The Guru Challenge

The Guru Challenge PDF Author: Elmar Schenkel
Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand
ISBN: 3958170625
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 168

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Book Description
Indian Gurus remain an important issue in the contemporary world and affect politics, culture and commerce alike. This spiritual/economic figure has become a worldwide phenomenon, signalling that syncretism is taking place on a global scale. At the same time, the concept of the guru will remain a constant challenge to ideas of enlightenment and democracy. The present book focusses on this challenge presenting contributions from an interdisciplinary perspective. German, Indian and American scholars have explored guruism in tradition, economy and Jungian psychology as well as in contemporary literature, travel writing and film. Individual studies of gurus such as Ramana Maharshi or Osho/Bhagvan, but also Gandhi and Tolstoi furthermore illustrate the spiritual globalization that has been taking place over the last century.

The Guru Challenge

The Guru Challenge PDF Author: Elmar Schenkel
Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand
ISBN: 3958170625
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 168

Get Book Here

Book Description
Indian Gurus remain an important issue in the contemporary world and affect politics, culture and commerce alike. This spiritual/economic figure has become a worldwide phenomenon, signalling that syncretism is taking place on a global scale. At the same time, the concept of the guru will remain a constant challenge to ideas of enlightenment and democracy. The present book focusses on this challenge presenting contributions from an interdisciplinary perspective. German, Indian and American scholars have explored guruism in tradition, economy and Jungian psychology as well as in contemporary literature, travel writing and film. Individual studies of gurus such as Ramana Maharshi or Osho/Bhagvan, but also Gandhi and Tolstoi furthermore illustrate the spiritual globalization that has been taking place over the last century.

A Guru’s Journey

A Guru’s Journey PDF Author: Sarah Morelli
Publisher: University of Illinois Press
ISBN: 0252051726
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 259

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Book Description
An important modern exponent of Asian dance, Pandit Chitresh Das brought kathak to the United States in 1970. The North Indian classical dance has since become an important art form within the greater Indian diaspora. Yet its adoption outside of India raises questions about what happens to artistic practices when we separate them from their broader cultural contexts. A Guru's Journey provides an ethnographic study of the dance form in the San Francisco Bay Area community formed by Das. Sarah Morelli, a kathak dancer and one of Das's former students, investigates issues in teaching, learning, and performance that developed around Das during his time in the United States. In modifying kathak's form and teaching for Western students, Das negotiates questions of Indianness and non-Indianness, gender, identity, and race. Morelli lays out these issues for readers with the goal of deepening their knowledge of kathak aesthetics, technique, and theory. She also shares the intricacies of footwork, facial expression in storytelling, and other aspects of kathak while tying them to the cultural issues that inform the dance.

The Sikh Gurus

The Sikh Gurus PDF Author: Harish Dhillon
Publisher: Hay House, Inc
ISBN: 9384544450
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 299

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Book Description
A comprehensive, compelling, and insightful narrative that traces the birth, the growth, and the spread of Sikhism – one of the world’s most dynamic and progressive religions. In this perceptive work, Dr Harish Dhillon highlights the lives and times of the ten Sikh Gurus, beginning with Guru Nanak, who founded Sikhism in 1469, and ending with Guru Gobind Singh, who established the Khalsa Panth in 1699. It throws light on how the Gurus acquired profound knowledge and wisdom, which they sought to pass on to the common people through their teachings. Their life histories show how they sincerely practised what they preached and how they led by example. Apart from these, it recounts the enormous sacrifices the Gurus made to keep the faith going. In addition, the book gives elaborate details on how Sikhism has evolved over the centuries. This volume reveals the human side of the ‘Divine Gurus’ venerated not only by Sikhs, but also across various faiths in India and in other parts of the world. The contents in the book are intertwined with the underlying theme that the ideal religion (or faith) is one that is based on simplicity and keeps changing with the times, yet does not forget the very essence that it started with.

The Land of a Thousand Bridges

The Land of a Thousand Bridges PDF Author: Nana Aberdeen
Publisher: Partridge Publishing Singapore
ISBN: 1543767095
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 458

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Book Description
A long time ago, in the Nation of Asyea-Rei, a devastating civil war broke out that almost destroyed the peaceful and prospering country. Due to its sensitive nature of conflict, the present rulers had decided to censure the story, never again heard by its new generation. However, several mystic Elders secretly hid the entire narrative throughout the vast and enchanting country, with the hope that it will be recovered and set as a reminder of Asyea-Rei’s past crimes one day. This is a story of liberating those lost tales. A hidden account of three authoritative families whose transgression sparked the conflict, bearing malignant scars to the Nation forever. Set in a mystical Asia, this is a story of hallowed bridges and mysterious kingdoms, of dark family secrets, magical spells, and fascinating beasts – Behold a forbidden story unlocked and evoked within Asyea-Rei, The Land of a Thousand Bridges.

