Author: Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004413421
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 664
Book Description
Winner of the 2021 Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding (category: translation from Arabic into English) This is an unabridged, annotated, translation of the great Damascene savant and saint Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya’s (d. 751/1350) Madārij al-Sālikīn. Conceived as a critical commentary on an earlier Sufi classic by the great Hanbalite scholar Abū Ismāʿīl of Herat, Madārij aims to rejuvenate Sufism’s Qurʾanic foundations. The original work was a key text for the Sufi initiates, composed in terse, rhyming prose as a master’s instruction to the aspiring seeker on the path to God, in a journey of a hundred stations whose ultimate purpose was to be lost to one’s self (fanāʾ) and subsist (baqāʾ) in God. The translator, Ovamir (ʿUwaymir) Anjum, provides an extensive introduction and annotation to this English-Arabic face-to-face presentation of this masterpiece of Islamic psychology.
Ranks of the Divine Seekers
Author: Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004413421
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 664
Book Description
Winner of the 2021 Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding (category: translation from Arabic into English) This is an unabridged, annotated, translation of the great Damascene savant and saint Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya’s (d. 751/1350) Madārij al-Sālikīn. Conceived as a critical commentary on an earlier Sufi classic by the great Hanbalite scholar Abū Ismāʿīl of Herat, Madārij aims to rejuvenate Sufism’s Qurʾanic foundations. The original work was a key text for the Sufi initiates, composed in terse, rhyming prose as a master’s instruction to the aspiring seeker on the path to God, in a journey of a hundred stations whose ultimate purpose was to be lost to one’s self (fanāʾ) and subsist (baqāʾ) in God. The translator, Ovamir (ʿUwaymir) Anjum, provides an extensive introduction and annotation to this English-Arabic face-to-face presentation of this masterpiece of Islamic psychology.
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004413421
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 664
Book Description
Winner of the 2021 Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding (category: translation from Arabic into English) This is an unabridged, annotated, translation of the great Damascene savant and saint Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya’s (d. 751/1350) Madārij al-Sālikīn. Conceived as a critical commentary on an earlier Sufi classic by the great Hanbalite scholar Abū Ismāʿīl of Herat, Madārij aims to rejuvenate Sufism’s Qurʾanic foundations. The original work was a key text for the Sufi initiates, composed in terse, rhyming prose as a master’s instruction to the aspiring seeker on the path to God, in a journey of a hundred stations whose ultimate purpose was to be lost to one’s self (fanāʾ) and subsist (baqāʾ) in God. The translator, Ovamir (ʿUwaymir) Anjum, provides an extensive introduction and annotation to this English-Arabic face-to-face presentation of this masterpiece of Islamic psychology.
Ranks of the Divine Seekers
Author: Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004413413
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 925
Book Description
Winner of the 2021 Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding (category: translation from Arabic into English) This is an unabridged, annotated, translation of the great Damascene savant and saint Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya’s (d. 751/1350) Madārij al-Sālikīn. Conceived as a critical commentary on an earlier Sufi classic by the great Hanbalite scholar Abū Ismāʿīl of Herat, Madārij aims to rejuvenate Sufism’s Qurʾanic foundations. The original work was a key text for the Sufi initiates, composed in terse, rhyming prose as a master’s instruction to the aspiring seeker on the path to God, in a journey of a hundred stations whose ultimate purpose was to be lost to one’s self (fanāʾ) and subsist (baqāʾ) in God. The translator, Ovamir (ʿUwaymir) Anjum, provides an extensive introduction and annotation to this English-Arabic face-to-face presentation of this masterpiece of Islamic psychology.
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004413413
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 925
Book Description
Winner of the 2021 Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding (category: translation from Arabic into English) This is an unabridged, annotated, translation of the great Damascene savant and saint Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya’s (d. 751/1350) Madārij al-Sālikīn. Conceived as a critical commentary on an earlier Sufi classic by the great Hanbalite scholar Abū Ismāʿīl of Herat, Madārij aims to rejuvenate Sufism’s Qurʾanic foundations. The original work was a key text for the Sufi initiates, composed in terse, rhyming prose as a master’s instruction to the aspiring seeker on the path to God, in a journey of a hundred stations whose ultimate purpose was to be lost to one’s self (fanāʾ) and subsist (baqāʾ) in God. The translator, Ovamir (ʿUwaymir) Anjum, provides an extensive introduction and annotation to this English-Arabic face-to-face presentation of this masterpiece of Islamic psychology.
