From the Jacket:
Buddhism as a religion of salvation is not so much concerned with the question of heaven and hell as much as with the existential question of suffering. It is, thus, the text of human suffering that has determined the soteriological goal of Buddhism, which is characterized as to how to obtain release from human suffering itself. Since suffering is a fact of life, so the aim has been to search for such ways and means by the application of which suffering may be overcome. It is this concern of Buddhism with suffering that is the focus of this book, that is, what basically suffering means to a Buddhist. It is on the basis of this insight of the Buddha that the Buddhist thinkers have attempted to find such a practical framework that would serve that purpose of reaching the transcendent goal of salvation. Whatever the Buddhists have spoken about suffering, it must be seen as a practical devise of reaching the goal of salvation.
About the Author:
Moti Lal Pandit has been engaged in the Indological research for last thirty years. Upon completing his studies, the author had the opportunity of studying the abstruse Vedantic texts from Dayananda Saraswati. Later he studied the important tantric texts of Kashmir Shaiviam from Dr. Baljinath Pandit. The author has contributed numerous papers on Comparative Religion. Theology, Spirituality and Mysticism. The earlier works of the author include Vedic Hinduism; Philosophy of the Upanishads; The Essentials of Buddhism; Beyond the Word; Transcendence and Negation; Sunyata: The Essence of Mahayana Spirituality; and The Hidden Way."
About the Book:
Shakti: Power in the Conceptual Structure of Karimpur Religion adds to the growing literature about the village Karimpur, first made famous by William and Charlotta Wiser (The Hindu Jajmani System and Behind Mud Walls). In this book, village beliefs about the nature of ritual and the organization of the pantheon, as expressed in myth and song, are explored using structural and linguistic analysis. It is shown that the concept of power, Shakti, is critical to understanding the nature of the Hindu pantheon and that the gods, and thus the rituals directed to them, are ordered by their perceived powers. Hindu deities and humans are bound together in a mutual giving of boons and service, and humans are as necessary to the gods as are gods to humans. Finally, this mutual bonding is shown to carry over to human-human relationship, particularly those of the Jajmani system.
About the Author:
Susan Snow Wadley is Professor of Anthropology at Syracuse University, USA. She received her training at the University of Chicago and has made numerous field trips to North India. In the past ten years she has written extensively on village religion and folklore in North India, in addition to editing volumes on Women in India.
The annals and chronicles are Important for a study of political, religious, cultural and literary history of a country. This book Introduces to the readers for the first time a new picture in the field of annals and chronicles. It gives, not only, the history and the development of the Buddhist annals and chronicles of South-East Asia but it also refers to the important role played by the chronicles in the field of Pali and Singhalese literature in Ceylon. Fortunately, this is a first attempt, to give a connected account of the Buddhist annals and chronicles of South and South-East Asia, on the basis of all available sources. The book should be found useful to readers interested in the religious and cultural history of South and South-East Asia.
From the Jacket:
The annals and chronicles are important for a study of political, religious, cultural and literary history of a country. This book introduces to the readers for the first time a new picture in the field of annals and chronicles. It gives, not only, the history and the development of the Buddhist annals and chronicles of South-East Asia but it also refers to the important role played by the chroniclers in the field of Pali and Singhalese literature in Ceylon. Fortunately, this is a first attempt, to give a connected account of the Buddhist annals and chronicles of South and South-East Asia, on the basis of all available sources. The book should be found useful to readers interested in the religious and cultural history of South and South-East Asia.
About the Book
This treatise on the growth and early development of the Sangha (Buddhist Monastic Order) has often been referred to by scholars as the most complete and masterly treatment of the subject and, as such, invaluable to students of Buddhism.
It has besides a peculiar importance in relation to the history of Indian culture, As the author says, "Indian culture is composite and the Buddhist contribution to it during the two millennia contribution to it during the two Millennia and a half that Buddhism was a living religion in India is so much a part and parcel of it that no true view of Indian culture is possible by ignoring the Buddhist contribution". This contribution was made through the organization of Buddhist monkhood. The author has shown with a wealth of masterly scholarship how this organization was established and developed in India. His chapters on the Patimokkha and Vinaya regulation of the monk community, the growth of conoebium among them, their internal polity and communal life, written from a scientific and historical point of view, are interestingly presented and will hold the general reader. First submitted anonymously as a prize-thesis to the University of Calcutta, it won the Griffith Memorial Prize in 1919. The verdict of the University examiners has been confirmed by Buddhistic scholars the world over who hailed it on its first publication as a work of exceptional originality and of great value in the study of Buddhism and Buddhist history
About the Author
Dr. Sukumar Dutt was born in 1891 at Barisal (now in Bangladesh). He specialized during his academic career in English literature in which he held doctorate. But his interest in Buddhism and ancient Indian history had been roused early in life by his uncle the late Aswini Kumar Dutt, a famous nationalist leader of Bengal of the first three decades of this century. Dr. Dutt had over many years carried on studies in this line and was recognized as one of the most accomplished scholars of Buddhism in this country. He was a Senior Research Fellow of the University of Delhi. His published works are The Buddha and Five After-centuries, Buddhist Monks and Monasteries of India: Their History and Their Contribution to India Culture; Buddhism in History and Culture; Buddhism in History and culture of East Asian People; Mahaparinirbaner Katha (in Bengali).
He was translating 'Bangalier Itihas' by Prof. Niharranjan ray when he died on April 9, 1970
From the Jacket:
The book contains a number of essays which D.T. Suzuki wrote from time to time concerning the specificity and uniqueness of Zen Buddhism, or the school of Buddhism that values meditative practice more than philosophical thinking. The book may be considered as an introduction to Zen on account of the concern shown for such themes which a beginner needs to know. In the very first essay is explained as to what Zen way of life denotes. Many find it difficult to comprehend the language of Zen. That is the author has made an attempt at clarifying the Zen idea of a koan, which is a paradoxical question verging almost on absurdity. It is believed that enlightenment or satori comes to be once a koan is understood. The book offers a rich banquet to those who want to taste the flavour of the feast of Zen.
Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki was Professor of Buddhist Philosophy at the Otani University, Kyoto. He is probably the greatest living authority on Buddhist Philosophy and certainly the greatest authority on Zen Buddhism.
Art in Tibet is expression of the religion. It is regarded not as a work of art, but as a vehicle for expressing in a world of form the metaphysical concepts of religion. Most of the art in Tibetan religion or Lamaism is used for worship - the thangkas, images, votive tablets and ritual masks.
There are many things such as metal works, jewelry, charm boxes, musical instruments and other objects which are used for lay purposes, but are decorated with religious symbols. The materials and techniques employed by the monks are described in the Tibetan religious books, the Kanjur, the translated commandments and the Tanjur, the translated explanations.
Tibetan Religious Art, first published in 1952 is a simple book that answers such basic questions concerning Tibetan art, its origins, functions and symbolism. It was published at a time when, Tibetan canons dealing with the treatises on painting and sculpture were still not fully translated After all these years it still retains interest and authority.
About the Author:
Antoinette K. Gordon, was the research associate in anthropology at the American Museum of Natural History. She made the study of Tibetan art and religion her life work. Her other works are: The Iconography of Tibetan Lamaism http://www.exoticindiaart.com/The Iconography of Tibetan Lamaism and Tibetan Tales: Stories from the Dsangs Blun.
About the Book:
This book gives an account of the life of the Buddha and an exposition of the religion and philosophy the Buddha propounded. This also analyzes the origins of Buddhist thought and traces its development from Hindu philosophical systems. Developments in Buddhist thought since the death of the Buddha are also dealt with as are Buddhist literature, sculpture and painting, both in India and in other pars of the world to which Buddhism spread.
"The aim of this," says the author, "is to set forth as simple as possible the Gospel of Buddhism according to the Buddhist scriptures, and to consider the Buddhist systems in relation, on the one hand, to the Brahmanical systems in which they originate, and, on the other hand, to those systems of Christian mysticism which afford the nearest analogies. At the same time the endeavour has been made to illustrate the part which Buddhist thought has played in the whole development of Asiatic culture, and to suggest a part of the significance it may still possess fro modern thinkers."
Dr. Coomaraswamy has succeeded in achieving this objective as only he could. With his genius for lucid exposition and with a beauty of style and exposition characteristically his own, he has succeeded in presenting some of the most complex concepts of Indian philosophy in terms which make them understandable even to the layman.
About the Author:
Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy, the greatest among the Indian art-historians, was born in Colombo on August 22, 1877. After graduating from the University of London he became the Director of the Mineralogical Survey of Ceylon. Between 1906 and 1917, when he joined as the Curator of Indian Art in the Boston Museum he was busy lecturing on Indian art and formed societies for the study of India art. In 1938, he became the Chairman of National Committee for India's Freedom. His contributions on Indian philosophy, religion, are and iconography, painting and literature are of the greatest importance as were his contributions on music, science and Islamic art. He died on September 9, 1947.
From the Jacket
The book -make a brief survey of Buddhism in some of its interesting and important features in seven chapters. Beginning with the background it contains the life of Gautama Buddha, his Samgha and his basic teachings. It speaks how the religion propounded by Buddha got divided into various schools of thought with their doctrinal tenets within a few centuries after his Mahaparinirvana. The huge mass of Pali literature regarded as the great store-house of valuable information regarding the literary, social, political, economic, architectural and religious history of ancient India have been discussed herein. Here has also been pointed out the system of education which has widely prevalent and attracted men in quest of learning even from abroad.
True to its name the book presents many splendoured heritage of India embedded in Buddhist literature, the importance of which for the comprehensive study of our great civilization and culture can in no way be ignored or neglected. It will be useful illuminating to the scholars and the readers in general as well for a proper understanding of the cultural implications of Buddhism.
About the Author
Dr. Anukul Chandra Banerjee is one of the most distinguished scholars in the domain of Buddhist Studies and Tibetan History and Culture. He was the Professor and the Head of the Department of Pali and Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Calcutta University. He has to his credit a number of books and research papers published in different periodicals in India and Abroad.
Preface
The book attempts to make a brief survey of Buddhism in some of is interesting and important features in seven chapters. Beginning with the background it contains the life of Gautama Buddha, his Samgha and his basic teachings. It speaks how the religion propounded by Buddha got divided into various schools of thought with their doctrinal tenets within a few centuries after his Mahaparinirvana. The huge mass of Pali literature regarded as the great store-house of valuable information regarding the literary, social, political, economic, architectural and religious history of ancient India have been discussed herein. Here has also been pointed out the system of education which has widely prevalent and attracted men in quest of learning even from abroad.
True to its name the book presents many splendoured heritage of India embedded in Buddhist literature, the importance of which for the comprehensive study of our great civilization and culture can in no way be ignored or neglected.
It will be useful illuminating to the scholars and the readers in general as well for a proper understanding of the cultural implications of Buddhism.
A Few of the chapters were published sometime back as articles in different journals.
From the Jacket:
This is a book on basic Buddhism with a difference, for it is written by a monk who was native of Ceylon, a scholar and a well-known preacher and broadcaster in Ceylon. He had the Pali canon and the commentaries at his fingertips, so that his book is full of apposite stories and quotations of what the Buddha said - many of them appearing in English for the first time.
In recent years a number of expositions of the Buddha's teachings have been published in English, but most of them lack authenticity and do not represent what the Buddha taught correctly. Hence the need for this authentic book based on the Four Noble Truths about suffering which are the central conception of Buddhism and on the Noble Eightfold Path which is Buddhism in Practice.
This should prove the standard textbook from which basic Buddhism of the Theravada is taught for many years to come. It cannot be stressed too strongly that the Mahayana Buddhism of Tibet, China and Japan is based on and developed out of this basic Buddhism of the Theravadins in Ceylon.
