Arvind Sharma – författare

Philosophy of religion, as we know it today, emerged in the West and has been shaped by Western philosophical and theological trends, while the philosophical tradition of India flowed along its own course until the late nineteenth century, when active, if tentative, contact was established between the West and the East. This book provides a definite focus to this interaction by investigating issues raised in Western philosophy of religion from the perspective of Advaita Vedānta, the influential school of Indian thought. In promoting the emergence of a cross-cultural philosophy of religion, Arvind Sharma focuses on John H. Hick and his well-known work The Philosophy of Religion as representative of modern Western philosophy of religion, and on Śankara, along with his modern successors such as M. Hiriyanna and S. Radhakrishnan, as representative of Advaita Vedānta.

Part of the Problem, Part of the Solution unleashes religion's true potential to do good by bridging the modern divide between religion and an ever pervasive secular society, a notion often loathed by individuals on both sides of the religious aisle. As noted scholars such as Huston Smith, Karen Armstrong, Rosemary Radford Reuther, Harvey Cox, and Seyyed Hossein Nasr explain throughout the conversations related in this text, people of varied and conflicting faiths can come together to engage in civil, useful dialogue, and members of quite varied religious traditions can work together for the benefit of all humankind and can help defuse the world's current epidemic of violence. By showing how religion is an instrument in human affairs that can be tuned for both good and evil, this book lays the groundwork for an important cooperative effort to blossom.Furthermore, today's trend of associating all religion with suspicion has spiraled into a dangerous situation-that in discarding all religion because some of it causes harm, one risks throwing away the baby with the bathwater. Books such as When Religion Becomes Evil by Charles Kimball, The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, The End of Faith by Sam Harris, Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon by Daniel Dennett, and God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything by Christopher Hitchens have created quite a sensation, leaving the impression that religion, at its root, brings more heartache than handshakes. This development has dismayed many scholars, students, and practitioners of religion, of all faiths, who believe that only half the story-the negative half-is being told. Although demonstrating that certain religious beliefs have surely contributed to the violence that has occurred in this century, this book also explores how other religious teachings can help solve the epidemic of violence.

This book offers a unique perspective on September 11 and our world after this tragic event, sharing lessons from an Asian religious experience that can help heal a world troubled by religious conflicts and deepening divisions, and promote a positive global transformation.Existing literature regarding the events of September 11 and our world afterward has focused mostly on the West and the Middle East. Asian Perspectives on the World's Religions after September 11 extends this discussion to include Asia—a continent and culture far too important to be ignored in any assessment of the global impact of this event. The book is organized along the following themes, as they emerged post-September 11th: religion and civilizational dialogue; religion, conflict, and peace; religion and human rights; religion and ethics; religion and the arts; religion, hermeneutics, and literature; religion and gender; religion and ecology; and religion and globalization. Individuals who are studying or teaching political science, international relations, philosophy, ethics, Asian studies, or religious studies will find the text invaluable, while general readers will appreciate the largely unvoiced Asian perspective on this topic.

This pioneering work examines the existing understanding of Hinduism in relation to human rights discourse.Written by a leading Hindu scholar, Hindu Narratives on Human Rights is organized around specific rights, such as the right to own property, the rights of children, women's rights, and animal rights. Within these categories and in light of the questions they raise, the book provides a guided tour of Hindu narratives on ethics, ranging from the famous religious epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, to various forms of secular literature drawn from almost a thousand years of Indic civilization. The realization that Hindu ethical discourse is narrative rather than propositional is a relatively recent one. Hence, the prevailing tendency in the West has been to overlook it in the context of the discussion of human rights. This book was written to correct that oversight. It shows that the presence of the universal in the particular in Hindu stories is a key to understanding Hindu thinking about human rights—and it indicates ways in which Hindu ethical discourse can interact creatively with modern human rights discourse.

All arts and sciences, in their own way, ultimately try to come to grips with reality. Over the decades spanned by John Hick's life, in the course of this grappling (reminiscent of Jacob's nocturnal encounter with the angel) philosophy became analytic, theology dialogical and religion comparative along one line of development.

