Asian religious traditions have always been deeply concerned with "sins" and what to do about them. As the essays in this volume illustrate, what Buddhists in Tibet, India, China or Japan, what Jains, Daoists, Hindus or Sikhs considered to be a "sin" was neither one thing, nor exactly what the Abrahamic traditions meant by the term. "Sins"could be both undesireable behavior and unacceptable thoughts. In different contexts, at different times and places, a sin might be a ritual infraction or a violation of a rule of law; it could be a moral failing or a wrong belief. However defined, sins were considered so grave a hindrance to spiritual perfection, so profound a threat to the social order, that the search for their remedies through rituals of expiation, pilgrimage, confession, recitation of spells, or philosophical reflection, was one of the central quests of the religions studied here.

Lively tales of asceticism, wickedness, and virtue from one of India's great religious traditions
Beautifully translated from the Sanskrit, the stories in this volume reflect the vital tradition of Jain storytelling between the seventh and fifteenth centuries. Some of their characters find bliss by renouncing the world, others by living within it in peace and moderation. There are stories depicting the painful consequences of a loved one's becoming a monk and the triumph of Jain women who win their husbands over to their religion. The climactic story follows an unsuspecting traveler's journey through a forest of destructive passions. Ranging from simple folk tales to sophisticated narratives of rebirth, "The Forest of Thieves and the Magic Garden" opens a window onto a rich religious tradition.