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The ambiguity concerning the interpretation of the 'physical body'
in religious thought is not peculiar to any given religion, but is
discernible in the scriptures, practices, and disciplines in most
of the world's major religious traditions. This book seeks to
address the nuances of difference within and between religious
traditions in the treatment and understanding of what constitutes
the body as a carrier of religious meaning and/or vindication of
doctrine. Bringing together an international team of contributors
from different disciplines, this collection addresses the
intersection of religion, gender, corporeality and/or sexuality in
various Western and Eastern cultures. The book analyses instances
when religious meaning is attributed to the human body's
physicality and its mechanics in contrast to imagined or
metaphorical bodies. In other cases, it is shown that the body may
function either as a vehicle or a hindrance for mystical knowledge.
The chapters are arranged chronologically and across religious
orientations, to offer a differentiated view on the body from a
global perspective. This collection is an exciting exploration of
religion and the human body. As such, it will be of great interest
to scholars in religious studies, theology, Islamic studies, South
Asian studies, history of religions and gender studies.
The ambiguity concerning the interpretation of the 'physical body'
in religious thought is not peculiar to any given religion, but is
discernible in the scriptures, practices, and disciplines in most
of the world's major religious traditions. This book seeks to
address the nuances of difference within and between religious
traditions in the treatment and understanding of what constitutes
the body as a carrier of religious meaning and/or vindication of
doctrine. Bringing together an international team of contributors
from different disciplines, this collection addresses the
intersection of religion, gender, corporeality and/or sexuality in
various Western and Eastern cultures. The book analyses instances
when religious meaning is attributed to the human body's
physicality and its mechanics in contrast to imagined or
metaphorical bodies. In other cases, it is shown that the body may
function either as a vehicle or a hindrance for mystical knowledge.
The chapters are arranged chronologically and across religious
orientations, to offer a differentiated view on the body from a
global perspective. This collection is an exciting exploration of
religion and the human body. As such, it will be of great interest
to scholars in religious studies, theology, Islamic studies, South
Asian studies, history of religions and gender studies.
This diverse anthology of original Buddhist texts in translation
provides a historical and conceptual framework that will transform
contemporary scholarship on Pure Land Buddhism and instigate its
recognition as an essential field of Buddhist studies. Traditional
and contemporary primary sources carefully selected from Buddhist
cultures across historical, geopolitical, and literary boundaries
are organized by genre rather than chronologically, geographically,
or by religious lineage-a novel juxtaposition that reveals their
wider importance in fresh contexts. Together these fundamental
texts from different Asian traditions, expertly translated by
eminent and up-and-coming scholars, illustrate that the Buddhism of
pure lands is not just an East Asian cult or a marginal type of
Buddhism, but a pan-Asian and deeply entrenched religious
phenomenon. The volume is organized into six parts: Ritual
Practices, Contemplative Visualizations, Doctrinal Expositions,
Life Writing and Poetry, Ethical and Aesthetic Explications, and
Worlds beyond Sukhavati. Each part is introduced and summarized,
and each translated piece is prefaced by its translator to supply
historical and sectarian context as well as insight into the
significance of the work. Common and less-common issues of
practice, doctrine, and intra-religious transfer are explored, and
deeper understandings of the meaning of "pure lands" are gained
through the study of the celestial, cosmological, internal, and
earthly pure lands associated with various buddhas, bodhisattvas,
and devotional figures. The introduction by the volume editors ties
the diverse themes of the book together and provides a historical
background to Pure Land Buddhist studies. Scholars of Buddhism and
Asian religion, including graduate and post-graduate students, as
well as Buddhist practitioners, will appreciate the range of
translated materials and accompanied discussions made accessible in
one essential collection, the first of its kind to center on the
formerly-neglected topic of Buddhist pure lands.
This diverse anthology of original Buddhist texts in translation
provides a historical and conceptual framework that will transform
contemporary scholarship on Pure Land Buddhism and instigate its
recognition as an essential field of Buddhist studies. Traditional
and contemporary primary sources carefully selected from Buddhist
cultures across historical, geopolitical, and literary boundaries
are organized by genre rather than chronologically, geographically,
or by religious lineage—a novel juxtaposition that reveals their
wider importance in fresh contexts. Together these fundamental
texts from different Asian traditions, expertly translated by
eminent and up-and-coming scholars, illustrate that the Buddhism of
pure lands is not just an East Asian cult or a marginal type of
Buddhism, but a pan-Asian and deeply entrenched religious
phenomenon. The volume is organized into six parts: Ritual
Practices, Contemplative Visualizations, Doctrinal Expositions,
Life Writing and Poetry, Ethical and Aesthetic Explications, and
Worlds beyond Sukhāvatī. Each part is introduced and summarized,
and each translated piece is prefaced by its translator to supply
historical and sectarian context as well as insight into the
significance of the work. Common and less-common issues of
practice, doctrine, and intra-religious transfer are explored, and
deeper understandings of the meaning of "pure lands" are gained
through the study of the celestial, cosmological, internal, and
earthly pure lands associated with various buddhas, bodhisattvas,
and devotional figures. The introduction by the volume editors ties
the diverse themes of the book together and provides a historical
background to Pure Land Buddhist studies. Scholars of Buddhism and
Asian religion, including graduate and post-graduate students, as
well as Buddhist practitioners, will appreciate the range of
translated materials and accompanied discussions made accessible in
one essential collection, the first of its kind to center on the
formerly-neglected topic of Buddhist pure lands.
