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Author: Bernard Faure Publisher: University of Hawaii Press ISBN: 0824857720 Category : Religion Languages : en Pages : 514
Book Description
Written by one of the leading scholars of Japanese religion, Protectors and Predators is the second installment of a multivolume project that promises to be a milestone in our understanding of the mythico-ritual system of esoteric Buddhism—specifically the nature and roles of deities in the religious world of medieval Japan and beyond. Bernard Faure introduces readers to medieval Japanese religiosity and shows the centrality of the gods in religious discourse and ritual. Throughout he engages theoretical insights drawn from structuralism, post-structuralism, and Actor-Network Theory to retrieve the “implicit pantheon” (as opposed to the “explicit orthodox pantheon”) of esoteric Japanese Buddhism (Mikkyō). His work is particularly significant given its focus on the deities’ multiple and shifting representations, overlappings, and modes of actions rather than on individual characters and functions. In Protectors and Predators Faure argues that the “wild” gods of Japan were at the center of the medieval religious landscape and came together in complex webs of association not divisible into the categories of “Buddhist,” “indigenous,” or “Shinto.” Furthermore, among the most important medieval gods, certain ones had roots in Hinduism, others in Daoism and Yin-Yang thought. He displays vast knowledge of his subject and presents his research—much of it in largely unstudied material—with theoretical sophistication. His arguments and analyses assume the centrality of the iconographic record as a complement to the textual record, and so he has brought together a rich and rare collection of more than 170 color and black-and-white images. This emphasis on iconography and the ways in which it complements, supplements, or deconstructs textual orthodoxy is critical to a fuller comprehension of a set of medieval Japanese beliefs and practices and offers a corrective to the traditional division of the field into religious studies, which typically ignores the images, and art history, which oftentimes overlooks their ritual and religious meaning. Protectors and Predators and its companion volumes should persuade readers that the gods constituted a central part of medieval Japanese religion and that the latter cannot be reduced to a simplistic confrontation, parallelism, or complementarity between some monolithic teachings known as “Buddhism” and “Shinto.” Once these reductionist labels and categories are discarded, a new and fascinating religious landscape begins to unfold.
Author: Bernard Faure Publisher: University of Hawaii Press ISBN: 0824857720 Category : Religion Languages : en Pages : 514
Book Description
Written by one of the leading scholars of Japanese religion, Protectors and Predators is the second installment of a multivolume project that promises to be a milestone in our understanding of the mythico-ritual system of esoteric Buddhism—specifically the nature and roles of deities in the religious world of medieval Japan and beyond. Bernard Faure introduces readers to medieval Japanese religiosity and shows the centrality of the gods in religious discourse and ritual. Throughout he engages theoretical insights drawn from structuralism, post-structuralism, and Actor-Network Theory to retrieve the “implicit pantheon” (as opposed to the “explicit orthodox pantheon”) of esoteric Japanese Buddhism (Mikkyō). His work is particularly significant given its focus on the deities’ multiple and shifting representations, overlappings, and modes of actions rather than on individual characters and functions. In Protectors and Predators Faure argues that the “wild” gods of Japan were at the center of the medieval religious landscape and came together in complex webs of association not divisible into the categories of “Buddhist,” “indigenous,” or “Shinto.” Furthermore, among the most important medieval gods, certain ones had roots in Hinduism, others in Daoism and Yin-Yang thought. He displays vast knowledge of his subject and presents his research—much of it in largely unstudied material—with theoretical sophistication. His arguments and analyses assume the centrality of the iconographic record as a complement to the textual record, and so he has brought together a rich and rare collection of more than 170 color and black-and-white images. This emphasis on iconography and the ways in which it complements, supplements, or deconstructs textual orthodoxy is critical to a fuller comprehension of a set of medieval Japanese beliefs and practices and offers a corrective to the traditional division of the field into religious studies, which typically ignores the images, and art history, which oftentimes overlooks their ritual and religious meaning. Protectors and Predators and its companion volumes should persuade readers that the gods constituted a central part of medieval Japanese religion and that the latter cannot be reduced to a simplistic confrontation, parallelism, or complementarity between some monolithic teachings known as “Buddhism” and “Shinto.” Once these reductionist labels and categories are discarded, a new and fascinating religious landscape begins to unfold.