Politics, Law, and Community in Islamic Thought
Author: Ovamir Anjum
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107378974
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 315
Book Description
This revisionist account of the history of Islamic political thought from the early to the late medieval period focuses on Ibn Taymiyya, one of the most brilliant theologians of his day. This original study demonstrates how his influence shed new light on the entire trajectory of Islamic political thought. Although he did not reject the Caliphate ideal, as is commonly believed, he nevertheless radically redefined it by turning it into a rational political institution intended to serve the community (umma). Through creative reinterpretation, he deployed the Qur'anic concept of fitra (divinely endowed human nature) to centre the community of believers and its common-sense reading of revelation as the highest epistemic authority. In this way, he subverted the elitism that had become ensconced in classical theological, legal and spiritual doctrines, and tried to revive the ethico-political, rather than strictly legal, dimension of Islam. In reassessing Ibn Taymiyya's work, this book marks a major departure from traditional interpretations of medieval Islamic thought.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107378974
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 315
Book Description
This revisionist account of the history of Islamic political thought from the early to the late medieval period focuses on Ibn Taymiyya, one of the most brilliant theologians of his day. This original study demonstrates how his influence shed new light on the entire trajectory of Islamic political thought. Although he did not reject the Caliphate ideal, as is commonly believed, he nevertheless radically redefined it by turning it into a rational political institution intended to serve the community (umma). Through creative reinterpretation, he deployed the Qur'anic concept of fitra (divinely endowed human nature) to centre the community of believers and its common-sense reading of revelation as the highest epistemic authority. In this way, he subverted the elitism that had become ensconced in classical theological, legal and spiritual doctrines, and tried to revive the ethico-political, rather than strictly legal, dimension of Islam. In reassessing Ibn Taymiyya's work, this book marks a major departure from traditional interpretations of medieval Islamic thought.
The Religion of God (Divine Love)
Author: His Divine Eminence Ra Gohar Shahi
Publisher: BalboaPress
ISBN: 1452549079
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 168
Book Description
The excerpts from the book for quick awareness: 1. Those who love God but do not practise a religion are better than you if you follow a religion and yet are deprived of Gods love. 2. Love relates to the heart. The word, Allah, when synchronised within heartbeats, reaches all veins and arteries through the blood and revives the souls. Then the souls, engulfed by Gods name, Allah, enter Gods love. 3. All names given to God in all languages are worthy of respect. However, Gods original name is Allah, which is a word from the Suryani language. The creatures of empyrean speak this language. The angels call upon God with the name of Allah. Allah is attached with the faith declaration motto of every prophet. 4. Any person who, with all the sincerity of heart, is in search for God, on land or in the sea, is worthy of respect. 5. Many Adams were sent in different regions of the world simultaneously. All Adams were moulded from the clay in this world, for except the last Adam who was moulded from the clay in paradise, and is buried in the Arab region. The angels did not prostrate to any other Adam for except Adam Safi Allah. And Iblis (the Devil) developed enmity for the progeny of Adam Safi Allah only. 6. There are seven different sub-spirits in the human skeleton, and each relates to a different realm, a different paradise, and different functions in the human body. If these sub-spirits are empowered with Gods light (Noor), they may appear in human form in many places simultaneously. They may reach the esoteric gatherings of the saints and the prophets, speak with God, and even see God in person also. 7. There are two different types of religions for all humans: the religion for the body, which expires when the body does, and the religion for the soul, which existed even in the primordial timethat is Gods love. And only this religion elevates humans. 8. Ishq (Rapturous Love) of Allah is above all other religions, and seeing Allah is above all forms of worship. 9. Information on how human beings, animals, plants, and stones were brought into existence, and why something is prohibited or permissible. 10. Who pre-existed the Amr Kun (the command Be) of the souls and the angels? Which dog will enter the paradise in form of Qatmir? The souls of which individuals had already affirmed the declaration of faith in the primordial time? The secret of which man is not mentioned in this book?