Intelligent Cyber-Physical Systems for Sustainable Healthcare addresses the integration of emerging technologies like Virtual Reality, Smart Robotics, and Human-Computer Interaction, which are crucial for maximizing digital health's potential. The book includes case studies that highlight challenges faced by medical practitioners and industry professionals, providing valuable insights for designing sustainable iCPS solutions. Aimed at biomedical engineers, researchers, and industry professionals, it offers guidance for developing practical applications in sustainable healthcare. Additionally, shared, cross-disciplinary experiences assist engineers with less clinical expertise in enhancing healthcare applications in the intelligent digital health sector. Overall, case studies illustrate past challenges in the healthcare industry and present effective solutions to overcome them, making the book a comprehensive resource for advancing sustainable healthcare practices.Focuses on the adoption of Intelligent Cyber-Physical Systems (iCPS) in Healthcare 4.0, emphasizing the integration of technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and the Internet of ThingsIncludes case studies to illustrate the challenges faced by practitioners and industry professionals, offering valuable lessons for the design and development of sustainable iCPSExplores how AI-driven iCPS, in conjunction with cloud resources, can analyze large volumes of healthcare data

This collection of essays by internationally renowned women scholars both contests the notion of fundamentalism and attempts to find places where it might convege with women's roles in the various world's religions. The essayists explore fundamentalism as a system or method of limiting women's religious roles and examine the ways that women embrace certain aspects of fundamentalism. The essays cover Hinduism, Buddhism, Confuciansim, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. The contributors investigate the ways that women "fight back" against fundamentalist conceptions of family, gender roles, doctrinal practices, ritual practices, and God or theistic constructs. The writers reassert and preserve their identities by challenging the static categories of fundamentalism. The essays contain deep and powerful explorations of the intersections of culture, religion, and feminism.

The Annual Review of Women in World Religions is polymethodic, interdisciplinary, and multitraditional in its approach to the study of women and religion. It not only allows the comparative dimension to appear in bolder relief, but also helps establish a dialogue between the two solitudes of humanistic and social scientific studies in the field.This annual encourages the exploration of horizons and perspectives in women's studies not possible otherwise. It is not confined in scope to the traditional religions-it also includes new religious movements within its scope, while at the same time providing an outlet for specialized studies on women in traditional religions to reach a wider audience. It thus incorporates both the traditional and contemporary dimension.This work grew out of the publication of a book released in 1987 by SUNY Press entitled Women in World Religions, edited by Arvind Sharma. The reception indicated that it met a felt need. It also vindicated the historical and phenomenological approach to the study of women in world religions. The relevance of both subject and method called for an ongoing forum to continue discussing themes covered in the book. this journal provides such a forum.The first volume contains essays by Mary Gerhart (Another Troy for Her to Burn: The True Story of Euripides's Helen), Denyse Rockey (Three Faces of the Great Goddess: Shulamite, Cinderella, Black Virgin), Winnie Tomm (Goddess Consciousness and Social Realities: The 'Permeable Self'), and Katherine K. Young (Goddesses, Feminists, and Scholars).

This book examines how the women's movement is affecting traditional religions and civilizations throughout the world. It reviews cases of global impact in Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Australian aboriginal religion. This volume completes the trilogy devoted to women in world religions, edited by Arvind Sharma. The second book in the series is entitled Religion and Women. The present work surveys the position of women in the religious traditions covered in the first volume of the trilogy, Women in World Religions, placing these traditions in contemporary context.

This book discusses the position of women in the Native American, African, Shinto, Jaina, Zoroastrian, Sikh, and Baha'i faiths for the first time in a single volume, and evolves a conceptual framework within which their positions could be comprehensively considered. The contributing scholars provide an enlarged database for a more thorough discussion of the questions pertaining to women and religion in general, and simultaneously advance the theoretical frontiers in women's studies. Religion and Women belongs to a trilogy about women and world religions edited by Arvind Sharma the first and third volumes being respectively, Women in World Religions and Today's Woman in World Religions.

The Little Clay Cart is a Sanskrit play revolving around a romantic theme of the love of a high-born man for a courtesan. It contains dramatic developments involving a dynastic overthrow and contains realistic portrayals of a wide range of characters.

