Studying Hinduism in Practice PDF Download

Author: Hillary P. Rodrigues
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136680969
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 395

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Book Description
Drawing on personal experiences of Hinduism on the ground, this book provides a reflective context within which religious practices can be understood and appreciated. It conveys the rich realities of the Hindu tradition and the academic approaches through which they are studied. The chapters cover a wide range of topics, including dance, music, performance, festival traditions, temples, myth, philosophy, women’s practices, and divine possession. The engaging narratives are accompanied by contextual discussions and advice on such topics as conducting fieldwork, colonialism, Hindu seasonal celebrations, understanding deities, and aesthetics in Hinduism. All the entries are accompanied by photographs and suggestions for further reading.

Author: Gavin Flood
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 019873350X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 501

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Book Description
An authoritative collection on the history of Hindu religious practices. Hindu Practice considers traditions of asceticism, yoga, and devotion, including dance and music, developed in Hinduism over long periods of time.

Author: Julius Lipner
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 0415051827
Category : Hinduism
Languages : en
Pages : 332

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Book Description
Hinduism has been a major religious faith for well over 3000 years, and Hindus today account for over 600 million people. Lipner's book is a highly readable study of its evolution, its multidimensional nature, and influence.

Author: Sushil Mittal
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134418299
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 425

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Book Description
This book is an indispensable resource for students and researchers wishing to develop a deeper understanding of one of the world's oldest and most multifaceted religious traditions. Sushil Mittal and Gene Thursby, leading scholars in the field, have brought together a rich variety of perspectives which reflect the current lively state of the field. Studying Hinduism is the result of cooperative work by accomplished specialists in several fields that include anthropology, art, comparative literature, history, philosophy, religious studies, and sociology. Through these complementary and exciting approaches, students will gain a greater understanding of India's culture and traditions, to which Hinduism is integral. The book uses key critical terms and topics as points of entry into the subject, revealing that although Hinduism can be interpreted in sharply contrasting ways and set in widely varying contexts, it is endlessly fascinating and intriguing.

Author: Rita D. Sherma
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000195066
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 215

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Book Description
This book is one of the first wide-ranging academic surveys of the major types and categories of Hindu contemplative praxis. It explores diverse spiritual and religious practices within the Hindu traditions and Indic hermeneutical perspectives to understand the intricate culture of meditative communion and contemplation, devotion, spiritual formation, prayer, ritual, and worship. The volume extends and expands the conceptual reach of the fields of Contemplative Studies and Hindu Studies. The chapters in the volume cover themes in Hindu contemplative experience from various texts and traditions including classical Sāṃkhya and Patañjali Yoga, the Bhāgavata Purāṇa, the role of Sādhana in Advaita Vedānta, Śrīvidyā and the Śrīcakra, the body in Tantra, the semiotics and illocution of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava sādhana, mantra in Mīmāṃsā, Vaiṣṇava liturgy, as well as cross-cultural reflections and interreligious comparative contemplative praxis. The volume presents indigenous vocabulary and frameworks to examine categories and concerns particular to the Hindu contemplative traditions. It traces patterns that cut across Hindu traditions and systems and discusses contrasting methods of different theological/philosophical schools evincing a strong plurality in Hindu religious thought and practice. The volume provides intra-religious comparisons that reveal internal complexity, nuances, and a variety of contemplative states and transformative practices that exist under the rubric of Hindu practices of interiority and reflection. With key insights on forms and functions of the contemplative experience along with their theologies and philosophies, the volume suggests new hermeneutical directions that will advance the field of contemplative studies. This book will be useful to scholars and researchers of religious and theological studies, contemplative studies, Hindu studies, consciousness studies, yoga studies, Indian philosophy and religion, sociology of religion, philosophy of religion, comparative religion, and South Asian studies, as well as general readers interested in the topic.

Author: Murali Balaji
Publisher: Lexington Books
ISBN: 1498559182
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 209

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Book Description
This edited volume seeks to build a scholarly discourse about how Hinduism is being defined, reformed, and rearticulated in the digital era and how these changes are impacting the way Hindus view their own religious identities. It seeks to interrogate how digital Hinduism has been shaped in response to the dominant framing of the religion, which has often relied on postcolonial narratives devoid of context and an overemphasis on the geopolitics of the Indian subcontinent post-partition. From this perspective, this volume challenges previous frameworks of how Hinduism has been studied, particularly in the West, where Marxist and Orientalist approaches are often ill-fitting paradigms to understanding Hinduism. This volume engages with and critiques some of these approaches while also enriching existing models of research within media studies, ethnography, cultural studies, and religion.

