Hindu Worldviews

Description

Designed to help readers deepen their understanding of Hinduism, and reflecting themes central to the study of religion and culture, Jessica Frazier explores classical Hindu theories of self, the body, the cosmos, and human action. Case studies from Hindu texts provide readers with direct access to primary sources in translation, ranging from ancient cosmology to philosophical teachings and modern ritual practices. Hinduism is often depicted as being so diverse that it is the most difficult of all of the world religions to understand or explain. Hindu Worldviews explains core ideas about the human mind and body, showing how they fit into concepts of the Self, and practices of embodiment in Hinduism. It draws on western theoretical concepts as a point of entry, connecting contemporary Hindu culture directly with both western and classical Hindu theories. Through the theme of the Self in classical Hindu sources, the chapters provide an interpretative framework for understanding classical approaches to ethics, liberation, and views of the body and the mind. These provide a key to the rationale behind many forms of modern practice such as divinisation rituals, worship of deities, and theological reflection. Reflecting central themes in courses on Hinduism and Indian Philosophy, Hindu Worldviews provides an accessible new perspective on both Hinduism and modern theory in the study of religion Cover Half Title Series Title Copyright Contents Preface Acknowledgements Note on texts and translations PART ONE The art of embodiment: The self made of matter 2 Theories of self in classical Hinduism The self as ‘pure’ consciousness The self as the core of personhood The open self 3 Bodies made of elements and structures The elements of the Upanis.adic body The importance of structure Structuring the universe 4 Bodies made of substances and modes Transformations in nature, energy and substance Sāṃkhya and the modal worldview 5 Agency and the art of the self The fabric of embodiment Hindu dualism: core and contingent selves Creative agency Rethinking self and embodiment PART TWO Becoming the world: The self made of thought 6 Theories of reason in classical Hinduism Genealogies of reason The growth of metaphysics The challenge of scepticism The search for transcendental foundations Power and normative theory 7 Becoming the world through reason The importance of knowledge Language, liberation and the world of ideas Anumāṇa and the inductive power of the mind 8 Theories of everything Cosmological theories of everything The new theories of everything Validity and logic: the systematization of thought Knowledge as embodiment: selves and truths made of thought PART THREE Shaping the world: 9 Theories of ritual and practice in Hindu culture The importance of practice Dharma and the structuring of society Ritual as the art of shaping reality 10 Practices of materiality: Structuring and transformative rituals Vedic and dharmic patterns of practice Structuring practices: celebrating the ordered cosmos Transformative practices: the mutable cosmos Tantra, mantra and divinization Theories of transformation: shaping the world 11 Interactive practices: The community of selves Divine agents and bodies Worship as the communion of persons Possession, gaze and intimate subjectivity Theories of interaction: living in the trans-human community 12 Speculative practices: The reality of ideas Metaphysics and creative theologizing Scepticism, science and the shrinking of the speculative self The modern theological imagination in Hinduism Theory as a practice for becoming the world 13 Conclusion: The art of being human in the Hindu cosmos The arts of self: Hindu dualism The world of ideas: theory as visionary practice Notes Introduction: Hindu worldviews and global theory Theories of self in classical Hinduism Bodies made of substances and modes Agency and the art of the self Becoming the world through reason Theories of everything Practices of materiality: Structuring and transformative rituals Bibliography Primary texts Other works Index