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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Non-Christian religions > General
In this interdisciplinary work, William L. Davis examines Joseph
Smith's 1829 creation of the Book of Mormon, the foundational text
of the Latter-Day Saint movement. Positioning the text in the
history of early American oratorical techniques, sermon culture,
educational practices, and the passion for self-improvement, Davis
elucidates both the fascinating cultural context for the creation
of the Book of Mormon and the central role of oral culture in early
nineteenth-century America. Drawing on performance studies,
religious studies, literary culture, and the history of early
American education, Davis analyzes Smith's process of oral
composition. How did he produce a history spanning a period of
1,000 years, filled with hundreds of distinct characters and
episodes, all cohesively tied together in an overarching narrative?
Eyewitnesses claimed that Smith never looked at notes, manuscripts,
or books-he simply spoke the words of this American religious epic
into existence. Judging the truth of this process is not Davis's
interest. Rather, he reveals a kaleidoscope of practices and styles
that converged around Smith's creation, with an emphasis on the
evangelical preaching styles popularized by the renowned George
Whitefield and John Wesley.
On February 3, 1913, the first General Meeting of the newly formed
Anthroposophical Society was convened in Berlin. Six weeks later,
in Holland, Rudolf Steiner spoke for the first time to an
anthroposophical audience in a detailed, intimate way of the
esoteric schooling of the individual human being in earthly life.
Hence the fundamental importance of these lectures for
anthroposophical inner development. Steiner deals here with the
subtle effects of spiritual development at every level of the human
being. Beginning with straightforward questions relating to the
body's experience of foodstuff - meat, coffee, alcohol, and so
forth - he unfolds the universe of anthroposophical spiritual
striving until it includes direct perception of Paradise and the
Holy Grail, as well as the role of the human being as evolving
between the forces of Lucifer and Ahriman. This edition also
includes as a prologue Steiner's crucial lecture on "The Being of
Anthroposophy," which has never before appeared in English. In
this, Steiner says: Sophia will become objective again, but she
will take with her what humanity is, and objectively present
herself in this form. Thus, she will present herself not only as
Sophia, but as Anthroposophia - as the Sophia who, after passing
through the human soul, through the very being of the human being,
henceforth bears that being within her, and in this form she will
confront enlightened human beings as the objective being Sophia who
once stood before the Greeks.
Here is the twentieth anniversary edition of the classic study of
the culture, religion, history, ideology, and influence of the
Rastafarians of Jamaica. "Barrett offers the most comprehensive
study to date of the Rastafarians".--BULLETIN of the Center for the
Study of World Religions. Bibliography. Index. Photos.
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Ten Principal Upanishads
(Paperback, Main)
Shri Purohit Swami; Edited by Shri Purohit Swami; Translated by Shri Purohit Swami, W. B Yeats
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R309
R251
Discovery Miles 2 510
Save R58 (19%)
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'This is a book to be read slowly and lovingly, for it is full of
grand passages and haunting phrases from those ancient sages who
have left us some of the profoundest reflections ever made upon the
nature of man.' F. Yeats-Brown in the Listener
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The False Self
(Paperback)
Ramana Maharshi, Nisargadatta Maharaj, Vasistha
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R266
Discovery Miles 2 660
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Ships in 10 - 15 working days
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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormons),
often heralded as the fastest growing religion in American history,
is facing a crisis of apostasy. Rather than strengthening their
faith, the study of church history and scriptures by many members
pushes them away from Mormonism and into a growing community of
secular ex-Mormons. In Disenchanted Lives, E. Marshall Brooks
provides an intimate, in-depth ethnography of religious
disenchantment among ex-Mormons in Utah. Showing that former church
members were once deeply embedded in their religious life, Brooks
argues that disenchantment unfolds as a struggle to overcome the
spiritual, social, and ideological devotion ex-Mormons had to the
religious community and not out of a lack of dedication as
prominently portrayed in religious and scholarly writing on
apostasy.
