Download or read book The Buddha s Wizards written by Thomas Nathan Patton and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2018-10-16 with total page 207 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Wizards with magical powers to heal the sick, possess the bodies of their followers, and defend their tradition against outside threats are far from the typical picture of Buddhism. Yet belief in wizard-saints who protect their devotees and intervene in the world is widespread among Burmese Buddhists. The Buddha’s Wizards is a historically informed ethnographic study that explores the supernatural landscape of Buddhism in Myanmar to explain the persistence of wizardry as a form of lived religion in the modern era. Thomas Nathan Patton explains the world of wizards, spells, and supernatural powers in terms of both the broader social, political, and religious context and the intimate roles that wizards play in people’s everyday lives. He draws on affect theory, material and visual culture, long-term participant observation, and the testimonies of the devout to show how devotees perceive the protective power of wizard-saints. Patton considers beliefs and practices associated with wizards to be forms of defending Buddhist traditions from colonial and state power and culturally sanctioned responses to restrictive gender roles. The book also offers a new lens on the political struggles and social transformations that have taken place in Myanmar in recent years. Featuring close attention to the voices of individual wizard devotees and the wizards themselves, The Buddha’s Wizards provides a striking new look at a little-known aspect of Buddhist belief that helps expand our ways of thinking about the daily experience of lived religious practices.

Download or read book Champions of Buddhism written by Kate Crosby and published by NUS Press. This book was released on 2014-05-14 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hidden at the margins of Burmese Buddhism and culture, the cults of the weikza shape Burmese culture by bringing together practices of supernatural power and a mission to protect Buddhism. This exciting new research on an often hidden aspect of Burmese religion places weikza in relation to the Vipassana insight meditation movement and conventional Buddhist practices, as well as the contemporary rise of Buddhist fundamentalism. Featuring research based on fieldwork only possible in recent years, paired with reflective essays by senior Buddhist studies scholars, this book situates the weikza cult in relation to broader Buddhist and Southeast Asian contexts, offering interpretations and investigations as rich and diverse as the Burmese expressions of the weikza cults themselves. Champions of Buddhism opens the field to new questions, new problems, and new connections with the study of religion and Southeast Asia in general.

Download or read book The Book of English Magic written by Philip Carr-Gomm and published by Abrams. This book was released on 2010-10-14 with total page 550 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A guide to England’s rich history of magical lore and practice “for readers of works like Harry Potter who have grown up a bit into wanting to know more” (The Hermetic Library). Through experiments to try and places to visit, as well as a historical exploration of magic and interviews with leading magicians, The Book of English Magic will introduce you to the extraordinary world that lies beneath the surface. Magic runs through the veins of English history, part of daily life from the earliest Arthurian legends to Aleister Crowley to the novels of Tolkien and Philip Pullman, and from the Druids to Freemasonry and beyond. Richly illustrated and deeply knowledgeable, this book is an invaluable source for anyone curious about magic and wizardry, or for sophisticated practitioners seeking to expand their knowledge. “Playful and serious, respectful and amused . . . this will remain the standard work for years to come.” —The Sunday Telegraph “A magical mystery tour.” —The Times “Fabulous.” —Daily Express “Lucid and wonderfully easy to read . . . While it is indeed a perfect book for the ‘intelligent novice’ it’s far more than that—it’s a serious, in-depth survey of a massive topic.” —WitchVox “An accessible and immensely readable book . . . A fascinating insight into a hidden world.” —Booksquawk

