The Link with Nature and Divine Meditations in Asia

The Link with Nature and Divine Meditations in Asia PDF Author: Bernard Formoso
Publisher: Berghahn Books
ISBN: 9781571811219
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 180

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Book Description
Peasant societies in many parts of the world regulate their relationship with the natural environment through earth gods who anchor a group of families not in genealogical terms, as in the case of ancestors, but in ecological terms. The articles in this volume illustrate the role of, and the cultural activities surrounding, the earth gods in rural communities in Asian societies. More specifically, they show that, within the Asian context, it is possible to differentiate between two modes representing the earth gods and the relationship with nature, i.e., one that corresponds to state societies and the other to tribal ones.

The Link with Nature and Divine Meditations in Asia

The Link with Nature and Divine Meditations in Asia PDF Author: Bernard Formoso
Publisher: Berghahn Books
ISBN: 9781571811219
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 180

Get Book Here

Book Description
Peasant societies in many parts of the world regulate their relationship with the natural environment through earth gods who anchor a group of families not in genealogical terms, as in the case of ancestors, but in ecological terms. The articles in this volume illustrate the role of, and the cultural activities surrounding, the earth gods in rural communities in Asian societies. More specifically, they show that, within the Asian context, it is possible to differentiate between two modes representing the earth gods and the relationship with nature, i.e., one that corresponds to state societies and the other to tribal ones.

Shamanism

Shamanism PDF Author: Merete Demant Jakobsen
Publisher: Berghahn Books
ISBN: 1789200490
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 300

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Book Description
Shamanism has always been of great interest to anthropologists. More recently it has been "discovered" by westerners, especially New Age followers. This book breaks new ground byexamining pristine shamanism in Greenland, among people contacted late by Western missionaries and settlers. On the basis of material only available in Danish, and presented herein English for the first time, the author questions Mircea Eliade's well-known definition of the shaman as the master of ecstasy and suggests that his role has to be seen as that of a master of spirits. The ambivalent nature of the shaman and the spirit world in the tough Arctic environment is then contrasted with the more benign attitude to shamanism in the New Age movement. After presenting descriptions of their organizations and accounts by participants, the author critically analyses the role of neo-shamanic courses and concludes that it is doubtful to consider what isoffered as shamanism.

Asian Traditions of Meditation

Asian Traditions of Meditation PDF Author: Halvor Eifring
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
ISBN: 0824876679
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 273

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Book Description
Meditation has flourished in different parts of the world ever since the foundations of the great civilizations were laid. It played a vital role in the formation of Asian cultures that trace much of their heritage to ancient India and China. This volume brings together for the first time studies of the major traditions of Asian meditation as well as material on scientific approaches to meditation. It delves deeply into the individual traditions while viewing each of them from a global perspective, examining both historical and generic connections between meditative practices from numerous historical periods and different parts of the Eurasian continent. It seeks to identify the cultural and historical peculiarities of Asian schools of meditation while recognizing basic features of meditative practice across cultures, thereby taking the first step toward a framework for the comparative study of meditation. The book, accessibly written by scholars from several fields, opens with chapters that discuss the definition and classification of meditation. These are followed by contributions on Yoga and Tantra, which are often subsumed under the broad label of Hinduism; Jainism and Sikhism, Indian traditions not usually associated with meditation; Buddhist approaches found in Southeast Asia, Tibet, and China; and the indigenous Chinese traditions, Daoism and Neo-Confucianism. The final chapter explores recent scientific interest in meditation, which, despite its Western orientation, remains almost exclusively concerned with practices of Asian origin. Until a few years ago a major obstacle to the study of specific meditation practices within the traditions explored here was a widespread scholarly orientation that prioritized doctrinal issues and sociocultural contexts over actual practice. The contributors seek to counter this bias and supplement concerns over doctrine and context with the historical study of meditative practice. Asian Traditions of Meditation will appeal broadly to readers interested in meditation, mindfulness, and spirituality and those in the emerging field of contemplative education, as well as students and scholars of Asian and religious studies.

Asian Traditions of Meditation

Asian Traditions of Meditation PDF Author: Halvor Eifring
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
ISBN: 082485571X
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 273

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Book Description
Meditation has flourished in different parts of the world ever since the foundations of the great civilizations were laid. It played a vital role in the formation of Asian cultures that trace much of their heritage to ancient India and China. This volume brings together for the first time studies of the major traditions of Asian meditation as well as material on scientific approaches to meditation. It delves deeply into the individual traditions while viewing each of them from a global perspective, examining both historical and generic connections between meditative practices from numerous historical periods and different parts of the Eurasian continent. It seeks to identify the cultural and historical peculiarities of Asian schools of meditation while recognizing basic features of meditative practice across cultures, thereby taking the first step toward a framework for the comparative study of meditation. The book, accessibly written by scholars from several fields, opens with chapters that discuss the definition and classification of meditation. These are followed by contributions on Yoga and Tantra, which are often subsumed under the broad label of Hinduism; Jainism and Sikhism, Indian traditions not usually associated with meditation; Buddhist approaches found in Southeast Asia, Tibet, and China; and the indigenous Chinese traditions, Daoism and Neo-Confucianism. The final chapter explores recent scientific interest in meditation, which, despite its Western orientation, remains almost exclusively concerned with practices of Asian origin. Until a few years ago a major obstacle to the study of specific meditation practices within the traditions explored here was a widespread scholarly orientation that prioritized doctrinal issues and sociocultural contexts over actual practice. The contributors seek to counter this bias and supplement concerns over doctrine and context with the historical study of meditative practice. Asian Traditions of Meditation will appeal broadly to readers interested in meditation, mindfulness, and spirituality and those in the emerging field of contemplative education, as well as students and scholars of Asian and religious studies.

