Publication
Imprint: Cambridge, UK ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2017. Context: Originally published in hardcover in 2008. Edition: First paperback edition. Responsibility: Geoffrey Samuel. OCLC Number: 166357687. Physical: Text : 1 volume : x, 422 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm. Features: Includes bibliography, index.
Call number
History / Samue
ISBN
9780521695343
Collections
CSS Library Notes
Description: "Yoga, tantra and other forms of Asian meditation are practiced in modernized forms throughout the world today, but most introductions to Hinduism of Buddhism tell only part of the story of how they developed. This book is an interpretation of the history of Indic religions up to around 1200 C.E., with particular focus on the development of yogic and tantric traditions. It assesses how much we really know about this period, and asks what sense we can make of the evolution of yogic and tantric practices, which were to become such central and important features of the Indic religious scene. Its originality lies in seeking to understand these traditions in terms of the total social and religious context of South Asian society during this period, including the religious practices of the general population with their close engagement with family, gender, economic life and other pragmatic concerns." -- from back cover.
Table of Contents: Introduction --
Stories and sources --
The second urbanisation of South Asia --
Two worlds and their interactions --
Religion in the early states --
The origins of the Buddhist and Jain orders --
The Brahmanical alternative --
Interlude: asceticism and celibacy in Indic religions --
The classical synthesis --
Tantra and the wild goddesses --
Subtle bodies, longevity, and internal alchemy --
Tantra and the state --
The later history of yoga and tantra --
Postlude.
FY2019 /
Table of Contents: Introduction --
Stories and sources --
The second urbanisation of South Asia --
Two worlds and their interactions --
Religion in the early states --
The origins of the Buddhist and Jain orders --
The Brahmanical alternative --
Interlude: asceticism and celibacy in Indic religions --
The classical synthesis --
Tantra and the wild goddesses --
Subtle bodies, longevity, and internal alchemy --
Tantra and the state --
The later history of yoga and tantra --
Postlude.
FY2019 /
Physical description
x, 422 p.; 24 cm
Description
Yoga, tantra and other forms of Asian meditation are practised in modernized forms throughout the world today, but most introductions to Hinduism or Buddhism tell only part of the story of how they developed. This book is an interpretation of the history of Indic religions up to around 1200 CE, with particular focus on the development of yogic and tantric traditions. It assesses how much we really know about this period, and asks what sense we can make of the evolution of yogic and tantric practices, which were to become such central and important features of the Indic religious scene. Its originality lies in seeking to understand these traditions in terms of the total social and religious context of South Asian society during this period, including the religious practices of the general population with their close engagement with family, gender, economic life and other pragmatic concerns.… (more)
Language
Original language
English
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User reviews
LibraryThing member kukulaj
Samuel is an anthropologist and his book discusses the social and cultural contexts through which yoga and tantra developed, from roughly 400 BCE up to 1200 CE. So he doesn't go into deep meanings of terms such as "Tantra". Maybe it means continuity, like tradition, but it seems also to mean woven
Samuel does a great job of presenting and weighing evidence. While he is clearly a major player in the academic world where spirituality is held at arm's length as an object of study, Samuel does not in the least belittle that object's value. Indeed he manages an occasional humorous notice of the limitation of the academic approach: p. 334 mentions the "demythologized universe" that "most contemporary Western Academics" live in.
I am a very lazy and occasional student of the history of South Asian history, but at least I have learned the most elementary ABC over the years. This book certainly got me up toward FGH at the very least. I learned about the distinction between herders and farmers - ah, Cain and Abel, it is a widespread distinction - but here is seems to get embodied e.g. in the Mahabharata vs. the Ramayana.
This book doesn't tell us what happened but shows us much of the key evidence and some of the ways we can connect the dots to make a story from that. Many committed practitioners will likely be frustrated - this book won't side with any of the traditional stories. Nor does it dismiss the traditional stories. They are simply given a place alongside whatever other evidence the academic world has managed to piece together so far. Samuel seems quite up to date with the current state of research in this area. Anyone curious and open-minded is sure to learn a lot from this book. It is not so dense in academic minutae to frustrate an occasional amateur like myself. I imagine that even a committed academic will find some fresh and valuable perspectives here too.