Art collector Anil Relia had always admired the miniature paintings
of the Nathdwara school, which grew out of the religious devotation
of the Pushti Marg (Path of Grace). On one of his trips to this
pilgrimage town, he encountered 'manorath' paintings, whose unusual
visual elements attracted his attention immediately. Originally
part of the Pushti Marg popular culture, manorath paintings were
often commissioned by devout followers as an indelible record of a
pilgrimage trip to Nathdwara. Manorath ("mind's vehicle") paintings
are a visual representation of the pilgrim's wish to enter into
mutual communication with a divine Pushti Marg icon. The popular
manoraths in this collection, which employ mixed media and
photo-realism techniques, illustrate worshippers in the presence of
Shrinathji. These images had a deep emotional resonance for
worshippers because they embodied both the corporeal pilgrimage to
Nathdwara and also the inner devotional experience itself. As
author Isabella Nardi demonstrates, the paintings in this
collection are not merely souvenirs of a pilgrimage trip; they
represent the worshipper's journey to Nathdwara for a 'darshan'
with their beloved and revered deity. With pilgrims as patrons,
these manoraths are truly portraits of devotion.
Contributed articles presented at the 13th European Conference on
Modern South Asian Stuidies held at Toulouse in 1994.
Since its publication in 2000, The Early Christian World has come
to be regarded by scholars, students and the general reader as one
of the most informative and accessible works in English on the
origins, development, character and major figures of early
Christianity. In this new edition, the strengths of the first
edition are retained. These include the book's attractive
architecture that initially takes a reader through the context and
historical development of early Christianity; the essays in
critical areas such as community formation, everyday experience,
the intellectual and artistic heritage, and external and internal
challenges; and the profiles on the most influential early
Christian figures. The book also preserves its strong stress on the
social reality of early Christianity and continues its distinctive
use of hundreds of illustrations and maps to bring that world to
life. Yet the years that have passed since the first edition was
published have seen great advances made in our understanding of
early Christianity in its world. This new edition fully reflects
these developments and provides the reader with authoritative,
lively and up-to-date access to the early Christian world. A
quarter of the text is entirely new and the remaining essays have
all been carefully revised and updated by their authors. Some of
the new material relates to Christian culture (including book
culture, canonical and non-canonical scriptures, saints and
hagiography, and translation across cultures). But there are also
new essays on: Jewish and Christian interaction in the early
centuries; ritual; the New Testament in Roman Britain; Manichaeism;
Pachomius the Great and Gregory of Nyssa. This new edition will
serve its readers for many years to come.
"Truth and striving for truth must taste good to you; and lies,
once you are conscious of them, must taste bitter and poisonous.
You must not only know that human judgments have color, but also
that printer's ink nowadays is mostly deadly nightshade juice. You
must be able to experience this in all honesty and rectitude, and
once you can do so, you will be in a state of spiritual
transformation." -Rudolf Steiner In response to these questions,
Rudolf Steiner delivered the informal lectures in this book to the
workers at the Goetheanum: * What is the relationship between
coming to see the secrets of the universe and one's own view of the
world? * How far must one go before finding the higher worlds on
the path of natural science? * Do cosmic forces influence all of
humanity? * What connection do plants have with the human being and
the human body? In answering these questions, Steiner covers a wide
range of topics, from the development of independent thinking and
the ability to think backward to the uses of what seems boring and
the reversal of thinking between the physical and spiritual worlds,
and from the "physiology" of dreams to living into nature and the
spiritual dimension of various foods. As always in his lectures to
the workers, Steiner's style is clear, direct, and accessible.
This is a fresh and innovative exploration of traditional Indian
religion and culture - an area that has fascinated and puzzled the
West for centuries. Making use of his own original research,
conducted over twenty-five years, Friedhelm Hardy aims at
presenting the widest possible range of themes that have
preoccupied Indian culture. He draws on a variety of sources, in
various languages, and listens not only to what the philosopher or
theologian in the classical Sanskrit texts has to say, but also to
what folk and regional cults and cultures express in stories, myths
and poetry. In an often humorous and always entertaining manner he
reveals the colourful world of India to the non-specialist by
making the three primary human drives of power, love and wisdom his
focal points. Individual themes are frequently also illustrated
from relevant Occidental sources. The book is based on public
lectures delivered at the University of Oxford. While professional
Indian studies become increasingly specialized, and popular
interest in the subject loses itself in a mystical maze, this book
presents a view of the whole culture from which has arisen the huge
diversity of Indian religion in a manner that is both authoritative
and accessible.
Paul Gray is the GrammyA(R) Award winning bassist of Slipknot. In
his IMV Behind the Player DVD, Gray gives an intimate behind-the
scenes look at his life as a professional musician - including rare
photos and video footage.
