The Graceful Guru

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The Graceful Guru

Author : Karen Pechilis
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 0195145372
Total Pages : 272 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (951 download)

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Book Synopsis The Graceful Guru by : Karen Pechilis

Download or read book The Graceful Guru written by Karen Pechilis and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A distinctive aspect of Hindu devotion is the veneration of a human guru, who is not only an exemplar and a teacher but is also understood to be an embodiment of the divine. Historically, the role of guru in the public domain has been exclusive to men. The new visibility of female gurus in India and the U.S. today, and indeed across the globe, has inspired this first-ever scholarly study of the origins, variety, and worldwide popularity of Hindu female gurus. In the Introduction, Karen Pechilis examines the historical emergence of Hindu female gurus with reference to the Hindu philosophy of the self, women spiritual exemplars as wives and saints, Tantric worship of the Goddess, and the internationalization of gurus in the U.S. in the twentieth century. Nine essays profile specific female gurus, presenting biographies of these remarkable women while highlighting overarching issues and themes concerning women's status as religious leaders; these themes are nuanced in the afterword to the volume. The essays explore how Hindu female gurus embody grace in both senses--as a feminine ideal and an attribute of the divine-and argue that their status as leaders is grounded in their negotiation of these two types of grace. This book provides biographical profiles of the following female gurus plus sensitive scholarly analysis of their spiritual paths: Ammachi, Anandamayi Ma, Gauri Ma, Gurumayi, Jayashri Ma, Karunamayi Ma, Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati, Mother Meera, Shree Maa and Sita Devi.

The Guru in South Asia

Author : Jacob Copeman
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 0415510198
Total Pages : 271 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (155 download)

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Book Synopsis The Guru in South Asia by : Jacob Copeman

Download or read book The Guru in South Asia written by Jacob Copeman and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2012 with total page 271 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a set of fresh and compelling interdisciplinary approaches to the enduring phenomenon of the guru in South Asia. Moving across different gurus and kinds of gurus, and between past and present, the chapters call attention to the extraordinary scope and richness of the social lives and roles of South Asian gurus. Prevailing scholarship has rightly considered the guru to be a source of religious and philosophical knowledge and mystical bodily practices. This book goes further and considers the social engagements and entanglements of these spiritual leaders, not just on their own (narrowly denominational) terms, but in terms of their diverse, complex, rapidly evolving engagements with 'society' broadly conceived. The book explores and illuminates the significance of female gurus, gurus from the perspective of Islam, imbrications of guru-ship and slavery in pre-modern India, connections between gurus and power, governance and economic liberalization in modern and contemporary India, vexed questions of sexuality and guru-ship, gurus' charitable endeavours, the cosmopolitanism of gurus in contexts of spiritual tourism, and the mediation of gurus via technologies of electronic communication. Bringing together internationally renowned scholars from religious studies, political science, history, sociology and anthropology, The Guru in South Asia provides exciting and original new insights into South Asian guru-ship. The Open Access version of this book, available at http: //www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

Women’s Authority and Leadership in a Hindu Goddess Tradition

Author : Nanette R. Spina
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 1137589094
Total Pages : 327 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (375 download)

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Book Synopsis Women’s Authority and Leadership in a Hindu Goddess Tradition by : Nanette R. Spina

Download or read book Women’s Authority and Leadership in a Hindu Goddess Tradition written by Nanette R. Spina and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-02-28 with total page 327 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book investigates women’s ritual authority and the common boundaries between religion and notions of gender, ethnicity, and identity. Nanette R. Spina situates her study within the transnational Melmaruvathur Adhiparasakthi movement established by the Tamil Indian guru, Bangaru Adigalar. One of the most prominent, defining elements of this tradition is that women are privileged with positions of leadership and ritual authority. This represents an extraordinary shift from orthodox tradition in which religious authority has been the exclusive domain of male Brahmin priests. Presenting historical and contemporary perspectives on the transnational Adhiparasakthi organization, Spina analyzes women’s roles and means of expression within the tradition. The book takes a close look at the Adhiparasakthi society in Toronto, Canada (a Hindu community in both its transnational and diasporic dimensions), and how this Canadian temple has both shaped and demonstrated their own diasporic Hindu identity. The Toronto Adhiparasakthi society illustrates how Goddess theology, women's ritual authority, and “inclusivity” ethics have dynamically shaped the identity of this prominent movement overseas. Based on years of ethnographic fieldwork, the volume draws the reader into the rich textures of culture, community, and ritual life with the Goddess.

