A woman and a man desire to come together stirred by the primal fire of Kama and the man deposits his egg in the womb of the woman. This egg develops into a human undergoing nine or ten months of evolution. This process is the microscopic replication of the method evolved by God to create the universe. Rigveda (10.121) mentions Hiranyagarbha, the Golden Egg as the source of the creation of the universe. It is said that God, wishing to create (...) the world, produced an egg as big as the cosmos. God meditated for a thousand years sitting inside the egg and when the egg burst, the Lord himself was born out of the egg as the Progenitor of the universe (“He made Himself by Himself.”, Taitiriya Upanishad: 2.7.1). The Rishis called the Egg Brahmanda (the Cosmic Egg), and the Progenitor Manu. Scientists have discovered that the universe has an oval shape. Like the nine months of the evolution of the human egg, the Cosmic Egg also undergoes nine stages of evolution before it gets dissolved during what we call ‘Maha Pralaya’. The Puranas mention that Brahmanda has 14 biospheres, seven nether and seven upper inhabited by different types of souls. If we count from the human world, there are ten dimensions of consciousness. Rishis called these astral biospheres Mandalas/Lokas with different wavelengths and colours. Sri Karunakara Guru referred to them as Avasthas, or spiritual stages. The Buddhists and Hindu esoteric sects such as the Theosophical Society explain these levels of the Absolute in terms of Physical plane, Astral plane, Mental plane, Buddhic plane, Atmic plane, Anupadaka plane, Adi plane and Shiv and Shakti. These Avasthas are related to the expanding consciousness reaching up to the core of the Cosmic Egg, the Paramatma. Like a spider which creates a web around it sitting in the centre, and withdraws it in the end, Paramatma creates and withdraws webbed multi-dimensional universes. Nobody can say when it started and when it will end as it is a beginningless and endless process. (shrink)

Original text with commentary on Ātmōpadēśaśtakam of Sri Narayana Guru, b. 1856-1928, work on philosophy of Ātman.

Comparative study of philosophy of Islam, Sufism, Christianity in relations to Adi Granth.

Sikhism is a monotheistic religion founded during the 15th century in the Punjab region, by Guru Nanak Dev and continued to progress with ten successive Sikh gurus (the last teaching being the holy scripture Gurū Granth Sāhib Ji). It is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world, with over 30 million Sikhs and one of the most steadily growing. This system of religious philosophy and expression has been traditionally known as the Gurmat (literally 'of the gurus'). The Sikh Scriptures (...) outline the ways in which one can bring their own thinking in line with the Hukam. If one engages in the service of God's creation, this is the best way of working in harmony with the Divine Will. Further, by remembering Waheguru one becomes aware of "God desires" and "Divine essence" within the person is realised. By following these "Divine Values" that benefit His Creation, one ends the cycle of Karma and Transmigration. The objective of this paper is to study the basic life values taught by Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji. (shrink)

This chapter contains sections titled: The Winding Road to India Many Masters, Many Roads Spiritual Boot Camp Breaking Through A New Day.

Bhagavadacharya was the central figure in the Renaissance of Ramanandi tradition in the 20th century. He dedicated his life to gaining independence for his school from Ramanuja Sampradaya, whose leaders regarded Ramanandis as “third-class” members of the movement mostly because of the lack of shastric scholarship and inter-caste commensalities among the latter. To achieve this goal, Bhagavadacharya wrote commentaries on most of the Prasthāna-traya as well as many other works popularizing the Ramanandi version of Vishishtadvaita. He widely used his knowledge (...) of philosophy in shastric debates with his opponents among whom were not only followers of Ramanuja but also a famous Advaitin guru and political activist Swami Karpatri whom he allegedly defeated in a dispute which concerned the rights of Harijans initiated into Vaishnava tradition to enter temples and share communalities with the so-called “pure Hindus”. In my paper, I will present key philosophical and practical ideas of Bhagavadacharya based on my research conducted in the library of Bhagavadacharya Smarak Bhavan in August 2021. It will include basic details related to the acharya’s background and activities as well as analysis of his teachings within the frames of his main scope of Vishishtadvaita’s propagation among Hindus in general and Ramanandis in particular. (shrink)

