DOCSLIB.ORG

Kabîr (The Great)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Kabîr (The Great) PEOPLE MENTIONED IN WALDEN PEOPLE MENTIONED IN WALDEN: KABÎR (THE GREAT) Son nom de Kabîr n’est qu’un titre signifiant le plus grand. On le nomme aussi Jnânî ou le sage. Ce sont deux différents takhallus plutôt que des noms propres. — Joseph-Héliodore-Sagesse-Vertu Garcin de Tassy, HISTOIRE DE LA LITTÉRATURE HINDOUI ET HINDOUSTANI, Volume I, pages 274-81, Volume II, pages 1-8 More recently, Charlotte Vaudeville’s A WEAVER NAMED KABIR: SELECTED V ERSES W ITH A D ETAILED B IOGRAPHICAL AND H ISTORICAL INTRODUCTION has explored the life of Kabîr as a medieval counterpart of Gandhi, prefiguring Tyagaraja and Tagore. Born a lower-caste Muslim weaver, Kabir opposed superstition, empty ritualism and bigotry. His writings include scathing attacks against Brahmanical pride, caste prejudice and untouchability, as well as against the dogmatism and bigotry he perceived within Islam. “NARRATIVE HISTORY” AMOUNTS TO FABULATION, THE REAL STUFF BEING MERE CHRONOLOGY “Stack of the Artist of Kouroo” Project The People of Walden HDT WHAT? INDEX THE PEOPLE OF WALDEN: KABÎR (THE GREAT) PEOPLE MENTIONED IN WALDEN WALDEN: Why level downward to our dullest perception always, and PEOPLE OF praise that as common sense? The commonest sense is the sense of WALDEN men asleep, which they express by snoring. Sometimes we are inclined to class those who are once-and-a-half witted with the half-witted, because we appreciate only a third part of their wit. Some would find fault with the morning-red, if they ever got up early enough. “They pretend,” as I hear, “that the verses of Kabir have four different senses; illusion, spirit, intellect, and the exoteric doctrine of the Vedas;” but in this part of the world it is considered a ground for complaint if a man’s writings admit of more than one interpretation. While England endeavors to cure the potato-rot, will not any endeavor to cure the brain-rot, which prevails so much more widely and fatally? KABÎR HDT WHAT? INDEX THE PEOPLE OF WALDEN: KABÎR (THE GREAT) PEOPLE MENTIONED IN WALDEN 1440 Kabîr was born in Varanasi, Jaunpur, India. He would be influenced by a Hindu ascetic, Ramananda, and by the ideas of the Sufis, and while working in Benares as a weaver would write devotional poetry in the Hindi language. NOBODY COULD GUESS WHAT WOULD HAPPEN NEXT The People of Walden “Stack of the Artist of Kouroo” Project HDT WHAT? INDEX THE PEOPLE OF WALDEN: KABÎR (THE GREAT) PEOPLE MENTIONED IN WALDEN 1499 Kabîr’s disciple Nanak (April 15, 1469-September 22, 1539) established what is now known as Sikhism. Some of Kabîr’s vernacular poetry would be incorporated into the sacred book known as the ADI GRANTH. Although people from all social classes would embrace this new faith, it would prove especially popular with the farmers and townsmen who were being excluded from power by both Brahmans and Muslims. Like Rajputs, Sikhs could not eat beef or pork but could eat lamb and fowl, and believed in the almost sacred power of steel. One unusual Sikh device was a sharpened steel washer measuring about 7 inches in diameter, known as a chakra, or “circle.” Aristocratic Sikhs often would carry two or three around with them, hidden between HDT WHAT? INDEX THE PEOPLE OF WALDEN: KABÎR (THE GREAT) PEOPLE MENTIONED IN WALDEN the layers of their turbans, and tended to amuse themselves by twirling them around their forefingers and then flicking them toward targets (more important personal weapons for these types included the conventional swords, bucklers, lances, and daggers). HDT WHAT? INDEX THE PEOPLE OF WALDEN: KABÎR (THE GREAT) PEOPLE MENTIONED IN WALDEN 1518 Kabîr died in Maghar, India. He had come to term his approach to religious eclecticism, the combination of elements of the Hindu and Moslem religious life, a “simple union” or sahaja-yoga. Into his belief system he had incorporated the Hindu attitudes toward the transmigration of souls and in regard to the law of karma, while repudiating Hinduism’s idolatry, its asceticism, and its reliance upon a system