Uppsatsen bygger på en fältstudie utförd bland 10 gifta, brahminska kvinnor i området Assi i Benares (Varanasi)i Indien. Avsikten med fältstudien var att ta reda på om och i sådana fall vad, hur och varför kvinnorna i undersökningsgruppen utför några dagliga religiösa handlingar. Varje kvinna har intervjuats vid två tillfällen. Intervjuerna har skett med hjälp av tolk som översatt från engelska till hindi och hindi till engelska.

Uppsatsen besvarar tre inledande frågeställningar:

1. Utför kvinnorna i undersökningsgruppen några dagliga religiösa handlingar?

2. (I sådana fall) Vilka religiösa handlingar utför de dagligen? (Tillvägagångssätt? Finns det några likheter/olikheter?)

3. Varför utför kvinnorna dessa handlingar? (Hur förklarar de ritualerna de utför?)

Resultatet av undersökningen visar att alla kvinnor i gruppen varje dag utför en puja ("gudstjänst") på morgonen och att en majoritet även utför en puja varje kväll. Fokus kom därmed att hamna på just pujan och dess utförande.

Vissa små skillnader finns i de olika kvinnornas tillvägagångssätt när de utför sina pujor, men det finns också en tydlig stomme, eller kärna, som återfinns hos alla. När det gäller morgonens puja består denna stomme av sex steg, upacaras, och hos kvällens puja, som

oftast är mindre, hittas en stomme av två steg. Stegen redovisas och diskuteras utförligt i uppsatsen.

Kvinnorna förklarar sitt tillvägagångssätt med att de olika stegen utförs för att ta hand om gud och göra gud nöjd. För att förstå detta resonemang bör man ha kunskap om det hinduiska gudsbegreppet, synen på gud som personlig och närvarande. Synen på gud diskuteras ingående i uppsatsen. Kvinnornas tillvägagångssätt är också ett resultat av traditionsförmedling. Ingen i undersökningsgruppen har läst sig till hur hon ska göra utan har lärt sig av sina föräldrar och svärföräldrar och ibland har hon också lagt till egna inslag.

För kvinnorna i undersökningsgruppen är det viktigt att varje dag utföra sina pujor. Den vanligaste förklaringen till detta är att pujorna skänker dem frid i sinnet, "mann ki shanti".

Uppsatsen är beskrivande och den är fokuserad på den empiriska undersökningen. Resultatet av fältstudien diskuteras och fördjupas av litteratur med anknytning till innehållet.

This thesis addresses devil beliefs in Karlstad diocese during the years ca. 1870-1950. The aim of thethesis is to shed light on devil tales that were told during the above-mentioned timeframe with thetheoretical framework of Ulrika Wolf-Knuts’s devil genres. Moreover, the thesis attempts todistinguish a folklore-devil affected by the Christian revival in Sweden during the 19th century. Thethesis thus contributes to a deeper understanding of devil tales in Karlstad diocese, the revival’ssignificance over folklore and comprehension of the Värmlandic and Dalslandic peoples’ culturalhistorical heritage.

A hermeneutic as well as comparative methodology was used to navigate the source materialwhich consists of 20th century records of folk belief from The Institute for Language and Folklore(Isof) archives; these consists of stories told by people born during the second half of the 19th century.Furthermore, the records are complimented by a printed work by Carl-Martin Bergstrand,Värmlandssägner, wherein additional stories where analysed.

The analysis shows that the source material fits well together with Wolf-Knuts’s devil genres,moreover, four new genres could be identified within Karlstad diocese. These contain mostlyinformative storytelling but are also complementary to Wolf-Knuts’s non-necessary devil genres.Wolf-Knuts’s theoretical framework can thereby receive an update considering these findings.Furthermore, the results determine that the peoples’ understanding of the devil is uniform in itsmultifaceted nature. The thesis puts out a hypothesis; the terminology when referring to the dark lorddiffers in places wherein the Christian revival had a greater hold. There, it was commonplace to usebiblical names for the devil. If the Christian revival is definitively responsible for this occurrence ornot could not be determined.