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fabric - perhaps referring to the interweaving of relative and absolute truths, the mundane and the sacred, in our experience. Tantra is a method for dissolving our habitual tendency to maintain a wall between these poles. Samuel shows how this spiritual understanding of Tantra is interwoven with pragmatic magical purposes for such ritual practice, such as healing, or success in battle. Samuel doesn't give us any simple linear story of origination, but presents a multi-faceted collection of stories, some combination of which might be the ultimate explanation... to whatever extent any explanation can actually be ultimate.Samuel does a great job of presenting and weighing evidence. While he is clearly a major player in the academic world where spirituality is held at arm's length as an object of study, Samuel does not in the least belittle that object's value. Indeed he manages an occasional humorous notice of the limitation of the academic approach: p. 334 mentions the "demythologized universe" that "most contemporary Western Academics" live in.
I am a very lazy and occasional student of the history of South Asian history, but at least I have learned the most elementary ABC over the years. This book certainly got me up toward FGH at the very least. I learned about the distinction between herders and farmers - ah, Cain and Abel, it is a widespread distinction - but here is seems to get embodied e.g. in the Mahabharata vs. the Ramayana.
This book doesn't tell us what happened but shows us much of the key evidence and some of the ways we can connect the dots to make a story from that. Many committed practitioners will likely be frustrated - this book won't side with any of the traditional stories. Nor does it dismiss the traditional stories. They are simply given a place alongside whatever other evidence the academic world has managed to piece together so far. Samuel seems quite up to date with the current state of research in this area. Anyone curious and open-minded is sure to learn a lot from this book. It is not so dense in academic minutae to frustrate an occasional amateur like myself. I imagine that even a committed academic will find some fresh and valuable perspectives here too.
Show Less
LibraryThing member pbjwelch
Let me start with two negatives, which explain the 4 (rather than 5) star rating:
First of all, the academic practise of inserting credits to authors mid-sentence is immensely irritating, and this is a constant sin in this book. A typical, not the worst, example: "Certainly such practitioners have
I also felt that the author kept hedging on issues--'it could be this, it could be that' positioning. A word count on 'seems', 'appears' 'has suggested' would have been a useful exercise. Samuel is an expert; he should voice and support his own position. Put conflicting views in the footnotes.
But to turn to the content, the sections on the central relationship in Brahmanical thought between celibacy, religion and male identity, were illuminating and helpful in understanding the rise of tantra in Indic religions.
Also excellent was the entire 'story' of the role of Siva and how Siva (and such forms as Bhairava) became associated with yogic and Tantric practices as "he became the first and supreme example of a fundamental principle of Indian religious life; the power of disorder, destruction and transgression...the need to come to terms and worship the things that can go wrong and create misfortune" (p. 114). The subsequent section on Saiva Tantra and the Yogini cults, which begins with the statement that "the Saiva ascetics were consciously positioning themselves outside of respectable society" was also one of those 'ah ha!' moments for me.
If you can sustain patience through the constant academic referrals and fence-walking, the rewards are many.
First of all, the academic practise of inserting credits to authors mid-sentence is immensely irritating, and this is a constant sin in this book. A typical, not the worst, example: "Certainly such practitioners have
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been important in more recent times in most Theravadin countries (Tambiah 1984; Carrithers 1983; Taylor 1993; Tiyaranich 1997, 2004; see also Keyes 1987; Lehman 1987; Tambiah 1987)." -- Editors and publishers, please, when you have academic authors, insist that they put these references either at the bottom of the page or as end notes. These constant interruptions only detract from the key messages. Readers are not on a Ph.D. committee and do not need the constant credential reminders.I also felt that the author kept hedging on issues--'it could be this, it could be that' positioning. A word count on 'seems', 'appears' 'has suggested' would have been a useful exercise. Samuel is an expert; he should voice and support his own position. Put conflicting views in the footnotes.
But to turn to the content, the sections on the central relationship in Brahmanical thought between celibacy, religion and male identity, were illuminating and helpful in understanding the rise of tantra in Indic religions.
Also excellent was the entire 'story' of the role of Siva and how Siva (and such forms as Bhairava) became associated with yogic and Tantric practices as "he became the first and supreme example of a fundamental principle of Indian religious life; the power of disorder, destruction and transgression...the need to come to terms and worship the things that can go wrong and create misfortune" (p. 114). The subsequent section on Saiva Tantra and the Yogini cults, which begins with the statement that "the Saiva ascetics were consciously positioning themselves outside of respectable society" was also one of those 'ah ha!' moments for me.
If you can sustain patience through the constant academic referrals and fence-walking, the rewards are many.
Show Less