About the Author:
The Venerable Piyadassi Thera was born in Ceylon. He was educated at Nalanda College, one of the most important centres of Buddhist education in Ceylon. He then entered the Ceylon University on a scholarship and read philosophy, culture and civilization. After completing the course he left the university without sitting for his examination as it was not his intention to study for degrees.
At the age of twenty he joined the Order as pupil of the Venerable Vajiranana Sangha Nayaka. At the feet of this great authority on Buddhism he imbibed the knowledge of Buddhism. Having traveled widely as a Buddhist missionary both in the East and in the West, he was able to write in a manner that could appeal to both.
|
From the Jacket: This is a book on basic Buddhism with a difference, for it is written by a monk who was native of Ceylon, a scholar and a well-known preacher and broadcaster in Ceylon. He had the Pali canon and the commentaries at his fingertips, so that his book is full of apposite stories and quotations of what the Buddha said - many of them appearing in English for the first time. In recent years a number of expositions of the Buddha's teachings have been published in English, but most of them lack authenticity and do not represent what the Buddha taught correctly. Hence the need for this authentic book based on the Four Noble Truths about suffering which are the central conception of Buddhism and on the Noble Eightfold Path which is Buddhism in Practice. This should prove the standard textbook from which basic Buddhism of the Theravada is taught for many years to come. It cannot be stressed too strongly that the Mahayana Buddhism of Tibet, China and Japan is based on and developed out of this basic Buddhism of the Theravadins in Ceylon. About the Author: The Venerable Piyadassi Thera was born in Ceylon. He was educated at Nalanda College, one of the most important centres of Buddhist education in Ceylon. He then entered the Ceylon University on a scholarship and read philosophy, culture and civilization. After completing the course he left the university without sitting for his examination as it was not his intention to study for degrees. At the age of twenty he joined the Order as pupil of the Venerable Vajiranana Sangha Nayaka. At the feet of this great authority on Buddhism he imbibed the knowledge of Buddhism. Having traveled widely as a Buddhist missionary both in the East and in the West, he was able to write in a manner that could appeal to both. |
From the Jacket
The common Western understanding of Buddhism today envisions this major world religion as one of compassion and tolerance. But as the author Droit reveals, this view bears little resemblance to one broadly held in the nineteenth-century European philosophical imagination that saw Buddhism as a religion of annihilation calling for the destruction of the self.
The Cult of Nothingness traces the history of the Western discovery of Buddhism. In so doing, the author shows that such major philosophers as Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Hegel, Cousin, and Renan imagined Buddhism as a religion that was, as Nietzsche put it, a “negation of the world.” In fact, says the author, such portrayals were more a reflection of what was happening in Europe at the time - when the collapse of traditional European hierarchies and values, the specter of atheism, and the rise of racism and social revolts were shaking European societies-than an accurate description of Buddhist thought. The author also reflects on how this history continues to echo in contemporary Western understanding of Buddhism. The book includes a Buddhism published in the West between 1638 and 1890.
Roger-Pol Droit is a researcher in Philosophy at the Centre National pour la Recherche Scientifique in Paris and a columnist for Le Monde. His most recent book is 101 Experiences de philosophie quotidienne.
From the Jacket:
This is an original work by an eminent teacher of Philosophy and Religion who can present the best results of Indian and Western scholarship and evaluate them in the light of unbiased insight.
The chapters on comparison of Bengal Vaisnavism with Christianity and Existentialism are highly stimulating.
The book is indispensable to those advanced students of oriental philosophy and religion who are devoted to research work, since no knowledge of oriental philosophy and religion will be complete without a clear understanding of Vedanta and the different types of Vaisnavism.
From the Jacket:
Amazing it appears, yet it is true. In every period of its long history, two types of geniuses have flourished in India: one was concerned with man's existence and the other tried to make his existence comfortable, at times even enviable. This book The Indian Craftsman, by Ananda K. Coomaraswamy is a study of the second type of genius, the Indian craftsman.
The author has treated his subject from three points of view: the village, the town and the palace or temple, i.e. where the craftsman lived, worked and had their patrons. He has also minutely examined how the caste system, religion and the guild set up standards of quality and enforced their strict adherence. He has devoted an entire chapter to throw light on the system of education and training that ensured and regulated the right number of craftsmen for every craft at a particular period so that at no period there was neither a surplus nor a deficit of craftsmen.
Ten appendices add further information from different angles. This book is indeed a welcome resurrection at this particular time; for the traditional craftsmen are disappearing. The philosophy that sustained them through vicissitudes seems no longer valid. All those who have a love for Indian crafts and who want to either practise or preserve them will find this an excellent book.
About the Book:
Kathakali literally meaning "story-dance" is the pantomimic dance-drama of Malabar comparable to a great extent with the European ballet in the West with an additional advantage of having rich gestural code necessary to convey the theatrical pleasures to the spectator.
This book is a detailed analysis of the dance and art of Kathakali, its origin, technique, the costume, make-up and the gestural code, with a separate chapter on "Evolution of Kerala's Art" by Krishna Chaitanya.
This edition has been completely revised and enlarged and contains new set of illustrations to further facilitate understanding and appreciation of the Art.
IN making a critical study of the art and dance of Kathakali, the ancient dance-drama of Kerala, Gayanacharya Avinash C. Pandey a has produced this comprehensive book of an unparalleled nature. I feel no less pleasure than great honour that I am invi- ted to express a few words on it.
So far none has dealt with this subject in any language so elaborately and so systematically as this young authority on Indian music and dancing has. He has presented the entire technical subtlety in a lucid style making it to rank as the first book on Kathakali literature, dance and art. Its authenticity as the first today and the first tomorrow shall ever guide all dancers, students, commentators and contemporaries of all ages.
The book deals with the origin of Kathakali, its art and dance, rasas and costume and make-up, and gestural code; and makes wide study on the origin of Mudras-their permutation and combi- nation. The interesting chapter on its mime-make-up and cos- tume-vividly reinforces the intricacy and artistical development which this kala gained within a short evolutionary period of a little over 200 years.
