The Global Acclaim of Nonviolence in Hinduism: Early Factors

Over a century ago, Mahatma Gandhi inspired the world with a new mass means of liberation of the oppressed. His primary motivation arose from the virtue of nonviolence (ahiṃsā in Sanskrit). It served him to humanely liberate India from British rule. However, this ethical virtue stirred the country long before neo-Hinduism. It was a significant meditative practice and prerequisite for religious life back in ancient times. This research is the last one in the series. It briefly presents evidence from different periods produced by a host of systems exchanging the ideas—on nonviolence.

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Posted by Paula Kaminska Indic Studies

The Liberation of the Self in Indic Traditions

Brahmanism, Jainism and Buddhism are traditions indigenous to ancient India; while they share common origins, they developed distinct worldviews and methodologies. The purpose of this research is to explore their historical, semantic and doctrinal development and demonstrate links between their meditation systems. This second part of the series is centred around the exchange and divergence of the concept of liberation, and its corresponding beliefs and practices.

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Posted by Paula Kaminska Indic Studies

The Meaning of Yoga in the Oldest Text: The Bhagavad Gita

The Bhagavadgītā of the Mahābhārata is a post-Vedic text seeking to affirm Brahmanism. It achieves it through a revision of the religious and philosophical doctrines of its milieu. It is the first material to comprehensively promote worldly activity by adopting yoga—appropriated from ascetic-renunciatory settings. The modernised yogic methods and orientations, weaved into Vedic dharma, are the prime focus. This research examines their composition by relying on a selection of academic translations.

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Posted by Paula Kaminska Indic Studies

Hinduism as a Colonial Construction

This research examines the origins of Hinduism. It emphasises constructionist and anti-constructionist positions in the colonial debate, tracing complicated viewpoints of imperialists, non-imperialists, as well as Asian scholars. The discussion they continue to engage in is not of binary nature; therefore, the essay demonstrates the need for avoiding the lure of providing a simple resolution.

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Posted by Paula Kaminska Indic Studies