of caste distinctions. Meanwhile he had incorporated from Islam the concepts of but one God and of the equality of all humans before this one God. DO I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION? GOOD. The People of Walden “Stack of the Artist of Kouroo” Project HDT WHAT? INDEX THE PEOPLE OF WALDEN: KABÎR (THE GREAT) PEOPLE MENTIONED IN WALDEN 1570 After Kabîr’s death a cult or discipline called Kabirpanth had sprung up to honor and remember him. At this point a disciple bound a collection of his vernacular verses and observations into something called “Account Book” or BIJAK. WALDEN: Why level downward to our dullest perception always, and PEOPLE OF praise that as common sense? The commonest sense is the sense of WALDEN men asleep, which they express by snoring. Sometimes we are inclined to class those who are once-and-a-half witted with the half-witted, because we appreciate only a third part of their wit. Some would find fault with the morning-red, if they ever got up early enough. “They pretend,” as I hear, “that the verses of Kabir have four different senses; illusion, spirit, intellect, and the exoteric doctrine of the Vedas;” but in this part of the world it is considered a ground for complaint if a man’s writings admit of more than one interpretation. While England endeavors to cure the potato-rot, will not any endeavor to cure the brain-rot, which prevails so much more widely and fatally? KABÎR LIFE IS LIVED FORWARD BUT UNDERSTOOD BACKWARD? — NO, THAT’S GIVING TOO MUCH TO THE HISTORIAN’S STORIES. LIFE ISN’T TO BE UNDERSTOOD EITHER FORWARD OR BACKWARD. “Stack of the Artist of Kouroo” Project The People of Walden HDT WHAT? INDEX THE PEOPLE OF WALDEN: KABÎR (THE GREAT) PEOPLE MENTIONED IN WALDEN 1839 Professor Joseph-Héliodore-Sagesse-Vertu Garcin de Tassy’s major work TARIKH-E-ADABIYAT-E-HINDIVI WA HINDUSTANI. The initial volume of his HISTOIRE DE LA LITTÉRATURE HINDOUI ET HINDOUSTANI was published at Paris under the auspices of the Oriental Translation Committee of Great Britain and Ireland and dedicated A SA MAJESTÉ LA REINE DE LA GRANDE-BRETAGNE. From this Henry Thoreau would on September 11, 1849 extract snippets pertaining to Kabîr and to Mîr Camar uddîn Mast: M. GARCIN DE TASSY, I On prétend que les vers de Kabîr ont quatre sens différents: l’illusion (mâyâ), l’esprit (âtmâ), l’intellect (man), et la doctrine exotérique des Védas. WALDEN: Why level downward to our dullest perception always, and PEOPLE OF praise that as common sense? The commonest sense is the sense of WALDEN men asleep, which they express by snoring. Sometimes we are inclined to class those who are once-and-a-half witted with the half-witted, because we appreciate only a third part of their wit. Some would find fault with the morning-red, if they ever got up early enough. “They pretend,” as I hear, “that the verses of Kabir have four different senses; illusion, spirit, intellect, and the exoteric doctrine of the Vedas;” but in this part of the world it is considered a ground for complaint if a man’s writings admit of more than one interpretation. While England endeavors to cure the potato-rot, will not any endeavor to cure the brain-rot, which prevails so much more widely and fatally? KABÎR The source which reported this “pretending” (exegeting?) was cited in a footnote of the HISTOIRE DE LA LITTÉRATURE HINDOUI ET HINDOUSTANI as Horace Hayman Wilson’s ASIATIC RESEARCHES, Volume XVI, page 62. HDT WHAT? INDEX THE PEOPLE OF WALDEN: KABÎR (THE GREAT) PEOPLE MENTIONED IN WALDEN Thoreau also would render Mîr Camar uddîn Mast’s Etant assis, parcourir la région du monde spirituel: j’ai eu cet avantage dans les livres. Être enviré par une seule coupe de vin: j’ai éprouvé ce plaisir lorsque j’ai bu la liqueur des doctrines ésotériques. as: WALDEN: My residence was more favorable, not only to thought, PEOPLE OF but to serious reading, than a university; and though I was WALDEN beyond the range of the ordinary circulating library, I had more than ever come within the influence of those books which circulate round the world, whose sentences were first written on bark, and