Miracle as Modern Conundrum in South Asian Religious Traditions

Miracle as Modern Conundrum in South Asian Religious Traditions

Author: Corinne G. Dempsey

Publisher: SUNY Press

Published: 2009-01-07

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 9780791476345

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Claims of the miraculous are foundational to faith and skepticism, making and breaking religious careers and movements in their wake. Drawing on a variety of South Asian religious traditions-Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity-this book revolves around the theme of conundrum, demonstrating how miracles offer divine proof, tenacious embarrassment, and, in many cases, both. The contributors explore not only how modern miracles are conundrums themselves but also how they make conundrums out of assumed divides between scientific and supernatural realms, modernity and tradition, the West and the rest, and ethnographer and native. Book jacket.


Book Synopsis Miracle as Modern Conundrum in South Asian Religious Traditions by : Corinne G. Dempsey

Download or read book Miracle as Modern Conundrum in South Asian Religious Traditions written by Corinne G. Dempsey and published by SUNY Press. This book was released on 2009-01-07 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Claims of the miraculous are foundational to faith and skepticism, making and breaking religious careers and movements in their wake. Drawing on a variety of South Asian religious traditions-Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity-this book revolves around the theme of conundrum, demonstrating how miracles offer divine proof, tenacious embarrassment, and, in many cases, both. The contributors explore not only how modern miracles are conundrums themselves but also how they make conundrums out of assumed divides between scientific and supernatural realms, modernity and tradition, the West and the rest, and ethnographer and native. Book jacket.

Sacred Play

Sacred Play

Author: Selva J. Raj

Publisher: State University of New York Press

Published: 2010-01-12

Total Pages: 243

ISBN-13: 1438429819

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Explores the significance of levity and humor in South Asian religious traditions.


Book Synopsis Sacred Play by : Selva J. Raj

Download or read book Sacred Play written by Selva J. Raj and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 2010-01-12 with total page 243 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explores the significance of levity and humor in South Asian religious traditions.

Miracles: An Exercise in Comparative Philosophy of Religion

Miracles: An Exercise in Comparative Philosophy of Religion

Author: Karen R. Zwier

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2022-11-03

Total Pages: 319

ISBN-13: 3031148657

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This volume provides a comparative philosophical investigation into a particular concept from a variety of angles—in this case, the concept of “miracle.” The text covers deeply philosophical questions around the miracle, with a multiplicity of answers. Each chapter brings its own focus to this multifaceted effort. The volume rejects the primarily western focus that typically dominates philosophy of religion and is filled with particular examples of miracle narratives, community responses, and polemical scenarios across widely varying religious contexts and historical periods. Some of these examples defy religious categorization, and some papers challenge the applicability of the concept “miracle,” which is of western and monotheistic origin. By examining miracles thru a wide comparative context, this text presents a range of descriptive content and analysis, with attention to the audience, to the subjective experiences being communicated, and to the flavor of the narratives that come to surround miracles. This book appeals to students and researchers working in philosophy of religion and science, as well those in comparative religion. It represents, in written form, some of the perspectives and dialogue achieved in The Comparison Project’s 2017–2019 lecture series on miracles. The Comparison Project is an enterprise in comparing a variety of religious voices, allowing them to stand in dialogue.


Book Synopsis Miracles: An Exercise in Comparative Philosophy of Religion by : Karen R. Zwier

Download or read book Miracles: An Exercise in Comparative Philosophy of Religion written by Karen R. Zwier and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-11-03 with total page 319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume provides a comparative philosophical investigation into a particular concept from a variety of angles—in this case, the concept of “miracle.” The text covers deeply philosophical questions around the miracle, with a multiplicity of answers. Each chapter brings its own focus to this multifaceted effort. The volume rejects the primarily western focus that typically dominates philosophy of religion and is filled with particular examples of miracle narratives, community responses, and polemical scenarios across widely varying religious contexts and historical periods. Some of these examples defy religious categorization, and some papers challenge the applicability of the concept “miracle,” which is of western and monotheistic origin. By examining miracles thru a wide comparative context, this text presents a range of descriptive content and analysis, with attention to the audience, to the subjective experiences being communicated, and to the flavor of the narratives that come to surround miracles. This book appeals to students and researchers working in philosophy of religion and science, as well those in comparative religion. It represents, in written form, some of the perspectives and dialogue achieved in The Comparison Project’s 2017–2019 lecture series on miracles. The Comparison Project is an enterprise in comparing a variety of religious voices, allowing them to stand in dialogue.

