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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Aspects of religions (non-Christian) > Worship > General
The Mahabodhi temple at Bodhgaya in eastern India has long been
recognised as the place where the Buddha sat in meditation and
attained enlightenment. The site, soon identified as the 'Diamond
Throne' or vajrasana, became a destination for pilgrims and a focus
of religious attention for more than two thousand years. This
volume presents new research on Bodhgaya and assesses the important
archaeological, artistic and literary evidence that bears witness
to the Buddha's enlightenment and to the enduring significance of
Bodhgaya in the history of Buddhism. The book brings together a
team of international scholars to look at the history and
perception of the site across the Buddhist world and its position
in the networks of patronage and complex religious landscape of
northern India. The volume assesses the site's decline in the
thirteenth century, as well as its subsequent revival as a result
of archaeological excavations in the nineteenth century. Using the
British Museum's collections as a base, the authors discuss the
rich material culture excavated from the site that highlights
Bodhgaya's importance in the field of Buddhist studies.
Cries from the Heart answers a specific hunger millions share - a
longing for a personal connection to the divine. In times of
crisis, all of us reach for someone,or something, greater than
ourselves. Some call it prayer. Others just do it. For many, it's
often like talking to a wall. People are looking for assurance that
someone hears them when they cry out in their despair, loneliness,
or frustration. The last thing they need is another book telling
them how to pray or what to say, holding out religion like a
good-luck charm. So instead of theorizing or preaching, Johann
Christoph Arnold tells stories about real men and real women
dealing with adversity. Their difficulties - which range from
extreme to quite ordinary and universal - resonate with readers,
offering a challenge, but also comfort and encouragement. People
will see themselves in these glimpses of anguish, triumph, and
peace.
This concise (just 40 pages) and beautiful haggadah contains all
the elements for a complete and authentic seder. Its small size
(just 6 x 8") and straightforward text, and bright collage art will
capture the attention of seder participants and spark lively
conversation about social justice, freedom, and history.Ideal for
the host or seder leader who wants to run a short and meaningful
seder, bring a modern sensibility and fresh language tot he
observance, and add beauty to the seder table. Includes blessings
and the Four Questions in both Hebrew and transliterated Hebrew,
with English translations.
Valeri presents an overview of Hawaiian religious culture, in which
hierarchies of social beings and their actions are mirrored by the
cosmological hierarchy of the gods. As the sacrifice is performed,
the worshipper is incorporated into the god of his class. Thus he
draws on divine power to sustain the social order of which his
action is a part, and in which his own place is determined by the
degree of his resemblance to his god. The key to Hawaiian
society--and a central focus for Valeri--is the complex and
encompassing sacrificial ritual that is the responsibility of the
king, for it displays in concrete actions all the concepts of
pre-Western Hawaiian society. By interpreting and understanding
this ritual cycle, Valeri contends, we can interpret all of
Hawaiian religious culture.
National Jewish Book Awards 2019 Finalist for Visual Arts. Richly
illustrated and meticulously documented, this is the first
comprehensive survey of synagogue textiles to be available in
English. Bracha Yaniv, a leading expert in the field of Jewish
ceremonial textiles, records their evolution from ancient times to
the present. The volume contains a systematic consideration of the
mantle, the wrapper, the Torah scroll binder, and the Torah ark
curtain and valance, and considers the cultural factors that
inspired the evolution of these different items and their motifs.
Fabrics, techniques, and modes of production are described in
detail; the inscriptions marking the circumstances of donation are
similarly subjected to close analysis. Fully annotated plates
demonstrate the richness of the styles and traditions in use in
different parts of the Jewish diaspora, drawing attention to
regional customs. Throughout, emphasis is placed on presenting and
explaining all relevant aspects of the Jewish cultural heritage.
The concluding section contains transcriptions, translations, and
annotations of some 180 inscriptions recording the circumstances in
which items were donated, providing a valuable survey of customs of
dedication. Together with the comprehensive bibliography, inventory
lists, and other relevant documentation, this volume will be an
invaluable reference work for the scholarly community, museum
curators, and others interested in the Jewish cultural heritage.
Written by addiction treatment center staff members from across the
country, these daily meditations encourage, comfort, and challenge
helpers to understand others and themselves.
Martin Prechtel's experiences growing up on a Pueblo Indian
reservation, his years of apprenticing to a Guatemalan shaman, and
his flight from Guatemala's brutal civil war inform this lyrical
blend of memoir, cultural mythology, and spiritual call to arms.
"The Unlikely Peace at Cuchumaquic "is both an epic story and a cry
to the heart of humanity based on the author's realization that
human survival depends on keeping alive the seeds of our "original
forgotten spiritual excellence."
Prechtel relates the current eco-crisis to the rapid disappearance
of biodiversity, indigenous cultures, and shared human values. He
demonstrates how real human culture is exterminated when real (not
genetically modified) seeds are lost. Like plants that become
extinct once their required conditions are no longer met,
authentic, unmonetized human cultures can no longer survive in the
modern world. To "keep the seeds alive"--both literally and
metaphorically--they must be planted, harvested, and replanted,
just as human culture must become truly engaging and meaningful to
the soul, as necessary as food is to the body. The viable seeds of
spirituality and culture that lie dormant within us need to
"sprout" into broad daylight to create real sets of cultures
welcome on Earth.
The Mexica (Aztecs) used a solar calendar made up of eighteen
months, with each month dedicated to a specific god in their
pantheon and celebrated with a different set of rituals.
Panquetzaliztli, the fifteenth month, dedicated to the national god
Huitzilopochtli (Hummingbird on the Left), was significant for its
proximity to the winter solstice, and for the fact that it marked
the beginning of the season of warfare. In The Fifteenth Month,
John F. Schwaller offers a detailed look at how the celebrations of
Panquetzaliztli changed over time and what these changes reveal
about the history of the Aztecs. Drawing on a variety of sources,
Schwaller deduces that prior to the rise of the Mexica in 1427, an
earlier version of the month was dedicated to the god Tezcatlipoca
(Smoking Mirror), a war and trickster god. The Mexica shifted the
dedication to their god, developed a series of ceremonies -
including long-distance running and human sacrifice - that would
associate him with the sun, and changed the emphasis of the
celebration from warfare alone to a combination of trade and
warfare, since merchants played a significant role in Mexica
statecraft. Further investigation shows how the resulting festival
commemorated several important moments in Mexica history, how it
came to include ceremonies associated with the winter solstice, and
how it reflected a calendar reform implemented shortly before the
arrival of the Spanish. Focused on one of the most important months
in the Mexica year, Schwaller's work marks a new methodology in
which traditional sources for Mexica culture, rather than being
interrogated for their specific content, are read for their
insights into the historical development of the people. Just as
Christmas re-creates the historic act of the birth of Jesus for
Christians, so, The Fifteenth Month suggests, Panquetzaliztli was a
symbolic re-creation of events from Mexica myths and history.
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