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The 547 Buddhist jatakas, or verse parables, recount the Buddha's lives in previous incarnations. In his penultimate and most famous incarnation, he appears as the Prince Vessantara, perfecting the virtue of generosity by giving away all his possessions, his wife, and his children to the beggar Jujaka. Taking an anthropological approach to this two-thousand-year-old morality tale, Katherine A. Bowie highlights significant local variations in its interpretations and public performances across three regions of Thailand over 150 years. The Vessantara Jataka has served both monastic and royal interests, encouraging parents to give their sons to religious orders and intimating that kings are future Buddhas. But, as Bowie shows, characterizations of the beggar Jujaka in various regions and eras have also brought ribald humor and sly antiroyalist themes to the story. Historically, these subversive performances appealed to popular audiences even as they worried the conservative Bangkok court. The monarchy sporadically sought to suppress the comedic recitations. As Thailand has changed from a feudal to a capitalist society, this famous story about giving away possessions is paradoxically being employed to promote tourism and wealth.

"Chinese Religion" is a new introduction to the field of Chinese religion and culture. It seeks to guide readers through some of the primary source material and to introduce them to continuing, contemporary debates and interpretations of religious ideas, concepts and practices in China and beyond. Religious beliefs are never pursued and held in a vacuum; they are an integral part of a particular culture, interwoven and interactive with other elements of the culture and tradition. Chinese religion in this sense can be said to be part of Chinese culture and history. In this clear account, Xinzhong Yao and Yanxiz Zhao move away from the traditional and outmoded definition of Chinese religion, the three institutional doctrines: Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism, towards a multi-layered hermeneutic of the syncretic nature and functions of religions in China. Additional features include questions for reflection and discussion and suggestions for further reading at the end of each chapter.

Since the late 19th century, when the "new science" of psychology and interest in esoteric and occult phenomena converged - leading to the "discovery" of the unconscious - the dual disciplines of depth psychology and mysticism have been wed in an often unholy union. Continuing in this tradition, and the challenges it carries, this volume includes a variety of inter-disciplinary approaches to the study of depth psychology, mysticism, and mystical experience, spanning the fields of theology, religious studies, and the psychology of religion. Chapters include inquiries into the nature of self and consciousness, questions regarding the status and limits of mysticism and mystical phenomenon, and approaches to these topics from multiple depth psychological traditions.

Exciting new introduction to contemporary Sikhism and the issues and debates facing it in modern society. This new introduction to Sikhism aims to introduce this increasingly studied religion through the lens of contemporary issues. Illustrated throughout with examples and case studies taken from lived religion, each chapter attempts to interpret the teachings of Sikhism in a modern context and apply them to modern day scenarios. After an initial chapter providing an overview of the Sikh religion, its history and basic theological tenets, Jagbir Jhutti-Johal moves through key contemporary themes, often overlooked in other introductions: Sikhism and women, diaspora, bioethics, and ethics and morality. She concludes with a final section looking at the future for Sikhism, its relevance in modern times, and what Sikhism can contribute to society in terms of inter-religious dialogue and harmony between different communities. These useful guides aim to introduce religions through the lens of contemporary issues, illustrated throughout with examples and case studies taken from lived religion. The perfect companion for the student of religion, each guide interprets the teachings of the religion in question in a modern context and applies them to modern day scenarios.

Karma has become a household word in the modern world, where it is associated with the belief in rebirth determined by one's deeds in earlier lives. This belief was and is widespread in the Indian subcontinent as is the word "karma" itself. In lucid and accessible prose, this book presents karma in its historical, cultural, and religious context. Initially, karma manifested itself in a number of religious movements?most notably Jainism and Buddhism?and was subsequently absorbed into Brahmanism in spite of opposition until the end of the first millennium C.E. Philosophers of all three traditions were confronted with the challenge of explaining by what process rebirth and karmic retribution take place. Some took the drastic step of accepting the participation of a supreme god who acted as a cosmic accountant, others of opting for radical idealism. The doctrine of karma was confronted with alternative explanations of human destiny, among them the belief in the transfer of merit. It also had to accommodate itself to devotional movements that exerted a major influence on Indian religions. The book concludes with some general reflections on the significance of rebirth and karmic retribution, drawing attention to similarities between early Christian and Indian ascetical practices and philosophical notions that in India draw their inspiration from the doctrine of karma.

