Transcendent in America : Hindu-inspired meditation movements as new religion
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Transcendent in America : Hindu-inspired meditation movements as new religion
(The new and alternative religions series)
New York University Press, c2010
- : pb
Available at 1 libraries
  Aomori
  Iwate
  Miyagi
  Akita
  Yamagata
  Fukushima
  Ibaraki
  Tochigi
  Gunma
  Saitama
  Chiba
  Tokyo
  Kanagawa
  Niigata
  Toyama
  Ishikawa
  Fukui
  Yamanashi
  Nagano
  Gifu
  Shizuoka
  Aichi
  Mie
  Shiga
  Kyoto
  Osaka
  Hyogo
  Nara
  Wakayama
  Tottori
  Shimane
  Okayama
  Hiroshima
  Yamaguchi
  Tokushima
  Kagawa
  Ehime
  Kochi
  Fukuoka
  Saga
  Nagasaki
  Kumamoto
  Oita
  Miyazaki
  Kagoshima
  Okinawa
  Korea
  China
  Thailand
  United Kingdom
  Germany
  Switzerland
  France
  Belgium
  Netherlands
  Sweden
  Norway
  United States of America
Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. 243-249) and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
Yoga, karma, meditation, guru-these terms, once obscure, are now a part of the American lexicon. Combining Hinduism with Western concepts and values, a new hybrid form of religion has developed in the United States over the past century. In Transcendent in America, Lola Williamson traces the history of various Hindu-inspired movements in America, and argues that together they constitute a discrete category of religious practice, a distinct and identifiable form of new religion.
Williamson provides an overview of the emergence of these movements through examining exchanges between Indian Hindus and American intellectuals such as Thomas Jefferson and Ralph Waldo Emerson, and illuminates how Protestant traditions of inner experience paved the way for Hindu-style movements' acceptance in the West.
Williamson focuses on three movements-Self-Realization Fellowship, Transcendental Meditation, and Siddha Yoga-as representative of the larger of phenomenon of Hindu-inspired meditation movements. She provides a window into the beliefs and practices of followers of these movements by offering concrete examples from their words and experiences that shed light on their world view, lifestyle, and relationship with their gurus. Drawing on scholarly research, numerous interviews, and decades of personal experience with Hindu-style practices, Williamson makes a convincing case that Hindu-inspired meditation movements are distinct from both immigrant Hinduism and other forms of Asian-influenced or "New Age" groups.
Table of Contents
A Note on Transliteration Preface Part I : Background 1 What Are Hindu-Inspired Meditation Movements? 2 Laying the Foundation for American-Style Hinduism Part II : Three Hindu - Insired Meditation Movements 3 Self-Realization Fellowship 4 Transcendental Meditation 5 Siddha Yoga Part III: In Their Own Words 6 The Guru-Disciple Relationship 7 Mystical Experiences 8 Worldview Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index About the Author
by "Nielsen BookData"