Encountering the Supernatural: A Phenomenological Account of Mind

Abstract

In this article we compare the encounter with the supernatural-experiences in which a person senses the immaterial-in ailand and in the United States. ese experiences appear to be shaped by di erent conceptions of the mind. In the US, there is a sharp, natural division between one's mind and the world; in ailand, individuals have the moral responsibility to control their minds. ese di erences appear to explain how people identify and sense the supernatural. In the US, it is an external, responsive agent; in ailand, it is an energy that escapes from an uncontrolled mind. Here we approach phenomenology-the experience of experience-comparatively, identifying patterns in social expectations that a ect the ways in which humans think, feel, and sense. We take an experiential category of life that we know to be universal and use it to analyze cultural concepts that in uence the enactment and interpretation of feeling and sensing.

Development of a Porous Theory of Mind scale and the relation with paranormal beliefs

“…Endorsing a 'porous theory of mind' (PToM) implies that direct communication between different minds is possible: from human minds to supernatural entities (e.g., as observed in prayer) and from supernatural entities to human minds (e.g., as observed in supernatural revelations, or when hearing God's voice). Thus, a central feature of many supernatural beliefs may be the endorsement of a porous conception of the mind (Cassaniti & Luhrmann, 2011).…”

A comparison of hallucinatory experiences and their appraisals in those with and without mental illness

“…Supernatural beliefs are common in the general population and are considered to be universal across cultures (Cassaniti and Luhrmann, 2011). Anomalous experiences such as HE are perceived through a complex interplay of bodily sensation, expectation, personal factors and cultural contexts (Cassaniti and Luhrmann, 2014).…”

Introduction: Legacies, Trajectories, and Comparison in the Anthropology of Buddhism

“…The interface between culture and the body is another productive domain. For instance, Julia Cassaniti and Tanya Luhrmann (2011) have collaborated on a comparative phenomenology of how Thai Buddhists and US evangelical Christians experience the supernatural. These comparisons that reach out toward other religious traditions and cultural contexts have a strong potential to speak to larger disciplinary communities.…”