Divinizing in South Asian Traditions

Divinizing in South Asian Traditions

Author: Diana Dimitrova

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2018-06-14

Total Pages: 132

ISBN-13: 1351123602

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The issue of divinizing in South Asian traditions has not been examined before as a process involving various methods to affect the socio-cultural cognition of the community. It is therefore essential to consider the context of "divinizing" and to analyse what groups, institutions or individuals define the discourse, what are the ideological positions that they represent, and who or what is being divinized. This book deals with the issue of divinizing in South Asian traditions. It aims at studying cultural questions related to the representations and the mythologizing of the divine. It also explores the human relations to the "divine other." It studies the interpretations of the divine in religious texts and the embodiment of the "divine other" in ritual practices. The focus is on studying the phenomenon of divinizing in its religious, cultural, and ideological implications. The book comprises eight chapters that explore the question of divinizing from the 2nd century CE up to present-day in North and South India. The chapters discuss the issue both from insider and outsider perspectives, within the framework of textual study as well as ideological and anthropological analysis. All articles explore various aspects of the cultural phenomenon of being in relation to the divine other, of the process of interpreting and embodying the divine, and of the representation of the divinizing process, as revealed in the literatures and cultures of South Asia. Applying theoretical models of religious and cultural studies to discuss texts written in South Asian languages and engage in critical dialogue with current scholarship, this book is an indispensable study of literary, religious and cultural production in South Asia. It will be of interest to academics in the fields of South Asian studies, Asian Studies, religious and cultural studies as well as comparative religion.


Book Synopsis Divinizing in South Asian Traditions by : Diana Dimitrova

Download or read book Divinizing in South Asian Traditions written by Diana Dimitrova and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-06-14 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The issue of divinizing in South Asian traditions has not been examined before as a process involving various methods to affect the socio-cultural cognition of the community. It is therefore essential to consider the context of "divinizing" and to analyse what groups, institutions or individuals define the discourse, what are the ideological positions that they represent, and who or what is being divinized. This book deals with the issue of divinizing in South Asian traditions. It aims at studying cultural questions related to the representations and the mythologizing of the divine. It also explores the human relations to the "divine other." It studies the interpretations of the divine in religious texts and the embodiment of the "divine other" in ritual practices. The focus is on studying the phenomenon of divinizing in its religious, cultural, and ideological implications. The book comprises eight chapters that explore the question of divinizing from the 2nd century CE up to present-day in North and South India. The chapters discuss the issue both from insider and outsider perspectives, within the framework of textual study as well as ideological and anthropological analysis. All articles explore various aspects of the cultural phenomenon of being in relation to the divine other, of the process of interpreting and embodying the divine, and of the representation of the divinizing process, as revealed in the literatures and cultures of South Asia. Applying theoretical models of religious and cultural studies to discuss texts written in South Asian languages and engage in critical dialogue with current scholarship, this book is an indispensable study of literary, religious and cultural production in South Asia. It will be of interest to academics in the fields of South Asian studies, Asian Studies, religious and cultural studies as well as comparative religion.

The Oxford History of Hinduism: The Goddess

The Oxford History of Hinduism: The Goddess

Author: Mandakranta Bose

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2018-05-31

Total Pages: 384

ISBN-13: 0191079693

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The Oxford History of Hinduism: The Goddess provides a critical exposition of the Hindu idea of the divine feminine, or Devī, conceived as a singularity expressed in many forms. With the theological principles examined in the opening chapters, the book proceeds to describe and expound historically how individual manifestations of Devī have been imagined in Hindu religious culture and their impact upon Hindu social life. In this quest the contributors draw upon the history and philosophy of major Hindu ideologies, such as the Purāṇic, Tāntric, and Vaiṣṇava belief systems. A particular distinction of the book is its attention not only to the major goddesses from the earliest period of Hindu religious history but also to goddesses of later origin, in many cases of regional provenance and influence. Viewed through the lens of worship practices, legend, and literature, belief in goddesses is discovered as the formative impulse of much of public and private life. The influence of the goddess culture is especially powerful on women's life, often paradoxically situating women between veneration and subjection. This apparent contradiction arises from the humanization of goddesses while acknowledging their divinity, which is central to Hindu beliefs. In addition to studying the social and theological aspect of the goddess ideology, the contributors take anthropological, sociological, and literary approaches to delineate the emotional force of the goddess figure that claims intense human attachments and shapes personal and communal lives.


