
Mirabai, A Sixteenth-century Indian Princess, Wrote Passionate Love Songs To Lord Krishna. Hadewijch, A Thirteenth-century European Beguine, Wrote Of Her Yearning To Become Love Itself, To Be God With God. Each Woman Practiced A Full-bodied, Sensuously-imaged Longing For Love; At The Same Time, Each Also Practiced Certain Ascetic Disciplines. Spanning Centuries, Continents, And Religious Traditions, This Book Juxtaposes Hadewijch's And Mirabai's Inextricable Energies Of Longing And Letting Go As Resources For A Comparative Theology Of Passionate Non-attachment. Within Both Hinduism And Christianity, Desire And Renunciation Are Often Presented As Opposites; Yet, Both Mirabai And Hadewijch, In Their Own Distinct Ways, Illuminate The Integral, Tensile Relationship Between These Concepts. Rather Than Choosing One Or The Other, Each Woman's Dual Practices Of Longing And Letting Go Not Only Take Her On An Inward Spiritual Journey But Also Deeply Involve Her In The Beauty And Suffering Of The Wider World. Drawing Out Crucial Differences And Intriguing Resonances Between These Two Women Of Faith, Hillgardner Develops A Hindu-christian Comparative Theology That Argues For An Interreligious Ethic Of Passionate Non-attachment, One Capacious And Brave Enough To Hold Together Our Own Longings With The Desires Of Others In An Interconnected, Fragile World.
This book investigates the intersection of desire and renunciation by comparing the spiritual practices of the sixteenth-century Indian princess Mirabai and the thirteenth-century European Beguine Hadewijch. Holly Hillgardner, a scholar of comparative theology, utilizes the writings and ascetic disciplines of these two historical figures to construct a framework for an interreligious ethic of passionate non-attachment. By analyzing how these women balanced intense longing for the divine with the necessity of letting go, the author argues that these dual practices are not opposites but are instead integral to a life of spiritual depth and worldly engagement.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Scholars in the field of comparative theology recognize this work as a significant contribution to the study of mysticism and interreligious dialogue. Readers frequently note the academic rigor and the nuanced approach Hillgardner takes in bridging disparate religious traditions.
Page Count:
208
Publication Date:
2016-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0190455543
ISBN-13:
9780190455545
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