Hinduism Books

Book SynopsisHanuman, the Hindu monkey-god, is best known in the west for his role in the ancient epic Ramayana (he is also considered the tales first author), in which, as the devoted servant of Rama, the tales hero, he leads a ferocious monkey army to help defeat the evil Ravana and rescue Ramas wife Sita. But because he does not figure as prominently as others in the ancient Sanskrit texts that have traditionally been studied by western scholars, Hanuman has often been relegated to the status of minor deity. Philip Lutgendorf moves beyond these texts to examine Hindu popular literature, art, and ritual, and shows that Hanuman is perhaps the most beloved deity in the Hindu pantheon. Far from being a mere sidekick, Hanuman is worshipped widely in India and the diaspora, across lines of caste and sect. There are more temples devoted to Hanuman than to any other god or goddess, and there has even been something of a competition to erect the largest statue in his honor (the tallest so far, in ParitalTrade ReviewAnything Philip Lutgendorf creates-and he has created a lot-is eagerly awaited and long treasured. Ever since the publication of his prize-winning book The Life of a Text, we've been looking forward to Hanuman's Tale. Now here it is, and it was worth the wait. Somehow Lutgendorf manages to keep the life of his massive subject ever fresh while sharing perceptions whose subtle contours and sometimes radical edges betray many years of thought. He warns us early on that we are not to receive this as The Book on Hanuman in English-but frankly, it is. * John Stratton Hawley, Barnard College, Columbia University *This rich, lavish, broad-ranging book on the Indian figure of Hanuman will be the standard guide and reference source on the Indian monkey god for years to come...A readable narrative that never fails to engage as it informs. * Choice *More than fifteen years after his first masterful book on teh vernacular Ramayana of North India, The Life of a Text: Performing the Ramacaritmanas of Tulsidas, PHilip Lutgendorf returns with another superb book on a closely related and yet vastly different topic: the divine and charismatic monkey Hanuman...This is a major achievement in the study of South Asian religions. * Journal of Religion *

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Book SynopsisDrawing on a large body of previously untapped literature, including documents from the Church Missionary Society and Bengali newspapers, Brian Pennington offers a fascinating portrait of the process by which Hinduism came into being. He argues against the common idea that the modern construction of religion in colonial India was simply a fabrication of Western Orientalists and missionaries. Rather, he says, it involved the active agency and engagement of Indian authors as well, who interacted, argued, and responded to British authors over key religious issues such as image-worship, sati, tolerance, and conversion.Trade ReviewThe flourishing of new knowledge of India's past by British and European scholars and administrators, the emergence of a post-theological notion of religion based on an comparative paradigm of universal religiousness in the contexts of cultural specificity, an increasingly insistent Protestant mission movement, a secular utilitarian notion of civilization, and a new discourse of Hindu among Indians in India were taking place simultaneously in the early nineteenth century. Brian Pennington has investigated each of these threads and their interwoven complexity and located them within the matrix of the post-colonial academic study of religion. A worthy and worthwhile contribution to understanding a misunderstood past. * Paul B. Courtright, Professor of South Asian Religions, Emory University *I read this study of cultural encounters between early-19th-century Hindus and British Christians with a sense of profound relief. The work complicates and problematises the simplifications that much of postcolonial studies operate with. By producing a richly textured account of religious debates and evangelical traditions in Britain, it not only provides a historical context for missionary lives, it also teases apart the multiple and contradictory strands within evangelicalism, normally taken to be a seamless monolith. Changes within modern Hinduism, similarly, are shown to be authentically internal developments that accommodate, but are not dictated by, the influence of new cultural encounters. Pennington deftly combines social and doctrinal themes, and his reading of Bengali, colonial, and missionary print cultures is stimulating. This is a book of many histories, all of which are complex and unexpected. * Tanika