Religion, Globalization and Culture

Author : Peter Beyer
Publisher : BRILL
ISBN 13 : 9004154078
Total Pages : 617 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (41 download)

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Book Synopsis Religion, Globalization and Culture by : Peter Beyer

Download or read book Religion, Globalization and Culture written by Peter Beyer and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2007 with total page 617 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The topic of religion and globalization is complex, susceptible to a great variety of approaches. This book combines contributions from many authors who examine a wide range of subjects ranging from overall theoretical considerations to detailed regional perspectives. No single understanding of either religion or globalization is privileged.

Eternal Glory of Guru Nanak

Author : Brig. Partap Singh Jaspal
Publisher : Partridge Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1482836157
Total Pages : 289 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (828 download)

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Book Synopsis Eternal Glory of Guru Nanak by : Brig. Partap Singh Jaspal

Download or read book Eternal Glory of Guru Nanak written by Brig. Partap Singh Jaspal and published by Partridge Publishing. This book was released on 2019-08-28 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jot Roop Har Aap Guru Nanak Kahayio - Sri Guru Granth Sahib, 1408 ‘The Lord Almighty caused Himself to be called as Guru Nanak’ Sri Guru Nanak Sahib was the incarnation of the Lord Almighty, a prophet, a Jagat Guru from His very birth. He did not, therefore, need the guidance, aid or help of a worldly Guru. He was a born Param Guru, Jagat Guru, Guru Eternal, Supreme Guru. He was a Maker and Producer of Gurus-Divine. He was the Aad and Jugad Guru. As there is no count before one and before God, so is Guru Nanak, the Supreme Jagat Guru. From this Guru Supreme has again emerged The Guru Eternal in the form of Sri Guru Granth Sahib radiating the Eternal Glory of Guru Nanak. Guru Nanak ensouls ten divine forms and Eternal Sri Guru Granth Sahib as one single Divine Entity. Parbrahm Guru Nanak shines in each manifestation in full Glory and each divine form of ten Gurus reveals various divine aspects of the Eternal Glory of Guru Nanak. This spiritual wonder enraptures the soul of mankind with their ensouling divine essence and unity. What a unique marvel of divinity! I was studying in D & M college, Moga when my respected father led me direct into the holy presence of Baba Nand Singh Ji Maharaj and afforded me number of such blessed chances thereafter. It was in the holy and direct presence of Mahan Baba Nand Singh Ji Maharaj that I experienced the grandeur and bliss of the Eternal Glory of Guru Nanak.

Philosophy of Life

Author : Kanta Arora
Publisher : DK Printworld (P) Ltd
ISBN 13 : 8124609942
Total Pages : 321 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (246 download)

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Book Synopsis Philosophy of Life by : Kanta Arora

Download or read book Philosophy of Life written by Kanta Arora and published by DK Printworld (P) Ltd. This book was released on 2019-06-21 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: About the Book This volume illustrates, compares and discusses as to how Guru Nānak with his transcendental exposition, sharp skill, argumentative capability and common poetic language further enriched, explained, simplified, modernized and expressed various theological and philosophical concepts elucidated in Upaniṣads for the understanding and adaptation of a common man. Upaniṣads are “breath of eternal” and hymns of Guru Nānak are “a divine song of life”. Guru Nānak’s exuberance of love and search for God and godly people was not confined to any religion or religious institution. He revolted against the ritualistic mind of a brāhmaṇa. He was essentially a man of God whose love and quest for search for the Ultimate Truth knew no limits. In the pursuit of this search he enjoyed a reach to the state of void meaning a state where there is no distinction between the object and the subject – the knower and the known. He was a protagonist of Bhakti tradition and stressed more on bhakti or devotion to God. He taught the Sahaja-Patha or Sūrata Śabada Yoga that easily takes one straight to the Lord by spontaneous concentration of mind. Both hymns of Guru Nānak and Upaniṣads explain that the real aim of human life is to attain liberation from the repeated coming and going in incarnations, which can be attained by adequate karma, knowledge and disciplined meditation. About the Author Born in a small town of Chamkaur Sahib, Kanta Arora, MA, LLB, PhD, spent her childhood within the premises of Ghari, where Sri Guru Gobind Singh had sacrificed his two sons. This had left a profound influence of Guru Nānak’s teaching on her. Having done graduation and post-graduation from the Punjab University, she joined Govt of India and held various positions in Finance and Accounts Dept of different ministries. After superannuation, she became a regular student of theology and made a comparative study of religions and consciousness studies and got her PhD for the thesis “Philosophy of Life: A Study in the Light of Bani (Hymns) of Guru Nanak and Upanishads” from the Department of Sanskrit of Dayalbagh Educational Institute (Deemed University). She has participated in many national seminars, and international conferences organized by the Center for Conscious Studies, University of Arizona, USA.