Author: Kalman Dubov Publisher: Kalman Dubov ISBN: Category : Social Science Languages : en Pages :
Book Description
The prevalence of sexual predation in the Orthodox Jewish community has traditionally been to not report to secular authorities. The pejorative term applied to one who violates this norm and informs authorities of pedophilia and criminally aberrant activity is 'mosur.' This term is applied with harsh denigration. From a Jewish legal point of view, the mosur is subject to the death penalty by any Jew, anywhere Jews reside and applies in an extra-judicial manner, without prior review by any Jewish authority, and is applicable today. Rabbinic legal authorities determine that the life of the predator, and by extension, of the community, takes precedence over the victim regardless of the cost to the victim. In such a setting, the victim has no recourse. If s/he goes forward to report the abuse, the mosur charge will apply. Maintaining silence means not being able to access health professionals to ameliorate the violations that occurred, and the predator is thereby free to abuse others and to do so with impunity. The origins of this legal framework stem from Jews living in the Diaspora and is not mandated Biblically. This framework, I contend, is based on considerations of survival so the predator is protected and the community remains safe from anti-Semitic governments. Survival was deemed the highest priority regardless of the individual costs present. The flashpoint of this scandal took place in Australia with the establishment of the Australian Royal Commission to receive testimony on abuse of institutionalized children. Initially, aberrant acts against minors by Roman Catholic Church prelates, both Diocesan and Order were examined. The Commission also heard of Chabad rabbis who implemented the mosur mindset, to not report crimes of sexual abuse in their schools, while minimizing the effect such abuse had on the victims. Two specific cases are discussed, one in the United States and the second in Australia. In both instances, the accused escaped justice by going to Israel. The Australian case became an international cause célèbre when the Melbourne Jewish school that had employed her paid for and arranged details of the flight. It was only after years of delay and legal maneuvering, including charges of interference by a senior cabinet member, that the accused was finally extradited to Australia, now awaiting her criminal trial. The case in the United States reflects a similar escape, with the accused now residing in Israel. How did the mosur phenomenon come about? The book proposes a theory of the Doctrine of Temporary Residence as the basis for the law. Based on a Diaspora mindset, that framework no longer applies since justice in the free world is fair, impartial, and not anti-Semitic. The prohibition of not turning over a Jewish predator for criminal prosecution therefore no longer has validity. The new and recent phenomenon where communal leaders seem to advocate greater care and concern for the victim of these crimes is a refreshing development.
Author: Bernard Faure Publisher: University of Hawaii Press ISBN: 0824889363 Category : Religion Languages : en Pages : 553
Book Description
Written by one of the leading scholars of Japanese religion, Rage and Ravage is the third installment of a milestone project in our understanding of the mythico-ritual system of esoteric Buddhism—specifically the nature and roles of deities in the religious world of medieval Japan and beyond. Bernard Faure introduces readers to medieval Japanese religiosity and shows the centrality of the gods in religious discourse and ritual; in doing so he moves away from the usual textual, historical, and sociological approaches that constitute the “method” of current religious studies. Throughout, he engages theoretical insights drawn from structuralism, post-structuralism, and Actor-Network Theory to retrieve the “implicit pantheon” (as opposed to the “explicit orthodox pantheon”) of esoteric Japanese Buddhism (Mikkyō). In volumes one and two, The Fluid Pantheon and Protectors and Predators, Faure argued against a polarity or dichotomy between buddhas and kami by emphasizing the existence of deities that did not belong to either category, and he rejected the retrospective notion of “hybridity.” The present work makes a similar case about the reified distinction between gods and demons to show that, due to the fluid nature of the Japanese pantheon, these terms do not represent stable identities: Gods can become demons, and demons are sometimes deified. Divine protectors were often former predators, and in some instances they retained their predatory features even after being converted. After emphasizing the demonic aspects of devas as “gods or spirits of obstacles” in the earlier volumes, Faure now focuses on the deva-like or “divine” aspects of deities that have been described as “demonic.” Rage and Ravage and its companion volumes persuade readers that the gods constituted a central part of medieval Japanese religion and that the latter cannot be reduced to a simplistic confrontation, parallelism, or complementarity between some monolithic teachings known as “Buddhism” and “Shinto.” Once these reductionist labels and categories are discarded, a new and fascinating religious landscape begins to unfold.
