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This book sets out major beliefs and practices which form Hinduism today. It is about living religion - what it is to be Hindu in today's world. It depicts the rich colour and diversity of the many dimensions of Hinduism and deals with the fundamental beliefs which underpin the religion. Contents include the Hindu concept of God; samsara, the cycle of reincarnation; karma, the law of course and effect; dharma, what is right; moksa, the final goal of enlightenment. Hindu scriptures include sruti and smrti literature, the Mahabharat, The Bhagavad Gita and the Ramayana. There is a chapter on Gods and Goddesses: Vishnu the Preserver, Krishna, Siva, the auspicious Ganesh, and the Mother Goddess. Other chapters explain worship in the home and temple, Hindu sysbols, food and caste, festivals and pilgrimages, and life cycles in the Hindu family - particularly, birth, marriages and death. The history and tradition of Hinduism is dealt with in relation to the Indus valley civilization, the Vedic period, the Vedanta, and devotional Hinduism. The book contains a glossary of Hindu terms.
Gives a brief outline of humanistic trends in the past to provide a historical basis for an examination of Humanism in the contemporary world, then discusses the nature and potential of the human being, the Humanist case against religion, the individual in society, and the distinctive Humanist moral stance obtained independently of religion. Examines rational and reasoned analysis of empirical knowledge as the basis of Humanism, and looks at three issues Humanists have been involved with in the past--genetics, abortion, and euthanasia. Also describes Humanist ceremonies for life passages. Distributed by ISBS. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
This book examines the early teachings of Buddhism associated with the life of the Buddha, Siddhatta Gotama. In these teachings, the Buddha put forward his famous Four Noble Truths concerning the nature of suffering, its causes, the Truth that it can be overcome, and a pathway to end suffering. The suffering experienced in the contemporary coronavirus pandemic may seem to be very distant from the Buddhas message delivered over two thousand years ago, but the teaching of the Four Noble Truths is as relevant today as it was all that time ago. So this book melds the two, occasionally with discrete treatment of past and present but ever cognizant of the ways in which the teachings of the past in...
The six major orthodox schools of philosophical thought in Hinduism, known as the orthodox darsanas, are concerned with the nature of reality and it is this theme which unites them. The text begins by analyzing the concept of knowledge, and what constitutes real knowledge. Four topics - the self, causality, the concept of God, and liberation - are then examined.
Originally published in 1997 -- "A wonderful balance of detail and clarity with excellent introductory essays on the Indus Valley civilization, the Vedic Period, the Upanishads, and devotional Hinduism," Religious Studies Review; Choice Outstanding Academic Book - selling over 10,000 copies, and now revised and expanded to two volumes (Volume I: Major Deities and Social Structures) Herewith an outstanding introduction to the development of the religion of Hinduism from earliest times. While historical tradition is explored from as far back as pre-Aryan times in the fascinating ancient civilization that existed in India a few thousand years BCE, later expressions of religion and philosophy th...
An introduction to theologians who greatly affected Christian thought includes portraits of Paul, Origen, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, Friedrich Schleiermacher, and Karl Barth
In this new translation and commentary, LaFargue interprets the concept of "Tao" in the Tao Te Ching as a spiritual state of mind cultivated in a particular school in ancient China‚ a state of mind which also expressed itself in a simple but satisfying life-style, and in a low-key but effective style of political leadership. The interpretation offered here is not only historically accurate, but also conveys the spiritual depth of the Tao Te Ching and its contemporary relevance. The translation is made transparent by a design that presents all of the commentary on the page facing the relevant text.
William Buck's stirring retelling of a classic Indian epic--in its original Sanskrit, probably the largest epic ever composed.
This student textbook provides a detailed commentary on the important Hindu scripture of the Bhagavad Gita, which is a dialogue between Arjuna the man and Krishna the God. Major Hindu concepts are examined in depth, and the background to the Gita is presented in a comprehensive introduction. Yoga is the key feature of the Gita, but it has its own interpretation of what that yoga should be. Thus, yoga features not only in each of the pathways of knowledge, desireless action, and devotion, but also in the way in which the divine is understood. The chapters of the Bhagavad Gita therefore describe Arjuna's despondency, followed by: The Yoga of Sankhya * Action * Knowledge * Renunciation * Medita...