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Eighteenth-century and Romantic readers had a peculiar habit of
calling personified abstractions "sublime." This has always seemed
mysterious, since the same readers so often expressed a feeling
that there was something wrong with turning ideas into people--or,
worse, turning people into ideas. In this wide-ranging, carefully
argued study, Steven Knapp explains the connection between
personification and the aesthetics of the sublime.
Personifications, such as Milton's controversial figures of Sin
and Death in "Paradise Lost," were seen to embody a unique
combination of imaginative power and overt fictionality, and these,
Knapp shows, were exactly the conflicting requirements of the
sublime in general. He argues that the uneasiness readers felt
toward sublime personifications was symptomatic of broader
ambivalences toward archaic beliefs, political and religious
violence, and poetic fiction as such.
Drawing on recent interpretations of Romanticism, allegory, and
the sublime, Knapp provides important new readings of Coleridge,
Wordsworth, Kant, and William Collins. His provocative thesis sheds
new light on the relationship between Romanticism and the
eighteenth century.
The Bhakti-yoga Handbook A Guide for Beginning the Essentials of
Devotional Yoga This book is a guide for anyone who wants to begin
the practice of bhakti-yoga in a practical and effective way. This
supplies the information, the principles, the regular activities or
sadhana, and how to have the right attitude in applying ourselves
to attain success on the path of bhakti-yoga, which is uniting with
God through love and devotion. This outlines a general schedule for
our daily spiritual activities and a typical morning program as
found in most Krishna temples that are centered around devotional
yoga. In this way, you will find the explanations on how to begin
our day and set our mind, what meditations to do, which spiritual
texts are best to study, and how we can make most everything we do
as part of bhakti-yoga. All of these can be adjusted in a way that
can be practiced and applied by anyone by anyone regardless of
whether you are in a temple ashrama or in your own home or
apartment. Such topics include: The secret of bhakti-yoga and its
potency in this day and age, The essential morning practice, the
best time for meditation, The standard songs and mantras that we
can use, as applied in most Krishna temples, Understanding the
basics of the Vedic spiritual philosophy, such as karma,
reincarnation, the Vedic description of the soul, etc., How Vedic
culture is still as relevant today as ever, Who is Sri Krishna, How
to chant the Hare Krishna mantra, Standards for temple etiquette,
The nine processes of bhakti-yoga, a variety of activities from
which anyone can utilize, How to make our career a part of the yoga
process, How to turn our cooking into bhakti-yoga, How to set up a
home altar or temple room, depending on what standard you wish to
establish, How to take care of deities in our home, if we have
Them, How to perform the basic ceremonies like arati, How to take
care of the Tulasi plant if you have one, And the spiritual results
you can expect to attain through this yoga. All of the basics and
effective applications to get started and continue with your
practice of bhakti-yoga is supplied so you can progress in a steady
way, from beginner to advanced.
Spreading Vedic Traditions Through Temples After forty years of
managing Vedic temples or Mandirs in many different ways, as well
as traveling all over India and seeing how others utilize
successful plans, Stephen Knapp has put together a book that
explains the most important programs that any temple can use for
more effectively protecting and perpetuating the Vedic traditions.
In a non-sectarian way, he lists and describes how the Dharmic
temples of all kinds can increase their congregations as well as
engage their members in service to help in maintaining the temples
and traditions, and expanding their influence. Some of what is
included are: *The primary mission of the temple. *Services the
guests can easily offer in seva to the temple or deity. *Giving
Vedic culture to the next generation. *Temple classes, the Sunday
program and children's schools and youth camps. *Vedic temples as
centers of sacred knowledge. *The power of adult study groups,
cultural and outreach programs, and festivals. *Utilizing temple
restaurants, gift shops, exhibits, and support groups. *Ways of
reaching more people, both in India and the USA. *The need and ways
for promotion, and radio, television, and newspapers. *An action
plan on how to cultivate Vedic culture in America. *Attracting and
welcoming non-Indians and Western seekers for more support.
*Starting a spiritual revolution in India and elsewhere. *Working
with priests, rituals, and teaching the culture and traditions.
*Unifying and organizing the Vedic community. This book covers many
more methods that are not merely ideas, but are already being used
in practical and successful ways to help preserve, promote and
spread what is the last bastion of deep spiritual truth. Using
these techniques as the basis of your ideas, your temple cannot
help but be successful.
Yoga is a nonsectarian spiritual science that has been practiced
and developed over thousands of years. The benefits of yoga are
numerous. On the mental level it strengthens concentration,
determination, and builds a stronger character that can more easily
sustain various tensions in our lives for peace of mind. The
assortment of asanas or postures also provide stronger health and
keeps various diseases in check. They improve physical strength,
endurance and flexibility. That is one of the goals of yoga. Its
ultimate purpose is to raise our consciousness to directly perceive
the spiritual dimension. Then we can have our own spiritual
experiences. The point is that the more spiritual we become, the
more we can perceive that which is spiritual. As we develop and
grow in this way through yoga, the questions about spiritual life
are no longer a mystery to solve, but become a reality to
experience. It becomes a practical part of our lives. This book
will show you how to do that. Some of the topics include: *
Benefits of yoga * The real purpose of yoga * The types of yoga,
such as Hatha yoga, Karma yoga, Raja and Astanga yogas, Kundalini
yoga, Bhakti yoga, Mudra yoga, Mantra yoga, and others. * The
Chakras and Koshas * Asanas and postures, and the Surya Namaskar *
Pranayama and breathing techniques for inner changes * Deep
meditation and how to proceed * The methods for using mantras *
Attaining spiritual enlightenment, and much more
This book shows how the planet's earliest civilization lead the
world in both material and spiritual progress. From the Vedic
culture of ancient India thousands of years ago, we find the
origins of such things as mathematics, especially algebra and
geometry, as well as early astronomy and planetary observations,
many instances of which can be read in the historical Vedic texts.
Medicine in Ayurveda was also the first to prescribe herbs for the
remedy of disease, surgical instruments for operations, and more.
Other developments that were far superior and ahead of the rest of
the world include: Writing and language, especially the development
of sophisticated Sanskrit; Metallurgy and making the best known
steel at the time; Ship building and global maritime trade;
Textiles and the dying of fabric for which India was known all over
the world; Agricultural and botanical achievements; Precise Vedic
arts in painting, dance and music; The educational systems and the
most famous of the early universities, like Nalanda and
Takshashila; The source of individual freedom and fair government,
and the character and actions of rulers; Military and the earliest
of martial arts; Along with some of the most intricate, deep and
profound of all philosophies and spiritual paths, which became the
basis of many religions that followed later around the world. These
and more are the developments that came from India, much of which
has been forgotten, but should again be recognized as the heritage
of the ancient Indian Vedic tradition that continues to inspire
humanity.
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