According to the influential German Indologist Paul Hacker, Swami Vivekananda was a “Neo-Hindu” who mistakenly clothed what were essentially Western values in superficially Indian garb in order to promote Indian nationalism. I argue that Vivekananda’s philosophy of “practical Vedānta”—which upholds the ethical ideal of serving all human beings as manifestations of God—has its roots not in Western values but in the teachings of his beloved guru Sri Ramakrishna. Sri Ramakrishna often spoke of his own spiritual experience of “vijñāna,” which (...) revealed to him that everything in the universe was a manifestation of God. Sri Ramakrishna derived from this vijñāna-based worldview a spiritual ethics of service—“śivajñāne jīver sevā” —that directly shaped Vivekananda’s later formulation of practical Vedānta. I conclude the paper by arguing that we should reject the “Neo-Vedāntic” paradigm in favor of a more nuanced and dialectical “cosmopolitan” approach to modern Vedānta. (shrink)

The basic premise of this paper originates from the contention that the hegemony of the West is unsustainable because of its grounding on a way of life and life vision not in conformity with the eternal laws of Mother Nature. It is losing its sheen under the impact of unsustainable lifestyle and consumerist culture and the resultant ecological hazards, violence, wars, racial animosity, and religion-induced extremism. These trends are giving way to the emergence of a new humane civilization, and the (...) new civilization shall evolve out of the wisdom accumulated over the past several centuries of human efforts to achieve prosperity and happiness. It should be inclusive and should respect all cultures by providing appropriate space to grow and develop in conformity with the laws of Mother Nature. Santhigiri movement grounded on the revelatory spirituality of Navajyothisree Karunakara Guru offers hope for ushering in of a humane civilization ensuring solidarity beyond religion, race, caste, and region. The view that the academic hegemony of the West has been stifling the voices of varied cultural and religious traditions in other parts of the world and denying due space in the mainstream is examined in the larger context of the unalterable law of cyclical view of history. A historical examination of the hitherto civilizations shows that they have grown in particular directions in parts instead of the whole. A civilization on achieving maximum efficiency in particular directions starts decaying and disintegrating giving way to the shifting of creativity, power, and wealth to another region or continent. This shifting of power, creativity, and wealth from one place to another, one civilization to another has been an unavoidable law of human history. A new civilization that will foster the total efficiency of whole segments of humanity instead of maximum efficiency of parts in particular directions alone can offer human sustainability. The rising Santhigiri Parampara exemplifies the possibility to achieve the goal of human harmony based on the living guidance of wisdom of an Atmajnani Guru. If we can shed our biases and feeling of superiority on any counts and realize our limitations and come out of our unsustainable world view structured by modern science, technology, and instrumental rationality and seek the whole, we all can enjoin in this global mission of raising human consciousness into higher levels of attainment which can lead to an egalitarian and enlightened culture. (shrink)