are now merely copied from time to time on to linen paper. Says the poet Mîr Camar Uddîn Mast, “Being seated to run through the region of the spiritual world; I have had this advantage in books. To be intoxicated by a single glass of wine; I have experienced this pleasure when I have drunk the liquor of the esoteric doctrines.” I kept Homer’s Iliad on my table through the summer, though I looked at his page only now and then. Incessant labor with my hands, at first, for I had my house to finish and my beans to hoe at the same time, made more study impossible. Yet I sustained myself by the prospect of such reading in future. I read one or two shallow books of travel in the intervals of my work, till that employment made me ashamed of myself, and I asked where it was then that I lived. MÎR CAMAR UDDÎN MAST JOHN CHARLES FRÉMONT HOMER HDT WHAT? INDEX THE PEOPLE OF WALDEN: KABÎR (THE GREAT) PEOPLE MENTIONED IN WALDEN The full selection on Mîr Camar uddîn Mast from which Thoreau was here extracting, on pages 331-2 of Volume I of this HISTOIRE DE LA LITTÉRATURE HINDOUI ET HINDOUSTANI,1 reads as follows: Mîr Camar uddîn Mast1, de Delhi, descendait par sa mère du saïyid Jalâl Bukhârî Mîr.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • In the Name of Krishna: the Cultural Landscape of a North Indian Pilgrimage Town
    In the Name of Krishna: The Cultural Landscape of a North Indian Pilgrimage Town A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA BY Sugata Ray IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Frederick M. Asher, Advisor April 2012 © Sugata Ray 2012 Acknowledgements They say writing a dissertation is a lonely and arduous task. But, I am fortunate to have found friends, colleagues, and mentors who have inspired me to make this laborious task far from arduous. It was Frederick M. Asher, my advisor, who inspired me to turn to places where art historians do not usually venture. The temple city of Khajuraho is not just the exquisite 11th-century temples at the site. Rather, the 11th-century temples are part of a larger visuality that extends to contemporary civic monuments in the city center, Rick suggested in the first class that I took with him. I learnt to move across time and space. To understand modern Vrindavan, one would have to look at its Mughal past; to understand temple architecture, one would have to look for rebellions in the colonial archive. Catherine B. Asher gave me the gift of the Mughal world – a world that I only barely knew before I met her. Today, I speak of the Islamicate world of colonial Vrindavan. Cathy walked me through Mughal mosques, tombs, and gardens on many cold wintry days in Minneapolis and on a hot summer day in Sasaram, Bihar. The Islamicate Krishna in my dissertation thus came into being.
    [Show full text]
  • A Revolution in Kṛṣṇaism: the Cult of Gopāla Author(S): Norvin Hein Source: History of Religions , May, 1986, Vol
    A Revolution in Kṛṣṇaism: The Cult of Gopāla Author(s): Norvin Hein Source: History of Religions , May, 1986, Vol. 25, No. 4, Religion and Change: ASSR Anniversary Volume (May, 1986), pp. 296-317 Published by: The University of Chicago Press Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1062622 JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at https://about.jstor.org/terms The University of Chicago Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to History of Religions This content downloaded from 130.132.173.217 on Fri, 18 Dec 2020 20:12:45 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms Norvin Hein A REVOLUTION IN KRSNAISM: THE CULT OF GOPALA Beginning about A.D. 300 a mutation occurred in Vaisnava mythology in which the ideals of the Krsna worshipers were turned upside down. The Harivamsa Purana, which was composed at about that time, related in thirty-one chapters (chaps. 47-78) the childhood of Krsna that he had spent among the cowherds.1 The tales had never been told in Hindu literature before. As new as the narratives themselves was their implicit theology. The old adoration of Krsna as moral preceptor went into a long quiescence.
