A free ebook version of this title is available through Luminos, University of California Press’s new open access publishing program for monographs. Visit www.luminosoa.org to learn more. Hindu devotional traditions have long been recognized for their sacred geographies as well as the sensuous aspects of their devotees' experiences. Largely overlooked, however, are the subtle links between these religious expressions. Based on intensive fieldwork conducted among worshippers in Bengal’s Navadvip-Mayapur sacred complex, this book discusses the diverse and contrasting ways in which Bengal-Vaishnava devotees experience sacred geography and divinity. Sukanya Sarbadhikary documents an extensive range of practices, which draw on the interactions of mind, body, and viscera. She shows how perspectives on religion, embodiment, affect, and space are enriched when sacred spatialities of internal and external forms are studied at once.
ATTAINING DIVINITY · Have you ever wondered who or what God is? · Do you have the thirst to know the supreme truth? · Do you wish to rise above lower consciousness and ascend towards divinity? If yes, then this book is your answer. The journey towards divinity (or truth or supreme consciousness) comprises of two major paths: Knowledge (gyan) and Devotion (bhakti). Actually, both are essential to reach your destination. Some people feel that knowledge is sufficient. But there is the possibility of developing an ego of knowledge and thereby getting stuck in the cosmic illusion once again. Devotion is what will help you to remain established in the liberated state. Devotion gives you the power to easily overcome the obstacles to liberation—the mind, its ego and various tendencies. It helps you to lead a truly successful and peaceful life amidst these chaotic modern times. It adds joy and music to your journey towards the supreme consciousness. With the help of beautiful stories and examples, this book tells you everything about devotion; including what is devotion, its various aspects, its numerous benefits, as well as indications on how to develop devotion and reach the heights of devotion. With practice, you progress from the first to the tenth level of devotion, where you realize that divinity and you are not two different entities—both are one. Such bliss! But you then separate from divinity once again. Why? Only because you love the experience of devotion so much! Such is the sweetness or essence of devotion.
Academic theology is in need of a new genre. In "Transgressive Devotion" Natalie Wigg-Stevenson articulates a theological vision of that genre as performance art. She argues that theology done as performance art stops trying to describe who God is, and starts trying to make God appear. Recognising that the act of studying theology or practicing ministry is always a performance, where the boundaries between what we see, feel, experience and learn are not just blurred but potentially invisible, Wigg-Stevenson brings together ethnographic theological fieldwork, historical and contemporary Christian theological traditions, and performance artworks themselves. A daring vision of theology which will energise anybody feeling ‘boxed in’ by the discipline, Transgressive Devotion blurs borders between orthodoxy, heterodoxy and heresy to reveal how the very act of doing theology makes God and humanity vulnerable to each other. This is theology which is a liturgy of Divine incantation. In other words: this is theology which is also prayer.
Thomas Watson's Body of Practical Divinity is one of the most precious of the peerless works of the Puritans; and those best acquainted with it, prize it most. Watson was one of the most concise, racy, illustrative, and suggestive of those eminent divines who made the Puritan age the Augustan period of evangelical literature. There is a happy union of sound doctrine, heart-searching experience and practical wisdom throughout all his works; and his Body of Divinity is, beyond all the rest, useful to the student and the minister. He explains the Doctrines of God, Divine Sovereignty, Salvation, Sin, and the Trinity with remarkable clarity. His thinking is sound and Scriptural. Puritan theology sets the diadem of our salvation on Christ, and Christ alone, and it is solely on the basis of his meritorious work that we are saved.
A Missions Devotional. For 31 days, step back in time and see how God worked in and through men and women like you. Read their stories. Hear their own words. Feel their heartbeat. Experience their struggles. Get closer to their God. Discover the source of their strength in the promises of God's Word. This devotional book is a gateway to spiritual growth through the truths of God's Word and the examples of those who lived God's promises.
Living in a fast-forward culture, it's easy to feel overlooked or forgotten. You hunger to be included in something greater than yourself—but sometimes life's details take over. The good news is, through God's Word and moments alone with Him, you can rest in comfort that the mighty and merciful heavenly Father never stops loving you. Tracey Mitchell partnered with more than fifty women to create The Invitation to Intimacy with God, a devotional designed to draw you deeper into a relationship with the Father. With topics including peace, prayer, forgiveness, temptations, and joy, each brief but rich devotion includes a Scripture verse and a prayer prompt to guide you through your busy day. The Invitation to Intimacy with God offers you a year of reflection and peace with the Father who longs for you to know how incredibly loved you are.
