The encounter between the West and India in the modern period has also been an encounter between Western modernity and the traditions of classical Indian thought. This book is the study of one aspect this encounter, that between Western scholasticism and one classical Indian tradition of religious thought and practice: the Vedānta. In the modern period there have been many attempts to relate Western theistic traditions to classical Indian accounts of ultimate reality and the world. Parallels have usually been drawn with modern forms of Western philosophy or modern trends in theism. Modern Indological studies have continued to make substantial use of Western terms and concepts to describe and analyse Indian thought. A much-neglected area of study has been the relationship between Western scholastic theology and classical Indian thought. This book challenges existing parallels with modern philosophy of religion and forms of theism. It argues instead that there is an affinity between scholasticism and classical Indian traditions. It considers the thought of Rāmānuja (traditional dates 1017-1137 CE), who developed an influential theist and realist form of Vedānta, and considers how this relates to that of the most influential of Western scholastics, Thomas Aquinas (1224/5-1274 CE). Within what remain very different traditions we can see similar methods of enquiry, as well as common questions and concerns in their accounts of ultimate reality and of the world. Arguing that there is indeed an affinity between the Western scholastic tradition and that of classical Indian thought, and suggesting a reversal of the tendencies of earlier interpretations, this book will be of interest to students and scholars of Asian religion, Hinduism and Indian philosophy.
Interpreting the Spirit of Assisi Challenges to Interfaith Dialogue in a Pluralistic World Edited by Maria Diemling and Thomas J. Herbst Pope John Paul II convened the Day of Prayer for Peace in Assisi on 27 October 1986. It brought together believers from Christian denominations and representatives from many other religions to pray for peace. Some regard it as one of the most important religious events of modern times. This book presents the proceedings of a conference held in Canterbury commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Popes ground-breaking initiative. The contributions reflect on the legacy of this meeting and appraise its significance, explore the radically changed religious landscape since 9/11 and engage with interfaith encounters from historical perspectives. The first part of the book examines the Assisi meeting within the ecclesiological context following the Second Vatican Council. In the second part, scholars offer historical perspectives on interfaith engagement from a specifically Franciscan point of view. Part three looks at theological challenges in interfaith dialogue both from contemporary and historical perspectives. Reflecting John Paul IIs invocation to Pray for Peace, the final part of the book deals with prayer and spirituality.The volume includes contributions by Gavin D Costa, Christopher Dyczek OFM, Martin R. Ganeri OP, Thomas J.Herbst OFM, John Hind, Kevin McDonald, Seamus Mulholland OFM, Ralph Norman, Marc Saperstein, Reza Shah-Kazemi, Bridget Tighe FMDM, Monica Tobon and Jeremy Worthen. Maria Diemling (Dr. Phil. University of Vienna) is Senior Lecturer in Religious Studies at Canterbury Christ Church University.Thomas J. Herbst OFM (D.Phil. Oxford University) is Senior Lecturer in Systematic Theology and Church History and Course Director of the BA/MA Theology at the Franciscan International Study Center.
Over a billion people in the world describe themselves as Hindus, yet to many in the West it remains one of the most alien and mysterious of the major world religions. This booklet explains the basic tenets and practices of this hugely diverse faith and explores the points of similarity and of difference between it and Catholic Christianity.
The encounter between the West and India in the modern period has also been an encounter between Western modernity and the traditions of classical Indian thought. This book is the study of one aspect this encounter, that between Western scholasticism and one classical Indian tradition of religious thought and practice: the Vedānta. In the modern period there have been many attempts to relate Western theistic traditions to classical Indian accounts of ultimate reality and the world. Parallels have usually been drawn with modern forms of Western philosophy or modern trends in theism. Modern Indological studies have continued to make substantial use of Western terms and concepts to describe and analyse Indian thought. A much-neglected area of study has been the relationship between Western scholastic theology and classical Indian thought. This book challenges existing parallels with modern philosophy of religion and forms of theism. It argues instead that there is an affinity between scholasticism and classical Indian traditions. It considers the thought of Rāmānuja (traditional dates 1017-1137 CE), who developed an influential theist and realist form of Vedānta, and considers how this relates to that of the most influential of Western scholastics, Thomas Aquinas (1224/5-1274 CE). Within what remain very different traditions we can see similar methods of enquiry, as well as common questions and concerns in their accounts of ultimate reality and of the world. Arguing that there is indeed an affinity between the Western scholastic tradition and that of classical Indian thought, and suggesting a reversal of the tendencies of earlier interpretations, this book will be of interest to students and scholars of Asian religion, Hinduism and Indian philosophy.
This book provides a philosophical account of the normative status of killing in Buddhism. Its argument theorises on relevant Buddhist philosophical grounds the metaphysical, phenomenological and ethical dimensions of the distinct intentional classes of killing, in dialogue with some elements of Western philosophical thought. In doing so, it aims to provide a descriptive account of the causal bases of intentional killing, a global justification and elucidation of Buddhist norms regarding killing, and an intellectual response to and critique of alternative conceptions of such norms presented in recent Buddhist Studies scholarship. It examines early and classical Buddhist accounts of the evaluation of killing, systematising and rationally assessing these claims on both Buddhist and contemporary Western philosophical grounds. The book provides the conceptual foundation for the discussion, engaging original reconstructive philosophical analyses to both bolster and critique classical Indian Buddhist positions on killing and its evaluation, as well as contemporary Buddhist Studies scholarship concerning these positions. In doing so, it provides a systematic and critical account of the subject hitherto absent in the field. Engaging Buddhist philosophy from scholastic dogmatics to epistemology and metaphysics, this book is relevant to advanced students and scholars in philosophy and religious studies.
The Jewel of Annual Astrology is an encyclopaedic treatise on Tājika or Sanskritized Perso-Arabic astrology, dealing particularly with the casting and interpretation of anniversary horoscopes. Authored in 1649 CE by Balabhadra Daivajña, court astrologer to Shāh Shujāʿ – governor of Bengal and second son of the Mughal emperor Shāh Jahān – it casts light on the historical development of the Tājika school by extensive quotations from earlier works spanning five centuries. With this first-ever scholarly edition and translation of a Tājika text, Martin Gansten makes a significant contribution not only to the study of an important but little known knowledge tradition, but also to the intellectual historiography of Asia and the transmission of horoscopic astrology in the medieval and early modern periods.
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