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"Her great virtue as an advocate is that she is not a reductionist. Her awareness of the complex connections among economy and nature and culture preserves her from oversimplification. So does her understanding of the importance of diversity."—Wendell Berry, from the foreword Motivated by agricultural devastation in her home country of India, Vandana Shiva became one of the world's most influential and highly acclaimed environmental and antiglobalization activists. Her groundbreaking research has exposed the destructive effects of monocultures and commercial agriculture and revealed the links between ecology, gender, and poverty. In The Vandana Shiva Reader, Shiva assembles her most influential writings, combining trenchant critiques of the corporate monopolization of agriculture with a powerful defense of biodiversity and food democracy. Containing up-to-date data and a foreword by Wendell Berry, this essential collection demonstrates the full range of Shiva's research and activism, from her condemnation of commercial seed technology, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and the international agriculture industry's dependence on fossil fuels, to her tireless documentation of the extensive human costs of ecological deterioration. This important volume illuminates Shiva's profound understanding of both the perils and potential of our interconnected world and calls on citizens of all nations to renew their commitment to love and care for soil, seeds, and people.
A little girl grieves the loss of her mother, but she can’t grieve alone. When her friends and family arrive at her house to sit shiva, laden with cakes and stories, she refuses to come downstairs. But the laughter and memories gradually bring her into the fold, where she is comforted by her community. By the end of the book, she feels stronger and more nourished, and she understands the beautiful tradition. Then, when sees her father sitting alone, she is able to comfort him in his time of need. Sitting Shiva is a beautiful, heartfelt story about grief and loss, but also about comfort and community. It shows that no matter what religion you practice, we are all more similar than we are different. A note from the author explains the ritual of sitting shiva, a seven-day period of mourning for the death of a family member observed in Jewish homes.
The traditional understanding of Shiva told through stories and teachings from the Shiva Mahapurana • Explains Shiva’s contradictory forms, such as destroyer or benefactor, and how his form depends on the needs of the devotee • Reveals how Shiva’s teachings allow one to see through the illusions at the root of all grief and alienation in human life • Explores Shiva’s relationships with Durga, Shakti, Sati, and Parvati and with his sons Ganesha and Kartikeya Shiva, the most ancient and complex deity of the Hindu pantheon, has been portrayed in many contrasting lights: destroyer and benefactor, ascetic and householder, wild demon slayer and calm yogi atop Mount Kailash. Drawing from the Hindu sacred text the Shiva Mahapurana--said to be written by Shiva himself--Vanamali selects the essential stories of Shiva, both those from his dark wild side and those from his benevolent peaceful side. Vanamali discusses Shiva’s many avatars such as Shambunatha and Bhola, as well as Dakshinamurti who taught the shastras and tantras to the rishis. She explores Shiva’s relationships with Durga, Shakti, Sati, and Parvati and with his sons Ganesha and Kartikeya. Examining Shiva’s acceptance of outsiders, Vanamali explains why ghosts and ghouls are his attendants and why his greatest devotees are demon kings, like Ravana. She includes famous Shiva stories such as the Descent of the River Ganga and Churning the Milky Ocean as well as those that reveal the origin of the festival of lights, Diwali; his creation of the cosmic couple, or hierogamos; and how Shiva and Parvati taught the world the secrets of Kundalini Shakti. The author also draws upon Shaivite teachings to illustrate the differences between Western science and Vedic science and their explanations for the origins of consciousness. Integrating Shiva’s two sides, the fierce and the peaceful, Vanamali reveals that Shiva’s form depends on the needs of the devotee. Understanding his teachings allows one to see through the illusions at the root of all grief and alienation in human life, for Shiva is the wielder of maya who does not fall under its spell. While Ganesha is known as the remover of obstacles, Shiva is the remover of tears.
The kinds of ideas, technologies, identification of genes, even manipulations of life forms that can be owned and exploited for profit by giant corporations is a vital issue for our times. The author argues that this Western-inspired, unprecedented widening of intellectual property concepts does not in fact stimulate human creativity and the generation of kowledge. Instead, it is being exploited by transnational corporations to increase their profits at the expense of the health of ordinary people and of the age-old knowledge and independence of the world's farmers. Intellectual protection is being transformed into corporate plunder. Little wonder popular feeling runs so high against the WTO that polices this new intellectual order, and the pharmaceutical, biotech and other corporations that benefit from it.