The writer has taken great pains in tracing out those neglected pieces of this art which were hitherto unknown and unmined. While dealing with hand poses in use in Kathakali, Gayanacharya has tabulated the connotation of groups of ideas which each mudra represents. It will help considerably all dancers to remember various expressions express able by them.
Kathakali is "an interpretative dance-drama to the accompani- ment of music." The highly specialised form of pantomimic representation makes this art to depict the actual life of our gods and people.
While tracing the origin of Kathakali, the author has made an interesting survey of those human factors which can contribute in the evolution of dance. Guided by regional effects, habit, custom, and tradition, Gayanacharya believes that Kathakali has taken its birth to connote "poetry in their (dancers) figures." The wide appeal of sentiments and emotions helps the Kathakali actor to depict an object or a thought in alively and realistic colour. The author has been successful in giving the basis and importance of the use of various colours in Kathakali make-ups. The unique feature of the book lies in the discussion and analysis of "Kathakali Dance Exercises" and the" Talas used in Kathakali" I ts practical utility has been enriched and enhanced by these.
The work presents a scholarly exposition of every art of Kathakali and is an invaluable companion with everyone interested in matters Kathakali. It is the first authoritative work in my opinion.
LIFE in itself is a composition of arts, peculiar to its own measures.
There is in every living creature an instinct to make one or the other movement of the body which a dancer calls "gesture". Gesticulating, he recalls to memory the sacred life of the great Hindu avatars (incarnations) and the people. To him, dancing lies at the root of all processes towards bhakti (worship and devotion) and attainment of salvation. He visualises creation of the universe as a result of the ecstatic dance of Brahma, the Creator. He ascribes every kriya (action) of God to a creative dance in which man forms the minutest dancing atom. Every human action, as that of an animal, has a direct command of the soul and that action is termed dainik nrtya (every-day dance). The existence of the supreme power of the abstract life, or, of God, in every kriya of the living being in a latent form helps in developing the various dynamic forces of the human nature, and the awakening of these forces leads man to "dance".
Nrtya is the outcome of five kriyas of God, viz., srsti, or, Avirbhava (Universe or creation), Isthiti (Preservation or Protection), Samhara (Destruction), Tirobhava (Veiling, Embodiment, Illusion or Giving Rest) and Anugraha (Release or Salvation). These subjective and objective actions, in turn, are the different forms of Brahma, Visnu, Rudra, Mahesvara and Sadasiva. "In the night of Brahma, Nature is inert, and cannot dance till Siva wills it; He rises from His rapture and dancing sends through matter pulsing waves of awakening sound, and lo! matter also dances appearing as a glory round about Him."
Siva, the greatest of all our deities, is depicted in the cosmic pose of a dancer who perpetually stands for an image of reality and truth, the keys to the complex and complicated tissues of human life and lives in general, which form an independent theory of Nature, not simply satisfactory and adaptable to a single clique, race, or nation, nor acceptable or worthy of consideration to the philosopher, thinker, and worshipper of one century only, but universal in its appeal to the votary, the worshipper, the mediator, the philosopher, the thinker, the lover, the gametic and the artist of all ages and all countries.
The four significant actions of Lord Siva connote that the universe is created, protection is granted, release is offered and destruction is undertaken, all at the will of God : The drum stands for creation, fire for destruction, protection proceeds from the hand of hope, the foot held aloft gives release.
Of all the arts, the art of dancing first expresses itself in human person. Music, acting, poetry form a single compartment of human personification, while sculpture, painting and all other arts of design proceed in another stream. There is no primary art beyond these two arts, and their origin is much earlier than man himself-and dancing came first. It may be that earlier to human existence, dancing and architecture were the result of the same impulse. Edmund Selous suggests that the nest of birds is the chief early form of building and the creation of nest may have first arisen out of their ecstatic sexual dance."
All forms of dances have their histrionic background of evolution. Topographic conditions, climate, language, deport- ment and mise en scene of folk dances indigenous to a nation and the physical built of the people are the main guiding conditions for the suggestion of a particular type of dancing. The striking example is of the dance-forms prevalent in the plains of the Indus, the Ganges, and the Brahmaputra rivers, Rajasthan, Tanjore and Kerala. There is considerable difference between the artistic representation of one form of Bharat Nritya (miscalled "Kathak") dancing in the Gangetic and the Indus plains and the other in Rajputana; between Manipuri dance of Bengal and of Assam; between Sadir dance of Tanjore and Dassiattam of Tamilnad ; between Bharat Natyam and Kathakali between Garba, the folk- dance of Gujerat and Rasa Lila, the folk-dance of Uttar Pradesh, etc.
Nrtya, Gita and Vadhya are the three essential factors of our Sangita. Dancing (Nartana) has three off-shoots, viz., Natya, which essentially represents a theatrical performance; Nrtt, which conveys rhythmic movement of the body without alluding abhinaya or bhava and, therefore, largely drawing its art from the footwork; and, Nrtya, meaning rhythmic movement of the body anent some bhava stipulated in a piece of abhinaya, thus alluding some story. The joyous strokes of the feet of children or the rise and fall or the philosophers' thoughts, all are governed by the same law of rhythm. If this law of rhythm, lying at the root of all Indian dancing, is overlooked, one would fail to understand the supreme manifestation of physical life-life not only in the external space of human action, but also in the internal space of self-realisation, The significance of dancing lies, in its truest form, in a single and an intimate, concrete appeal of a general rhythm-that general rhythm which does not merely mark life, but the universe in its wide sense; and if one is still persistent to consider it a narrow suggestion, it is the sum total of all cosmic influences which reach and affect human life. It need surprise none that rhythm, ever tending to be moulded into a time, should mark all the physical and spiritual manifestations of life.
Dancing is the supreme expression of religion and love alike- of religion from the earliest time of human existence and of love from the age much anterior to the birth of man! Tracing the history of the origins of dancing in the human person, it is seen intimately entwined with the human behaviour in respect of the tradition of war, labour, entertainment, education, whereas some of the wisest philosophers and the ancient civilisations have con- sidered the dance as "the pattern in accordance with which the moral life of men must be woven.