Download or read book Buddhist Magic written by Sam van Schaik and published by Shambhala Publications. This book was released on 2020-07-28 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A fascinating exploration of the role that magic has played in the history of Buddhism As far back as we can see in the historical record, Buddhist monks and nuns have offered services including healing, divination, rain making, aggressive magic, and love magic to local clients. Studying this history, scholar Sam van Schaik concludes that magic and healing have played a key role in Buddhism's flourishing, yet they have rarely been studied in academic circles or by Western practitioners. The exclusion of magical practices and powers from most discussions of Buddhism in the modern era can be seen as part of the appropriation of Buddhism by Westerners, as well as an effect of modernization movements within Asian Buddhism. However, if we are to understand the way Buddhism has worked in the past, the way it still works now in many societies, and the way it can work in the future, we need to examine these overlooked aspects of Buddhist practice. In Buddhist Magic, van Schaik takes a book of spells and rituals--one of the earliest that has survived--from the Silk Road site of Dunhuang as the key reference point for discussing Buddhist magic in Tibet and beyond. After situating Buddhist magic within a cross-cultural history of world magic, he discusses sources of magic in Buddhist scripture, early Buddhist rituals of protection, medicine and the spread of Buddhism, and magic users. Including material from across the vast array of Buddhist traditions, van Schaik offers readers a fascinating, nuanced view of a topic that has too long been ignored.

Download or read book Imagining the Course of Life written by Nancy Eberhardt and published by University of Hawaii Press. This book was released on 2006-01-01 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Imagining the Course of Life offers a rich portrait of rural life in contemporary Southeast Asia and an accessible introduction to the complexities of Theravada Buddhism as it is actually lived and experienced. It is both an ethnography of indigenous views of human development and a theoretical consideration of how any ethnopsychology is embedded in society and culture. Drawing on long-term fieldwork in a Shan village in northern Thailand, Nancy Eberhardt illustrates how indigenous theories of the life course are connected to local constructions of self and personhood. In the process, she draws our attention to contrasting models in the Euro-American tradition and invites us to reconsider how we think about the trajectory of a human life. Moving beyond the entrenched categories that can hamper our understanding of other views, Imagining the Course of Life demonstrates the real-life connections between the "religious" and the "psychological." Eberhardt shows how such beliefs and practices are used, sometimes strategically, in people's constructions of themselves, in their interpretations of others' behavior, and in their attempts at social positioning. Individual chapters explore Shan ideas about the overall course of human development, from infancy to old age and beyond, and show how these ideas inform people's understanding of personhood and maturity, gender and social inequality, illness and well-being, emotions and mental health.

Download or read book 42 Mind Seals written by Nathan Coppedge and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2015-04-04 with total page 54 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The concept is borrowed from several pages in The Blue Cliff Record, one of the most venerable Zen Master teachings. A mind seal is essentially a magical communication similar to the legendary magical papers which can be used only once. Only these can be used more than once. They have lasting effects that tend to be subtle, global, or personal, and are often permanent. Forty-two mind seals are included in this collection, including magical themes as basic as life and constitution and as abstruse as immortality, time travel, and perpetual motion. The book features the magical properties of each mind seal in perfect four-part sets for each example, proving that mind seals are objective phenomena which meet particular magical criteria. Readers will be pleased with the depth and vivaciousness of this work, which attempts to turn an abstruse subject from Zen Buddhism into another type of subject---one worthy of aspiring wizards, with sufficient technicalism to convey real magic. The statements, which range from single sentences to long paragraphs, are stated in quotations to mark them off from the descriptive matter. The book is recommended for anyone interested in the occult.

Download or read book Encyclopedia of Buddhism written by Damien Keown and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-12-16 with total page 1396 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reflects the current state of scholarship in Buddhist Studies, its entries being written by specialists in many areas, presenting an accurate overview of Buddhist history, thought and practices, most entries having cross-referencing to others and bibliographical references. Contain around 1000 pages and 500,000 words, totalling around 1200 entries.

Download or read book Magic and Mystery in Tibet written by Madame Alexandra David-Neel and published by Courier Corporation. This book was released on 2012-04-27 with total page 369 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A practicing Buddhist and Oriental linguist recounts supernatural events she witnessed in Tibet during the 1920s. Intelligent and witty, she describes the fantastic effects of meditation and shamanic magic — levitation, telepathy, more. 32 photographs.

