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Jim Wilson is an adventurer: mountaineering; Antarctic exploration; adventure films with Sir Edmund Hillary (on one of which he drove a jet boat up Mother Ganga from ocean to sky); climbing and school building with Sir Edmund in the Everest region of Nepal; and sailing to Pacific islands in a small yacht. These physical adventures provide an exciting backdrop to this book.
But Jim is also a religious adventurer. He relates in depth, with clarity and humour, his long journey in search of a satisfying way of understanding and experiencing the true nature of his self, and of his place in this mysterious universe. Studying Western philosophy and theology moved him away from intense involvement in the liberal Christianity of his parents. So he looked to India, inexhaustible source of inspiration. For two years he studied Indian philosophy and religion at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. Then he taught for 23 years in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, returning many times to India and Nepal.
Though profoundly moved by the religions he studied and taught about, he was unable to accept the metaphysical beliefs underpinning them. Increasingly, though, he became fascinated by modern scientific discoveries about the universe, and about our planet and the evolution of life on it. So he wove together elements from religious and scientific traditions. In particular, he took Adi Shankara’s Advaita, also known as spiritual monism, and applied it to the physical universe, adding in also feelings and attitudes from New Zealand’s indigenous Maori religion. He now believes that the centre of his being is the physical energy of the universe, with which, therefore, he is at one. He finds this deeply satisfying in understanding, and emotionally and morally experiencing, his place on this planet and in the universe. Because it owes so much to spiritual monism he calls it physical monism, or physical Advaita.
Jyotiba Phule, a multi-faceted social reformer of the nineteenth century, relentlessly worked for the uplift of the oppressed classes, having started schools for girls and children of the lower castes and farmers, widow homes and orphanages. His philosophy of universal religion strengthened him to fight against child marriage, sati and casteism, and for the remarriage of Brahmin widows.
Caste conflicts ruled the roost in the nineteenth-century India. It housed many social evils like untouchability, discrimination against women and the underprivileged, and sati. Education was the prerogative of the mighty Brahmins and the upper-class society, resulting in the perennial exploitation of the backward classes, women, farmers and widows.
Jyotiba Phule (182790) dawned as the saviour of the weaker sections. Defying diktats and intimidations, he got himself and his wife educated. This paved the way for the Phule couples to start and successfully run few schools for the children of the downtrodden and girls. He opened his well for the untouchables’ use. Through tireless efforts and continued writings, he fought against the social injustices, nail and tooth. His writings were a new philosophy in the making a philosophy of universal religion. He believed in God, but refused to believe the Vedas, saying them as the handworks of Brahmins.
Man was his religion and his emancipation was his drive. He founded Widow Homes and orphanages. For him education was the key for liberation from all social evils. He fought with the English regime to have the children of farmers and the downtrodden equal rights to education. He was eventually accredited with the title ßMahatmaû.
This book is sure to generate keen interest among social workers, modern historians, researchers on social reforms and reformers, and students of sociology and political science.
The volume delves into Bhartriharis conception of Time as power (Kalashakti). Time as the power (Kalashakti) serves as an important conceptual tool to maintain Bhartriharis non-dualistic position, both in the level of ontology as well as semantics. Kala serves as an important conceptual link between unity and diversity; unchanged and the changing.
The volume delves into Bhartriharis conception of Time as power (Kalashakti) as enunciated in the ninth section of the third Canto of his Vakyapadiya, entitled Kala Samuddesha. Prof. Patnaik tries to argue that Time as the power (Kalashakti) serves as an important conceptual tool for Bhartrihari to maintain his non-dualistic position, both in the level of ontology as well as semantics.
The book examines the Bhartriharian model of Kala as shakti in the backdrop of two other models available in the Indian philosophical tradition Time as substance (Vaisheshika and Nyaya Darshana), on the one hand, and Time as atom (kshana/svalakshanas) of the Yoga and Sautrantika Buddhism. Whether Kala is admitted as an abstract and trans-empirical principle (Kala) or just as a measurable unit of events, no philosophical tradition has been able to discard its semantic role. This is evident from our usage of tense-words. But this double-valued nature of time as a metaphysical principle and as a semantic apparatus comes out most explicitly in Bhartriharis analysis of time as a power. In his unflinching non-dualistic (advaitin) stand both in the level of metaphysics as well as semantics Kala serves as an important conceptual link between unity and diversity; unchanged and the changing. Kala also has the point of convergence between the two streams of philosophy metaphysics and semantics.
The book is rare in nature, both in content and accessability, as there is very little literature available on the topics discussed in the book. The paucity of materials in the area of thought makes it a scholars collection.
