Product Description
Discusses issues related to cults, giving examples of various cults and how they affect society. ... Read more

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The Atlas of Lost Cults and Mystery Religions examines extraordinary cults and spiritual practices, some lost in the mists of time, others having transformed and evolved to form the basis of mystical practices still current today.

A wide range of traditions are explored, from the mysterious snake worshipping goddesses of the ancient Minoans to the Cathars of medieval France, believed by some to be the protectors of the Holy Grail.

The book will examine the practices ofo the Celtic Druids which have inspired present day Pagan and Wiccan traditions, and the wild Dionusian rites of ancient Greece.Lavish artwork reconstructions will show the temple precincts and mystical practices of selected cults and religions. ... Read more

Product Description
The discourse of Buddhist studies has traditionally been structured around texts and nations (the transmission of Buddhism from India to China to Japan). And yet, it is doubtful that these categories reflect in any significant way the organizing themes familiar to most Buddhists. It could be argued that cultic practices associated with particular buddhas and bodhisattvas are more representative of the way Buddhists conceive of their relation to tradition. This volume aims to explore this aspect of Buddhism by focusing on one of its most important cults, that of the Buddha Amitabha. Approaching the Land of Bliss is a rich collection of studies of texts and ritual practices devoted to Amitabha, ranging from Tibet to Japan and from early medieval times to the present.

The cult of Amitabha is identified as an integral part of Tibet's Mahayana Buddhist tradition in the opening essay by Matthew Kapstein. Next Daniel Getz, Jr., locates the Pure Land patriarch Shengcheng more firmly in a Huayan context and his Pure Conduct society not so much in the propagation of Pure Land praxis but as a means of modifying anti-Buddhist sentiments. Jacqueline Stone's study of the practice of reciting nenbutsu at the time of death gives us an understanding of both the practice itself and the motivating logic behind it. Kakuban--the founder of the one major "schism" in the history of the Shingon tradition--is placed in a typology of Japanese Pure Land thought in James Sanford's study of Kakuban's Amida hishaku. Hank Glassman contributes an essay on the "subsidiary cult" of Chujohime, which derived from the cult of Amitabha but grew to such importance that it displaced the latter as the focus of worship in medieval Japan.

In his examination of "radical Amidism," Fabio Rambelli discusses different forms of Japanese Pure Land thought that constitute divergences from the mainstream or normative forms. Richard Jaffe examines the work of the seventeenth-century cleric Ungo Kiyo, who sought to match his teaching to the needs and capacities of his disciples. Todd Lewis highlights the importance of cultic life and finds traces of the desire for rebirth into Sukhavati in stupa worship among Newari Buddhists. Charles Jones' "thick description" of a one-day recitation retreat in Taiwan provides us with a closer look at how the cult of Amitabha continues in present-day East Asia.

Approaching the Land of Bliss moves beyond the limitations of defining Buddhism in terms of its textual corpus or nation states, opening up the cult of Amitabha in Nepal, Tibet, China, and Taiwan, and uncovering new aspects of Japanese Pure Land. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

"This Amida is not the Amida of one school or one person."
Usually when we think of Pure Land Buddhism, the exclusive sectarian movements in Japan pioneered by Honen and Shinran come to mind. And indeed these are prominent traditions, but "Approaching the Land of Bliss" amply demonstrates that they're not the whole story by a long shot. The focus of this book then is on other forms of religious belief and praxis focused on Amitabha/Amida Buddha and rebirth in his Pure Land, ones that may surprise us by not conforming to our usual images and characterizations of this aspect of Buddhism. The first surprise for me anyway was the very existence of Pure Land motifs in Tibet and Nepal, since usually such are presented as if particular only to East Asia (apparently the authors were initially taken by surprise as well). These motifs though tend to be non-sectarian, part and parcel of a larger encompassing program of Buddhist religiosity, which turns out to be mostly true also in Song Dynasty China and late 20th-century Taiwan--and, surprisingly, also in Japan itself once one gets beyond the Jodo and Jodo Shinshu Schools, which this book does in style.

