First published in 1952. The Real Tripitaka gives an account of the seventh century pilgrim's adventures, spiritual and material, both in India and after his return to China. In addition the book contains an account of a Japanese pilgrim's visit to China in the ninth century, which describes the Wu-t'ai Shan, China's great place of Pilgrimage, and an eye-witness's account of the great persecution of Buddhism in 842-845 A.D.

Talk about Prayer is an experiment in writing ethnography, a commentary on a conversation with Mama Regine Tshitanda, the leader of a Charismatic prayer group (groupe de priere) in Lubumbashi (Katanga, Democratic Republic of the Congo) and members of her family in 1986.

First published in 1972. A revival of interest in primitive religion has been one of the most marked characteristics of British social anthropology of recent years. Inspired by the work of Audrey Richards, whose writing on ritual contains many of the insights that have been developed in later studies, this volume uses material drawn from all over Africa and Polynesia. The contributors include: Raymond Firth, Esther Goody, Aidan Southall, R.G. Abrahams, Edwin Ardener, J.S. La Fontaine, Monica Wilson, Elizabeth Bott, Edmund Leach and P.H. Gulliver.

"Biblical Principles of Prayer" challenges you to experience new levels of prayer that will affect every area of your life. Living a life conducive to receiving--means laying aside personal desires and egotistical values that are in direct contrast with His will. The church that prays--There are about 25,000 denominations--every one of them believing that they have the right answer and the most accurate hermeneutics. Prayer and the "Bible"--the pioneers of modern science--modern science is thousands of years behind when it comes to the issue of health. The issue of prayer in school--Christians are quick to jump on the "prayer in school" bandwagon, but do you really want it back as it was? "Biblical Principles of Prayer" will compel you to revisit the way you pray. It will show you how to have dunamis (dynamite) power in your prayers. Have you ever wanted to be a pray-er who really sees results? Dr. Church, who in 1998 was healed from a very rare type of cancer, understands what it means to appreciate authoritative prayer. Buzz words and powerless mechanical discourses are of little value when you are facing death.

Celebrating on the Journey - A Guide to a Catholic-Jewish Seder for 100 is a one of a kind guide that provides the reader with the essentials of a hands-on guide which will enable a spiritual encounter and "Faithing"- "Befriending" transformation. The guide is introduced with a no-nonsense set of questions and answers which will aid you in the "Plan" and "Organizational" phases of your Seder meal. These Q/A's address the critical Who, What, Why, Where, When and How issues which have to be taken into consideration in the beginning phases of your planning. If this is your communities first Seder approval steps should begin the month after Easter this year for next year. It takes 4 - 6 weeks to unfold the process before the date and time of your Seder. In the initial phase of discussion ---a short 'theological reflection' introduces a theological understanding of the Passover in reference to the Last Supper. The Seder celebration itself is symbolic of many different foods, prayers, songs and gestures. These are covered so that a complete catechesis may be done. Your guide has 14 individual appendices to which (each issue) of the process is covered. People's time is important. A core team must be developed. To achieve this end, appendices 1, 2, 3,4 and 5 are worksheets in which you can develop the core team and team members. Protocol should be followed. This must be a team effort not just several select souls. Appendix 8 contains recipies which each of the attendees of the Seder are to bring. Each family is requested to bring enough for themselves plus four extra attendees. There will be a 'sign-up' weekend at which recipes can be chosen. Concluding, the last two appendices contain: #13 Tips for a successful Seder; and, #14 Bibliography and Resources.

Women rabbis are changing the face of Judaism. Discover how their interpretations of the Torah can enrich your perspective. "Rich and engaging makes available to a wide readership the collective wisdom of women who have changed the face of Judaism." Judith Plaskow, author, Standing Again at Sinai: Judaism from a Feminist Perspective; Professor of Religious Studies, Manhattan College Here, for the first time, women's unique experiences and perspectives are applied to the entire Five Books of Moses, offering all of us the first comprehensive commentary by women. In this groundbreaking book, more than 50 women rabbis come together to offer us inspiring insights on the Torah, in a week-by-week format. Included are commentaries by the first women ever ordained in the Reform, Reconstructionist and Conservative movements, and by many other women across these denominations who serve in the rabbinate in a variety of ways. This rich resource offers new perspectives to inspire all of us to gain deeper meaning from the Torah and a heightened appreciation of Judaism. A major contribution to modern biblical commentary. The gift of choice for every young woman s bat mitzvah, and for anyone wanting a new, exciting view of Torah. Contributing Rabbis: Rebecca T. Alpert Lia Bass Miriam Carey Berkowitz Elizabeth Bolton Analia Bortz Sharon Brous Judith Gary Brown Nina Beth Cardin Diane Aronson Cohen Sandra J. Cohen Cynthia A. Culpeper Lucy H.F. Dinner Lisa A. Edwards Amy Eilberg Sue Levi Elwell Rachel Esserman Helaine Ettinger Susan Fendrick Lori Forman Dayle A. Friedman Elyse D. Frishman Nancy Fuchs-Kreimer Shoshana Gelfand Laura Geller Elyse M. Goldstein Julie K. Gordon Claire Magidovitch Green Rosette Barron Haim Jill Hammer Karyn D. Kedar Sarra Levine Valerie Lieber Ellen Lippmann Sheryl Nosan Stacy K. Offner Sara Paasche-Orlow Barbara Rosman Penzner Hara E. Person Audrey S. Pollack Sally J. Priesand Geela-Rayzel Raphael Laura M. Rappaport Debra Judith Robbins Rochelle Robins Gila Colman Ruskin Sandy Eisenberg Sasso Ilene Schneider Rona Shapiro Michal Shekel Beth J. Singer Sharon L. Sobel Ruth H. Sohn Julie Ringold Spitzer z l Shira Stern Pamela Wax Nancy Wechsler-Azen Nancy H. Wiener Elana Zaiman"