The Krama School of the Trika Saivism of Kashmir, more familiar as Kalikrama in the contemporary parlance, has turned out to be the most crucial among the monistic Saiva traditions of medieval Kashmir after the Pratyabhijna school, a scenario people could hardly envisage six decades back when it first came to the notice of modern scholarship. The doctrine of Kalikrama, lit. sequential order of consciousness deities called Kalis, constitutes the most pivotal aspect of this school marked by a synchronous resonance between the esoteric/Tantric and cognitive/metaphysical undercurrents of the system.
In order to delve deeper into the doctrine of Kalikrama the present monograph does some loud thinking in three important areas: (a) the role of cognitivization in the ultimate realization; (b) the theoretical background of the mystical experience built around the consciousness deity(ies); and (c) the inconclusiveness of the hidden meaning posing an epistemological barrier in the study of an esoteric Tantric tradition. In all these areas one cannot miss the imprints of Abhinavagupta’s profound contribution. As such, the present study journeys into three directions: (1) a short genealogy of modern Krama studies; (2) the epistemology of the esoteric internalization embodied in the doctrine of Kalikrama; and (3) the role played by Abhinavagupta as its foremost architect. As such, the present study needs be construed as a small step towards discovering the intrinsic epistemological ethos of an esoteric Tantric tradition.
This work focuses on Kants concern with the problem of moral motivation. It argues that there is a gap between objectively conceived principle and subjective motivation, and aesthetic experience of the sublime phenomenon of utmost existential importance fills this gap.
Kant’s Concept of the Sublime: A Pathway to the Numinous focuses attention on Kant’s concern with the problem of moral motivation, the significance of the aesthetic experience, particularly the experience of the Sublime in terms of his overall concern with morality. As the Sublime is considered in the context of moral motivation, this is a new approach. The work argues that the importance of knowledge of the existence of a supersensible ground of ourselves and our actions lies in its role as motivation. There is a gap between objectively conceived principle and subjective motivation. The aesthetic experience of the Sublime provides an experience that helps fill this gap. There is a moral feeling that precedes the Categorical Imperative in spite of the second Critique’s argument that the feeling of respect follows from awareness of the moral law. The aesthetic experience is a phenomenon of the utmost existential importance. For Kant the aesthetic experience specially the experience of the Sublime, is phenomenologically important to him, as it helped in pursuing his life long moral project. The Kantian corpus heightens his concern with the problem of moral motivation and his thought on feeling a motive capable of moving the existing individual to subordinate the fulfillment of the subjective desire in favour of the objectively conceived universal law. Once this concern is properly understood, Kant’s importance to the connection between the feeling of the Sublime and our awareness of our known supersensible faculty becomes clear. The publication of this book coincides with the commemoration of 200 years of Kant’s death.
Swami Muni Narayana Prasad studies the doctrinal beliefs of karma and reincarnation from the viewpoint of an advaitin, developing insights from his studies of the Upanisads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Brahma Sutras and the works of Narayana Guru.
The atman (soul), in the Eastern belief system, is eternal, immortal. The phenomenon of (physical) death is, thus, nothing but its disembodiment and its reincarnation in a new body. And what determine as atmans choice of a new body is the law of karma the merits and demerits of ones actions in the present life. The notions of karma and reincarnation constitute the fundamental tenets of Indian thinking; though these, like many other doctrinal beliefs, are hard to prove/disprove in purely rationalistic or even empirical terms. Swami Muni Narayana Prasad looks afresh at these age-old doctrinal beliefs from the viewpoint of an Advaitin (non-dualist), developing stimulating insights from his studies of the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita the Brahma Sutras and, these besides, the works of his mentor: Narayana Guru. Contextually, among other questions, his book also dwells on Ultimate Reality, Birth and Death, and the Two Paths: Devayana (the path of gods) and Pitriyana (the path of manes), which either the souls take to after death.
This book is a manual on the purpose of human life, and of human death and enlightenment. It explains the teachings of vulnerable master Samael Aun Weor. The book reveals the method of fulfilling the three aims of life artha, kama and dharma, and shows that without shunning sex and money, one can achieve the ultimate goal in life, i.e. moksha.
Dr Amit Jain’s simplistic writing, insightful perspective and enthusiasm make this book an excellent manual for anyone who wants to know the purpose of human life, about death and enlightenment. Dr Jain in his simple words explains the teachings of Venerable Master Samael Aun Weor. He beautifully reveals how by fulfilling the first three aims of human life, i.e. artha (money), kama (sex) and dharma (cosmic principles), without shunning sex and money, one can achieve the fourth and ultimate aim of human life the self realization/moksha. You may read it for a better understanding of karma, dharma and moksha.
