The Religious Culture of India
The Religious Culture of India
NZD$96.95
inc GSTThis study conducts a lively and innovative exploration of the traditional Indian religions and cultures - an area that has both fascinated and puzzled the West for centuries. Friedhelm Hardy aims at presenting the widest possible range of themes that have preoccupied traditional Indian culture. He uses a great variety of sources, in various languages, and listens not only to what the learned philosopher or theologian in the classical Sanskrit texts has to say, but also to what folk and regional cults and cultures express in stories, myths and poetry. The result is a personal and entertaining portrayal of the colourful world of India which will have great appeal for the non-specialist. By making the three universal human drives of power, love and wisdom his focal points, Hardy seeks to guide the reader through an alien world which is nevertheless recognizably human. This book will be required reading for all those interested in India and its culture.
- Written by one of the leading Western scholars of Indian religion
- Based on the prestigious Oxford Wilde Lectures
- A personal view of Indian culture, written with the educated non-specialist in mind
Reviews & endorsements
'I think this is an excellent book. There is nothing really like it in scope or presentation, a panoramic view of Indian religion which meets the highest scholarly standards while preserving a distinctive personal tone throughout. It is likely to appeal to virtually anyone who is interested in Hinduism, Buddhism or Jainism at any academic level. It will greatly enrich popular perceptions of the variety of Indian religion, but it manages, I think, not to bewilder the reader with that variety. I commend it with enthusiasm.' Richard Gombrich, University of Oxford
Product details
December 2005Paperback
9780521023443
628 pages
235 × 158 × 36 mm
0.905kg
24 b/w illus.
Available
Table of Contents
- Preface
- Part I. Power: the Challenges of the External World:
- 1. Consulting the oracle once again
- 2. Oceans of milk and treacle
- 3. Navigating the sea of earthly existence
- 4. Safe havens
- 5. Violence, aggression and heroism
- 6. Manipulating space, time and matter. 7. Entering forbidden realms
- 8. Unleashing the powers of the self
- Part II. Love: the Rhythms of the Interior World:
- 9. The missing colour
- 10. The landscape of the heart
- 11. The deadly weapons of Mara
- 12. Beyond the fleeting moment
- 13. Cosmic desire
- 14. Love abiding in stone
- 15. The melting of the heart
- 16. Return to the world
- Part III. Wisdom: Commuting within One World
- 17. All the valleys filled with corpses
- 18. Strategic initiatives
- 19. Encompassing the galaxies
- 20. The all-pervasive mind
- 21. Striking a balance
- 22. Beyond prosaic words
- 23. Irreducible particulars
- 24. The head in the world
- Notes
- Index.