Tracing the Path of Yoga

Author : Stuart Ray Sarbacker
Publisher : State University of New York Press
ISBN 13 : 1438481233
Total Pages : 308 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (384 download)

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Book Synopsis Tracing the Path of Yoga by : Stuart Ray Sarbacker

Download or read book Tracing the Path of Yoga written by Stuart Ray Sarbacker and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 2021-01-01 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Clear, accessible, and meticulously annotated, Tracing the Path of Yoga offers a comprehensive survey of the history and philosophy of yoga that will be invaluable to both specialists and to nonspecialists seeking a deeper understanding of this fascinating subject. Stuart Ray Sarbacker argues that yoga can be understood first and foremost as a discipline of mind and body that is represented in its narrative and philosophical literature as resulting in both numinous and cessative accomplishments that correspond, respectively, to the attainment of this-worldly power and otherworldly liberation. Sarbacker demonstrates how the yogic quest for perfection as such is situated within the concrete realities of human life, intersecting with issues of politics, economics, class, gender, and sexuality, as well as reflecting larger Indic religious and philosophical ideals.

Renowned Goddess of Desire

Author : Loriliai Biernacki
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780198043874
Total Pages : 312 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (438 download)

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Book Synopsis Renowned Goddess of Desire by : Loriliai Biernacki

Download or read book Renowned Goddess of Desire written by Loriliai Biernacki and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2007-10-11 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tantra is a family of rituals modeled on those of the Vedas and their attendant texts and lineages. These rituals typically involve the visualization of a deity, offerings, and the chanting of his or her mantra. Common variations include visualizing the deity in the act of sexual union with a consort, visualizing oneself as the deity, and "transgressive" acts such as token consumption of meat or alcohol. Most notoriously, non-standard or ritualized sex is sometimes practiced. This accounts for Tantra's negative reputation in some quarters and its reception in the West primarily as a collection of sexual practices. Although some today extol Tantra's liberating qualities, the role of women remains controversial. Traditionally there are two views of women and Tantra. Either the feminine is a metaphor and actual women are altogether absent, or Tantra involves the transgressive use of women's bodies to serve male interests. Loriliai Biernacki presents an alternative view, in which women are revered, worshipped, and considered worthy of spiritual attainment. Her primary sources are a collection of eight relatively modern Tantric texts written in Sanskrit from the 15th through the 18th century. Her analysis of these texts reveals a view of women that is generally positive and empowering. She focuses on four topics: 1) the "Kali Practice," in which women appear not only as objects of reverence but as practitioners and gurus; 2) the Tantric sex rite, especially in the case that, contrary to other Tantric texts, the preference is for wives as ritual consorts; 3) feminine language and the gendered implications of mantra; and 4) images of male violence towards women in tantric myths. Biernacki, by choosing to analyse eight particular Sanskrit texts, argues that within the tradition of Tantra there exists a representation of women in which the female is an authoritative, powerful, equal participant in the Tantric ritual practice.

Communes in America, 1975-2000

Author : Timothy Miller
Publisher : Syracuse University Press
ISBN 13 : 0815654766
Total Pages : 278 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (156 download)

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Book Synopsis Communes in America, 1975-2000 by : Timothy Miller

