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The Other Ramayana Women: Regional Rejection and Response (Routledge Hindu Studies Series)
by John Brockington and Mary BrockingtonThis book is the first to present current scholarship on gender and in regional and sectarian versions of the Rāmāyaṇa. Contributors explore in what ways the versions relate to other Rāmāyaṇa texts as they deal with the female persona and the cultural values implicit in them. Using a wide variety of approaches, both analytical and descriptive, the authors discover common ground between narrative variants even as their diversity is recognized. It offers an analysis in the shaping of the heterogeneous Rāma tradition through time as it can be viewed from the perspective of narrating women's lives. Through the analysis of the representation and treatment of female characters, narrative inventions, structural design, textual variants, and the idiom of composition and technique in art and sculpture are revealed and it is shown what and in which way these alternative versions are unique. A sophisticated exploration of the Rāmāyaṇa, this book is of great interest to academics in the fields of South Asian Studies, Asian Religion, Asian Gender and Cultural Studies.
The Other Rāma: Matricide and Genocide in the Mythology of Paraśurāma (SUNY series in Hindu Studies)
by Brian CollinsThe Other Rāma presents a systematic analysis of the myth cycle of Paraśurāma ("Rāma with the Axe"), an avatára of Viṣṇu best known for decapitating his own mother and annihilating twenty-one generations of the Kṣatriya warrior caste in an extermination campaign frequently referred to as "genocide" by modern scholars. Compared to Rāma and Kṛṣṇa, the other human forms of Viṣṇu, Paraśurāma has a much darker reputation, with few temples devoted to him and scant worshippers. He has also attracted far less scholarly attention. But dozens of important castes and clans across the subcontinent claim Paraśurāma as the originator of their bloodline, and his mother, Reṇukā, is worshipped in the form of a severed head throughout South India.Using the tools of comparative mythology and psychoanalysis, Brian Collins identifies three major motifs in the mythology of Paraśurāma: his hybrid status as a Brahmin warrior, his act of matricide, and his bloody one-man war to cleanse the earth of Kṣatriyas. Collins considers a wide variety of representations of the myth, from its origins in the Mahābhārata to contemporary debates online. He also examines Paraśurāma alongside the Wandering Jew of European legend and Psycho's matricidal serial killer Norman Bates. He examines why mythmakers once elevated this transgressive and antisocial figure to the level of an avatāra and why he still holds such fascination for a world that continues to grapple with mass killings and violence against women.
The Other Saudis
by Toby MatthiesenThis accessible scholarly work traces the regional politics of the Shia in the Eastern Province of Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia since the nineteenth century. The first comprehensive book in English on the topic, it casts new light on the survival strategies and political mobilization of the Shia community as it confronts the repressive machinery of the Saudi regime. The spectrum of Shia opposition groups range from Communists, since the 1950s, to Khomeinists after the Iranian revolution, some of whom use violence against the Saudi state. While most Saudi Shia opposition activists ceased their activities after the agreement with King Fahd in 1993, the uprisings since 2011 have reinvigorated tensions between the Shia and the state. The Eastern Province is home to Saudi Arabia's oil and is therefore of immense geopolitical importance, featured in all assessments of Gulf security, national stability, oil markets and Saudi-Iranian relations.
Other Sheep
by Arnold Schroeder“Gospel-based ministry to the institutionalized and their families has not changed… the institutionalized continue to need the message of the Savior’s love and forgiveness…” Other Sheep takes you into hospitals, prisons, veterans’ facilities, and nursing homes to visit those who may be forgotten, dismissed, or ostracized by the outside world but are never forgotten, sent away, or forsaken by Jesus the Good Shepherd.It shows you that you have opportunities to share the love of Jesus with people who feel unloved, abandoned, forgotten, and filled with shame. You can point them to the Savior who loves you and them with an everlasting love that knows no bounds.The stories in this book feature powerful anecdotes of situations where—when all hope seems lost—the Lord steps in to make a negative situation positive.
