Daily political events and the steady inevitability of globalism require that informed students and citizens learn something about religious traditions foreign to their own. Designed for both classroom and general use, these handy Key Words guidebooks are essential resources for those who want clear and concise explanations of common terms and unfamiliar concepts of major world religions.
Each pocket-sized volume contains definitions for over 400 terms from religious principles and significant periods to noteworthy figures.
A quick sampling of terms from this volume:
Ashram
Brahman
Dharma
Gyana
Janmashtami
Kalpa
Mantra
Ramayana
Upanishads
Sample Definitions:
Ashram Lit. shelter. A retreat place or hermitage used for spiritual development and often the centre of teaching for a particular guru or sect.
Gyana Spiritual knowledge. Sometimes it is understood that such knowledge can be learned by the study of scriptures but it is also used to describe knowledge that arises from direct experience of God (Brahman) or realization of the Self (atman). The relationship between these two informs different theories concerning spiritual knowledge (see Vedanta, atman, Brahman, jnana).
Reviews
"A necessary and valuable contribution to religious studies and the study of religions that teachers, and especially students, in higher education institutions will very much welcome."—Teaching Theology & Religion
Awards
Chosen as a 2007 Outstanding Title for Public and Secondary School Libraries by the American Association of School Librarians
About the Author
Ron Geaves is professor of the comparative study of religion at Liverpool Hope University in England.