Author: Hillary P. Rodrigues
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000888258
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
Introducing Hinduism, 2nd Edition is the ideal sourcebook for those seeking a comprehensive overview of the Hindu tradition. This second edition includes substantial treatments of Tantra, South India, and women, as well as expanded discussions of yoga, Vedanta and contemporary configurations of Hinduism in the West. Its lively presentation features: case studies, photographs, and scenarios that invite the reader into the lived world of Hinduism; introductory summaries, key points, discussion questions, and recommended reading lists at the end of each chapter; narrative summaries of the great epics and other renowned Hindu myths and lucid explanations of complex Indian philosophical teachings, including Sankhya and Kashmir Saivism; and a glossary, timeline, and pronunciation guide for an enhanced learning experience. This volume is an invaluable resource for students in need of an introduction to the key tenets and diverse practice of Hinduism, past and present.

Author: Robin Rinehart
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1576079066
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 464

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Book Description
An examination of the contemporary practices, beliefs, and issues of one of the world's oldest and most enduring religions, both within its Indian homeland and throughout the world. Contemporary Hinduism: Ritual, Culture, and Practice illuminates the modern-day ritual, range, and reach of this ancient and diverse religion. A brief historical overview is followed by discussions of the oral and written origins of Hinduism that give context for the main emphasis—contemporary thought, practice, and key issues. Unique to this work is the consistent attention given to the practice of Hinduism for both men and women. What roles do caste and gender play in modern Hinduism? How are issues like ethics and the environment approached? What are the differences between urban and rural Hinduism, fundamental and secular Hinduism? To what countries has this religion spread, and how do the beliefs and practices of their people compare and contrast? Essays written by Indian and Western scholars answer these and other intriguing questions, introducing readers to the whole world of "living Hinduism" rather than the perspectives and traditions of a small elite.

Author: Shalu Sharma
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 9781495370427
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 68

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Book Description
Why don't Hindus eat beef? Why do Hindu women wear a dot on their forehead? Who is the Monkey God? Who's that God with the elephant head? Children can ask the weirdest of questions and sometimes it's difficult to tell them the answers to these questions. The reality is that even the adults don't know the answers to many of these questions. The fact is, Hinduism is a complex religion even to those who are born Hindus. This book covers a complex religion in simple questions and answers. 'Hinduism For Kids: Beliefs And Practices' is designed mainly for children of all ages of reading abilities for all nationalities and religious beliefs. The book can be used by non-Hindu parents who want to teach their children about Hinduism, its beliefs, practices and rituals. It will also be useful to children and adults alike who are considering taking a course on Hinduism or simply those who want to learn about Hinduism. Those thinking of visiting India especially those in pursuit of spirituality will find some of the answers in this book. Finally, parents of Hindu children who want to teach their children about their ancestral religion will also find the book useful. Here are the topics covered in 'Hinduism For Kids: Beliefs And Practices What is Hinduism? Who are the Hindus? Where do Hindus live? Where do Hindus worship? When was Hinduism discovered? What are the Hindu holy books? What are the Vedas? What is a bhajan? What is Aum? What is the swastika? What is Ishvara? Who is a sadhu? Meaning of aarti in Hinduism? What is ahimsa? Do Hindus eat meat? Why don't Hindus eat beef ? Do Hindus eat pork? Why is the River Ganges holy? What is the importance of the lotus in Hinduism? Why do Hindu women put a dot on their head? Why do Hindus put a dot on their forehead? Who is Lord Ganesha? How did Ganesha get the elephant head? Who is Lord Rama? Who is Lord Shiva? Who is Lord Krishna? Who is Lord Vishnu? Who is Goddess Durga? Who is Goddess Lakshmi? Who is the Monkey God? What is Holi? What is Diwali? What is Raksha Bandhan? What is the caste system? What is reincarnation? What is moksha? What is yoga? What is the Bhagavad Gita? What is the Ramayana? What is the Mahabharata? What is aatma? What is maya? What is the Gayatri Mantra? What is the Saraswati Mantra? What are the other Hindu Festivals? What is Namaste? Where do Hindus go for pilgrimage? Why are cows sacred in Hinduism? Is Buddhism the same as Hinduism? Who are the Jains? Who are the Sikhs?

Author: Pankaj Jain
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317151607
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 228

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Book Description
In Indic religious traditions, a number of rituals and myths exist in which the environment is revered. Despite this nature worship in India, its natural resources are under heavy pressure with its growing economy and exploding population. This has led several scholars to raise questions about the role religious communities can play in environmentalism. Does nature worship inspire Hindus to act in an environmentally conscious way? This book explores the above questions with three communities, the Swadhyaya movement, the Bishnoi, and the Bhil communities. Presenting the texts of Bishnois, their environmental history, and their contemporary activism; investigating the Swadhyaya movement from an ecological perspective; and exploring the Bhil communities and their Sacred Groves, this book applies a non-Western hermeneutical model to interpret the religious traditions of Indic communities. With a foreword by Roger S Gottlieb.