Empowered writing explores the inherent powers of Chinese talismans, petitions, registers, and holy scriptures, presenting a systematic study of their exxorcistic and apotropaic properties. Using a vast arsenal of original sources, the book traces the unfolding and transformatio…
The Death of Sacred Texts draws attention to a much neglected topic in the study of sacred texts: the religious and ritual attitudes towards texts which have become old and damaged and can no longer be used for reading practices or in religious worship. This book approaches reli…
This is the first comprehensive English-language introduction to Taoist ritual both for the scholar and the general reader. In this splendid account, Taoism is presented as a system of religious symbol and action deeply rooted in centuries of Chinese social life. In vivid detail…
Heroic 'Saktism' is the belief that a good king and a true warrior must worship the goddess Durga, the form and substance of kingship. This belief formed the bedrock of ancient Indian practices of cultivating political power. Wildly dangerous and serenely benevolent at one and t…
Ritual
by Strathern, Andrew, Stewart, Pamela J.
fromInternational library of essays in anthropology
This book is an original study of rituals and mantras which allows that rites lead a life of their own, unaffected by religion or society. In its analysis of Vedic ritual, it uses methods inspired by logic, linguistics, anthropology and Asian studies. New insights are offered in…
