Download or read book Asian Spiritualities and Social Transformation written by Simon Shui-Man KWAN and published by Springer. This book was released on 2023-07-31 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers a cross-cultural and inter-religious understanding of the ways social transformation in Asia is related to Asian spiritualities. Bringing together scholars and practitioners from different cultures and fields of study, it collates cutting-edge research and applies it to the role of Asian spiritualities in social transformation. Spirituality has garnered increasing attention in recent years across diverse fields of research and practice, from psychology and healthcare, to anthropology, education, sociology, political sciences, social work, feminist studies, cultural studies, religious studies, theology, philosophy, and so on. However, the term means different things within these different disciplines. Spirituality can be understood to be private and personal, but also public and societal, not only as a force that brings about change but also one that helps maintain the status quo – not only as a core element in religion but also as something disconnected from it. This book poses that to gain a firm grasp of spirituality, one needs to traverse these different terrains. Disbarring the orientalist understanding of spirituality that is often found embedded in stereotypes of the East as mystical, esoteric, and spiritual, in contrast to the West as scientific and rational, this book deconstructs this binarism to enable a sophisticated understanding of the diversity within Eastern and Western spiritualities. It presents “Asian spirituality” as a misnomer, focusing on the plurality of spiritualties and the region’s multifaceted religiosity, and it also excavates interfaith terrains. It is of interest to social scientists, theologians and religious scholars, and students and researchers interested in Asian spiritualties and social movements

Download or read book Asian Spiritualities and Social Transformation written by Simon Shui-Man KWAN and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2023-10-17 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers a cross-cultural and inter-religious understanding of the ways social transformation in Asia is related to Asian spiritualities. Bringing together scholars and practitioners from different cultures and fields of study, it collates cutting-edge research and applies it to the role of Asian spiritualities in social transformation. Spirituality has garnered increasing attention in recent years across diverse fields of research and practice, from psychology and healthcare, to anthropology, education, sociology, political sciences, social work, feminist studies, cultural studies, religious studies, theology, philosophy, and so on. However, the term means different things within these different disciplines. Spirituality can be understood to be private and personal, but also public and societal, not only as a force that brings about change but also one that helps maintain the status quo – not only as a core element in religion but also as something disconnected from it. This book poses that to gain a firm grasp of spirituality, one needs to traverse these different terrains. Disbarring the orientalist understanding of spirituality that is often found embedded in stereotypes of the East as mystical, esoteric, and spiritual, in contrast to the West as scientific and rational, this book deconstructs this binarism to enable a sophisticated understanding of the diversity within Eastern and Western spiritualities. It presents “Asian spirituality” as a misnomer, focusing on the plurality of spiritualties and the region’s multifaceted religiosity, and it also excavates interfaith terrains. It is of interest to social scientists, theologians and religious scholars, and students and researchers interested in Asian spiritualties and social movements

Download or read book Religion and the Making of Modern East Asia written by Thomas David DuBois and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2011-04-18 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Religious ideas and actors have shaped Asian cultural practices for millennia and have played a decisive role in charting the course of its history. In this engaging and informative book, Thomas David DuBois sets out to explain how religion has influenced the political, social, and economic transformation of Asia from the fourteenth century to the present. Crossing a broad terrain from Tokyo to Tibet, the book highlights long-term trends and key moments, such as the expulsion of Catholic missionaries from Japan, or the Taiping Rebellion in China, when religion dramatically transformed the political fate of a nation. Contemporary chapters reflect on the wartime deification of the Japanese emperor, Marxism as religion, the persecution of the Dalai Lama, and the fate of Asian religion in a globalized world.

Download or read book The Tao of Asian American Belonging written by Hertig, Young Lee and published by Orbis Books. This book was released on 2019-08-29 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This book expresses a quest for inclusion amid feminist, womanist, and mujerista discourses. Hertig's yinist spirituality is a novel attempt to lift up the voices of female, Asian American voices in Christian ecological theology. She coined the term yinist in the 1990s to "name the nameless Asian American feminism." The term yin refers to the feminine energy of Taoism, in contrast to the male yang. This book will be a valuable resource for the academy, churches, and denominational leaders"--