About the Author
Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki was Professor of Buddhist Philosophy at the Otani University, Kyoto. He was probably the greatest authority on Buddhist Philosophy and Zen Buddhism.
About the Book
Outlines of Mahayana Buddhism of Dr. Suzuki is one of the finest introductory manuals to date on Mahayana school of Buddhism. As an introductory essays, Dr. Suzuki has endeavored, within the limitations space, to be as comprehensive as is possible: Written in a style that is lucid, transparent and easy to read, the book sets out to present the most intricate and complex Mahayana philosophical doctrines in such a manner that an average reader can grasp them. In this noble mission the author has greatly succeeded.
Introduction
The Mahayana and The Hinayana Buddhism
The terms "Mahayana" and "Hinayana" may sound unfamiliar to most of our readers, perhaps even to those who have devoted some time to the study of Buddhism. They have hitherto been induced to believe that there is but one form of Buddhism, and that there exists no such distinction as Mahayanism and Hinayanism. But, as a matter of fact, there are diverse schools in Buddhism just as in other religious systems. It is said that, within a few hundred years after the demise of Buddha, there were more than twenty different schools, all claiming to be the orthodox teaching of their master. These, however, seem to have vanished into insignificance one after another, when there arose a new school quite different in its general constitution from its predecessors, but far more important in its significance as a religious movement. This new school or rather system made itself so prominent in the mean time as to stand distinctly alone from all the other schools, which later became a class by itself. Essentially, it taught everything that was considered to be Buddhistic, but it was very comprehensive in its principle and method and scope. And, by reason of this, Buddhism was now split into two great systems, Mahayanism and Hinayanism, the latter indiscriminately including all the minor schools which preceded Mahayanism in their formal establishment.
Broadly speaking, the difference between Mahayanism and Hinayanism is this: Mahayanism is more liberal and progressive, but in many respects too metaphysical and full of speculative thoughts that frequently reach a dazzling eminence: Hinayanism, on the other hand, is somewhat conservative and may be considered in many points to be a rationalistic ethical system simply.
Mahayana literally means "great vehicle" and Hinayana "small or inferior vehicle," that is, of salvation. This distinction is recognized only by the followers of Mahayanism, because it was by them that the unwelcome title of Hinayanism was given to their rival brethren, - thinking that they were more progressive and had a more assimilating energy than the latter. The adherents of Hinayanism, as a matter of course, refused to sanction the Mahayanist doctrine as the genuine teaching of Buddha, and insisted that there could not be any other Buddhism than their own, to them naturally the Mahayana system was a sort of heresy.
Geographically, the progressive school of Buddhism found its supporters in Nepal, Tibet, China, Corea, and Japan, while the conservative school established itself in Ceylong, Siam and Burma. Hence the Mahayana and the Hinayana are also known respectively Northern and Southern Buddhism.
En passant, let me remark that this distinction, however, is not quite correct, for we have some schools in China and Japan, whose equivalent or counterpart cannot be found in the so called Northern Buddhism, that is, Buddhism flourishing in Northern India. For instance, we do not have in Nepal or in Tibet anything like the Sukhavati sects of Japan or China. Of course, the general essential ideas of the Sukhavati philosophy are found in the sutra literature as well as in the writings of such authors as Acvaghosa, Asanga, and Nagarjuna. But those ideas were not developed and made into a new sect as they were in the East. Therefore, it may be more proper to divide Buddhism into three, instead of two, geographical sections: Southern, Northern, and Eastern.
From the Jacket:
This voluminous work, a store- house of information about the Epics, Puranas and allied literature, was originally composed and published in Malayalam. It constituted the results of the author's devoted study and research extending over fourteen years. This English version of the same is to meet the growing demand of scholars interested in the study of Puranas. This stupendous work, in the form of an exhaustive descriptive index, covers the vast and varied field of ancient Indian culture in all aspects - history, geography, religion, philosophy, myths, beliefs and practices as depicted in the Epics and Puranas.
The work is planned on scientific lines. The material compiled is arranged systematically. Citations have been inserted in support of stated facts; at places they have been substituted by references. Obsolete and obscure words, denoting objects such as a particular tree or plant have been explained by their scientific or vernacular equivalents. All modern critical apparatus has been utilized in the preparation of this comprehensive work.
Foreword
I feel flattered and consider it to be great privilege to have been asked by Shri Vettam Mani to contribute a foreword to his Puranic Encyclopaedia, a really magnificent literary production, massive in size and rich and invaluable in contents. This is the first attempt in Malayalam and for the matter of that in any Indian or foreign language, so far as I know, to produce a comprehensive and well-nigh exhaustive book of study and reference with regard to episodes, incidents, characters etc. occurring in the many Puranas and such other works in Sanskrit. In the field of mythology, with regard to variety and contents as also sheer bulk, Greece stands first. Egypt comes only next. But Indian mythology-the epics and the puranas-far exceeds and excels both Greek and Egyptian mythologies put together in merit and size. Even the preparation of a complete list of characters mentioned in our epics, puranas etc. will be a stupendous and well-nigh impossible task calling for the combined efforts of a number of scholars. But, fortunately for us, each and every such name, one need not necessarily know or be acquainted with. At the same time there are great names which compel attention and should not escape a proper study. And, such names are legion, and Shri Mani has not omitted mention of even one such name in his great work. I looked up the encyclopaedia for a few such random names, and was really surprised to find detailed treatment of the same in the book. Moreover, with reference to really important names, incidents and episodes connected with them and the whole genealogy are given. Everything is fully documented and quite authoritative. And, deep, extensive and exhaustive study, patient and untiring research and above all absolute dedication to the cause are so very patent on every page of the book. Literally and in effect Shri Mani's is a unique contribution, the first and foremost book, in the magnificent spheres of religion, culture, scholarship and history all put together. As the pioneer in the field he can justly feel happy and proud about his rare achievement, and he deserves in ample measure the unstinted praise and appreciation of all lovers of learning and culture.
