Upanishads 9, 23, 38
and meditation 29, 31, 33–4, 39, 40
and the Self 25–6, 40
see also yoga
V
Vajji confederacy 14
varṇas (estates) 14–19
Vinayapiṭaka (Basket of the Disciplinary Code) 5
vipassanā see insight meditation
virtue 18–19, 20–1, 80, 87
W
wanderers see mendicancy; renouncers
Warriors (khattiya, kṣatriya) 14–17, 54
wisdom 18–19, 20–1, 37, 48, 70–1, 80
Y
Yasa 83–5
yoga
and knowledge 65
and meditation 29, 31–4, 36–7, 39–42, 46, 53
and the Self 25–6, 39–44, 49
see also Self; Upanishads
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JUDAISM
A Very Short Introduction
Norman Solomon
This Very Short Introduction discusses Judaism as a living religion, in all its contemporary richness and variety. How has it changed since the days of the Bible, or even since the time of Jesus? What sects and divisions does it have, and how does it respond to the challenges of modernity? How does the secular state of Israel resolve the conflicts of ‘Church’ and State?
Norman Solomon provides an accessible and perceptive introduction to the central features and characters of Judaism, from its spiritual leaders, poets, and philosophers, to its eccentrics, including the mystic who tried to convert the pope, and the Berber princess who held up the Arab invasion of Spain.
‘Norman Solomon has achieved the near impossible with his enlightened Very Short Introduction to Judaism…. He manages to keep the reader engaged, never patronizes, assumes little knowledge but a keen mind, and takes us through Jewish life and history with such gusto that one feels enlivened, rather than exhausted, at the end.’
Rabbi Julia Neuberger
www.oup.co.uk/vsi/judaism
ISLAM
A Very Short Introduction
Malise Ruthven
Islam features widely in the news, often in its most militant versions, but few people in the non-Muslim world really understand the nature of Islam.
Malise Ruthven’s Very Short Introduction contains essential insights into issues such as why Islam has such major divisions between movements such as the Shi’ites, the Sunnis, and the Wahhabis, and the central importance of the Shar‘ia (Islamic law) in Islamic life. It also offers fresh perspectives on contemporary questions: Why is the greatest ‘Jihad’ (holy war) now against the enimies of Islam, rather than the struggle against evil? Can women find fulfilment in Islamic societies? How must Islam adapt as it confronts the modern world?
‘Malise Ruthven‘s book answers the urgent need for an introduction to Islam…. He addresses major issues with clarity and directness, engages dispassionately with the disparate stereotypes and polemics on the subject, and guides the reader surely through urgent debates about fundamentalism.’
Michael Gilsenan, New York University
www.oup.co.uk/vsi/islam
HINDUISM
A Very Short Introduction
Kim Knott
Hinduism is practised by eighty per cent of India’s population, and by thirty million people outside India. In this Very Short Introduction, Kim Knott combines a succinct and authoritative overview of a major religion with an analysis of the challenges facing it in the twentieth century. She discusses key preoccupations of Hinduism such as the centrality of the Veda as religious texts, the role of brahmins, gurus, and storytellers in the transmission of divine truths, and the importance of epics such as the Ramayana. Issues such as the place of women and dalits (untouchables) in contemporary society are also addressed, making this book stimulating reading for Hindus and non-Hindus alike.
‘This book is instantly accessible in its approach without being in any way condescending or an oversimplification.’
Julia Leslie, School of Oriental and African Studies, London
‘very readable and certainly most helpful, with a new and original perspective conveyed in a succinct introductory style’
Ursula King, University of Bristol
www.oup.co.uk/vsi/hinduism
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