In this chapter, Antonella Comba discusses the place of plants in the Pali Tipiṭaka. Although Indian Buddhists came to regard plants and seeds as insentient beings, the respect and love the Buddha felt for living plants was so deep that he did not allow monks to destroy plants, to pick fruits from trees, or to eat living seeds as these could generate new plants. Trees are ubiquitous in Buddhist narratives, and the forest is praised as the most suitable place for an ascetic to let go of any distraction and obtain awakening. Preaching the dhamma, the Buddha used many similes from the vegetable kingdom, because he was speaking to ascetics who like him were living in the forest and had direct experience of the inspiring power of that milieu.
{"title":"The Bodhi Tree and Other Plants in the Pāli Tipiṭaka","authors":"A. Comba","doi":"10.1558/equinox.30832","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/equinox.30832","url":null,"abstract":"In this chapter, Antonella Comba discusses the place of plants in the Pali Tipiṭaka. Although Indian Buddhists came to regard plants and seeds as insentient beings, the respect and love the Buddha felt for living plants was so deep that he did not allow monks to destroy plants, to pick fruits from trees, or to eat living seeds as these could generate new plants. Trees are ubiquitous in Buddhist narratives, and the forest is praised as the most suitable place for an ascetic to let go of any distraction and obtain awakening. Preaching the dhamma, the Buddha used many similes from the vegetable kingdom, because he was speaking to ascetics who like him were living in the forest and had direct experience of the inspiring power of that milieu.","PeriodicalId":376542,"journal":{"name":"Roots of Wisdom, Branches of Devotion: Plant Life in South Asian Traditions","volume":"25 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123807873","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Albertina Nugteren’s chapter, which brings the second section to conclusion, maintains a focus on ecology but privileges an analysis of tradition and ritual praxis, namely the burning of bodies as part of the final sacrifice (antyeṣṭi). By relating prescriptive Sanskrit texts to fieldwork conducted in Nepal, the author explores the centrality of fire in Hindu funerary rites, the ongoing insistence on open pyres, and the religious symbolism investing in trees. The staggering quantity of dry wood required for such practices – preferably even enriched with rare woods such as sandalwood – is being challenged by today’s environmental realities, yet emerging alternatives such as electric crematoria are largely seen as clashing with a consolidated tradition.
{"title":"Wood, Water, and Waste: Material Aspects of Mortuary Practices in South Asia","authors":"Tineke Nugteren, F. Ferrari, Thomas Daehnhardt","doi":"10.1558/equinox.30833","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/equinox.30833","url":null,"abstract":"Albertina Nugteren’s chapter, which brings the second section to conclusion, maintains a focus on ecology but privileges an analysis of tradition and ritual praxis, namely the burning of bodies as part of the final sacrifice (antyeṣṭi). By relating prescriptive Sanskrit texts to fieldwork conducted in Nepal, the author explores the centrality of fire in Hindu funerary rites, the ongoing insistence on open pyres, and the religious symbolism investing in trees. The staggering quantity of dry wood required for such practices – preferably even enriched with rare woods such as sandalwood – is being challenged by today’s environmental realities, yet emerging alternatives such as electric crematoria are largely seen as clashing with a consolidated tradition.","PeriodicalId":376542,"journal":{"name":"Roots of Wisdom, Branches of Devotion: Plant Life in South Asian Traditions","volume":"42 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125508208","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"List of Figures","authors":"F. Ferrari, T. Dähnhardt","doi":"10.1558/equinox.30827","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/equinox.30827","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":376542,"journal":{"name":"Roots of Wisdom, Branches of Devotion: Plant Life in South Asian Traditions","volume":"119 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133452770","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In Chapter 1, Antonio Rigopoulos explores the significance of divine trees in the construction of the charismatic persona of Sathya Sāī Bābā (1926–2011), the famous god-man of Puttaparthi in southern Andhra Pradesh. Particular attention is paid to the pārijāta, the tamarind tree as kalpavr̥kṣa and the vaṭa/bodhi tree, which in the saint’s hagiography are related to his advent, his miraculous powers and the meditative practice conducive to final liberation (mokṣa), respectively.
