Self as Body in Asian Theory and Practice


Book Description

This book is an investigation of the relationship between self and body in the Indian, Japanese, and Chinese philosophical traditions. The interplay between self and body is complex and manifold, touching on issues of epistemology, ontology, social philosophy, and axiology. The authors examine these issues and make relevant connections to the Western tradition. The authors' allow the Asian traditions to shed new light on some of the traditional mind-body issues addressed in the West.




Self as Person in Asian Theory and Practice


Book Description

This book is a sequel to Self as Body in Asian Theory and Practice (SUNY, 1992) and anticipates a third book, Self as Image in Asian Theory and Practice. In order to address issues as diverse as the promotion of human rights or the resolution of sexism in ways that avoid inadvertent lapses into cultural chauvinism, alternative cultural perspectives that begin from differing conceptions of self and self-realization must be articulated and respected. This book explores the articulation of personal character within the disparate cultural experiences of Japan, China, and South Asia.




Self as Image in Asian Theory and Practice


Book Description

This is the third in a series dealing with the concept of self and its importance in understanding Chinese, Japanese, and Indian cultures. The authors examine the relationship between self and image and its significance in attaining a deeper knowledge of Chinese, Japanese, and Indian cultures. The relationship between self and image is as complex as it is fascinating. It takes on different meanings and significances in diverse cultures. In this volume, the focus of attention is largely on representational practices and symbolic media, such as literature, cinema, art, and dance. By examining both classical and contemporary works associated with China, India, and Japan, the authors seek, on the one hand, to demonstrate the intricate relationship between self and image and, on the other, to make use of that relationship to further our understanding of these cultures.




Self as Image in Asian Theory and Practice


Book Description

Explores, from a cross-cultural viewpoint and in terms of symbolic expression, the self's problematic relationship to language and art and to the culture embedding the language and art.




The Body


Book Description

This book explores mind-body philosophy from an Asian perspective. It sheds new light on a problem central in modern Western thought. Yuasa shows that Eastern philosophy has generally formulated its view of mind-body unity as an achievement a state to be acquired--rather than as essential or innate. Depending on the individual's own developmental state, the mind-body connection can vary from near dissociation to almost perfect integration. Whereas Western mind-body theories have typically asked what the mind-body is, Yuasa asks how the mind-body relation varies on a spectrum from the psychotic to the yogi, from the debilitated to the athletic, from the awkward novice to the master musician. Yuasa first examines various Asian texts dealing with Buddhist meditation, kundalini yoga, acupuncture, ethics, and epistemology, developing a concept of the "dark consciousness" (not identical with the psychoanalytic unconscious) as a vehicle for explaining their basic view. He shows that the mind-body image found in those texts has a striking correlation to themes in contemporary French phenomenology, Jungian psychoanalysis, psychomatic medicine, and neurophysiology. The book clears the ground for a provocative meeting between East and West, establishing a philosophical region on which science and religion can be mutually illuminating.




Coming to the Edge of the Circle


Book Description

Imagine yourself sitting on the cool damp earth, surrounded by deep night sky and fields full of fireflies, anticipating the ritual of initiation that you are about to undergo. Suddenly you hear the sounds of far-off singing and chanting, drums booming, rattles "snaking," voices raised in harmony. The casting of the Circle is complete. You are led to the edge of the Circle, where Death, your challenge, is waiting for you. With the passwords of "perfect love" and "perfect trust" you enter Death's realm. The Guardians of the four quarters purify you, and you are finally reborn into the Circle as a newly made Witch. Coming to the Edge of the Circle offers an ethnographic study of the initiation ritual practiced by one coven of Witches located in Ohio. As a High Priestess within the coven as well as a scholar of religion, Nikki Bado is in a unique position to contribute to our understanding of this ceremony and the tradition to which it belongs. Bado's analysis of this coven's initiation ceremony offers an important challenge to the commonly accepted model of "rites of passage." Rather than a single linear event, initiation is deeply embedded within a total process of becoming a Witch in practice and in community with others. Coming to the Edge of the Circle expands our concept of initiation while giving us insight into one coven's practice of Wicca. An important addition to Ritual Studies, it also introduces readers to the contemporary nature religion variously called Wicca, Witchcraft, the Old Religion, or the Craft.




