Dreaming in the world's religions : a comparative history / Kelly Bulkeley.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bulkeley, Kelly, 1962-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Dreams--Religious aspects--History.

Dreams.

Religions--History.

Religions.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (345 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New York : New York University Press, c2008.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

From Biblical stories of Joseph interpreting Pharoh’s dreams in Egypt to prayers against bad dreams in the Hindu Rg Veda, cultures all over the world have seen their dreams first and foremost as religiously meaningful experiences. In this widely shared view, dreams are a powerful medium of transpersonal guidance offering the opportunity to communicate with sacred beings, gain valuable wisdom and power, heal suffering, and explore new realms of existence. Conversely, the world’s religious and spiritual traditions provide the best source of historical information about the broad patterns of human dream life Dreaming in the World’s Religions provides an authoritative and engaging one-volume resource for the study of dreaming and religion. It tells the story of how dreaming has shaped the religious history of humankind, from the Upanishads of Hinduism to the Qur’an of Islam, from the conception dream of Buddhas mother to the sexually tempting nightmares of St. Augustine, from the Ojibwa vision quest to Australian Aboriginal journeys in the Dreamtime. Bringing his background in psychology to bear, Kelly Bulkeley incorporates an accessible consideration of cognitive neuroscience and evolutionary psychology into this fascinating overview. Dreaming in the World’s Religions offers a carefully researched, accessibly written portrait of dreaming as a powerful, unpredictable, often iconoclastic force in human religious life.

Contents:

Hinduism

Chinese religions

Buddhism

Religions of the Fertile Crescent

Religions of ancient Greece and Rome

Christianity

Islam

Religions of Africa

Religions of Oceania

Religions of the Americas.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 301-317) and index.

ISBN:

0-8147-8995-1

0-8147-9119-0

OCLC:

782878104