Religious Therapeutics

Gregory P. Fields is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Southern Illinois University–Edwardsville.

"This book renders the Indian traditions of Ayurveda, Yoga and Tantra with great vividness, in terms that Westerners can understand, yet without concealing the profound foreignness of Indian culture. The work is timely and important. Its massive scholarship presents a forceful case for recognizing the contemporary relevance of Indian religious therapeutics....fascinating and lucid." — S. Cromwell Crawford, author of Dilemmas of Life and Death: Hindu Ethics in North American Context

• List of Figures and TablesAcknowledgmentsSymbols and Notes on SourcesAbbreviations IntroductionTHE IDEA OF RELIGIOUS THERAPEUTICSReligion and Medicine A Model of Religious Therapeutics Chapter OneBODY AND PHILOSOPHIES OF HEALING Body in Western Philosophy of MedicinePresuppositions about the BodyDescartes on Body and MedicineBody in the History of Western Medicine Iconoclastic Concepts of Body in Yoga, Tantra, and AyurvedaTraditional Indian Views of Person and BodyYoga's Use of the Body to Transcend ItselfTantra's Enlightenable BodyBody as the Ground of Well-being in AyurvedaChapter TwoMEANINGS OF HEALTH IN AYURVEDA Inquiry into Health Determinants of HealthBiological and Ecological Determinants Life, Development, and LongevityEquilibriumAdaptationNon-susceptibilityVitality, Endurance, and Relaxation Medical and Psychological Determinants NormalityFreedom from PainWholeness and IntegrationAwareness and Mental Clarity Socio-cultural and Aesthetic Determinants RelationalityCreativityGenerativityEnjoyment Metaphysical and Religious Determinants Self-identityFreedom Ayurvedic Religious Therapeutics Chapter ThreeCLASSICAL YOGA AS A RELIGIOUS THERAPEUTIC Meanings and Forms of YogaMeanings of 'Yoga' 85Yoga in the Vedas, Upanisads, and BhagavadgıtaYoga in the VedasYoga in the UpanisadsYoga in the Bhagavadgita Traditions of Yoga Practice A Matrix of Classical Yoga as a Religious TherapeuticMetaphysical and Epistemic Foundations Yoga's Therapeutic ParadigmYoga's Diagnosis of the Human ConditionThe Yogic Remedy Soteriology Self-realization by Healing the Af Value Theory and Ethics: Health and the Good in Yoga First Limb: Moral Self-restraints—YamaSecond Limb: Moral Commitments—Niyama Physical Practice: The Soteriological Role of Body and Health in Yoga Third Limb: Postures—AsanaFourth Limb: Regulation of Vital Energy Through Breath—PranayamaFifth Limb: Withdrawal of the Senses—Pratyahara Cultivation of Consciousness: The Polarity of Samadhi and Vyadhi (Illness)Sixth Limb: Concentration—DharanaSeventh Limb: Meditation—DhyanaEighth Limb: Meditative Trance—Samadhi Liberation as Healing in Classical YogaHealing and Yoga's Therapeutic ParadigmWholeness and HolinessIdentity and Freedom Chapter FourTANTRA AND AESTHETIC THERAPEUTICS Body and Tantric Yogas Features of Tantric PracticeSexuality in TantraKundalinı YogaMantra Yoga Aesthetic Therapeutics in Tantra Therapeutic Elements of TantraSacred Music Sacred Music as a Religious Therapeutic How Is Sacred Music Therapeutic?Breath, Music, and HealingBody as Instrument of Sacred Music Elements of Healing in Sanskrit ChantHealing in IdentiSound as a Bridge Between Substantial and Non-substantial Being ConclusionCOMMUNITY:RELATIONALITY IN RELIGIOUS THERAPEUTICSNotes Sources Indices Subject IndexSanskrit TermsIndex of NamesSanskrit Texts