Download or read book The Modern Spirit of Asia written by Peter van der Veer and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2014 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comparative look at religion and spirituality in postcolonial China and India The Modern Spirit of Asia challenges the notion that modernity in China and India are derivative imitations of the West, arguing that these societies have transformed their ancient traditions in unique and distinctive ways. Peter van der Veer begins with nineteenth-century imperial history, exploring how Western concepts of spirituality, secularity, religion, and magic were used to translate the traditions of India and China. He traces how modern Western notions of religion and magic were incorporated into the respective nation-building projects of Chinese and Indian nationalist intellectuals, yet how modernity in China and India is by no means uniform. While religion is a centerpiece of Indian nationalism, it is viewed in China as an obstacle to progress that must be marginalized and controlled. The Modern Spirit of Asia moves deftly from Kandinsky's understanding of spirituality in art to Indian yoga and Chinese qi gong, from modern theories of secularism to histories of Christian conversion, from Orientalist constructions of religion to Chinese campaigns against magic and superstition, and from Muslim Kashmir to Muslim Xinjiang. Van der Veer, an outspoken proponent of the importance of comparative studies of religion and society, eloquently makes his case in this groundbreaking examination of the spiritual and the secular in China and India.

Download or read book Asian Christian Spirituality written by Virginia Fabella and published by . This book was released on 1992 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Asia is the birthplace of many great religions and spiritualities--spiritualities that draw wealth and meaning from the ancient past yet still address contemporary reality. Asian Christian Spirituality explores popular religious traditions in Korea, Hong Kong, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and India, emphasizing how these traditions foster a liberative Christian spirituality. From the commercial bustle of Seoul and Hong Kong to the forests of Indonesia and the Philippines, culture and context are the two most important factors in searching for a liberating spirituality. As Samuel Rayan points out, Asian spirituality can be mined not only from traditional sources (such as shamanism, animism, and folk Catholicism) but also from the stories of women, peasants, and other victims of oppression and domination. Christianity in Asia must concern itself with the economic and political conditions that dehumanize people, and must create new patterns of relationships that make life worth living. Asian Christian Spirituality shows how a spirituality faithful to a common Christian heritage, simultaneously rooted in particular cultures and traditions, can animate Christianity in Asia, and help Asian Christians address contemporary problems.

Download or read book Eastspirit Transnational Spirituality and Religious Circulation in East and West written by Jørn Borup and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2017-08-28 with total page 339 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mindfulness, yoga, Tantra, Zen, martial arts, karma, feng shui, Ayurveda. Eastern ideas and practices associated with Asian religions and spirituality have been accommodated to a global setting as both a spiritual/religious and a broader cultural phenomenon. ‘Eastern spirituality’ is present in organized religions, the spiritual New Age market, arts, literature, media, therapy, and health care but also in public institutions such as schools and prisons. Eastspirit: Transnational Spirituality and Religious Circulation in East and West describes and analyses such concepts, practices and traditions in their new ‘Western’ and global contexts as well as in their transformed expressions and reappropriations in religious traditions and individualized spiritualities ‘back in the East’ within the framework of mutual interaction and circulation, regionally and globally.

Download or read book McMindfulness written by Ronald Purser and published by Repeater. This book was released on 2019-07-09 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mindfulness is now all the rage. From endorsements by celebrities, to monks, neuroscientists, and meditation coaches rubbing shoulders with CEOs at the World Economic Forum in Davos, it is clear that mindfulness has gone mainstream. Some have called it a revolution. The evangelical promotion of mindfulness as a panacea for all that ails us has begun to give way to a backlash, with questions arising whether its claims for achieving happiness, wellbeing and career success have been over-sold. Expanding on his influential essay Beyond McMindfulness, Ronald Purser debunks the so-called ñmindfulness revolutionî, arguing its proponents have reduced mindfulness to a self-help technique that fits snugly into a consumerist culture complicit with Western materialistic values. In a lively and razor-sharp critique of mindfulness as it has been enthusiastically co-opted by corporations, public schools, and the U.S. military, Purser explains why such programs inevitably fall short of their revolutionary potential. Simply paying attention to the present moment while resting snugly in our private bubbles is no mindfulness revolution. Mindfulness has become the new capitalist spirituality, a disciplined myopia, that mindlessly ignores the need for social and political change.