Book Synopsis The Oxford History of Hinduism: The Goddess by : Mandakranta Bose

Download or read book The Oxford History of Hinduism: The Goddess written by Mandakranta Bose and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018-05-31 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Oxford History of Hinduism: The Goddess provides a critical exposition of the Hindu idea of the divine feminine, or Devī, conceived as a singularity expressed in many forms. With the theological principles examined in the opening chapters, the book proceeds to describe and expound historically how individual manifestations of Devī have been imagined in Hindu religious culture and their impact upon Hindu social life. In this quest the contributors draw upon the history and philosophy of major Hindu ideologies, such as the Purāṇic, Tāntric, and Vaiṣṇava belief systems. A particular distinction of the book is its attention not only to the major goddesses from the earliest period of Hindu religious history but also to goddesses of later origin, in many cases of regional provenance and influence. Viewed through the lens of worship practices, legend, and literature, belief in goddesses is discovered as the formative impulse of much of public and private life. The influence of the goddess culture is especially powerful on women's life, often paradoxically situating women between veneration and subjection. This apparent contradiction arises from the humanization of goddesses while acknowledging their divinity, which is central to Hindu beliefs. In addition to studying the social and theological aspect of the goddess ideology, the contributors take anthropological, sociological, and literary approaches to delineate the emotional force of the goddess figure that claims intense human attachments and shapes personal and communal lives.

Religious Transformation in Modern Asia

Religious Transformation in Modern Asia

Author:

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2015-02-24

Total Pages: 338

ISBN-13: 9004289712

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This volume explores the religious transformation of each nation in modern Asia. When the Asian people, who were not only diverse in culture and history, but also active in performing local traditions and religions, experienced a socio-political change under the wave of Western colonialism, the religious climate was also altered from a transnational perspective. Part One explores the nationals of China (Taiwan), Hong Kong, Korea, and Japan, focusing on the manifestations of Japanese religion, Chinese foreign policy, the British educational system in Hong Kong in relation to Tibetan Buddhism, the Korean women of Catholicism, and the Scottish impact in late nineteenth century Korea. Part Two approaches South Asia through the topics of astrology, the works of a Gujarātī saint, and Himalayan Buddhism. The third part is focused on the conflicts between ‘indigenous religions and colonialism,’ ‘Buddhism and Christianity,’ ‘Islam and imperialism,’ and ‘Hinduism and Christianity’ in Southeast Asia.


Book Synopsis Religious Transformation in Modern Asia by :

Download or read book Religious Transformation in Modern Asia written by and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2015-02-24 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume explores the religious transformation of each nation in modern Asia. When the Asian people, who were not only diverse in culture and history, but also active in performing local traditions and religions, experienced a socio-political change under the wave of Western colonialism, the religious climate was also altered from a transnational perspective. Part One explores the nationals of China (Taiwan), Hong Kong, Korea, and Japan, focusing on the manifestations of Japanese religion, Chinese foreign policy, the British educational system in Hong Kong in relation to Tibetan Buddhism, the Korean women of Catholicism, and the Scottish impact in late nineteenth century Korea. Part Two approaches South Asia through the topics of astrology, the works of a Gujarātī saint, and Himalayan Buddhism. The third part is focused on the conflicts between ‘indigenous religions and colonialism,’ ‘Buddhism and Christianity,’ ‘Islam and imperialism,’ and ‘Hinduism and Christianity’ in Southeast Asia.

South Asian Religions

South Asian Religions

Author: Karen Pechilis

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 265

ISBN-13: 0415448514

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This valuable resource explores the important role which the minority traditions play in the religious life of the subcontinent.


Book Synopsis South Asian Religions by : Karen Pechilis

Download or read book South Asian Religions written by Karen Pechilis and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This valuable resource explores the important role which the minority traditions play in the religious life of the subcontinent.

Kali in Bengali Lives

Kali in Bengali Lives

Author: Suchitra Samanta

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2021-07-29

Total Pages: 161

ISBN-13: 1793646341

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In Kali in Bengali Lives, Suchitra Samanta examines Bengalis’ personal narratives of Kali devotion in the Bhakti tradition. These personal experiences, including miraculous encounters, reflect on broader understandings of divine power. Where the revelatory experience has long been validated in Indian epistemology, the devotees’ own interpretive framework provides continuity within a paradigm of devotion and of the miraculous experience as intuitive insight (anubhuti) into a larger truth. Through these unique insights, the miraculous experience is felt in its emotional power, remembered, and reflected upon. The narratives speak to how the meaning of a religious figure, Kali, becomes personally significant and ultimately transformative of the devotee’s self.


