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India: A Sacred Geography
by Diana L EckIn India: A Sacred Geography, renowned Harvard scholar Diana Eck offers an extraordinary spiritual journey through the pilgrimage places of the world's most religiously vibrant culture and reveals that it is, in fact, through these sacred pilgrimages that India's very sense of nation has emerged. No matter where one goes in India, one will find a landscape in which mountains, rivers, forests, and villages are elaborately linked to the stories of the gods and heroes of Indian culture. Every place in this vast landscape has its story, and conversely, every story of Hindu myth and legend has its place. Likewise, these places are inextricably tied to one another--not simply in the past, but in the present--through the local, regional, and transregional practices of pilgrimage. India: A Sacred Geography tells the story of the pilgrim's India. In these pages, Diana Eck takes the reader on an extraordinary spiritual journey through the living landscape of this fascinating country -its mountains, rivers, and seacoasts, its ancient and powerful temples and shrines. Seeking to fully understand the sacred places of pilgrimage from the ground up, with their stories, connections and layers of meaning, she acutely examines Hindu religious ideas and narratives and shows how they have been deeply inscribed in the land itself. Ultimately, Eck shows us that from these networks of pilgrimage places, India's very sense of region and nation has emerged. This is the astonishing and fascinating picture of a land linked for centuries not by the power of kings and governments, but by the footsteps of pilgrims. India: A Sacred Geography offers a unique perspective on India, both as a complex religious culture and as a nation. Based on her extensive knowledge and her many decades of wide-ranging travel and research, Eck's piercing insights and a sweeping grasp of history ensure that this work will be in demand for many years to come.
Indian Buddhist Philosophy (Ancient Philosophies)
by Amber CarpenterOrganised in broadly chronological terms, this book presents the philosophical arguments of the great Indian Buddhist philosophers of the fifth century BCE to the eighth century CE. Each chapter examines their core ethical, metaphysical and epistemological views as well as the distinctive area of Buddhist ethics that we call today moral psychology. Throughout, this book follows three key themes that both tie the tradition together and are the focus for most critical dialogue: the idea of anatman or no-self, the appearance/reality distinction and the moral aim, or ideal. Indian Buddhist philosophy is shown to be a remarkably rich tradition that deserves much wider engagement from European philosophy. Carpenter shows that while we should recognise the differences and distances between Indian and European philosophy, its driving questions and key conceptions, we must resist the temptation to find in Indian Buddhist philosophy, some Other, something foreign, self-contained and quite detached from anything familiar. Indian Buddhism is shown to be a way of looking at the world that shares many of the features of European philosophy and considers themes central to philosophy understood in the European tradition.
Indian Country
by Peter MatthiessenAfter winning an eight year legal battle, here is the controversial book that powerfully sheds new light on the plight of Native Americans. Matthiessen's urgent accounts and absorbing journalistic details make it impossible to ignore the message they so eloquently proclaim.
Indian Esoteric Buddhism: A Social History of the Tantric Movement
by Ronald DavidsonThis groundbreaking work describes the historical origins of the Tantric movement in early medieval India. Drawing on primary documents--translated into English for the first time from Sanskrit, Prakrit, and Bengali--Davidson shows how changes in medieval Indian society, including economic and patronage crises, a decline in women's participation, and the formation of large monastic orders, led to the rise of the esoteric tradition in India that became the model for Buddhist cultures in China, Tibet, and Japan.
Indian Esoteric Buddhism: A Social History of the Tantric Movement
by Ronald DavidsonDespite the rapid spread of Buddhism—especially the esoteric system of Tantra, one of its most popular yet most misunderstood forms—the historical origins of Buddhist thought and practice remain obscure. This groundbreaking work describes the genesis of the Tantric movement in early medieval India, where it developed as a response to, and in some ways an example of, the feudalization of Indian society. Drawing on primary documents—many translated for the first time—from Sanskrit, Prakrit, Tibetan, Bengali, and Chinese, Ronald Davidson shows how changes in medieval Indian society, including economic and patronage crises, a decline in women's participation, and the formation of large monastic orders, led to the rise of the esoteric tradition in India that became the model for Buddhist cultures in China, Tibet, and Japan.