Self and Deception


Book Description

This volume contains essays by a range of distinguished philosophers on the problem of self-deception, or rather, self and deception. The work proceeds from the assumption that changing constructions of self within Western cultures, and alternative notions of self in other cultures requires that we rethink traditional strategies for explaining the phenomenon of self-deception. The concept of self is central to any sustained inquiry into self-deception, the pertinent issue being what sort of self is victim (or beneficiary) of self deception. Several of the authors here base their thinking on the model of "other-deception," and include discussion of the notions of double selves, multiple selves, and subsystems of the self, to address this troubling problem. Other authors argue that "other-deception" is not an adequate or reliable model to guide our thinking on this issue. The psychological and moral dimensions of self-deception generate a rich discussion, as do its epistemic implications. The concept of emotionality also receives sustained attention.




Transformational Embodiment in Asian Religions


Book Description

This volume examines several theoretical concerns of embodiment in the context of Asian religious practice. Looking at both subtle and spatial bodies, it explores how both types of embodiment are engaged as sites for transformation, transaction and transgression. Collectively bridging ancient and modern conceptualizations of embodiment in religious practice, the book offers a complex mapping of how body is defined. It revisits more traditional, mystical religious systems, including Hindu Tantra and Yoga, Tibetan Buddhism, Bon, Chinese Daoism and Persian Sufism and distinctively juxtaposes these inquiries alongside analyses of racial, gendered, and colonized bodies. Such a multifaceted subject requires a diverse approach, and so perspectives from phenomenology and neuroscience as well as critical race theory and feminist theology are utilised to create more precise analytical tools for the scholarly engagement of embodied religious epistemologies. This a nuanced and interdisciplinary exploration of the myriad issues around bodies within religion. As such it will be a key resource for any scholar of Religious Studies, Asian Studies, Anthropology, Sociology, Philosophy, and Gender Studies.




Burning for the Buddha


Book Description

Burning for the Buddha is the first book-length study of the theory and practice of "abandoning the body"(self-immolation) in Chinese Buddhism. It examines the hagiographical accounts of all those who made offerings of their own bodies and places them in historical, social, cultural, and doctrinal context. Rather than privilege the doctrinal and exegetical interpretations of the tradition, which assume the central importance of the mind and its cultivation, James Benn focuses on the ways in which the heroic ideals of the bodhisattva present in scriptural materials such as the Lotus Sutra played out in the realm of religious practice on the ground.




The Foundations of Chinese Medicine


Book Description

This highly successful textbook covers the basic theory of traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture, and discusses in detail the use of acupuncture points and the principles of treatment. The material is based on rigorous reference to ancient and modern Chinese texts, and explains the application of theory in the context of Western clinical practice. The new edition features new and updated material plus an accompanying website containing over 650 self-testing questions in a variety of formats. 25th Anniversary edition of the Western world’s best-selling book on Chinese medicine! Logical, sequential organization builds from basic theoretical concepts, through functions of individual organs, diagnosis, pathology, pattern recognition & disease categories, and the appropriate use of acupuncture points Clearly explains the theory and practice of Chinese Medicine to Western medical audiences Based on a unique and invaluable combination of extensive clinical experience in the West, current Chinese Medicine textbooks and ancient sources, in particular, the ‘Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine’ (Nei Jing) and the ‘Classic of Difficulties’ (Nan Jing) Includes Pinyin equivalents to make it immediately evident which original term is being translated Abundantly illustrated with over 750 line drawings and more than 1000 tables & boxes designed to emphasize the key facts End of chapter Learning Outcomes point out ‘must-know’ information A helpful colour-plate section provides valuable information for diagnosis Cases Studies and Case Histories apply theory to diagnosis and treatment, bringing the subject to life in a realistic context An extensive Glossary explains new terms and their origins from translation Additional Appendices list Prescriptions, Bibliography and Chinese Chronology Authored by Giovanni Maciocia, one of the Western world's leading subject matter experts An accompanying EVOLVE website provides over 650 self-testing questions and answers to help readers check their understanding of frequently complex information New Case Histories help ‘bring the subject to life’ Expanded subject area coverage including new clinical guidelines and additional acupuncture point combinations Contains further analysis of acupuncture point actions Innovative guidelines aid students learning Chinese Medicine patterns