The Upanishads reveal that in the beginning, nothing existed: “This was but non-existence in the beginning. That became existence. That became ready to be manifest”. (Chandogya Upanishad 3.15.1) The creation began from this state of non-existence or nonduality, a state comparable to (0). One can add any number of zeros to (0), but there will be nothing except a big (0) because (0) is a neutral number. If we take (0) as Nirguna Brahman (God without any form and attributes), then (...) from where and how did the universe come into existence? -/- The neutral power (0) cannot produce anything without having an element of duality in it. Although Nirguna Brahman is neutral, it has a positive, negative, and neutral pole, constituting its Prakriti or nature. Prakriti has three latent Gunas (modes or qualities): Satva, Rajas, and Tamas. They are related to Gyana Shakti (the power of knowledge) Sankalpa Shakti (the power of ideation), and Kriya Shakti (the power of action). Science says that Atom is the basic element from which the universe evolved. The Atom has three nuclei- electron, pluton, and neutron. The Satva, Rajas, and Tamas in Indian spirituality are nothing but the mystical names for the nuclei of an atom. -/- According to Bhagavata Purana, Prakriti is also constituted of the elements of Time, Karma (action/destiny) and Swabhava (innate nature). Time disturbs the equilibrium of Gunas. From the aspect of Karma is produced an entity called Mahat, in the form of intelligence. Mahat is dominated by Satva and Rajas. From Mahat manifests the next evolute dominated by Tamas with three predominant qualities – Dravya (substance), Kriya (action), as well as intelligence. It forms to become the Ego principle (Ahamkara). -/- Ahamkara has three modes – Satvic, Rajasic and Tamasic. Satvic is Jnana oriented, Rajasic action-oriented and Tamasic Dravya (substance) oriented. From the Tamasic Ahankara, five gross elements are produced (ether, air, fire, water, and earth - Akash, Vayu, Agni, Jal and Prithvi). From the Satvic Ahamkara, guardian deities (the sun and moon, deities of sense organs, and organs of action) and from Rajasic Ahamkara, ten senses (Indriyas), five senses of perception, five organs of action, the faculties of intellect and Prana (life breath) are produced. -/- Bhagavata says that since these energies, elements, and faculties remained disassociated, they were combined to form a Cosmic Egg. The egg floats in the primal waters for a thousand years. Then God enters this Cosmic Egg and manifests himself as the Cosmic Purusha. He is the first nucleus, the God particle equivalent to the number (1) which is the embodiment of everything in the universe. The concept of creation and dissolution in Hinduism can be compared to the waves in an ocean that appear and disappear incessantly. The Manvantaras are such successive episodes of creation emerging from the Cosmic Person, the Manu who is embodied God-Consciousness, God himself. These episodes of creation are measured in Hinduism in terms of Manvantaras, the epochs of Manus. -/- Manu is the ‘First-Born’ (1) of God, the Cosmic Purusha from whom the world has originated. This Cosmic Person (Purusha) has been described as having fourteen biospheres (heavens) that are inhabited by various life forms in the order of evolution of consciousness. If we begin from the human biosphere (Bhuloka), there are ten astral biospheres that a man must transcend to attain liberation or Mukti from the cycle of births and deaths. -/- The number (1) produces the primary numbers up to (9) through the transmutation of the creational energies and qualities. The process can be related to the descent and cyclical evolution of (1) through ten spiritual stages, finally merging with the nondual (0). The number (10) marks the merger of (1) with (0). The Hindu worldview is that all life forms in an episode of creation must evolve to become one with the non-dual state (0) to attain liberation from the cycle of births and deaths in a cyclical process. -/- . (shrink)

"Swami Vivekananda, the nineteenth-century Hindu monk who introduced Vedåanta to the West, is undoubtedly one of modern India's most influential philosophers. Unfortunately, his philosophy has too often been interpreted through reductive hermeneutic lenses. Typically, scholars have viewed him either as a modern-day exponent of âSaçnkara's Advaita Vedåanta or as a "Neo-Vedåantin" influenced more by Western ideas than indigenous Indian traditions. In Swami Vivekananda's Vedåantic Cosmopolitanism, Swami Medhananda rejects both of these prevailing approaches to offer a new interpretation of Vivekananda's philosophy, (...) highlighting its originality, contemporary relevance, and cross-cultural significance. Vivekananda, the book argues, is best understood as a cosmopolitan Vedåantin who developed novel philosophical positions through creative dialectical engagement with both Indian and Western thinkers. Inspired by his guru Sri Ramakrishna, Vivekananda reconceived Advaita Vedåanta as a nonsectarian, life-affirming philosophy that provides an ontological basis for religious cosmopolitanism and a spiritual ethics of social service. He defended the scientific credentials of religion while criticizing the climate of scientism beginning to develop in the late nineteenth century. He was also one of the first philosophers to defend the evidential value of supersensuous perception on the basis of general epistemic principles. Finally, he adopted innovative cosmopolitan approaches to long-standing philosophical problems. Bringing him into dialogue with a galaxy of contemporary philosophers, Medhananda demonstrates the sophistication and enduring value of Vivekananda's views on the limits of reason, the dynamics of religious faith, and the hard problem of consciousness"--. (shrink)