Download or read book Figures of Buddhist Modernity in Asia written by Jeffrey Samuels and published by University of Hawaii Press. This book was released on 2016-07-31 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book introduces contemporary Buddhists from across Asia and from various walks of life. Eschewing traditional hagiographies, the editors have collected sixty-six profiles of individuals who would be excluded from most Buddhist histories and ethnographies. In addition to monks and nuns, readers will encounter artists, psychologists, social workers, part-time priests, healers, and librarians as well as charlatans, hucksters, profiteers, and rabble-rousers—all whose lives reflect changes in modern Buddhism even as they themselves shape the course of these changes. The editors and contributors are fundamentally concerned with how individual Buddhists make meaning and display this understanding to others. Some practitioners profiled look to the past, lamenting the transformations Buddhism has undergone in recent times, while others embrace these. Some have adopted a “new asceticism,” while others are eager to explore different religious traditions as they think about their own ways of being Buddhist. Arranging the profiles according to these themes—looking backward, forward, inward, and outward—reveals the value of studying individual Buddhists and their idiosyncratic religious backgrounds and attitudes, thus highlighting the diversity of approaches to the practice and study of Buddhism in Asia today. Students and teachers will welcome sections on further readings and additional tables of contents that organize the profiles thematically, as well as by tradition (Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana), region, and country.

Download or read book Star Wars written by Mary S. Henderson and published by Spectra. This book was released on 1997 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The companion to the Star wars exhibition at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum explores the mythology used as the basis for the Star wars movie trilogy

Download or read book Golden Buddha written by Clive Cussler and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2003-10-07 with total page 438 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the first novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling Oregon Files series, Chairman Juan Cabrillo and his crew are hired by the US government to free Tibet from Chinese control... The Corporation, a group of highly intelligent and skilled mercenaries, under the leadership of Juan Cabrillo, board a brand new ship. It's a state-of-the-art seagoing marvel with unthinkable technology at its disposal. And it's designed to look like a rusty old lumber hauler. But if Cabrillo and his team plan to make this spy ship their new headquarters, their first mission had better be a success. With the secret backing of the US government, Cabrillo sets out to put Tibet back in the hands of the Dalai Lama by striking a deal with the Russians and the Chinese. His main negotiating chip is knowledge of a golden Buddha containing records of vast oil reserves in the disputed land. But first, he'll have to locate—and steal—the all-important artifact. And there are certain people who would do anything in their power to see him fail...

Download or read book The Flower Ornament Scripture written by Thomas Cleary and published by Shambhala Publications. This book was released on 1993-10-12 with total page 1656 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Known in Chinese as Hua-yen and in Japanese as Kegon-kyo, the Avatamsaka Sutra, or Flower Ornament Scripture, is held in the highest regard and studied by Buddhists of all traditions. Through its structure and symbolism, as well as through its concisely stated principles, it conveys a vast range of Buddhist teachings. This one-volume edition contains Thomas Cleary's definitive translation of all thirty-nine books of the sutra, along with an introduction, a glossary, and Cleary's translation of Li Tongxuan's seventh-century guide to the final book, the Gandavyuha, "Entry into the Realm of Reality."

Download or read book Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha written by Daniel Ingram and published by Aeon Books. This book was released on 2020-01-20 with total page 715 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The very idea that the teachings can be mastered will arouse controversy within Buddhist circles. Even so, Ingram insists that enlightenment is an attainable goal, once our fanciful notions of it are stripped away, and we have learned to use meditation as a method for examining reality rather than an opportunity to wallow in self-absorbed mind-noise. Ingram sets out concisely the difference between concentration-based and insight (vipassana) meditation; he provides example practices; and most importantly he presents detailed maps of the states of mind we are likely to encounter, and the stages we must negotiate as we move through clearly-defined cycles of insight. Its easy to feel overawed, at first, by Ingram's assurance and ease in the higher levels of consciousness, but consistently he writes as a down-to-earth and compassionate guide, and to the practitioner willing to commit themselves this is a glittering gift of a book.In this new edition of the bestselling book, the author rearranges, revises and expands upon the original material, as well as adding new sections that bring further clarity to his ideas.

