The Upanisads: A Complete Guide
- 1st. ed
- Abingdon Routledge 2018
- 386
The Upaniṣads are among the most sacred foundational scriptures in the Hindu religion. Composed from 800 BCE onwards and making up part of the larger Vedic corpus, they offer the reader "knowledge lessons" on life, death, and immortality. While they are essential to understanding Hinduism and Asian religions more generally, their complexities make them almost impenetrable to anyone but serious scholars of Sanskrit and ancient Indian culture.This book is divided into five parts:
Composition, authorship, and transmission of the Upaniṣads; The historical, cultural, and religious background of the Upaniṣads; Religion and philosophy in the Upaniṣads; The classical Upaniṣads; The later Upaniṣads. The chapters cover critical issues such as the origins of the Upaniṣads, authorship, and redaction, as well as exploring the broad religious and philosophical themes within the texts. The guide analyzes each of the Upaniṣads separately, unpacking their contextual relevance and explaining difficult terms and concepts. The Upaniṣads: A Complete Guide is a unique and valuable reference source for undergraduate religious studies, history, and philosophy students and researchers who want to learn more about these foundational sacred texts and the religious lessons in the Hindu tradition.
Chapter 1: Introduction: What is an Upaniṣad? by Signe Cohen
Chapter 2: The Date of the Upaniṣads by Signe Cohen
Chapter 3: The Authorship of the Upaniṣads by Signe Cohen
Chapter 4: The Redaction and Transmission of the Upaniṣads by Signe Cohen
Chapter 5: Ancient India: Geographical, Historical, and Cultural Background by Signe Cohen
Chapter 6: The Older Vedas and the Upaniṣads by Dermot Killingley
Chapter 7: The Religious and Ritual Background by Dermot Killingley
Chapter 8: The Upaniṣads and Early Buddhism by Signe Cohen
Chapter 9: The Social Background: Caste and Gender in the Upaniṣads by Steven Lindquist
Chapter 10: Prominent Characters in the Upaniṣads by Steven Lindquist
Chapter 11: Ātman and brahman in the Upaniṣads by Jacqueline Suthren Hirst
Chapter 12: Karma and Rebirth in the Upaniṣads by Dermot Killingley
Chapter 13: Knowledge and Liberation in the Upaniṣads by Dermot Killingley
Chapter 14: The Upaniṣadic Episteme by Jonardon Ganeri
Chapter 15: Mantras and Sacred Language by Signe Cohen