This essay will pose and seek to answer the following question: If, as Swami Vivekananda claims, the four yogas are independent and equally effective paths to God-realization and liberation from the cycle of rebirth, then what must reality be like? What ontology is implied by the claim that the four yogas are all equally effective paths to the supreme goal of religious life? What metaphysical conditions would enable this pluralistic assertion to be true? Swami Vivekananda’s worldview is frequently identified with (...) Advaita Vedānta. We shall see that Vivekananda’s teaching is certainly Advaitic in what could be called a broad sense. As Anantanand Rambachan and others, however, have pointed out, it would be incorrect to identify Swami Vivekananda’s teachings in any rigid or dogmatic sense with the classical Advaita Vedānta of Śaṅkara; this is because Vivekananda’s teaching departs from that of Śaṅkara in some significant ways, not least in his assertion of the independent salvific efficacy of the four yogas. This essay will argue that Swami Vivekananda’s pluralism, based on the concept of the four yogas, is far more akin to the deep religious pluralism that is advocated by contemporary philosophers of religion in the Whiteheadian tradition of process thought like David Ray Griffin and John Cobb, the classical Jain doctrines of relativity (anekāntavāda, nayavāda, and syādvāda), and, most especially, the Vijñāna Vedānta of Vivekananda’s guru, Sri Ramakrishna, than any of these approaches is to the Advaita Vedānta of Śaṅkara. Advaita Vedānta, in Vivekananda’s pluralistic worldview, becomes one valid conceptual matrix among many that bear the ability to support an efficacious path to liberation. This essay is intended not as an historical reconstruction of Vivekananda’s thought, so much as a constructive philosophical contribution to the ongoing scholarly conversations about both religious (and, more broadly, worldview) pluralism and the religious and philosophical legacies of both Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda. The former conversation has arrived at something of an impasse (as recounted by Kenneth Rose), while the latter conversation has recently been revived, thanks to the work of Swami Medhananda (formerly Ayon Maharaj) and Arpita Mitra. (shrink)

In the past several decades, numerous scholars have contended that Swami Vivekananda was a Hindu supremacist in the guise of a liberal preacher of the harmony of all religions. Jyotirmaya Sharma follows their lead in his provocative book, A Restatement of Religion: Swami Vivekananda and the Making of Hindu Nationalism (2013). According to Sharma, Vivekananda was “the father and preceptor of Hindutva,” a Hindu chauvinist who favored the existing caste system, denigrated non-Hindu religions, and deviated from his guru Sri (...) Ramakrishna’s more liberal and egalitarian teachings. This article has two main aims. First, I critically examine the central arguments of Sharma’s book and identify serious weaknesses in his methodology and his specific interpretations of Vivekananda’s work. Second, I try to shed new light on Vivekananda’s views on Hinduism, religious diversity, the caste system, and Ramakrishna by building on the existing scholarship, taking into account various facets of his complex thought, and examining the ways that his views evolved in certain respects. I argue that Vivekananda was not a Hindu supremacist but a cosmopolitan patriot who strove to prepare the spiritual foundations for the Indian freedom movement, scathingly criticized the hereditary caste system, and followed Ramakrishna in championing the pluralist doctrine that various religions are equally capable of leading to salvation. (shrink)