Indian Ethics: Classical Traditions and Contemporary Challenges: Volume I
by Purushottama Bilimoria Renuka Sharma Joseph PrabhuIndian ethics is one of the great traditions of moral thought in world philosophy whose insights have influenced thinkers in early Greece, Europe, Asia, and the New World. This is the first such systematic study of the spectrum of moral reflections from India, engaging a critical cross-cultural perspective and attending to modern secular sensibilities. The volume explores the scope and limits of Indian ethical thinking, reflecting on the interpretation and application of its teachings and practices in the comparative and contemporary contexts. The chapters chart orthodox and heterodox debates, from early classical Hindu texts to Buddhist, Jaina, Yoga, and Gandhian ethics. The range of issues includes: life-values and virtues, karma and dharma, evil and suffering, renunciation and enlightenment; and extends to questions of human rights and justice, ecology and animal ethics, nonviolence and democracy. Ramifications for rethinking ethics in a postmodern and global era are also explored. Indian Ethics offers an invaluable resource for students of philosophy, religion, human sciences and cultural studies, and to those interested in South Asian responses to moral dilemmas in the postcolonial era.
Indian Modernity: Contradictions, Paradoxes and Possibilities
by Avijit PathakIndian Modernity (first published in 1998) acquires a new meaning today. While it critiques a techno-militaristic model of modernization, it visualizes alternative possibilities to give a distinctively new definition to our modernity. It engages the reader in dreaming of a new path to modernity beyond its present contradictions and paradoxes with its lyrical style, philosophic insights, sensitivity to deep religiosity, life-affirming femininity and, most of all, sociological imagination. This book continues to hold relevance for social science students and researchers, teachers, and visionaries, despite the passage of time. This title is co-published with Aakar Books. Print editions not for sale in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Bhutan)
Indian Mujahideen
by V. S. Subrahmanian Aaron Mannes Animesh Roul R. K. RaghavanAdvance Praise for Indian Mujahideen: Computational Analysis and Public Policy "This book presents a highly innovative computational approach to analyzing the strategic behavior of terrorist groups and formulating counter-terrorism policies. It would be very useful for international security analysts and policymakers. " Uzi Arad, National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of Israel and Head, Israel National Security Council (2009-2011) "An important book on a complex security problem. Issues have been analysed in depth based on quality research. Insightful and well-balanced in describing the way forward. " Naresh Chandra, Indian Ambassador to the USA (1996-2001) and Cabinet Secretary (1990-1992). "An objective and clinical account of the origins, aims, extra-territorial links and modus-operandi, of a growingly dangerous terrorist organization that challenges the federal, democratic, secular and pluralistic ethos of India's polity. The authors have meticulously researched and analysed the multi-faceted challenges that the "Indian Mujahideen" poses and realistically dwelt on the ways in which these challenges could be faced and overcome. " G. Parthasarathy, High Commissioner of India to Australia (1995-1998) and Pakistan (1998-2000). This book provides the first in-depth look at how advanced mathematics and modern computing technology can influence insights on analysis and policies directed at the Indian Mujahideen (IM) terrorist group. The book also summarizes how the IM group is committed to the destabilization of India by leveraging links with other terror groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, and through support from the Pakistani Government and Pakistan's intelligence service. Foreword by The Hon. Louis J. Freeh.
Indian Muslims: Struggling for Equality of Citizenship (Islamic Studies Series)
by Riaz HassanResearch shows that Indian Muslims experience higher levels of development and equity deficits. Indian Muslims are also predicted to become the largest Muslim population in the world by 2050. This increase in numbers might exacerbate their relative deprivation, creating a disjunction between India's constitutional promises of 'equality of opportunity' for citizens of a secular democracy—including for minorities—and the existential reality. This will create social and political conditions that could undermine the stability of the country's democracy and make Indian Muslims a security threat, which would have not only national but also global ramifications. This book examines the struggle for equality of citizenship of Indian Muslims in light of the release of the Sachar Committee report of 2006, which sparked widespread awareness of socioeconomic disparity and exclusion of religious minorities in India, especially Muslims. The contributors are some of the most eminent social scientists in the fields of applied economics, politics, sociology and demography who work on Indian issues. The Indian state and its political infrastructure have been relatively successful thus far in countering the challenges presented by the diversity of its population. India therefore has the capacity and the ability to deal with these new challenges, given the political and collective will. Islamic Studies Series - Volume 22
Indian Mythology: Tales, Symbols, and Rituals from the Heart of the Subcontinent
by Devdutt PattanaikAn exploration of 99 classic myths of India from an entirely non-Western paradigm that provides a fresh understanding of the Hindu spiritual landscape• Compares and contrasts Indian mythology with the stories of the Bible, ancient Egypt, Greece, Scandinavia, and Mesopotamia• Looks at the evolution of Indian narratives and their interpretations over the millennia• Demonstrates how the mythology, rituals, and art of ancient India are still vibrant today and inform the contemporary generationFrom the blood-letting Kali to the mysterious Ganesha, the Hindu spiritual landscape is populated by characters that find no parallel in the Western spiritual world. Indian Mythology explores the rich tapestry of these characters within 99 classic myths, showing that the mythological world of India can be best understood when we move away from a Western, monotheistic mindset and into the polytheistic world of Hindu traditions.Featuring 48 artistic renderings of important mythological figures from across India, the author unlocks the mysteries of the narratives, rituals, and artwork of ancient India to reveal the tension between world-affirming and world-rejecting ideas, between conformism and contradiction, between Shiva and Vishnu, Krishna and Rama, Gauri and Kali. This groundbreaking book opens the door to the unknown and exotic, providing a glimpse into the rich mythic tradition that has empowered millions of human beings for centuries.
