The origins of yoga and tantra : Indic religions to the thirteenth century / Geoffrey Samuel.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Samuel, Geoffrey, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Yoga--History.

Yoga.

Tantrism--History.

Tantrism.

India--Religion.

India.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (x, 422 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Other Title:

The Origins of Yoga & Tantra

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2008.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Yoga, tantra and other forms of Asian meditation are practised in modernized forms throughout the world today, but most introductions to Hinduism or Buddhism tell only part of the story of how they developed. This book is an interpretation of the history of Indic religions up to around 1200 CE, with particular focus on the development of yogic and tantric traditions. It assesses how much we really know about this period, and asks what sense we can make of the evolution of yogic and tantric practices, which were to become such central and important features of the Indic religious scene. Its originality lies in seeking to understand these traditions in terms of the total social and religious context of South Asian society during this period, including the religious practices of the general population with their close engagement with family, gender, economic life and other pragmatic concerns.

Contents:

Cover; Title; Copyright; Contents; List of Figures; Preface; 1 Introduction; 2 Stories and sources; THE NATURE OF THE EVIDENCE: ARCHAEOLOGY, NUMISMATICS, ICONOGRAPHY; THE NATURE OF THE EVIDENCE: TEXTS; Vedic and Brahmanical material; Buddhist and Jaina material; CHRONOLOGICAL ISSUES; A case study of the chronological problem: Pā nini; CONCLUSION; PART ONE MEDITATION AND YOGA; 3 The Second Urbanisation of South Asia; THE SECOND URBANISATION IN SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST ASIA AS A WHOLE; TWO DIFFERENT WORLDS: KURU-PAÑCĀ LA AND THE CENTRAL GANGETIC REGION

THE VEDIC MATERIAL: THE VIEW FROM KURU-PAÑC&AmacrLA; LINGUISTICS; THE MAH JANAPADAS; 4 Two worlds and their interactions; LUNAR AND SOLAR DYNASTIES; THE SOLAR DYNASTY AND THE RĀ MĀ YANA; MITHIL AND THE WISDOM KING MODEL; WARRIOR KINGS AND WISDOM KINGS IN THE EPICS; BRAHMANIC EXPANSION AND INTERACTION BETWEEN THE TWO REGIONS; THE NORTHWEST REGION AND THE BENGAL DELTA; The Northwest Region; Magadha and the Bengal Delta; SOUTH INDIA AND THE CASTE SYSTEM; GENDER ATTITUDES ACROSS SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST ASIA; 5 Religion in the early states; ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOURCES FOR EARLY INDIC RELIGION

TEXTUAL SOURCES FOR THE EARLY RELIGION OF THE INDO-ARYAN-SPEAKING PEOPLESTHE VEDIC RELIGION AND THE WIDER RELIGIOUS SCENE; THE DEVELOPMENT OF VEDIC-BRAHMANICAL RELIGION; 6 The origins of Buddhist and Jaina orders; THE CONTEXT OF THE EARLY Ś RAMAN A ORDERS; THE VRĀ TYAS AS PREDECESSORS?; THE RAMAN. AS AND THE DEAD; THE VRATA OR VOW; THE CONTENT OF THE RAMAN TEACHINGS; LOCAL DEITIES AND EVERYDAY CONCERNS: THE BUDDHIST AND JAINA PATTERN; YAKSA RELIGION AT THE BH RHUT ST PA; BUDDHIST AND JAINA ATTITUDES TO THE YAKS. AS; 7 The Brahmanical alternative; VARIETIES OF BRAHMINS

BRAHMANICAL ASCETICISMLOCAL DEITIES AND EVERYDAY CONCERNS: THE BRAHMANICAL PATTERN; 8 Asceticism and celibacy in Indic religions; EXPLAINING THE GROWTH OF THE NEW ASCETIC TRADITIONS; THE LOGIC OF MALE CELIBACY; WARRIOR BROTHERHOODS AND WISDOM TRADITIONS; ASCETIC PRACTICES; CELIBACY AND MALE IDENTITY IN CONTEMPORARY BUDDHISM; CELIBACY AND MALE IDENTITY IN BRAHMANICAL SOCIETY; CONCLUSION; PART TWO TANTRA; 9 The classical synthesis; EARLY THEISM: BHĀ GAVATA AND Ś AIVA CULTS; THE SANSKRIT EPICS: MAHĀ BHĀ RATA AND RĀ MĀ YANA; BUDDHIST DEVELOPMENTS

PHILOSOPHICAL SCHOOLSMEDITATION IN THE BUDDHIST, BRAHMANICAL, AND JAINA TRADITIONS; THE MANDALA; 10 Tantra and the wild goddesses; THE STATE AND THE POWERS OF DARKNESS; EXERCISING POWER: THE VRĀ TYAKĀ NDA OF THE ATHARVAVEDA; Ś AIVA ASCETICS: PĀ Ś UPATAS AND KĀ PĀ LIKA-STYLE ASCETICS; WILD GODDESSES AND DISEASE GODDESSES; BRAHMANICAL EQUIVALENTS; AIVA TANTRA AND THE YOGIN CULTS; BUDDHIST, JAIN AND VAISNAVA TANTRA; CONCLUSION; 11 Subtle bodies, longevity and internal alchemy; SEXUAL PRACTICES IN THE GUPTA PERIOD; THE TAMIL CITTARS AND THE N&Amacr

TH REFORMS

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Includes bibliographical references (p. 354-401) and index.

ISBN:

1-107-18120-8

1-139-23500-1

1-283-31507-6

1-139-13897-9

9786613315076

0-511-81882-3

1-139-14475-8

1-139-14054-X

1-139-13741-7

1-139-14143-0

OCLC:

763158086