Sugirtharajah, seorang pakar biblika kelahiran Sri Lanka, yang mengajar di Universitas Birmingham, U.K., dan dikenal sebagai godfather penelitian pascakolonial dalam bidang Alkitab, menambahkan suatu karya inovatif lagi pada daftar tulisan-tulisannya yang sudah sangat mengesankan. Perhatiannya untuk suara penafsiran pinggiran sudah diketahui dari karyanya yang paling terkenal, Voices from the Margin (1991). Meskipun Alkitab berasal dari Asia, namun kebanyakan peneliti-an tentang Alkitab dan juga tentang pengaruhnya sepanjang sejarah, terfokus pada Eropa dan Amerika, dengan meminggirkan Asia. Itu mendorong S untuk mengadakan penelitian (...) tentang Alkitab di Asia, khusus-nya sejarah penerimaannya. Ia menyadari bahwa dampak Alkitab terhadap kebudayaan Asia minim bila dibandingkan dengan pengaruhnya atas kehidupan dan kebudayaan di Eropa. Itu menjadi sangat tampak dalam uraiannya tentang peran Alkitab dalam sastra Asia (bab 7) di mana kutipan, tokoh, dan cerita Alkitab jarang muncul, dan bila ada, lebih banyak dipakai sebagai kritik terhadap kolonialisme Barat atau institusi kekristenan.... S mengakhiri tulisannya dengan menegaskan bahwa prinsip sola scriptura, Alkitab saja, tak punya pasar di Asia yang cenderung membaca Alkitab bersama dengan yang lain, Bhagavad Gita, Dhammapada, Analecta (mengapa di sini Alquran tak disebut S?). Hermeneutika Asia yang diselidiki oleh S, menolak kecenderungan kolonial yang ada baik dalam Alkitab sendiri dan lebih lagi dalam interpretasi kekristenan Barat: Kebudayaan dan masyarakat Asia tidak bergantung pada nilai-nilai kristiani untuk pemerintahan dan pengembangan yang baik.... Di Asia Alkitab adalah salah satu di antara banyak teks yang berwenang (hlm. 259). Tugas kita, menurut S, adalah membebaskan Asia dari klaim monopolistis kitab suci tertentu. Tugas ini mendesak di saat para fundamentalis dari semua agama memakai kitab sucinya untuk membenarkan kekerasannya terhadap yang lain. S bahkan mempertanyakan monoteisme yang dapat menekan perbedaan dan mengabaikan kemungkinan pusat-pusat yang banyak (p. 260). Ia tidak menganjurkan untuk kembali kepada penyembahan banyak dewa-dewi tetapi men-dorong kajian terhadap spirit politeistis yang mendorong toleransi, kemurahan hati, dan koeksistensi. Pembaca tentu bertanya: di mana sesungguhnya posisi S di medan diskusi pluralisme dan inklusivisme, berkaitan dengan cara dialog antaraagama, dan ditantang untuk memikirkan posisinya sendiri. S mengakui bahwa banyak hal mengenai Alkitab di Asia masih perlu diselidiki. Lima belas abad pra-kolonial dibicarakan dalam dua halaman saja. Alkitab yang oleh gereja Nestorian tanpa kekuatan apa pun disebarkan ke India, Sumatra, dan China cuma dihormati tetapi tinggal tidak diterjemahkan selama belasan abad; kabarnya hanya diketahui melalui liturgi. Ada pula kesan bahwa Asia dalam karya S terutama Asia Selatan dan Asia Timur. Asia Tengah (bekas bagian-bagian USSR) memang dari awal tidak dimasukkan dalam penelitiannya, tetapi juga Asia Barat Daya dan Asia Tenggara yang multi-agama hampir tidak disentuh. S mungkin tidak mengetahui beberapa penelitian tentang penerimaan Alkitab di Indonesia yang sudah dipublikasikan oleh Lembaga Alkitab Indonesia. Namun demikian, apa yang disajikan sungguh menarik dan penting, serta membuka mata dan jalan bagi penelitian yang lebih luas. (Martin Harun, Guru Besar Ilmu Teologi Emeritus, Sekolah Tinggi Filsafat Driyarkara, Jakarta). (shrink)

Buku kedua suntingan Raymundus Sudhiarsa dan Paulinus Yan Olla (2015) memuat duapuluh tulisan — sumbangan dosen-dosen STFT Widya Sasana pada hari Studi 2015 — yang berfokus pada dua dokumen tulisan kunci Paus Fransiskus: “Evangelii Gaudium” (2013) dan “Misericodiae Vultus” (2015). Hari Studi itu mengangkat pertanyaan bagaimana menjawab tantangan agar Gereja Indonesia menjadi “gem- bira dan berbelaskasih.” Tulisan-tulisan ini dibagi dalam empat kelom- pok: Tinjauan historis, tinjauan biblis, tinjauan filosofis dan sosio-kultural, dan tinjauan teologis-pastoral, disusul penutup. Saya membatasi diri pada beberapa (...) catatan saja. Dari empat tulisan “tinjauan historis” yang langsung sangat menarik adalah tulisan pertama (oleh Edison R. L. Tinambunan) tentang kenyataan bahwa kristianitas telah sampai ke Sumatra lebih dari seribu tahun lalu, dan dibawa terutama oleh kaum awam. Cukup menarik apa yang kemudian ditulis oleh Armada Riyanto tentang dua penulis sejarah Gereja Indonesia, Martinus Muskens dan Karel Steenbrink, disusul tulisan tentang Gereja di zaman pendudukan Jepang. Apa yang ditulis oleh Kristoforus Bala tentang peran devosi pada Ibu Maria dalam evangelisasi di Nusa Tenggara bagi banyak pembaca Indonesia barangkali masih baru. Dari empat tulisan “tinjauan biblis-teologis” dua mengenai Perjanjian Lama......................................................................... Dari tiga tulisan penutup yang pertama, dari Merry Teresa Sri Rejeki, menjelaskan dua dokumen yang menjadi fokus tulisan-tulisan jilid ini: “Evangelii Gaudium” dan “Misericordiae Vultus.” Seberikutnya Piet Go menjelaskan secara skematis mengapa iman Gerejani perlu “bergembira” dan “berbelas-kasih.” Buku ditutup dengan “Sukacitaku,” puisi St. Teresia dari Kanak-kanak Yesus. Sebagai kesimpulan: buku ini — meskipun ada beberapa kelemahan, terutama uraian-uraian teoretis yang agak berlebihan dan absennya perhatian pada sekian kontroversi baik dalam masyarakat maupun dalam Gereja berkaitan dengan hal- hal yang dibahas — amat kaya, mencerahkan dan bisa memperdalam pengertian tentang iman Gereja serta betapa penting dan perlu Gereja Indonesia mengikuti ajakan Paus Fransiskus untuk memancarkan kegembiraan dan belaskasihan Ilahi ke dalam masyarakat (Franz Magnis- Suseno, Guru Besar Ilmu Filsafat Emeritus, Sekolah Tinggi Filsafat Driyarkara, Jakarta). (shrink)

