Annual Editions: World Religions 03/04 - Brossura

Lamb, Ramdas

Brossura

ISBN 10: 0072548681 ISBN 13: 9780072548686

Casa editrice: McGraw-Hill Education, 2002

Riassunto

This new Annual Editions reader provides a compilation of current articles from public press sources. These selections address the foundations of religion, alternative paths, and religion in the modern world -including Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Judaism. A student Web site, Dushkin Online (http://www.dushkin.com/online) provides a newsfeed, links to related sites, and more!

Su questo libro

L'autore:

Associate Professor and Graduate Chair. Ph.D. 1991, University of California at Santa Barbara. Methodologies in religious studies, Mysticism, Indian Religions. Specializes in Ram Bhakti, Untouchable religions, contemporary religions and fieldwork studies in both South Asia and Hawaii. Publications include: Rapt in the Name: Ramnamis, Ramnam, and Untouchable Religion in Central India; and Personalizing the Ramayan: Ramnamis and Their Use of the Ramcaritmanas.

Contenuti:

UNIT 1. Understanding Religion

1. The “Comparative” Study of Religion, Ninian Smart, from Worldviews: Crosscultural Explorations of Human Beliefs, Prentice Hall, 1999

In order for students to undertake a comparative study of the religions of the world, certain presuppositions need to be suspended, and certain cross-cultural considerations must be made. The goal is for students to learn a “structured empathy” that will open them to a greater understanding of religion.

2. Body Ritual Among the Nacirema, Horace Miner, American Anthropologist, June 1956

The ritual beliefs and taboos of the Nacirema provide a fascinating example of the difficulty in understanding others’ beliefs and practices.

3. Baseball Magic, George Gmelch, McGraw-Hill/Dushkin, September 2000

Rituals, taboos, and fetishes play important roles in the way people interact with the world around them. From the fisherman of the Trobriand Islands to professional baseball players in America, individuals often look to such devices to magically improve their chances for success in life.

4. Each Religion Expresses an Important Part of the Truth, Raimundo Panikkar, The Intrareligious Dialogue, Paulist Press, 1978

The author posits that, just as a good translator needs to understand a native speaker’s insight into a language, in the same way a student of religion needs to understand a tradition from a believer’s point of view. The goal should be to learn and appreciate each tradition’s unique characteristics.

UNIT 2. Oral and Indigenous Religions

5. Sun Mother Wakes the World: Australian Aborigine, Diane Wolkstein, Parabola, February 1999

For Australian Aborigines, the Sun Mother is responsible for the creation of the world by waking it at the beginning of time. She gave it to the first woman and the first man, calling it their “Dreaming.” Each morning she renews creation.

6. First Tale, George M. Mullett, from Spider Woman Stories: Legends of the Hopi Indians, University of Arizona Press, 1979

In a Hopi creation myth, the original two beings were the Sun God and the Earth Goddess. From them came all other things that exist, including Earth.

7. Kalevala: An Epic Poem That Gave Birth to a Nation, Ann Bahr, The Brookings Register, February 21, 2002

What makes a people, a nation, distinct from all others? In the case of the Finns, it was the Kalevala, an epic poem filled with magic, drama, and romance.

8. Becoming Part of It, Joseph Epes Brown, Parabola, August 1982

Native American beliefs and practices focus largely on connectedness, with each other and with the world around them. These connections are created and maintained through rituals such as the smoking of a pipe or a painting in the sand.

9. Veve: The Sacred Symbol of Vodoun, Lilith Dorsey, Parabola, February 1999

A veve is a sacred symbol of African origin that is used by the practitioners of Haitian Vodoun. Drawn on the ground, each veve is used as a conduit between humans and a particular spirit. They have found a place of great importance in contemporary Vodoun.

10. The Hula in Hawaiian Life and Thought, John Charlot, Honolulu, November/December 1979

For traditional Hawaiians, hula is a sacred activity, its origin is in ecstatic prayer, It uses movement and chant to communicate with spirits, humans, and the cosmos.

UNIT 3. India: Jainism, Hinduism, and Sikhism

11. Ancient Jewel, T. R. (Joe) Sundaram, The World & I, October 1996

India has one of the oldest surviving cultures and religions. It has given birth to Hinduism, Buddhism, and other traditions. Its concepts of divinity, reality, and acceptance have been among its greatest contributions to the world.