Gray then gives in-depth bass lessons for how to play "Duality" and
"Surfacing" by Slipknot and jams the tracks with Stone Sour drummer
Roy Mayorga.
VideoTaba shows exactly how Gray plays the two tracks. The
video-game-style animated tablature is similar to GuitarHero(TM),
but shows how to play the tracks for real.
Other IMV Behind the Player titles include:
* KoRn guitarist Munky
* Rob Zombie guitarist John 5
* Atreyu guitarist Dan Jacobs
* Tim Skold, former guitarist and bassist for Marilyn Manson
* Velvet Revolver bassist Duff McKagan
* Alice in Chains bassist Mike Inez
* KoRn bassist Fieldy
* Ozzy Osbourne bassist Blasko
* Godsmack bassist Robbie Merrill
* Rob Zombie drummer Tommy Clufetos
* Jane's Addiction and Porno for Pyros drummer Stephen
Perkins
* Godsmack drummer Shannon Larkin
* and guitar legend George Lynch.
"Pentikainen s exceptional interdisciplinary study will richly
reward those interested in the dynamics of artistic creation and
cultural construction, ethnic emergence and political nationalism,
and shamanistic belief systems." American Anthropologist
..". a splendid contribution to the literature on folk epics...
" The Scandinavian-American Bulletin
The Kalevala, created during the 1830s and 1840s, is based on
authentic folklore collected and compiled by Elias Lonnrot. It was
the Kalevala that initiated the process leading to the foundation
of Finnish identity during the nineteenth century and was,
therefore, one of the crucial factors in the formation of Finland
as a new nation in the twentieth century."
John Gardner has worked in anthroposophy and Waldorf education for
close to sixty years. The present volume collects some of his most
striking thoughts on various aspects of education and adolescence
viewed from the perspective of spiritual science. "It is a
characteristic of youth, " he writes, "that what will later be
accomplishment appears first as longing." This longing, which
appears in manifold guises, is above all a longing for true forms
of knowing. At the deepest levels, young people's thinking seeks to
become imagination, their life of feeling to become inspiration,
while in their sexuality, they experience the burgeoning seed of
intuition. The leading question of education is how these longings
are to be nurtured and cultivated so thai they fulfill their
promise, and we grow up as free, responsible human beings able to
care for each other and the greater life that sustains us. Such are
the issues that John Gardner considers in this wise collection,
which also includes reflections on such topics as discipline and
the importance of play.
Ecstatic Encounters takes its readers to the threshold of Candomble
temples in Bahia, Brazil, where - for many generations -- members
of this spirit-possession cult and curious outsiders have been
meeting to marvel at each other's otherness. Having allowed himself
to be baffled by Candomble's mysteries and miracle productions, the
author explores the notion of 'the-rest-of-what-is': the excess
that is the inevitable by-product of all reality definitions; the
non-sensical that is the surplus of all culturally informed
sense-making. Ethnographical insights in Afro-Brazilian mysticism
are thus made to speak to anthropological forms of world-making, in
a study that rejects the totalizing pretensions of all reality
definitions, emphatically including those of academia. The
theoretical importance of this book lies in its critical assessment
of the constructivist paradigm that long dominates cultural and
social anthropology. Adopting the Lacanian premise that the
meaningful worlds we inhabit are lacking, and depend on fantasy and
make-belief to be perceived as coherent, persuasive and
incontestable, this study argues that the analysis of cultural
forms should always include an exploration of the processes of
cultural enchantment that endow man-made worlds of meaning with a
sense of the really real. Ecstatic Encounters is written in an
accessible, engaging, literary style. Philosophical issues are
taken out on the streets, to be pondered in the face of everyday
life; just as mundane dimensions of being are allowed to soil the
conventional proprieties of academic text production.
The central actors in this book are some reclusive forest-dwelling
ascetic meditation masters who have been acclaimed as 'saints' in
contemporary Thailand. These saints originally pursued their
salvation quest among the isolated villages of the country's
periphery, but once recognized as holy men endowed with charisma,
they became the radiating centres of a country-wide cult of
amulets. The amulets, blessed by the saints, are avidly sought by
royalty, ruling generals, intelligentsia and common folk alike for
their alleged powers to influence the success of worldly
transactions, whether political, economic, martial or romantic.
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