What does it mean to worship beings that one believes are completely indifferent to, and entirely beyond the reach of, any form of worship whatsoever? How would such a relationship with sacred beings affect the religious life of a community? Using these questions as his point of departure, Lawrence A. Babb explores the ritual culture of image-worshipping Svetambar Jains of the western Indian states of Gujarat and Rajasthan. 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. A unique aspect of Babb's study is his linking of the Jain tradition to the social identity of existing Jain communities. Babb concludes by showing that Jain ritual culture can be seen as a variation on pan-Indian ritual patterns. In illuminating this little-known religious tradition, he demonstrates that divine "absence" can be as rich as divine "presence" in its possibilities for informing a religious response to the cosmos.

Absent Lord: Ascetics and Kings in a Jain Ritual Culture (Comparative Studies in Religion and Society) (Volume 8)

History

Babb, Lawrence A. A.

Asia

University of California Press

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Babb, Lawrence A. A.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Babb, Lawrence A. A.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Babb, Lawrence A. A.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Absent Lord: Ascetics and Kings in a Jain Ritual Culture (Comparative Studies in Religion and Society) (Volume 8)