Sarkar, Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University *Pennington has written an important book that redirects attention to historical agents that mainstream postcolonial scholarship has largely either oversimplified or passed over. He helps to advance a new wave of scholarship that rejects the essentialism of stereotypical, unitary visions not only of 'the East' but also of 'the West.' * Steven S. Maughan, Albertson College *Was Hinduism Invented? is a timely and cogent reconsideration of Hinduism as a word, a concept and, refreshingly, a reality that became apparent in sharp focus in 19th-century British India. Penningtons command of primary sources combines with alertness to current issues in the study of religion to demonstrate why Hinduism, properly understood, sheds new light on how and on what terms India and the West discovered one another, why Hindus and Christians relate as they do today, and how religions are best conceived and studied. * Francis X. Clooney, SJ, author of Divine Mother, Blessed Mother: Hindu Goddesses and the Virgin Mary *

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Book SynopsisTantra is a family of rituals modeled on those of the Vedas and their attendant texts and lineages. These rituals typically involve the visualization of a deity, offerings, and the chanting of his or her mantra. Common variations include visualizing the deity in the act of sexual union with a consort, visualizing oneself as the deity, and transgressive acts such as token consumption of meat or alcohol. Most notoriously, non-standard or ritualized sex is sometimes practiced. This accounts for Tantra''s negative reputation in some quarters and its reception in the West primarily as a collection of sexual practices. Although some today extol Tantra''s liberating qualities, the role of women remains controversial. Traditionally there are two views of women and Tantra. Either the feminine is a metaphor and actual women are altogether absent, or Tantra involves the transgressive use of women''s bodies to serve male interests. Loriliai Biernacki presents an alternative view, in which women aTrade Review"A rhetorically and poetically beautiful piece of scholarship that incorporates the best of previous work but moves well beyond it into a fundamentally new set of ideas about female agency and speech, the Tantric sex rite, male asceticism, and transcultural encounter. Biernacki's corpus or bodied speech is as blue and as powerful as the Tantric goddesses she writes about." --Jeffrey J. Kripal, author of Esalen: America and the Religion of No ReligionTable of ContentsIntroduction 1: The "Kali Practice": Rereading Women's Roles in Tantra 2: Sex Talk and Gender Rites: Women and the Tantric Rite of Sexual Union 3: The Other/Woman: The Role of Wives and Goddesses in a Tantric Rite of Kamakhya 4: To Speak Like a Woman: The Feminine Mantra and Bodied Speech 5: How a Blue Goddess of Speech Turns Blue Appendix 1: Sources, Their Comparison with Other Tantric Texts, and Historical Context Appendix 2: Synopsis of Contents of the Brhannila Tantra Bibliography

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Book SynopsisIn this magisterial volume of essays, Wendy Doniger enhances our understanding of the ancient and complex religion to which she has devoted herself for half a century. This series of interconnected essays and lectures surveys the most critically important and hotly contested issues in Hinduism over 3,500 years, from the ancient time of the Vedas to the present day.The essays contemplate the nature of Hinduism; Hindu concepts of divinity; attitudes concerning gender, control, and desire; the question of reality and illusion; and the impermanent and the eternal in the two great Sanskrit epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Among the questions Doniger considers are: Are Hindus monotheists or polytheists? How can atheists be Hindu, and how can unrepentant Hindu sinners find salvation? Why have Hindus devoted so much attention to the psychology of addiction? What does the significance of dogs and cows tell us about Hinduism? How have Hindu concepts of death, rebirth, and karma changed oTrade ReviewOn Hinduism lies in its belongong to Wendy Doniger's broader oeuvre, which has come to play an attention-grabbing role in the clamorous clash between the practises of free-spirited scholarship and the assertions of cultural identity. * Chakravarthi Ran-Prasad, The Times Literary Supplement *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Foreword into the Past ; A Chronology ; I On Being Hindu ; Hinduism by Any Other Name ; Are Hindus Monotheists or Polytheists? ; Three (or More) Forms of the Three (or More) - Fold Path in Hinduism ; The Concept