The Other Shore: A New Translation of the Heart Sutra with Commentaries
by Thich Nhat HanhThis new translation of the Buddha's most important, most studied teaching offers a radical new interpretation. In September, 2014 Thich Nhat Hanh completed a profound and beautiful new English translation of the Prajñaparamita Heart Sutra, one of the most important and well-known sutras in Buddhism. The Heart Sutra is recited daily in Mahayana temples and practice centers throughout the world. This new translation came about because Thich Nhat Hanh believes that the patriarch who originally compiled the Heart Sutra was not sufficiently skillful with his use of language to capture the intention of the Buddha's teachings—and has resulted in fundamental misunderstandings of the central tenets of Buddhism for almost 2,000 years. In The Other Shore: A New Translation of the Heart Sutra with Commentaries, Thich Nhat Hanh provides the new translation with commentaries based on his interpretation. Revealing the Buddha's original intention and insight makes clear what it means to transcend duality and pairs of opposites, such as birth and death, and to touch the ultimate reality and the wisdom of nondiscrimination. By helping to demystify the term "emptiness," the Heart Sutra is made more accessible and understandable. Prior to the publication of The Other Shore, Thich Nhat Hanh's translation and commentaries of the Heart Sutra, called The Heart of Understanding, sold more than 120,000 copies in various editions and is one of the most beloved commentaries of this critical teaching. This new book, The Other Shore, supersedes all prior translations.
The Other Side: A Story of Women in Art and the Spirit World
by Jennifer HiggieThe first major work of art history to focus on women artists and their engagement with the spirit world, by the author of The Mirror and the Palette.It's not so long ago that a woman's expressed interest in other realms would have ruined her reputation, or even killed her. And yet spiritualism, in various incarnations, has influenced numerous men—including lauded modernist artists such as Wassily Kandinsky, Piet Mondrian, Kazimir Malevich and Paul Klee—without repercussion. The fact that so many radical female artists of their generation—and earlier—also drank deeply from the same spiritual well has been sorely neglected for too long. In The Other Side, we explore the lives and work of a group of extraordinary women, from the twelfth-century mystic, composer, and artist Hildegard of Bingen to the nineteenth-century English spiritualist Georgiana Houghton, whose paintings swirl like a cosmic Jackson Pollock; the early twentieth-century Swedish artist, Hilma af Klint, who painted with the help of her spirit guides and whose recent exhibition at New York's Guggenheim broke all attendance records to the 'Desert Transcendentalist', Agnes Pelton, who painted her visions beneath the vast skies of California. We also learn about the Swiss healer, Emma Kunz, who used geometric drawings to treat her patients and the British surrealist and occultist, Ithell Colquhoun, whose estate of more than 5,000 works recently entered the Tate gallery collection. While the individual work of these artists is unique, the women loosely shared the same goal: to communicate with, and learn from, other dimensions. Weaving in and out of these myriad lives while sharing her own memories of otherworldly experiences, Jennifer Higgie discusses the solace of ritual, the gender exclusions of art history, the contemporary relevance of myth, the boom in alternative ways of understanding the world and the impact of spiritualism on feminism and contemporary art. A radical reappraisal of a marginalized group of artists, The Other Side is an intoxicating blend of memoir, biography, and art history.
The Other Side: A Journey into Women, Art and the Spirit World
by Jennifer Higgie'Endlessly intriguing . . . I was enchanted' - DAILY TELEGRAPH'Illuminating in every sense of the word' - John HiggsIn an illuminating blend of memoir and art history, The Other Side explores the lives and work of a group of extraordinary women artists. From the twelfth-century mystic Hildegard of Bingen and the nineteenth-century spiritualist Georgiana Houghton to the pioneering Hilma af Klint, these women all - in their own unique ways - shared the same goal: to communicate with, and learn from, other dimensions. Weaving in and out of their myriad lives, Jennifer Higgie considers the solace of ritual, the gender exclusions of art history, the contemporary relevance of myth, the boom in alternative ways of understanding the world and the impact of spiritualism on feminism and contemporary art.
The Other Side and Back
by Sylvia Brownethe Other Side and Back is both an eye-opening journey into other worlds, and an invaluable handbook for spiritual survival in the new millennium.
