First Published in 2000. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

First Published in 2000. This is Volume XI of sixteen of the Oriental series looking at Buddhism. It was written in 1922 and cover the period of 600 B.C to 100 B.C. and the early Buddhist Monachism, an investigation into the history of Buddhist monks and Hindu Sannyasis of ancient India.

Should psychology try to explain religion or try to understand it? Pioneers in psychology like Sigmund Freud and William James took opposing views on the matter, and it has been a hotly debated issue ever since. While psychology has been used in the past to attack religion, recent psychological findings have been more sympathetic to matters of faith. How should we understand their relationship today?
In "Psychology and Religion," Michael Argyle, one of the world's most famous experimental psychologists, provides a comprehensive and accessible survey of what psychologists know about religion--and what they don't. Offering fascinating and surprising insights into people and their religious worlds, Argyle examines the results of psychology's study of religion--including those of his own important experiments--and explores a wide range of topics such as: the importance of religion in the works of Freud, Jung and James; the proven effects of religion on the behavior of individuals and groups; how psychologists study religious activities like prayer, worship and ritual; and how psychologists have revealed the significance of change in religion, particularly in understanding the impact of new religious movements.

Dictionary of Native American Mythology includes over 1,000 colorful, sometimes earthy, and always intriguing entries. Using the carefully chosen cross references, readers can quickly access the meanings of hundreds of elements of lore-from names, phrases, and symbols to images, motifs, and themes. Ten territory maps, which pinpoint exact locations of the tribes mentioned in the text, and a tribal index enhance this volume's usefulness. The bibliography is the most extensive ever compiled on the subject. A delight to the casual browser, and indispensable for anyone interested in the study of Native American cultures. Extensive cross references enable readers to quickly access the meanings of hundreds of elements of lore Ten territory maps pinpoint exact locations of the tribes mentioned in the text Provides the most extensive bibliography ever compiled on the subject

Part of a series that offers mainly linguistic and anthropological research and teaching/learning material on a region of great cultural and strategic interest and importance in the post-Soviet era.

This book is the republication of the original twenty-one journal volumes entitled Disturbing Delights, (written between 1992-1994). The additional essay, Quantum Kamakala: Seeking the Mysterious in Hidden Tantric Superstructures and Quantum Superstring Theory, is contemporary, written in 2000.

A thorough survey of great interest and value to scholars in this field.

Diverse and pluralistic in scope, this book provides an overview of the complex debate between religion and science. This volume is unique in that it incorporates discussions and interviews with leading academics in the field. The informal and accessible tone will be appealing to those approaching the topic for the first time.

* Gives an account of the history, the theological basis, the practice and the current state of the study of religion and religions throughout the world * Combines a clear and non-technical style of presentation with a structure and range of contributions which reflect the richness and complexity of religion itself, of the religions of the world and the study of religions * Comprehensive index, bibliographies and suggestions for further reading `Intriguing philosophical questions are raised about the nature of religion and the qualities needed for studying it.' - Times Higher Education Supplement `Excellent book ... remarkably successful, impressive as much for the sheer scale of the undertaking as for its consistent standard of analysis. It is a fine achievement which will serve both as a very suitable textbook for students and a reliable guide to the state of scholarship in the History and Study of Religions.' - Heythrop Journal

Building upon his life-long work on the Book of Leviticus, Milgrom makes this book accessible to all readers. He demonstrates the logic of Israel's sacrificial system, the ethical dimensions of ancient worship, and the priestly forms of ritual.

Religious life in early America is often equated with the fire-and-brimstone Puritanism best embodied by the theology of Cotton Mather. Yet, by the nineteenth century, American theology had shifted dramatically away from the severe European traditions directly descended from the Protestant Reformation, of which Puritanism was in the United States the most influential. In its place arose a singularly American set of beliefs marked by heightened spiritual inwardness, a new confidence in individual reason, and an attentiveness to the economic and market realities of Western life. In America's God, Mark Noll has given us the definitive history of Christian theology in America from the time of Jonathan Edwards to the presidency of Abraham Lincoln. It is a story of a flexible and creative theological energy that over time forged a guiding national ideology, the legacies of which remain with us to this day.

Living Folk Religions presents cutting-edge contributions from a range of disciplines to examine folk religions across cultures. This collection embraces the non-elite and non-sanctioned, the oral, fluid, accessible, evolving religion of people (volk) on-the-ground. Split into five sections, this book covers: What is Folk Religion? Spirit Beings and Deities Performance and Ritual Praxis Possession and Exorcism Health, Healing, and Lifestyle Topics include demons and ambivalent gods, tree and nature spirits, revolutionary renunciates, oral lore, possession and exorcism, divination, midwestern American spiritualism, festivals, queer sexuality among ritual specialists, the dead returned, vernacular religions, diaspora adaptations, esoteric influences underlying public cultures, UFOs, music and sound experiences, death rituals, and body and wellness cultures. Living Folk Religions is a must-read for those studying Comparative Religions, World Religions, and Religious Studies, and it will interest specialists and general readers, particularly enthusiastic readers of Anthropology, Folklore and Folk Studies, Global Studies, and Sociology.

