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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Aspects of religions (non-Christian) > Religious life & practice > General
This book provides a socio-economic examination of the status of
women in contemporary Turkey, assessing how policies have combined
elements of neoliberalism and Islamic conservatism. Using rich
qualitative and quantitative analyses, Women in Turkey analyses the
policies concerning women in the areas of employment, education and
health and the fundamental transformation of the construction of
gender since the early 2000s. Comparing this with the situation
pre-2000, the authors argue that the reconstruction of gender is
part of the reshaping of the state-society relations, the
state-business relationship, and the cultural changes that have
taken place across the country over the last two decades. Thus, the
book situates the Turkish case within the broader context of
international development of neoliberalism while paying close
attention to its idiosyncrasies. Adopting a political economy
perspective emphasizing the material sources of gender relations,
this book will be useful to students and scholars of Middle Eastern
politics, political Islam and Gender Studies.
Provides the reader with insights and tools to enrich his/her
spiritual practice through "passive" meditative techniques, which
involves stilling the conscious mind, and "active" meditative
techniques, using guided visualizations and interaction with
others. These are derived from Christian contemplative and Eastern
meditation traditions. Unique to this handbook are exercises for
couples and families. Included is a thirty-day plan of
contemplation on Christ.
The Hindu-derived meditation movement, The Art of Living (AOL),
founded in 1981 by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in Bangalore, has grown
into a global organization which claims presence in more than 150
countries. Stephen Jacobs presents the first comprehensive study of
AOL as an important transnational movement and an alternative
global spirituality. Exploring the nature and characteristics of
spirituality in the contemporary global context, Jacobs considers
whether alternative spiritualities are primarily concerned with
individual wellbeing and can simply be regarded as another consumer
product. The book concludes that involvement in movements such as
AOL is not necessarily narcissistic but can foster a sense of
community and inspire altruistic activity.
This volume features powerful essays by Edward Alexander on the
phenomenon of anti-Zionism on the part of the Jewish
intelligentsia. It also analyzes the explosive growth of
traditional anti-Semitism, especially in Europe, among
intellectuals and Muslims. Alexander notes that anti-Zionism has
established a presence even in Israel, where it frequently takes
the form of intellectuals sympathizing with their country's enemies
and perversely apologizing for their own existence. Alexander
begins with an examination of the origins of Jewish self-hatred in
nineteenth-century Europe. He then explores the mindset of
disaffected Jews in reacting, or failing to react, to the two
events that shape modern Jewry: the Holocaust and the founding of
the State of Israel. The book concludes with a focus on
contemporary anti-Zionism, including three essays about the role
played by Jews in the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement
to expel Israel from the family of nations. A final essay addresses
the need for American Jews to decide whether they are going to
judge Judaism by the standards of The New York Times or The New
York Times by the standards of Judaism.
The number of Buddhists in Australia has grown dramatically in
recent years. In 2006, Buddhists accounted for 2.1 per cent of
Australia's population, almost doubling the 1996 figures, and
making it the fastest growing religion in the country. This book
analyses the arrival and localisation of Buddhism in Australia in
the context of the globalisation of Buddhism. Australia's close
geographical proximity to Asia has encouraged an intense flow of
people, ideas, practices and commodities from its neighbouring
countries, while at the same time allowing the development of the
religion to be somewhat different to its growth in other Western
countries. The book seeks to explore the Buddhist experience in
Australia, looking at the similarities and particularities of this
experience in relation to other Western countries. The inception of
Buddhism in Australia is investigated, and a voice is provided to
people on the ground who have been fundamental in making this
process possible. For the first time, academic analysis and
practitioners' experience are juxtaposed to show the adaptations
and challenges of Buddhism in Australia from above and below. This
book is a unique and valuable contribution to the study of Buddhism
in the West, globalization of religion, and studies in Asian
Religion.