Publisher: BalboaPress
ISBN: 1452549079
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 168
Book Description
The excerpts from the book for quick awareness: 1. Those who love God but do not practise a religion are better than you if you follow a religion and yet are deprived of Gods love. 2. Love relates to the heart. The word, Allah, when synchronised within heartbeats, reaches all veins and arteries through the blood and revives the souls. Then the souls, engulfed by Gods name, Allah, enter Gods love. 3. All names given to God in all languages are worthy of respect. However, Gods original name is Allah, which is a word from the Suryani language. The creatures of empyrean speak this language. The angels call upon God with the name of Allah. Allah is attached with the faith declaration motto of every prophet. 4. Any person who, with all the sincerity of heart, is in search for God, on land or in the sea, is worthy of respect. 5. Many Adams were sent in different regions of the world simultaneously. All Adams were moulded from the clay in this world, for except the last Adam who was moulded from the clay in paradise, and is buried in the Arab region. The angels did not prostrate to any other Adam for except Adam Safi Allah. And Iblis (the Devil) developed enmity for the progeny of Adam Safi Allah only. 6. There are seven different sub-spirits in the human skeleton, and each relates to a different realm, a different paradise, and different functions in the human body. If these sub-spirits are empowered with Gods light (Noor), they may appear in human form in many places simultaneously. They may reach the esoteric gatherings of the saints and the prophets, speak with God, and even see God in person also. 7. There are two different types of religions for all humans: the religion for the body, which expires when the body does, and the religion for the soul, which existed even in the primordial timethat is Gods love. And only this religion elevates humans. 8. Ishq (Rapturous Love) of Allah is above all other religions, and seeing Allah is above all forms of worship. 9. Information on how human beings, animals, plants, and stones were brought into existence, and why something is prohibited or permissible. 10. Who pre-existed the Amr Kun (the command Be) of the souls and the angels? Which dog will enter the paradise in form of Qatmir? The souls of which individuals had already affirmed the declaration of faith in the primordial time? The secret of which man is not mentioned in this book?
The Horizons of Being
Author: Mukhtar H. Ali
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004425330
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 263
Book Description
The Horizons of Being explores the teachings of Ibn al-ʿArabī by examining Dāwūd al-Qayṣarī’s (d. 751/1350) Prolegomena to his commentary on the Fuṣūṣ al-ḥikam, popularly known as the Muqaddimat al-Qayṣarī. A masterpiece of Sufism, the Muqaddima is both a distillation of the Fuṣūṣ and a summary of Ibn al-ʿArabī’s entire metaphysical worldview. As such, it is a foundational text that delves into the most important subjects characterizing the philosophical Sufi tradition: Being, God’s attributes, divine knowledge, the universal worlds, unveiling, creation and the microcosm, the perfect human, the origin and return of the spirit, prophethood and sainthood. The present work is a complete translation of the Muqaddima and a commentary that incorporates the ideas of the main exponents of this tradition.
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004425330
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 263
Book Description
The Horizons of Being explores the teachings of Ibn al-ʿArabī by examining Dāwūd al-Qayṣarī’s (d. 751/1350) Prolegomena to his commentary on the Fuṣūṣ al-ḥikam, popularly known as the Muqaddimat al-Qayṣarī. A masterpiece of Sufism, the Muqaddima is both a distillation of the Fuṣūṣ and a summary of Ibn al-ʿArabī’s entire metaphysical worldview. As such, it is a foundational text that delves into the most important subjects characterizing the philosophical Sufi tradition: Being, God’s attributes, divine knowledge, the universal worlds, unveiling, creation and the microcosm, the perfect human, the origin and return of the spirit, prophethood and sainthood. The present work is a complete translation of the Muqaddima and a commentary that incorporates the ideas of the main exponents of this tradition.