    [Show full text]
  • Kabir: Relevance from Past to Present
    RESEARCH PAPER RESEARCH REVIEW International Journal of Multidisciplinary e-ISSN: 2455-3085 | Vol.06 | Iss.07 | July 2021 | pp. 134-139 Double-Blind Peer Reviewed/Refereed Journal Kabir: Relevance from Past to Present *Arunima Pati Post Graduate Student, Department of History, Presidency University, Kolkata, West Bengal Abstract Article Publication The 15th century India is an age of political turmoil and increasing antagonism among Published Online: 15-Jul-2021 different faiths all over the Indian subcontinent. During that era of orthodoxy and unrest, a man denied all rituals and superstitions of religions and emphasized to cherish *Author's Correspondence the God within ourselves- the one Supreme Lord. We know him as ‘Kabir’, a man Arunima Pati who is venerable to the Hindus and the Muslims alike. Despite his worldwide fame, his real identity is quite contentious. Kabir has been called a Vaishnav bhakta, a pir, Post Graduate Student, Department a bhagat, a Nath-yogi, a Tantric, a Sufi and many more. Kabir himself suggests what of History, Presidency University, he was- a premi, madly in love with the divine. His messages were meant for the entire Kolkata, West Bengal. mankind irrespective of religion. He uttered the primal truth that God is but one even if we call him by many names. His vigorous criticisms of religious orthodoxies and arunimapati635[at]gmail.com rituals are still unimaginable to us. The present article seeks to highlight the role played by Kabir in his own time and ours. 10.31305/rrijm.2021.v06.i07.022 © 2021The Authors. Published by Keywords: Rationality, Pure Knowledge, Philosophy, Teachings, Mankind, RESEARCH REVIEW International Secularism Journal of Multidisciplinary.
    [Show full text]
  • Krishna's Life-Story in Bengali Scrolls: Exploring the Invitation to Unroll
    72 73 4 Krishna’s Life-Story in Bengali Scrolls: Exploring The Invitation to Unroll PIKA GHOSH HAVERFORD COLLEGE 74 Pika Ghosh Krishna’s Life-Story in Bengali Scrolls: Exploring The Invitation to Unroll 75 Fig. 4.1. Narrative hand-scrolls (pata) have been assembled scroll to another, and one session to the next. The coordination of verbal and bodily components Krishnalila (Play of Krishna) Scroll, and painted by the painter-minstrel (patua) with the framed scenes of images can generate distinctive interpretations. A singer may recognise Medinipur District communities of Bengal to tell stories for at least two particular visual properties in a sequence of images or consonances between verse and picture, while (nineteenth- 1 century). Opaque hundred years. Such itinerant bards have traditionally unfurling the scenes for an audience; bolder or more skilled practitioners may choose to explore watercolor on paper. Stella employed the picture sequences to sing well-known these through particular inflections of voice or gesture of hand. Such relationships can turn on Kramrisch stories from the lives of deities (fig. 4.1) and saints, the repetition or variation of colour and compositional choices, which may be underscored by the Collection, Philadelphia the epics, and more recently to address contemporary guiding finger, emphasised or subverted by the words sung. Some patua are charismatic entertainers Museum of Art, social issues and political events.2 with powerful singing voices who fill performance venues and mesmerise audiences, offering Philadelphia, Accession no: 1994- These scrolls have a distinctive vertical format of interpretive nuance through skillful manipulation of the lyrics, intonation, rhythm, and tempo.
    [Show full text]
  • Cokhāmelā, the Modern Dalit Movement, and the Dalit Christian Theology
    College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University DigitalCommons@CSB/SJU School of Theology and Seminary Faculty Publications School of Theology and Seminary 2017 “I am the Mahar of your Mahars:” Cokhāmelā, the Modern Dalit Movement, and the Dalit Christian Theology Chris Conway College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/sot_pubs Part of the Christianity Commons, Comparative Methodologies and Theories Commons, Hindu Studies Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Conway, Christopher. “‘I am the Mahar of your Mahars:’ Cokhāmelā, the Modern Dalit Movement, and the Dalit Christian Theology”. The Apollonian 4: 1-2 (March-June 2017): 5-26. © 2017 The Apollonian The Apollonian A Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies Open-access | Peer-reviewed Vol 4, Issues 1&2 (March-June 2017) Submission details and instructions for authors: http://theapollonian.in/index.php/submission- guidelines/ SPECIAL ISSUE | INTER-FAITH DIALOGUE IN INDIA: THEOLOGICAL REVISIONING “I am the Mahar of your Mahars:” Cokhāmelā, the Modern Dalit Movement, and the Dalit Christian Theology Christopher Conway To cite this article: Conway, Christopher. “‘I am the Mahar of your Mahars:’ Cokhāmelā, the Modern Dalit Movement, and the Dalit Christian Theology”. The Apollonian 4: 1-2 (March-June 2017): 5-26. PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE This article may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, re-distribution, re-selling, loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly prohibited. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date.