If you have been in quest of enlightenment, this book will unfold the wisdom which only the masters know. Also an eye-opener on why we suffer, how we acquire negative karma and how to get what we want.
Swami Vivekananda speaks of two types of Karma-Yoga: work for work’s sake and work for God’s sake in this volume. Work for work’s sake means that one works selflessly, without worrying about the existence of God or any other metaphysical doctrine. Work for God’s sake is the normal way in which most of the saints have pursued their spiritual journey.
Karma-Yoga, a highly reflective and spiritual volume, is the reproduction of eight illuminating lectures that Swami Vivekananda delivered during December 1895 to January 1896 in New York.
The contents of this volume calls for repeated reading, comprehension, contemplation and is highly useful to be reflected on. Here Swami Vivekananda is speaking of two types of Karma-Yoga: work for work’s sake and work for God’s sake. Work for work’s sake means that one works selflessly, without worrying about the existence of God or any other metaphysical doctrine. Work for God’s sake is the normal way in which most of the saints have pursued their spiritual journey. And it is the suggested way for any spiritual aspirant.
This book reminds and invites us to redefine our approach to work and directs us to absorb the most ideal and desirable way of doing it irrespective of what we are and in what position we are.
Amongst the traditions of the non-dual Kashmir Shavism, Krama and Kula have dominated the attention of the world scholarship. Going by the testimony of Jayaratha, the seminal notions of tantra-prakriya and kula-prakriya have largely determined Abhinavan enunciation of the intra-systemal variety. This monograph addresses all this in necessary detail charting historical evolution together with bringing to light some unpublished minor but useful tracts.
From within the fold of the tantric Shaiva non-dualism of Kashmir, Kula and Krama are the traditions that have fascinated most of the modern Indological scholarship the world over. This monograph, in the first place, attempts to approach the two traditions against the backdrop of their historical and evolutionary growth.
From this presentation emerges the fact that Krama is a living mode of contemplation and thought even today. If one goes by Jayaratha, the seminal processes of Kula-prakriya and Tantra-prakriya have been largely instrumental in formulating Abhinavan exegesis of the intra-systemal diversity. This process-centric approach has gone a long way in defining the tantric meaning, typological classification and distinctive ritual praxis. This aspect was first noticed and underscored by the author in his Krama Trantricism of Kashmir. The problem, since then, has been constantly engaging the mind of the scholars eliciting valuable contributions. The prime motivation for the author has been to utilise this occasion to reassess, in the light of the fresh data, the contextualisation in which Abhinava sought to situate Kula and Krama. This could be considered as the second highlight of the present essay. The third and, perhaps the foremost feature of this monograph lies in bringing to light some minor but significant texts, hitherto unpublished, belonging to the Kula and Krama, namely Chumma-sampradaya by Nishkriyanandanatha, Kaulasutra (Kulasutra) and Shodashasvarakala by Shitikantha, Shaivashtakakosha (fragments) and Jnanakriyadvaya-shataka by anonymous authors. With the printing of these MSS the corpus of the published literature on Krama and Kula has got richer.
It is a compendium of recent researches on the brilliance that ushers through Kumarajiva’s legacy, enshrined in thousands of monasteries in China, Korea and Japan, preserving the heritage. His works inspired members of Imperial houses, Emperors, writers and artists, pilgrims and philosophers.
Kumarajiva, (Jiumóluóshi in Chinese), a philosopher and seer, had a long cherished mission: propagation of the true spirit of Buddhism. He broke political, geographical, cultural and linguistic barriers; travelled through barren lands and rivers, mountains and forbidding terrains to bequeath to us a casket of sacred sutras as the most authoritative presentations by translating them from Sanskrit into Chinese. He created pure, boundless and unthinkable versions of the sutras as an obeisance to the sacred voice so that one could bathe in the pure pond of the Dharma.
Kumarajiva: Philosopher and Seer is a compendium of recent researches on the brilliance that ushers through his legacy, enshrined in thousands of monasteries in China, Korea and Japan, preserving the heritage – his translations of the sacred Sanskrit texts copied over the last sixteen centuries. The life of Kumarajiva was unique in every aspect. His works inspired members of Imperial houses, Emperors, writers and artists, pilgrims and philosophers. His angelic presence can still be felt in the monastic establishments, in the sound of recitation of sutras and in the lives of the people that have been inspired over the centuries by his translations.
The researches done by scholars from world academia are included in the present volume on his date of birth, the towns and villages where he spent his life from childhood to nirvana, historically important events of his life, his contemporaries, his contribution to the cultural sphere of East Asia especially defining a new road for Mahayana Buddhism, philosophical theories and vision, comparative studies of his translations and echoes of his translations in Chinese literature.
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