Asian Studies

Daoism is a global religious and cultural phenomenon characterized by multiculturalism and ethnic diversity. Daoism: A Guide for the Perplexed offers a clear and thorough survey of this ancient and modern religious tradition. The book includes an overview of Daoist history, including key individuals and movements, translations of primary Daoist texts, and discussions of key dimensions of Daoist religiosity, covering primary concerns and defining characteristics of the religion.

Steve Coutinho explores in detail the fundamental concepts of Daoist thought as represented in three early texts: the Laozi , the Zhuangzi , and the Liezi . Readers interested in philosophy yet unfamiliar with Daoism will gain a comprehensive understanding of these works from this analysis.

This is the first work available in English which addresses Zhuangzi¿s thought as a whole. It presents an interpretation of the Zhuangzi, a book in thirty-three chapters that is the most important collection of Daoist texts in early China.

Defines over three hundred terms and concepts related to Taoism and identifies key teachers and philosophers.

The expanded second edition of the Historical Dictionary of Shinto relates the history of Shinto through a chronology, an introductory essay, an extensive bibliography, and over 800 cross-referenced dictionary entries on Shinto concepts, significant figures, places, activities, and periods.

his edition features new material on folk and popular religion, including shamanism, festivals, and practices surrounding death and funerals. Robert Ellwood also updates the text to discuss recent events, such as religious responses to the Fukushima disaster. Introducing Japanese Religion includes illustrations, lively quotations from original sources, learning goals, summary boxes, questions for discussion, suggestions for further reading, and a glossary to aid study and revision.

This accessible guide to the development of Japan's indigenous religion from ancient times to the present day offers an illuminating introduction to the myths, sites and rituals of kami worship, and their role in Shinto's enduring religious identity.

Shinto - A Short History provides an introductory outline of the historical development of Shinto from the ancient period of Japanese history until the present day.

Of Japan's two great religious traditions, Shinto is far less known and understood in the West. Although there are a number of books that explain the religion and its philosophy, this work is the first in English to focus on sites where Shinto has been practiced since the dawn of Japanese history.

K. M. Sen recounts the history of Hinduism from the Indus Valley civilization and the Vedic age in the third and second millennia BCE, and the births of Buddhism, Jainism and ancient agnosticism.

Hinduism is a concise and readable survey of the history of Hinduism, from its origins in the Indus Valley to its increasing popularity in today's Western world.

Hinduism in India: The Early Period covers the major thematic and historical aspects of Hinduism in ancient and medieval India, emphasising primarily on belief structures, rituals, theology, art, and myths. Although the book focuses on the period from 200 BCE to 1200 ACE, the chapters make several references to ideas and practices preceding and following this period.

These translated extracts from all forms of Hindu literature, from the ancient scriptures to modern political writings, are accompanied by the author's commentary describing and analyzing the texts.

This book provides a much-needed thematic and historical introduction to Hinduism, the religion of the majority of people in India. Dr Flood traces the development of Hindu traditions from their ancient origins, through the major deities of Visnu, Siva and the Goddess, to the modern world.

The third edition of this well-regarded introduction to Hinduism adds new material on the religion's origins, on its relations with rival traditions, and on Hindu science.

Jainism traces its lineages back to the ninth century B.C.E. and is, along with Buddhism, the only surviving example of India's ancient non-Vedic religious traditions. It is known and celebrated for its systematic practice of non-violence and for the intense rigor of the asceticism it promotes.

Historical Dictionary of Jainism provides information on the two main sectarian traditions of Jainism, the Svetambaras and Digambaras, from their early history to the present.

The Indian religion of Jainism, whose central tenet involves non-violence to all creatures, is one of the world's oldest and least-understood faiths. Dundas looks at Jainism in its social and doctrinal context, explaining its history, sects, scriptures and ritual, and describing how the Jains have, over 2500 years, defined themselves as a unique religious community.

A concise and plain spoken introduction to Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and the religion of the Jains. This book is for students and anyone else desiring to learn the basics of religion in India in a quick yet comprehensive way.

This third edition of Historical Dictionary of Sikhism covers its history through a chronology, an introductory essay, and an extensive bibliography.

This book examines the entire range of Sikh sacred literature produced between the sixteenth- and nineteenth century to give a comprehensive account of the Sikh tradition.

This pictorial edition is the most comprehensive two-volume book on the community. It examines the social, religious and political background which led to the formation of the Sikh faith in the fifteenth century.

The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies innovatively combines the ways in which scholars from fields as diverse as philosophy, psychology, religious studies, literary studies, history, sociology, anthropology, political science, and economics have integrated the study of Sikhism within a widerange of critical and postcolonial perspectives on the nature of religion, violence, gender, ethno-nationalism, and revisionist historiography.

This volume offers a comprehensive overview of Sikhism, which originated in India's Punjab region five hundred years ago. As the numbers of Sikhs settling outside of India continues to grow, it is necessary to examine this religion both in its Indian context and as an increasingly global tradition.

The Sikh religion has a following of over 20 million people worldwide and is one of the largest religions in the world. The key threads in the fascinating history of the religion will be highlighted, from the Gurus and the development of the Sikh look, to martyrdom and militarization in the 17th and 18th Centuriesand the diaspora.

Offering a portrait of the communities, institutions, practices, and individuals that are integral to the contemporary Buddhist landscape, this text assesses American Buddhism as a whole and looks into its future.

A significant number of Canadian-raised children from post-1970s immigrant families have reached adulthood over the past decade. As a result, the demographics of religious affiliation are changing across Canada. Growing Up Canadian is the first comparative study of religion among young adults of Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist immigrant families.

This text addresses the historical, ethical and moral issues of the Sikh and Hindu religions and examines their noteworthy entrance into traditions in America.

This book explores the experience of religious communities that have migrated from South Asia (India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh) to live in Britain, Canada, and the United States, three countries sharing a common language (English) and an interwoven history.

In this comprehensive anthology contributors draw on ethnography and in-depth interviews to examine the experiences of the new second generation: the children of Asian and Latino immigrants.

The most comprehensive study of Buddhism in Canada to date, Wild Geese offers a history of the religion's evolution in Canada, surveys the diverse communities and beliefs of Canadian Buddhists, and presents biographies of Buddhist leaders.