{"title":"A Modern Kalpavr̥kṣa: Sathya Sāī Bābā and the Wish-fulfilling Tree","authors":"A. Rigopoulos","doi":"10.1558/equinox.33196","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/equinox.33196","url":null,"abstract":"In Chapter 1, Antonio Rigopoulos explores the significance of divine trees in the construction of the charismatic persona of Sathya Sāī Bābā (1926–2011), the famous god-man of Puttaparthi in southern Andhra Pradesh. Particular attention is paid to the pārijāta, the tamarind tree as kalpavr̥kṣa and the vaṭa/bodhi tree, which in the saint’s hagiography are related to his advent, his miraculous powers and the meditative practice conducive to final liberation (mokṣa), respectively.","PeriodicalId":376542,"journal":{"name":"Roots of Wisdom, Branches of Devotion: Plant Life in South Asian Traditions","volume":"21 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114408136","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Finnian Gerety analyses the early use of the udumbara tree (Ficus racemosa L.) and its milky, sap-filled wood as a ritual object as well as offering. One rite centered on the udumbara that has received scant attention is the erection of the post of udumbara (audumbaryutthāpana) as described in the Sāmaveda. As his first act in the Soma sacrifice, the udgātar (lead singer) of the Sāmaveda raises the audumbarī, addresses it with mantras and offerings, wraps it with cloth and embraces it. Gerety analyses this rite of tree hugging with special reference to Jaiminīya texts. By advancing the audumbarī rite as the inauguration of the udgātar’s office, the SV texts present an arboreal embodiment of the musical qualities they most prize: swelling,sweetness, nourishment, and vigor. When the singer hugs the trunk, he actualizes this potency in his own performance.
{"title":"Tree-Hugger: The Sāmavedic Rite of Audumbarī","authors":"Finnian Gerety","doi":"10.1558/equinox.30835","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/equinox.30835","url":null,"abstract":"Finnian Gerety analyses the early use of the udumbara tree (Ficus racemosa L.) and its milky, sap-filled wood as a ritual object as well as offering. One rite centered on the udumbara that has received scant attention is the erection of the post of udumbara (audumbaryutthāpana) as described in the Sāmaveda. As his first act in the Soma sacrifice, the udgātar (lead singer) of the Sāmaveda raises the audumbarī, addresses it with mantras and offerings, wraps it with cloth and embraces it. Gerety analyses this rite of tree hugging with special reference to Jaiminīya texts. By advancing the audumbarī rite as the inauguration of the udgātar’s office, the SV texts present an arboreal embodiment of the musical qualities they most prize: swelling,sweetness, nourishment, and vigor. When the singer hugs the trunk, he actualizes this potency in his own performance.","PeriodicalId":376542,"journal":{"name":"Roots of Wisdom, Branches of Devotion: Plant Life in South Asian Traditions","volume":"2 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121649101","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This chapter discusses early medieval Bhūta and Bāla Tantras. On the basis of unedited manuscript sources, the author describes the role played by plants in religion and life as seen through the lens of exorcism rituals. Datura, red oleander, mustard seeds, rice, sesame, garlic, fig, Flame of the forest, wood-apple: these and many more formed the basis of tantric exorcisms. Plants were used to attract, feed and repel demons. They were made into incense, oil, and weapons, as well as cakes, mannequins and medicines. Auspicious and noxious qualities of sacred plants and trees were infused into water, milk and cooling ointments, or made into sweet fragrances or foul-smelling fires. In short, the universe of early tantric exorcism ritual was suffused with plants whose powers resonate in contemporary exorcist practice across South Asia.
{"title":"The Herbal Arsenal and Fetid Food: The Power of Plants in Early Tantric Exorcism Rituals","authors":"Michael Slouber","doi":"10.1558/equinox.30834","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/equinox.30834","url":null,"abstract":"This chapter discusses early medieval Bhūta and Bāla Tantras. On the basis of unedited manuscript sources, the author describes the role played by plants in religion and life as seen through the lens of exorcism rituals. Datura, red oleander, mustard seeds, rice, sesame, garlic, fig, Flame of the forest, wood-apple: these and many more formed the basis of tantric exorcisms. Plants were used to attract, feed and repel demons. They were made into incense, oil, and weapons, as well as cakes, mannequins and medicines. Auspicious and noxious qualities of sacred plants and trees were infused into water, milk and cooling ointments, or made into sweet fragrances or foul-smelling fires. In short, the universe of early tantric exorcism ritual was suffused with plants whose powers resonate in contemporary exorcist practice across South Asia.","PeriodicalId":376542,"journal":{"name":"Roots of Wisdom, Branches of Devotion: Plant Life in South Asian Traditions","volume":"56 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115148445","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In this chapter, Shailendra Bhandare examines the way in which the rich symbolism of trees and foliate motives appear on Indian coinage pertaining to two historical periods: ancient India (from c. the fifth century bce to the fifth century ce) and the Islamic period. This, the author argues, demonstrates an interesting continuity in the tradition of representation of Indian flora.
