Hindu Worldviews : Theories of Self, Ritual and Reality. PDF
Preview Hindu Worldviews : Theories of Self, Ritual and Reality.
ii Hindu Worldviews ii ii ALSO AVAILABLE FROM BLOOMSBURY The Bloomsbury Companion to Hindu Studies, edited by Jessica Frazier Divine Self, Human Self, Chakravarthi Ram- Prasad Hinduism and the 1960s, Paul Oliver iiiiii Hindu Worldviews Theories of Self, Ritual and Reality JESSICA FRAZIER Bloomsbury Academic An imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc LONDON • OXFORD • NEW YORK • NEW DELHI • SYDNEY iv Bloomsbury Academic An imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 50 Bedford Square 1385 Broadway London New York WC1B 3DP NY 10018 UK USA www.bloomsbury.com BLOOMSBURY and the Diana logo are trademarks of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc First published 2017 © Jessica Frazier 2017 Jessica Frazier has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the Author of this work. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers. No responsibility for loss caused to any individual or organization acting on or refraining from action as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by Bloomsbury or the author. British Library Cataloguing- in- Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN: HB: 978- 1- 4742- 5156- 3 PB: 978- 1- 4742- 5155- 6 ePDF: 978- 1- 4742- 5157- 0 ePub: 978- 1- 4742- 5158- 7 Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. Cover design and illustration © Alice Marwick Typeset by Newgen Knowledge Works (P) Ltd., Chennai, India. vv For Ann Ross Frazier vi vii Contents Preface x Acknowledgements xii Note on texts and translations xiii 1 Introduction: Hindu worldviews and global theory 1 Thinking with India: the idea of a global theory 3 Forms of theory 7 Multicultural hermeneutics 10 Hindu worldviews as lived culture 16 The intellectual history of classical Hinduism 20 PART ONE The art of embodiment: The self made of matter 29 2 Theories of self in classical Hinduism 31 The self as ‘pure’ consciousness 33 The self as the core of personhood 36 The open self 37 3 Bodies made of elements and structures 41 The elements of the Upanisadic body 41 The importance of structure 47 Structuring the universe 51 4 Bodies made of substances and modes 55 Transformations in nature, energy and substance 58 Sāmkhya and the modal worldview 60 viii viii CONTENTS 5 Agency and the art of the self 65 The fabric of embodiment 66 Hindu dualism: core and contingent selves 69 Creative agency 78 Rethinking self and embodiment 82 PART TWO Becoming the world: The self made of thought 85 6 Theories of reason in classical Hinduism 87 Genealogies of reason 88 The growth of metaphysics 90 The challenge of scepticism 93 The search for transcendental foundations 94 Power and normative theory 96 7 Becoming the world through reason 99 The importance of knowledge 101 Language, liberation and the world of ideas 105 Anumāna and the inductive power of the mind 110 8 Theories of everything 121 Cosmological theories of everything 122 The new theories of everything 126 Validity and logic: the systematization of thought 130 Knowledge as embodiment: selves and truths made of thought 135 PART THREE Shaping the world: Classical embodiment in practice 139 9 Theories of ritual and practice in Hindu culture 141 The importance of practice 141 Dharma and the structuring of society 143 Ritual as the art of shaping reality 145 ix CONTENTS ix 10 Practices of materiality: Structuring and transformative rituals 149 Vedic and dharmic patterns of practice 150 Structuring practices: celebrating the ordered cosmos 154 Transformative practices: the mutable cosmos 156 Tantra, mantra and divinization 157 Theories of transformation: shaping the world 161 11 Interactive practices: The community of selves 163 Divine agents and bodies 164 Worship as the communion of persons 167 Possession, gaze and intimate subjectivity 171 Theories of interaction: living in the trans- human community 177 12 Speculative practices: The reality of ideas 181 Metaphysics and creative theologizing 182 Scepticism, science and the shrinking of the speculative self 185 The modern theological imagination in Hinduism 187 Theory as a practice for becoming the world 192 13 Conclusion: The art of being human in the Hindu cosmos 195 The arts of self: Hindu dualism 196 The world of ideas: theory as visionary practice 198 Notes 203 Bibliography 207 Index 221
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