Author: Irina Kuznetsova
Publisher: Hardinge Simpole Limited
ISBN: 9781843821854
Category : Dharma
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
"The fundamental importance of the concept of dharma for the Hindu tradition and any account of it is matched by the resistance of this concept to comprehensive definition and comprehensive monographic treatment.1 The term dharma has the widest scope of application covering all areas of human life. It is the concept the Hindus have used for centuries to articulate what is right, both true and proper, in every sphere to which they turned their minds - religious, philosophical, social, legal - the list is as endless as the propensity of the human mind to conceptualisation. Through the particular meaning it has in any given context dharma highlights the uniqueness of every moment of life, whereas through its operation across contexts it emphasizes the interconnectedness of life's particulars. The context sensitivity of dharma makes it necessary to contextualise any study of it. My treatment of it is not and cannot be comprehensive: the aim of the present work is to study the concept of dharma in its religio-philosophical dimension, tracing its development from the Vedas to the didactic passages of the Mahàbhàrata. I believe that studying dharma from the religio-philosophical perspective is a useful starting point: due to the pervasiveness of religious thought in the Hindu tradition the meanings dharma has in this sphere inform its use in other spheres. A competent examination of dharma in its religio-philosophical aspect can therefore chart the domain of dharma in broad outlines which can be subsequently filled in with more specific studies. In the religio-philosophical, as in any other of its semantic fields, the concept of dharma cannot be studied in isolation. As a master key to a large network of concepts and ideas, dharma opens a wide field of investigation. To account for the developments in the ideology of dharma one must look at all the significant religio-philosophical developments in the period under consideration. " - from the Introduction
Dharma in Ancient Indian Thought
Author: Irina Kuznetsova
Publisher: Hardinge Simpole Limited
ISBN: 9781843821854
Category : Dharma
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
"The fundamental importance of the concept of dharma for the Hindu tradition and any account of it is matched by the resistance of this concept to comprehensive definition and comprehensive monographic treatment.1 The term dharma has the widest scope of application covering all areas of human life. It is the concept the Hindus have used for centuries to articulate what is right, both true and proper, in every sphere to which they turned their minds - religious, philosophical, social, legal - the list is as endless as the propensity of the human mind to conceptualisation. Through the particular meaning it has in any given context dharma highlights the uniqueness of every moment of life, whereas through its operation across contexts it emphasizes the interconnectedness of life's particulars. The context sensitivity of dharma makes it necessary to contextualise any study of it. My treatment of it is not and cannot be comprehensive: the aim of the present work is to study the concept of dharma in its religio-philosophical dimension, tracing its development from the Vedas to the didactic passages of the Mahàbhàrata. I believe that studying dharma from the religio-philosophical perspective is a useful starting point: due to the pervasiveness of religious thought in the Hindu tradition the meanings dharma has in this sphere inform its use in other spheres. A competent examination of dharma in its religio-philosophical aspect can therefore chart the domain of dharma in broad outlines which can be subsequently filled in with more specific studies. In the religio-philosophical, as in any other of its semantic fields, the concept of dharma cannot be studied in isolation. As a master key to a large network of concepts and ideas, dharma opens a wide field of investigation. To account for the developments in the ideology of dharma one must look at all the significant religio-philosophical developments in the period under consideration. " - from the Introduction
Publisher: Hardinge Simpole Limited
ISBN: 9781843821854
Category : Dharma
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
"The fundamental importance of the concept of dharma for the Hindu tradition and any account of it is matched by the resistance of this concept to comprehensive definition and comprehensive monographic treatment.1 The term dharma has the widest scope of application covering all areas of human life. It is the concept the Hindus have used for centuries to articulate what is right, both true and proper, in every sphere to which they turned their minds - religious, philosophical, social, legal - the list is as endless as the propensity of the human mind to conceptualisation. Through the particular meaning it has in any given context dharma highlights the uniqueness of every moment of life, whereas through its operation across contexts it emphasizes the interconnectedness of life's particulars. The context sensitivity of dharma makes it necessary to contextualise any study of it. My treatment of