Despite the wide range of articles, the quality is remarkably even, combining a reliably high caliber of scholarly expertise with reasonable readability. Each also contributes fully to the overall theme without feeling shoehorned in, the venial sin of many such a collection. One may not agree with the approach of every single article, of course, and in my case one selection seemed rather too anachronistically and dogmatically Leftist (not to mention overly reliant on the theories of Mikhail Bakhtin); still, there's not a one that's not thought-provoking and interesting, and not a one that doesn't challenge common assumptions in intriguing and compelling ways. Highly recommended.

Articles included in this book:
"Introduction" by Richard K. Payne
1. "Pure Land Buddhism in Tibet? From Sukhavati to the Field of Great Bliss" by Matthew T. Kapstein
2. Shengchang's Pure Conduct Society and the Chinese Pure Land Patriarchate" by Daniel Getz
3. "By the Power of One's Last Nenbutsu: Deathbed Practices in Early Medieval Japan" by Jacqueline I. Stone
4. "Amida's Secret Life: Kakuban's 'Amida Hishaku'" by James H. Sanford
5. "'Show Me the Place Where My Mother Is!": Chujohime, Preaching, and Relics in Late Medieval and Early Modern Japan" by Hank Glassman
6. "'Just Behave as You Like: Prohibitions and Impurities Are Not a Problem': Radical Amida Cults and Popular Religiosity in Premodern Japan" by Fabio Rambelli
7. "Ungo Kiyo's 'Ojoyoka' and Rinzai Zen Orthodoxy" by Richard M. Jaffe
8. "From Generalized Goal to Tantric Subordination: Sukhavati in the Indic Buddhist Traditions of Nepal" by Todd T. Lewis
9. "Buddha One: A One-Day Buddha Recitation Retreat in Contemporary Taiwan" by Charles B. Jones ... Read more

Product Description
A study of what attracts people to cults; what kind of people are attracted to cults; what goes on inside cults; what dangers do cults present to society; a stimulating and profoundly illuminating overview of cults. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Cult Mentality & Workings Clearly Explained
This book explains the mentality and workings of cults, cult leaders, and cult members in aconcise and readable manner.The author's clear explanations and historical examples areenhanced by excerpts ofinterviews with former cult members.Written in 1983, drug use within cults is not discussed.

Ms. Appel discusses cult leaders, why they becomecult leaders, and how they structure cults toattract and retainfollowers.She discusses cult members, their common characteristics, andhowthey are affected by cult membership.Ms. Appel discussesbrainwashing techniques, howbrainwashing is accomplished, and howbrainwashing affects individuals.She discussesdeprogramming: thecontroversial technique of "rescueing" a cult member andreturning the cultmember to society.Ms. Appel discusses deprogrammingtechniques, and also discusses their success.

This is a clearly writtenand very interesting book that merits reading.It also is a book that merits a new revision discussing today's cult activities. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Disturbing
Will we ever really know exactly everything that went on there?I don't know for sure.One of the writers is an ex-cult member.I believe Vernon Howell was an absolutely evil man.Mark Breault's side of the story could certainly be skewed.I don't know how objective he was.There are certainly reasons why his testimony could be less pointed in one direction.The other real problem with our society and journalism is the fact that it is a money making business.The more sensational a story is, the higher your market share, which could mean more copies sold, or higher profits on commercial endorsements.

This story tells the story of one man's rise to a self proclaimed 'god', and the sheep that he led to the slaughter.It is a very interesting read.There were countless other folks in this book, who rather than reading the Bible themselves and making certain their leader was following what the Bible said just gave him "blind faith".Many paid for that mistake with their lives.The book painted Howell as an extremely abusive man, both to children and adults.Why these folks turned their children and wives over to him, without ever reading their Bible looking to find out if that was the right thing to do is a mystery to me.