The Other Side and Back: A Psychic's Guide to Our World and Beyond
by Sylvia Browne Lindsay Harrison"Psychic, Medium, Clairvoyant, Channel-these are all words to describe Sylvia Browne''s unique powers. I''ve personally witnessed her bring closure to distraught families, help the police close cases, and'open people''s hearts to help them see the good within themselves. "-Montel WilliamsFor anyone who has felt an angel''s presence, experienced a premonition, feared death, or wished for one more moment with a deceased loved one comes THE OTHER SIDE AND BACK: A Psychic''s Guide to Our World and Beyond. Renowned psychic and spiritual teacher Sylvia Browne has made believers out of millions. Now, in THE OTHER SIDE AND BACK, the New York Times bestselling author reveals the ways in which psychic energy works in our world, how it affects our everyday lives, and how anyone can tap into its power. Inspired by the most frequently asked questions during her thousands of readings and public appearances, THE OTHER SIDE AND BACK offers and unprecedented and comprehensive look at how the afterlife affects this life. Browne has produced a guidebook for those who want to deepen their spiritual and religious beliefs by understanding psychic energy and how it works in our world. Determined to help her readers understand how the soul survives death and why it is reborn many times, she offers a deeply personal account of how each of us can develop an understanding of "The Other Side" and how we can put it to work in our lives. As a child, Browne realized she had been provided with the psychic gift of being able to perceive a different "vibrational frequency," allowing her to communicate with angels and spirits that inhabit "The Other Side," which she describes as a place of tremendous beauty and limitless knowledge. Contrary to most peoples'' concept of "heaven," this spirit world is not an imaginary place far off somewhere beyond the stars, Browne explains. Rather, it is a very real place -- another dimension superimposed on our own world. In THE OTHER SIDE AND BACK, Browne provides the comforting knowledge that we are never truly alone because we each have spirit guides -- loved ones from "The Other Side" -- who protect us. She offers advice on how to pray and how to ask our spirit guides for advice, and shows us that we must look inside ourselves and examine our relationships with others in order to interpret signs from the beyond that are evident in our everyday lives. Rather than relying on faith alone, Browne encourages us to understand the psychic world''s influence on our lives and use knowledge and reason to better understand our earthly mission and individual calling. Having spent 47 years as a spiritual teacher, Browne shares her many experiences giving spiritual readings for individuals struggling with their marriages, family relationships, grievances and illnesses in THE OTHER SIDE AND BACK. Stating that she is not psychic when it comes to her personal life, Browne also shares painful memories of her own failed marriages and abusive relationships. She offers advice on how to better understand the spiritual path we have led in our current and past lives in order to help overcome feelings of self-pity, rejection, abandonment and powerlessness that often result in disappointment and frustration. In THE OTHER SIDE AND BACK, Browne also provides detailed accounts of her investigations into paranormal activities that have brought her in close contact with souls from "The Other Side" -- in addition to making her the feature of television news reports on CBS and on "Evening Magazine" in Los Angeles. Explaining the difference between ghosts, spirits and angels, Browne also discusses why some souls seem to be trapped between our world and "The Other Side," and she explores the reasons why some choose to follow a path toward darkness and evil. Browne also illuminates the relevance of dreams and other experiences such as coincidence, deja vu and synchronicity as being possible glimpses into our past lives and into what we subconsciously know about "The Other Side. "With THE OTHER SIDE AND BACK, Sylvia Browne provides us wi...
The Other Side of Beauty: Embracing God's Vision for Love and True Worth
by Leah Darrow“Leah Darrow uses her experience in the beauty industry to help the women of our culture see what true beauty looks like.” —Jennifer Fulwiler, host of The Jennifer Fulwiler Show and author of Something Other than GodDo you feel like you’re never good enough? Like you should be living a more Instagram-worthy life? Are you exhausted by the impossible quest for physical beauty but still yearn for the validation of being chosen, valued, and deemed beautiful?Drawing on her experience on America’s Next Top Model and her work as a fashion model, Leah Darrow exposes the lies we are told about our worth being tied to our appearance and instead invites us to look again at the real meaning of beauty. She shows how we can reclaim true and lasting beauty—the kind that doesn’t depend on self-doubt, exploitation, or comparison—when we reflect God’s glory and embrace our value as he made us to be: strong, brave, and free. Only when we learn to see ourselves as God does can we leave behind our culture’s definitions and demands and find joy in The Other Side of Beauty.
