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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Non-Christian religions > General
The inaugural volume of Princeton Readings in Religions brings
together the work of thirty scholars of the religions of India in a
new anthology designed to reshape the ways in which the religious
traditions of India are understood. The book contains translations
of forty-five works, most of which have never before been available
in a Western language. Many of these highlight types of discourse
(especially ritual manuals, folktales, and oral narratives) and
voices (vernacular, esoteric, domestic, and female) that have not
been sufficiently represented in previous anthologies and standard
accounts of Indian religions.
The selections are drawn from ancient texts, medieval
manuscripts, modern pamphlets, and contemporary fieldwork in rural
and urban India. They represent every region in South Asia and
include Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Sikh, and Muslim materials. Some are
written texts reflecting elite concerns, while others are
transcriptions of oral narratives told by nonliterate peasants.
Some texts are addressed to a public and pan-Indian audience,
others to a limited coterie of initiates in an esoteric sect, and
still others are intended for a few women gathered in the courtyard
for a household ceremony. The editor has reinforced this diversity
by arranging the selections within several overarching themes and
categories of discourse (hymns, rituals, narratives, and religious
interactions), and encourages us to make our own connections.
Introducing the reader to ancient scriptures, this work provides a
systematic and accesible overview of Daoism (c. 2nd-6th centuries).
Representative works from each of the principle Daoist traditions
comprise the basic structure of the book, with each chapter
accompanied by an introduction that places the material within an
historical context. Included are translations from the earliest
Daoist commentary to Laozi's "Daode jing" (Tao Te Ching);
historical documents relating the history of the early Daoist
church; a petitioning ritual used to free believers from complaints
brought against them by the dead; and two complete scriptures, one
on individual meditation practice and another designed to rescue
humanity from the terrors of hell through recitation of its
powerful charms. In addition, Bokenkamp elucidates the connections
Daoism holds with other schools of thought, particularly
Confucianism and Buddhism.
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