Book Synopsis Kali in Bengali Lives by : Suchitra Samanta

Download or read book Kali in Bengali Lives written by Suchitra Samanta and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2021-07-29 with total page 161 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Kali in Bengali Lives, Suchitra Samanta examines Bengalis’ personal narratives of Kali devotion in the Bhakti tradition. These personal experiences, including miraculous encounters, reflect on broader understandings of divine power. Where the revelatory experience has long been validated in Indian epistemology, the devotees’ own interpretive framework provides continuity within a paradigm of devotion and of the miraculous experience as intuitive insight (anubhuti) into a larger truth. Through these unique insights, the miraculous experience is felt in its emotional power, remembered, and reflected upon. The narratives speak to how the meaning of a religious figure, Kali, becomes personally significant and ultimately transformative of the devotee’s self.

South Asian Religions on Display

South Asian Religions on Display

Author: Knut A. Jacobsen

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2008-03-03

Total Pages: 237

ISBN-13: 113407459X

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Religious procession is a significant dimension of religion in South Asia. This volume presents current research on this important phenomenon dealing with interpretations of the role of processions, the recent increase in processions and changes in the procession traditions.


Book Synopsis South Asian Religions on Display by : Knut A. Jacobsen

Download or read book South Asian Religions on Display written by Knut A. Jacobsen and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2008-03-03 with total page 237 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Religious procession is a significant dimension of religion in South Asia. This volume presents current research on this important phenomenon dealing with interpretations of the role of processions, the recent increase in processions and changes in the procession traditions.

Sacred Matters

Sacred Matters

Author: Tracy Pintchman

Publisher: State University of New York Press

Published: 2015-11-16

Total Pages: 246

ISBN-13: 1438459440

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Explores how objects shape the worlds of religious participants across a range of South Asian traditions. Sacred Matters explores the lives of material objects in South Asian religions. Spanning a range of traditions including Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Buddhism, and Christianity, the book demonstrates how sacred items influence and enliven the worlds of religious participants across South Asia and into the diaspora. Contributors examine a variety of objects to describe the ways sacred materials derive and confer meaning and efficacy, emerging from and giving shape to religious and nonreligious realms alike. Material forms of deity and divine power are considered along with commonplace ritual items, including images, clay pots, and camphor. The work also attends to materiality’s complex role within the “materially suspicious” contexts of Islam, Theravada Buddhism, and Roman Catholicism. This engaging collection presents new frameworks for contemplating the ways in which historical, social, and sacred processes intertwine and collectively shape human and divine activity. Tracy Pintchman is Professor of Religious Studies and Director of the International Studies Program at Loyola University Chicago. Her books include The Rise of the Goddess in the Hindu Tradition and Guests at God’s Wedding: Celebrating Kartik among the Women of Benares, both published by SUNY Press. Corinne G. Dempsey is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Nazareth College. She is the author of Bringing the Sacred Down to Earth: Adventures in Comparative Religion and The Goddess Lives in Upstate New York: Breaking Convention and Making Home at a North American Hindu Temple.


Book Synopsis Sacred Matters by : Tracy Pintchman

Download or read book Sacred Matters written by Tracy Pintchman and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 2015-11-16 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explores how objects shape the worlds of religious participants across a range of South Asian traditions. Sacred Matters explores the lives of material objects in South Asian religions. Spanning a range of traditions including Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Buddhism, and Christianity, the book demonstrates how sacred items influence and enliven the worlds of religious participants across South Asia and into the diaspora. Contributors examine a variety of objects to describe the ways sacred materials derive and confer meaning and efficacy, emerging from and giving shape to religious and nonreligious realms alike. Material forms of deity and divine power are considered along with commonplace ritual items, including images, clay pots, and camphor. The work also attends to materiality’s complex role within the “materially suspicious” contexts of Islam, Theravada Buddhism, and Roman Catholicism. This engaging collection presents new frameworks for contemplating the ways in which historical, social, and sacred processes intertwine and collectively shape human and divine activity. Tracy Pintchman is Professor of Religious Studies and Director of the International Studies Program at Loyola University Chicago. Her books include The Rise of the Goddess in the Hindu Tradition and Guests at God’s Wedding: Celebrating Kartik among the Women of Benares, both published by SUNY Press. Corinne G. Dempsey is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Nazareth College. She is the author of Bringing the Sacred Down to Earth: Adventures in Comparative Religion and The Goddess Lives in Upstate New York: Breaking Convention and Making Home at a North American Hindu Temple.