0
Your cart
 |
 Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
|
Your cart is empty |
||
|
Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Non-Christian religions > Religions of Indic & Oriental origin > Buddhism
David Webster explores the notion of desire as found in the Buddhist Pali Canon. Beginning by addressing the idea of a 'paradox of desire', whereby we must desire to end desire, the varieties of desire that are articulated in the Pali texts are examined. A range of views of desire, as found in Western thought, are presented as well as Hindu and Jain approaches. An exploration of the concept of ditthi(view or opinion) is also provided, exploring the way in which 'holding views' can be seen as analogous to the process of desiring. Other subjects investigated include the mind-body relationship, the range of Pali terms for desire, and desire's positive spiritual value. A comparative exploration of the various approaches completes the work.
This book provides a philosophical account of the major doctrinal
shift in the history of early Theravada tradition in India: the
transition from the earliest stratum of Buddhist thought to the
systematic and allegedly scholastic philosophy of the Pali
Abhidhamma movement. Conceptual investigation into the development
of Buddhist ideas is pursued, thus rendering the Buddha's
philosophical position more explicit and showing how and why his
successors changed it. Entwining comparative philosophy and
Buddhology, the author probes the Abhidhamma's metaphysical
transition in terms of the Aristotelian tradition and vis-a-vis
modern philosophy, exploiting Western philosophical literature from
Plato to contemporary texts in the fields of philosophy of mind and
cultural criticism. This book demonstrates that not only does a
philosophically oriented inquiry into the conceptual foundations of
early Buddhism give rise to a better understanding of what
philosophy and religion are qua thought and religion, but that it
also helps introduce innovative ideas and fresh perspectives into
the traditional Buddhological arena.
This book focuses on the ritualized forms of mobility that constitute phenomena of pilgrimage in South Asia and establishes a new analytical framework for the study of ritual journeys. The book advances the conceptual scope of 'classical' Pilgrimage Studies and provides empirical depth through individual case studies. A key concern is the strategies of ritualization through which actors create, assemble and (re-)articulate certain modes of displacement to differentiate themselves from everyday forms of locomotion. Ritual journeys are understood as being both productive of and produced by South Asia's socio-economically uneven, politically charged and culturally variegated landscapes. From various disciplinary angles, each chapter explores how spaces and movements in space are continually created, contested and transformed through ritual journeys. By focusing on this co-production of space and mobility, the book delivers a conceptually driven and empirically grounded engagement with the diverse and changing traditions of ritual journeying in South Asia. Interdisciplinary in its approach, the book is a must-have reference work for academics interested in South Asian Studies, Religious Studies, Anthropology and Human Geography with a focus on pilgrimage and the socio-spatial ideas and practices of ritualized movements in South Asia.
The notion of "view" or "opinion" ("ditthi") as an obstacle to
"seeing things as they are" is a central concept in Buddhist
thought. This book considers the two ways in which the notion of
views are usually understood. Are we to understand right-view as a
correction of wrong-views (the opposition understanding) or is the
aim of the Buddhist path the overcoming of all views, even
right-view (the no-views understanding)? The author argues that
neither approach is correct. Instead, he suggests that the early
texts do not understand right-view as a correction of wrong-view,
but as a detached order of seeing, completely different from the
attitude of holding to any view, wrong or right.
Hagiographies or idealized biographies which recount the lives of saints, bodhisattvas and other charismatic figures have been the meeting place for myth and experience. In medieval Europe, the "lives of saints" were read during liturgical celebrations and the texts themselves were treated as sacred objects. In Japan, it was believed that those who read the biographies of lofty monks would acquire merit. Since hagiographies were written or compiled by "believers," the line between fantasy and reality was often obscured. This study of the bodhisattva Gyoki - regarded as the monk who started the largest social welfare movement in Japan - illustrates how Japanese Buddhist hagiographers chose to regard a single monk's charitable activities as a miraculous achievement that shaped the course of Japanese history.
While process philosophers and theologians have written numerous essays on Buddhist-Christian dialogue, few have sought to expand the current Buddhist-Christian dialogue into a trilogue by bringing the natural sciences into the discussion as a third partner. This was the topic of Paul O. Ingram's previous book, Buddhist-Christian Dialogue in an Age of Science. The thesis of the present work is that Buddhist-Christian dialogue in all three of its forms-conceptual, social engagement, and interior-are interdependent processes of creative transformation. Ingram appropriates the categories of Whitehead's process metaphysics as a means of clarifying how dialogue is now mutually and creatively transforming both Buddhism and Christianity. (James Clarke & Co 2011)
"The Politics of Buddhist Organizations in Taiwan" looks at a
relatively unexplored aspect of modern Taiwan: the influence of
religion on politics. Although much has been written on the
contribution of Christian churches to the debates on
self-determination and democratic tradition on the island, we know
less about the political influence on Buddhist organizations, which
claim together to attract over four million adherents. These
organizations exercise considerable influence in Taiwanese society
and yet their stand on relations across the Taiwan Strait, communal
harmony, economic and political liberalization, as well as the
creation of a welfare State, remains largely unexplored.
