Religion : Mysticism

Martin Buber’s embrace of Hasidism at the start of the twentieth century was instrumental to the revival of this popular form of Jewish mysticism. Hoping to instigate a Jewish cultural and spiritual renaissance, he published a series of anthologies of Hasidic teachings written in German to introduce the tradition to a wide audience. In Aesthetics of Renewal, Martina Urban closely analyzes Buber’s writings and sources to explore his interpretation of Hasidic spirituality as a form of cultural criticism. For Buber, Hasidic legends and teachings were not a static, canonical body of knowledge, but were dynamic and open to continuous reinterpretation. Urban argues that this representation of Hasidism was essential to the Zionist effort to restore a sense of unity across the Jewish diaspora as purely religious traditions weakened—and that Buber’s anthologies in turn played a vital part in the broad movement to use cultural memory as a means to reconstruct a collective identity for Jews. As Urban unravels the rich layers of Buber’s vision of Hasidism in this insightful book, he emerges as one of the preeminent thinkers on the place of religion in modern culture. more...

Price: $32.00

We've all read about the laws and politics of Islam, but Sufism is the poetry and romance of the world's fastest growing religion. This ascetic and mystical movement within Islam dates from the early 9th century. It has a long and respected tradition of rejecting worship motivated by the desire for heavenly reward or the fear of punishment, insisting rather on the love of God as the sole valid form of adoration. Nasr is the preeminent Sufi scholar in the U.S., and in the tradition of Martin Buber's I and Thou, here provides the beliefs and vision of the mystical heart of Islam. Sufism has made significant contributions to the spread of Islam and the development of various aspects of Islamic civilization (e.g., the Sufi poet Rumi is the best–selling poet in America). Many conservative Muslims disagree with many popular Sufi practices, particularly saint worship, the visiting of tombs, and the incorporation of non–Islamic customs. Consequently, in recent centuries Sufism has been a target for Islamic reformist and modernist movements. Here is the book that will present the ideas and principles held dear by this peaceful, loving tradition within Islam, along with a history of Sufi saints and schools of thought. Sufism is a much needed corrective to the extremist Muslim fundamentalists who capture the headlines and taint our perception of the world's fastest growing religion. more...

Price: $11.99

Every culture makes the distinction between "true religion" and magic, regarding one action and its result as "miraculous," while rejecting another as the work of the devil. Surveying such topics as Babylonian witchcraft, Jesus the magician, magic in Hasidism and Kabbalah, and magic in Anglo-Saxon England, these ten essays provide a rigorous examination of the history of this distinction in Christianity and Judaism. Written by such distinguished scholars as Jacob Neusner, Hans Penner, Howard Kee, Tzvi Abusch, Susan R. Garrett, and Moshe Idel, the essays explore a broad range of topics, including how certain social groups sort out approved practices and beliefs from those that are disapproved--providing fresh insight into how groups define themselves; "magic" as an insider's term for the outsider's religion; and the tendency of religious traditions to exclude the magical. In addition the collection provides illuminating social, cultural, and anthropological explanations for the prominence of the magical in certain periods and literatures. more...

Price: $35.00

The acclaimed metaphysical epic that binds together the cosmological phenomena of our time, ranging from crop circles to quantum theory to the resurgence of psychedelic drugs, to support the contention of the Mayan calendar that the year 2012 portends a global shift-in consciousness, culture, and way of living-of unprecedented consequence. more...

Price: $15.95

Asceticism, giving up sensual pleasures for a spiritual goal, is practised in many religions. This book focuses on Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism, and argues that asceticism must be understood within its tradition. The book provides a new paradigm for comparative religion which will influence the development of the entire field. more...

Price: $26.00