This thought-provoking book explores medieval perceptions of pilgrimage, gender and space. It examines real life evidence for the widespread presence of women pilgrims, as well as secular and literary texts concerning pilgrimage and women pilgrims represented in the visual arts. Women pilgrims were inextricably linked with sexuality and their presence on the pilgrimage trails was viewed as tainting sacred space.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203463803

Each and every prayer in the Bible is now available, together and categorized. God's Book of Prayers and The Lord's Prayers both contain all the prayers of the Bible. God's Book of Prayers separates each into nine categories for convenient reading, while The Lord's Prayers lists them in biblical sequence, with an exhaustive concordance of major words or phrases. Both versions have some elementary analysis of all the prayers for better understanding of the whole of the prayers in God's Book, including the most common words in biblical praying. These volumes will help you to easily be able to pray God's own words

Sacred Space: Shrine, City, Land - a collection of articles that deal with Holy Places from Antiquity to the present; from the lands of the Fertile Crescent to Europe, India, Japan and Mexico; from mountains and seas to temples, cities and countries; from the construction, perception and functioning of sacred sites to the psychotic breakdowns they bring on some visitors.

Widely used for centuries in Sufi circles, the prayer known as "The Most Elevated Cycle" ("al-Dawr al-a'la") or "The Prayer of Protection" ("Hizb al-wiqaya"), written by the great Sufi master Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi, has never before been available in English. This book provides a lucid English translation and an edited Arabic text of this beautiful and powerful prayer. It includes a transliteration for those unable to read Arabic, who wish to recite the prayer in the original language. Showing the importance of Ibn 'Arabi's devotional teaching, the book explores the prayer's contemporary life, properties and historical transmission. It gives full details of generations of well-known scholars and Sufi masters who have transmitted the prayer, providing an intimate and fascinating insight into Islamic history.

Connected Places examines the words and actions of people who live in regions in the state of Maharashtra in western India to illustrate the idea that regions are not only created by humans, but given meaning through religious practices. By exploring the people living in the area of Maharashtra, Feldhaus draws some very interesting conclusions about how people differentiate one region from others, and how we use stories, rituals, and ceremonies to recreate their importance. Feldhaus discovers that religious meanings attached to regions do not necessarily have a political teleology. According to Feldhaus, "There is also a chance, even now, that religious imagery can enrich the lives of individuals and small communities without engendering bloodshed and hatred."

As a literary civilization that has been studied intensively, ancient Egypt has yielded the outlines of its religious, political, economic and social institutions. Yet despite the fact that much is known about Egyptian culture, especially Egyptian religion, until now little has been known of the actual process through which an object of daily life, such as wine, was integrated into the religious system. This innovative study shows how the religious significance of wine was actually woven into rituals and how expressions were coined, stereotyped and transmitted over a long span of time. The study begins by examining the development of viticulture in Egypt, the location of the vineyards, the religious and medical use of wine and the attitude of the Egyptians towards wine drinking. It then moves on to study representations of wine offering from the earliest times to the Graeco-Roman period, and to examine liturgies of wine offering both in funerary and in divine cults. The historical and textual documentation of wine and wine offering is then used to explore the significance of wine and wine offering in Egyptian religion.

Japan is one of the most urbanised and industrialised countries in the world. Yet the Japanese continue to practise a variety of religious rituals and ceremonies despite the high-tech, highly regimented nature of Japanese society. Ceremony and Ritual in Japan focuses on the traditional and religious aspects of Japanese society from an anthropological perspective, presenting new material and making cross-cultural comparisons.
The chapters in this collection cover topics as diverse as funerals and mourning, sweeping, women's roles in ritual, the division of ceremonial foods into bitter and sweet, the history of a shrine, the playing of games, the exchange of towels and the relationship between ceremony and the workplace. The book provides an overview of the meaning of tradition, and looks at the way in which new ceremonies have sprung up in changing circumstances, while old ones have been preserved, or have developed new meanings.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203429540

A spiritual keepsake that will become a family heirloom.The companion book to the author's Putting God on the Guest List: How to Reclaim the Spiritual Meaning of Your Child's Bar or Bat Mitzvah 100,000 copies in print The perfect gift to help a bar or bat mitzvah preserve the spiritual memories of this sacred event. This hands-on album updated and expanded for this second edition is designed to help everyone involved better participate in creating the spiritual meaning of this joyful rite of passage.

Created by Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin, author of the award-winning classic Putting God on the Guest List: How to Reclaim the Spiritual Meaning of Your Child s Bar or Bat Mitzvah, and his wife, author Nina Salkin, this guided album is a wonderfully interactive way to remember important moments and details. Included are special sections to record your family s history; the hopes, wishes, and memories of influential people in the bar/bat mitzvah s life; mitzvot performed; contributions to tzedakot and more.

With ample space for writing, reflecting and pasting mementos, this spiritual keepsake gives young people a place to treasure their special experiences and encourages them to prepare for spiritual life as Jewish adults."