and that that data will be linked to other databases, thus raising privacy and issues on use of data. We also suggest investigating whether a ‘generational consent’ should be created that would include more than just the individual in decisions about participating in genetic investigations. (shrink)