The ones that I really felt sorry for were the children.I have no clue how someone could abuse a child like that.They had their innocence taken from them by both their parents, and this monster.

It seems as though there are still Branch Davidians out there today.They were expecting this sinful man to rise from the dead and what, rape their children's children?The book was a good read, and should point out the need to challenge what your preacher etc says by checking the Bible to make sure it conforms to that.

Sick
The reviews of this book are quite devisive.The fact is that nobody really came out of Waco looking good.Neither the government, the Branch Davidians, nor the former members.Some of what is said by Marc Breault probably needs to be taken with a grain of sand.There are always three sides to a story: mine, yours and the truth.However, I really believe that some of the bashing of this book is unnecessary.Yes it is written at about a third grade reading level, but that does not discredit the facts of what happened in Waco, Texas.

Vernon Howell was a nobody.He came into religion when he could not fit in with the rest of the world.After wrestling a religious establishment away from another corrupt religious leader, Koresh's (formerly Vernon Howell) teachings became more and more outlandish until he eventually claimed to be the Son of God.What is most sad about this story is the multitudes of people that believed him despite his flagrant sinning.The vulgar nature of one's sins tends to discredit their divine claims.Knowing what Koresh did with children makes this a sick and sad chapter in American history.

Neither of the co-authors are accomplished writers.However I do not suspect people will buy this book for its literary prose.What this book does is to give you an inside look at the evolution of David Koresh.Maybe Breault skews the story in his favor.If so, I suspect the government is guilty of the same.

Biased, inflamatory, slanderous, and full of errors
It reads well, but 99.9% of the "facts" which are presented in this highly biased peice of FICTION can be easily discredited with the GOVERNMENT'S OWN REPORTS (and those are far from "fair" so that says a lot)!

I would urge anyone interested in knowing the TRUTH about what happened in Waco to read this book... and then read the OTHER side.You can't know the facts unless you sort them out for yourself.This book attempts to decieve you.

I could argue the other side, but the review is not the place for it.Search for your own knowledge (blindly following others is, after all, what the book does validly warn against).

Does not excuse the actions of the ATF
I wouldn't trust Marc Breault because he is an ex-member and former right hand man to Koresh most likely with an axe to grind. If you want an unbiased honest detailed book about David Koresh and life at Mt. Carmel get "A Place Called WACO" by David Thibodeau who unlike Mark was there during the siege. David Thibodeau is one of only 9 Davidian survivors and one of only four who did not go to prison.

Doesn't explain the behavior of the Feds
One question that isn't answered is why -- if the Feds wanted David Koresh so much, and if they wanted to "protect the children" as they have claimed ad nauseum -- they didn't arrest Koresh when he was in Waco relatively alone, as he traveled there quite often (and without a lot of people with him).

Doesn't make any sense to me . . . If I was going to stop someone that was allegedly as depraved and as dangerous as he is now made out to be, then I would wait for him to leave the "compound."The Sheriff of Waco, among many others, have said that Koresh had traveled into town quite frequently (and no, he didn't surround himself with human shields).He would have been easy to arrest without fanfare.

The Feds instead chose to bring in a whole "battalion" of folks and create a big media event.

Personally, I wouldn't trust what this guy says in the book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent, Small Resource For Cults and World Religions
The time is ripe for this book.I bought it years ago and continually refer to it because of two strentghs: its concise discussion of a cult/world religion's beliefs; second, a suggestion for a Christian witness and response.

For longer discussion, see editions of Walter Martin's "The Kingdom of the Cults."

This is what it will do for you also, so find a copy. ... Read more

Product Description
Discusses why and how religious cults begin and prosper, describes the different types, and examines in detail the events surrounding cult leaders Charles Manson and Jim Jones. ... Read more

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Describes what a cult is, who goes into a cult, how you are recruited, and how not to get in. Includes a list of organizations to go to for help. ... Read more

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To find more information about Rowman and Littlefield titles, please visit www.rowmanlittlefield.com. ... Read more