The Other Side of Dare (Blessed Trinity #8)
by Vanessa Davis GriggsWhen a battle of wills threatens to tear a family apart, a child shall lead them--straight to a shocking secret. Will they betray their faith--and each other--to keep it buried?After seven years of marriage, Paris Simmons-Holyfield and her husband, Andrew, are still childless. Now Paris is determined to adopt orphaned nine-year-old Jasmine Noble. Trouble is, Jasmine's in the custody of ex-stripper Gabrielle Mercedes. Worse, Andrew is vehemently against the idea--and he's not alone. Paris's father, Lawrence Simmons, a powerful politician, has vowed to shut his daughter down. The only man to even dare be on Paris's side is shady Darius Connors. Unemployed and not quite out of the dog house with his wife, Darius is more than happy to help the beautiful, vulnerable, yet undeterred Paris. . . Paris has her suspicions about why her husband and her father are so opposed to the adoption. But the reality is far more scandalous than she imagines. To get to the bottom of it, she'll have to deal with blackmail from the last person she ever expected--and battle Gabrielle, who'll fight with everything she's got--including the truth. Soon, all involved will learn just what's on the other side of dare. . ."I absolutely love Vanessa's unique writing style." --Mary Monroe
The Other Side of Darkness
by Melody CarlsonOnce again, I have kept the demons at bay.As a wife and mother, Ruth knows her prayers are crucial to her family's spiritual welfare. She stands between her precious children and the evil one, doing battle in prayer. She can't afford to be careless. Thankfully, she has powerful allies: Pastor Glenn, New Life Christian School where her daughters Mary and Sarah attend, and the inner circle at Arbor Drive Fellowship. They all reinforce her careful nurturance of her children. If only her husband, Rick, understood that. He's exasperated about the money Ruth keeps spending for the church and school. Doesn't he see that these are their best defenses in shielding their children from the dangers of the world?But the forces that threaten Ruth's faith, her family-her very life-are not the ones she expects. Ruth doesn't realize that her heartfelt desire to obey God is mingled with dangerous currents of OCD-Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Her own strategies for protecting her family may be the very thing that tears them apart.From the Trade Paperback edition.
The Other Side of Death
by Jan Price"I saw and felt the most beautiful luminous blue. I was serene, tranquil, free, and could happily have stayed there forever."Jan Price was destined not to linger in paradise but to return to the physical world and the body she had left behind during a nearly fatal heart attack.This book is Jan's account of her near-death experience and the many precious lessons it taught her--most important, that death need never be feared, by anyone. She describes the beautiful spiritual country in which she found herself and her joyous encounters there. She reflects on why near-death experiences happen and why they've become so common. Jan's husband, bestselling inspirational author John Randolph Price, also contributes to the story, sharing his feelings and experiences during this tremendous crisis.Guilt and punishment, forgiveness and transformation, life and love, earth and eternity--Jan Price's remarkable story teaches us about all of them, joyfully and unforgettably.From the Trade Paperback edition.
The Other Side of Divine (Blessed Trinity #9)
by Vanessa Davis GriggsFull of crazy church politics and a huge cast, Griggs keeps this on-going story alive by addressing the challenges of living by Biblical rules with homespun humor. --Publishers Weekly Paris Simmons-Holyfield is finally pregnant with the baby she's dreamed of for so long. There's just one complication: she's not sure who the father is. Apparently, after a night of drinking with her ex-coworker and ally Darius Connors, it could be him. Considering her husband's track record, chances are it is. Still, Paris prays it's not Darius, and decides to keep quiet about her worries. Especially because Darius isn't ready to give up on his crumbling marriage. . . Meanwhile, after a battle to keep her adopted daughter and an ugly confrontation with Paris's family, Gabrielle Mercedes has finally found love and happiness. But when her father shows up, paroled from prison, she fears she's in for another round of trouble. As all three navigate the path from sin to redemption, can they forgive their way to the other side? "I absolutely love Vanessa's unique writing style." --Mary Monroe, New York Times bestselling author
The Other Side of Goodness (Blessed Trinity #7)
by Vanessa Davis Griggs"A great story about His ability to turn even the worst situation into a blessing." --Kimberla Lawson Roby, New York Times bestselling authorHow far will faith and love go when an ambitious man finds himself in the fight of his life--with a woman who knows the other side of goodness all too well...Fifty-year-old Alabama congressman Lawrence Rudolph Simmons will do whatever it takes to get re-elected--even switch parties from Democrat to Republican. With the political tide turning, Lawrence feels it's his best shot--along with his charisma, solid twenty-nine year marriage, and three great kids. But a buried secret from his past is about to be resurrected....It's been eight years since Gabrielle Mercedes gave up her baby for adoption. But when she learns the child desperately needs a bone marrow transplant, she doesn't hesitate to contact the congressman. Like Lawrence, Gabrielle will fight for what she wants, even if it means the truth could ruin someone else's life and career...."I absolutely love Vanessa's unique writing style. She is one of a kind." --Mary Monroe, New York Times bestselling author"There are enough tears, hugs, and lessons learned before summer's over to appease readers, young and adult, who like a good dose of faith with their fiction." --Publishers Weekly on Ray of Hope
The Other Side of Hope: Flipping the Script on Cynicism and Despair and Rediscovering our Humanity
by Danielle StricklandOvercome the twin giants of cynicism and despair that threaten to derail your emotional and physical health and find hope for life by witnessing the power of God&’s redemptive healing.Part guidebook and part storytelling, The Other Side of Hope is a uniquely designed flip-book with two entry points to the message of finding hope in a desperately harsh world.One part of the book focuses on theory and biblical philosophy, including insights intofighting cynicism, the architect of despair;embracing true humility and love; andshifting to a new mindset together as a community. Flip the book over to the other part and read a collection of stories about people from around the world who overcame impossible situations, showing that nothing is impossible through Christ.In this start-where-you-want flip-book, you not only learn what the Bible says about hope but also witness God&’s redemptive power at work in the lives of people in the real world.