Work on Advaita philosophy; text, translation, study with interpretation.

What is your name, from where, of which caste, what job, how old? One who is free from such questions, his alone is beatitude. In the verdant countryside of south-west India, at the turn of the last century, lived the great poet-seer Narayana Guru. His message was very simple: 'Man is of one caste, one religion and one God / Of one same womb, one same form, with no difference at all.' Grounded in the mystical depths of life, he (...) wandered across the landscape, gently proclaiming justice and equality for all, interacting with the multitudes who came to meet him, electrifying them to be at their best, and galvanizing a peaceful movement to eliminate oppression in all its forms. Stalwarts like Rabindranath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi sought his counsel. He inspired social reformers such as Sahodaran Ayyappan, Mahatma Ayyankali, Pandit Karuppan, V.T. Bhattathiripad, among others. Along the way, he composed a compact body of writing in prose and verse of exceptional potency. These are stimulating, deep and original explorations, entryways into a profound appreciation of the human condition. (shrink)

The Book Presents The Darsana Mala Comprising Hundred Sanskrit Verses Of Mystic-Poet Narayana Guru, Along With Its Transliteration In Roman Script And Its English Translation, Word Meanings, And Extensive Commentaries. Nataraja Guru Spells Out His Mentor S Visions Of The Absolute In Contemporary Idiom And Shows That They Are Validated By Modern Science.

This volume explores the relationship between experience and theory in Indian social sciences in the form of a dialogue. It focuses on questions of Dalit experience and untouchability. While Gopal Guru argues that only those who have lived lives as subalterns can represent them accurately, Sundar Sarukkai feels that people located outside the community can also represent them. Thematically divided into five sections, the first discusses the problems associated with theory in the social sciences in the Indian context. The (...) next makes inquiries into the nature of personal and collective experience. The third explores the larger connection between ethics and theory in India, both in the natural and social sciences. The fourth examines the ontological and epistemological nature of experience itself and the politics of experience, and the last focuses on the experience and theory of experience in India. The authors invoke the image of a cracked mirror to suggest a more complex and distorted relation between experience and theory."--Publisher's website. (shrink)

Correspondence with a disciple revealing an altogether unknown facet of Sri Aurobindo's personality: his great sense of humour.

A pioneering work in the field of political and moral theory, this volume explores the complex and varied meanings, contexts, forms, and languages of humiliation within an interdisciplinary framework.