of Heresy in Hinduism ; Eating Karma ; Medical and Mythical Constructions of the Body in Sakskrit Texts ; Death and Rebirth in Hinduism ; Forgetting and Re-awakening to Incarnation ; Assume the Position: The Fight over the Body of Yoga ; The Toleration of Intolerance in Hinduism ; The Politics of Hinduism Tomorrow ; II Gods, Humans and Anti-Gods ; Saguna and Nirguna Images of the Deity ; You Can't Get Here from There: The Logical Paradox of Hindu Creation Myths ; Together Apart: Changing Ethical Implications of Hindu Cosmologies ; God's Body, or, the Lingam Made Flesh: Conflicts over the Representation of Shiva ; Sacrifice and Subsitution: Ritual Mystification and Mythical Demystification in Hinduism ; The Scrapbook of Undeserved Salvation: The Kedara Khanda of the Skanda Purana ; III Women and Other Genders ; Why Should a Brahmin Tell You Whom to Marry?: A Deconstruction of the Laws of Manu ; Saranyu/Samjna: The Sun and the Shadow ; The Clever Wife in Indian Mythology ; Rings of Rejection and Recognition in Ancient India ; The Third Nature: Gender Inversions in the Kamasutra ; Bisexuality and Transsexuality Among the Hindu Gods ; Transsexual Transformations of Subjectivity and Memory in Hindu Mythology ; IV Kama and other Seductions ; The Control of Addiction in Ancient India ; Reading the Kamasutra: It Isn't All About Sex ; The Mythology of the Kamasutra ; From Kama to Karma: The Resurgence of Puritanism in Contemporary India ; V Horses and Other Animals ; The Ambivalence of Ahimsa ; Zoomorphism in Ancient India: Humans More Bestial Than Beasts ; The Mythology of Horses in India ; The Submarine Mare in the Mythology of Shiva ; Indra as the Stallion's Wife ; Dogs as Dalits in Indian Literature ; Sacred Cows and Beefeaters ; VI Illusion and Reality in the Hindu Epics ; Impermanence and Eternity in Hindu Epic, Art and Performance ; Shadows of the Ramayana ; Women in the Mahabharata ; The History of Ekalavya ; VII On Not Being Hindu ; "I Have Scinde": Orientalism and Guilt ; Doniger O'Flaherty on Doniger ; You Can't Make an Omelette ; The Forest-Dweller ; Appendix I: Limericks on Hinduism ; Appendix II: Essays on Hinduism by Wendy Doniger ; List of Abbreviations ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisMa Anandamayi is generally regarded as the most important Hindu woman saint of the twentieth century. Venerated alternately as a guru and as an incarnation of God on earth, Ma had hundreds of thousands of devotees. Through the creation of a religious movement and a vast network of ashramsunprecedented for a womanMa presented herself as an authority figure in a society where female gurus were not often recognized. Because of her widespread influence, Ma is one of the rare Hindu saints whose cult has outlived her. Today, her tomb is a place of veneration for those who knew her as well as new generations of her followers. By performing extensive fieldwork among Ma''s current devotees, Orianne Aymard examines what happens to a cult after the death of its leader. Does it decline, stagnate, or grow? Or is it rather transformed into something else entirely? Aymard''s work sheds new light not only on Hindu sainthoodand particularly female Hindu sainthoodbut on the nature of charismatic religioTrade ReviewOrianne Aymards study of the cult of Sri Anandamayi Ma is among the best works to date on the fate of contemporary post-charismatic religious movements. Through interviews with Mas devotees, Aymard illustrates the fundamental Hindu belief in the presence of a saint after his or her death. She also describes the perils inherent in the institutionalization of the saints charisma by her surviving devotees. A tour de force! * Lisa Lassell Hallstrom, Author of Mother of Bliss: Anandmay Ma (1896-1982) *Table of ContentsContents ; Acknowledgments ; Introduction ; Chapter 1: Aspects of the Postmortem Cult of the Guru ; Chapter 2: The Cult of Relics in Hinduism ; Chapter 3: Death of the Guru ; Chapter 4: Presence of the Guru ; Chapter 5: Sustainability of the Postmortem Cult ; Conclusion ; Appendix ; Notes ; Glossary ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisKabir was a great iconoclastic-mystic poet of fifteenth-century North India; his poems were composed orally, written down by others in manuscripts and books, and transmitted through song. Scholars and translators usually attend to written collections, but these present only a partial picture of the Kabir who has remained vibrantly alive through the centuries mostly in oral forms. Entering the worlds of singers and listeners in rural Madhya Pradesh, Bodies of Song combines ethnographic and textual study in exploring how oral transmission and performance shape the content and interpretation of