Religion Commons^™

Beyond Exile: The Ramayana As A Living Narrative Among Indo-Fijians In Fiji And New Zealand, Kevin Miller

Kevin C. Miller

Drawing on the themes of collective memory, cultural ideologies, and narrative constructions, this chapter proposes to examine the narrative of the Ramayana epic, its exegesis through performance, and its continued relevance to identity formation among Indo-Fijian Hindus both within Fiji and its Pacific Rim diaspora. Based on the recasting of the “twice-migrated” Indo-Fijian as the “twice-banished” by certain observers, we might expect the meaning of the Ramayana in the lives of Indo-Fijian Hindus in New Zealand to shift towards the theme of Rama’s exile, just as it did for the indentured laborers who made the original journey to Fiji. Nevertheless, …

"On Translating Taiji", Joseph Adler

Joseph Adler

No abstract provided.

Boundaries Of The Ti Body, Deborah Sommer

Deborah A. Sommer

As part of his argument that "ideas of Nature, state, and the body were so interdependent that they are best considered a single complex," Nathan Sivin considered the permeable boundaries of the human frame and assayed the body's dynamic resonances with the political, social, and ethical realms of thought in early China. [excerpt]

Islam's Jesus., Zeki Saritoprak

Zeki Saritoprak

No abstract provided.

"Confucianism As A Religious Tradition: Linguistic And Methodological Problems", Joseph Adler

Joseph Adler

No abstract provided.

"'The Great Virtue Of Heaven And Earth:' Deep Ecology In The Yijing", Joseph Adler

Joseph Adler

No abstract provided.

To The Jew First: A Socio-Historical And Biblical-Theological Analysis Of The Pauline Teaching Of `Election' In Light Of Second Temple Jewish Patterns Of Thought, Anthony Thornhill

A. Chadwick Thornhill

Paul's "doctrine" of election has remained a controversial and enigmatic topic for centuries. Few studies, however, have approached Paul's doctrine through the context of Second Temple Judaism. This study examines Paul's view of election through the lens of Second Temple Jewish texts written prior to 70 CE. In doing so, it is argued that the best framework through which to view Paul's discussion of election is through a primarily corporate model of election. While such a model is rooted in Judaism, Paul departs from his Jewish contemporaries in arguing that the locus of election is in God's Messiah, Jesus.

Labrang Monastery's Jamyang Zhepa Invokes Protective Deities, Paul Nietupski

Paul K Nietupski

No abstract provided.

Understanding Religion And Politics In A Mdo: The Sde Khri Estate At Blabrang Monastery, Paul Nietupski

Paul K Nietupski

No abstract provided.

Labrang: A Tibetan Buddhist Monastery At The Crossroads Of Four Civilizations", Paul Nietupski

Paul K Nietupski

No abstract provided.

A Healthy Mania For The Macabre, Stephen Asma

Stephen T Asma

The article discusses the fascination with death in art in response to several exhibits which display preserved human bodies, such as the "Body Worlds" traveling exhibit which features human bodies preserved with silicon after an acetone bath, a technique discovered by medical scientist Gunther von Hagens. The author looks at human curiosity with morbidity and artists such as Damien Hirst that use it as the focus of their work. Topics include comments by Richard Harris, creator of "Morbid Curiosity" exhibition in Chicago, Illinois, art historian Paul Koudounaris, and the beauty of death and morbidity according to New York artist and …

"Theistic And Non-Theistic Belief In China", Joseph Adler

Joseph Adler

No abstract provided.

Coerced Confessional, Miracle Exoneration: The Case Of Ex-Monster Jerry Hobbs, Stephen Asma

Stephen T Asma

No abstract provided.

Labrang Monastery : A Tibetan Buddhist Community On The Inner Asian Borderlands, 1709-1958, Paul Nietupski

Paul K Nietupski

The Labrang Tibetan Buddhist Monastery in Amdo and its extended support community are one of the largest and most famous in Tibetan history. This crucially important and little-studied community is on the northeast corner of the Tibetan Plateau in modern Gansu Province, in close proximity to Chinese, Mongol, and Muslim communities. It is Tibetan but located in China.

Tibetan Art, Paul Nietupski

Paul K Nietupski

No abstract provided.

Reading Asian Art And Artifacts : Windows To Asia On American College Campuses

Paul K Nietupski

This book begins with the understanding that, in addition to their aesthetic qualities, Asian art and material artifacts are expressive of cultural realities and constitute a “visible language” with messages that can be read, interpreted, and analyzed. Asian art and artifacts are understood in their contexts, as “windows” into cultures, and as such can be used as powerful pedagogical tools in many academic disciplines.

The Arts Of South Asia, Paul Nietupski, Mary Ann Milford-Lutzker

Paul K Nietupski

No abstract provided.

Common Features In The Development Of Three World Religions, Lorin Geitner

Lorin C. Geitner

The religions of Manichaeism, Sikhism and Bahai share an unusual combination of traits: they are all inclusivist, syncretistic and universalizing. This paper compares the context of their creation to determine if there were any common social, political and historical pressures present at that time which would account for these similarities.

Law And Religion – The First Amendment And The Problems Of Alienation, Lorin Geitner

Lorin C. Geitner

A survey of the different patterns of the relationship between of law to religion (and vice versa) in the course of world history, in order to provide historical and legal context and argue for the notion that the United States, truly, a secular society, but rather a religiously pluralistic one.

Confucius, Joseph A. Adler

Joseph Adler

Happy Serf Liberation Day: China And Tibet, Stephen Asma

Stephen T Asma

No abstract provided.

The "Reverend Chinese" (Rgya-Nag-Pa Tshang) At Labring Monastery, Paul Nietupski

Paul K Nietupski

No abstract provided.

Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Zeki Saritoprak

Zeki Saritoprak

No abstract provided.

"Zhu Xi's Spiritual Practice As The Basis Of His Central Philosophical Concepts", Joseph Adler

Joseph Adler

No abstract provided.

Looking Up From The Gutter: Pop-Culture And Philosophy, Stephen Asma

Stephen T Asma

No abstract provided.

Vladimir Soloviev (1853-1900): Commentary, Paul Valliere

Paul Valliere

Orthodox reflection on modern legalism began in Russia, not because the Russians were better prepared to think about law than the other Orthodox peoples, but because Russia was the first Orthodox country to attempt to remake itself into a state and society of the modern type.

Holy Toyland, Stephen Asma

Stephen T Asma

No abstract provided.

The Gods Drink Whiskey: Stumbling Toward Enlightenment In The Land Of The Tattered Buddha, Stephen Asma

Stephen T Asma

Asma, a professor of Buddhism at Columbia College in Chicago and the author of Stuffed Animals and Pickled Heads (2001), recounts his intense and revelatory Cambodian adventures while teaching at Phnom Penh's Buddhist Institute. In an electrifying and frank mix of hair-raising anecdotes and expert analysis, he explicates the vast difference between text-based Buddhist teachings and daily life in a poor and politically volatile Buddhist society. Amid tales of massage parlors, marijuana-spiced pizza, and bloodshed, he cogently explains how Theravada Buddhism, the form practiced throughout Southeast Asia, differs from the Buddhism Westerners are familiar with, and how entwined it is …

Louis Schram And The Study Of Social And Political History, Paul Nietupski

Paul K Nietupski

No abstract provided.

"Daughter/Wife/Mother Or Sage/Immortal/Bodhisattva? Women In The Teaching Of Chinese Religions", Joseph Adler

Joseph Adler

No abstract provided.