CHOICE 1999 Outstanding Academic BooksAddressing religion and feminism on a global scale, this unprecedented book contains a nuanced and fine-tuned treatment of seven of the world's religions from a feminist perspective by leading women scholars. Feminism and World Religions contains chapters on Hinduism by Vasudha Narayanan, Buddhism by Rita M. Gross, Confucianism by Terry Woo, Taoism by Karen McLaughlin and Eva Wong, Judaism by Ellen M. Umansky, Christianity by Rosemary Radford Ruether, and Islam by Riffat Hassan, along with a general introduction and a postscript by Katherine K. Young and a preface by Arvind Sharma. The fact that these authors share a dual but undivided commitment both to themselves as women and to their traditions as adherents imparts to their voices a prophetic quality, and if Mahatma Gandhi is to be believed, even scriptural value.

Explores the impact of women's studies on methodology in religious studies.Methodology in Religious Studies assesses the impact of women's studies on the various methods employed in studying religion. Since its inception in the 1860s, the study of religion as an academic discipline has evolved over time, ranging from the classically historical to the boldly hermeneutical. The women's studies movement has, since the 1980s, become part and parcel of the intellectual landscape of our times, and the study of religion has become increasingly influenced by it. What are the implications of this new development for the methodology of religious studies? Leading practitioners of psychological, theological, sociological, anthropological, phenomenological, historical, and hermeneutic approaches examine the mutually enriching interface between religious studies and women's studies, as they explore the broader issue of the interaction between method and the nature of the subject itself.

Explores the impact of women's studies on methodology in religious studies.Methodology in Religious Studies assesses the impact of women's studies on the various methods employed in studying religion. Since its inception in the 1860s, the study of religion as an academic discipline has evolved over time, ranging from the classically historical to the boldly hermeneutical. The women's studies movement has, since the 1980s, become part and parcel of the intellectual landscape of our times, and the study of religion has become increasingly influenced by it. What are the implications of this new development for the methodology of religious studies? Leading practitioners of psychological, theological, sociological, anthropological, phenomenological, historical, and hermeneutic approaches examine the mutually enriching interface between religious studies and women's studies, as they explore the broader issue of the interaction between method and the nature of the subject itself.

Explores deep sleep (susupti), one of the three states of consciousness in Advaita Vedanta, and the major role it plays in this philosophy.Indian philosophy bases itself on three states of consciousness: waking, dreaming, and deep sleep. Deep sleep, or susupti, plays an important role in Advaita Vedanta, the major philosophical school that advocates a doctrine of pure consciousness. Explaining and savoring this paradox, this book shows how the concept of deep sleep can be used in Advaita Vedanta to reveal a philosophical insight, validate an argument, illustrate a moral, or adorn a tale. Arvind Sharma explores why sleep is a phenomenon that philosophers should be interested in and examines it in classical Hindu religious texts, including the Upanisads, and in foundational, early, and modern Advaita Vedanta.

This book studies Hindu nationalism and deliberates on the forms Hindu self-assertion might take in the future. It examines the intersection of Hindu nationalism with the contemporary reality of India, as represented by a religiously plural society with a secular state, which possesses a social system characterised by caste, and one whose vision has been shaped by a mainstream version of Indian history. The ideology of Hindutva has had two major orientations—of how Hindus should relate to each other, and how Hindus should relate to the followers of other religions. The author provides a new orientation to both these dimensions of Hindutva ideology.A unique contribution, this book will be an essential read for scholars and researchers of religion studies, history, postcolonialism, nationalism, pluralism, Indian political thought, Indian history, caste studies, political science, Hindu studies, Hindusim, sociology and political ideology, and South Asian studies.

The book covers the strategies and frameworks for designing and developing intelligent systems to solve real-life problems related to digital health, telemedicine, and smart-cities applications.Covers the essence of human-computer interaction in healthcare applications, along with possibilities with generative artificial intelligenceDiscusses quality use of human cognition for the design and development of information processing systems from an industry perspective with human-computer interaction-based technologiesPresents the strategies or framework for designing and developing intelligent systems to solve real-life problems related to digital health, telemedicine, and smart-cities applicationsExplains security and privacy issues in designing and developing of cyber-physical systems applications for healthcare and smart citiesExplores emerging trends, challenges, and opportunities in the fields of augmented reality interfaces, affective computing, and ethical considerations in human-computer interaction designThe text is primarily written for senior undergraduates, graduate students, and academic researchers in the fields of electrical engineering, electronics and communications engineering, computer science and engineering, biomedical engineering, and information technology.

