Buying Buddha, Selling Rumi

Buying Buddha, Selling Rumi PDF

Author: Sophia Rose Arjana

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2020-08-04

Total Pages: 153

ISBN-13: 1786077728

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From jewellery to meditation pillows to tourist retreats, religious traditions – especially those of the East – are being commodified as never before. Imitated and rebranded as ‘New Age’ or ‘spiritual’, they are marketed to secular Westerners as an answer to suffering in the modern world, the ‘mystical’ and ‘exotic’ East promising a path to enlightenment and inner peace. In Buying Buddha, Selling Rumi, Sophia Rose Arjana examines the appropriation and sale of Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam in the West today, the role of mysticism and Orientalism in the religious marketplace, and how the commodification of religion impacts people’s lives.

Buying Buddha, Selling Rumi

Buying Buddha, Selling Rumi PDF

Author: Sophia Rose Arjana

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2020-08-04

Total Pages: 153

ISBN-13: 1786077728

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

From jewellery to meditation pillows to tourist retreats, religious traditions – especially those of the East – are being commodified as never before. Imitated and rebranded as ‘New Age’ or ‘spiritual’, they are marketed to secular Westerners as an answer to suffering in the modern world, the ‘mystical’ and ‘exotic’ East promising a path to enlightenment and inner peace. In Buying Buddha, Selling Rumi, Sophia Rose Arjana examines the appropriation and sale of Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam in the West today, the role of mysticism and Orientalism in the religious marketplace, and how the commodification of religion impacts people’s lives.

Buddhism under Capitalism

Buddhism under Capitalism PDF

Author: Richard K. Payne

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2022-10-06

Total Pages: 281

ISBN-13: 1350228346

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This book argues that Buddhism has spread due to globalized capitalism, and explores how capitalism is also impacting Buddhists and Buddhism today. Edited by two leading scholars in Buddhist studies, the book examines how capitalism and neo-liberalism have shaped global perceptions of Buddhism, as well as specific local practices and attitudes. It examines the institutional practices that sustained the spread of Buddhism for two and a half millennia, and the adaptation of Buddhist institutions in contemporary, global economic systems-particularly in Europe and the United States over the last century and half. These innovative essays on the interfaces between Buddhism and capitalism will prompt readers to rethink the connection between Buddhism and secular society. Case studies include digital capitalism, tourism, and monasticism, and are drawn from the USA, Tibet, China, Japan, and Thailand.

Introducing Mindfulness-Based Wellbeing Enhancement

Introducing Mindfulness-Based Wellbeing Enhancement PDF

Author: Kathirasan K.

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2023-03-23

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 1000846393

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Mindfulness-Based Wellbeing Enhancement (MBWE) integrates Mindfulness and Wellbeing to realize human flourishing and the attainment of happiness. This 9-session program, conducted over 8 weeks, enhances wellbeing, happiness and quality of life through self-understanding and self-awareness. The first part of the book is devoted to presenting mindfulness, wellbeing, the happiness paradigm and the curriculum of the Mindfulness-Based Wellbeing Enhancement (MBWE) program. It presents the foundations of mindfulness-based programs, and how mindfulness intersects with wellbeing. The authors argue, with the support of evidence, that mindfulness is well placed to promote human flourishing rather than limiting its relevance to stress reduction and preventing depression relapse. Several chapters are devoted to presenting the MBWE program comprehensively with weekly agendas, homework, handouts, facilitation guides and practice scripts. The second part of the book presents the evidence base of mindfulness, cultural adaptations for different populations, the therapeutic effectiveness of group learning inherent in Mindfulness-Based Programs and the often-untold history of mindfulness. The authors present the often-neglected Asian roots of Mindfulness and justify how secular Mindfulness, as taught by Jon Kabat-Zinn, is influenced by multiple wisdom traditions as opposed to it being a solely Buddhist practice. This book serves as a hands-on resource for trained mindfulness teachers, psychologists, psychiatrists, psychotherapists, counsellors, social workers, practitioners, educators, coaches, and consultants. It is also suitable for anyone who is interested in the appreciation of mindfulness and human flourishing.

American Journal of Islam and Society (AJIS) - Volume 39 Issues 3-4

American Journal of Islam and Society (AJIS) - Volume 39 Issues 3-4 PDF

Author: Wardah Alkatiri

Publisher: International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT)

Published: 2023-02-16

Total Pages: 280

ISBN-13:

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I want to begin by congratulating my colleagues at the helm of the American Journal of Islam and Society (AJIS), as well as readers and contributors, that the journal is now finally SCOPUS-indexed. Consistently in circulation since its establishment in 1984, AJIS is now an open-access, biannual, double-blind peer-reviewed and interdisciplinary journal with global reach. Its newly acquired formal status speaks to its consistently high standards of scholarship and invites an ever-larger group of aspiring and senior scholars to publish their finest work on a variety of areas in Islamic thought and society. The issue of the American Journal of Islam and Society comprises four contributions, each exploring a different way in which Islam and society interact. Wardah AlKatiri proposes an Islamic vision to address the world’s deteriorating environmental prospects; Yousef Wahb addresses the challenge of upholding Islamic communal norms in North America; Sami al-Daghistani aspires to put the field of Islamic economics into conversation with classical Islamic ethics and spirituality; and Tabinda Khan addresses a theoretical lacuna in Western political scientists’ study of Islamism. Ovamir Anjum Editor

Islamic Algorithms

Islamic Algorithms PDF

Author: Gary R. Bunt

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2024-04-04

Total Pages: 329

ISBN-13: 1350418285

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This book examines how Islam is digitally mediated at a time of technological change, enhanced digital literacy and proactive engagement in Islamic online content by authorities and influencers. What is the impact of this on societies, believers and understandings of Islam? Islamic Algorithms provides a thorough exploration of Cyber Islamic Environments (CIEs) through representations of significant historical and religious influences across contexts and diversities. This ranges from jinn and angels through to contemporary influencers. Gary R. Bunt raises issues of how digital content is embedded in contemporary understandings of Islam and their dissemination. Bunt shows how the interpretation of pivotal figures in Islam – including Muhammad and his family, scholars and imams – can be informed by new generations of digital influences, such as apps and social networking, which have become primary sources of information for many Muslims globally.

