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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Aspects of religions (non-Christian) > Religious life & practice > General
Contextualising the seemingly esoteric and exotic aspects of
Tibetan Buddhist culture within the everyday, embodied and sensual
sphere of religious praxis, this book centres on the social and
religious lives of deceased Tibetan Buddhist lamas. It explores how
posterior forms - corpses, relics, reincarnations and
hagiographical representations - extend a lama's trajectory of
lives and manipulate biological imperatives of birth and death. The
book looks closely at previously unexamined figures whose history
is relevant to a better understanding of how Tibetan culture
navigates its own understanding of reincarnation, the veneration of
relics and different social roles of different types of
practitioners. It analyses both the minutiae of everyday
interrelations between lamas and their devotees, specifically noted
in ritual performances and the enactment of lived tradition, and
the sacred hagiographical conventions that underpin local
knowledge. A phenomenology of Tibetan Buddhist life, the book
provides an ethnography of the everyday embodiment of Tibetan
Buddhism. This unusual approach offers a valuable and a genuine new
perspective on Tibetan Buddhist culture and is of interest to
researchers in the fields of social/cultural anthropology and
religious, Buddhist and Tibetan studies.
Longing. Hope. Love. Fear. These are just some of the experiences
embodied in the infinitely rich Christian life. In Under the Wings
of God, seasoned author Cornelius Plantinga explores these facets
and more, reflecting on the joys and challenges of a life following
God. Rooted in Scripture, this book offers wisdom about topics
including the problem of suffering, the nature of Christian virtue,
love of God and our neighbor, longing for redemption and
reconciliation, humility, and hospitality. Plantinga delves into
hard questions with a calm and pastoral authority that offers the
perfect antidote for the unrest in the world and the church right
now. Each reflection is presented with a Bible text and a brief
prayer, useful for personal devotions or small group discussions.
Readers will emerge with a deeper understanding of and appreciation
for the Christian life, equipped with timeless insights into the
ups and downs of a life lived in the presence of God.
What do barn cats, manure in a field, a pygmy goat, a lonely horse,
a muddy pond, and pruning have in common? They offer lessons of
grace from the life of Cheryl Bostrom, columnist for the Women of
Faith Web site (which gets more than 1 million page views a month).
" The View from Goose Ridge " offers a refreshing look at the
changing seasons in a woman's life-and a wise perspective on living
a life of faith with grace and gentleness. Original observations
and often unexpected applications to God's Word have made this
column a word-of-mouth favorite. Women across the country are
discovering the humor, hope, courage, and faith that can be found
at Goose Ridge-and enjoyed by urban and rural women alike. Now
readers everywhere can own a collection of the best of Cheryl's
devotionals in " The View from Goose Ridge." It's a fresh
perspective for women of faith who need to be reminded of organic
spirituality and God's down-to-earth ways with us as believers.
This book, first published in 1964, concerns the practice of Zen
Buddhism. The practice is a particular form of meditation. In
Japan, the only country in which it is any longer seriously
pursued, the practice is called zazen. The author directs attention
to zazen because it is being overlooked in the current interest in
Zen.
The sword has played an important role in the Japanese
consciousness since ancient times. The earliest swords, made of
bronze or stone, were clearly, by their design and form, used for
ritualistic purposes rather than as weapons. Later, swords were
associated only with the warrior class, and lack of physical
strength and battle experience was compensated for by handling the
sword in a way that was technically expert. Besides this sacred and
artistic status, swordsmanship also acquired a philosophical
reinforcement, which ultimately made it one of the Zen 'ways'. Zen
Buddhism related the correct practice of swordsmanship to exercises
for attaining enlightenment and selfishness, while Confucianism,
emphasizing the ethical meaning, equated it to service to the
state. This classic text, first published in English in 1978,
includes a history of the development and an interpretation of
Japanese swordsmanship, now esteemed as an art and honoured as a
national heritage. It describes in detail the long, intensive and
specialized training and etiquette involved, emphasizing and
explaining the importance of both Zen and Confucian ideas and
beliefs.