Destroying the World to Save It

Destroying the World to Save It PDF Author: Robert Jay Lifton
Publisher: Metropolitan Books
ISBN: 146682784X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 388

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Book Description
National Book Award winner and renowned psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton reveals a world at risk from millennial cults intent on ending it all. Since the earliest moments of recorded history, prophets and gurus have foretold the world's end, but only in the nuclear age has it been possible for a megalomaniac guru with a world-ending vision to bring his prophecy to pass. Now Robert Jay Lifton offers a vivid and disturbing case in point in this chilling exploration of Aum Shinrikyo, the Japanese cult that released sarin nerve gas in the Tokyo subways. With unprecedented access to former Aum members, Lifton has produced a pathbreaking study of the inner life of a modern millennial cult. He shows how Aum's guru Shoko Asahara (charismatic spiritual leader, con man, madman) created a religion from a global stew of New Age thinking, ancient rituals, and apocalyptic science fiction, then recruited scientists as disciples and set them to producing weapons of mass destruction. Taking stock as well of Charles Manson, Heaven's Gate, and the Oklahoma City bombers, Lifton confronts the frightening possibility of a twenty-first century in which cults and terrorists may be able to bring about their own holocausts. Bold and compelling, Destroying the World to Save It charts the emergence of a new global threat of urgent concern to us all.

Renunciation

Renunciation PDF Author: John D. Barbour
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1621898865
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 274

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Book Description
Traveling in New Mexico in 1971, Will George converts to Bhakti Dharma, a new religious movement influenced by Hinduism and Sikh tradition. Returning to his home in Minnesota, he renounces his previous life, provoking a crisis for everyone in his family. Peter, Will's older brother, is a graduate student at the University of Chicago who studies early Christian asceticism partly to understand his brother's devotion. He gains insight into kundalini yoga, gender roles in the ashram, the guru's charisma, and events such as Jonestown and controversies about Hare Krishna. In Thailand Peter has a profound encounter during a Buddhist meditation retreat. Meanwhile, Will's religious search continues in India, where he dies in suspicious circumstances. Peter retraces his brother's steps to investigate his death and wrestles with what it means to be his brother's keeper. The developing relationship between the two brothers dramatizes the theme of renunciation, as expressed both in explicit religious vows and in other choices they make. Acts of renunciation reveal a longing for sacrifice and self-transcendence, and sometimes also a dangerous and destructive urge. This novel explores how family relationships and religious commitments conflict, intertwine, and shape each other.

The Sikh Review

The Sikh Review PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Sikhism
Languages : en
Pages : 1052

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Book Description


The Graceful Guru

The Graceful Guru PDF Author: Karen Pechilis
Publisher:
ISBN: 0195145372
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
A distinctive aspect of Hindu devotion is the veneration of a human guru, who is not only an exemplar and a teacher but is also understood to be an embodiment of the divine. Historically, the role of guru in the public domain has been exclusive to men. The new visibility of female gurus in India and the U.S. today, and indeed across the globe, has inspired this first-ever scholarly study of the origins, variety, and worldwide popularity of Hindu female gurus. In the Introduction, Karen Pechilis examines the historical emergence of Hindu female gurus with reference to the Hindu philosophy of the self, women spiritual exemplars as wives and saints, Tantric worship of the Goddess, and the internationalization of gurus in the U.S. in the twentieth century. Nine essays profile specific female gurus, presenting biographies of these remarkable women while highlighting overarching issues and themes concerning women's status as religious leaders; these themes are nuanced in the afterword to the volume. The essays explore how Hindu female gurus embody grace in both senses--as a feminine ideal and an attribute of the divine-and argue that their status as leaders is grounded in their negotiation of these two types of grace. This book provides biographical profiles of the following female gurus plus sensitive scholarly analysis of their spiritual paths: Ammachi, Anandamayi Ma, Gauri Ma, Gurumayi, Jayashri Ma, Karunamayi Ma, Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati, Mother Meera, Shree Maa and Sita Devi.

The Challenges of Justice in Diverse Societies

The Challenges of Justice in Diverse Societies PDF Author: Meena K. Bhamra
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317039092
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 421

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Book Description
In the urgency to respond to the challenges posed by diversity in contemporary societies, the discussion of normative foundations is often overlooked. This book takes that important first step, and offers new ways of thinking about diversity. Its contribution to an ongoing dialogue in this field lies in the construction of a normative framework which endeavours to better understand the challenges of justice in diverse societies. By applying this normative framework to specific and broader examples of injustices in the spheres of religion, culture, race, ethnicity, gender and nationality, the book demonstrates how constitutional pluralist discourses can contribute both to new and legal responses to diversity. The book will be of interest to legal professionals, policy makers, law students and scholars concerned with exploring diversity in the 21st century.

Hinduism: Challenges | Interaction with Buddhism, Jainism and The Greeks

Hinduism: Challenges | Interaction with Buddhism, Jainism and The Greeks PDF Author: Ashok Mishra
Publisher: StoryMirror Infotech Pvt Ltd
ISBN: 9360705233
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 366

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Book Description
. Embark on a journey tracing Hinduism's evolution from Vedic rituals to modern practices, revealing a seamless continuity despite apparent change. . Witness ancient mantras echoing in contemporary ceremonies, bridging the gap between millennia. . Explore the etymology of "Hindu" and its alignment with "Sanatana Dharma," encapsulating timeless principles of righteous living. . Discover Hinduism's encounters with Jainism, Buddhism, and the influence of Alexander the Great, shaping its diverse identity. Marvel at Hinduism's adaptability, absorbing and assimilating diverse ideologies over centuries. . Beyond a religion, Hinduism embodies Dharma—the righteous path to spiritual liberation. In this dynamic interplay of cultures and beliefs, Hinduism emerges as a beacon of inclusivity and adaptation.