The Embodiment of Bhakti

ISBN-13: 9780195128130 / Angielski / Twarda / 2000 / 288 str.

Karen Pechilis Prentiss; Karen Pechilis

Opis

This book offers an interpretive history of bhakti, an influential religious perspective in Hinduism. Prentiss argues that although bhakti is mentioned in every contemporary sourcebook on Indian religions, it still lacks an agreed-upon definition. "Devotion" is found to be the most commonly used synonym. Prentiss seeks a new perspective on this elusive concept. Her analysis of Tamil (south Indian) materials leads her to suggest that bhakti be understood as a doctrine of embodiment. Bhakti, she says, urges people towards active engagement in the worship of God. She proposes that the term "devotion" be replaced by "participation," emphasizing bhakti's call for engagement in worship and the necessity of embodiment to fulfill that obligation.

Recenzje

Embodiment of Bhakti can...be enthusiastically recommended to specialists in south Indian religion, scholars of comparative religion and history, and both Hindu and Christian theologians...Skillfully weaving and intelligently understanding available sources, it enables us to see how participation in Siva was a human project which nevertheless preserved and powerfully expressed this community's encounter with God and adherence to transcendent truths. If Saivism was (and is) an intellectually sophisticated faith, this fine volume enables us to understand more clearly the how and why of that achievemen?