1000
Author: Ananda Devi
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781077121751
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 814
Book Description
The revised expanded 2019 2nd edition features 400+ teacher LOCs (double) and new relevant teacher case studies. As "finishers," Ramaji and Ananda Devi want to get you to LOC 1000 (Self-realization) quickly and easily. "1000" is the complete guide to LOCs (Levels of Consciousness) and the revolutionary new Map of Awakening. It answers the common question "How can I tell if a teacher is enlightened?" A list of the LOCs of more than 400 contemporary non-duality and Advaita teachers is included. Curious about how enlightened Mooji or Byron Katie or Jeff Foster are? Now you can find out. It's all answered by their LOCs. Ramaji and Ananda also provide a list of LOCs for more than 101 famous spiritual personalities such as Jesus, Buddha, Papaji, Osho, Pope Francis and Mother Theresa. 1000 explains how to evaluate teachers by knowing what stage of enlightenment they are at. It accounts for the misconduct of teachers who otherwise appear to be enlightened persons."1000" is a unique breakthrough book that explains in simple terms the complete spiritual path from beginning to end. Students of meditation, prayer, enlightenment, non-duality, Advaita, yoga, Eastern religion and other spiritual disciplines will find it most illuminating.Serious students of Self-inquiry and Ramana Maharshi will find Ramaji's revelatory experiences of Amrita Nadi and starving the I-thought illuminating. Dedicated devotees of Nisargadatta Maharj and "I Am That" will enjoy new insights into Nisargadatta's distinction between Brahman ("universal consciousness") and Parabrahman ("the Absolute").Entries from Ramaji's spiritual journals highlight the book. Ramaji never intended for his private diaries to be made public. In order to make "1000" as helpful and powerful as possible, he decided to leave no secrets hidden. All is exposed in the hope that it might help to clear up confusion for the earnest sincere seeker or established spiritual teacher. Ramaji and Ananda Devi have been able to assist many seekers via the RASA transmission in support of non-dual awakening. They document some of the RASA recipients who have stabilized in non-duality and successfully attained enlightenment after receiving RASA in person or online. Ramaji gives an overview of the lower levels of consciousness (LOC 30 through LOC 499). He explains the emergence of pure spirituality (as opposed to conventional religion) at LOC 500 through LOC 559. He describes advanced seeker stages (LOC 560 through LOC 589) ready to leap into non-duality.Ramaji covers the non-dual stages in considerable depth. The new non-dual sage goes from local space spontaneity (LOC 600s) to cosmic or universal consciousness (LOC 700s) to divine unknowing (LOC 800s) to, for a few, the hesitant hermit (LOC 900s). Then the sage arrives at and stabilizes in the Self or Absolute (LOC 1000).Ramaji offers case studies, quotes and in-depth research to show how each major non-dual stage is different from the others. He does all he can to describe the nature and experience of the Absolute, helped by quotes from Meister Eckhart, Francis Lucille and Karl Renz. There has never been a book like "1000" before. If you are on the spiritual path in any way, this is a book that you simply cannot be without. Ramaji also points you to his website where you can listen for free to high-energy music he has programmed to support your enlightenment.The complete Map of Awakening with Levels of Consciousness and a condensed Map are included. Complementing the Map of Awakening are studies of 7 traditional spiritual maps of awakening: the Seven Valleys of Sufism, the Five Ranks of Tozan, the 10 Zen Oxherding Pictures, Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, Stages of Advaita Vedanta, the Major Arcana of the Tarot and the Hero's Journey."1000" is a spirited, candid and passionately comprehensive major work. One of their students jokingly referred to "1000" as the "Bible 2.0." You will want YOUR copy of "1000" by Ramaji and Ananda Devi to accompany you on your path!
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781077121751
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 814
Book Description
The revised expanded 2019 2nd edition features 400+ teacher LOCs (double) and new relevant teacher case studies. As "finishers," Ramaji and Ananda Devi want to get you to LOC 1000 (Self-realization) quickly and easily. "1000" is the complete guide to LOCs (Levels of Consciousness) and the revolutionary new Map of Awakening. It answers the common question "How can I tell if a teacher is enlightened?" A list of the LOCs of more than 400 contemporary non-duality and Advaita teachers is included. Curious about how enlightened Mooji or Byron Katie or Jeff Foster are? Now you can find out. It's all answered by their LOCs. Ramaji and Ananda also provide a list of LOCs for more than 101 famous spiritual personalities such as Jesus, Buddha, Papaji, Osho, Pope Francis and Mother Theresa. 