Mantra: Hearing the Divine in India and America / Edition 2

by Harold G. Coward, David J. Goa

Overview

The experience of the divine in India has three components, sight, performance, and sound. One in a trilogy of books that include Diana Eck's Darsan: Seeing the Divine in India, and Susan L. Schwartz's Rasa: Performing the Divine in India, Mantra presents an introduction to the use of sound—mantra—in the practice of Indian religion.

Mantra—in the form of prayers, rituals, and chants—permeate the practice of Indian religion in both temple and home settings. This book investigates the power of mantra to transform consciousness. It examines the use and theory of mantra under various religious schools, such as the Patanjali sutras and tantra, and includes references to Hindu, Sikh, Sufi, Islam, and Buddhist traditions. This edition adds new sections on the use of sacred sound in Hindu and Sikh North American diaspora communities and on the North American non-Indian practice of yoga and mantra.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780231129602
Publisher:	Columbia University Press
Publication date:	12/29/2004
Edition description:	2nd ed.
Pages:	136
Product dimensions:	5.94(w) x 9.36(h) x 0.52(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Harold G. Coward is the director of the Centre for Studies in Religion and Society at the University of Victoria in British Columbia.

David J. Goa is curator emeritus of the Provincial Museum of Alberta.

Table of Contents

Preface
Hearing the Sacred
The Nature of Mantra
Finding One's Mantra
Glossary