vernacular poetry in North India. The book investigates textual scholars'' study of oral-performative traditions in a milieu where texts move simultaneously via oral, written, audio/video-recorded, and electronic pathways.As texts and performances are always socially embedded, Linda Hess brings readers into the lives of those who sing, hear, celebrate, revere, and dispute about Kabir. Bodies of SonTrade ReviewRecommended. * J. Bussanich, CHOICE *Hess decodes (for the uninitiated) the experience, confidence, and wisdom of ordinary men and women of India. She shows us how people have been living out their inner and outer lives and how they have been enriching further the traditional "bodies of song" through performance. By this decoding, Hess has made a lasting contribution to our understanding of some of the most poignant aspects of Indian religiosity. * Purushottam Agrawal, ITM University, The Journal of Religion *Table of ContentsTransliteration ; Acknowledgements ; Preface ; 1. "You Must Meet Prahladji!" ; 2. Oral Tradition in the Twenty-first Century: Observing Texts ; 3. "True Words of Kabir": Adventures in Authenticity ; 4. In the Jeweler's Bazaar: Malwa's Kabir ; 5. Oral Tradition in the Twenty-first Century: Exploring Theory ; 6. A Scorching Fire, A Cool Pool ; 7. Fighting over Kabir's Dead Body ; 8. Political/Spiritual Kabir ; References ; Index

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Book SynopsisHoffmeier examines the Wilderness narratives of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. As director of the North Sinai Archaeological Project, the author has led several excavations that have uncovered important new evidence supporting the Wilderness narratives, including a major New Kingdom fort at Tell el-Borg that was occupied during the Israelite exodus. Hoffmeier employs these archaeological findings to shed new light on the route of the exodus from Egypt. Ancient Israel in Sinai brings the Wilderness tradition to the forefront and makes a case for its authenticity based on solid evidence and intelligent analysis.Trade ReviewEgyptologist and ancient Near Eastern scholar, James K. Hoffmeier, has produced an important work for the ongoing study of Israel's wilderness traditions. It is an excellent example of the integration of archaeology, philology, religion, history and biblical studies by a scholar who has demonstrated over the years his outstanding abilities in all these matters. While it gives an up-to-date accounting of what is known about Israel's wilderness traditions, it makes important contributions to the study of the toponymy and history of ancient Egypt's eastern frontier, as well as that of ancient Sinai. There can be no doubt that this volume will become the standard work in these areas for years to come. * K. Lawson Younger, Jr., co-editor of Mesopotamia and the Bible: Comparative Explorations *'Biblical Scholarship and Egyptology are brought together with uncommon skill in this important study. The book contains a wealth of evidence which is as fascinating as it is well-researched.' * Richard H. Wilkinson, Professor and Director, Egyptian Expedition, The University of Arizona *'As the director of numerous archaeological surveys in North Sinai and current excavations at Tell el-Borg, James Hoffmeier is one of the world's foremost authorities on Egypt's northern border defenses during the New Kingdom (c. 1550-1069 B.C.). Any new work of his will be read with interest by Egyptologists and biblical scholars alike.' -- * Ellen F. Morris, Department of Classics, Ancient History, and Egyptology, University of Wales Swansea *'Hoffmeier furnishes a sophisticated fresh approach to the Biblical Exodus traditions filled with detailed Egyptological background, and utterly indispensable because of its basis in recent, and in many cases as yet unpublished, archaeological data. This is a virtual encyclopedia of the Exodus.' * Baruch Halpern, Chaiken Family Chair in Jewish Studies, Penn State *Table of ContentsForeword by Kenneth A. Kitchen ; Abbreviations ; Chronological Charts ; The Wilderness Tradition ; The Wilderness Tradition and the Historian of Religion ; Sinai: The Great and Terrible Wilderness ; The Geography of the Exodus: Ramesses to the Sea ; The Location of the Re(e)d Sea ; The Mountain of God ; From Egypt to Mt. Sinai: Traveling and Living in the Wilderness ; The Sinai Legislation ; Israel's Desert Sanctuary ; Egyptian Personal Names and Other Egyptian Elements in the Exodus-Wilderness Narratives ; The Wilderness Tradition and the Origin of Israel ; Notes ; Index ; Photo gallery