This paper examines a Hindu ritual named Pitri-Paksh. The ritual is performed in commemoration of deceased ancestors. The thesis aims to find any differences in perceptions about the ritual between highly and lowly educated people. The aim is also to see if there are different perceptions between different age groups and different perceptions between those who perform the ritual and those who do not. There are two didactical purposes of this thesis, one is to examine how people learn about Pitri-Paksh, the second is to examine whether differences in perceptions of the ritual can generate didactical dilemmas. The method used is a semi-structured interview method, where two questionnaires were used depending on whether the person performed the ritual or not, follow-up questions have also been asked. Six of the respondents lived in a district named Assi in the city of Varanasi in India, none of the respondents had university education. These respondents were interviewed in Hindi with aid of an interpreter. The other six respondents lived in other parts of Varanasi and were students at Banaras Hindu University. These respondents were interviewed in English without an interpreter. The result of the thesis was that there are differences between university students and less educated. There were also differences between respondents of different ages and between those who perform Pitri-Paksh and those who do not. The didactical conclusions are that knowledge about Pitri-Paksh mostly conveys within the family, even friends and neighbours contribute to the knowledge. The differences in perceptions should not be a problem for a Swedish teacher because the Swedish school curriculum shows that teaching should point to diversity in religions. 

This study is about the mythological figure Lilith, a female demon from Sumerian mythology who later became thename of Adam's first wife in some parts of Judaic faith. According to medieval folklore, she also appeared as aseductive demon who killed her lovers, a danger to women giving birth and eater of children. As a political symbol, shehas become known in some circles as the first feminist and a strong female character who has been demonized due toher independence and strong will. In popular culture, she has numerous incarnations in various media. The purpose ofthis study is to examine her portrayal in the lyrics of the metal band Cradle of Filth. The main material is the band'salbum Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa, its narrative follows the bands version of Lilith. To fulfill the purpose, a contentanalysis is used, with a gendered theory as perspective. This paper also examines the relationship between the theory ofocculture and contemporary music.The results show how Cradle of Filth takes inspiration from many myths about Lilith, but mainly conveys the image ofLilith as a succubus, the demonic temptress that kills her partners. She is described as the perfect woman, and thisincludes being violent, hypersexual and ambitious. 

This thesis aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of the political ambitions and actions of the Theosophical Society within the emerging nationalist movement in India during 1879-1930.

Different theoretical perspectives have been applied depending on the historical context, and Ludwik Fleck’s theory of thought collectives and thought styles served as a general frame for interpreting the movement’s actions and development

A central concern in this study has been the attempt to explain how a numerically small movement with its roots in the West could come to have political influence in India for a period of time.

The study starts off in a western historical context in an attempt to uncover the reasons behind the movement's commitment to India. It focuses on a culture or civilization critique the Theosophical Society shared with several other contemporary movements.

The first part of the thesis examines the theosophical movement's establishment in India. The relationship with other Indian reform movements has been identified and dividing lines behind the official's eclectic attitude have been shown. The theosophical activities in India can thus be understood in relation to its critique of the modern development of society. My study of the period partly indicates shifts in opinions over time and position-takings with clear elements of competition in relation to other reform movements.

The second study examines the theosophist’s involvement in education and discusses how the nationalist/theosophical educational ideals are reflected in tuition and in textbooks. Emphasis on the connection to the students’ own reality in order to develop a national consciousness is central. One's own religion, the historical narratives and the mother language are at the forefront of a national identity. The theosophist’s ambitions were to overcome the political and religious issues, but the network that was developed were too challenging to be accepted.

The third study examines theosophy in the open political arena. The pattern is partly the same in terms of methods to reach a consensus for the main target - Home Rule. The political challenges were reflected in an increased political mobilization, which broadened the political activities outside the Congress.

My study shows that there was an opposition in the theosophical movement to the politicization during the war, also among leading theosophists. After the war the marginalization of Theosophy was obvious in politics when the theosophical leadership chose to opt out of the Congress under Gandhi's leadership.

Abstract

In this study you are going to meet the Nordic Good Thor. I will present a short historic presentation of the Nordic mythology, about the Ragnarok and also I will give a short presentation on several other Gods.