Download or read book Communes in America, 1975-2000 written by Timothy Miller and published by Syracuse University Press. This book was released on 2019-03-26 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Communes in America: 1975–2000 is the final volume in Miller’s trilogy on the history of American intentional communities. Providing a comprehensive survey of communities during the last quarter of the twentieth century, Miller offers a detailed study of their character, scope, and evolution. Between 1975 and 2000, the American communal experience evolved dramatically in response to social and environmental challenges that confronted American society as a whole. Long-accepted social norms and institutions—family, religion, medicine, and politics—were questioned as the divorce rate increased, interest in spiritual teachings from Asia grew, and alternative medicine gained ground. Cohousing flourished as a response to an increasing sense of alienation and a need to balance community and private lives. At the same time, Americans became increasingly concerned with environmental protection and preservation of our limited resources. In the face of these social changes, communal living flourished as people sought out communities of like-minded individuals to pursue a higher purpose. Organized topically, each chapter in the volume provides basic information about various types of communities and detailed examples of each type, from ecovillages and radical Christian communities to pagan communes and cohousing experiments. Miller also takes a step back to look at the prevalence of communal living in American life over the twentieth century. Based on exhaustive research, Miller’s final volume provides an indispensable survey and guide to understanding utopianism’s enduring presence in American culture.

Miracles

Author : David L. Weddle
Publisher : NYU Press
ISBN 13 : 0814794165
Total Pages : 268 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (147 download)

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Book Synopsis Miracles by : David L. Weddle

Download or read book Miracles written by David L. Weddle and published by NYU Press. This book was released on 2010-07-19 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examines miracle stories from five religions, focusing on Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam, and discussing how each religion views miracles.

Women and Asian Religions

Author : Zayn R. Kassam
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN 13 : 0313082758
Total Pages : 419 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (13 download)

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Book Synopsis Women and Asian Religions by : Zayn R. Kassam

Download or read book Women and Asian Religions written by Zayn R. Kassam and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2017-06-22 with total page 419 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Covering eclectic topics ranging from South Asian religion to motherhood to world dance to ethnomusicology, this book focuses on contemporary selected experiences of women and how their lives interface with religion. Religion has often been perceived as the source of constriction for women's roles in society. This volume explores how modern women across Asia are mobilizing their faith traditions to address existential issues encountered in both the public and private realms, relating to economics, public participation, politics, and culture. As such, it is revealed that religion can be a powerful force for social change and ameliorating women's lives, despite use of religious doctrine in the past to limit women. Editor Zayn R. Kassam, PhD, and the contributors cover not only the commonly considered "Asian" traditions of Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism but also Christianity, Judaism, Bahai, and indigenous traditions. The book reveals that the challenges and opportunities Asian women face arise both from within and outside, whether in terms of developments within their countries or in relation to international political and economic regimes. The chapters explore how the issues Asian women face have as much to do with cultural and religious codes as they do with politics, economics, education, and the law; consider the varying ways in which family and motherhood are affected by the state's construction of the gendered citizen, by social constructs of motherhood, and by policies regarding women and children's access to health care; and identify the roles played by religion and spirituality in these circumstances.

Gurus in America

Author : Thomas A. Forsthoefel
Publisher : SUNY Press
ISBN 13 : 9780791465745
Total Pages : 248 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (657 download)

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Book Synopsis Gurus in America by : Thomas A. Forsthoefel

Download or read book Gurus in America written by Thomas A. Forsthoefel and published by SUNY Press. This book was released on 2005-10-06 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A fascinating look at Hindu gurus with significant followings in the United States.

Gurus of Modern Yoga

Author : Mark Singleton
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199938717
Total Pages : 368 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (999 download)

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Book Synopsis Gurus of Modern Yoga by : Mark Singleton

Download or read book Gurus of Modern Yoga written by Mark Singleton and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2013-11-06 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Within most pre-modern, Indian traditions of yoga, the role of the guru is absolutely central. Indeed, it was often understood that yoga would simply not work without the grace of the guru. The modern period saw the dawn of new, democratic, scientific modes of yoga practice and teaching. While teachings and gurus have always adapted to the times and circumstances, the sheer pace of cultural change ushered in by modernity has led to some unprecedented innovations in the way gurus present themselves and their teachings, and the way they are received by their students. Gurus of Modern Yoga explores the contributions of individual gurus to the formation of the practices and discourses of yoga today. The focus is not limited to India, but also extends to the teachings of yoga gurus in the modern, transnational world, and within the Hindu diaspora. Each section deals with a different aspect of the guru within modern yoga. Included are extensive considerations of the transnational tantric guru; the teachings of modern yoga's best-known guru, T. Krishnamacharya, and those of his principal disciples; the place of technology, business and politics in the work of global yoga gurus; and the role of science and medicine. As a whole, the book represents an extensive and diverse picture of the place of the guru, both past and present, in contemporary yoga practice.

