Download or read book The Buddhist Art of Living in Nepal written by Lauren Leve and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-08-05 with total page 315 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Theravada Buddhism has experienced a powerful and far-reaching revival in modern Nepal, especially among the Newar Buddhist laity, many of whom are reorganizing their lives according to its precepts, practices and ideals. This book documents these far-reaching social and personal transformations and links them to political, economic and cultural shifts associated with late modernity, and especially neoliberal globalization. Nepal has changed radically over the last century, particularly since the introduction of liberal democracy and an open-market economy in 1990. The rise of lay vipassana meditation has also dramatically impacted the Buddhist landscape. Drawing on recently revived understandings of ethics as embodied practices of self-formation, the author argues that the Theravada turn is best understood as an ethical movement that offers practitioners ways of engaging, and models for living in, a rapidly changing world. The book takes readers into the Buddhist reform from the perspectives of its diverse practitioners, detailing devotees' ritual and meditative practices, their often conflicted relations to Vajrayana Buddhism and Newar civil society, their struggles over identity in a formerly Hindu nation-state, and the political, cultural, institutional and moral reorientations that becoming a "pure Buddhist"—as Theravada devotees understand themselves—entails. Based on more than 20 years of anthropological fieldwork, this book is an important contribution to scholarly debates over modern Buddhism, ethical practices, and the anthropology of religion. It is of interest to students and scholars of Asian Religion, Anthropology, Buddhism and Philosophy.
Download or read book Ethical Practice Religious Reform and the Buddhist Art of Living in Nepal written by and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Dharma and Pu ya written by Jinah Kim and published by Brill Hotei. This book was released on 2019 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dharma and Puṇya explores the centrality of ritual practices and the agency of people in creating and amplifying the efficacy of Buddhist art. It presents paintings, illuminated texts, statues, and ritual implements from the Newar tradition in the Kathmandu Valley.
Download or read book Buddhists written by Todd Lewis and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2014-04-02 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Buddhists: Understanding Buddhism through the Livesof Practitioners provides a series of case studies ofAsian and modern Western Buddhists, spanning history, gender, andclass, whose lives are representative of the ways in whichBuddhists throughout time have embodied the tradition. Portrays the foundational principles of Buddhist belief throughthe lives of believers, illustrating how the religion is put intopractice in everyday life Takes as its foundation the inherent diversity within Buddhistsociety, rather than focusing on the spiritual and philosophicalelite within Buddhism Reveals how individuals have negotiated the choices, tensions,and rewards of living in a Buddhist society Features carefully chosen case studies which cover a range ofAsian and modern Western Buddhists Explores a broad range of possible Buddhist orientations incontemporary and historical contexts
Download or read book Laughter Creativity and Perseverance written by Ute Hüsken and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2022 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In most mainstream traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism, women have for centuries largely been excluded from positions of religious and ritual leadership. However, as this volume shows, in an increasing number of late-20th-century and early-21st-century contexts, women can and do undergo monastic and priestly education; they can receive ordination/initiation as Buddhist nuns or Hindu priestesses; and they are accepted as religious and political leaders. Even though these processes still take place largely outside or at the margins of traditional religious institutions, it is clear that women are actually establishing new religious trends and currents. They are attracting followers, and they are occupying religious positions on par with men. At times women are filling a void left behind by male religious specialists who left the profession, and at times they are perceived as their rivals. In some cases, this process takes place in collaboration with male religious specialists, in others against the will of the women's male counterparts. However, in most cases we see both acceptance and resistance. Whether silently or with great fanfare, women are grasping new opportunities to occupy positions of leadership. This book offers ten in-depth case studies analysing culturally, historically, and geographically unique situations in order to explore the historical background, contemporary trajectories, and impact of the emergence of new and powerful forms of female agency in mostly conservative Hindu and Buddhist religious traditions.