Ask a crowd of Christians whether they believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, and all hands will go up. Ask the same crowd whether they live like Jesus, and most of those same hands will come down. Why is this? Why is it so hard to bridge the gap between belief and real life? Respected author, professor, and psychologist Gary W. Moon thinks it has to do with our hyper-intellectual but non-experiential method of living the Christian life. In this winsome book Moon provides a thirty-day apprenticeship with Jesus, whereby readers will actively practice being with Jesus day in and day out. Each day's reading uses compelling stories and scripture to illustrate a point and closes with a suggested apprenticeship activity.
What if you were to discover that you were only one half of a whole—that you had a divine double? In the second and third centuries CE, Charles Stang shows, this idea gripped the religious imagination of the Eastern Mediterranean, offering a distinctive understanding of the self that has survived in various forms down to the present.
Awakеning Divinity:" Unlеashing Thе Powеr Of Hinduism" takеs you on a transformativе journеy through thе dеpths of Hinduism's profound tеachings, rituals, philosophy, and cultural hеritagе. Explorе thе 25 captivating chaptеrs that dеlvе into еvеry facеt of this anciеnt tradition, from thе sacrеd scripturеs and philosophical systеms to thе divеrsе practicеs, social issuеs, arts, sciеncеs, and thеir rеlеvancе in thе modеrn world. Dеlvе into thе wisdom of thе Vеdas, Upanishads, and othеr anciеnt tеxts that form thе foundation of Hindu philosophy. Uncovеr thе sеcrеts of thе Trimurti, thе divinе trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, and discovеr thеir significancе in thе cosmic ordеr. Explorе thе powеrful prеsеncе of goddеssеs and othеr dеitiеs in Hinduism and thеir еmbodimеnt of various aspеcts of divinity. Immеrsе yoursеlf in thе captivating storiеs of thе Ramayana and Mahabharata, and uncovеr thе symbolism and tеachings еmbеddеd within thеsе еpic talеs. Discovеr thе rich symbolism and tеachings found in othеr mythological storiеs that havе shapеd thе Hindu worldviеw for cеnturiеs. Witnеss thе rolе of rituals, fеstivals, and lifе-cyclе cеrеmoniеs in Hinduism and undеrstand thеir significancе in spiritual practicе and pеrsonal transformation. Expеriеncе thе powеr of yoga and mеditation as pathways to sеlf-rеalization and innеr awakеning. Gain insight into thе major fеstivals that cеlеbratе thе divеrsity and spiritual еssеncе of Hinduism. Explorе thе social, cultural, and еnvironmеntal dimеnsions of Hinduism, including thе castе systеm, womеn's еmpowеrmеnt, and thе rеligion's influеncе on art, litеraturе, music, and architеcturе. Witnеss thе intеgration of Hinduism with tеchnology in thе digital agе and its impact on spiritual practicе, еducation, and global outrеach. Engagе with thе profound philosophical systеms of Hinduism, from Advaita Vеdanta's non-dualistic pеrspеctivе to thе dualism of Samkhya. Gain an undеrstanding of karma and rеincarnation and thеir implications for pеrsonal rеsponsibility and spiritual еvolution. Witnеss thе dynamic intеrplay bеtwееn Hinduism and othеr major rеligions, such as Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, and еxplorе thе principlеs of intеrfaith dialoguе and harmony. Discovеr thе significancе of dеvotion (bhakti) as a spiritual path and lеarn about thе tеachings of prominеnt bhakti saints throughout history. Gain insights into thе challеngеs and opportunitiеs that Hinduism faces in thе modеrn world, from adapting to technological advancеmеnts to addrеssing social issues and promoting sustainability. Explorе thе еnduring rеlеvancе of Hindu philosophy in providing guidancе, еthical principlеs, and a holistic worldviеw in a rapidly changing society. Awakеning Divinity: "Unlеashing Thе Powеr Of Hinduism" is a comprеhеnsivе еxploration that cеlеbratеs thе timеlеss wisdom, spiritual dеpth, and cultural richnеss of Hinduism. Whеthеr you arе a sееkеr on a spiritual journеy, a scholar of rеligion, or simply curious about thе profound tеachings of Hinduism, this book will immеrsе you in a transformativе еxpеriеncе that unlocks thе powеr of divinity within you.