Homegrown Gurus

Author : Ann Gleig
Publisher : SUNY Press
ISBN 13 : 1438447914
Total Pages : 248 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (384 download)

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Book Synopsis Homegrown Gurus by : Ann Gleig

Download or read book Homegrown Gurus written by Ann Gleig and published by SUNY Press. This book was released on 2013-11-01 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Exploring homegrown movements and figures, proclaims American Hinduism as a distinct religious tradition. Today, a new stage in the development of Hinduism in America is taking shape. After a century of experimentation during which Americans welcomed Indian gurus who adjusted their teachings to accommodate the New World context, American Hinduism can now rightly be called its own tradition rather than an imported religion. Accordingly, this spiritual path is now headed by leaders born in North America. Homegrown Gurus explores this phenomenon in essays about these figures and their networks. A variety of teachers and movements are considered, including Ram Dass, Siddha Yoga, and Amrit Desai and Kripalu Yoga, among others. Two contradictory trends quickly become apparent: an increasing Westernization of Hindu practices and values alongside a renewed interest in traditional forms of Hinduism. These opposed sensibilitiesinnovation and preservation, radicalism and recoveryare characteristic of postmodernity and denote a new chapter in the American assimilation of Hinduism.

When a Goddess Dies

Author : Orianne Aymard
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN 13 : 0199368627
Total Pages : 369 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (993 download)

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Book Synopsis When a Goddess Dies by : Orianne Aymard

Download or read book When a Goddess Dies written by Orianne Aymard and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2014 with total page 369 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Using numerous interviews and extensive research, this book explores the devotional movement of the enduring religious figure, Anandamayi Ma, venerated both as a guru and an incarnation of the Divine on Earth. Orianne Aymard asks what happens to a charismatic movement after the death (mahasamadhi) of the guru.

Chinmayi

Author : Swami Anubhavananda
Publisher : Swami Anubhavananda
ISBN 13 : 1938843010
Total Pages : 1015 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (388 download)

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Book Synopsis Chinmayi by : Swami Anubhavananda

Download or read book Chinmayi written by Swami Anubhavananda and published by Swami Anubhavananda. This book was released on 2012-07-11 with total page 1015 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Graceful Women

Author : Constance Waeber Elsberg
Publisher : Univ. of Tennessee Press
ISBN 13 : 9781572332140
Total Pages : 414 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (321 download)

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Book Synopsis Graceful Women by : Constance Waeber Elsberg

Download or read book Graceful Women written by Constance Waeber Elsberg and published by Univ. of Tennessee Press. This book was released on 2003 with total page 414 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A number of religious movements were born in the United States in the 1970s as refugees from the counterculture sought new ways of living. In 1969 in Los Angeles, teacher Yogi Bhajan founded the Healthy Happy Holy Organization (3HO) and dedicated it to yoga and healthy living. Many members began to convert to Sikhism, Bhajan's faith, and soon the group numbered in the thousands. Graceful Women is the first look at the women who embraced this community as they sought meaning in their lives. Constance Waeber Elsberg follows members of an ashram over an extended period of time--from affiliation, through their first attempts to apply the teachings of 3HO to everyday life, through upheavals and doubts in the community, and finally, to mature formulations of their own purpose and identity. Both long-term and former members speak about the group and the process of adopting Sikhism and participating in such cultural practices as arranged marriages. In studying this group, Elsberg found women building individual and collective identities and using symbols, narratives, and metaphors to participate in a view of the world that stresses an essential unity beneath the conflicts of contemporary life. A regimen including yoga, meditation, and diet helped the women feel that they could control their responses to everyday stress and manage difficult decisions. A central focus of the book is the Sikh Dharma ideal of the "graceful woman" and the ways in which this concept both empowers and constrains women. Women are free to choose their degree of engagement in the public sphere: some build careers, some are active in the 3HO community, some dedicate their lives to their families. Work in community businesses allows many women to combine family and work lives. Curtailing this freedom of choice, however, is 3HO's teaching that women should also be gracious, undemanding, and willing to defer to those in authority. Elsberg places this movement in the context of other alternative religious organizations and provides a brief history of Sikhism, as well as reviewing events concerning Sikhs today. She explores the range of ways in which gender identities are created, transformed, and contested, particularly as a religion from one part of the world is adopted in a completely different country and culture. The Author: Constance Waeber Elsberg is professor of sociology and anthropology at Northern Virginia Community College.