Tara is an inspirational figure to many practitioners. She embodies the most compelling and vital qualities of the feminine: beauty, grace, and the ability to nurture, care for and protect. In addition, she is a true warrior, vanquishing fear and ignorance. One could say she is the earliest known Buddhist feminist.
Skillful Grace is an entirety of instructions on deity practice centered on the female Buddha Tara. It covers everything from beginning to end. It has all the preliminaries, as well as the main part and the subsequent yogas. There is the outer and inner sadhanas with Tara and her retinue of twenty-one Taras that dispel the various fears. There is also the innermost practice of Tara with consort. It has all the details on the development stage, and describes completion stage both with and without conceptual attributes. Nothing is left out. It is utterly complete with treasure and pith instructions from Tulku Urgyen and Adeu Rinpoche, skillfully arranged by the translation/author team of Erik Pema Kunsang and Marcia Binder Schmidt.
There are many explanations of the different Tara practices. However, Skillful Grace is unique in that it outlines an entire path, taking Tara as support. This book is s divided into three main sections. The first is the root text of this cycle, The Essential Instruction on the Threefold Excellence, according to the mind treasure of the profound essence of Tara as revealed by Chokgyur Lingpa. Following that is a commentary on this root text by Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche. Next is Jamgon Kongtrul and Adeu Rinpoche's synthesized commentary on the same text. In order to make this work less scholarly and more applicable to practitioners, we decided to paraphrase Jamgon Kongrtul commentary and blend it together with Adeu Rinpoche's teaching.
The book is rounded out with a foreword by Tara Bennett Goleman, author of the best selling book Emotional Alchemy, in depth introduction by Marcia Schmidt, and various appendixes and footnotes.

This pioneering monograph examines how culture informs popular understandings and experiences of mental health in East Asia, as well as providing resolutions for the future. Questions about mental health problems have gained new urgency as their consequences are growing more visible in East Asia. Yet, our understanding, funding, and evidence has not kept pace. Anson Au explores the social and psychological concepts, and network structures that make up the blueprint of East Asian cultures and untangles their myriad of influences on how people think, feel, and trust with respect to mental health experiences. Chapters explore themes such as cultural beliefs about mental health, the role of social support and social media, and mental health stigma. Drawing on the latest quantitative evidence, network science, and novel qualitative data, this book paints a portrait of mental health in the region and articulates culturally sensitive policies and practices tailored for East Asian cultures that improve mental health experiences.

- the first edition consistently sells 50-100 copies each year - presents complex arguments clearly and accessibly

This book presents a critical reading of Kristapurana, the first South Asian retelling of the Bible. In 1579, Thomas Stephens (1549-1619), a young Jesuit priest, arrived in Goa with the aim of preaching Christianity to the local subjects of the Portuguese colony. Kristapurana (1616), a sweeping narrative with 10,962 verses, is his epic poetic retelling of the Christian Bible in the Marathi language. This fascinating text, which first appeared in Roman script, is also one of the earliest printed works in the subcontinent. Kristapurana translated the entire biblical narrative into Marathi a century before Bible translation into South Asian languages began in earnest in Protestant missions. This book contributes to an understanding of translation as it was practiced in South Asia through its study of genre, landscapes, and cultural translation in Kristapurana, while also retelling a history of sacred texts and biblical narratives in the region. It examines this understudied masterpiece of Christian writing from Goa in the early era of Catholic missions and examines themes such as the complexities of the colonial machinery, religious encounters, textual traditions, and multilingualism, providing insight into Portuguese Goa of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The first of its kind, the book makes significant interventions into the current discourse on cultural translation and brings to the fore a hitherto understudied text. It will be an indispensable resource for students and researchers of translation studies, comparative literature, religious studies, biblical studies, English literature, cultural studies, literary history, postcolonial studies, and South Asian studies.

Living Folk Religions presents cutting-edge contributions from a range of disciplines to examine folk religions across cultures. This collection embraces the non-elite and non-sanctioned, the oral, fluid, accessible, evolving religion of people (volk) on-the-ground. Split into five sections, this book covers: What is Folk Religion? Spirit Beings and Deities Performance and Ritual Praxis Possession and Exorcism Health, Healing, and Lifestyle Topics include demons and ambivalent gods, tree and nature spirits, revolutionary renunciates, oral lore, possession and exorcism, divination, midwestern American spiritualism, festivals, queer sexuality among ritual specialists, the dead returned, vernacular religions, diaspora adaptations, esoteric influences underlying public cultures, UFOs, music and sound experiences, death rituals, and body and wellness cultures. Living Folk Religions is a must-read for those studying Comparative Religions, World Religions, and Religious Studies, and it will interest specialists and general readers, particularly enthusiastic readers of Anthropology, Folklore and Folk Studies, Global Studies, and Sociology.