Shiva: Destroyer and Protector, Supreme Ascetic and Lord of the Universe. He is Ardhanarishwara, half-man and half-woman; he is Neelakantha, who drank poison to save the three worlds-and yet, when crazed with grief at the death of Sati, set about destroying them. Shiva holds within him the answers to some of the greatest dilemmas that have perplexed mankind. Who is Shiva? Why does he roam the world as a naked ascetic covered with ash? What was the tandava? What is the story behind the worship of the linga and what vision of the world does it signify? Namita Gokhale examines these questions and many others that lie within the myriad of stories about Shiva. Even as she unravels his complexities, she finds a philosophy and worldview that is terrifying and yet life affirming-an outlook that is to many the essence of Indian thought.
Lord Shiva is the personification of all the main practices of Yoga, as the origin and ruling power over asana, prana, mantra, inner seeing and meditation. The current book unfolds the presence, light, energy and consciousness of the Supreme Shiva to take us beyond all death and duality.
Ability is an important tool in life. Ability without commitment and awareness is like a vehicle without the engine. The Shiva Sutra enhances one’s awareness in a way one sees an opportunity in a difficulty and not a difficulty in an opportunity. There is an ‘outside reality’ and an ‘inside reality’ of one’s mind. There is also another dimension called ‘spiritual reality’. To harmonize all of them is a great awakening. Ordinary being loves one’s own ‘psycho dramas’ of justification, proving one’s point of view, blaming, being helpless... and this leads one to a state of inner poverty. To free oneself from these lower states of poverty and see them as ‘errors in one’s thinking’ is part of being effective and experiencing inner prosperity. The profound teaching of Lord Shiva introduces us to A Bigger Container where one learns to be charitable to one’s own self. This practice of making A Bigger Container is essentially spiritual. Dive deep into these mystic teachings. —Swami Sukhabodhananda
Unraveling the Symbolism of Lord Shiva Lord Shiva is revered widely as the Supreme Being, the Adi Guru, the Destroyer in the Trinity. He is known to exist in all forms and also as the formless essence behind all creation. He is worshipped as the supreme all-knowing, all-pervading reality. The personified form of Lord Shiva is popularly known by His symbolic attributes like the serpent around His neck, the crescent moon, the river Ganga flowing from His matted hair, the third eye, and the trident. Lord Shiva, Himself, represents the highest form of symbolism of the Truth. Every aspect of His appearance and stories carry a deep message for humanity on molding and directing life to attain its highest purpose. Self-realized sages have poured the virtues of Lord Shiva into His appearance and stories, so that future generations can decode and imbibe them in their lives. This book unravels the truths hidden in the symbolism of Lord Shiva. When these truths are understood and practically applied in your life, life can become an expression of unremitting joy, boundless love and unbroken peace. Read and contemplate the secrets of Shiva to bring a paradigm shift in your life.
An extensive examination of the underpinnings of the Shaivite Tradition • Reveals the influence of Shaivism on the Western world • Discusses Shaivism’s understanding of sacred sexuality • Presents the connections between Vedic poetry and metaphysics In Shiva and the Primordial Tradition, Alain Daniélou explores the relationship between Shaivism and the Western world. Shaivite philosophy does not oppose theology, cosmology, and science because it recognizes that their common aim is to seek to understand and explain the nature of the world. In the Western world, the idea of bridging the divide between science and religion is just beginning to touch the edges of mainstream thought. This rare collection of the late author’s writings contains several never-before-published articles and offers an in-depth look at the many facets of the Samkhya, the cosmologic doctrines of the Shaivite tradition. Daniélou provides important revelations on subjects such as the science of dreams, the role of poetry and sexuality in the sacred, the personality of the great Shankara, and the Shaivite influence on the Scythians and the Parthians (and by extension, the Hellenic world in general). Providing a convincing argument in favor of the polytheistic approach, he explains that monotheism is merely the deification of individualism--the separation of humanity from nature--and that by acknowledging the sacred in everything, we can recognize the imprint of the primordial tradition.