12. The Jain Deities, Rev. E. Osborn Martin, from Lord Mahavira in the Eyes of Foreigners, New Delhi: Meena Bharati, 1975

Jainism is one of the earliest religious traditions of India. While it has things in common with Buddhism and Hinduism, it is unique in its emphasis on nonviolence.

13. Seeing the Sacred, Diana L. Eck, from Darsan: Seeing the Divine Image in India, Anima Books, 1985

Fundamental to the practice of Hinduism is darsan, which refers to a visual perception of the divine—an image, a temple, a holy place, or a saintly being. Because Hindus believe in an ever-present divinity, any place, thing, or being can be a medium through which a perception or vision can occur.

14. The Hindu Ethic of Nonviolence, Hinduism Today, February 1996

Amidst the increasing violence in the contemporary world, the concept of ahimsa, or nonviolence, is not only ethical but practical. Ahimsa has been integral to the history and development of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and it is viewed by these traditions as a necessary means to find peace.

15. The Sacred Is the One True Reality of Brahman, Swami Nikhilananda, from Enduring Issues in Religion, Greenhaven Press, 1995

For Hindus, Brahman is the absolute, combining the transcendental and phenomenal aspects of reality. It is beyond human understanding; therefore, attempts at comprehension can only be through limited conceptualizations.

UNIT 4. Buddhism

16. The Beginnings of Buddhism, Ian Mabbett, History Today, January 2002

For 2,500 years, the life and teachings of the Buddha have been a source of guidance and inspiration for his followers. Although there is an important focus on monastic life, the tradition has long found followers from many quarters.

17. The Marrow of Zen, Shunryu Suzuki, from Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, Weatherhill, 1973

The goal of Zen Buddhism is not to become the best mediator; it is about using one’s imperfections and difficulties as vehicles for finding one’s true self and the essence of Zen.

18. An Essential Commitment, J. L. Walker, Parabola, Fall 2000

In Tibetan Buddhism the role of the teacher is one of great sanctity and power. Symbolized as a Refuge Tree, Tibetan Buddhists traditionally see the teacher as the ultimate source of inspiration.

19. “Shinran and Jodoshinshu”, Hisao Inagaki, Inaugural Lecture for the Numata Chair at Leiden University, April 7, 1992

Although far less known in the West than Zen, the Jodoshin school is the largest denomination of Japanese Buddhism. This article gives an overview of its history, beliefs, and some stories of its adherents.

20. Buddhism and Abortion: “The Way to Memorialize One’s Mizuko”, William R. LaFleur, from Religions of Japan in Practice, Princeton University Press, 1999

Japanese Buddhist institutions have had to confront the increasing prevalence of abortion. Many have developed rituals through which feelings surrounding abortion and miscarriages are acknowledged and addressed.

UNIT 5. Religions of China and Japan (Non-Buddhist)

21. Confucius, Jonathan D. Spence, The Wilson Quarterly, Autumn 1993

Confucian ideas have maintained a place in Chinese thought and life since Confucius preached them. During the past two decades, his humanity and wisdom have inspired a new generation of scholars to try to recapture something of his essence.

22. Stories from an Illustrated Explanation of the Tract of the Most Exalted on Action and Response, Catherine Bell, from Religions of China in Practice, Princeton University Press, 1996

Morality has long been an integral element in China’s religious culture. This led to a view of writing, copying, and even distribution of morality books as virtue-creating acts. Various tales relate the miraculous effects of these acts.

23. Asceticism in Early Taoist Religion: Introduction, Stephen Eskildsen, from Asceticism in Early Taoist Religion, SUNY Press, 1998

Asceticism is an integral part of most Asian religious traditions. However, unlike their Hindu and Buddhist counterparts who traditionally sought to get beyond bodily attachments and desires, Taoist ascetics sought physical immortality. Seen in this light, they present an important and little understood aspects of Asian religion.

24. Izanagi-No-Mikoto and Izanami-No-Mikoto, Goro Kajimura, from The Myths of Izumo, Shimane: Hokosho Company, Inc. 1978

The Kojiki is the most important textual source of early Shinto. It tells the story of creation: the first couple, the islands of Japan, and the kami, or spirits.

25. Japanese Religions in the New Millennium, Michiko Yusa, from Japanese Religious Traditions, Prentice Hall, March 2002

During the last several decades in Japan, religious beliefs and practices have taken many new shapes.<...

Su questa edizione

• Editore: McGraw-Hill Education
• Data di pubblicazione: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0072548681
• ISBN 13: 9780072548686
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile
• Numero di pagine: 223