Meditation and Piety in the Far East

Meditation and Piety in the Far East PDF Author: Karl Ludvig Reichelt
Publisher: James Clarke & Co.
ISBN: 9780227172353
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 176

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Book Description
The result of more than forty years of intimate contact with the 'religious elite' of the Far East, Dr. Reichelt's book is a study of a too-often remote and unknown world. For the western reader this study reveals the life of the East Asia religious communities, their sanctuaries, sacred writings and daily discipline. These non-Christian religions present a massive front of tradition and dogma, which so far the Christian faith has rarely penetrated. This engaging book is comprehensive in its scope. The author examines the meditation traditions of Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism and Yoga in detail, drawing on his first-hand experiences. Karl Ludvig Reichelt was one of the few gifted interpreters of the East to the West, who knew the mind of the East Asia religions, and had the respect of their leaders.

Classic Asian Philosophy

Classic Asian Philosophy PDF Author: Joel Kupperman
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 9780195189810
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 210

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Book Description
"This is a second, revised edition of Kupperman's introduction to Asian philosophy via its canonical texts. Ranging from the Upanishads to the Bhagavad Gita, through Confucius to Zen Buddhism, Kupperman walks students through the most important texts of Asian philosophy, conveying the vitality and appeal of the works, and explaining their philosophical roots. This second edition includes revisions and updates throughout the text, clarifying where necessary, and a brand new chapter on al-Arabi's The Bezels of Wisdom, a classic of Islamic Sufism. Classic Asian Philosophy is a highly useful aid to students in philosophy, religion, or Asian studies courses who are studying these fascinating bust complex texts, as well as laypersons or specialists in other areas who need assistance in understanding them."--Page 4 de la couverture.

The Trinity in Asian Perspective

The Trinity in Asian Perspective PDF Author: Jung Young Lee
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 264

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Book Description
In order to grasp this fact, we need different conceptual categories, not only with which to view God, but all of reality.

Living with Nature

Living with Nature PDF Author: Frank Fischer
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191522422
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 284

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Book Description
Despite the optimism of the `Earth Summit' held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the politics of environmental sustainable development has reached an impasse. Why do issues of environmental protection continue to take a back seat to economic competition, particularly in the international realm? Once the environmental problem was widely recognised, it was held that consensus could be reached. In practice, however, the development of sustainability had often continued to merely extend earlier technocratic practices and solutions, which fail to take into consideration the specific cultural questions. Living With Nature seeks to place the question of the dynamics of environmental crisis within a socio-cultural dimension of the existing economic and political institutions. The book argues for a need to find a new balance between a theoretical analysis of the debate and an appreciation of local circumstances, norms and knowledge. Politically, it implies an implicit understanding of the way in which we live together with nature.

Love Letter to the Earth

Love Letter to the Earth PDF Author: Thich Nhat Hanh
Publisher: Parallax Press
ISBN: 1937006387
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 146

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Book Description
World-renowned Zen monk Thich Nhat Hanh champions a more mindful, spiritual approach to protecting nature and limiting climate change—one that recognizes people and planet as one and the same. While many experts point to the enormous complexity in addressing issues ranging from the destruction of ecosystems to the loss of millions of species, Thich Nhat Hanh identifies one key issue as having the potential to create a tipping point. He believes that we need to move beyond the concept of the “environment,” as it leads people to experience themselves and Earth as two separate entities and to see the planet only in terms of what it can do for them. Here, Thich Nhat Hanh points to the lack of meaning and connection in peoples’ lives as being the cause of our addiction to consumerism. He deems it vital that we recognize and respond to the stress we are putting on the Earth if civilization is to survive. Rejecting the conventional economic approach, Thich Nhat Hanh shows that mindfulness and a spiritual revolution are needed to protect nature and limit climate change. Love Letter to the Earth is a hopeful book that gives us a path to follow by showing that change is possible only with the recognition that people and the planet are ultimately one and the same.

Ancient India’s Myths and Beliefs

Ancient India’s Myths and Beliefs PDF Author: Charles Phillips
Publisher: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc
ISBN: 1448860482
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 145

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Book Description
The greatest myths of India, drawn from the sacred texts and traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism are presented for readers. The Indian gods and goddesses portrayed in this colorful mythology are creators and protectors, but often they are also warriors and destroyers, particularly when fighting demons. Supported by beautiful Indian art works and full-color photography, the text shows readers how these ancient tales helped Indians explain creation, birth, death, love, and the purpose of humans' earthly life.