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Full-Text Articles in Buddhist Studies

From Nothing To No-Thing-Ness To Emptiness: The Buddhist Recycling Of An Old Jain Saying, Dhivan Thomas Jones Jul 2023

From Nothing To No-Thing-Ness To Emptiness: The Buddhist Recycling Of An Old Jain Saying, Dhivan Thomas Jones

The Indian International Journal of Buddhist Studies

In this article I investigate a difficult saying of the Buddha, preserved in three places in Pāli canonical discourses: n’ āhaṃ kvacani kassaci kiñcanatasmiṃ, na ca mama kvacani kismiñci kiñcanat’ atthi (‘There is no I anywhere in anyone’s property, and neither is there anywhere in anything property which is mine’). At A 3: 70, this saying is attributed to the Jains, while at A 4: 185, the Buddha teaches it as a ‘brahman truth’ acceptable to paribbājakas, and at M 106, the Buddha teaches it as a means of attaining the experiential dimension of no-thing-ness (ākiñcaññāyatana). I …


Women’S Voices From History: Gond Rani Durgawati And Rani Lakshmibhai, Nandini Sengupta, Moupia Basu Jan 2023

Women’S Voices From History: Gond Rani Durgawati And Rani Lakshmibhai, Nandini Sengupta, Moupia Basu

Monsoon: South Asian Studies Association Journal

Two strong women are compared and contrasted in this article. Gond Rani Durgawati (1524-1564) led a resistance movement in Jabalpur against the Mughal rule of Akbar. Rani Lakshmibai (1828-1858) organized the people of Jhansi against Sir Hugh Rose, an officer defending the interests of the British East India Company. Both women continue to be remembered for their bravery and their loyalty to the people they ruled.


An Examination Of Gandhian Economic And Political Thought And Its Relevance To The Empowerment Of Women, Purnima Mehta Bhatt Jan 2023

An Examination Of Gandhian Economic And Political Thought And Its Relevance To The Empowerment Of Women, Purnima Mehta Bhatt

Monsoon: South Asian Studies Association Journal

Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) sought to alleviate poverty and empower women. His commitment to nonviolence and the economic ideal of “small is beautiful” continue to inspire grassroots movements around the globe. This article discusses the Chipko movement of northern India, the protection of rain forests in Kerala’s Silent Valley, the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), and Medha Patkar’s valiant though ultimately futile attempt to save the Narmada River from a massive government damming project. The ongoing legacy of these movements can be found in AWAG, the Ahmedabad Women’s Action Group and Women’s Shanti Sena (Peace Force).


Identites Of Women In Indian Art And History, Nalini Rao Jan 2023

Identites Of Women In Indian Art And History, Nalini Rao

Monsoon: South Asian Studies Association Journal

The stereotypical image of Indian women portrayed in the art of stone sculpture is often interpreted as images of beauty that are sensuous, religious as well depict social life. There are historical reasons for depicting her as such. This paper inquires into the changing depiction and social forces that influenced feminine imagery. This paper examines the portrayal of beauty through idealization of female body which has evolved over the centuries in India. It also aims to understand their changing status and explores issues of feminine identity, status, and empowerment largely in ancient and medieval India. It also provides a brief …


Constructing Jain Goddess Padmavātī In Gujarati Literature, Venu Mehta Jan 2023

Constructing Jain Goddess Padmavātī In Gujarati Literature, Venu Mehta

Monsoon: South Asian Studies Association Journal

Worship of the goddess Padmāvatī emerged more than a thousand years ago. This article explores three songs about her in Gujarati by Paṇḍit Vīrvijayajī (1773-1852). By analyzing the style and form of his work, one learns a great deal about devotional liturgies that commemorate goddess Padmāvatī’s protection of the Jina Pārśvanātha and, in turn, his protection of her.


Indigenous Stitch-Arts Of India: Tradition And Revival In A Global Age, Punam Madhok Jan 2023

Indigenous Stitch-Arts Of India: Tradition And Revival In A Global Age, Punam Madhok

Monsoon: South Asian Studies Association Journal

Stitch art allows for the creative expression and economic support of countless women throughout India. This article examines four notable styles: chikankari, flora and fauna stitched in white thread on fine white cotton, rabari, the stitching of mirrors into colorful cloth, phulkari, resplendent flowery motifs sewn into shawls in Punjab, and kantha, Bengali patch work yielding quilts and seating mats. In addition to describing each technique, this article discusses how women have been economically empowered through this art by such organizations as Self-Help Enterprise (SHE) in Kolkata and Adithi, a women’s cooperative, in Bihar.