The Dervishes of the North

The Dervishes of the North PDF

Author: Merin Shobhana Xavier

Publisher: University of Toronto Press

Published: 2023-04-28

Total Pages: 418

ISBN-13: 1487545460

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The thirteenth-century Muslim mystic and poet Jalal al-Din Rumi (1207–1273) is a popular spiritual icon. His legacy is sustained within the mystical and religious practice of Sufism, particularly through renditions of his poetry, music, and the meditation practice of whirling. In Canada, practices associated with Rumi have become ubiquitous in public spaces, such as museums, art galleries, and theatre halls, just as they continue to inform sacred ritual among Sufi communities. The Dervishes of the North explores what practices associated with Rumi in public and private spaces tell us about Sufism and spirituality, including sacred, cultural, and artistic expressions in the Canadian context. Using Rumi and contemporary expressions of poetry and whirling associated with him, the book captures the lived reality of Sufism through an ethnographic study of communities in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. Drawing from conversations with Sufi leaders, whirling dervishes, and poets, Merin Shobhana Xavier explores how Sufism is constructed in Canada, particularly at the nexus of Islamic mysticism, Muslim diaspora, spiritual commodity, popular culture, and universal spirituality. Inviting readers with an interest in religion and spirituality, The Dervishes of the North illuminates how non-European Christian traditions, like Islam and Sufism, have informed the religious and spiritual terrain of Canada.

Decolonising the Study of Religion

Decolonising the Study of Religion PDF

Author: Jørn Borup

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2023-12-18

Total Pages: 205

ISBN-13: 1003817629

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Decolonising the Study of Religion analyses historical and contemporary discussions in the study of religion and Buddhism and critically investigates representations, possibilities, and challenges of a decolonial approach, addressing the important question: who owns Buddhism? The monograph offers a case-based perspective with which to examine the general study of religion, where new challenges require reflection and prospects for new directions. It focuses on Buddhism, one religion which has been studied in the West for centuries. Building on postcolonial theories and supplemented with a critical analysis of identity and postsecular engagement, the book offers new possibilities and challenges to the study of religion. It critically investigates decolonisation in the study of religion, subscribing to a third way between ‘objectivist’ and ‘subjectivist’ positions. Analysing the postcolonial and decolonial critique of the study of religion, with a particular focus on Buddhist studies in the West and in Japan, this book will be of interest to researchers in the field of Religious Studies, Buddhism, Japanese religions, anthropology, Asian Studies and those interested in religion and decolonisation.

Understanding Religion

Understanding Religion PDF

Author: Paul Michael Hedges

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 2021-02-23

Total Pages: 583

ISBN-13: 0520970861

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A cutting-edge introduction to contemporary religious studies theory, connecting theory to data. This innovative coursebook introduces students to interdisciplinary theoretical tools for understanding contemporary religiously diverse societies—both Western and non-Western. Using a case-study model, the text considers: A wide and diverse array of contemporary issues, questions, and critical approaches to the study of religion relevant to students and scholars A variety of theoretical approaches, including decolonial, feminist, hermeneutical, poststructuralist, and phenomenological analyses Current debates on whether the term "religion" is meaningful Many key issues about the study of religion, including the insider-outsider debate, material religion, and lived religion Plural and religiously diverse societies, including the theological ideas of traditions and the political and social questions that arise for those living alongside adherents of other religions Understanding Religion is designed to provide a strong foundation for instructors to explore the ideas presented in each chapter in multiple ways, engage students in meaningful activities in the classroom, and integrate additional material into their lectures. Students will gain the tools to apply specific methods from a variety of disciplines to analyze the social, political, spiritual, and cultural aspects of religions. Its unique pedagogical design means it can be used from undergraduate- to postgraduate-level courses.

The Bloomsbury Handbook of Muslims and Popular Culture

The Bloomsbury Handbook of Muslims and Popular Culture PDF

Author: Hussein Rashid

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2023-09-21

Total Pages: 417

ISBN-13: 1350145408

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The Bloomsbury Handbook of Muslims and Popular Culture illustrates how Muslims participate in a broad spectrum of activities. Moving beyond a framework that emphasizes ritual, legal, historical, or theological issues, this book speaks to how Muslims live in the world, in relation to their religion and the realities of the world around them. The international team of contributors provide in-depth analysis that chronicles Islamic cultural products in regional and transnational contexts, explores dominant and emerging theories about popularization, and offers provocations in the field of religion and popular culture. The handbook is structured in six parts: spaces; appetites; performances; readings; visions; and communities. The book explores a variety of Muslim societies and communities within the last 100 years, ranging from the Islamic presence in Latin American architecture to Muslim Anglophone hip-hop, and Muslims in modern Indian theatre.