-
Gompas in Traditiona...
Gompas in Traditional Tibetan Society
by: M.N. RajeshThe book examines the gompas of Tibet for their organizational aspects and their role in continuing Buddhism in Tibetan history by performing multifarious functions and institutionalizing the theory of Buddhism so that it could transcend time and space. Consulting rare manuscripts, it also scrutinizes contribution of gompas to study of astronomy, astrology, medicine, and art and architecture.
₹360.00
ISBN: 9788186921210
Year Of Publication: 2002
Edition: 1st
Pages : vii, 231
Bibliographic Details : Glossary; Appendix; Bibliography; Index
Language : English
Binding : Hardcover
Publisher: Decent Books
Size: 23 cm.
Weight: 500
The importance of the gompa or the Buddhist monastery in Tibetan history cannot be overemphasized: it was the institution that enabled continuity of Buddhism in Tibetan history by performing multifarious functions and institutionalizing the theory of Buddhism so that it could transcend time and space. Here, a scholar in religious studies, Dr. M.N. Rajesh examines the gompas of Tibet from a holistic perspective, focusing largely on its organizational and functional aspects. The book begins with a survey of the gompas Indian origins, viewing the mahaviharas as a prototype of the gompas, and studies contextualization of the gompas in Tibet wherein is described its relation with the superstructure the society. Consulting many old works and some rare manuscripts, the work analyzes the working of the monasteries their hierarchy, rules and rituals, role of the lamas, office of the abbot and other positions of authority, and recruitment and initiation of novices. It also elaborates the contributions of the gompas at different levels socio-economic and political which helped pre-modern Tibet to acheive a high degree of development over the centuries. It takes up for detailed scrutiny services rendered by the gompas in the field of Indic Studies astronomy, astrology and medicine, and in education and art & architecture. The book, with an elaborate index and a glossary of Indic terms, will be valuable reference work for scholars and researchers, in Buddhist studies and those interested in Tibetan history.
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. Geographical Locations and the Origin of the Samgha
2. Gompa and Indic Sciences
3. Monastic Organisation and Education
4. Gompa and Art and Architecture
5. Socio-Economic Role of The Gompa
6. Gompa and Polity
Conclusion
Glossary
Appendix I : Early Indian and Tibetan Monasteries
Appendix II : Tibetan Monasteries in India
(Established from 1959-1991)
Bibliography
Index
-
Sale!An Intergrated Science of the Absolute (2 Vols. Set) ₹2,700.00
It is not just the magnum opus, but a truly monumental effort of a scientist-philosopher who has spent a whole lifetime to formulate a unitive science, wherein all disciplines of human questing could find a common ground a science where modern science and ancient spiritual wisdom could meet and merge like two opposite poles of a magnet. As a direct disciple of one of the great rishis of the modern age, Nataraja Guru discovers this common ground in Brahma-vidya, which he calls the Integrated Science of the Absolute, and which has, at its base, his Gurus Dars?ana Mala.
A string of hundred Sanskrit verses, composed by the mystic-poet, Narayana Guru (18541928), the Darsana Mala is the very epitome of all visions of truth inspired by his remarkable acquisitions of Upanisadic thought and, yet far more, by his own tapas (mystical discipline). Reproducing these highly significative verses in Roman script, along with English translations, word meanings, and extensive commentaries, Nataraja Guru not only spells out his mentors Visions of the Absolute in contemporary idiom, but also shows how these visions are fully validated by modern science.
Eclectic synthesis of varied scientific disciplines into a systematic whole is not all that Nataraja Guru accomplishes here. Rather, his book (now in third edition) is an attempt to reintroduce Brahma-vidya as the one Master Science that embraces every branch of science, every human interest. -
Sale!Brahman and the World ₹450.00
“The Vedānta has been rightly called the Finest Fruit of Indian Thought and the Upaniṣads as the Finer Flowers. Vedānta grows out of the teachings of the Upaniṣads and passes into the various systems in the writings of Śaṅkara, Bhāskara, Rāmānuja, Madhva and Vallabha, the great founders of Advaita, Bhedābheda, Viśiṣṭādvaita, Dvaitādvaita and Śuddhādvaita, respectively. However, there is a perception among Orientalists that while the Upaniṣads favour the Monistic doctrine, Bādarāyaṇa’s Brahmasūtra fundamentally opposes it on some of the most crucial points.