Editor’S Note, Deepak Shimkhada Jan 2023

Editor’S Note, Deepak Shimkhada

Monsoon: South Asian Studies Association Journal

This special issue of Monsoon is dedicated to the studies honoring the goddess traditions in South Asia. The onset of the Monsoon Season in South Asia typically commences in June and continues until late August and early September. The publication of this issue, therefore, has been strategically timed to coincide with that season, which is a vital source of sustenance for millions of individuals in this part of the world. This anthology consisting of five papers—written by scholars with expertise in the field of goddess and women studies—speak unequivocally about the goddesses or women for their strength, beauty, wisdom, and …


Mai Bhago And Amrita Devi Bishnoi: Women Of Strength, Sowmya Ayyar Jan 2023

Mai Bhago And Amrita Devi Bishnoi: Women Of Strength, Sowmya Ayyar

Monsoon: South Asian Studies Association Journal

Mai Bhago (1670-1720), also known as Bhag Kaur, distinguished herself on the battlefield to defend the Sikh faith. Amrita Devi Bishnoi (d. 1730) is said to have sacrificed her life with 362 others to protect the Khejari trees in the Rajasthan desert. Both women continue to inspire social justice and ecological activism.


Understanding And Encountering The Ethics Of Self And Others In Autoethnography: Challenging The Extant And Exploring Possibilities, Niroj Dahal, Bal Chandra Luitel Dec 2022

Understanding And Encountering The Ethics Of Self And Others In Autoethnography: Challenging The Extant And Exploring Possibilities, Niroj Dahal, Bal Chandra Luitel

The Qualitative Report

In cultural and institutional contexts, autoethnography examines personal and professional experiences. While conducting and representing autoethnography, these considerations raise ethical challenges for self and others. This expository paper examines and explores the various forms of the ethics of self and others in autoethnography in South Asian contexts. Furthermore, ethical positions in an autoethnographic inquiry are presented and explored by challenging the extant and exploring the possibilities. Moreover, ethical standards are maintained based on the first author's experiences. We also realized that the emerging challenges of the ethics of self and others in autoethnography are ongoing and real. Likewise, we brought …


Midwives, Sheila J. Nayar Apr 2022

Midwives, Sheila J. Nayar

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Midwives (2022), directed by Snow Hnin Ei Hlaing.


Vedantic Basis And Praxis Of The Integral Advaita Of Sri Aurobindo, Debashish Banerji Mar 2022

Vedantic Basis And Praxis Of The Integral Advaita Of Sri Aurobindo, Debashish Banerji

Monsoon: South Asian Studies Association Journal

The integral nondualism of Sri Aurobindo can be traced to the great pronouncements (mahāvākya) of the Upanishads and later commentaries. This study examines teachings on the Supermind (vijñāna) and the other four kinds of consciousness that define human reality: Matter (annaṃ), Life (prāṇaḥ), Mind (manaḥ), and Bliss (ānanda). Through Yoga and Tantra, one learns and embodies the pathway to the divine.


Digital And Spatial Humanities Mapping: Eurasia-Pacific Early Trade And Belief Linkages, Igor Sitnikov, David Blundell Mar 2022

Digital And Spatial Humanities Mapping: Eurasia-Pacific Early Trade And Belief Linkages, Igor Sitnikov, David Blundell

Monsoon: South Asian Studies Association Journal

The Eurasia-Pacific is a dynamic region of rapid economic growth, cultural awareness, natural resource exploration, and military buildup. The concept of the region is relatively new, featuring contested vast areas of geo-resource space of numerous cultures and languages. The current findings in anthropology and archaeology and even its more specific subfields such as folklore are important contribution to the understanding of periodic environmental changes and technical innovations were the main forces of transformations in social structures that have determined the mechanisms and levels of cross-cultural trade activity across the region. We have traced early trade and belief linkages across Eurasia-Pacific …


Tusha Hiti: The Origin And Significance Of The Name, Deepak Shimkhada Mar 2022

Tusha Hiti: The Origin And Significance Of The Name, Deepak Shimkhada

Monsoon: South Asian Studies Association Journal

In this article, the author examines the royal bath called Tushā Hiti located in Sūndari Chowk (Beautiful Courtyard) of Pātan Durbar Square, using six different methods of investigation. The question: What is in a name? started the ball of investigation rolling and along the way were added more supporting blocks such as history, iconography, function and purpose, notion of purity and impurity, and finally the hiti in popular culture to get a complete picture of the subject in question.


Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion: Perspectives From Contemporary India And 6th Century Jain Yoga, Christopher Key Chapple Mar 2022

Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion: Perspectives From Contemporary India And 6th Century Jain Yoga, Christopher Key Chapple

Monsoon: South Asian Studies Association Journal

Times New Roman


Ganges In Indian Sculpture And Literature: Mythology And Personification, Nalini Rao Mar 2022

Ganges In Indian Sculpture And Literature: Mythology And Personification, Nalini Rao

Monsoon: South Asian Studies Association Journal

The river Ganges is a symbol of wealth, purity and eternity, and its sacred waters have inspired sages, philosophers, and artists in India who have immortalized its divine imagery. However, it has rarely been understood from a historical point of view, as to how it became so sacred and to view it from a multi-dimensional and interdisciplinary perspective with an accumulation of layers of historical thought and practices, provides a rationale for the living practices around the river. The paper explores the evolution of the concept of sacredness and eternity of River Ganges through art- historical and archaeological evidence. It …


Review: The Future Of Social Work: Seven Pillars Of Practice By Brij Mohan. 2018: Sage Publications, 184 Pp. (Hardcover), Isbn: 9789352806256., Qusai A. Ibrahim Jun 2020

Review: The Future Of Social Work: Seven Pillars Of Practice By Brij Mohan. 2018: Sage Publications, 184 Pp. (Hardcover), Isbn: 9789352806256., Qusai A. Ibrahim

International Journal of Indic Religions

No abstract provided.