Shri Mani has already earned well-deserved reputation as a teacher, especially in Malayalam, and also as a diligent student of literature and author of talent. He evidently possesses a flair for research. All such distinguished talents and attainments of his have been fully and quite successfully commissioned in the preparation of this marvelous encyclopaedia. He has put every lover of learning and knowledge everywhere, under an eternal debt of gratitude by the publication of this noble work.
From the Jacket:
Upanayana is one of the sixteen samskaras or purificatory rites in which a boy is invested with the sacred thread and thus endowed with second or spiritual birth and qualified to learn the Veda by heart. In this ceremony the boy goes to an Acarya well-versed in the Vedas with a view to be initiated into one of the three twice-born classes. From the day the initiation ceremony takes place, the young celibate commits himself to a life of austerity and abstinence; he chooses to lead a life of austerity and abstinence; he chooses to lead a life rigorously disciplined by vows and disciplinary rules. This is an important samskara in the life of an orthodox Hindu. The book describes the ceremony, the Puja, the mantras to be recited and other relevant details in a scholarly treatment of the subject.
About the Author:
Dr. R.C. Prasad, taught English Literature at Patna University for over forty years, during which he wrote scores of books, including biographies and translations, the most outstanding of which is his prose rendering of the Ramacaritamanasa.
Specification
- Product Code :BK7133
- Size :8.8" X 5.8"
- Weight :696 gm
- Author :S. M. Srinivasa Chari
- ISBN :9788120802667
- Publisher :Motilal Banarsidass Publication Pvt.Ltd
- Edition :2016
- Cover :Hard Cover
- Language :English
- Pages :442
Description
About The Author:
S. M. Srinivasa Chari (b. 1919, Mysore) has a brilliant academic record. He is an M. A. in Philosophy of the University of Mysore and recipient of Ph.D. from the University of Madras. He is a finished Sanskrit scholar trained up by eminent traditional teachers. He was a research Scholar at the University of Madras and a Fellow of Institute of Philosophy at Amalner in Maharashtra.
Dr. Chari joined the Ministry of Education, Government of India, after the completion of his university career. He retired in 1976 as Joint Educational Adviser.
Dr. Chari has traveled widely. He has participated in international conferences abroad, and addressed learned assemblies at University Centres on aspects of Indian philosophy and religion. He is author of Advaita and Visistadvaita and Vaisnavism
Foreword
Visistadvaita is one of the great religio-philosophical systems of the world. There are very few modern critical expositions of it based on the bhasya, supplement by later erudite works.
Dr. Srinivasa Chari has acquired quite a profound knowledge of Visistadvaita from great pundits with whom he studied for years the texts in original. His modern education has endowed him with the capacity to present classical ideas in a lucid and connected way.
Depending on the original texts, in particular on Vedanta Desika's Tattva-mukta-kalapa, Dr. Chari has written an excellent monograph which authoritatively expounds Visistadvaita. Moreover, it attempts to establish that this a system of philosophy in conformity with logic and experience.
From the Jacket:
The doctrine of Visistadvaita, expounded by Ramanuja, was developed into a sound system of philosophy by the most brilliant of his successors, Venkatanatha, 'popularly known as Vedanta Desika.' His chief contribution to the intellectual foundation of the system lay in the composition of the text of Tattva-mukta-kalapa, a treatise of significant philosophical import left for posterity.
In this volume, which is a study of Visistadvaita based on Tattva-mukta-kalapa, the line of arguments advanced by Vedanta Desika is closely followed. The major and important issues related to the philosophy of Visistadvaita are brought within the purview of discussion. The contemporary rival schools represented by Carvakas, Buddhists and Jainas, Nayaya-Vaisesikas, Mimamsakas and the Advaitins, of both orthodox and unorthodox camps, are successfully encountered. In the textual light of Tattva-mukta-kalapa, the notion that Visistadvaita is a theological system is dispelled, and its philosophic core is established beyond doubt.
The author maintains 'the original orthodox style, so characteristic of the ancient Acaryas', in his delineation of topics; yet the exposition remains free from all kinds of scholastic trappings.
The volume is a definitive study of Visistadvaita doctrine, both in their 'philosophical as well as theological aspects'. Its in-depth probe of 'the fundamental epistemological and philosophical issues common to all schools' both I the East and the West makes its appeal to those interested 'in understanding the basic problems of philosophy'
About the Book:
Otto Schrader in 1916 recommended the Lakshmi Tantra for the study of Pancaratra philosophy. Among the vast number of Pancaratra Agamic text the Laksmi Tantra stands out because it deals almost exclusively with Lakshmi, the divine creative impulse, intelligence, potency, potentiality, power, majesty and speech. The focus of the text is on Pancaratra philosophy (including cosmogony) and the practice of yoga based on it, with its attendant Mantra Sastra. It records the earliest Vaisnava speculation on the paradox of a Supreme God who is totally identified with Brahman, the unique and transcendent Conscious Reality, and is at the same time the creator of a dualistic universe which cannot be related to Him. The key to solving this riddle is the Divine Sakti. By dealing with the role of Sakti in the creation and maintenance of the world, and in the saving of devotees who totally rely on God's mercy and benevolence, the Laksmi Tantra succeeds in overcoming sectarian boundaries.
About the Author:
DR. SANJUKTA GUPTA is a leading authority on the early Pancaratra (Vaisnava) cult and sectarian system. She is also a specialist in Hindu Tantra. She has published extensively on these topics. She began her scholarly career with a study in Advaita Vedanta focused on the great sixteenth-century savant Madhusudana Sarasvati. She taught for almost twenty years at the University of Utrecht (Netherlands), and is now teaching, in the Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford.