it is not and cannot be comprehensive: the aim of the present work is to study the concept of dharma in its religio-philosophical dimension, tracing its development from the Vedas to the didactic passages of the Mahàbhàrata. I believe that studying dharma from the religio-philosophical perspective is a useful starting point: due to the pervasiveness of religious thought in the Hindu tradition the meanings dharma has in this sphere inform its use in other spheres. A competent examination of dharma in its religio-philosophical aspect can therefore chart the domain of dharma in broad outlines which can be subsequently filled in with more specific studies. In the religio-philosophical, as in any other of its semantic fields, the concept of dharma cannot be studied in isolation. As a master key to a large network of concepts and ideas, dharma opens a wide field of investigation. To account for the developments in the ideology of dharma one must look at all the significant religio-philosophical developments in the period under consideration. " - from the Introduction
Dharma, Disorder and the Political in Ancient India
Author: Adam Bowles
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9047422600
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 448
Book Description
The Āpaddharmaparvan, 'the book on conduct in times of distress', is an important section of the great Sanskrit epic the Mahābhārata which, despite its significance for Mahābhārata studies and for the history of Indian social and political thought, has received little attention in scholarly literature. This book places the Āpaddharmaparvan within its literary and ideological contexts. In so doing it explores the development of a conception of brahmanic kingship morally justifiable within the terms of a debate largely set by various alternative social movements of the period. This book further explores the implications for our understanding of the Mahābhārata that follow from the Āpaddharmaparvan's presentation as a poetically cohesive unit within itself and within the wider parameters of the Mahābhārata.
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9047422600
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 448
Book Description
The Āpaddharmaparvan, 'the book on conduct in times of distress', is an important section of the great Sanskrit epic the Mahābhārata which, despite its significance for Mahābhārata studies and for the history of Indian social and political thought, has received little attention in scholarly literature. This book places the Āpaddharmaparvan within its literary and ideological contexts. In so doing it explores the development of a conception of brahmanic kingship morally justifiable within the terms of a debate largely set by various alternative social movements of the period. This book further explores the implications for our understanding of the Mahābhārata that follow from the Āpaddharmaparvan's presentation as a poetically cohesive unit within itself and within the wider parameters of the Mahābhārata.
Ethics and the History of Indian Philosophy
Author: Shyam Ranganathan
Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass Publishe
ISBN: 9788120831933
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 436
Book Description
Ethics and the History of Indian Philosophy, by Shyam Ranganathan, presents a compelling, systematic explication of the moral philosophical content of history of Indian philosophy in contrast to the received wisdom in Indology and comparative philosophy that Indian philosophers were scarcely interested in ethics. Unlike most works on the topic, this book makes a case for the positive place of ethics in the history of Indian philosophy by drawing upon recent work in metaethics and metamorality, and by providing a through analysis of the meaning of moral concepts and PHILOSOPHY itself- in addition to explicating the texts of Indian authors. In Ranganathan`s account, Indian philosophy shines with distinct options in ethics that find their likeness in the writings of the Ancient in the West, such as Plato and the Neo-Platonists, and not in the anthropocentric or positivistic options that have dominated the recent Western tradition.
Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass Publishe
ISBN: 9788120831933
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 436
Book Description
Ethics and the History of Indian Philosophy, by Shyam Ranganathan, presents a compelling, systematic explication of the moral philosophical content of history of Indian philosophy in contrast to the received wisdom in Indology and comparative philosophy that Indian philosophers were scarcely interested in ethics. Unlike most works on the topic, this book makes a case for the positive place of ethics in the history of Indian philosophy by drawing upon recent work in metaethics and metamorality, and by providing a through analysis of the meaning of moral concepts and PHILOSOPHY itself- in addition to explicating the texts of Indian authors. In Ranganathan`s account, Indian philosophy shines with distinct options in ethics that find their likeness in the writings of the Ancient in the West, such as Plato and the Neo-Platonists, and not in the anthropocentric or positivistic options that have dominated the recent Western tradition.