Download or read book Therav da Buddhist Encounters with Modernity written by Juliane Schober and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-09-14 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although recent scholarship has shown that the term ‘Theravāda’ in the familiar modern sense is a nineteenth- and twentieth-century construct, it is now used to refer to the more than 150 million people around the world who practice that form of Buddhism. Buddhist practices such as meditation, amulets, and merit making rituals have always been inseparable from the social formations that give rise to them, their authorizing discourses and the hegemonic relations they create. This book is composed of chapters written by established scholars in Buddhist studies who represent diverse disciplinary approaches from art history, religious studies, history and ethnography. It explores the historical forces, both external to and within the tradition of Theravāda Buddhism and discusses how modern forms of Buddhist practice have emerged in South and Southeast Asia, in case studies from Nepal to Sri Lanka, Burma, Cambodia and Southwest China. Specific studies contextualize general trends and draw on practices, institutions, and communities that have been identified with this civilizational tradition throughout its extensive history and across a highly diverse cultural geography. This book foreground diverse responses among Theravādins to the encroaching challenges of modern life ways, communications, and political organizations, and will be of interest to scholars of Asian Religion, Buddhism and South and Southeast Asian Studies.
Download or read book The Oxford History of Hinduism Modern Hinduism written by Torkel Brekke and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2019-06-27 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Oxford History of Hinduism: Modern Hinduism focuses on developments resulting from movements within the tradition as well as contact between India and the outside world through both colonialism and globalization. Divided into three parts, part one considers the historical background to modern conceptualizations of Hinduism. Moving away from the reforms of the 19th and early 20th century, part two includes five chapters each presenting key developments and changes in religious practice in modern Hinduism. Part three moves to issues of politics, ethics, and law. This section maps and explains the powerful legal and political contexts created by the modern state—first the colonial government and then the Indian Republic—which have shaped Hinduism in new ways. The last two chapters look at Hinduism outside India focusing on Hinduism in Nepal and the modern Hindu diaspora.
Download or read book Animal Sacrifice Religion and Law in South Asia written by Daniela Berti and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2023-07-13 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents original research on the controversies surrounding animal sacrifice in South Asia through the lens of court cases. It focuses on the parties involved in these cases: on their discourses, motivations, and contrasting points of view. Through an examination of judicial files, court decisions and newspaper articles, and interviews with protagonists, the book explores how the question of animal sacrifice is dealt with through administrative, legislative, and judicial practice. It outlines how, although animal sacrifice has over the ages been contested by various religious reform movements, the practice has remained widespread at all levels of society, especially in certain regions. It reveals that far from merely being a religious and ritual question, animal sacrifice has become a focus of broader public debate, and it discusses how the controversies highlight the contrast between ‘traditional’ and ‘reformist’ understandings of Hinduism; the conflict between the core legal and moral principles of religious freedom and social progress; and the growing concern with environmental issues and animal rights. The Introduction, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, and Chapter 7 of this book are available for free in PDF format as Open Access from the individual product page at www.taylorfrancis.com. It has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International license. Funded by Centre National de la Recherche Scientific.
Download or read book The Art of Living written by Dalai Lama XIV Bstan-ʼdzin-rgya-mtsho and published by HarperThorsons. This book was released on 2001 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This illustrated gift book combines the wisdom of the Dalai Lama with inspiring images of him, the Tibetan people and the beautiful landscapes of Nepal and Tibet. 200 photos.
Download or read book The lost Heritage written by Ramesh Dhungel and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 181 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Voicing Subjects written by Laura Kunreuther and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2014-03-26 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Voicing Subjects traces the relation between public speech and notions of personal interiority in Kathmandu.Ê It explores two seemingly distinct formations of voice that have emerged in the midst of the countryÕs recent political and economic upheavals: a political voice associated with civic empowerment and collective agency, and an intimate voice associated with emotional proximity and authentic feeling.Ê Both are produced and circulated through the media, especially through interactive technologies. The author argues that these two formations of voice are mutually constitutive and aligned with modern ideologies of democracy and neoliberal economic projects.Ê This ethnography is set during an extraordinary period in NepalÕs history that has seen a relatively peaceful 1990 revolution that re-established democracy, a Maoist civil war, and the massacre of the royal family.Ê These dramatic changes have been accompanied by the proliferation of intimate and political discourse in the expanding public sphere, making the figure of voice ever more critical to an understanding of emerging subjectivity, structural change and cultural mediation.
