The Upanisads: A Complete Guide

ISBN-13: 9781138795051 / Angielski / Twarda / 2017 / 454 str.

Signe Cohen

Opis

The Upaniṣads are among the most sacred foundational scriptures in the Hindu religion. Written from 800 BCE onward and making up part of the larger Vedic corpus, they offer the reader 'knowledge lessons' on life, death, and immortality. While they are essential to understanding Hinduism and Asian religions more generally, their complexities make them almost impenetrable to anyone but serious scholars of Sanskrit and ancient Indian culture. This book is divided into five parts: - The Historical and Cultural Background of the Upaniṣads - Composition, Authorship, and Transmission of the Upaniṣads - Religion and Philosophy in the Upaniṣads - The Classical Upanishad texts - The Later Upanishad text The chapters cover critical issues such as the origins of the Upaniṣads, authorship, and redaction as well as exploring the broad religious and philosophical themes within the texts. The guide analyses each of the Upaniṣads separately, unpacking their contextual relevance and explaining difficult terms and concepts. The Upaniṣads: A Complete Guide is a unique and valuable reference source for undergraduate religious studies, history, and philosophy students and researchers who want to learn more about these foundational sacred texts and the religious lessons in the Hindu tradition.

Recenzje

"The Upanishads gives surprisingly in-depth analyses of fourteen classical Upanishads and five classes of later Upanishads. (...) One can effortlessly gain academic insight into this ancient corpus of metaphysical knowledge through this book. It can be used as a companion for studies of the Upanishads by scholars and laypeople alike. This book fills the gap of well-researched academic introductions to the Upanishads." - Swami Narasimhananda, editor of Prabuddha Bharata

Spis treści

Chapter 1: Introduction: What is an Upaniṣad? by Signe Cohen. Chapter 2: The Date of the Upaniṣads by Signe Cohen. Chapter 3: The Authorship of the Upaniṣads by Signe Cohen. Chapter 4: The Redaction and Transmission of the Upaniṣads by Signe Cohen. Chapter 5: Ancient India: Geographical, Historical, and Cultural Background by Signe Cohen. Chapter 6: The Older Vedas and the Upaniṣads by Dermot Killingley. Chapter 7: The Religious and Ritual Background by Dermot Killingley. Chapter 8: The Upaniṣads and Early Buddhism by Signe Cohen. Chapter 9: The Social Background: Caste and Gender in the Upaniṣads by Steven Lindquist. Chapter 10: Prominent Characters in the Upaniṣads by Steven Lindquist. Chapter 11: Ātman and brahman in the principal Upaniṣads by Jacqueline Suthren Hirst. Chapter 12: Karma and Rebirth in the Upaniṣads by Dermot Killingley. Chapter 13: Knowledge and Liberation in the Upaniṣads by Dermot Killingley. Chapter 14: The Upaniṣadic Episteme by Jonardon Ganeri. Chapter 15: Mantras and Sacred Language by Signe Cohen. Chapter 16: The Upaniṣads and the Emergence of Theism by Dermot Killingley. Chapter 17: The Upaniṣads and Yoga by Dermot Killingley. Chapter 18: The Upaniṣads and the Mahābhārata by Brian Black. Chapter 19: The Upaniṣads and the Bhagavadgītā by Simon Brodbeck. Chapter 20: The Upaniṣads and Later Hinduism by Dermot Killingley. Chapter 21: Dara Shikoh and the First Translation of the Upaniṣads by Signe Cohen. Chapter 22: Schopenhauer and the Upaniṣads by Signe Cohen. Chapter 23: The Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad by Dermot Killingley. Chapter 24: The Chāndogya Upaniṣad by Dermot Killingley. Chapter 25: The Aitareya Upaniṣad by Signe Cohen. Chapter 26: The The Kauṣītaki Upaniṣad by Signe Cohen. Chapter 27: The Taittirīya Upaniṣad by Signe Cohen. Chapter 28: The Īśā Upaniṣad by Signe Cohen. Chapter 29: The Praśna Upaniṣad by Signe Cohen. Chapter 30: The Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad by Signe Cohen. Chapter 31: The Kaṭha Upaniṣad by Elizabeth Schiltz. Chapter 32: The Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad by Signe Cohen. Chapter 33: The Kena Upaniṣad by Signe Cohen. Chapter 34: The Maitrī Upaniṣad by Signe Cohen. Chapter 35: The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad by Signe Cohen. Chapter 36: The Mahānārāyaṇa Upaniṣad by Signe Cohen. Chapter 37: The Vaiṣṇava Upaniṣads by Signe Cohen. Chapter 38: The Śaiva Upaniṣads by Signe Cohen. Chapter 39: The Devī Upaniṣads by Signe Cohen. Chapter 40: The Saṃnyāsa Upaniṣads by Signe Cohen. Chapter 41: The Yoga Upaniṣads by Signe Cohen. Chapter 42: Conclusion by Signe Cohen

O autorze

Signe Cohen is Associate Professor of South Asian Religions at the University of Missouri, USA.