{"title":"“Pagoda Tree”: Plants and Other Foliate Motifs on Indians Coins through History","authors":"Shailendra Bhandare","doi":"10.1558/equinox.30829","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/equinox.30829","url":null,"abstract":"In this chapter, Shailendra Bhandare examines the way in which the rich symbolism of trees and foliate motives appear on Indian coinage pertaining to two historical periods: ancient India (from c. the fifth century bce to the fifth century ce) and the Islamic period. This, the author argues, demonstrates an interesting continuity in the tradition of representation of Indian flora.","PeriodicalId":376542,"journal":{"name":"Roots of Wisdom, Branches of Devotion: Plant Life in South Asian Traditions","volume":"42 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121553214","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mikko Viitamäki opens up this section with his study of ʿitr, volatile essential oils extracted from different plant material and widely used within the religious culture of Indian Sufis. From as early as the medical work of Ibn Sīnā (Avicenna, d. 1037), Sufis have contributed to create a culture of scent through which essential oils enable them to engage the olfactory sense in boosting their personal religious practice. Through his ethnographic fieldwork conducted at the Sufi shrine of Nizamuddin Auliyaʾ in Delhi, Viitamäki assesses an enduring tradition vis-à-vis the impact on the contemporary market where more affordable and long-lasting synthetic oils are available.
{"title":"Perfumed Islam: The Culture of Scent at the Nizamuddin Basti","authors":"Mikko Viitamäki","doi":"10.1558/equinox.30831","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/equinox.30831","url":null,"abstract":"Mikko Viitamäki opens up this section with his study of ʿitr, volatile essential oils extracted from different plant material and widely used within the religious culture of Indian Sufis. From as early as the medical work of Ibn Sīnā (Avicenna, d. 1037), Sufis have contributed to create a culture of scent through which essential oils enable them to engage the olfactory sense in boosting their personal religious practice. Through his ethnographic fieldwork conducted at the Sufi shrine of Nizamuddin Auliyaʾ in Delhi, Viitamäki assesses an enduring tradition vis-à-vis the impact on the contemporary market where more affordable and long-lasting synthetic oils are available.","PeriodicalId":376542,"journal":{"name":"Roots of Wisdom, Branches of Devotion: Plant Life in South Asian Traditions","volume":"65 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128054953","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The last chapter of the first section investigates the wondrous and sensuous beauty of plants, trees, fruits and flowers in the Rāsa Līlā as described in the Bhāgavata Purāṇa. Graham Schweig explores the role of flora within the experience of devotion (bhakti) as expressed in the Vaiṣṇava narrative celebrating Kr̥ṣṇa, and the interdependent dialectical relationship between natural phenomena and the movements of the bhakta’s or devotee’s heart.
{"title":"Divine Flora, Divine Love: The Place of Natural Scenery in the Ultimate Vision of Kr̥ṣṇa Bhakti","authors":"G. Schweig","doi":"10.1558/equinox.30830","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/equinox.30830","url":null,"abstract":"The last chapter of the first section investigates the wondrous and sensuous beauty of plants, trees, fruits and flowers in the Rāsa Līlā as described in the Bhāgavata Purāṇa. Graham Schweig explores the role of flora within the experience of devotion (bhakti) as expressed in the Vaiṣṇava narrative celebrating Kr̥ṣṇa, and the interdependent dialectical relationship between natural phenomena and the movements of the bhakta’s or devotee’s heart.","PeriodicalId":376542,"journal":{"name":"Roots of Wisdom, Branches of Devotion: Plant Life in South Asian Traditions","volume":"17 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132056581","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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