This book studies Hindu nationalism and deliberates on the forms Hindu self-assertion might take in the future. It examines the intersection of Hindu nationalism with the contemporary reality of India, as represented by a religiously plural society with a secular state, which possesses a social system characterised by caste, and one whose vision has been shaped by a mainstream version of Indian history. The ideology of Hindutva has had two major orientations—of how Hindus should relate to each other, and how Hindus should relate to the followers of other religions. The author provides a new orientation to both these dimensions of Hindutva ideology.A unique contribution, this book will be an essential read for scholars and researchers of religion studies, history, postcolonialism, nationalism, pluralism, Indian political thought, Indian history, caste studies, political science, Hindu studies, Hindusim, sociology and political ideology, and South Asian studies.

All arts and sciences, in their own way, ultimately try to come to grips with reality. What sets philosophy, theology and religion apart is that they grapple with ultimate reality. Over the decades spanned by John Hick's life, in the course of this grappling (reminiscent of Jacob's nocturnal encounter with the angel) philosophy became analytic, theology dialogical and religion comparative along one line of development. In these essays, written in honour of Professor Hick, leading world scholars in these fields share their most recent insights. They are, so to speak, postcards from the cutting edge.

Presenting diverse responses to important ethical questions, contestations and debates, this book offers a critical appraisal of Hindu ethics by engaging with classical and contemporary perspectives.With the plurality of Hinduism in mind, this book focuses on the human, sociological and situational ethical framework underpinning Hindu ethics. Chapters go beyond the traditional classical sources—such as the Vedas, epics, mythological narratives and Dharmasastra texts—to include lesser known vernacular based moral texts, as well as contemporary sources from organizations, intellectuals and movements of religious, social and political nature.Going beyond only theological and philosophical discussions, this handbook presents a truly multidisciplinary approach to Hindu ethics. This book will benefit not only scholars and students within religious studies and philosophy, but also those from sociology, history, theology, law, anthropology and literature.

What am I trying to accomplish through the exercise which I have undertaken, namely, to examine the philosophy of religion in the light of primal religions? If to choose someone else’s expression to characterize one’s own intellectual endeavour is an indication of one’s own lack of imagination, then I must plead guilty to that charge; but not to that of lack of gratitude, for I have to thank Robin Horton for describing, better than I can, what I have attempted in the book. It is an exercise in what he calls “translational understanding. ” I quote him now: By ‘translational understanding’, I mean the kind of understanding of a particular thought-system that results from the successful translation of the language and conceptual system that embody it into terms of a language and conceptual system that currently enjoy ‘world’ status. In talking of translation, of course, I am not just talking of the provision of dictionary equivalents for individual words or sentences. I am talking about finding a ‘world-language’ equivalent for a whole realm of discourse, and of showing, in ‘world-language’ terms, what the point of that realm of discourse is in the life of the people who use it. Translation, in this broader sense, can be very arduous. There may be no realm of discourse in the ‘world’ language that exactly fits the bill. We may have to bend and refashion existing realms, and even redefine their guiding intentions.

The advent of Hindu Studies coincides with the emergence of modern hermeneutics. Despite this co-emergence and rich possibilities inherent in dialectical encounters between theories of modern and post-modern hermeneutics, and those of Hindu hermeneutical traditions, such an enterprise has not been widely endeavored. The aim of this volume is to initiate such an interface. Essays in this volume reflect one or more of the following categories: (1) Examination of challenges and possibilities inherent in applying Western hermeneutics to Hindu traditions. (2) Critiques of certain heuristics used, historically, to “understand” Hindu traditions. (3) Elicitation of new hermeneutical paradigms from Hindu thought, to develop cross-cultural or dialogical hermeneutics.Applications of interpretive methodologies conditioned by Western culture to classify Indian thought have had important impacts. Essays by Sharma, Bilimoria, Sugirtharajah, and Tilak examine these impacts, offering alternate interpretive models for understanding Hindu concepts in particular and the Indian religious context in general.Several essays offer original insights regarding potential applications of traditional Hindu philosophical principles to cross-cultural hermeneutics (Long, Bilimoria, Klostermaier, Adarkar, and Taneja). Others engage Hindu texts philosophically to elicit deeper interpretations (Phillips, and Rukmani). In presenting essays that are both critical and constructive, we seek to uncover intellectual space for creative dialectical engagement that, we hope, will catalyze a reciprocal hermeneutics.