In this volume, contributors consider the ways that Jewish
communities and users of new media negotiate their uses of digital
technologies in light of issues related to religious identity,
community and authority. Digital Judaism presents a broad analysis
of how and why various Jewish groups negotiate with digital culture
in particular ways, situating such observations within a wider
discourse of how Jewish groups throughout history have utilized
communication technologies to maintain their Jewish identities
across time and space. Chapters address issues related to the
negotiation of authority between online users and offline religious
leaders and institutions not only within ultra-Orthodox
communities, but also within the broader Jewish religious culture,
taking into account how Jewish engagement with media in Israel and
the diaspora raises a number of important issues related to Jewish
community and identity. Featuring recent scholarship by leading and
emerging scholars of Judaism and media, Digital Judaism is an
invaluable resource for researchers in new media, religion and
digital culture.
This book is the first to provide a complete overview of Islamic
extremism in Kuwait. It traces the development of Islamist
fundamentalist groups in Kuwait, both Shiite and Sunni, from the
beginning of the twentieth century. It outlines the nature and
origins of the many different groups, considers their ideology and
organization, shows how their activities are intertwined with the
wider economy, society and politics to the extent that they are now
a strong part of society, and discusses their armed activities,
including terrorist activities. Although focusing on Kuwait, it
includes overage of the activities of Islamist groups in other Gulf
States. It also discusses the relation between Ruling Families with
Islamist political groups, thereby demonstrating that the
intertwining of Islamic ideology and armed activities with politics
is not a new development in the region.
* Shares Tom's profound teachings on life, death, and unconditional
love gained through his near-death experiences and direct encounter
with the Light * Includes more than 160 true and remarkable stories
about Tom completing his mission to spread God's Unconditional Love
* Details Tom's death experiences and how in 2007, when he felt he
had fulfilled his mission from God, he consciously left life on
Earth In the early evening of May 23, 1978, while making repairs
under his pick-up truck full of firewood, the heavy truck crashed
down on Tom Sawyer, crushing his chest flat. A 33-year-old
Olympic-trained bike racer and mechanic, Tom was clinically dead.
Fifteen minutes later, he came back to life, recounting his strange
experience of going through a tunnel, having his life review, and
meeting the Light. Spiritually energized by this experience and
endowed with supernatural abilities, Tom demonstrated repeatedly
that the reality we believe in is an illusion, that walls are not
necessarily barriers, severe health challenges can be healed in a
moment, and it is possible to walk on water. During his death
experience, Tom was charged by God with a three-part mission: teach
that death does not exist, prevent nuclear war, and promote the
Order of Melchizedek, in which he became a highly respected
teacher. Through more than 160 remarkable stories, Rev. Daniel
Chesbro and Rev. James B. Erickson share Tom's profound and
enlightening insights on life, death, and Unconditional Love. The
most complete and in-depth account of the life and teachings of Tom
Sawyer, this book reveals Tom as a modern-day messenger of God who
returned to life a powerful conduit of Unconditional Love,
compelled to create positive change for humanity.
Within contemporary Western European academic, media, and
socio-political spheres, Muslims are predominantly seen through the
lens of increased religiosity. This religiosity is often seen as
problematic, especially in the context of securitised discourses of
Islamist terrorism. Yet, there are clear indications that a growing
number of people who grew up in Muslim families no longer subscribe
to Islam or call themselves religious at all. Drawing on fieldwork
in the UK and the Netherlands, this study examines the experiences
of people moving out of Islam. It rigorously questions the
antagonistic nature of the debate between 'the religious' and 'the
secular', or who is in and who is out, and argues for recognition
of the ambiguity that most of us live in. Revealing many complex
forms of moving out, this study adds much-needed nuance to
understandings of secularity and Muslim identities in Europe.
An engaging introduction to one of the most visible, controversial
and least understood emblems of Islam The Islamic veil in all its
forms - from the headscarf to the full body garment - is one of the
most visible signs of Islam as a religion. It is also one of its
most controversial and misunderstood traditions among both Muslims
and non-Muslims. In an environment of increasing conservatism in
Euro-American Muslim-majority societies, in a world where a woman's
right to wear the headscarf has become a flashpoint for issues of
all sorts, and at a time when racial and religious profiling has
become commonplace, it is our political and social responsibility
to gain a deeper understanding of veiling. This concise,
easy-to-read and even-handed introduction is organised around three
main topics: the historical, religious and cultural background;
contemporary debates about the veil; and the varied, shifting
meanings the veil has had for Muslim women over the past century.