The Other Side of Jordan: The Journal of Callie McGregor series, Book 2
by Dawn MillerPioneer woman Callie McGregor and her family are determined to survive the Indian massacres, prairie wildfires, droughts, and blizzards of the Montana territory in the 1800s with their faith intact.
The Other Side of Nothing: The Zen Ethics of Time, Space, and Being
by Brad WarnerA reader-friendly guide to Zen Buddhist ethics for modern times In the West, Zen Buddhism has a reputation for paradoxes that defy logic. In particular, the Buddhist concept of nonduality — the realization that everything in the universe forms a single, integrated whole — is especially difficult to grasp. In The Other Side of Nothing, Zen teacher Brad Warner untangles the mystery and explains nonduality in plain English. To Warner, this is not just a philosophical problem: nonduality forms the bedrock of Zen ethics, and once we comprehend it, many of the perplexing aspects of Zen suddenly make sense. Drawing on decades of Zen practice, he traces the interlocking relationship between Zen metaphysics and ethics, showing how a true understanding of reality — and the ultimate unity of all things — instills in us a sense of responsibility for the welfare of all beings. When we realize that our feeling of separateness from others is illusory, we have no desire to harm any creature. Warner ultimately presents an expansive overview of the Zen ethos that will give beginners and experts alike a deeper understanding of one of the world’s enduring spiritual traditions.
The Other Side of Sin: Woundedness from the Perspective of the Sinned-against
by Andrew Sung Park Susan L. NelsonIn these nine essays, Christian theologians, Biblical scholars, and clergy consider the experience of sin from the perspective of those who have been its victims. They discuss human participation in evil, and the possibility of forgiveness and reconciliation. Alienation, shame, the teaching of justice and reconciliation, and hospitality to victims are emphasized. Old Testament, Asiatic, historical, feminist, activist, ethical, and educational perspectives are all considered. c. Book News Inc.
Other Side of Suffering: The Father of JonBenet Ramsey Tells the Story of His Journey from Grief to Grace
by John Ramsey Marie ChapianThe untold story of how John Ramsey survived unspeakable tragedy and learned to hope again. Like the biblical Job, John Ramsey had it all-wealthy, social position, a loving family. And like Job, Ramsey was destined for great affliction, as many of the most precious things in his life were cruelly taken from him. First came the death of his eldest daughter in a car accident in 1992. Then, four years later, his beloved six-year-old, JonBenét, was murdered; Ramsey was the one who discovered her body, concealed in the basement of his family's home. The case drew international media attention, and-compounding Ramsey's woe-suspicion unfairly focused on Ramsey and his wife, Patsy. Although they were ultimately cleared of any connection with the crime, Ramsey's sorrows did not end. In 2006, Patsy died, at 49, of ovarian cancer. In this remarkable book, Ramsey reveals how he was sustained by faith during the long period of spiritual darkness, and he offers hope and encouragement to others who suffer tragedy and injustice.