A Dharma Reader
Author: Patrick Olivelle
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 0231542151
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 425
Book Description
Whether defined by family, lineage, caste, professional or religious association, village, or region, India's diverse groups did settle on a concept of law in classical times. How did they reach this consensus? Was it based on religious grounds or a transcendent source of knowledge? Did it depend on time and place? And what apparatus did communities develop to ensure justice was done, verdicts were fair, and the guilty were punished? Addressing these questions and more, A Dharma Reader traces the definition, epistemology, procedure, and process of Indian law from the third century B.C.E. to the middle ages. Its breadth captures the centuries-long struggle by Indian thinkers to theorize law in a multiethnic and pluralist society. The volume includes new and accessible translations of key texts, notes that explain the significance and chronology of selections, and a comprehensive introduction that summarizes the development of various disciplines in intellectual-historical terms. It reconstructs the principal disputes of a given discipline, which not only clarifies the arguments but also relays the dynamism of the fight. For those seeking a richer understanding of the political and intellectual origins of a major twenty-first-century power, along with unique insight into the legal interactions among its many groups, this book offers exceptional detail, historical precision, and expository illumination.
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 0231542151
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 425
Book Description
Whether defined by family, lineage, caste, professional or religious association, village, or region, India's diverse groups did settle on a concept of law in classical times. How did they reach this consensus? Was it based on religious grounds or a transcendent source of knowledge? Did it depend on time and place? And what apparatus did communities develop to ensure justice was done, verdicts were fair, and the guilty were punished? Addressing these questions and more, A Dharma Reader traces the definition, epistemology, procedure, and process of Indian law from the third century B.C.E. to the middle ages. Its breadth captures the centuries-long struggle by Indian thinkers to theorize law in a multiethnic and pluralist society. The volume includes new and accessible translations of key texts, notes that explain the significance and chronology of selections, and a comprehensive introduction that summarizes the development of various disciplines in intellectual-historical terms. It reconstructs the principal disputes of a given discipline, which not only clarifies the arguments but also relays the dynamism of the fight. For those seeking a richer understanding of the political and intellectual origins of a major twenty-first-century power, along with unique insight into the legal interactions among its many groups, this book offers exceptional detail, historical precision, and expository illumination.
Against Dharma
Author: Wendy Doniger
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300235232
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 245
Book Description
An esteemed scholar of Hinduism presents a groundbreaking interpretation of ancient Indian texts and their historic influence on subversive resistance Ancient Hindu texts speak of the three aims of human life: dharma,artha, and kama. Translated, these might be called religion, politics, and pleasure, and each is held to be an essential requirement of a full life. Balance among the three is a goal not always met, however, and dharma has historically taken precedence over the other two qualities in Hindu life. Here, historian of religions Wendy Doniger offers a spirited and close reading of ancient Indian writings, unpacking a long but unrecognized history of opposition against dharma. Doniger argues that scientific disciplines (shastras) have offered lively and continuous criticism of dharma, or religion, over many centuries. She chronicles the tradition of veiled subversion, uncovers connections to key moments of resistance and voices of dissent throughout Indian history, and offers insights into the Indian theocracy’s subversion of science by religion today.
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300235232
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 245
Book Description
An esteemed scholar of Hinduism presents a groundbreaking interpretation of ancient Indian texts and their historic influence on subversive resistance Ancient Hindu texts speak of the three aims of human life: dharma,artha, and kama. Translated, these might be called religion, politics, and pleasure, and each is held to be an essential requirement of a full life. Balance among the three is a goal not always met, however, and dharma has historically taken precedence over the other two qualities in Hindu life. Here, historian of religions Wendy Doniger offers a spirited and close reading of ancient Indian writings, unpacking a long but unrecognized history of opposition against dharma. Doniger argues that scientific disciplines (shastras) have offered lively and continuous criticism of dharma, or religion, over many centuries. She chronicles the tradition of veiled subversion, uncovers connections to key moments of resistance and voices of dissent throughout Indian history, and offers insights into the Indian theocracy’s subversion of science by religion today.