Gandhara is a name central to Buddhist heritage and iconography. It
is the ancient name of a region in present-day Pakistan, bounded on
the west by the Hindu Kush mountain range and to the north by the
foothills of the Himalayas. 'Gandhara' is also the term given to
this region's sculptural and architectural features between the
first and sixth centuries CE. This book re-examines the
archaeological material excavated in the region in the nineteenth
and early twentieth centuries and traces the link between
archaeological work, histories of museum collections and related
interpretations by art historians. The essays in the volume
underscore the diverse cultural traditions of Gandhara - from a
variety of sources and perspectives on language, ethnicity and
material culture (including classical accounts, Chinese writings,
coins and Sanskrit epics) - as well as interrogate the grand
narrative of Hellenism of which Gandhara has been a part. The book
explores the making of collections of what came to be described as
Gandhara art and reviews the Buddhist artistic tradition through
notions of mobility and dynamic networks of transmission. Wide
ranging and rigorous, this volume will appeal to scholars and
researchers of early South Asian history, archaeology, religion
(especially Buddhist studies), art history and museums.
This book, first published as two volumes in 1977 and 1978, was
published purely for the purpose of showing how Buddhist training
was done by the Reverend Jiyu-Kennett in the Far East. The material
for the book was taken from diaries covering eight years spent by
the author in Far Eastern temples, and describe her religious
training and her growth of a Zen priest into a teacher, running her
own temple.
This book examines culture, religion and polity in the context of
Buddhism. Gananath Obeyesekere, one of the foremost analytical
voices from South Asia develops Freud's notion of 'dream work', the
'work of culture' and ideas of no-self (anatta) to understand
Buddhism in contemporary Sri Lanka. This work offers a restorative
interpretation of Buddhist myths in contrast to the perspective
involving deconstruction. The book deals with a range of themes
connected with Buddhism, including oral traditions and stories, the
religious pantheon, philosophy, emotions, reform movements,
questions of identity and culture, and issues of modernity. This
fascinating volume will greatly interest students, teachers and
researchers of religion and philosophy, especially Buddhism,
ethics, cultural studies, social and cultural anthropology, Sri
Lanka and modern South Asian history.
This acclaimed spiritual masterpiece is widely regarded as one of the most complete and authoritative presentations of the Tibetan Buddhist teachings ever written. A manual for life and death and a magnificent source of sacred inspiration from the heart of the Tibetan tradition, The Tibetan Book Of Living and Dying provides a lucid and inspiring introduction to the practice of meditation, to the nature of mind, to karma and rebirth, to compassionate love and care for the dying, and to the trials and rewards of the spiritual path.
Industrial modernity's worship of rationality had a profound effect
on women's ways of knowing, marginalizing them along with other
alternate forms of knowledge such as the imagination and the
unconscious. Feminist Spirituality under Capitalism discusses the
importance of women's spiritual knowledge throughout history and
under the current socio-economic consensus. Within a critical
analysis of the subjugation of certain knowledges, it investigates
in particular the role that psychology and psychiatry have played
in the repression of women. Aimed at students and researchers in
the social sciences, the book will also appeal to anyone interested
in critical psychology, politics, activism and social change.
The Mediterranean and its hinterlands were the scene of intensive
and transformative contact between cultures in the Middle Ages.
From the seventh to the seventeenth century, the three
civilizations into which the region came to be divided
geographically - the Islamic Khalifate, the Byzantine Empire, and
the Latin West - were busily redefining themselves vis-a-vis one
another. Interspersed throughout the region were communities of
minorities, such as Christians in Muslim lands, Muslims in
Christian lands, heterodoxical sects, pagans, and, of course, Jews.
One of the most potent vectors of interaction and influence between
these communities in the medieval world was inter-religious
conversion: the process whereby groups or individuals formally
embraced a new religion. The chapters of this book explore this
dynamic: what did it mean to convert to Christianity in
seventh-century Ireland? What did it mean to embrace Islam in
tenth-century Egypt? Are the two phenomena comparable on a social,
cultural, and legal level? The chapters of the book also ask what
we are able to learn from our sources, which, at times, provide a
very culturally-charged and specific conversion rhetoric. Taken as
a whole, the compositions in this volume set out to argue that
inter-religious conversion was a process that was recognizable and
comparable throughout its geographical and chronological purview.
Cyber Zen ethnographically explores Buddhist practices in the
online virtual world of Second Life. Does typing at a keyboard and
moving avatars around the screen, however, count as real Buddhism?
If authentic practices must mimic the actual world, then Second
Life Buddhism does not. In fact, a critical investigation reveals
that online Buddhist practices have at best only a family
resemblance to canonical Asian traditions and owe much of their
methods to the late twentieth-century field of cybernetics. If,
however, they are judged existentially, by how they enable users to
respond to the suffering generated by living in a highly mediated
consumer society, then Second Life Buddhism consists of authentic
spiritual practices. Cyber Zen explores how Second Life Buddhist
enthusiasts form communities, identities, locations, and practices
that are both products of and authentic responses to contemporary
Network Consumer Society. Gregory Price Grieve illustrates that to
some extent all religion has always been virtual and gives a
glimpse of possible future alternative forms of religion.