New Perspectives On Jain Architecture And Sculpture At Sravana Belagola, Nalini Rao Jun 2020

New Perspectives On Jain Architecture And Sculpture At Sravana Belagola, Nalini Rao

International Journal of Indic Religions

No abstract provided.


From Vaiṣṇavas To Hindus: The Redefinition Of The Vallabha Sampraday In The Late Nineteenth And Early Twentieth Centuries, Shandip Saha Jun 2020

From Vaiṣṇavas To Hindus: The Redefinition Of The Vallabha Sampraday In The Late Nineteenth And Early Twentieth Centuries, Shandip Saha

International Journal of Indic Religions

No abstract provided.


“In Their Lord’S Great Need”: A Succession Myth In The Rāmāyaṇa And Beowulf, Karl E.H Seigfried Jun 2020

“In Their Lord’S Great Need”: A Succession Myth In The Rāmāyaṇa And Beowulf, Karl E.H Seigfried

International Journal of Indic Religions

No abstract provided.


Review: Roborto Calasso. Ardor. New York: Farrar, Straus And Giroux, Brian Richards Oct 2017

Review: Roborto Calasso. Ardor. New York: Farrar, Straus And Giroux, Brian Richards

International Journal of Indic Religions

No abstract provided.


Indians In The Diaspora: A Reflection Of The Indian Culture From An “Outsider’S” Perspective., Beverly Ochieng-Sande Oct 2017

Indians In The Diaspora: A Reflection Of The Indian Culture From An “Outsider’S” Perspective., Beverly Ochieng-Sande

International Journal of Indic Religions

This Paper examines settlement, dispersal and re-arrival of Indians since during the British Empire. This paper also examines the life of Indo-Kenyans as they settled and participated in the political and social affairs of Kenya and later Uganda.


Ghar Wapsi And The Ethics Of Conversion In India And Other Non-Abrahamic Countries, Murali Balaji Oct 2017

Ghar Wapsi And The Ethics Of Conversion In India And Other Non-Abrahamic Countries, Murali Balaji

International Journal of Indic Religions

The controversy over the Ghar Wapsi (homecoming) conversions in India has brought to focus the problematic ways in which freedom of (and from) religion and secularism have been idealized and enacted in the country since its independence. This paper looks at the state of discourse on conversion - especially the idea of predatory proselytization - and how Ghar Wapsi could compel both Christian and Muslim groups to re-examine the ways in which they convert non-Abrahamic populations. Borrowing from postcolonial frameworks, this paper seeks to problematize the idea of conversion itself in societies such as India - and why Ghar Wapsi …


Yoga Heritage In Brazil: History And Culture In The Development Of A Brazilian Yoga, Maria Lucia Abaurre Gnerre Oct 2017

Yoga Heritage In Brazil: History And Culture In The Development Of A Brazilian Yoga, Maria Lucia Abaurre Gnerre

International Journal of Indic Religions

This article contains a brief analysis of the trajectory of Yoga within the Brazilian cultural universe – a context in which the ancient practice developed in India starts to create new identities. Yoga tradition has acquired its own features in Brazil due to peculiarities of our cultural heritage. Although many Brazilian teachers insist on the need to value certain practices because of their "purity”, "originality" and "fidelity to Indian tradition", we consider the reverse process to be more important from a historical point of view: the constitution of a "Brazilian Yoga" which is the result of a particular interpretation of …


Narasimha, The Supreme Lord Of The Middle: The Avatāra And Vyūha Correlation In The Purāṇas, Archaeology And Religious Practice, Lavanya Vemsani Oct 2017

Narasimha, The Supreme Lord Of The Middle: The Avatāra And Vyūha Correlation In The Purāṇas, Archaeology And Religious Practice, Lavanya Vemsani

International Journal of Indic Religions

Avatāra is a theologically significant term associated with Vishnu, due to his role as protector and maintainer of balance between evil and good in the universe. Hence, each avatāra of Vishnu indicates a divinely inspired cosmic role of Vishnu. However, the incarnation of Narasimha is significant, because this incarnation is a dual representation of the God Vishnu within the creation. It is this dual representation that is central to the projection of Narasimha as the Supreme Lord in Hinduism. Therefore, this paper examines the dual roles of Vishnu as the avatāra and vyūha in his interaction with the universe in …