Download or read book Faith Movements and Social Transformation written by Samta P. Pandya and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-12-11 with total page 205 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines the role of Hindu-inspired faith movements (HIFMs) in contemporary India as actors in social transformation. It further situates these movements in the context of the global political economy where such movements cross national boundaries to locate believers among the Hindu diaspora and others. In contemporary neoliberal India, HIFMs have become important actors, and they realize themselves by making public assertions through service. The four pillars of the contemporary presence of such movements are: gurus, sociality, hegemony and social transformation. Gurus, who spearhead these movements, create a matrix of possible meanings in their public discourses which their followers pick up to create messages of personal and social change. Sociality is a core strategy of proliferation across such movements and implies social service, which is qualified by memories of the guru and what they are believed to embody. Hegemony is reflected in the fact that social service in such movements often ominously imbibes right-wing or far-right Hinduism. They propose a model of Hindu-inspired social transformation, involving faith building into and transforming the civil society. The book discusses in a nuanced way several Hindu-inspired faith movements of various hues which have made national and international impact. This topical book is of interest to students and researchers in the fields of sociology, anthropology, social work, and social psychology, with a special interest in the study of religious movements.

Download or read book Esalen written by Jeffrey J. Kripal and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2011-09-07 with total page 590 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jeffrey Kripal here recounts the spectacular history of Esalen, the institute that has long been a world leader in alternative and experiential education and stands today at the center of the human potential movement. Forged in the literary and mythical leanings of the Beat Generation, inspired in the lecture halls of Stanford by radical scholars of comparative religion, the institute was the remarkable brainchild of Michael Murphy and Richard Price. Set against the heady backdrop of California during the revolutionary 1960s, Esalen recounts in fascinating detail how these two maverick thinkers sought to fuse the spiritual revelations of the East with the scientific revolutions of the West, or to combine the very best elements of Zen Buddhism, Western psychology, and Indian yoga into a decidedly utopian vision that rejected the dogmas of conventional religion. In their religion of no religion, the natural world was just as crucial as the spiritual one, science and faith not only commingled but became staunch allies, and the enlightenment of the body could lead to the full realization of our development as human beings. “An impressive new book. . . . [Kripal] has written the definitive intellectual history of the ideas behind the institute.”—San FranciscoChronicle “Kripal examines Esalen’s extraordinary history and evocatively describes the breech birth of Murphy and Price’s brainchild. His real achievement, though, is effortlessly synthesizing a dizzying array of dissonant phenomena (Cold War espionage, ecstatic religiosity), incongruous pairings (Darwinism, Tantric sex), and otherwise schizy ephemera (psychedelic drugs, spaceflight) into a cogent, satisfyingly complete narrative.”—Atlantic Monthly “Kripal has produced the first all-encompassing history of Esalen: its intellectual, social, personal, literary and spiritual passages. Kripal brings us up-to-date and takes us deep beneath historical surfaces in this definitive, elegantly written book.”—Playboy

Download or read book Social Policy and Change in East Asia written by James Lee and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2013-12-11 with total page 219 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Social Policy and Change in East Asia is a collection of essays from a group of indigenous East Asian social policy researchers who met bi-annually to discuss social development issues. The book’s focus is the policy responses of respective East Asian government since the 2008 financial tsunami struck the region. Together, the essays in Social Policy and Change in East Asia argue that traditional social policy approach has failed to account for the problem of economic volatility and to devise policy measures that can promote long-term stability. Avoiding a static and Eurocentric approach, the authors of this book seek to unravel the meaning of the social development approach in various policy contexts. This book supports a dynamic understanding of social policy formulation that does not neglect the problem of economic turbulence in policy and planning.

Download or read book Generation Y Spirituality and Social Change written by Justine Afra Huxley and published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. This book was released on 2019-02-21 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Young people are doing faith differently. They are redefining community, ministry and ritual for a new era. In the face of planetary crisis, the next generation no longer see faith as a private matter, instead they are integrating it with activism and the need for systemic change. Influenced by the wealth of different teachings and traditions available around them, their identities are increasingly multifaceted and emphatically global. This collection of stories and interviews with young adults and their allies explores this new landscape, reflecting both the energy and inspiration of the next generation and the tremendous challenges they face. It points towards an exciting evolution in the way we are relating to the sacred. With stories from: Adam Bucko, Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee, Kara Moses, Abbas Zahedi, Camille Barton, Bruna Kadletz, Dekila Chungyalpa, Matt Youde, Amrita Bhohi, Sun Kaur, and many others. With supporting stories from senior leaders including: His Holiness the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje, Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Dr John Sentamu, Archbishop of York, Tiokasin Ghosthorse, Rabbi Laura Janner Klausner, Bhai Sahib Dr Mohinder Singh, and more.