Download or read book Indian Witchcraft written by Rajaram Narayan Saletore and published by Abhinav Publications. This book was released on 1981 with total page 229 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Indian Witchcraft Is An Up-To-Date, Dynamic, And Scholarly Study, Dealing With The Problem From The Angles Of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism And Islam. Based On Original Sources, The Chief Features Of Indian Witchcraft, Its Important Deities, Rituals, Witches And Wizards Are Discussed Authoritatively, With Full Documentation And Readable Style Bound To Appeal Universally.

Download or read book Buddha s Thunderbolt the Uncredulous Tale of the Wizard Merlin written by Jacob Asher Michael and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2010-03-12 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What if everything you knew about the Wizard Merlin was wrong?What if Merlin was actually a Buddhist monk prone to hallucinations, who was taken as a slave by the Huns and transported to Europe? Buddha's Thunderbolt tells the tale of this most peculiar man, a 5th Century rationalist, who regards magic as bunk, druids as idiots, and knights as glorified thugs. The last thing he wants is for the inquisitive orphan boy he is mentoring to become a king.Most folks at the bay market think Merlin is a bit mad. He claims to have traveled from Britain through India to China and back. His surrealistic visions, from horrifying flashbacks to a chess match with Ganesha, are a burden he has learned to bear. But what of the mysterious Lady Gopi, who appears to him in various animal forms? Is she a delusion as well?

Download or read book The Book of Phoenix written by Nnedi Okorafor and published by Astra Publishing House. This book was released on 2015-05-05 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A fiery spirit dances from the pages of the Great Book. She brings the aroma of scorched sand and ozone. She has a story to tell.... The Book of Phoenix is a unique work of magical futurism. A prequel to the highly acclaimed, World Fantasy Award-winning novel, Who Fears Death, it features the rise of another of Nnedi Okorafor’s powerful, memorable, superhuman women. Phoenix was grown and raised among other genetic experiments in New York’s Tower 7. She is an “accelerated woman”—only two years old but with the body and mind of an adult, Phoenix’s abilities far exceed those of a normal human. Still innocent and inexperienced in the ways of the world, she is content living in her room speed reading e-books, running on her treadmill, and basking in the love of Saeed, another biologically altered human of Tower 7. Then one evening, Saeed witnesses something so terrible that he takes his own life. Devastated by his death and Tower 7’s refusal to answer her questions, Phoenix finally begins to realize that her home is really her prison, and she becomes desperate to escape. But Phoenix’s escape, and her destruction of Tower 7, is just the beginning of her story. Before her story ends, Phoenix will travel from the United States to Africa and back, changing the entire course of humanity’s future.

Download or read book Buddhism and Medicine written by C. Pierce Salguero and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2019-11-26 with total page 666 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the centuries, Buddhist ideas have influenced medical thought and practice in complex and varied ways in diverse regions and cultures. A companion to Buddhism and Medicine: An Anthology of Premodern Sources, this work presents a collection of modern and contemporary texts and conversations from across the Buddhist world dealing with the multifaceted relationship between Buddhism and medicine. Covering the early modern period to the present, this anthology focuses on the many ways Buddhism and medicine were shaped by the forces of colonialism, science, and globalization, as well as ruptures and reconciliations between tradition and modernity. Editor C. Pierce Salguero and an international collection of scholars highlight diversity and innovation in the encounters between Buddhist and medical thought. The chapters contain a wide range of sources presenting different perspectives rooted in distinct times and places, including translations of published and unpublished documents and transcripts of ethnographic interviews as well as accounts by missionaries and colonial authorities and materials from the contemporary United States and United Kingdom. Together, these varied sources illustrate the many intersections of Buddhism and medicine in the past and how this nexus continues to be crucial in today’s global context.