1000 explains how to evaluate teachers by knowing what stage of enlightenment they are at. It accounts for the misconduct of teachers who otherwise appear to be enlightened persons."1000" is a unique breakthrough book that explains in simple terms the complete spiritual path from beginning to end. Students of meditation, prayer, enlightenment, non-duality, Advaita, yoga, Eastern religion and other spiritual disciplines will find it most illuminating.Serious students of Self-inquiry and Ramana Maharshi will find Ramaji's revelatory experiences of Amrita Nadi and starving the I-thought illuminating. Dedicated devotees of Nisargadatta Maharj and "I Am That" will enjoy new insights into Nisargadatta's distinction between Brahman ("universal consciousness") and Parabrahman ("the Absolute").Entries from Ramaji's spiritual journals highlight the book. Ramaji never intended for his private diaries to be made public. In order to make "1000" as helpful and powerful as possible, he decided to leave no secrets hidden. All is exposed in the hope that it might help to clear up confusion for the earnest sincere seeker or established spiritual teacher. Ramaji and Ananda Devi have been able to assist many seekers via the RASA transmission in support of non-dual awakening. They document some of the RASA recipients who have stabilized in non-duality and successfully attained enlightenment after receiving RASA in person or online. Ramaji gives an overview of the lower levels of consciousness (LOC 30 through LOC 499). He explains the emergence of pure spirituality (as opposed to conventional religion) at LOC 500 through LOC 559. He describes advanced seeker stages (LOC 560 through LOC 589) ready to leap into non-duality.Ramaji covers the non-dual stages in considerable depth. The new non-dual sage goes from local space spontaneity (LOC 600s) to cosmic or universal consciousness (LOC 700s) to divine unknowing (LOC 800s) to, for a few, the hesitant hermit (LOC 900s). Then the sage arrives at and stabilizes in the Self or Absolute (LOC 1000).Ramaji offers case studies, quotes and in-depth research to show how each major non-dual stage is different from the others. He does all he can to describe the nature and experience of the Absolute, helped by quotes from Meister Eckhart, Francis Lucille and Karl Renz. There has never been a book like "1000" before. If you are on the spiritual path in any way, this is a book that you simply cannot be without. Ramaji also points you to his website where you can listen for free to high-energy music he has programmed to support your enlightenment.The complete Map of Awakening with Levels of Consciousness and a condensed Map are included. Complementing the Map of Awakening are studies of 7 traditional spiritual maps of awakening: the Seven Valleys of Sufism, the Five Ranks of Tozan, the 10 Zen Oxherding Pictures, Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, Stages of Advaita Vedanta, the Major Arcana of the Tarot and the Hero's Journey."1000" is a spirited, candid and passionately comprehensive major work. One of their students jokingly referred to "1000" as the "Bible 2.0." You will want YOUR copy of "1000" by Ramaji and Ananda Devi to accompany you on your path!
Patience with God
Author: Tomas Halik
Publisher: Image
ISBN: 0385529570
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 242
Book Description
For all the debate about belief and nonbelief in today’s world—and how everyone becomes pigeonholed by one or the other— Tomáš Halík teaches that God requires us to persevere with our doubts, carry them in our hearts, and allow them to lead us to maturity. For Halík, patience is the main difference between faith and atheism. Faith, hope, and love are three aspects of patience in the face of God’s silence, which is interpreted as “the death of God” by atheists and is not taken seriously enough by fundamentalists. Using the gospel story of Jesus’s encounter with Zacchaeus, Halík issues an invitation to all people who stand (like Zacchaeus did) on the sideline—curious but noncommittal. The fact that Jesus gravitated to the poor and the marginalized means that he also has a special place in his heart for diligent seekers on the margins of the community of believers.
Publisher: Image
ISBN: 0385529570
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 242
Book Description
For all the debate about belief and nonbelief in today’s world—and how everyone becomes pigeonholed by one or the other— Tomáš Halík teaches that God requires us to persevere with our doubts, carry them in our hearts, and allow them to lead us to maturity. For Halík, patience is the main difference between faith and atheism. Faith, hope, and love are three aspects of patience in the face of God’s silence, which is interpreted as “the death of God” by atheists and is not taken seriously enough by fundamentalists. Using the gospel story of Jesus’s encounter with Zacchaeus, Halík issues an invitation to all people who stand (like Zacchaeus did) on the sideline—curious but noncommittal. The fact that Jesus gravitated to the poor and the marginalized means that he also has a special place in his heart for diligent seekers on the margins of the community of believers.
Truth in Translation
Author: Jason BeDuhn
Publisher: University Press of America
ISBN: 9780761825562
Category : Bibles
Languages : en
Pages : 224
Book Description
Truth in Translation is a critical study of Biblical translation, assessing the accuracy of nine English versions of the New Testament in wide use today. By looking at passages where theological investment is at a premium, the author demonstrates that many versions deviate from accurate translation under the pressure of theological bias.
Publisher: University Press of America
ISBN: 9780761825562
Category : Bibles
Languages : en
Pages : 224
Book Description
Truth in Translation is a critical study of Biblical translation, assessing the accuracy of nine English versions of the New Testament in wide use today. By looking at passages where theological investment is at a premium, the author demonstrates that many versions deviate from accurate translation under the pressure of theological bias.