    [Show full text]
  • Muth Asian Literature.. 'INSTITUTION Chigan State Univ.,.East Lansing
    .10 /DOCUpE#T'RESUME ED 126 517 CS 2-02 848 /AUTHOR Coppola, Carlo, Ed. Mis Muth Asian Literature.. 'INSTITUTION chigan State Univ.,.East Lansing. Asian Studies Center. PUB DATE 74 NOTE 201p. J NAL CIT Journa outh Asian Literature; N10 n1 Entire Issue F. 1974 EDRS PRICE MF-$.0.83.Plus*Postage. HC Not, Available EDRS. DESCRIPTORS *Asian Stbdies; *Literary Criticism; *literature; Literature Reviews; Non Western ,Civilization; *Poetry; PrOse IDENTIFIERS India. 1 ABSTRACT . This volume contains articles about South Asian literature and poetry by G.M. Muktibodh, P.Naik, S. Chattopadhyay, M. Kureishi, and T.S.,Rege. The articles and authortare: "The Hindi 'Piti' Tradition and the "Rasakapriya' ofKeshavadasa: An Introductory Review" by K.C. Bahl; "Tradition andModernity in --'--7-literature" by M.R. Anand; "TheNovelist as Historian" by Y.J. Dayanand; "The Bloomsbury Group and Non-Western Literature"by S. Henig; "Kamala Markandaya: Indo-Anglian Conflictas Unity"--Indian perspectives cn the British, in",hke English-languagenovels - -by J.F. Adkins; and "Experimentalism- an'd Its Impacton Punjabi ,Literature" and "Urdu Poetry. and It's Advent in English"y S.S. Dulai. Also included 'are.literaw reviews of "Igbal:Poet-Philosopher Of Pakistan" and "Gha14114-1797-1869:Volume I: Life and Letters" ,by N.'Fitch and three views of the poet Faiz'AhmedFaiz--a personality sketch by his-Wife, comments' by himself, and,an intervieW. (3M) .1 ***************************0***************************************** * Documents" acquitree-6 ERIC includemany informal unpublished * materials not available from othersources. ERIC makes every effort * if to obtain the bestcopy available. Nevertheless, .items of marginal * * reproducibility= are often encounteredand this affects the quality * * of the microfiche and hardcops reproductionsERIC ma' -s available * * via the ERIC Document RePToductioil Service(EDRS).
    [Show full text]
  • David L. Haberman
    DAVID L. HABERMAN Department of Religious Studies (residence) Sycamore Hall 230 1916 Arden Drive Indiana University Bloomington, IN 47401 Bloomington, IN 47405 (812) 855-3531 (812) 322-7385 [email protected] fax: 812-855-4687 Education Ph.D. 1984 University of Chicago (History of Religions) M.A. 1978 University of Chicago (Divinity) B.A. 1976 University of Colorado (Religious Studies) 1973 Chapman College, World Campus Afloat (Religion and Music) Professional Experience 2002- Indiana University, Professor of Religious Studies (courses below) 2002 & 2017 Semester at Sea--University of Pittsburgh (2002) and Colorado State University (2017) Professor of Religious Studies (Varieties of Religious Traditions, Hinduism, Religion and Ecology (Pittsburgh); Religions of Asia, Environmental Ethics, Matter Matters: A Reconsideration of Idolatry and Anthropomorphism (Colorado) 1993-02 Indiana University, Associate Professor of Religious Studies (Hinduism, Ritual Theory and Performance, Religions of Asia, Modern Hinduism, Interpretation of Religion, Religious Eroticism, Goddesses in India, Bhagavad Gita, Introduction to the Study of Religion, Bhagavata Purana, Religion, Ecology and Self, Worshipful Interaction with Embodied Forms of Divinity) 1985-92 Williams College, Assistant Professor of Religion (Hinduism, South Asian Buddhism, Introduction to Religion, Pilgrimage, Native American Religions, Women Saints, and Novel India) 1984-85 University of Arizona, Visiting Assistant Professor of South Asian Studies (Asian Religions, Religions of India, Sufism,
    [Show full text]
  • 10. Lorenzen Kervan 25 1
    Kervan – International Journal of Afro-Asiatic Studies 25/1 (2021) Kabir and the Avatars David N. Lorenzen The Indian religious poet Kabir (d. ca. 1518) often referred to his God using Vaishnava names, names that refer to the Hindu god Vishnu. Kabir also uses names for God that are not specific to Vishnu and even uses Muslim names. Vishnu is said to have been incarnated in several earthly avatars. The most important are Krishna and king Ramachandra. A traditional list names ten avatars. Kabir often refers to these earthly avatars, but he minimizes their importance in various ways such as emphasizing the fact that they all died. Most modern scholars have taken Kabir’s use of Vaishnava vocabulary to identify him as a Vaishnava, albeit an unorthodox one. Kabir’s rejection of the avatars and his focus on a supreme God without form or personality tends to put this identification in doubt. Keywords: Kabir; avatar; Vishnu; Ismaili; bhakti; viraha. 