Download or read book The Gilded Buddha written by Alex R. Furger and published by Librum Publishers & Editors LLC. This book was released on 2017 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book celebrates in words and images the traditional metal crafts practised for over a thousand years by the creators of religious Buddhist statues in Nepal. The skills of these artisans are nurtured with deep respect for tradition, regarding religion, iconography and technology. Wax modellers, mould makers, casters, fire-gilders and chasers are among the specialists of the Newar ethnic group, whose work is characterised to this day by a melding of age-old technology, great skill, religious observance and contemplation. There are numerous books and exhibition catalogues dedicated to Buddhist art and iconography but little was available about the craft of the artists who turn the religious imagery into metal casts. This book fills this gap, with a thoroughly documented and historical account of the development of this "archaic" technology. The well-informed text and comprehensive photographic coverage constitute the only up-to-date account and full documentation of an art that is 1300 years old but dying out: the "ritual" production of Buddhist statues in the lost wax casting technique. The author, Dr. Alex Furger, is an archaeologist who has studied ancient metallurgy and metalworking techniques over the past four decades. He spent twenty-five years at the head of the Roman site of Augusta Raurica and lives in Basel (Switzerland). He is the author of over 130 articles in scientific journals and twelve books in the field of culture history. The fieldwork for this book led him repeatedly to Nepal, where he met and interviewed dozens of craftsmen in their workshops. This book is addressed to readers interested in culture history, travellers to Asia, collectors of statues of Buddha, (avocational) metalworkers, historians of technology, Buddhists, ethnologists, archaeologists, art historians, scholars of Asia and to libraries and museums.
Download or read book Buddha Mind Buddha Body written by Thich Nhat Hanh and published by Parallax Press. This book was released on 2003-03-09 with total page 150 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Revered Zen teacher and best-selling author Thich Nhat Hanh explores the connection between psychology, neuroscience, and meditation to reveal how we can cultivate our own happiness. In his previous book Understanding Our Mind, Zen monk Thich Nhat Hanh explored Buddhist psychology and its applications in everyday life. Here, he continues that study by asking, “Is free will possible?” as he examines how the mind functions and how we can work with it to cultivate more freedom and understanding, be in closer touch with reality, and create the conditions for our own happiness. Drawing stories from the life of the Buddha and Hanh's own experiences, Buddha Mind, Buddha Body addresses such topics as: • The importance of creativity and visualization in a mediation practice • Basic Buddhist meditation practices such as sitting and walking meditation • The importance of brotherhood and sisterhood in everyday life Delivered in Hahn’s inimitable light, clear, and often humorous style, Buddha Mind, Buddha Body will appeal to those new and familiar with Buddhist psychology.