Dharma and Ecology of Hindu Communities
Author: Pankaj Jain
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317151607
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 228
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.
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317151607
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 228
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.
Hindu Perspectives on Evolution
Author: C. Mackenzie Brown
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136484671
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 289
Book Description
Providing new insights into the contemporary creationist-evolution debates, this book looks at the Hindu cultural-religious traditions of India, the Hindu Dharma traditions. By focusing on the interaction of religion and science in a Hindu context, it offers a global context for understanding contemporary creationist-evolution conflicts and tensions utilizing a critical analysis of Hindu perspectives on these issues. The cultural and political as well as theological nature of these conflicts is illustrated by drawing attention to parallels with contemporary Islamic and Buddhist responses to modern science and Darwinism. The book explores various ancient and classical Hindu models to explain the origin of the universe encompassing creationist as well as evolutionary—but non-Darwinian—interpretations of how we came to be. Complex schemes of cosmic evolution were developed, alongside creationist proofs for the existence of God utilizing distinctly Hindu versions of the design argument. After examining diverse elements of the Hindu Dharmic traditions that laid the groundwork for an ambivalent response to Darwinism when it first became known in India, the book highlights the significance of the colonial context. Analysing critically the question of compatibility between traditional Dharmic theories of knowledge and the epistemological assumptions underlying contemporary scientific methodology, the book raises broad questions regarding the frequently alleged harmony of Hinduism, the eternal Dharma, with modern science, and with Darwinian evolution in particular.
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136484671
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 289
Book Description
Providing new insights into the contemporary creationist-evolution debates, this book looks at the Hindu cultural-religious traditions of India, the Hindu Dharma traditions. By focusing on the interaction of religion and science in a Hindu context, it offers a global context for understanding contemporary creationist-evolution conflicts and tensions utilizing a critical analysis of Hindu perspectives on these issues. The cultural and political as well as theological nature of these conflicts is illustrated by drawing attention to parallels with contemporary Islamic and Buddhist responses to modern science and Darwinism. The book explores various ancient and classical Hindu models to explain the origin of the universe encompassing creationist as well as evolutionary—but non-Darwinian—interpretations of how we came to be. Complex schemes of cosmic evolution were developed, alongside creationist proofs for the existence of God utilizing distinctly Hindu versions of the design argument. After examining diverse elements of the Hindu Dharmic traditions that laid the groundwork for an ambivalent response to Darwinism when it first became known in India, the book highlights the significance of the colonial context. Analysing critically the question of compatibility between traditional Dharmic theories of knowledge and the epistemological assumptions underlying contemporary scientific methodology, the book raises broad questions regarding the frequently alleged harmony of Hinduism, the eternal Dharma, with modern science, and with Darwinian evolution in particular.
Nama-Rupa and Dharma-Rupa
Author: Maryla Falk
Publisher: Jain Publishing Company
ISBN: 0895819783
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 236
Book Description
The conception of nama-rupa, "name-and-form," is that of the complex of worldly reality, i.e., differentiated contingent existence, both individual and cosmic. It pertains to the differentiation of the original infinite unity. The related term dharma-rupa presents the same conception, but expresses the contrast between the original unity and its differentiation.This book is a scholarly study of this conception, showing how it pervades Indian thought from the Hindu Vedas to the Buddhist Suttas. By way of the all-pervasive Yoga tradition it emerges and re-emerges in various forms in the different systems. This book includes material on the idea of"pre-canonical Buddhism" pioneered by Stanislaw Schayer.