Warring religions. Violence in the name of God. Clashing ideologies. Clearly, religious conflict has divided and polarized the modern world. No longer are discussions about religious intolerance limited to historians and theologians. One cannot turn on the television, listen to talk radio or surf the Internet without being bombarded by messages--many filled with bias and inaccuracies--about religious differences. Once viewed by world leaders as a harmless artifact of the past, religion has moved from the periphery of society to the center of the battlefield. Viewing Meister Eckhart Smashing through barriers of time and place, it focuses on key concepts by one of the greatest Christian thinkers of all time through the lens of a beloved Hindu classic. A unique and engaging look at the profound truths found in both the writings of Meister Eckhart and the Bhagavad Gita. Informative and clearly written, the book is a welcome addition to comparative mystical literature. masterfully navigates the contours of both the Eastern mystical tradition and Western philosophy. She is at home in the medieval mind and soul...(and) illustrates common elements found in these two distinctive works. Spirituality, Drew University

What is Buddhist Feminism? This book examines reasons why Buddhism and feminism may seem to be incompatible, and shows that Buddhist and feminist philosophies can work together to challenge patriarchal structures. Current scholarship usually compares Buddhism and feminism to judge their compatibility, rather than describing a Buddhist Feminist perspective or method. Sokthan Yeng instead looks for a pattern that connects Buddhist and feminist traditions. In particular, she explores possible exchanges between feminist and Buddhist philosophies which highlight how they each contribute to a more nuanced understanding of anger. Yeng explores how a Buddhist feminist approach would allow women's anger to be transformed from that which is outside the bounds of philosophy into that which contributes to philosophical discourse in the East and West, and between the two.

Due to the diversity in Buddhism, its essence remains a puzzle. This book investigates the Buddhist path to liberation from a practical and critical perspective by searching for patterns found in the Pali Nikayas and the Chinese Agamas. The early discourses depict the Buddhist path as a network of routes leading to the same goal: liberation from suffering. This book summarizes various teachings in three aspects, provides a template theory for systematically presenting the formulas of the sequential training of the path, and analyses the differences and similarities among diverse descriptions of the path in the early Buddhist texts. By offering a comprehensive map of the Buddhist path, this book will appeal to scholars and students of Buddhist studies as well as those practitioners with a serious interest in the Buddhist path.

It is widely claimed that notions of gods and religious beliefs are irrelevant or inconsequential to early Chinese ("Confucian") moral and political thought. Rejecting the claim that religious practice plays a minimal philosophical role, Kelly James Clark and Justin Winslett offer a textual study that maps the religious terrain of early Chinese texts. They analyze the pantheon of extrahumans, from high gods to ancestor spirits, discussing their various representations, as well as examining conceptions of the afterlife and religious ritual. Demonstrating that religious beliefs in early China are both textually endorsed and ritually embodied, this book goes on to show how gods, ancestors and afterlife are philosophically salient. The summative chapter on the role of religious ritual in moral formation shows how religion forms a complex philosophical system capable of informing moral, social, and political conditions.