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Book SynopsisThis volume offers an in-depth study of key themes common to the Hindu and Christian religious traditions. It redefines how we think about Hinduism, comparative study, and Christian theology. This book offers a bold new look at how traditions encounter one another, and how good comparisons are to be made. Redefining theology as an interreligious, comparative, dialogical, and confessional practice open to all people, it invites not only Hindus and Christians, but also theologians from all religious traditions, to enter into conversation with one another.Trade ReviewIt is no longer acceptable for theologians to criticize other religions or to think their own religion superior unless and until they have engaged in true dialogue (which means learning the necessary languages and texts, etc.). Clooney's work thus argues for and exemplifies a new kind of multireligious theological conversation. * The Journal of Religion *Francis Clooney's Hindu God, Christian God * which embodies disciplined scholarship, a strong faith commitment that is tempered by deep devotion to reason, and radical openness to theological conversation across religious boundariesbrings a breath of theological fresh air.Journal of the American Academy of Religion *...a thought-provoking and deeply researched book that all Indologists, philosophers of religion, and Christian theologians will benefit from reading. * Philosophy East & West *This is a wonderfully conceived and well-written book. A model of an emerging theology which is interreligious, comparative, dialogical, and confessional at the same time. * Vidyajyoti Journal of Theological Reflection *Thinkers within one religious tradition hone their work through appreciation for and opposition to views of major predecessors in that tradition. Francis Clooney demonstrates that Christian faith genuinely seeking understanding can and must widen this circle of formative dialogue to include figures in other religions as models and critics. Even when they were not speaking to each other, the Hindu and Christian theologians Clooney matches have a great deal to say to each other, precisely because they share the medium of rational argument, argument for God and about God. They emerge as collaborators, yet undiminished in their distinct identities. No other book so powerfully presents comparative study as integral to the healthy internal life of a religious tradition. * S. Mark Heim, Andover Newton Theological Seminary *Distinguished by its admirably close attention to textual detail, Hindu God, Christian God is an exemplary contribution to comparative theology. It will be essential reading for courses in comparative theology. * Keith Ward, Oxford University "Francis X. Clooney's new book takes a major step forward in developing a lucid presentation and close analysis of reasoning about topics common to much theistic thought. Clooney exemplifies his own interpretation of theology as both the affirmation of a particular faith tradition, and the mutual understanding (and possible agreement) of theologians in very different traditions. The book's compelling climax urges both Christian and Hindu theologians to join him in conducting scholarly comparison as interreligious dialogue.John B. Carman, Harvard University, Emeritus *If there is to be inter-religious thological conversation at all reason must be its presupposition and mainstay. Francis Clooney has written the definitive work on this in the contect of the Hindu-Christian encounter. The book is therefore indispensable reading for any serious study on the topic. * Hindu-Christian Studies Bulletin *Francis Clooney's Hindu God, Christian God * which embodies disciplined scholarship, a strong faith commitment that is tempered by deep devotion to reason, and radical openness to theological conversation across religious boundariesbrings a breath of theological fresh air.... Clooney traverses the Hindu and Christian textual and theological terrains with equal ease, remarkable skill, keen sensitivity, and admirable sophistication. His command of the intricate nuances of both Hindu and Christian theologies impressively shines throughout the work.Journal of the American Academy of Religion *Francis Clooney's Hindu God, Christian God * which embodies disciplined scholarship, a strong faith commitment that is tempered by deep devotion to reason, and radical openness to theological conversation across religious boundariesbrings a breath of theological fresh air.... Clooney traverses the Hindu and Christian textual and theological terrains with equal ease, remarkable skill, keen sensitivity, and admirable sophistication. His command of the intricate nuances of both Hindu and Christian theologies impressively shines throughout the work.Journal of the American Academy of Religion *a thought-provoking and deeply researched book that all Indologists, philosophers of religion, and Christian theologians will benefit from reading. * Philosophy East & West *This is a wonderfully concieved and well-written book . A model of an emerging theology which is interreligious, comparative, dialogical, and confessional at the same time. * Vidyajyoti Journal of Theological Reflection *By virtue of its theological sophistication, it analytical strength, its breadth of vision for a broadened and renewed theology, and the sheer number of theologians studied, this landmark contribution is an indispensable resource for Hindu and Christian scholars and other theologians."