The Book Comprises two parts: Part I deals with the socio-historical aspects of family of the Vedic Seer Bharadvaja, and Part II discusses the significant contribution the family has made to the various fields of Indian culture. Part I is divided into five chapters, each comprising more than one section. The first chapter considers the textual evidences of the Vedic Sazhhitãs, the Brahmaas, the Upaniads and the Ramayaa in regard to the Bharadvãjas. The second chapter traces the birth and parentage, of Bharadvaja, the progenitor, and his relation with the gods, seers, kings and other persons. The third chapter discusses the lives of the descendants of Bharadvaja, namely Suhotra, unahotra, Nara, Garga, jivan, Payu, Rãtri (Kaipa), Vasu, Väsa, Sirirhbitha, Ajamidha and Purumidha. The fourth chapter deals with two other seers Samyu, a brother of Bharadvãja and Vitahavya Angirasa, whose hymns are incorporated in the Book of Bharadvaja in the gveda. The fifth chapter deals with the problem of Divc’dasa, a Bharata Prince, with whom the Uharadvajas were intimately connected as priests.
Part II is divided into two chapters: The chapter six takes the Vedic themes namely, Puan: myth and cult, family hymns of Bharadvajas, Gosukta, the Samans of Bharadvajas and Bharadvaja KalpasUtra. The chapter seven relates to the contribution of the Bharadvãjas to the fields of Politics, Grammar and Phonetics, medicine and philosophy of Pancarãtra. Besides, the two appendices list the Gotras and Pravaras of the Bharadvajas.
A study of the Vedic culture would involve a consideration of number of its aspects viz., its mythology, religion, philosophy, popular beliefs and superstitions, socio-political institutions and so on. All these aspects show their gradual development as the Indo-Aryans (IA) kept on coming into this land in a number of waves of migrations and spread eastward in different settlements. These IA settlers lived in some scattered, even isolated, settle- ments and developed their own distinct family traditions, keeping, however, certain affinities with tradition of other families. This can be gathered from the hymns of the family Mandalas of the RV, which are the earliest production in the world's litera- ture; it is primarily a religious work, containing, of course, some historical traces-particularly in the so-called Danastutis, the references in which to personal names, etc. may be said to be contemporary records of the age.
The RV consists of a thousand and odd hymns which are divided into ten Mandalas based on historical tradition." The Mandalas 2-7 are called Family Books (Kula Mandalas], i.e. collections of the hymns by seers belonging to particular families. These families are: Grtsamada, Visvamitra, Vamadeva, Atri, Bharadvaja and Vasistha. The eighth Mandala contains hymns revealed to the members of the Kanva family and the Angirases. The first Mandala, too, is based on the same criterion, but it may be called a collection of the hymns of seers belonging to more than one family, and hence could be called a collection of smaller family books. The 9th and the l0th Mandalas do not fall in the line with these Mandalas....
About The Book :
Shri Ramacharitamanasa of Tulasidasa is the single most popular book of the Hindus, which, for over four centuries, has greatly appealed equally to the rich and the poor, the educated and the illiterate, the old and the young, and the scholar and the common man.
Its popularity is by no means limited to India, or are the Hindus its only readers. The message of the Ramacharitamanasa is all the more relevant today as it reiterates man's faith in the soundness of moral order that sustain the world. Dark and evil forces may, and will, on occasions, threaten to disrupt that order but divine intervention will ultimately chasten and subdue those forces.
Keeping in mind people's ever-increasing quest for the epic, this unique edition of the Ramacharitamanasa with verse-to-verse Hindi and English translation along with Tulasidasa's original text has been prepared. The translation rendered by an accomplished scholar maintains the intrinsic richness of the original. Special care has been taken for making it useful to the Indian brethren living abroad to whom the dialect of Tulasidasa's original may be somewhat incomprehensible. There has been a long-standing demand from the vast Indian community settled abroad for a standard and authentic edition of the Ramacharitamanasa. The present edition has been designed to meet their requirement by using the most modern printing and processing techniques to make it a work of international standard.
A special feature of this edition is the inclusion of Lavakushakanda, Shri Hanumanchalisa and Shri Ramashalaka Prashnavali. The mode of its recitation is given as a separate appendix. Adding to its uniqueness is the important section containing Indian, and European and American scholar's criticisms on Tulasidasa's Ramacharitamanasa. A glossary of important proper nouns and epithets is given at the end.
About The Author :
Dr. R.C. Prasad translated Shri Ramacharitamanasa into simple and lucid English and Hindi, passed away recently in Patna. He was a University Professor of English in Patna University where he taught for about three decades. He was eminently associated as an author, translator and friend with Motilal Banarsidass and his sad demise has been taken as a personal loss.
HIS HOLINESS JAGADGURU SANKARACARYA SRI BHARATI KRSNA TIRTHAJI MAHARAJA (March 1884-February 1960)" was named as Venkatraman in his early days. As he was extraordinarily proficient in Sanskrit and oratory, he was awarded the title of 'Saraswati' by the Madras Sanskrit Association inJuly 1899.
After winning the highest place in the B.A. Examination, he appeared at the M.A. Examination of the American College of Sciences, Roch- ester, New York from Bombay Centre in 1904 and passed in six subjects (Sanskrit, Philosophy, English, Mathe- matics, History and Science) simultan- eously securing the highest honours in all. In 1908, he proceeded to the Sringeri Matha in Mysore to learn at the feet of the renowned late Jagadguru Shankaracharya Maharaj Sri Satcidanandaji. After several years of the most advanced studies, the deepest meditation, and the highest spiritual attainment; he was initiated into the holy order of Sannyasa at Banaras (Varanasi) by Shankaracharya Sri Trivikram Tirthaji of Sharadapeeth on July 4th 1919 and on this occasion he was given the new name, Swami Bharati Krsna Tirthaji. Later, in 1925 Jagadguru Sankaracarya Sri Madhu- sudan Tirthaji of Govardhan Matha, Puri, virtually forced him to accept the Govardhan Math's Gaddi. In this capacity he continued to. disseminate the holy spiritual teachings of Sanatana Dharma in their pristine purity all over the world for the rest of his life.