This volume explores the relationship between experience and theory in Indian social sciences in the form of a dialogue. It focuses on questions of Dalit experience and untouchability. While Gopal Guru argues that only those who have lived lives as subalterns can represent them accurately, Sundar Sarukkai feels that people located outside the community can also represent them. Thematically divided into five sections, the first discusses the problems associated with theory in the social sciences in the Indian context. The (...) next makes inquiries into the nature of personal and collective experience. The third explores the larger connection between ethics and theory in India, both in the natural and social sciences. The fourth examines the ontological and epistemological nature of experience itself and the politics of experience, and the last focuses on the experience and theory of experience in India. The authors invoke the image of a cracked mirror to suggest a more complex and distorted relation between experience and theory. This book will interest scholars, researchers, and students of Dalit studies, subaltern studies, and politics. (shrink)

The Life Divine explores for the Modern mind the great streams of Indian metaphysical thought, reconciling the truths behind each and from this synthesis ...

The seminal treatise and guide to Ashtanga yoga by the master of this increasingly popular discipline There is a yoga boom in America, and Sri K. Pattabhi Jois is at the heart of it. One of the great yoga figures of our time, Jois brought Ashtanga yoga to the West a quarter of a century ago and has been the driving force behind its worldwide dissemination. Based on flowing, energetic movement, Ashtanga and the many forms of vinyasa yoga that grow (...) directly out of it--have become the most widespread and influential styles of practice in the United States today. Mala means "garland" in Sanskrit, and Yoga Mala--a "garland of yoga practice"--is Jois's distillation of Ashtanga. He first outlines the ethical principles and philosophy underlying the discipline and explains its important terms and concepts. Next he guides the reader through Ashtanga's versions of the Sun Salutation and its subsequent sequence of forty-two asanas, or poses, precisely describing how to execute each position and what benefits each provides. Brought into English by Eddie Stern, a student of Jois's for twelve years and director of the Patanjali Yoga Shala in New York City, Yoga Mala will be an indispensable handbook for students and teachers of yoga for years to come. (shrink)

On Javanese philosophy written in Javanese literary works.

On Ki Ageng Suryamentaram and his thoughts on Javanese philosophy and ethics.

Sociologists and philosophers have long pointed out that the idea of the social has always been ambiguously defined. This book is an exploration of the nature of this 'social'; it argues that our definition of sociality is influenced largely by our everyday lives, the institutions we are part of, and the relationships we build-all of these experiences catalyse the way we see the social world and shape how we act in it.

Here is a book with poses, breathing exercises and meditations for the pregnant woman. Photos enhance clear and easy instructions for the poses. Attention to safety, mental, physical and emotional benefits of the poses, and variations are discussed very thoroughly. It is in clear and simple language. A safe and natural way to prepare for a wonderful birth experience. The book could also serve as a reference for midwives. The authors follow-up with their detailed three part course of yogic and (...) breathing exercises for women- before, during and after pregnancy. It is a complete self help book for parents, especially mothers to be and covers both the practical as well as the emotional aspects of conception, pregnancy and childbirth. (shrink)

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that influence the intention of students to pirate academic e-books by integrating three main theories: ethics theory, deterrence theory, and the theory of planned behavior. The study also examines the moderating role of past piracy behavior on the relationship between the factors in the previously mentioned theories and students’ piracy intention. Design/methodology/approach The data were collected using a convenience sample of 662 university students. Based on their past behaviors, the (...) students were grouped into “no piracy” and “piracy” groups. Findings The result shows that the piracy intention of both the no-piracy and piracy groups has a similar influence based on the moral obligation in ethics theory. The factors in the deterrence theory, which includes fear of legal consequences and perceived likelihood of punishment, have no significant impact on the attitudes of the two groups toward piracy. While the intention of the no-piracy group is not influenced by other internal factors, such as self-efficacy, or by external factors, such as subjective norms and facilitating conditions, the behavioral intention of the piracy group is significantly influenced by these three factors. Research limitations/implications This study only focuses on piracy attitude and behavior in the context of e-books. Practical implications In Indonesia, the insignificant impact of factors from deterrence theory indicates weak law enforcement to combat digital piracy. Thus, it is imperative that law enforcement, especially regarding piracy, should be enhanced. Social implications The significant role of ethics in the attitudes toward piracy indicates that morality serves as a moral compass to fight piracy behavior. The strong impact of subjective norms, especially in the piracy group, suggests that families should raise children and educate youth with beliefs that align with the concepts of morality. Originality/value The study integrates three theories that are most often used in piracy behavior studies: ethics theory, deterrence theory, and theory of planned behavior. In addition, the study provides empirical evidence on the moderating role of past experience in piracy behavior. (shrink)