Enlightening encounters with the world's religions from a Hindu perspective.One Religion Too Many is a Hindu pilgrim's progress through the world's religious traditions. An eminent scholar of comparative religion, Arvind Sharma provides a first-hand account of how he came to be a party to the dialogue of religions-first with his own religion, then with the comparative study of religion, and finally with the religious universalism he has come to espouse because of this heritage. Starting with an account of the Hinduism of his family in Varanasi, India, Sharma then heads west, finding himself dumbfounded by the Christian Eucharist, wondering if there is a "Hinjew Connection," grappling with Zen in Massachusetts, and pressed into service to teach about Islam. Sharma writes with a light touch, but even when his encounters and perceptions are amusing, they are always insightful and thought-provoking. Western readers, in particular, will enjoy seeing their own traditions through the eyes of an Easterner who has come to know them well. Sharma's ultimate perspective on religious universalism is a welcoming vision for the globalizing world of the twenty-first century.

Discusses the notion of a spiritual master and looks at examples in a variety of world religions.What is a spiritual master? Spiritual Masters of the World's Religions offers an important contribution to religious studies by addressing that question in the context of such themes as charismatic authority, role models, symbolism, and categories of religious perception. The book contains essays by scholar-practitioners on the topic of spiritual masters in Judaic, Christian, Islamic, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Confucian, and Daoist traditions. It provides a full spectrum of exemplars, including founders, spiritual masters who highlight cultural themes, and problematic figures of modern times. To define spiritual master, the work of Max Weber, Mircea Eliade, Daniel Gold, and Bruce Lincoln is referenced to provide a balanced notion that includes both religionist and reductionist perspectives. This book takes readers from the past spiritual masters to the future of masters of any sort, posing food for thought about the future of master-disciple relationships in an emerging age of egalitarian sentiments.

First work to address the legacy of Wilfred Cantwell Smith and his influence on the development of religious studies and Islamic studies in the twentieth century.This is the first work to address the legacy of Wilfred Cantwell Smith (1916–2000), whose intellectual and institutional contributions helped shape the field of religious studies in the latter half of the twentieth century. As a young scholar, Smith taught Indian and Islamic history in Lahore for several years and witnessed the partition of India. Upon his return to North America, he obtained his PhD at Princeton University before embarking upon a long and distinguished career. He founded the Institute of Islamic Studies at McGill University and served as director of the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard University. Smith emphasized the place of the scholarly study of Islam in the Western academy long before Islam occupied its current position at the center of global politics, challenged the notion of monolithic world religions, and argued for the importance of dialogical processes and a personalist approach to the study of religion. Contributors to this volume, many of whom were Smith's students, provide a wide-ranging exploration of his influence and legacy.

First work to address the legacy of Wilfred Cantwell Smith and his influence on the development of religious studies and Islamic studies in the twentieth century.This is the first work to address the legacy of Wilfred Cantwell Smith (1916–2000), whose intellectual and institutional contributions helped shape the field of religious studies in the latter half of the twentieth century. As a young scholar, Smith taught Indian and Islamic history in Lahore for several years and witnessed the partition of India. Upon his return to North America, he obtained his PhD at Princeton University before embarking upon a long and distinguished career. He founded the Institute of Islamic Studies at McGill University and served as director of the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard University. Smith emphasized the place of the scholarly study of Islam in the Western academy long before Islam occupied its current position at the center of global politics, challenged the notion of monolithic world religions, and argued for the importance of dialogical processes and a personalist approach to the study of religion. Contributors to this volume, many of whom were Smith's students, provide a wide-ranging exploration of his influence and legacy.

A highly personal meditation on the nature and meaning of suffering.An adequate explanation of suffering is perhaps the most intractable issue in the study of religion and philosophy, and the answer to the question "Why me?" has eluded not only those who are the victims of suffering, but those who sympathize with them and try to understand and explain their suffering. In this highly personal account, Arvind Sharma shares his story of becoming the victim of a severe road accident and his gradual recovery from a fractured knee, which included a hospital stay, surgeries, unexpected setbacks, and a lengthy process of rehabilitation. In the second and most substantial part of the book, Sharma attempts to intellectually come to terms with his experience and to reflect on how the experience of suffering in one form or another is a universal condition of human existence.