Indian Perspectives on Consciousness, Language and Self: The School of Recognition on Linguistics and Philosophy of Mind (Routledge Hindu Studies Series)
by Marco FerranteThis book examines the theory of consciousness developed by the school of Recognition, an Indian philosophical tradition that thrived around the tenth c. CE in Kashmir, and argues that consciousness has a linguistic nature. It situates the doctrines of the tradition within the broader Indian philosophical context and establishes connections with the contemporary analytic debate. The book focuses on Utpaladeva and Abhinavagupta (tenth c. CE), two Hindu intellectuals belonging to the school of Recognition, Pratyabhijñā in Sanskrit. It argues that these authors promoted ideas that bear a strong resemblance with contemporary ‘higher–order theories’ of consciousness. In addition, the book explores the relationship between the thinkers of the school of Recognition and the thought of the grammarian/philosopher Bhartṛhari (fifth c. CE). The book bridges a gap that still exists between scholars engaged with Western traditions and Sanskrit specialists focused on textual materials. In doing so, the author uses concepts from contemporary philosophy of mind to illustrate the Indian arguments and an interdisciplinary approach with abundant reference to the original sources. Offering fresh information to historians of Indian thought, the book will also be of interest to academics working on Non-Western Philosophy, Comparative Philosophy, Indian Philosophy, Religion, Hinduism, Tantric Studies and South Asian Studies.
Indian Philosophy and Yoga in Germany
by Owen WareThis book sheds new light on the fascinating – at times dark and at times hopeful – reception of classical Yoga philosophies in Germany during the nineteenth century. When debates over God, religion, and morality were at a boiling point in Europe, Sanskrit translations of classical Indian thought became available for the first time. Almost overnight India became the centre of a major controversy concerning the origins of western religious and intellectual culture. Working forward from this controversy, this book examines how early translations of works such as the Bhagavad Gītā and the Yoga Sūtras were caught in the crossfire of another debate concerning the rise of pantheism, as a doctrine that identifies God and nature. It shows how these theological concerns shaped the image of Indian thought in the work of Schlegel, Gunderrode, Humboldt, Hegel, Schelling, and others, lasting into the nineteenth century and beyond. Furthermore, this book explores how worries about the perceived nihilism of Yoga were addressed by key voices in the early twentieth century Indian Renaissance – notably Dasgupta, Radhakrishnan, and Bhattacharyya – who defended sophisticated counterreadings of their intellectual heritage during the colonial era. Written for non-specialists, Indian Philosophy and Yoga in Germany will be of interest to students and scholars working on nineteenth-century philosophy, Indian philosophy, comparative philosophy, Hindu studies, intellectual history, and religious history.
Indian Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction
by Sue HamiltonIndia has a long, rich, and diverse tradition of philosophical thought, spanning some two and a half millennia and encompassing several major religious traditions. This Very Short Introduction emphasizes the diversity of Indian thought, and is structured around six schools which have achieved classic status. Sue Hamilton explores how the traditions have attempted to understand the nature of reality in terms of an inner or spiritual quest, and introduces distinctively Indian concepts such as karma and rebirth. She also shows how Indian thinkers have understood issues of reality and knowledge -- issues which are also an important part of the Western philosophical tradition.