Zen Buddhism and Environmental Ethics explores the implications of Zen Buddhist teachings and practices for our moral relations with the natural world. At once an accessible introduction to Zen and an important contribution to the debate concerning the environmental implications of the tradition, this book will appeal both to readers unfamiliar with East Asian thought and to those well versed in the field. In elucidating the philosophical implications of Zen, the author draws upon both Eastern and Western philosophy, situating the Zen understanding of nature within the Buddhist tradition, as well as relating it to the ideas of key Western philosophers such as Aristotle, Kant and Heidegger. These philosophical reflections on Zen are used to shed light on some prominent debates in contemporary environmental ethics concerning such issues as the intrinsic value of nature.
How do contemporary Westerners and Tibetans understand not only what it means to be 'Buddhist', but what it means to be hailed as one from 'the West' or from 'Tibet'? This anthropological study examines the encounter between Western travellers and Tibetan exiles in Bodhanath, on the outskirts of Kathmandu, Nepal and analyses the importance of Buddhism in discussions of political, cultural and religious identity. Moran examines how Tibetans and Tibetan Buddhism are 'created' in the encounters taking place in Bodhanath and how Western Buddhists come to terms with their imagined, then reified culture and religion. Tibetan Buddhism has become Bodhanath's cultural product par excellence, it is not only a spectacle for foreign tourists to see, but a reminder of national-culture for displaced Tibetans. Special focus is given here to the ways in which Tibetan Buddhism has been presented as an object to be observed, reflected upon, and internalized by Western travellers, often at the feet of Tibetan lamas. perception of Tibetan Buddhism, as well as the practices and narratives through which Tibetan and Western Buddhist subjects are produced. Based on extensive field research in Nepal, Buddhism Observed questions traditional assumptions about Buddhism and examines the rarely considered phenomenon of Western conversions to a non-Western religion. Scholars of anthropology, religion and cultural studies will find here a refreshing insight into how to approach 'other' societies, religions and cultures.
A secret traveller to the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, the author was forced to live, dress and behave as a Tibetan in order to remain undetected. Because of his unique perspective, he was able to provide an excellent description of the diplomatic, political, military and industrial situation of the country in the 1920s.
This book is a fresh investigation disproving the notion, popular today among certain segments of the world's religious culture, that the Russian journalist Nicholas Notovitch definitely discovered, at an Indo-Tibetan monastery, a bona fide ancient Buddhist manuscript which allegedly described Jesus' travels to India and Central Asia before he then launched his well-known public ministry back in Israel. This scholarly study is intended to provide both Christians and non-Christians alike the knowledge necessary to see through the Russian's literary fraud, first published by him in 1894, and to reject the claims of his many latter-day followers. The present work also attempts to integrate the Notovitch hoax into the current religious milieu and unmasks the lack of honesty, integrity and credible scholarship of those New Age writers and others who today mistakenly support the Issa fabrication as genuine and claim, as did Notovitch, which the Issa text fills in the 'missing years' of the canonical Gospels.
Koans are enigmatic spiritual formulas used for religious training in the Zen Buddhist tradition. This innovative religious practice is one of the most distinctive elements of this tradition, which originated in medieval China and spread to Japan and Korea. Perhaps no dimension of Asian religious has attracted so much interest in the West, and its influence is apparent from beat poetry to deconstructive literary critisism. The essays collected in this volume argue that our understanding of the Koan tradition has been severely limited. The authors try to undermine stereotypes and problematic interpretations by examining previously unrecognized factors in the formation of the tradition, and by highlighting the rich complexity and remarkable diversity of Koan practice and literature.
For practitioners on the paths of Dzogchen and Mahamudra, one of
the greatest joys is to personally receive oral instructions from a
realized teacher. The excitement of being able to train based on
that advice is further enhanced by the stimulation and support that
guidance manuals provide. All of the selections presented in
Perfect Clarity offer incredible teachings that are inspiring and
vital. Pith instructions are so simple and direct that we can
easily apply them without fear of mistakes.
|
You may like...
Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu
Hardcover
 (11)
|
Books
| DVD
| Games
| Music
| Computers
| Electronics
| Fashion
| Sport
| Kitchen
| Home
| Pets
| DIY
| Toys
| Baby
| Health & Beauty
| Stationery
| Arts & Crafts