Vedanta is one of the six orthodox philosophical schools of the Hindu tradition, orthodox because they profess to accept the authority of the ancient Vedas as revelation. Vedanta is the school that attempts to discover in the final portions of the Vedic texts, known as the Upanishads, a consistent religious and philosophical way of seeing reality tattva-darshana). The "school" of Vedanta is really a family of schools, all of its members sharing the belief that there is a single consistent "way of seeing" presented in the Upanishads, but whose hermeneutic efforts often have led to radically different conclusions. Within this family of Vedantic schools the spectrum ranges from the absolute monism, or more correctly the non-dualism, of the Advaita sub-school to the quasi-dualistic theism of the Dvaita sub-school. Fundamentals of Vedanta, Part One is a translation, with a detailed introduction and notes, of two short Sanskrit texts, the Vedanta-sara (Essence of Vedanta) of Sadananda and the Prameya-ratnavali (Necklace of Turht-Jewels) of Baladeva, from opposite ends of the Vedantic spectrum, that have been used in India for centuries to introduce beginning students to the fundamental ideas of Vedanta. Generations of Indian students received their first exposure to Vedantic ideas from one or both of these texts, and thus they form an excellent starting point for modern readers who are interested in knowing more about the rich intellectual and religious world of Vedanta. From the Introduction: Anyone who has walked, either actually or sympathetically, some distance down the path of Advaita Vedanta, far enough at least to get a glimpse of the Advaitin's world, will be able to attest to what apowerful vision of reality it is and to what a relief and joy the transforming experience of Brahman must be. As part of that experience the burden of one's fears, disappointments, anxieties, losses, frustrations, and limitations is lifted off one's shoulders and one realizes one's true nature as unending consciousness and joy. In that moment when one realizes that there is no other," one's fear vanishes for it is the other" that one feared, and even when the "other" is a source of joy, as the other" often is, that joy is always conditioned by fear, the fear of loss. The joy of Brahman is unlimited and unconditioned by fear.'' Neal Delmonico received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in South Asian Languages and Civilizations in 1990. He has published numerous articles on Caitanya Vaishnavism and has done several translations from Sanskrit and Bengali into English. Dr. Delmonico taught for six years in the Religious Studies Program at Iowa State University, and, most recently (2001), was a visiting assistant professor in Philosophy and Religious Studies at Truman State University. He is currently working on a series of translations and commentaries on some of the fundamental texts of Indic religion and philosophy, like the ones presented here, and collaborating on an online Sanskrit text repository called the Gaudiya Grantha Mandira (www.granthamandira.org).

Sun Tzu's Original Art of War is a remastering of the Chinese classic: using the latest archeological discoveries and modern translation techniques, this brand new translation -- prominently adorned with the latest reconstruction of the original Chinese -- updates the unnecessary wordiness and stodginess of traditional academic translations to bring the modern English reader as close as possible to experiencing Sun Tzu as his readers first did some 2500 years ago.

Eschewing the needlessly complex and inaccurately abstract phrasings that mar previous renditions, translator Andrew W. Zieger uses the latest academic research, analysis and methodology to to bring it all back to the simple military text Sun Tzu intended. Vivid, clear, somewhat poetic and at times spiritual: that is the voice of Sun Tzu.

Whether it's for the boardroom, the battlefield or cultural study, Sun Tzu's Original Art of War makes the brilliance of Sun Tzu plain for all to see.

This is a translation of Manindranath Guha's classic Bengali book on the beliefs and practices centering around the "holy names" (the names of Krishna and of his consort Radha) of the Caitanya Vaisnava tradition (a form of modern Hinduism). Guha's book is a good introduction to an area of theological reflection in Caitanya Vaisnavism called the "theology of the holy name." In summary the theology of the holy name teaches that the names of the deities, Krishna and Radha, are not different from the deities themselves and thus the names possess a special transformative power for those who speak, whisper, or even merely think of them. Those who repeat those names whether loudly or softly are believed to be purified by the divine presence they represent and are also infused by that presence with divine love for the deities named. Now for the first time Guha's book is available in English with an introduction, footnotes, glossary, and bibliography by the translator, Neal Delmonico (PhD, University of Chicago, 1990).

A rare, intimate account of a world-renowned Buddhist monk’s near-death experience and the life-changing wisdom he gained from it.

In In Love With the World, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, one of the world's most respected leaders of Tibetan meditation, shares his personal story of how he explored the deepest, most hidden aspects of his being, and the near-death experience that came to define his meditation practice and teaching forever. Moving, beautiful and suffused with local colour, Rinpoche shares the invaluable lessons learned during his four-year wandering retreat and the meditation practices that sustained him, showing how we can all transform our fear of dying into joyful living.