Publisher: Jain Publishing Company
ISBN: 0895819783
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 236
Book Description
The conception of nama-rupa, "name-and-form," is that of the complex of worldly reality, i.e., differentiated contingent existence, both individual and cosmic. It pertains to the differentiation of the original infinite unity. The related term dharma-rupa presents the same conception, but expresses the contrast between the original unity and its differentiation.This book is a scholarly study of this conception, showing how it pervades Indian thought from the Hindu Vedas to the Buddhist Suttas. By way of the all-pervasive Yoga tradition it emerges and re-emerges in various forms in the different systems. This book includes material on the idea of"pre-canonical Buddhism" pioneered by Stanislaw Schayer.
Dharma and Halacha
Author: Ithamar Theodor
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1498512801
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 273
Book Description
In recent decades there has been a rising interest among scholars of Hinduism and Judaism in engaging in the comparative studies of these ancient traditions. Academic interests have also been inspired by the rise of interreligious dialogue by the respective religious leaders. Dharma and Halacha: Comparative Studies in Hindu-Jewish Philosophy and Religion represents a significant contribution to this emerging field, offering an examination of a wide range of topics and a rich diversity of perspectives and methodologies within each tradition, and underscoring significant affinities in textual practices, ritual purity, sacrifice, ethics and theology. Dharma refers to a Hindu term indicating law, duty, religion, morality, justice and order, and the collective body of Dharma is called Dharma-shastra. Halacha is the Hebrew term designating the Jewish spiritual path, comprising the collective body of Jewish religious laws, ethics and rituals. Although there are strong parallels between Hinduism and Judaism in topics such as textual practices and mystical experience, the link between these two religious systems, i.e. Dharma and Halacha, is especially compelling and provides a framework for the comparative study of these two traditions. The book begins with an introduction to Hindu-Jewish comparative studies and recent interreligious encounters. Part I of the book titled “Ritual and Sacrifice,” encompasses the themes of sacrifice, holiness, and worship. Part II titled "Ethics," is devoted to comparing ethical systems in both traditions, highlighting the manifold ways in which the sacred is embodied in the mundane. Part III of the book titled "Theology," addresses common themes and phenomena in spiritual leadership, as well as textual metaphors for mystical and visionary experiences in Hinduism and Judaism. The epilogue offers a retrospective on Hindu-Jewish encounters, mapping historic as well as contemporary academic initiatives and collaborations.
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1498512801
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 273
Book Description
In recent decades there has been a rising interest among scholars of Hinduism and Judaism in engaging in the comparative studies of these ancient traditions. Academic interests have also been inspired by the rise of interreligious dialogue by the respective religious leaders. Dharma and Halacha: Comparative Studies in Hindu-Jewish Philosophy and Religion represents a significant contribution to this emerging field, offering an examination of a wide range of topics and a rich diversity of perspectives and methodologies within each tradition, and underscoring significant affinities in textual practices, ritual purity, sacrifice, ethics and theology. Dharma refers to a Hindu term indicating law, duty, religion, morality, justice and order, and the collective body of Dharma is called Dharma-shastra. Halacha is the Hebrew term designating the Jewish spiritual path, comprising the collective body of Jewish religious laws, ethics and rituals. Although there are strong parallels between Hinduism and Judaism in topics such as textual practices and mystical experience, the link between these two religious systems, i.e. Dharma and Halacha, is especially compelling and provides a framework for the comparative study of these two traditions. The book begins with an introduction to Hindu-Jewish comparative studies and recent interreligious encounters. Part I of the book titled “Ritual and Sacrifice,” encompasses the themes of sacrifice, holiness, and worship. Part II titled "Ethics," is devoted to comparing ethical systems in both traditions, highlighting the manifold ways in which the sacred is embodied in the mundane. Part III of the book titled "Theology," addresses common themes and phenomena in spiritual leadership, as well as textual metaphors for mystical and visionary experiences in Hinduism and Judaism. The epilogue offers a retrospective on Hindu-Jewish encounters, mapping historic as well as contemporary academic initiatives and collaborations.