This book provides a rigorously researched, critically comparative
introduction to yoga. Is This Yoga? Concepts, Histories, and the
Complexities of Contemporary Practice recognizes the importance of
contemporary understandings of yoga and, at the same time, provides
historical context and complexity to modern and pre-modern
definitions of yogic ideas and practices. Approaching yoga as a
vast web of concepts, traditions, social interests, and embodied
practices, it raises questions of knowledge, identity, and power
across time and space, including the dynamics of "East" and "West."
The text is divided into three main sections: thematic concepts;
histories; and topics in modern practice. This accessible guide is
essential reading for undergraduate students approaching the topic
for the first time, as well as yoga teachers, teacher training
programs, casual and devoted practitioners, and interested
non-practitioners.
This book provides a rigorously researched, critically comparative
introduction to yoga. Is This Yoga? Concepts, Histories, and the
Complexities of Contemporary Practice recognizes the importance of
contemporary understandings of yoga and, at the same time, provides
historical context and complexity to modern and pre-modern
definitions of yogic ideas and practices. Approaching yoga as a
vast web of concepts, traditions, social interests, and embodied
practices, it raises questions of knowledge, identity, and power
across time and space, including the dynamics of "East" and "West."
The text is divided into three main sections: thematic concepts;
histories; and topics in modern practice. This accessible guide is
essential reading for undergraduate students approaching the topic
for the first time, as well as yoga teachers, teacher training
programs, casual and devoted practitioners, and interested
non-practitioners.
With over a quarter of a million copies sold, "Mindfulness in Plain
English" is one of the most influential books in the burgeoning
field of mindfulness and a timeless classic introduction to
meditation. This is a book that people read, love, and share - a
book that people talk about, write about, reflect on, and return to
over and over again.
Bhante Gunaratana is also the author of "Eight Mindful Steps to
Happiness," "Beyond Mindfulness in Plain English," "The Four
Foundations of Mindfulness in Plain English," and his memoir
"Journey to Mindfulness."
A groundbreaking reframing of religious pilgrimage Pious
processions. Sites of miraculous healing. Journeys to far-away
sacred places. These are what are usually called to mind when we
think of religious pilgrimage. Yet while pilgrimage can include
journeying to the heart of sacred shrines, it can also occur in
apparently mundane places. Indeed, not everyone has the resources
or mobility to take part in religiously inspired movement to
foreign lands, and some find meaning in religious movement closer
to home and outside of officially sanctioned practices. Powers of
Pilgrimage argues that we must question the universality of Western
assumptions of what religion is and where it should be located,
including the notion that "genuine" pilgrimage needs to be
associated with discrete, formally recognized forms of religiosity.
This necessary volume makes the case for expanding our gaze to
reconsider the salience, scope, and scale of contemporary forms of
pilgrimage and pilgrimage-related activity. It shows that we need
to reflect on how pilgrimage sites, journeys, rituals, stories, and
metaphors are entangled with each other and with wider aspects of
people's lives, ranging from an action as trivial as a stroll down
the street to the magnitude of forced migration to another country
or continent. Offering a new theoretical lexicon and framework for
exploring human pilgrimage, Powers of Pilgrimage presents a broad
overview of how we can understand pilgrimage activity and proposes
that it should be understood not solely as going to, staying at,
and leaving a sacred place, but also as occurring in ordinary
times, places, and practices.