Author: Paul A. Trout Publisher: Prometheus Books ISBN: 1616145021 Category : Nature Languages : en Pages : 316
Book Description
In this illuminating and evocative exploration of the origin and function of storytelling, the author goes beyond the work of mythologist Joseph Campbell, arguing that mythmaking evolved as a cultural survival strategy for coping with the constant fear of being killed and eaten by predators. Beginning nearly two million years ago in the Pleistocene era, the first stories, Trout argues, functioned as alarm calls, warning fellow group members about the carnivores lurking in the surroundings. At the earliest period, before the development of language, these rudimentary "stories" would have been acted out. When language appeared with the evolution of the ancestral human brain, stories were recited, memorized, and much later written down as the often bone-chilling myths that have survived to this day. This book takes the reader through the landscape of world mythology to show how our more recent ancestors created myths that portrayed animal predators in four basic ways: as monsters, as gods, as benefactors, and as role models. Each incarnation is a variation of the fear-management technique that enabled early humans not only to survive but to overcome their potentially incapacitating fear of predators. In the final chapter, Trout explores the ways in which our visceral fear of predators is played out in the movies, where both animal and human predators serve to probe and revitalize our capacity to detect and survive danger. Anyone with an interest in mythology, archaeology, folk tales, and the origins of contemporary storytelling will find this book an exciting and provocative exploration into the natural and psychological forces that shaped human culture and gave rise to storytelling and mythmaking.
Author: Philip Carlo Publisher: Leisure Books ISBN: 9780843955767 Category : Fiction Languages : en Pages : 388
Book Description
When a serial killer begins preying on priests in New York City, the Church and the Vatican need to have the killer silenced, for he is their worst nightmare come true--the living embodiment of a terrible, dark secret. Original.
Author: Joe H. Slate Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide ISBN: 9780738701912 Category : Health & Fitness Languages : en Pages : 268
Book Description
Consuming energy instead of blood, psychic vampires come in a variety of unsuspecting guises. This unique approach to the subject will introduce you to a trio of new thieves: group vampires, parasitic vampires, and global vampirism. Exploring environmental, developmental, and past-life factors, Psychic Vampires presents effective step-by-step empowerment procedures you can use to protect yourself and replenish your energy reserves. This practical guide offers: An exploration of previously unknown forms of psychic vampirism Methods to identify and counteract the effects of psychic attacks Thirteen photos illustrating the "Vampire Shadow Phenomenon," the "Halo Effect," and more A Seven-Day Psychic Protection Plan
Author: C. Ryker Publisher: Fulton Books, Inc. ISBN: 1638600171 Category : Fiction Languages : en Pages : 426
Book Description
The Protectors is about a scientist whose name is Ryker Wayne. At a young age, Ryker's mom is diagnosed with cancer, and after a long battle, she succumbs to the effects and dies. Ryker is traumatized by this loss and swears to break the DNA code and cure cancer. At twelve years old, he enters Harvard Medical School and excels. His acumen is found in chemistry and genetics. Two scientists he befriends, Chen Koo and Anton Karpov, become compatriots with his desire to break the DNA code. Years later, he begins to publish articles explaining his plans to alter the DNA of predators so that the military can use them in clandestine operations. After successfully developing the program for the military, his true love emerges, and he wants to try this on humans. The book takes off from there into a world of nuclear destruction and post-Big Exchange life for those who survive. Upon this scene, Ryker's giant Protectors are introduced. He regulates the growth of boys five to seven years old and turns them into giants between fourteen and fifteen feet tall with all the capabilities to fight predators one-on-one and win.
Author: Ronan Farrow Publisher: Little, Brown ISBN: 0316486663 Category : True Crime Languages : en Pages : 464
Book Description
One of the Best Books of the Year Time * NPR * Washington Post * Bloomberg News * Chicago Tribune * Chicago Public Library * Fortune * Los Angeles Times * E! News * The Telegraph * Apple * Library Journal In this newly updated edition of the "meticulous and devastating" (Associated Press) account of violence and espionage that spent months on the New York Times Bestsellers list, Ronan Farrow exposes serial abusers and a cabal of powerful interests hell-bent on covering up the truth, at any cost - from Hollywood to Washington and beyond. In 2017, a routine network television investigation led to a story only whispered about: one of Hollywood's most powerful producers was a predator, protected by fear, wealth, and a conspiracy of silence. As Farrow drew closer to the truth, shadowy operatives, from high-priced lawyers to elite war-hardened spies, mounted a secret campaign of intimidation, threatening his career, following his every move, and weaponizing an account of abuse in his own family. This is the untold story of the exotic tactics of surveillance and intimidation deployed by wealthy and connected men to threaten journalists, evade accountability, and silence victims of abuse. And it's the story of the women who risked everything to expose the truth and spark a global movement Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in AutobiographyIndie Bound #1 BestsellerUSA Today BestsellerWall Street Journal Bestseller