This book explores religion in various spatial constellations in South Asian cities, including religious centres such as Varanasi, Madurai and Nanded, and cities not readily associated with religion, such as Mumbai and Delhi. Contributors from different disciplines discuss a large variety of urban spaces: physical and imagined, institutional and residential, built and landscaped, virtual and mediatised, historical and contemporary. In doing so, the book addresses a wide range of issues concerning the role of religion in the dynamic interplay of factors which characterise complex urban social spaces. Chapters incorporate varying degrees and forms of the religious/spiritual, ranging from invisible and incorporeal to material and explicit, embedded in and expressed as spatial politics, works of fiction, mission, pilgrimage, festivals and everyday life. Topics examined include conflictual situations involving places of worship in Delhi, inclusive religious practices in Kanpur, American Protestant mission in Madurai, the celebration of the Prophet's birthday in Lahore, gardens as imaginative spaces, the politics of religion in Varanasi and many others. Illustrating and analysing ways and forms in which religion persists in South Asian urban contexts, this book will be of interest to researchers and students in the fields of cultural studies, the study of religions, urban studies and South Asian studies.

This book focuses on genealogies of religious authority in South Asia, examining the figure of the guru in narrative texts, polemical tracts, hagiographies, histories, in contemporary devotional communities, New Age spiritual movements and global guru organizations. Experts in the field present reflections on historically specific contexts in which a guru comes into being, becomes part of a community, is venerated, challenged or repudiated, generates a new canon, remains unique with no clear succession or establishes a succession in which charisma is routinized. The guru emerges and is sustained and routinized from the nexus of guruship, narratives, performances and community. The contributors to the book examine this nexus at specific historical moments with all their elements of change and contingency. The book will be of interest to scholars in the field of South Asian studies, the study of religions and cultural studies.

This book presents a critical reading of Kristapurana, the first South Asian retelling of the Bible. In 1579, Thomas Stephens (1549-1619), a young Jesuit priest, arrived in Goa with the aim of preaching Christianity to the local subjects of the Portuguese colony. Kristapurana (1616), a sweeping narrative with 10,962 verses, is his epic poetic retelling of the Christian Bible in the Marathi language. This fascinating text, which first appeared in Roman script, is also one of the earliest printed works in the subcontinent. Kristapurana translated the entire biblical narrative into Marathi a century before Bible translation into South Asian languages began in earnest in Protestant missions. This book contributes to an understanding of translation as it was practiced in South Asia through its study of genre, landscapes, and cultural translation in Kristapurana, while also retelling a history of sacred texts and biblical narratives in the region. It examines this understudied masterpiece of Christian writing from Goa in the early era of Catholic missions and examines themes such as the complexities of the colonial machinery, religious encounters, textual traditions, and multilingualism, providing insight into Portuguese Goa of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The first of its kind, the book makes significant interventions into the current discourse on cultural translation and brings to the fore a hitherto understudied text. It will be an indispensable resource for students and researchers of translation studies, comparative literature, religious studies, biblical studies, English literature, cultural studies, literary history, postcolonial studies, and South Asian studies.

Originally published in 1961, Christianity Among the Religions examines whether it is possible to learn from other religions without compromising on personal religious loyalties. The book traces from the thirteenth century the gradual awakening of the West to the spiritual qualities of other religions and the various efforts made to place them in relation to Christianity. It explores the reports sent home by Jesuit missionaries in China, the advance in knowledge in nineteenth-century Europe, and the gradual decline in Western "provincialism". In doing so, the book puts forwards suggestions for the relation between Christianity and other religions and calls for open conversations between representatives of different faiths with the aim of increased unity of spirit. Christianity Among the Religions will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of Christianity and religious studies more generally.

Diverse and pluralistic in scope, this book provides an overview of the complex debate between religion and science. This volume is unique in that it incorporates discussions and interviews with leading academics in the field. The informal and accessible tone will be appealing to those approaching the topic for the first time.

The arrival in 1909 of the library of manuscripts now known as the Chandra Shum Shere collection increased by well over six thousand the already substantial holdings of the Bodleian and Indian Institute libraries, and made Oxford the repository of the largest known collection of Sanskrit manuscripts outside the Indian subcontinent. It is a huge and uniquely valuable collection of paper and palm leaf manuscripts, purchased for Oxford University by Sir Chandra Shum Shere, the then Prime Minister of Nepal. The General Editor of the catalogue of the collection is Dr Jonathan Katz, Consultant to the Oriental Department of the Bodleian Library, formerly Librarian of the Indian Institute, and present Master of the Queen's Scholars at Westminster School.