Vedic Mathematics or 'Sixteen Simple Mathematical Formulae from the Vedas' was written by His Holiness Jagadguru Sankaracarya Sri Bharati Krsna Tirthaji Maharaja of Covar- dhana Matha, Puri. It deals mainly with various Vedic mathematical formulae and their applications for carrying out tedious and cumbersome arithmetical operations, and to a very large extent, executing them men- tally. In this field of mental arith- metical operations, the works of the famous mathematicians Trachten- berg and Lester Meyers (High Speed Maths) are elementary compared to that of Jagadguruji.
Some people may find it difficult, at first reading to understand the arithmetical operations although they have been explained very lucidly by Jagadguruji. It is not because the explanations are lacking in any manner but because the methods are totally unconventional. Some people are so deeply rooted in the conven- tional methods that they, probably subconsciously, reject to see the logic in unconventional methods.
SPECIFICATION:
Publisher : MLBD
By : Radhakumud Mookerji
Language : English
Pages : 210 pages
Weight : 500 Gram
Size : 27 x 18 x 3 cm
ISBN-10 : 9359664111
ISBN-13 : 978-9359664118
The present work describes the material and moral progress which India had achieved during the paramount sovereignty of the Gupta emperors in the fourth and fifth centuries a.d. It traces the origin and rise of the ruling family to Srigupta (240-280 a.d.) and concludes with the reign of Kumaragupta III (543 a.d.). It discusses the spirit of the age and the various trends in the sphere of Religion, Economy, Society, Education, Administration, Art and Architecture. It seeks to bring together all the facts and data derivable from different sources--literary, epigraphic and numismatic, the accounts of foreign visitors, particularly of the Chinese pilgrim Fa-hien who has left a detached and valuable record of India`s civilization during the reign of Chandragupta II. Herein we get an accurate picture of India`s golden age, the growth of her various institutions, her activities of expansion, colonization and her intercourse with Indonesia, China and other countries. The work is divided into sixteen chapters. It has an index of proper names and an addenda on the hoard of new Imperial Gupta coins discovered at Bayana in Bharatpur. The work is very interesting and instructive and is designed to meet the requirements of the academic student of history and the general reader alike.
About the Book:
This is a favourite book of spiritual seekers in India these several centuries. Its special appeal lies in its thoroughly rational approach and in its presentation of Vedanta as a philosophy to bridge the gulf between the secular and the sacred action and contemplation and lofty spirituality.
This monumental scripture is the greatest help to the spiritual awakening and the direct experience of the Truth. This is certain. If this is what you want you are welcome to the Yoga Vasistha.
an oft-recurring expression in this scripture is a crow alights on the coconut palm tree and at that very moment a ripe coconut falls. The two unrelated events thus seem to be related in time and space, though there is no causal relationship.
Such is life. Such is creation But the mind caught up in its own trap of logic questions why invents a why and a wherefore to satisfy itself, conveniently ignoring the inconvenient question that still haunt an intelligent mind.
Vasistha demands direct observation of the mind its motion its notion its reasoning the assumed cause and the projected result and even the observer.
About The Author
SWAMI VENKATESANANDA, who has. been working untiringly for decades to spread the life-giving message of Yoga and Vedanta in East and West, has done a great service to spiritual seekers far and wide by bringing out this translation of the Yoga Vasistha.
The Swami has arranged the verses of the book in such a way as to convert them into arosary of daily thoughts throughout the year, on the lines of his two other books published, namely The Srimad Bhagavatam or Book of God, and The Bhagavad Gita Or The Song of God.
In this book, Swami Venkatesananda has masterfully translated the Yoga Vasistha, the well-known Vedanta treatise in Sanskrit so that it is understood not only by scholars but by laymen as well.
Foreword
The book, The Supreme Yoga, is a translation into English accompanied by brief expositions, by Swami Venkatesananda of the Divine Life Society, Rishikesh, India, of the well-known Vedanta treatise in Sanskrit, The Yoga Vasistha.
The Swami has arranged- the verses of the book in such a way as to convert them into a rosary of daily thoughts throughout the year, on the lines of his two other books published, namely The Srimad Bhagavatam. or Book of God, and The Bhagavad Gita or The Song of God.
The Yoga Vasistha has been a favourite book of spiritual seekers in India these several centuries. Its special appeal lies in its thoroughly rational approach, and in its presentation of Vedanta as a philosophy which dares, like the Bhagavad Gita, to bridge the gulf between the secular and the sacred, action and contemplation, in human life, through a comprehensive and lofty spirituality. The reader will come across passages such as the verse entry for 31 st January, highlighting the importance of reason:
'The remark of even a child is to be accepted, if it is in accordance with reason; but the remark of even Brahma Himself, the creator of the world, is to be rejected like a piece of straw, if it does not accord with reason:
It is this philosophy of a comprehensive spirituality, rational and practical, that man in the modern age needs to rescue himself from his stagnation of worldliness and put him on the high road of creative living and fulfilment.
Swami Venkatesananda, who has been working untiringly for decades to spread the life-giving message of Yoga and Vedanta in East and West, has done a great service to spiritual seekers far and wide by bringing out this translation of The Yoga Vasistha in the wake of his translation of the other two great books.
The Chiltern Yoga Trust of Elgin, South Africa, deserves the silent thanks of readers for publishing these three books of the Swami and helping to broadcast far and wide the life-giving, purifying, and inspiring ideas of Eternal India, Amar Bharat, in her Vedanta.
PECIFICATION:
Publisher : MLBD
By : Jaideva Singh
Language : English
Pages : 294 pages
Weight : 400 Gram
Size : 27 x 22 x 3 cm
ISBN-10 : 8120804074
ISBN-13 : 978-8120804074
Bound : Paperback
DESCRIPTION:
Reading books is a kind of enjoyment. Reading books is a good habit. We bring you a different kinds of books. You can carry this book where ever you want. It is easy to carry. It can be an ideal gift to yourself and to your loved ones. Care instruction keep away from fire.