Author's best-known and most controversial study relates the rise of a capitalist economy to the Puritan belief that hard work and good deeds were outward signs of faith and salvation.

Over the past century, Buddhism has come to be seen as a world religion, exceeding Christianity in longevity and, according to many, philosophical wisdom. Buddhism has also increasingly been described as strongly ethical, devoted to nonviolence, and dedicated to bringing an end to human suffering. And because it places such a strong emphasis on rational analysis, Buddhism is considered more compatible with science than the other great religions. As such, Buddhism has been embraced in the West, both as an alternative religion and as an alternative to religion. This volume provides a unique introduction to Buddhism by examining categories essential for a nuanced understanding of its traditions. Each of the fifteen essays here shows students how a fundamental term—from art to word—illuminates the practice of Buddhism, both in traditional Buddhist societies and in the realms of modernity. Apart from Buddha, the list of terms in this collection deliberately includes none that are intrinsic to the religion. Instead, the contributors explore terms that are important for many fields and that invite interdisciplinary reflection. Through incisive discussions of topics ranging from practice, power, and pedagogy to ritual, history, sex, and death, the authors offer new directions for the understanding of Buddhism, taking constructive and sometimes polemical positions in an effort both to demonstrate the shortcomings of assumptions about the religion and the potential power of revisionary approaches. Following the tradition of Critical Terms for Religious Studies, this volume is not only an invaluable resource for the classroom but one that belongs on the short list of essential books for anyone seriously interested in Buddhism and Asian religions.

1896. The Child in Primitive Culture. Contents: Child-Study; The Child's Tribute to the Mother; The Child's Tribute to the Father; The Name Child; The Child in the Primitive Laboratory; The Bright Side of Child-Life: Parental Affection; Childhood the Golden Age; Children's Food; Children's Souls; Children's Flowers, Plants, and Trees; Children's Animals, Birds, etc.; Child-Life and Education in General; The Child as Member and Builder of Society; The Child as Linguist; The Child as Actor and Inventor; The Child as Poet and Musician; The Child as Teacher and Wiseacre; The Child as Judge; The Child as Oracle-Keeper and Oracle-Interpreter; The Child as Weather-Maker; The Child as Healer and Physician; The Child as Shaman and Priest; The Child as Hero, Adventurer, etc.; The Child as Fetich and Divinity; The Child as God: The Christ-Child; Proverbs, Sayings, etc., about Parents, Father and Mother; Proverbs, Sayings, etc., about the Child, Mankind, Genius; Proverbs, Sayings, etc., about Mother and Child; Proverbs, Sayings, etc., about Father and Child; Proverbs, Sayings, etc., about Childhood, Youth, and Age; and Proverbs, Sayings, etc., about the Child and Childhood.

Encyclopedia of Ancient and Forbidden Secretscolorings, the S.S. has its own rites, festivals, rituals and burial customs. The "spiritual center" of the S.S. - dedicated entirely to the development of these and other public rituals, is the Ancestral Heritage Office.Reichsfuhrer S.S., Himmler, is an avid student of the occult. An SS occult research department, the Ahnernerbe (Ancestral Heritage) was established in 1935 with SS Colonel Wolfram von Sievers at its head. Occult research took SS researchers as far afield as Tibet.As soon as the Nazi movement had sufficient funds, it began to organize a number of expeditions to Tibet and these succeeded one another practically without interruption through the present day. It is conjectured that the Nazis wish to find Shambala, an ancient center of power which is said to be accessible through hidden tunnels in Tibet.The strongest influence on Hitler in this regard was Dietrich Eckart (1868-1923). Most biographers have underestimated the influence that Eckart exerted on Hitler. He was the wealthy publisher and editor-in-chief of an anti-semitic journal which he called In Plain German. Eckart was also a committed occultist and a master of magic. As an initiate, Eckart belonged to the inner circle of the Thule Society as well as other esoteric orders.There can be no doubt that Eckart - who had been alerted to Hitler by other Thulists - trained Hitler in techniques of self confidence, self projection, persuasive oratory, body language and discursive sophistry. With these tools, in a short period of time he was able to move the obscure workers party from the club and beer hall atmosphere to a mass movement. The emotion charged lay speaker became an expert orator, capable of mesmerizing a vast audience.

What is Spiritual Religion; The Main Current of the Reformation; Hans Denck and the Inward Word; Two Prophets of the Inward Word: Bunderlin and Entfelder; Sebastian Franck: An Apostle of Inward Religion; Caspar Schwenckfeld and the Reformation of the Middle Way; Sebastian Castellio: A Forgotten Prophet; Coornhert and the Collegiants; Valentine Weigel and Nature Mysticism; Jacob Boehme: His Life and Spirit; Boehme's Universe, His Way of Salvation and His Influence in England; Early English Interpreters of Spiritual Religion, John Everard, Giles Randall and others; John Smith, Patonist; Thomas Traheren and the Spiritual Poets of the Seventeenth Century.