Let's Talk Religion

Abraham Abulafia (d. 1291) is one of the most fascinating jewish mystics of all time, who is credited with founding the "Ecstatic/Prophetic Kabbalah".

Sources/Suggested Reading:

• Hames, Harvey J. (2007). “Like Angels on Jacob’s Ladder”. State University of New York Press.
• Ide, Moshe (1988). “The Mystical Experience in Abraham Abulafia”. Translated from the Hebrew by Jonathan Chipman. State University of New York Press.
• Idel, Moshe (1988). “Studies in Ecstatic Kabbalah”. State University of New York Press.
• Wolfson, Eliot R. (2011). “Abraham ben Samuel Abulafia and the Prophetic Kabbalah”. In Jewish Mysticism & Kabbalah (ed. Frederick E. Greenspahn). New York University Press.

#Abulafia #Kabbalah #Mysticism

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In this episode we talk about Jesus, who is was and if he even existed.

Sources/Suggested Reading:

• Chilton, Bruce & Craig A. Evans (ed.) (1998). Studying the historical Jesus: Evaluations of the state of Current Research. Brill.
• Ehrman, Bart D. (2013). Did Jesus Exist?: The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth. HarperOne.
• Holmén, Tom & Stanley E. Porter (ed.) (2011). Handbook for the study of the historical Jesus. Volume 1. Brill.
• Levine, Amy-Jill; Dale C. Allison Jr. & John Dominic Crossan (2006). The Historical Jesus in Context. Princeton University Press.

#Jesus #History #ProjectHistoricity

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In this episode we talk about the great 14th-15th century saint Shah Ni'matullah Wali and the order that carries his name.

Sources/Further Reading:

• Dahlén, Ashk (2001). "Sufismen i det moderna Iran". In Levande Sufism. Edited by David Westerlund.
• Graham, Terry (1999) "Shah Ni'matullah Wali: Founder of the Ni'matullahi Sufi Order". In The Heritage of Sufism: Legacy of Medieval Persian Sufism (Volume 2). Edited by Leonard Lewisohn.
• Herman, Denis & Mathieu Terrier (2020). "Shi'i Islam and Sufism: classical views and modern perspectives". I.B. Tauris.
• Nurbakhsh, Javad (1980). "Masters of the Path: a history of the masters of the Nimatullahi sufi order". Khaniqahi-Nimatullahi Publications: New York.
• Pourjavady, Nasrollah (?). "Shah Nematollah Vali: an Heir to Two Mystical Literary Traditions". Article.
• Various (2002). "Celebrating a Sufi Master: A collection of works on the occasion of the First (& Second) international symposium on Shah Nematollah Vali". San Jose State University. Volumes 1 & 2.

#Nimatullahi #Sufism #Islam

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This episode is one that leans heavily on the academic side. Here we talk about the effects that religion and migration have on each other.

Sources/Further Reading:

• Levitt, Peggy (2009). "God Needs No Passport: Immigrants and the Changing American Landscape". The New Press.
• Frederiks, Martha (2014). "Religion, Migration & Identity: A conceptual and theoretical exploration". In "Religion, Migration & Identity: A conceptual and theoretical exploration". Edited by Martha Frederiks & Dorottya Nagy. Brill.

#Religion #Migration #Immigration

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Meister Eckhart is an influential, and often surprising, Christian theologian/philosopher/mystics whose writings & sermons have both inspired future thinkers in the catholic church, but also been condemned by the pope as heretical.

Sources/Further Reading:

• McGinn, Bernard (2003). "The Mystical Thought of Meister Eckhart: The Man from Whom God Hid Nothing". Independent Publishers Group.
• McGinn, Bernard (1992). "Meister Eckhart: Teacher and Preacher". Classics of Western Spirituality Series. Paulist Press International, U.S.
• McGinn, Bernard (1981). "Meister Eckhart: The Essential Sermons, Commentaries, Treatises and Defense". Classics of Western Spirituality Series. Paulist Press International, U.S.

#Eckhart #Mysticism #Christianity

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In this video, we talk about one of the most central texts and figures in Daoism.

Sources/Further Reading:

• Komjathy, Louis (2013). "The Daoist Tradition: An Introduction". Bloomsbury Academic.
• Lao Tzu (2013). "Tao Te Ching - A New Translation. Translated by William Scott Wilson. Shambala Publications. Hackett Publishing Co, Inc.
• Zhuangzi (2008). "Zhuangzi - The Essential Texts: With Translations from Traditional Commentaries". Translated by Brook Ziporyn.

#Zhuangzi #Daoism #Philosophy

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We follow up the last episode on Shankara & Advaita Vedanta by talking about the most influential response to that school.

Sources/Suggested Reading:

• Bartley, C.J. (2002). "The Theology of Ramanuja - Realism and Religion". Routledge.
• Flood, Gavin (ed.) (2003). "The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism". Blackwell Publishing.
• "Sri Ramanuja Gita Bhashya - with text in Devangari & English rendering". Translated by Swami Adidevananda. Chennai: Sri Ramakrishna Math.
• Thibaut, George (translated by) (2006). "The Vedanta-Sutras with the Commentary by Ramanuja". The Echo Library.

#Vedanta #Ramanuja #Hinduism

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The much requested episode about Shankara is finally here.

Sources/Suggeested Reading:

• Deutsch, Eliot (1973). “Advaita Vedanta: A Philosophical Reconstruction”. University of Hawai’i Press.
• Deutsch, Eliot & Rohit Dalvi (2005). “Essential Vedanta: A New Source Book of Advaita Vedanta”. World Wisdoms Books.
• Suthren Hirst, J.G. (2005). “Samkara’s Advaita Vedanta: a way of teaching”. Routledge.
• “The Mandukya Upanishad with Gaudapada’s Karika and Sankara’s Commentary”. Translated by Swami Nikhilananda. 1987. Advaita Ashrama.
• “Brahma Sutra Bhasya of Sankaracarya”. Translated by Swami Gambhirananda.1972. Advaita Ashrama.

#Shankara​ #Vedanta​ #Advaita

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This week we talk about the Hindu philosophical school(s) of "Vedanta".

Sources/Further Reading:

• Brahma Sutra Basya by Shankaracharya. Published by Advaita Ashrama, India; New edition (1 Jan. 2000).
• The Mandukya Upanishad with Gaudapada's Karika & Sankara's Commentary. Published by Vedanta Press.
• Deutsch, Eliot (1986). "Advaita Vedanta: A Philosophical Reconstruction". University of Hawaii Press.
• Deutsch, Eliot & Rohit Dalvi (2005). "Essential Vedanta: A New Source Book of Advaita Vedanta". World Wisdom Books.
• Flood, Gavin (2003). "The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism". Blackwell publishing.
• Jacobsen, Knut A. (2003). "Hinduismen: Historia, tradition, mångfald". Kultur och Natur.
• Sri Ramanuja Gita Basya (Translation by Swami Adidevananda). Published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai.

#Vedanta #Hinduism #Advaita

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The earliest and most sacred scriptures of Hinduism - The Vedas - is some of the oldest surviving religious literature in the world, and simultaneously some of the best preserved. In this episode, we talk about these fascinating texts as the first part in a new series on religion in India.

Sources/Further Reading:

• Flood, Gavin (2003). "The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism". Blackwell publishing.
• Jacobsen, Knut A. (2003). "Hinduismen: Historia, tradition, mångfald". Kultur och Natur.

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