-The Journal of the American Academy of ReligionDistinguished by its admirably close attention to textual detail, Hindu God, Christian God is an exemplary contribution to comparative theology. It will be essential reading for courses in comparative theology. * Keith Ward, Oxford University *Francis X. Clooney's new book takes a major step forward in developing a lucid presentation and close analysis of reasoning about topics common to much theistic thought. Clooney exemplifies his own interpretation of theology as both the affirmation of a particular faith tradition, and the mutual understanding (and possible agreement) of theologians in very different traditions. The book's compelling climax urges both Christian and Hindu theologians to join him in conducting scholarly comparison as interreligious dialogue. * John B. Carman, Harvard University, Emeritus *Thinkers within one religious tradition hone their work through appreciation for and opposition to views of major predecessors in that tradition. Francis Clooney demonstrates that Christian faith genuinely seeking understanding can and must widen this circle of formative dialogue to include figures in other religions as models and critics. Even when they were not speaking to each other, the Hindu and Christian theologians Clooney matches have a great deal to say to each other, precisely because they share the medium of rational argument, argument for God and about God. They emerge as collaborators, yet undiminished in their distinct identities. No other book so powerfully presents comparative study as integral to the healthy internal life of a religious tradition. * S. Mark Heim, Andover Newton Theological Seminary *It is no longer acceptable for theologians to criticize other religions or to think their own religion superior unless and until they have engaged in true dialogue (which means learning the necessary languages and texts, etc.). Clooney's work thus argues for and exemplifies a new kind of multireligious theological conversation. * The Journal of Religion *If there is to be inter-religious thological conversation at all reason must be its presupposition and mainstay. Francis Clooney has written the definitive work on this in the contect of the Hindu-Christian encounter. The book is therefore indispensable reading for any serious study on the topic. * Hindu-Christian Studies Bulletin *Table of Contents1. Widening the Theological Conversation in Today's Pluralistic Context 2. Arguing the Existence of God: From the World to Its Maker 3. Debating God's Identity 4. Making Sense of Divine Embodiment 5. How Revelation Matters in the Assessment of Religions 6. Faithful and Reasonable Theology in a Pluralistic World A Hindu Theologian's Response: A Prolegomenon to "Christian God, Hindu God" by Parimal G. Patil Appendix I: LIst of Theologians Appendix II: Note on the Translations and Pronunciations Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe Virgin Mary has long been the object of both devotional and scholarly interest, and recent years have seen a proliferation of studies on Hindu goddess-worship traditions.Trade ReviewMany have looked forward to this kind of book for years....Reading each of the paired texts allows for extraordinary illumination between the two, as the author gives close textual analyses dealing with theology, the use of images, and textual and ritual structures. A final essay is especially valuable, as it focuses on some of the larger, broader questions of goddess worship. * CHOICE *...a notable achievement. It allows new questions to flow about the nature of the divine, letting gender issues take their rightful place in mutually enriching conversation. * WATERwheel *Divine Mother, Blessed Mother is a groundbreaking study of comparative theology as well as a beautiful book to enjoy, a work that appears to be as much the fruit of devotion and meditation as of scholarship and philosophical reflection. * Theological Studies *Francis X. Clooney, S.J., once again demonstrates the value of a comparative approach to