Download or read book Global Mission written by Rose Dowsett and published by William Carey Publishing. This book was released on 2011-06-27 with total page 381 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Global Mission is divided into two sections: the first, Reflections and Foundations, comprises nine essays of a more general nature; the second, Contextualization at Work, contains twenty one essays of a more specific nature, most of them case studies from a particular location and people group. The thirty-three contributors come from five continents, and a host of contexts. Some are veterans, some quite young, but every one of them is passionate about God’s mission, and about building bridges for the gospel in a way that is absolutely faithful to Scripture but also sensitive to specific contexts. North and South, East and West, demonstrate precious unity in Christ in our common calling. Contextualization is complex, and none of the authors claim to have got everything right. But their essays are thoughtful, and written out of love for God and love for his world. They tell the stories of trial and error, of struggles and triumphs, as each seeks to present Christ in terms that make sense and can be understood. It is following the process, quite as much as specific conclusions, which make this book valuable and transferable to many other parts of the global church. The essays also give us a peep into many different societies, and the birthing of faith in the grace of the Holy Spirit. Thus we give thanks to God for all that he is wonderfully doing around his world and stimulate our prayers for those who work cross-culturally, especially in pioneer situations. Not all contributors agree on every point, especially when it comes to the difficulties of mission in the Muslim world (and increasingly, amongst Hindus). There has been no attempt to standardize different approaches, letting a robust conversation develop. Each chapter ends with some suggested study questions, useful for personal reflection or group or class discussion. The book is deliberately accessible to lay people, but stimulating to career missionaries and academics. We pray that it may serve the purposes of God, for his glory. This book was published in partnership with the World Evangelical Alliance.

Download or read book New Religious Movements in Modern Asian History written by David W. Kim and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2020-09-30 with total page 307 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides evidence that the emergence of Asian new religious movements (NRMs) was predominantly the result of anti-colonial ideology from local religious groups or individuals. The contributors argue that when traditional religions were powerless to maintain their cultural heritage, the leadership of NRMs adduced alternative principles, and the new teachings of each NRM attracted the local people enough for them to change their beliefs. The contributors argue that, as a whole, the Asian new religious movements overall were very ardent and progressive in transmitting their new ideologies. The varied viewpoints in this volume attest to the consistent development of Asian NRMs from domestic and international dimensions by replacing old, traditional religions.

Download or read book Buddhist Spirituality Vol 1 Indian Southeast Asian Tibetan Early Chinese written by Takeuchi Yoshinori and published by Motilal Banarsidass Publishe. This book was released on 1994-12-31 with total page 456 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The present volume is part of a series entitled World Spirituality: An Encyclopedic History of the Religious Quest, which seeks to present the spiritual wisdom of the human race in its historical unfolding. The volume presents the richness of the spiritual heritage of the human race and designed to reflect the autonomy of the traditional in its historical development.

Download or read book Third Eye Theology written by C.S. Song and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2002-11-20 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explains Christian attempts to contextualize theology in the Asian perspective. The accommodation of Asian religious terminologies and concepts is possible as long as the biblical meaning is included. Yet there is a question of where to draw the line between syncretism and accomodation.

Download or read book Present Day Spiritualities written by and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2013-10-10 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many forms of present-day Western spirituality contribute to people’s well-being, whereas others have raised criticism. The study of these different forms is, however, complicated by their continuously diverging practices and ideas. By bringing to bear a multidisciplinary approach, the ten specialists of this volume are able to analyze diverse new instances of spirituality, e.g. in religious contexts (Buddhism, Christianity), popular use, organizations and enterprises, (alternative) health service, and works of art. Most contributions also discuss methods and theories. In their editorial chapters, Elisabeth Hense, Frans Jespers and Peter Nissen show the remarkable overlaps in the approaches, definitions and evaluations of the contributions in this volume and provide a theoretical framework. Both the fresh analyses and the theoretical reflections in this volume point the way to new approaches in this field of study. Contributors include: Jerry Biberman, Mark Elliott, Miguel Farias, Johan Goud, Paul Heelas, Elisabeth Hense, Frans Jespers, Hubert Knoblauch, Peter Nissen, Paul van der Velde