Hinduism
Princeton University Press (Verlag)
978-0-691-08953-9 (ISBN)
Hinduism is currently followed by one-fifth of humankind. Far from a monolithic theistic tradition, the religion comprises thousands of gods, a complex caste system, and hundreds of languages and dialects. Such internal plurality inspires vastly ranging rites and practices amongst Hinduism's hundreds of millions of adherents. It is therefore not surprising that scholars have been hesitant to define universal Hindu beliefs and practices. In this book, Axel Michaels breaks this trend. He examines the traditions, beliefs, and rituals Hindus hold in common through the lens of what he deems its "identificatory habitus," a cohesive force that binds Hindu religions together and fortifies them against foreign influences. Thus, in his analysis, Michaels not only locates Hinduism's profoundly differentiating qualities, but also provides the framework for an analysis of its social and religious coherence. Michaels blends his insightful arguments and probing questions with introductions to major historical epochs, ample textual sources as well as detailed analyses of major life-cycle rituals, the caste system, forms of spiritualism, devotionalism, ritualism, and heroism.
Along the way he points out that Hinduism has endured and repeatedly resisted the missionary zeal and universalist claims of Christians, Muslims, and Buddhists. He also contrasts traditional Hinduism with the religions of the West, "where the self is preferred to the not-self, and where freedom in the world is more important than liberation from the world." Engaging and accessible, this book will appeal to laypersons and scholars alike as the most comprehensive introduction to Hinduism yet published. Not only is Hinduism refreshingly new in its methodological approach, but it also presents a broad range of meticulous scholarship in a clear, readable style, integrating Indology, religious studies, philosophy, anthropological theory and fieldwork, and sweeping analyses of Hindu texts.
Axel Michaels, the Professor of Classical Indology at the South Asia Institute at the University of Heidelberg, has published widely in the fields of Indology, anthropology, and religious studies. He has also conducted extensive fieldwork in Nepal and Northern India.
List of Illustrations ix List of Tables xi Preface xiii Pronunciation of Indian Words xvii THEORETICAL AND HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONS CHAPTER 1. Theoretical Foundations 3 Is India Different? 3 The Identificatory Habitus 5 What Is Hinduism? 12 Hinduism and Hindu-ness 13 Religion and Dharma 15 Hindu Religions and Hindu Religiosity 21 Great and Little Hinduism 25 Continuity and Change 27 CHAPTER 2. Historical Foundations 31 Epochs in the History of Religions 31 First Epoch: Prevedic Religions 31 Second Epoch: Vedic Religion 33 Third Epoch: Ascetic Reformism 36 Fourth Epoch: Classical Hinduism 38 Fifth Epoch: Sects of Hinduism 43 Sixth Epoch: Modern Hinduism 45 Religious Literature 47 Vedic Literature 50 The Literature of the Ascetic Reformism 57 The Literature of Classical Hinduism 58 The Literatures of the Hindu Sects 62 Literatures of Modern Hinduism 66 RELIGION AND SOCIETY CHAPTER 3. Stages of Life and Rites of Passage 71 Initiation 71 The Salvational Goal of Initiation 72 The Second Birth 77 Pre-Rites 77 Tonsure 85 Natural Birth, Ritual Birth, New Birth 88 The Sacred Thread 92 Consecration of the Ascetic, Consecration of the Student, Consecration of the Man 94 Childhood and Socialization 99 The Early Years 102 Parentage and the "Oceanic Feeling" 104 Sacred Fatherhood 108 Wedding and Matrimony 111 The Wedding 113 The Daughter as Gift 115 Kinship, Alliance, and Descent 120 The Situation of the Woman 124 Death and Life after Death 131 The Brahmanic Ritual of Dying and Death 132 Ancestor Worship 144 Widow-Burning and Religiously Motivated Suicide 149 The Ban on Killing and Ahim? 153 Karma and Rebirth 154 Mortality and Immortality 157 CHAPTER 4. The Social System 159 Social Stratification 159 The Caste Society 160 Segmentation 165 Social Contacts 175 Greeting 176 Touching 178 Eating 180 Purity and Impurity 184 Religious and Social Hierarchy 187 Priests and the Supremacy of the Brahmans 188 Religious and Economic Centrality 194 Hierarchies of the Gift 197 CHAPTER 5. Religiosity 201 The Idea of God and the Pantheon 201 Equitheism and Homotheism 202 Visnu, Krsna, and the Centrality of the Gods 211 Siva in the Great and Little Traditions 215 Ganesa and the Miracle 221 Wild and Mild Goddesses 223 Elements of Religiosity 226 Prayer 227 Looks 230 Ritual Acts 233 Ritualism 235 The Brahmanic-Sanskritic Morning Ritual 236 Divine Worship (puja) 241 Sacrifice 246 Devotionalism and Theistic Traditions 252 Bhakti Movements 252 The Grace of the Gods 255 Spiritualism and Mysticism 259 The Identification Doctrine of the Upanishads 259 The Psycho-Physical Identifications of Samkhya and Yoga 264 Samkara's Doctrine of Nonduality 269 Special Features of Indian Mysticism 270 Heroism and Kingship 272 Akharas: Religious Centers of Strength 273 Power and Authority of the King 276 King and Ascetic 279 FROM DESCENT TO TRANSCENDENCE CHAPTER 6. Religious Ideas of Space and Time 283 Religious Awareness of Space 284 Spaces and Directions as Sacred Powers 284 Pilgrimage Sites and Their Hierarchy 288 Astrology and the Cosmic Place of Man 291 Religious and Scientific Concepts of Space 292 Religious Awareness of Time 295 Ancient Indian Cosmogonies 296 Creation in Classical Mythology 298 The Doctrine of the Ages of the World 300 Cyclical and Linear Time: The Calendar 304 Unity of Space and Time: Festivals 310 Religious and Scientific Ideas of Time 313 CHAPTER 7. Immortality in Life 315 Asceticism: Life in Transcendence 315 Ascetic Practice and Sects 316 Asceticism and Sacrifice 322 The Salvation of Identifications 325 The Socioreligious Function of Norms of Purity 326 Descent and Autonomy 329 The Logic of the Identifications 332 The "Theology" of the Hindu Religions: Identity of God and Man 340 Notes 345 Glossary 375 References 381 Index 419
| Erscheint lt. Verlag | 28.12.2003 |
|---|---|
| Übersetzer | Barbara Harshav |
| Zusatzinfo | 27 halftones. 34 tables. |
| Verlagsort | New Jersey |
| Sprache | englisch |
| Maße | 152 x 235 mm |
| Gewicht | 624 g |
| Themenwelt | Geschichte ► Teilgebiete der Geschichte ► Religionsgeschichte |
| Geisteswissenschaften ► Religion / Theologie ► Hinduismus | |
| ISBN-10 | 0-691-08953-1 / 0691089531 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0-691-08953-9 / 9780691089539 |
| Zustand | Neuware |
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