First Published in 1996. Religious conversion is an immensely
complex phenomenon. The term comprises such diverse experiences as
increased devotion within the same religious structure, a shift
from no religious commitment to a devout religious life, or a
change from one religion to another. This study focuses on the
conversion experiences of 70 native British converts to Islam. It
addresses the following questions - why do people become Muslims,
what are the backgrounds of the converts, what are the patterns of
conversion to Islam, and how far are existing conversion theories
applicable to the group under study. The full range of social and
psychological forces at work in the conversion experience are
examined with reference to the converts, whose whole life history -
childhood, adolescent experiences and the conversion process itself
- were examined in detail. Chapter 1 deals with the history and
present situation of both life-long Muslims and converts living in
Britain. Chapter 2 focuses on childhood and adolescent experiences
reviewing the psychological and sociological theories of conversion
and attempts to find out how far these theories are applicable to
the converts to Islam. Chapter 3 examines the backgrounds of the
converts regarding religion. It then analyzes the immediate
antecedents of the conversion as well as the conversion process,
focussing on version motifs. A conversion process model is also
developed in this chapter. Chapter 4 looks at the post-conversion
period to find out what changes the converts underwent. It also
examines the relationship between converts, their parents and
society at large. Chapter 5 reveals the findings on conversion
through Sufism. Comparisons between conversion through Sufism and
through new religious movements in the West are also made. This
study should be an important addition to the study of religious
conversion, as conversion to Islam either from outside or within
Islam is widely neglected in the literature.
For more than four centuries, Jewish life has been based on a code
of law written by Joseph Caro, his Shulhan `aruk ['set table']. The
work was an immediate best-seller because it presented the law in a
clear and concise format. Caro's work, however, was
methodologically problematic and was widely criticized in the first
generations after its publication. In this volume, Edward Fram
examines Caro's methods as well as those of two of his
contemporaries, Moses Isserles and Solomon Luria. He highlights
criticisms of Caro's legal thought and brings alternative
methodologies to the fore. He also compares these three jurists,
while placing their methods, and cases in their historical,
intellectual, and religious contexts. Fram's volume ultimately
explains why Caro's methodologically problematic work won the day,
while more sophisticated approaches remained points of legal
reference but fell short of achieving the acceptance that their
authors hoped for.
In this study, E. Frances King explores how people first learn to
relate to the images and artefacts of religious belief within their
domestic environments. As a sense of religious belonging is
instilled on a daily basis in the home, it also becomes emotionally
linked to family, community, and homeland, resulting in two
different genealogies - one to do with faith and one to do with
motherland - that become entangled.
Effortless Mindfulness promotes genuine mental health through the
direct experience of awakened presence-an effortlessly embodied,
fearless understanding of and interaction with the way things truly
are. The book offers a uniquely modern Buddhist psychological
understanding of mental health disorders through a scholarly,
clinically relevant presentation of Theravada, Mahayana and
Vajrayana Buddhist teachings and practices. Written specifically
for Western psychotherapeutic professionals, the book brings
together traditional Buddhist theory and contemporary
psychoneurobiosocial research to describe the conditioned and
unconditioned mind, and its in-depth exploration of Buddhist
psychology includes complete instructions for psychotherapists in
authentic, yet clinically appropriate Buddhist
mindfulness/heartfulness practices and Buddhist-psychological
inquiry skills. The book also features interviews with an esteemed
collection of Buddhist teachers, scholars, meditation researchers
and Buddhist-inspired clinicians.
Whether you're a veteran grandma or a Nana-to-be, this collection
of stories will warm your heart and make you laugh about the
universal experiences of being a grandmother.
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How to Love
(Paperback)
Thich Nhat Hanh; Illustrated by Jason Deantonis
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R254
R189
Discovery Miles 1 890
Save R65 (26%)
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The third title in Parallax's "Mindfulness Essentials Series" of
how-to titles by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, "How to Love"
introduces beginners and reminds seasoned practitioners of the
essentials of mindfulness practice. This time Nhat Hanh brings his
signature clarity, compassion, and humor to the thorny question of
how to love and distills one of our strongest emotions down to four
essentials: you can only love another when you feel true love for
yourself; love is understanding; understanding brings compassion;
and deep listening and loving speech are key ways of showing our
love. Featuring original illustrations by Jason DeAntonis, "How to
Love" shows that when we feel closer to our loved ones, we are also
more connected to the world as a whole. With sections on Love vs.
Need, Being in Love, Reverence, Intimacy, Children and Family,
Reconciling with Parents, and more, "How to Love" includes
meditations readers can do alone or with a partner to expand their
capacity to love. This comprehensive guide to understanding the
many different kinds of love also includes meditative practices
that expand the understanding of and capacity for love, appropriate
for those practicing in any spiritual tradition, whether seasoned
practitioners or new to meditation.
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