Indian Realism (Routledge Revivals)
by Jadunath SinhaFirst published in 1938, Indian Realism is a reconstruction of the Yogacara Vijnanavada (Subjective Idealism) and an exhaustive criticism of it by the different schools of Indian realism. The exposition of the doctrine is based on the works of Santaraksita and Kamalasila and the critics of Vijnanavada. Generally each thinker’s exposition and criticism have been given separately. Profound thinkers like Kumarila, Jayanta Bhatta, Vacaspatimisra, Sridhara and Sankara have been included. There is a criticism of Vedanta by the Buddhist realists and the different schools of the Vedanta. Incidentally, the Yogacara subjectivism has been compared with the idealism of Berkeley and the sensationism of Hume. Parallel arguments of many contemporary realists, too, have been quoted to show that philosophical genius of a particular type is apt to move in the same groove, irrespective of its location. This book will be of interest to students of philosophy, religion and South Asian studies.
Indian Sufism since the Seventeenth Century: Saints, Books and Empires in the Muslim Deccan (Routledge Sufi Series #Vol. 18)
by Nile GreenSufism is often regarded as standing mystically aloof from its wider cultural settings. By turning this perspective on its head, Indian Sufism since the Seventeenth Century reveals the politics and poetry of Indian Sufism through the study of Islamic sainthood in the midst of a cosmopolitan Indian society comprising migrants, soldiers, litterateurs and princes. Placing the mystical traditions of Indian Islam within their cultural contexts, this interesting study focuses on the shrines of four Sufi saints in the neglected Deccan region and their changing roles under the rule of the Mughals, the Nizams of Haydarabad and, after 1948, the Indian nation. In particular Green studies the city of Awrangabad, examining the vibrant intellectual and cultural history of this city as part of the independent state of Haydarabad. He employs a combination of historical texts and anthropological fieldwork, which provide a fresh perspective on developments of devotional Islam in South Asia over the past three centuries, giving a fuller understanding of Sufism and Muslim saints in South Asia.
Indian Summer (Secret Sisters #12)
by Sandra ByrdEmbark on new adventures with best friends, Tess and Erin, in each exciting book of the Secret Sisters series for girls. Final book in series! Summer fun ahead! Or is it summer troubles? Secret Sisters Tess and Erin are ready for a summer of new adventures and service. The first challenge--working as volunteers with the Vacation Bible School at the nearby Navajo Indian reservation--fills their lives with hard work and laughter. It also challenges them to grow in ways they never imagined possible. While Erin ventures into unfamiliar territory as a leader, Tess decides to take a huge step of faith--one that has an unexpected impact back home. Meanwhile, the girls see their faith and friendship become deeper than ever during one incredible, fun-filled Indian Summer.
Indiana Jones and Philosophy: Why Did it Have to be Socrates? (The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series)
by William IrwinINDIANA JONES AND PHILOSOPHY What does it mean to choose wisely? Can heroes seek fortune and glory? Why does Indy take a leap of faith? Do Indy’s adventures provide him evidence of the supernatural? Should we hide the Ark of the Covenant in a military-controlled warehouse? Why are museums so important to archaeology? If adventure has a name, it must be Indiana Jones! He’s both a mild-mannered archaeology professor and an intrepid adventurer traversing the globe in search of lost artifacts. Whether seeking the Ark of the Covenant in Egypt, the Sankara Stones in India, the Holy Grail in Turkey, or a mysterious crystal skull in Peru, Indy’s adventures never fail to delight audiences. Indiana Jones and Philosophy takes you on a whirlwind journey to investigate some of the most enduring questions about the human condition. You’ll read about how Indy has wronged Marion Ravenwood, how a virtuous person would make amends, the strides Indy makes to repair his relationship with his father, why Indy distinguishes fact from truth when he pursues archaeological treasures, and much more. With trusty guides such as Aristotle, Camus, Kant, and Nietzsche at your side, you’ll consider possible answers to these questions and see Indiana Jones in a whole new light! Comprehensive, immersive, and engaging, Indiana Jones and Philosophy offers you an accessible and lively opportunity to dive deeper into the world of Indiana Jones and appreciate the character’s greatness anew!
Indiana's Catholic Religious Communities
by John Murphy Jim HillmanWith expanding Irish, Swiss, French, and German immigrant populations, the state of Indiana evolved from individual explorers, trappers, hunters, and traders into family-focused communities of farmers and craftsmen. Emerging from the former Indiana Territory, the state's early population was in need of education, health care, and social services to assist young families, the poor, the infirm, and the elderly. These needs were frequently met by Catholic religious orders, including the Benedictines, Sisters of Providence, Franciscans, Daughters of Charity, and other established organizations of dedicated religious men and women.
