In this book, distinguished scholar of Hinduism and Comparative Religion Gavin Flood provides a general introduction to the subject of Tantra: what it is, where it fits into the history of South Asia and beyond, what its links are to Hinduism and Buddhism, and how contemporary Tantra transforms the older tradition.Tantra has become a topic of wide interest, associated in the popular imagination with improving one’s love life or with sensational magic and nefarious ...

This book presents an account of the concept of mind in Hindu Tantra through a study of religious and philosophical texts in the medieval period.Offering an understanding on how the mind is conceptualized both as that which keeps a person bound to the cycle of reincarnation and as having transformative potential in allowing a person to achieve liberation or salvation, this book examines mostly previously untranslated sources. It shows how there are different understandings of the m...

Over five lectures, Gavin Flood, professor of Hindu Studies and Comparative Religion in the Theology and Religion Faculty at Campion Hall at Oxford University, gives an overview of the history, theory and practice of Tantra. He explores aspects from the Śaiva Siddhānta tradition to the Non-Saiddhāntika, to Buddhist Tantra. He gives an overview of the many developments in thought, cosmologies and the varied and fascinating practices that have emerged over the centuries.Se

Religion and the Philosophy of Life considers how religion as the source of civilization transforms the fundamental bio-sociology of humans through language and the somatic exploration of religious ritual and prayer. Gavin Flood offers an integrative account of the nature of the human, based on what contemporary scientists tell us, especially evolutionary science and social neuroscience, as well as through the history of civilizations. Part one contemplates fundamental questions a...

An accessible and up-to-date survey of scholarly thinking about Hinduism, perfect for courses on Hinduism or world religionsThe Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Hinduism examines the historical trajectories that have led to the modern religion of Hinduism. Covering main themes such as philosophy, practice, society, and science, this comprehensive volume brings together a variety of approaches and perspectives in Hindu Studies to help readers better appreciate ...

The Importance of Religion reveals the significance of religion in modern times, showing how it provides people with meaning to their lives and helps guide them in their everyday moral choicesProvides readers with a new understanding of religion, demonstrating how in its actions, texts and world views religion is enduring and vividly engages with the mystery of the worldOffers striking arguments about the relationship of religion to science, art and politic...

Over four lectures, Gavin Flood, professor of Hindu Studies and Comparative Religion in the Theology and Religion Faculty at Campion Hall at Oxford University, gives an overview of the idea of the truth within: that available to everyone is an inner source of power, healing, and confirmation of life. He traces this idea across the world’s great contemplative traditions, exploring what this inner truth is, how different civilizations have understood it through history, and whether it still ...

Over five lectures, Gavin Flood, professor of Hindu Studies and Comparative Religion in the Theology and Religion Faculty at Campion Hall at Oxford University, gives an overview of the history, theory and practice of Tantra. He explores aspects from the Śaiva Siddhānta tradition to the Non-Saiddhāntika, to Buddhist tantra. He gives an overview of the many developments in thought, cosmologies and the varied and fascinating practices that have emerged over the centuries.• Session 1 –...

The Bhagavad Gita, the Song of the Lord, is an ancient Hindu scripture about virtue, presented as a dialogue between Krishna, an incarnation of God, and the warrior Arjuna on the eve of a great battle over succession to the throne.This new verse translation of the classic Sanskrit text combines the skills of leading Hinduist Gavin Flood with the stylistic verve of award-winning poet and translator Charles Martin. The result is a living, vivid work that avo...

If by monotheism we mean the idea of a single transcendent God who creates the universe out of nothing (creatio ex nihilo), as in the Abrahamic religions, then that is not found in the history of Hinduism. But if we mean a supreme, transcendent deity who impels the universe, sustains it and ultimately destroys it before causing it to emerge once again, who is the ultimate source of all other gods who are her or his emanations, then this idea does develop within that history. It is a Hindu ...

Connecting Ecologies focuses on the environmental aspects of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ and the challenge to care for our common home. It considers how best to devise and implement the new societal models needed to tackle the ecological problems facing the world today. The book addresses the need for and complexity of an integral ecology, one that looks not only at physical and biological processes but also allows for the contributions of theology, philosophy, s...

Traditions of asceticism, yoga, and devotion (bhakti), including dance and music, developed in Hinduism over long periods of time. Some of these practices, notably those denoted by the term yoga, are orientated towards salvation from the cycle of reincarnation and go back several thousand years. These practices, borne witness to in ancient texts called Upaniṣads, as well as in other traditions, notably early Buddhism and Jainism, are the subject of this volume in the Oxford History of Hind...