K. Satchidananda Murty (1924-2011) was a vociferous writer and an iconoclast. This volume is a collection of his unpublished writings in philosophy. It features Murty's essays on Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and Shintoism. The texts study the origins of Indian, Chinese, and Japanese philosophical traditions and provide a comparative study of the different schools of thought. Murty analyses the development of science in the ancient Indian tradition, especially in the areas of geometry, algebra, architecture, engineering, and astronomy. He also provides recommendations for promoting Asian philosophies and cultures to the world, without dependence on the West. An important contribution, the book presents K. Satchidananda Murty's contribution to philosophy during sixty-one years of his engagement with active writing and teaching. It will be of great interest to scholars, teachers, and students of Indian philosophy, Hindu philosophy, comparative philosophy, Asian Philosophy, religious studies, and South Asian studies.

Authoritative and accessible, this fascinating volume provides a concise, illustrated introduction to five of the great religious traditions of the world--Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Confucianism, and Shinto. 125 illustrations.

Understanding other religions is no longer an academic, ivory tower exercise. In this timely and important book, Dr, Braswell provides an introduction to the major world religions, as well as many of the minor ones.

Thousands of religions have adherents today, and countless more have existed throughout history. What accounts for this astonishing diversity? This extraordinarily ambitious and comprehensive book demonstrates how evolutionary systematics and philosophy can yield new insight into the development of organized religion. Lance Grande—a leading evolutionary systematist—examines the growth and diversification of hundreds of religions over time, highlighting their historical interrelationships. Combining evolutionary theory with a wealth of cultural records, he explores the formation, extinction, and diversification of different world religions, including the many branches of Asian cyclicism, polytheism, and monotheism. Grande deploys an illuminating graphic system of evolutionary trees to illustrate historical interrelationships among the world’s major religious traditions, rejecting colonialist and hierarchical “ladder of progress” views of evolution. Extensive and informative illustrations clearly and vividly indicate complex historical developments and help readers grasp the breadth of interconnections across eras and cultures. The Evolution of Religions marshals compelling evidence, starting far back in time, that all major belief systems are related, despite the many conflicts that have taken place among them. By emphasizing these broad historical interconnections, this book promotes the need for greater tolerance and deeper, unbiased understanding of cultural diversity. Such traits may be necessary for the future survival of humanity.

The Buddha and Aristotle offer competing visions of the best possible life to which human beings can aspire. In this volume, Seth Zuihō Segall compares Theravāda and Mahāyāna accounts of enlightenment with Aristotelian and neo-Aristotelian accounts of eudaimonia, and proposes a syncretic model of eudaimonic enlightenment that, given prevalent Western beliefs about well-being and human flourishing, provides a credible new end-goal for modern Western Buddhist practice. He then demonstrates how this proposed synthesis is already deeply reflected in contemporary Western Buddhist rhetoric. Segall re-evaluates traditional Buddhist teachings on desire, attachment, aversion, nirvāṇa, and selfhood from the eudaimonic enlightenment perspective, and explores the perspective’s ethical and metaphysical implications.

A systematic introduction to Buddhist ethics aimed at anyone interested in Buddhism.

"Recent immigration is changing American religion. No longer only a Protestant, Christian, or even Judeo-Christian nation, the United States is increasingly home to religious traditions from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. Covering groups from across the United States and a range of religious traditions, Immigrant Faiths provides an overview to this expanding subfield."--Page [iv] de la couverture.

Considerable number of books and research articles have been published on the concept of religion and comparative religion. But rarely has any religious scholar elaborated the contribution of different religions from sociological point of view. This well-researched and erudite study discusses the concept of religion with special reference to Dr. Ali Shariati, an eminent sociologist and Muslim scholar of Iran. He brought forth the unique dimensions of the comparative study of religions. The text provides a complete sociological background of various religions and stresses their contributions. In addition, different Islamic ideals and thoughts which need to be understood in modernist’s religious perspective are discussed. For example, the concepts of Imamat, Ijtihad, ‘Enjoining good and forbidding evil’ and Hajj are dealt from a sociological viewpoint. Finally, even the less known dimensions of Islamic ideologies are explained. The book is intended for the postgraduate students of Islamic Studies. Research scholars and postgraduate students of philosophy may also find the book useful. In addition, any reader who is interested in sociology of religion and, in particular, the ideology and other aspects of Islam will benefit from this book.

Meditation is where art and science converge. It is a vision, an inspiration and an intuition. It arrives on the screen of a visionary mind from sources within that are beyond calculations. Once it has arisen from within, we can then look at it and analyse its scientific dimensions. This book on meditation, a holistic piece encompassing its history, initiation and actual practice also describes how it is a powerful unifying tool for world religion. Enriched with author’s scholarly depth, it is a must-read for everyone interested in unravelling the mystery of life.

This Book Is A Collection Of Valuable Articles Written By Eminent Scholars Belonging To Various Religioous Denominatins, And Researchers And Teachers Of Islamic Studies. The Book Is Also Mean To Cater The Requirements Of The Students Of Comparative Religions And Islamology.