how spiritual healing works and how colours, tones, crystals and massage

Ājīvikism was once ranked one of the most important religions in India between the 4th and 2nd centuries BCE, after Buddhism, ‘Brahmanism’ and before Jainism, but is now a forgotten Indian religion. However, Jainism has remained an integral part of the religious landscape of South Asia, despite the common beginnings shared with Ājīvikism. By rediscovering, reconstructing, and examining the Ājīvikism doctrine, its art, origins and development, this book provides new insight into Ājīvikism, and discusses how this information enables us to better understand its impact on Jainism and its role in the development of Indian religion and philosophy. This book explains how, why and when Jainism developed its strikingly unique logic and epistemology and what historical and doctrinal factors prompted the ideas which later led to the formulation of the doctrine of multiplexity of reality (anekānta-vāda). It also provides answers to difficult passages of Buddhist Sāmañña-phala-sutta that baffled both Buddhist commentators and modern researchers. Offering clearer perspectives on the origins of Jainism the book will be an invaluable contribution to Jaina Studies, Asian Religion and Religious History.

Using religio-philosophical discourses and narratives from epic, puranic, and hagiographical literature, Indian Asceticism focuses on the powers exhibited by ascetics of India from ancient to modern time.

The rich Indian medical tradition is usually traced back to Sanskrit sources, the earliest of which cannot much antedate the common era. In this book Kenneth Zysk shows that Buddhist scriptures some centuries older than this contain abundant information about medical practice, and are our earliest evidence for a rational approach to medicine in India. He argues that Buddhism and the medical tradition were mutually supportive: that Buddhist monks and people associated with them contributed to the development of medicine, while their skills as physical as well as spiritual healers enhanced their reputation and popular support. Drawing on a wide range of textual, archaeological, and secondary sources, Zysk first presents an overview of the history of Indian Medicine in its religious context. He then examines primary literature from the Pali Buddhist Canon and from the Sanskrit treatises of Bhela, Caraka, and susruta. By close comparison of these two bodies of literature Zysk convincingly shows how the theories delineated in the medical classics actually became practice.

This study is concerned with the origins and the development of Indian asceticism before the time of the Buddha. In: the first chapter we have tried to define the concept of asceticism and fix its typology. We have included the practices of Upasana and Yoga in asceticism. The second chapter is devoted to the study of asceticism in the Indus Civilisation and in the Samhitas. We have taken each Samhita separately and studied tapas. vata, svama and other terms which may have a bearing on the subject in the context of the cultural material as revealed in that particular samhita. We have studied also such personalities as the muni, yati and vatya. In dealing with the vatya We have concentrated only on the book XV of the Av, leaving aside the materials found in the Brahmanas for the second chapter. This has involved a general criticism of the views of the scholars who have worked on the subject, and a re-appraisal of the AV.XV. which has led to quite different results. In the third chapter we have again dealt with the terms seen in the Brahmanas. Along with this we have studied the sacrificial practises involving austerities such as fasting, dietary regulations, keeping vigil and so forth. These regulations are not only observed separately but axe gathered together in the Diksa ritual which has been treated exhaustively. We have suggested that the diksa was the arche-type of later austerities. In this period new ascetic personalities such as the Carakas and the Vaikhanasas appeared. The Vatyas-have, been again dealt with exhaustively and have been found to be an organised community containing shaman-like priests. It has been ten-tatively suggested that they might be identified with the people of the copper hoards of the Gangetic valley. In the fourth chapter we have treated the material found in the Aranyakas and the Upanisads together. We find new developments in the ascetic mode of living. Asceticism comes predominantly to mean self-discipline, beside the earlier conception of asceticism as self-mortification. Though the ascetic mode of living was accepted in later Vedic society, had not been integrated as a social institution in the framework of the aszama system. The practices of Upasana and Yoga are seen to be well-developed by the end of this period. The fifth chapter gives a short summary of the views put forward in the earlier chapters and a short comparison of the conclusions arrived at: with the Jaina and the Buddhist evidence.