Download or read book Windows into a Revolution written by Alpa Shah and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-08-18 with total page 466 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Windows into a Revolution edited by Alpa Shah and Judith Pettigrew, the first book in the series offers glimpses into the spread of Maoism in India and Nepal by tracing some of its effects on the lives of ordinary people living amidst the revolutions. Weaving through the nostalgic reflections of former Bengali Naxalites; the resurgence of ancestral conflicts in the spread of the Maoists in the remote hills of western Nepal; the disillusionments of dalits of central Bihar in the policies of the cadres; to the complexities of the interrelationship between non-aligned civilians and insurgents in central Nepal, the book offers a series of windows into different stages of mobilization and transformation into what are, were or may become, revolutionary strongholds. Please note: Taylor & Francis does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka
Download or read book Engendering the Buddhist State written by Ashley Thompson and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-04-14 with total page 221 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Drawing from more than a decade of field and archival research, this monograph concerns Cambodian cultural history and historiography, with an ultimate aim of broadening and deepening bases for understanding the Cambodian Theravadin politico-cultural complex. The book takes the form of an interdisciplinary analysis of performative and representational strategies for constituting social collectivities, largely developed at Angkor. The analysis involves extended close readings of a wide range of cultural artefacts including epigraphic and manuscript texts, sculpture and ritual practices. The author proposes a critical re-evaluation of dominant paradigms of Cambodian historiography in view of engendering new histories, or hybrid histories, which make room for previously absent perspectives and voices, while developing new theoretical tools engaging with and partially derived from "indigenous" narrative practices in the broadest sense. In this history-making process the historical event is shown to never be entirely separable from its aesthetic representation. Particular attention is paid to the roles of sexual difference in such (re)constructions of history. The book presents a theory of power capable of accounting for the historical phenomena by which vernacular cultures appropriate, subvert and submit to cosmopolitan forces. It charts out a novel approach to the study of classical Southeast Asian materials, and is of interest to students and scholars of Asian Art, Religion and Philosophy, Buddhism and Southeast Asian History.
Download or read book Buddhist Visions of the Good Life for All written by Sallie B. King and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2021-05-30 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book highlights what Buddhism has to offer for "living well" here and now—for individuals, society as a whole, all sentient beings and the planet itself. From the perspectives of a variety of Buddhist thinkers, the book evaluates what a good life is like, what is desirable for human society, and ways in which we should live in and with the natural world. By examining this-worldly Buddhist philosophy and movements in India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, the Tibetan diaspora, Korea, Taiwan, Japan and the United States, the book assesses what Buddhists offer for the building of a good society. It explores the proposals and programs made by progressive and widely influential lay and monastic thinkers and activists, as well as the works of movement leaders such as Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, for the social, economic, political and environmental systems in their various countries. Demonstrating that Buddhism is not solely a path for the realization of nirvana but also a way of living well here and now, this book will be of interest to researchers working on contemporary and modern Buddhism, Buddhism and society, Asian religion and Engaged Buddhism.
Download or read book Early Buddhist Meditation written by Keren Arbel and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2017-03-16 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers a new interpretation of the relationship between 'insight practice' (satipatthana) and the attainment of the four jhànas (i.e., right samàdhi), a key problem in the study of Buddhist meditation. The author challenges the traditional Buddhist understanding of the four jhànas as states of absorption, and shows how these states are the actualization and embodiment of insight (vipassanà). It proposes that the four jhànas and what we call 'vipassanà' are integral dimensions of a single process that leads to awakening. Current literature on the phenomenology of the four jhànas and their relationship with the 'practice of insight' has mostly repeated traditional Theravàda interpretations. No one to date has offered a comprehensive analysis of the fourfold jhàna model independently from traditional interpretations. This book offers such an analysis. It presents a model which speaks in the Nikàyas' distinct voice. It demonstrates that the distinction between the 'practice of serenity' (samatha-bhàvanà) and the 'practice of insight' (vipassanà-bhàvanà) – a fundamental distinction in Buddhist meditation theory – is not applicable to early Buddhist understanding of the meditative path. It seeks to show that the common interpretation of the jhànas as 'altered states of consciousness', absorptions that do not reveal anything about the nature of phenomena, is incompatible with the teachings of the Pàli Nikàyas. By carefully analyzing the descriptions of the four jhànas in the early Buddhist texts in Pàli, their contexts, associations and meanings within the conceptual framework of early Buddhism, the relationship between this central element in the Buddhist path and 'insight meditation' becomes revealed in all its power. Early Buddhist Meditation will be of interest to scholars of Buddhist studies, Asian philosophies and religions, as well as Buddhist practitioners with a serious interest in the process of insight meditation.