Indians on Indian Lands: Intersections of Race, Caste, and Indigeneity (NWSA / UIP First Book Prize)
by Nishant UpadhyayWinner of a NWSA/University of Illinois Press First Book Prize Nishant Upadhyay unravels Indian diasporic complicity in its ongoing colonialist relationship with Indigenous peoples, lands, and nations in Canada. Upadhyay examines the interwoven and simultaneous areas of dominant Indian caste complicity in processes of settler colonialism, antiblackness, capitalism, brahminical supremacy, Hindu nationalism, and heteropatriarchy. Resource extraction in British Columbia in the 1970s–90s and in present-day Alberta offer examples of spaces that illuminate the dispossession of Indigenous peoples and simultaneously reveal racialized, gendered, and casted labor formations. Upadhyay juxtaposes these extraction sites with examples of anticolonial activism and solidarities from Tkaronto. Analyzing silence on settler colonialism and brahminical caste supremacy, Upadhyay upends the idea of dominant caste Indian diasporas as racially victimized and shows that claiming victimhood denies a very real complicity in enforcing other power structures. Exploring stories of quotidian proximity and intimacy between Indigenous and South Asian communities, Upadhyay offers meditations on anticolonial and anti-casteist ways of knowledge production, ethical relationalities, and solidarities. Groundbreaking and ambitious, Indians on Indian Lands presents the case for holding Indian diasporas accountable for acts of violence within a colonial settler nation.
Indians, Franciscans, and Spanish Colonization: The Impact Of The Mission System On California Indians
by Robert Jackson Edward CastilloThis ethnohistory, now in paperback, examines Indian life in the twenty-one missions Franciscans established in Alta California. In describing how the missions functioned between 1769 and 1848, the authors draw on previously unused sources to analyze change and continuity in Indian material culture and religious practices. The twin goals of Franciscans were to mold Indians into a work force that would produce surplus grain for military garrisons and to regulate their moral conduct and religious practices. The authors use production records to show the missions were quite effective in serving the economic goals. Also carefully assessed are the efforts to transform the culture and world view of Indians by delineating how they coped, their history of disease and death, and their efforts at resistance.
India’s Perception, Society, and Development: Essays Unpleasant
by Arup MaharatnaThere has been, of late, a growing realisation that the pace and pattern of economic development of a country can hardly be understood and explained comprehensively in terms of the straitjacket of economics discipline alone. India is a prime example of the importance of the part played by a country's history, culture, sociology, and socio-cultural-religious norms, values, and institutions in its development process. This book, with its assorted essays of varying depths of scholarship and insightful reflections, attempts to drive home this point more forcefully than ever before. In its search for the non-economic roots of India's overall sloth and murky progress in its broad-based economic and human development, the book illuminates major oddities deep inside a unique mental make-up full of perceptual and ideational dilemmas, many of which are arguably shaped by the long-lasting and dominant influence of what could be called the Brahminical lines of thinking and discourse. With India's hazy and dodgy world of perceptions as a backdrop, the book also addresses - through its intelligent essays - the deep and sometimes dire ramifications of the historic advent and the dramatic advance of neoliberal market ideology today.
India’s Religions: Perspectives from Sociology and History
by T. N. MadanThis is an extremely well-structured and organized collection of readings that examines different facets of religion and religious life in India. The volume takes stock of traditions, culture, history and politics of India's faiths.
Indie Spiritualist: A No Bullshit Exploration of Spirituality
by Chris GrossoBrutally honest and radically unconventional, Chris Grosso's collection of stories and musings about his meandering journey of self-inquiry, recovery, and acceptance shows what it means to live a truly authentic spiritual life. Set amongst the backdrop of Grosso's original music (included for download via QR codes in the text), Indie Spiritualist encourages you to accept yourself just as you are, in all your humanity and imperfect perfection.tion of vignettes shows what it means to live an authentic, open, and mindful life. Indie Spiritualist empowers you to accept yourself as you are, in all your humanity and imperfect perfection.
Indigenous Australia And The Unfinished Business Of Theology
by Jione HaveaThis book engages a complex subject that mainline theologies avoid, Indigenous Australia. The heritages, wisdoms and dreams of Indigenous Australians are tormented by the discriminating mindsets and colonialist practices of non-Indigenous peoples. This book gives special attention to the torments due to the arrival and development of the church.
Indigenous Black Theology
by Jawanza Eric ClarkThis work is concerned with the way Black Christian formation, because of the acceptance of universal, absolute, and exclusive Christian doctrines, seems to justify and even encourage anti-African sentiment.