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. This revised and expanded edition takes account of new research into Jainism.

One of the earliest commentaries on the popular and highly respected yoga scripture known as the Bhagavad Gita.

This is the first comprehensive and systematic analytical study of the major philosophical concepts of classical yoga. The book consists of a series of detailed discussions of the key concepts used by Pata-jali in his Yoga-Sutra to describe and explain the enigma of human existence and to point a way beyond the perpetual motion of the wheel of becoming. Feuerstein's study differs from previous ones in that it seeks to free Pata-jali's aphoristic statements from the accretions of later interpretations; instead, (...) the author places the Sutra in its original context and sees it as the source of the whole edifice of classical yoga and not just as a summary of previous developments. This book will be of interest to comparative reliogionists, Indologists, and practitioners of yoga who wish to deepen their understanding of its philosophical basis._. (shrink)

Parmi les visions du monde et de l'homme, l'hindouisme est une des plus importantes, des plus cohérentes, des plus séduisantes. Des centaines de millions d'hommes la partagent, et même certains Occidentaux s'en réclament. Religion prédominante de l'Inde, nous ne la connaissons guère que par les figures un peu familières de Brahma, de Vishnou et de Siva, ou par la technique tantrique du yoga... L'ouvrage de Madeleine Biardeau est une remarquable initiation, qui n'exclut pas la profondeur de l'analyse. En étudiant successivement (...) la fonction des brahmanes, les quatre buts de l'homme selon le dharma, le jeu des cosmogonies et les amours divines, en explorant le contenu des grandes épopées, le Mahâbhârata et le Râmâyana, elle nous offre une approche de l'homme hindou savante et passionnante, tout en s'interrogeant sur l'avenir de l'hindouisme. (shrink)