Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Dealing with Deities: The Ritual Vow in South Asia

Dealing with Deities: The Ritual Vow in South Asia

Raj, Selva J.
Harman, William P.

Paperback

Comparative ReligionGeneral Asian HistoryGeneral Eastern Religions

ISBN10: 0791467082
ISBN13: 9780791467084
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Published: Jan 1 2007
Pages: 308
Weight: 0.93
Height: 0.77 Width: 6.16 Depth: 9.00
Language: English

Explores the practice of taking ritual vows in South Asia, a lay tradition prevalent in the region's religions.

Drawing on original field research, Dealing with Deities explores the practice of taking ritual vows in the lives of ordinary religious practitioners in South Asia. The cornerstone of lay religious activity, vow rituals are adopted by Muslims, Hindus, Christians, Buddhists, Jains, and Sikhs who wish to commit themselves to ritually enacted relationships with sacred figures in order to gain earthly boons and spiritual merit. The contributors to this volume offer a fascinating look at the varieties and complexities of vows and also focus on a unique characteristic of this vow-taking culture, that of resorting to deities and shrines of other religions in defiance of institutional directives and religious boundaries. Richly illustrated, the book explores the creativity of South Asian devotees and their deeply felt convictions that what they require, they can achieve faithfully-and independently-by dealing directly with deities.

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