The Other Side of the Altar: One Man's Life in the Catholic Priesthood
by Paul E. DinterIn all the coverage of the priestly sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church, one story has been left untold: the story of the everyday lives of Catholic priests in America, which remain so little understood as to be a secret, even as one priestly sexual predation after another has come to light.In The Other Side of the Altar, Paul Dinter tells one priest's story--his own--in such a way as to reveal the lives of a generation of priests that spanned two very different eras. These priests entered the ministry in the 1960s, when Catholic seminaries were full of young men inspired by both the Church's ancient faith and the Second Vatican Council's promises of renewal. But by the early 1970s, the priesthood--and the celibate fraternity it depended upon--proved quite different from what the Council had promised. American society had changed, too, particularly in the area of sexuality. As a result, there emerged a clerical subculture of denial and duplicity, which all but guaranteed that the sexual abuse of children by priests would be routinely covered up by the Church's bishops.Dinter, now married and raising two stepdaughters, left the priesthood in 1994 over the issue of celibacy, but not before having occasion to reflect on the whole range of priestly struggles with celibacy and sexual life in general--in Rome and rural England, on an Ivy League campus, and in parish rectories of the archdiocese of New York. His candid and affecting account--written from the other side of the altar, so to speak--makes clear that celibacy, sexuality, and power among the clergy have long been intertwined, and suggests how much must change if the Catholic Church hopes to regain the trust of its people.
The Other Side of the Mountain: The End of the Journey (The Journals of Thomas Merton #7)
by Thomas MertonWith the election of a new Abbot at the Abbey of Gethsemani, Merton enters a period of unprecedented freedom, culminating in the opportunity to travel to California, Alaska, and finally the Far East - journeys that offer him new possibilities and causes for contemplation. In his last days at the Abbey of Gethsemani, Merton continues to follow the tumultuous events of the sixties, including the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert Kennedy. In Southeast Asia, he meets the Dalai Lama and other Buddhist and Catholic monks and discovers a rare and rewarding kinship with each. The final year is full of excitement and great potential for Merton, making his accidental death in Bangkok, at the age of fifth-three, all the more tragic.
The Other Side of the Wall: A Palestinian Christian Narrative of Lament and Hope
by Munther IsaacChristians have lived in Palestine since the earliest days of the Jesus movement.
The Other Side of the World
by Jay Neugeboren"Epic... The Other Side of the World can charm you with its grace, intelligence and scope... [An] inventive novel."-Mark Athitakis, The Washington PostCharlie is a journeyman whose friend Nick convinces him to move to Singapore, where he falls in love with the vibrant and endangered world of nearby Borneo. One night, during a fight at a cocktail party in Singapore, Nick dies mysteriously, prompting Charlie to return to New England where he discovers that a former student has moved in with his father, Max, a former professor and source of unlimited sage expressions. Seana is a wildly successful and provocative writer who is equally wild and provocative in life. Together, she and Charlie set out on a road trip of resolution where "weird things happen if you make room for them."From the lush forests of Borneo to coastal Maine, The Other Side of the World is a grand, episodic novel and another virtuosic performance by one of America's most revered living writers.Jay Neugeboren is the author, most recently, of the novel 1940, and collection You Are My Heart and Other Stories. His previous novels have received the American Jewish Committee Award and the Edward Lewis Wallant Award. His stories and essays have appeared in The Atlantic, Tikkun, GQ, Newsweek, The New York Times, and The New York Review of Books. He was the writer-in-residence for many years at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and currently lives in New York City.
The Other Side of Zen: A Social History of Sōtō Zen Buddhism in Tokugawa Japan (Buddhisms: A Princeton University Press Series #10)
by Duncan Ry?ken WilliamsPopular understanding of Zen Buddhism typically involves a stereotyped image of isolated individuals in meditation, contemplating nothingness. This book presents the "other side of Zen," by examining the movement's explosive growth during the Tokugawa period (1600-1867) in Japan and by shedding light on the broader Japanese religious landscape during the era. Using newly-discovered manuscripts, Duncan Ryuken Williams argues that the success of Soto Zen was due neither to what is most often associated with the sect, Zen meditation, nor to the teachings of its medieval founder Dogen, but rather to the social benefits it conveyed.Zen Buddhism promised followers many tangible and attractive rewards, including the bestowal of such perquisites as healing, rain-making, and fire protection, as well as "funerary Zen" rites that assured salvation in the next world. Zen temples also provided for the orderly registration of the entire Japanese populace, as ordered by the Tokugawa government, which led to stable parish membership.Williams investigates both the sect's distinctive religious and ritual practices and its nonsectarian participation in broader currents of Japanese life. While much previous work on the subject has consisted of passages on great medieval Zen masters and their thoughts strung together and then published as "the history of Zen," Williams' work is based on care ul examination of archival sources including temple logbooks, prayer and funerary manuals, death registries, miracle tales of popular Buddhist deities, secret initiation papers, villagers' diaries, and fund-raising donor lists.