1. Kabir’s God Discussions about the religious ideas of the North Indian religious poet Kabir (ca. 1440-1518) often focus on how his bhakti, his devotion to God, compares to that of other religious figures of sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.1 How should we describe the relation between the nirgun bhakti of Kabir and the sagun bhakti of Surdas, Tulsidas, and Mirabai? Related questions concern the influence of Islam and 1 During the preparation of this essay, parts of it were discussed with Purushottam Agrawal, Linda Hess, and Pinuccia Caracchi, Patton Burchett, and John S. Hawley. Their comments clarified many points, even when we ended up agreeing to disagree.
    [Show full text]
  • Diana L Eck CV
    Diana L. Eck Curriculum Vitae ___________________________________________________ Current Position: Harvard University, Professor of Comparative Religion and Indian Studies Frederic Wertham Professor of Law and Psychiatry in Society, 2004- Department of Sanskrit and Indian Studies and Committee on the Study of Religion Faculty of Arts and Sciences Harvard University Member, Faculty of Divinity, 1984- Harvard Divinity School Chair, Department of Sanskrit and Indian Studies, 2010- Chair, Committee on the Study of Religion, 1990-98; 2007-2010 Director, The Pluralism Project: World Religions in America, 1990- Director of Undergraduate Studies, The Comparative Study of Religion, 1976-86 Acting Chair, Department of Sanskrit and Indian Studies, 1989-90 Director of Undergraduate Studies, Department of Sanskrit and Indian Studies, 2005–07 Master of Lowell House, Harvard University, 1998- Acting Director, Center for the Study of World Religions, 2003-04 Office Address: Committee on the Study of Religion The Barker Center Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 617-495-5781; fax: 617-493-1602; email: [email protected] Lowell House Office A22 10 Holyoke Place Cambridge, MA 02138 617-495-2283; fax: 617-495-2523 The Pluralism Project 2 Arrow Street, 4th Floor Cambridge, MA 02138 617-496-2481; fax: 617-496-2428 Personal: Born July 5, 1945 in Tacoma, Washington. Attended grade school and high school in Bozeman, Montana. Partner of 30 years to The Rev. Dr. Dorothy A. Austin, Sedgewick Associate Minister in the Memorial Church and Co-Master of Lowell House. Married July 4, 2004. Foster care for Sokol, Kreshnik, Aida and Amella Zejnullahu, Albanian Kosovar refugee young people (1999-2002). Education: Ph.D.
    [Show full text]
  • An Analysis of the Role of Sant Kabir in Bhakti Tradition Ramesh Kumar
    SOCIAL TRENDS Journal of the Department of Sociology of North Bengal University Vol. 7, 31 March 2020; ISSN: 23486538 Peerreviewed National Journal UGCCARE listed 10 The Reformist Movement in India: An Analysis of the Role of Sant Kabir in Bhakti Tradition Ramesh Kumar ‘The Creature is in Brahmin, and Brahmin is in the Creature, They are ever distinct, yet ever united’ Kabir Abstract:Many reformist movements had emerged in India and have revolted against the corrupt practices of Hindu religion. ‘Bhakti’ being one of them also played a very important role in this. Many poets and saints are associated with the bhakti movement, and one of the most popular among them is Sant Kabir Das, who led a movement against the malpractices of the Hinduism and Islam, and criticized both. Building upon such criticisms he tried to evoke a new synthesis, taking good elements of both Hinduism and Islam. He criticized mainly the caste system and rejected the dominant practices of the Hindus and the Muslims. He criticised the guardian of both religions, the Mullahs and the Brahmins. He taught mainly the ideas of the universal humanism going beyond the narrow and dogmatic practices of religions. This paper focuses on the main teachings of Kabir, and the ways in which he preached his ideas to the people. The focus would be on his use of the poetry and the skill of language to communicate the essence of his teachings, which was later consolidated and institutionalized by his followers, paving the way for the creation of Kabir Panth. This paper thus tries to locate the Sant Kabir in the cultural domain of Indian social structure which made him focus on themes that were untouched by the dominant religions of the day.
