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Soulless Matter, Seats of Energy: Metals, Gems and Minerals in South Asian Religions and Culture by Equinox Publishing Ltd (Hardback, 2016)

Soulless Matter, Seats of Energy: Metals, Gems and Minerals in South Asian Traditions investigates the way in which Indian culture has represented irganic matter and geological formations such as mountains and the earth itself. The volume is divided into four sections, each discussing from different angles the manifold dimensions occupied by minerals, gems and metals in traditions such as Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism. The various chapters offer a rigorous analysis of a variety of texts from different South Asian regions from a range of perspectives such as history, philology, philosophy, hermeneutics and ethgraphy. The themes discussed include literature (myth and epics), ritual, ethics, folklore, and sciences such as astrology, medicine, alchemy and cosmetics. The volume critically reflects on the concept of inanimate world and shows how Indian traditions have variously interpreted the concept of embodied life and lifelessness.Ranging from worldviews and disciplines which regard metals, minerals, gems as alive, sentient or inhabited by divine presences and powers to ideas which deny matter possesses life and sentience, the Indian Subcontinent proves to be a challenge for taxomic investigations but at the same time provides historians of religions and philosophers with stimulating material.

Place of Publication
London
Edited by
Thomas Dahnhardt
Content Note
11 Figures
Author Biography
Fabrizio M. Ferrari is Professor of Indology and South Asian Religions in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Chester.Thomas Dahnhardt is Assistant Professor in Hindi and Urdu Languages and Literatures in the Department of Asian and Mediterranean African Studies at the Ca' Foscari University of Venice.
Date of Publication
01/09/2016
Country of Publication
United Kingdom
Genre
Religion: Comparative, General & Référence

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