In a series of personal and insightful letters to his sons, Omar Saif Ghobash offers a vital manifesto that tackles the dilemmas facing not only young Muslims but everyone navigating the complexities of today’s world. Full of wisdom and thoughtful reflections on faith, culture and society. This is a courageous and essential book that celebrates individuality whilst recognising it is our shared humanity that brings us together.
Written with the experience of a diplomat and the personal responsibility of a father; Ghobash’s letters offer understanding and balance in a world that rarely offers any. An intimate and hopeful glimpse into a sphere many are unfamiliar with; it provides an understanding of the everyday struggles Muslims face around the globe.
For anyone with an interest in Judaica and sacred objects, this
book presents some of the most outstanding examples of contemporary
Judaica-sacred Jewish objects-that have been created over the last
30+ years. Fifty-three makers have told their stories in their own
words, giving incredible insights into why they make Judaica and
what it means in their lives and in their journeys as artists. The
featured works include Seder plates, ketubah (Jewish marriage
documents), kiddush cups, hand-lettered Torahs, and even a Tefillin
Barbie. Stretch your perception of Judaica and gain insights into
the next generation of makers and how Judaica responds to
significant social issues affecting Jews and the world population
as a whole. More than 250 color photographs illustrate the makers'
works, and Jewish artists from the United States, Israel,
Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom are
featured.
First Published in 2005. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor &
Francis, an informa company.
Freedom of speech and extremism in university campuses are major
sources of debate and moral panic in the United Kingdom today. In
2018, the Joint Committee on Human Rights in Parliament undertook
an inquiry into freedom of speech on campus. It found that much of
the public concern is exaggerated, but identified a number of
factors that require attention, including the impact of government
counter-terrorism measures (the Prevent Duty) and regulatory bodies
(including the Charity Commission for England and Wales) on freedom
of speech. This book combines empirical research and philosophical
analysis to explore these issues, with a particular focus on the
impact upon Muslim students and staff. It offers a new conceptual
paradigm for thinking about freedom of speech, based on
deliberative democracy, and practical suggestions for universities
in handling it. Topics covered include * The enduring legacy of key
thinkers who have shaped the debate about freedom of speech * The
role of right-wing populism in driving moral panic about
universities * The impact of the Prevent Duty and the Charity
Commission upon Muslim students, students' unions and university
managers * Students' and staff views about freedom of speech *
Alternative approaches to handling freedom of speech on campus,
including the Community of Inquiry This highly engaging and topical
text will be of interest to those working within public policy,
religion and education or religion and politics and Islamic
Studies.
As a minority, Jews in Britain are confident, their institutions
competent and mature. And yet within Jewish life in Britain there
is a pervading sense of anxiety. Jews in Britain have done very
well. They have risen to the top of nearly every profession, they
run major companies, sit at the top tables in politics, make their
voices heard in the media, are prominent in science and the arts.
Of course there is serious poverty and gross disadvantage, just as
there is in any community. But on any objective measure, British
Jews have done well. Particularly when we consider where they came
from, the impoverished, often oppressed lives that many Jews lived
in Eastern Europe and the Ottoman Empire less than 200 years ago.
Jews have lived in Britain longer than any other minority. They've
been here so long, and are so ingrained into the national fabric,
that they are often not considered to be a minority at all. Until a
periodic outburst of antisemitism or a flare up in the Middle East,
or both, turns the spotlight on them once again. British Jews have
another distinction too. They have lived safely and securely,
continuously, in Britain longer than any other modern Jewish
community has lived anywhere else in the world. They have organised
themselves in a way that serves as a model both to more recent
immigrant communities in Britain and to Jewish communities
elsewhere. Being British, they wear their distinctions lightly,
they don't trumpet their achievements, in fact they rarely make a
noise at all. But they give back quietly: established Jewish
organisations help more recently arrived minorities to create their
own structures, charities draw on the Jewish experience of
dislocation and persecution to help oppressed people in the
developing world, philanthropists support causes far beyond the
boundaries of their own communities. Britain's Jews is a
challenging look at Jewish life in the UK today. Based on
conversations with Jews from all walks of life, it depicts, in ways
that are at times disturbing, at other times inspiring, what it is
like to be Jewish in 21st century Britain. And why Jewish life is
still a subject of fascination.
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