37 research outputs found
Book Review: Missionaries, Rebellion and Proto-Nationalism: James Long of Bengal 1814-87
A review of Missionaries, Rebellion and Proto-Nationalism: James Long of Bengal 1814-87 by Geoffrey A. Oddie
Book Review: Great Swan: Meetings with Ramakrishna
A review of Lex Hixon\u27s Great Swan: Meetings with Ramakrishna
On Hindutva and a Hindu-Catholic, with a Moral for our Times
The purpose of this article is to comment on the term hindutva, viz. Hinduness, with special reference to a 19th century Bengali thinker who sought to indigenise his Christian faith, and to draw some topical conclusions. The thinker is Brahmabandhab Upadhyay (1861-1907) whom his sometime friend, Rabindranath Tagore, Bengal\u27s greatest luminary, described as a Roman Catholic ascetic, yet a Vedantin -- spirited, fearless, self-denying, erudite and uncommonly influential. No doubt Upadhyay was influential then; he had a powerful impact on Tagore himself especially when they were jointly establishing what would later develop as Tagore\u27s brainchild of Santiniketan. For years previously Upadhyay had made a name for himself among the educated in the land in his attempt to give content to his self-description as a Hindu-Catholic, not only by a vigorous campaign of journalism and lectures but by his extraordinary life-style
Tribute: Tamal Goswami
A tribute to Tamal Goswami (1947-2002)
Capturing Gods: The God of Love and the Love of God in Christian and Hindu Tradition
Dr. Lipnerâs comparative discussion of Christian and Hindu thought draws upon his own scholarly explorations of these traditions, while at the same time considering the nature of cross-cultural dialogue. How do religious ideas resonate within their own contexts? Which aspects of these concepts are most likely to invite associations in a new milieu? Responding to such questions, Lipner advocates a focus on âlove,â agape and bakhti in Christian and Hindu traditions. His analysis carefully enters each tradition before considering shared ground
Recommended from our members
The Truth of Dharma and the Dharma of Truth: Reflections on Hinduism as a Dharmic Faith
Abstract: This article discusses what it might mean to characterize traditional Hinduism as a dharmic faith in relation to the concepts of truth (satyam) and its opposite (anáštam), without however expatiating on supposed contrasts between Hinduism and the âAbrahamicâ faiths. The argument is conducted by recognizing two senses to anáštam, namely, ânon-truthâ and âfalsehood,â in contrast to satyam; and the method used is inductive in that a historically well-known episode of the MahÄbhÄrataâthe story of KauĹika and the banditsâand its authoritative interpretation by the deity KášášŁáša in terms of satyam and anáštam (in the Karášaparvan, Book 8, of the text) are analyzed heuristically to indicate how dharma is viewed in the tradition qua ethical concept. The conclusion is drawn that Hindu dharma is understood as that whose objective is ultimately to bring about the welfare of the world (lokasaáš
graha). In relation to truth (and its opposite), materially, dharma is invariably contextual in connotation (in contrast to what might be a Kantian or absolutist reading of moral imperatives), whereas formally, at the hands of one commentator or other, not least in modern times, dharma is that which defines what it means to be Hindu. The material and formal connotations of dharma thus analyzed and taken together set Hinduism apart qua dharmic faith
Recommended from our members
The Truth of Dharma and the Dharma of Truth: Reflections on Hinduism as a Dharmic Faith
Abstract: This article discusses what it might mean to characterize traditional Hinduism as a dharmic faith in relation to the concepts of truth (satyam) and its opposite (anáštam), without however expatiating on supposed contrasts between Hinduism and the âAbrahamicâ faiths. The argument is conducted by recognizing two senses to anáštam, namely, ânon-truthâ and âfalsehood,â in contrast to satyam; and the method used is inductive in that a historically well-known episode of the MahÄbhÄrataâthe story of KauĹika and the banditsâand its authoritative interpretation by the deity KášášŁáša in terms of satyam and anáštam (in the Karášaparvan, Book 8, of the text) are analyzed heuristically to indicate how dharma is viewed in the tradition qua ethical concept. The conclusion is drawn that Hindu dharma is understood as that whose objective is ultimately to bring about the welfare of the world (lokasaáš
graha). In relation to truth (and its opposite), materially, dharma is invariably contextual in connotation (in contrast to what might be a Kantian or absolutist reading of moral imperatives), whereas formally, at the hands of one commentator or other, not least in modern times, dharma is that which defines what it means to be Hindu. The material and formal connotations of dharma thus analyzed and taken together set Hinduism apart qua dharmic faith