    [Show full text]
  • Images of Kabir
    Religion / Teacher's Program Kristian Niemi Images of Kabir As described by Yadav in Assi and Nagwa, and Julaha in Shivala and Saket Nagar History of Religion C-level thesis Teacher's Program Final Paper Date: 2008-08-26 Supervisor: Marc Katz, Mohammad Toha Examiner: Marc Katz Karlstads universitet 651 88 Karlstad Tfn 054-700 10 00 Fax 054-700 14 60 [email protected] www.kau.se Abstract In his own time, the nirgun. a poet-saint Kab¯ır was a controversial figure. He spoke ill of Islam and Hinduism alike, yet, in the end, both groups claimed him as their own. In this essay, various images of Kab¯ırare discussed. Kab¯ır as he appears in legends; Kab¯ıras he appears in his poems; Kab¯ıras a historical figure. But more importantly, Kab¯ıras he is perceived as today. The image of Kab¯ır, as it were. The question of `who Kab¯ırwas' is posed to members of two groups in the city of Ban¯aras,India | one group Muslim (Jul¯ah¯a),the other Hindu (Yadav). Notes on transliteration and terms Words in Hindi and Sanskrit have been transliterated using standard methods of show- ing pronunciation as used in Benjamin Walker, Hindu World: An Encyclopedic Survey of Hinduism (Volume 1), first published in 1968 by Goerge Allen & Unwin Ltd, (New Delhi: Rupa & co, 2005) and others. That is, using diacritics. Instead of simply writing `dik- sha', the spelling `d¯ıksh¯a'is used, as this follows the actual pronunciation in the original language more closely. Spelling in book titles, quotes and such, are, naturally, given as they were spelled in the original.
    [Show full text]
  • Diana L. Eck Curriculum Vitae Current Position: Harvard University, Professo
    Diana L. Eck Curriculum Vitae ___________________________________________________ Current Position: Harvard University, Professor of Comparative Religion and Indian Studies Frederic Wertham Professor of Law and Psychiatry in Society (June 2004) Harvard College Professor (2012) Department of South Asian Studies and Committee on the Study of Religion Faculty of Arts and Sciences Harvard University Member, Faculty of Divinity (1984- ) Harvard Divinity School Chair, Department of South Asian Studies (2010-11) Chair, Committee on the Study of Religion (1990-98; 2007-2010) Director, The Pluralism Project: World Religions in America (1990- ) Director of Undergraduate Studies, The Comparative Study of Religion (1976-86) Master of Lowell House, Harvard University (1998- ) Office Address: Committee on the Study of Religion The Barker Center Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 (617-495-5781; fax: 617-493-1602; email: [email protected]) Lowell House A22 (617-495-2283; fax: 617-495-2523) The Pluralism Project 2 Arrow Street Cambridge, MA 02139 (617-496-2481; fax: 617-496-2428) Home Address: 50 Holyoke Street Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 (617-661-6450; fax 617-493-1602) Education: Ph.D. Harvard University (The Comparative Study of Religion), 1976. M.A. University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies, (South Asian Studies, Modern Indian History), 1968. B.A. Smith College (Religion), 1967. [Post-graduate Diploma, Banaras Hindu University (1965-66; 1973-74). Ancient Indian History and Culture] Professional Experience: 1984- : Professor of Comparative Religion and Indian Studies, Harvard University 1981-84: Associate Professor of Indian Religion, Harvard University 1977-81: Assistant Professor of Indian Religion, Harvard University 1976-77: Lecturer on Hindu Religion, Harvard University 1975-76: Instructor in Hindu Religion, Harvard University 2 Personal: Born July 5, 1945 in Tacoma, Washington.
    [Show full text]