theology. Through a close textual analysis of particular hymns from each tradition, this study of Hindu goddess traditions in relation to Christian understandings of Mary reveals fresh insight into both traditions and raises new questions to each. Entering both into the vigorous contemporary discussion of gender and divinity, and into the largely intra-Roman Catholic discussion of the historical and symbolic dimensions of Mary's role, Clooney's work is both substantive and provocative. I expect it will engender lively and productive dialogue. * Mary E. Hines, Emmanuel College *Divine Mother, Blessed Mother is a signal contribution to the growing theological literature on goddesses. Indebted to feminist scholarship and promoting women's well-being, Francis X. Clooney provides a close reading of Hindu and Christian texts, offering an elegant, accessible, and insightful treatment of Sri, Devi, Apirami, and Mary. His genius is in sparking their mutual conversation on their own terms. Clooney invites the reader in, and lets the theological implications flow as they will. Interreligious work is enriched immeasurably by this creative contribution. * Mary E. Hunt, Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual *Francis Clooney is virtually unique in the field of Hindu Studies as a Catholic theologian with the linguistic and philosophical expertise necessary to produce sophisticated comparative analyses. Written at the intersection of feminist studies, Hindu theology, and Catholic theology, Divine Mother, Blessed Mother is a juxtaposition of three Hindu goddess-centered and three Catholic Marian texts with the aim of investigating the relationship of gender imagery to the practical purpose of liberation. This is an invitation for feminists to view male-authored depictions of sensuous female figures as potentially undermining, not expressive, of patriarchal values; for Catholics to gain empathy for Hindu goddess worship; and for scholars of comparative religion to learn from a master of the art. * Rachel Fell McDermott, Barnard College *Table of Contents1 Sri, Devi, Apirami, and Mary: Who and Why ; 2 Sri in the Sri Guna Ratna Kosa: Divine Equality, Divine Pleasure; in Light of the Akathistos ; 3 Devi in the Saundarya Lahari: From Bliss to Beauty; in Light of the Stabat Mater ; 4 Apirami in the Apirami Antati: Finding Her Within; in Light of the Mataracamman Antati ; 5 Three Hindu Goddesses, Mary, and Reading Ahead ; Glossary ; Notes ; Works Cited ; Index

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Book SynopsisFeeding the Dead outlines the early history of ancestor worship in South Asia, from the earliest sources available, the Vedas, up to the descriptions found in the Dharmshastra tradition.Trade ReviewThis compact volume makes a notable contribution to our understanding of doctrinal and institutional shifts in India in the last centuries before the Common Era. Sayers is one of just a handful of recent scholars to call attention to the importance of the Vedic domestic ritual codes in the creation of what has come to be known as 'classical Hinduism.' He is to be congratulated for setting the complex ritual particulars within a clearly limned overview of the competing religious ideologies being 'marketed' by rival groups of professional 'religious experts.' He manages to do this without trivializing the ideas at stake, and without glibly reifying categories such as 'popular' and 'elite' or 'Brahmanical' and 'non-Brahmanical.' * Timothy Lubin, Washington and Lee University *Table of ContentsList of Tables ; Acknowledgements ; Abbreviations ; Introduction ; Chapter 1: Ancestral Rites in the Early Vedas ; Chapter 2: The Solemn Ancestral Rites ; Chapter 3: The Domestic Rice-ball Sacrifice to the Ancestors ; Chapter 4: The sraddha-rite ; Chapter 5: Ancestral Rites in the Buddhist Literature ; Chapter 6: Soteriology ; Chapter 7: Mediation ; Conclusion ; Appendix ; Notes ; Glossary of Sanskrit Terms ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisThough many practitioners of yoga and meditation are familiar with the Sri Cakra yantra, few fully understand the depth of meaning in this representation of the cosmos. Even fewer have been exposed to the practices of mantra and puja (worship) associated with it. André Padoux, with Roger Orphe-Jeanty, offers the first English translation of the Yoginihrdaya, a seminal Hindu tantric text dating back to the 10th or 11th century CE. The Yoginihrdaya discloses to initiates the secret of the Heart of the Yogini, or the supreme Reality: the divine plane where the Goddess (Tripurasundari, or Consciousness itself) manifests her power and glory. As Padoux demonstrates, the Yoginihrdaya is not a philosophical treatise aimed