Making Transcendents
Author: Robert Ford Campany
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
ISBN: 0824833333
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 322
Book Description
Honorable Mention, Joseph Levenson Prize (pre-1900 category), Association for Asian Studies By the middle of the third century B.C.E. in China there were individuals who sought to become transcendents (xian)—deathless, godlike beings endowed with supernormal powers. This quest for transcendence became a major form of religious expression and helped lay the foundation on which the first Daoist religion was built. Both xian and those who aspired to this exalted status in the centuries leading up to 350 C.E. have traditionally been portrayed as secretive and hermit-like figures. This groundbreaking study offers a very different view of xian-seekers in late classical and early medieval China. It suggests that transcendence did not involve a withdrawal from society but rather should be seen as a religious role situated among other social roles and conceived in contrast to them. Robert Campany argues that the much-discussed secrecy surrounding ascetic disciplines was actually one important way in which practitioners presented themselves to others. He contends, moreover, that many adepts were not socially isolated at all but were much sought after for their power to heal the sick, divine the future, and narrate their exotic experiences. The book moves from a description of the roles of xian and xian-seekers to an account of how individuals filled these roles, whether by their own agency or by others’—or, often, by both. Campany summarizes the repertoire of features that constituted xian roles and presents a detailed example of what analyses of those cultural repertoires look like. He charts the functions of a basic dialectic in the self-presentations of adepts and examines their narratives and relations with others, including family members and officials. Finally, he looks at hagiographies as attempts to persuade readers as to the identities and reputations of past individuals. His interpretation of these stories allows us to see how reputations were shaped and even co-opted—sometimes quite surprisingly—into the ranks of xian. Making Transcendents provides a nuanced discussion that draws on a sophisticated grasp of diverse theoretical sources while being thoroughly grounded in traditional Chinese hagiographical, historiographical, and scriptural texts. The picture it presents of the quest for transcendence as a social phenomenon in early medieval China is original and provocative, as is the paradigm it offers for understanding the roles of holy persons in other societies.
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
ISBN: 0824833333
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 322
Book Description
Honorable Mention, Joseph Levenson Prize (pre-1900 category), Association for Asian Studies By the middle of the third century B.C.E. in China there were individuals who sought to become transcendents (xian)—deathless, godlike beings endowed with supernormal powers. This quest for transcendence became a major form of religious expression and helped lay the foundation on which the first Daoist religion was built. Both xian and those who aspired to this exalted status in the centuries leading up to 350 C.E. have traditionally been portrayed as secretive and hermit-like figures. This groundbreaking study offers a very different view of xian-seekers in late classical and early medieval China. It suggests that transcendence did not involve a withdrawal from society but rather should be seen as a religious role situated among other social roles and conceived in contrast to them. Robert Campany argues that the much-discussed secrecy surrounding ascetic disciplines was actually one important way in which practitioners presented themselves to others. He contends, moreover, that many adepts were not socially isolated at all but were much sought after for their power to heal the sick, divine the future, and narrate their exotic experiences. The book moves from a description of the roles of xian and xian-seekers to an account of how individuals filled these roles, whether by their own agency or by others’—or, often, by both. Campany summarizes the repertoire of features that constituted xian roles and presents a detailed example of what analyses of those cultural repertoires look like. He charts the functions of a basic dialectic in the self-presentations of adepts and examines their narratives and relations with others, including family members and officials. Finally, he looks at hagiographies as attempts to persuade readers as to the identities and reputations of past individuals. His interpretation of these stories allows us to see how reputations were shaped and even co-opted—sometimes quite surprisingly—into the ranks of xian. Making Transcendents provides a nuanced discussion that draws on a sophisticated grasp of diverse theoretical sources while being thoroughly grounded in traditional Chinese hagiographical, historiographical, and scriptural texts. The picture it presents of the quest for transcendence as a social phenomenon in early medieval China is original and provocative, as is the paradigm it offers for understanding the roles of holy persons in other societies.
Ibn Al' Arabi
Author: Ibn al-ʻArabī
Publisher: Paulist Press
ISBN: 9780809123315
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 324
Book Description
The great 13th century Muslim philosopher explores the mysteries of divine love and wisdom, using the symbolic examples of Biblical figures, prophets and holy men, from Adam to Muhammad.
Publisher: Paulist Press
ISBN: 9780809123315
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 324
Book Description
The great 13th century Muslim philosopher explores the mysteries of divine love and wisdom, using the symbolic examples of Biblical figures, prophets and holy men, from Adam to Muhammad.