The book thus delves deep into the philosophies of both Bādarāyaṇa and Śaṅkara in enunciating the essential features of Brahman and Its association with the world. It thus discusses topics such as what sort of cause Brahman is?, and what sort of material causality is to be ascribed to It? It also addresses the conflicting views on the nature of Brahman like that of Vivarttavāda and of Rāmānuja’s Saguṇa-Brahman.
This book proposes to take up the question of Universal Causation to examine thoroughly as how far it is right to regard Brahman as the Universal Cause and how far sūtrakāra himself lent his support to each of the inter-conflicting schools of Vedānta. This book should, therefore, benefit all who are devoted to the philosophic teachings of Advaita Vedānta and its preceptors.” -
Sale!Across the South of Asia ₹1,530.00
All too often, modern scholarship limits its scope according to the boundaries of contemporary nations and current geopolitical borders. Academic expertise frequently ties itself artificially to these pre-defined spaces and in so doing often does a disservice to the past. It is no great revelation to point out that people of the past defined the limits of their political and cultural reach in ways that were very different from those found on modern maps. Ancient rulers, merchants, and priests understood the reach of their influence and defined foreignness in ways that would be deeply unfamiliar to those only knowledgeable of the modern world. Yet, despite the well-recognized truth in these observations, it is still relatively rare for scholars to research in ways that transcend modern boundaries.
This collection of essays invites readers to take a broad view of South Asian art and culture by providing a wide geographic and chronological scope. The articles are united only by their focus on art historical and archaeological concerns and their concentration on South Asia ranging from Afghanistan to the island kingdoms of Indonesia. Each essay on its own constitutes a solid, well-grounded academic study, but taken collectively they provide a wide and inclusive view of issues of art and material culture that span the region and invite comparison.
By taking this approach, this volume is a tribute to Prof. Robert L. Brown whose lifetime of teaching has always emphasized connections as well as differences. Over his professional career, he has trained a large cohort of students (many of whom are contributors to this volume) whose expertise truly does reach across the south of Asia. -
Sale!Sallekhana ₹1,080.00
Jainism regards life to be eternal. Recognizing that the soul can never die, but merely takes a new body, a careful tradition welcoming death through intentional fasting developed more than two thousand years ago. A legal challenge Rajasthan was put forward in 2013, suggesting that this practice is harmful and coercive and targets women in particular. For a short while Sallekhanā, which means the “thinning of existence,” was declared illegal. In response to this controversy, three conferences were convened by the International School for Jain Studies to explore the legal, religious, and medical aspects of this practice. Experts discussed the long history of the practice, attested to in epigraphs throughout India; the ways in which fasting to death has become an acceptable practice in the Western world; and contemporary instances of its observance in India. This volume presents an interdisciplinary approach to thinking about the end of life, from biomedical, historical, religious, and legal perspectives.
-
Sale!Quest of Buddhist Paradigms, in Nepal, Tibet, Mongolia, China and Japan ₹2,250.00
The book narrates the interwovenness of culture between India, Nepal, Tibet, Mongolia, China and Japan. It begins with Nepal with its history alive on the waysides and homes, its rich preservation of Buddhist sutras in Sanskrit, esp. the Tattvasangraha which lives in the Shingon denomination in Japan, in the icons of Alchi and in the grandeur of the Borobudur. The second chapter deals with Tibetan studies, edition of the Vinayavastu, the anachronism of Jesus Christ being in the Hemis monastery which was founded as late as the 17th century, the total destruction of Tibetan culture in a long letter of Prof. A.W. Macdonald, saving the Derge monastery and printery by seven encirclements of devotees under the supervision of Ven. Pewar Tulku at the risk of his life, and the Sven Hedin collection in Stockholm. The fourth chapter concerns Mongolian studies: Emperor Ch’ien-lung’s edition of the Mongolian Kanjur, and dialogues with Prof. Rinchen on the total cultural genocide in Mongolia