at expounding particular metaphysical tenets. It aims to show a way towards liberation, or, more precisely, to a tantric form of liberation in this life---jivanmukti, which grants both liberation from the fetters of the world and domination over it.Trade ReviewThis long-awaited English-language edition of Andre Padoux's classic study and translation of the Yoginihrdaya is a window onto a remarkably sophisticated ritual and metaphysical system. Presented in a clear and engaging format, it is an ideal introduction and guide to the world of Hindu Tantra. * David Gordon White, J. F. Rowny Professor of Comparative Religion, University of California, Santa Barbara *Table of ContentsNote on the Transcription and Pronunciation of Sanskrit ; Preface ; Introduction ; Chapter 1, Encounter in the Cakra - Cakrasadketa ; Chapter 2, Encounter in the Mantra - Mantrasadketa ; Chapter 3, Encounter in the Puja - Pujasamketa ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisThe spiritual and intellectual autobiography of a Roman Catholic Scottish nun who established herself as one of the leading 20th century figures in Indian Christian theology and the contemplative life. She recounts her search not only for God, but for a right understanding of God.Trade Review“This was a woman of great intellectual energy: it shines through her prose.... She consistently resists what she calls simplistic and piecemeal solutions to difficult questions, such as how to do interreligious prayer and worship and what to say about universalism’s possible truth, and she consistently presses the importance of hard intellectual work. All this should be applauded, as should the prose in which she writes, which in its lucidity, understatement, and elegance is a monument to the now almost defunct educational system that formed her.” —First Things“There have not been as many people like Sara Grant who have studied and practised deeply in two spiritual traditions which have grown up without any reference to or need of one another over millenia. Her way of dealing with the problem, and indeed, her whole manner of approach to Ultimate Truth deserves respect.” —Journal of Contemporary Religion“Toward an Alternative Theology presents the technical arguments of the compatibility of Christian theology in general and Thomistic in particular with Advaita non-dualism in easily accessible terms.” —Religious Studies Review“This slim volume is a readily accessible introduction to the thought and work of this remarkable philosopher, theologian, and pastoral leader. ...Grant’s work stands out as one of the most compact, accessible and vivid resources currently available for exploring the profound questions raised by interreligious dialogue and practice. It amply recommends itself for general readers, for the undergraduate or seminary classroom, and perhaps expecially for adult education programs in the parish.” —New Theology Review“This is a spiritual journey, reminding one of Augustine, Merton, or Hammarskjold . . . a perfect blend of spirituality, classical Christian and Hindu philosophy, and what contemporary theology could be.” —William Cenkner, Katharine Drexel Professor of Religion, The Catholic University of America“Sara Grant bent her mind and heart to the theology of Sankara, whom she compares in an amazingly astute way to Thomas Aquinas in this book. Toward an Alternative Theology provides a readable and penetrating theological synthesis carried out in an interfaith atmosphere . . . it serves a great purpose to the community of philosophical theology.” —David Burrell, C.S.C., Theodore Hesburgh Professor in Philosophy and Theology, University of Notre Dame

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Book SynopsisWhy do certain groups and individuals seek to do harm in the name of God? While studies often claim to hold the key to this frightening phenomenon, they seldom account for the crucial role that religious conviction plays, not just in radical Islam, but also in the fundamentalist branches of the...

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Book SynopsisUnderstanding Hinduism requires an understanding of how it is practised in the contemporary world. This title presents an introduction that tackles these central issues, beginning with case studies of the grassroots practice of Hinduism in India and in diaspora communities.Table of Contents1. Hinduism: The Basics; 2. Hinduism in India; 3. Hinduism in Diaspora; 4. Hinduism and Global and New Media. 5. Hindu Dharma in the Contemporary World: Gender, Caste and Political Hinduism.; 6. Hinduism: The Future; Bibliography; Index.

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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