With an annotated English translation and critical analysis of the
Orgyan-gling gold manuscript of the short Sukhavativyuha-sutra Pure
Land Buddhism as a whole has received comparatively little
attention in Western studies on Buddhism despite the importance of
“buddha-fields” (pure lands) for the growth and expression of
Mahayana Buddhism. In this first religious history of Tibetan Pure
Land literature, Georgios Halkias delves into a rich collection of
literary, historical, and archaeological sources to highlight
important aspects of this neglected pan-Asian Buddhist tradition.
He clarifies many of the misconceptions concerning the
interpretation of “other-world” soteriology in Indo-Tibetan
Buddhism and provides translations of original Tibetan sources from
the ninth century to the present that represent exoteric and
esoteric doctrines that continue to be cherished by Tibetan
Buddhists for their joyful descriptions of the Buddhist path. The
book is informed by interviews with Tibetan scholars and Buddhist
practitioners and by Halkias’ own participant-observation in
Tibetan Pure Land rituals and teachings conducted in Europe and the
Indian subcontinent. Divided into three sections, Luminous Bliss
shows that Tibetan Pure Land literature exemplifies a synthesis of
Mahayana sutra-based conceptions with a Vajrayana world-view that
fits progressive and sudden approaches to the realization of Pure
Land teachings. Part I covers the origins and development of Pure
Land in India and the historical circumstances of its adaptation in
Tibet and Central Asia. Part II offers an English translation of
the short Sukhavativyuha-sutra (imported from India during the
Tibetan Empire) and contains a survey of original Tibetan Pure Land
scriptures and meditative techniques from the dGe-lugs-pa,
bKa’-brgyud, rNying-ma, and Sa-skya schools of Tibetan Buddhism.
Part III introduces some of the most innovative and popular
mortuary cycles and practices related to the Tantric cult of Buddha
Amitabha and his Pure Land from the Treasure traditions in the
bKa’-brgyud and rNying-ma schools. Luminous Bliss locates Pure
Land Buddhism at the core of Tibet’s religious heritage and
demonstrates how this tradition constitutes an integral part of
both Tibetan and East Asian Buddhism.
Pure Land Buddhism as a whole has received comparatively little
attention in Western studies on Buddhism despite the importance of
"buddha-fields" (pure lands) for the growth and expression of
Mahayana Buddhism. In this first religious history of Tibetan Pure
Land literature, Georgios Halkias delves into a rich collection of
literary, historical, and archaeological sources to highlight
important aspects of this neglected pan-Asian Buddhist tradition.
He clarifies many of the misconceptions concerning the
interpretation of "other-world" soteriology in Indo-Tibetan
Buddhism and provides translations of original Tibetan sources from
the ninth century to the present that represent exoteric and
esoteric doctrines that continue to be cherished by Tibetan
Buddhists for their joyful descriptions of the Buddhist path. The
book is informed by interviews with Tibetan scholars and Buddhist
practitioners and by Halkias' own participant-observation in
Tibetan Pure Land rituals and teachings conducted in Europe and the
Indian subcontinent. Divided into three sections, Luminous Bliss
shows that Tibetan Pure Land literature exemplifies a synthesis of
Mahayana sutra-based conceptions with a Vajrayana world-view that
fits progressive and sudden approaches to the realisation of Pure
Land teachings. Part I covers the origins and development of Pure
Land in India and the historical circumstances of its adaptation in
Tibet and Central Asia. Part II offers an English translation of
the short Sukhavativyuha-sutra (imported from India during the
Tibetan Empire) and contains a survey of original Tibetan Pure Land
scriptures and meditative techniques from the dGe-lugs-pa,
bKa'-brgyud, rNying-ma, and Sa-skya schools of Tibetan Buddhism.
Part III introduces some of the most innovative and popular
mortuary cycles and practices related to the Tantric cult of Buddha
Amitabha and his Pure Land from the Treasure traditions in the
bKa'-brgyud and rNying-ma schools. Luminous Bliss locates Pure Land
Buddhism at the core of Tibet's religious heritage and demonstrates
how this tradition constitutes an integral part of both Tibetan and
East Asian Buddhism.
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