I have done three film analyses on movies about Thor. The movies are Thor, The Avengers and Thor- the Dark World. I have compared these three movies about Thor with the Thor that is presented in the literature. I have seen closely on the appearance of Thor, his character and his family situations. I have compared these three things about Thor booth in the movies and in the literature so I can answer my question of issues.

My questions of issues are:

-          How do Thor presents in the Nordic mythology?

-          How do Thor presents in these three selected movies?

-          What differences and or similarities emerge?

The differences between Thor in the film and Thor in the literature are few. They are similar in character and partly in appearance. The main difference is the family relationships. Thor and Loki play brothers in the movie but in the literature are Loki and Odin brothers.

It is sometimes claimed that there is no religious education in the general Indian school system. there are reasons to suggest that matters are more complex than that. Combining the two fields of religious and comparative educational studies, this article shows that there are themes in Indian syllabuses and teaching materials that involve religious content. Empirical data include the Indian National Policy of education, the National Curriculum Framework and syllabuses, as well as syllabuses and textbooks from a particular school board (CISCe). 

Religion as a school subject – Religious Education (RE) – is handled differently in various national contexts. This article discusses two different systems of managing (or avoiding) RE: those used in non-denominational Swedish and Indian schools. The article focuses particularly on what is allowed in the classroom with regards to religion. Both countries are secular, but where is the line drawn between the secular and the religious? Allowing the two contexts to meet reveals the particularities of each. The impact of Protestant Christianity, specifically Lutheranism, is evident in Swedish RE: religion is to be defined through beliefs and words, and religious actions should be excluded from classrooms. The Swedish context highlights ‘knowledge of’ religions, but avoids religious action. In India, there is no explicit RE, but Indian education does include learning from religion as well as ‘doing religion.’ The Indian approach is very inclusive, to the point of emphasising, as teachers put it, a common core of all religions. Both systems of RE offer particular opportunities and face certain difficulties in dealing with the contemporary globalised world. 

In his own time, the nirguna poet-saint Kabir was a controversial figure. He spoke ill of Islam and Hinduism alike, yet, in the end, both groups claimed him as their own. In this essay, various images of Kabir are discussed. Kabir as he appears in legends; Kabir as he appears in his poems; Kabir as a historical figure. But more importantly, Kabir as he is perceived as today. The image of Kabir, as it were. The question of ‘who Kabir was’ is posed to members of two groups in the city of Banaras, India — one group Muslim (Julaha), the other Hindu (Yadav).

This dissertation is a study of modern Indian philosophy. It examines three engaging articulations of the Advaitic notion of liberating knowledge or brahmajñāna provided by three prominent Indian philosophers of the twentieth century, namely, Badrīnāth Śukla (1898-1988), Krishnachandra Bhattacharyya (1875-1949), and Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888-1975). Particular attention is paid to the existing relation between their distinctive conceptualisations of liberating knowledge and the doxastic attitudes that these authors professed towards the Sanskrit intellectual past of South Asia and the presence of the Western Other.

In the main, it argues that the profound differences to be found, on the one hand, in Śukla’s elucidation of this key Advaitic notion and, on the other, in Bhattacharyya’s and Radhakrishnan’s take on the same, betray their commitment to two radically different doxastic attitudes. Classifying these into (a) non-dialogical and (b) dialogical in relation to the Western Other as well as into (c) exegetic and (d) hermeneutic in relation to the Sanskrit intellectual past of South Asia, it contends that, in comparison to the conceptual scheme and the parameters of intelligibility that shaped and underpinned the precolonial Advaitic discourse on brahmajñāna in Sanskrit, there is a certain kind of epistemic discontinuity in the dialogical cum hermeneutic stance taken by Bhattacharyya and Radhakrishnan that is not to be found in the non-dialogical cum exegetic engagement enacted by Śukla. It suggests that this particular sort of discontinuity, absent as it is from Śukla’s elucidation of the process of knowing Brahman, reflects the far-reaching commitment of Krishnachandra Bhattacharyya and Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan to appropriate the precolonial Advaitic notion of liberating knowledge hermeneutically and to conceptualise it in the face of Western modernity, that is, rendering it meaningful in terms and within the parameters of intelligibility of the Western Other in order to contest what they took to be a troublesome predicament of Western modernity.

By examining their ways of engaging with the Advaitic notion of liberating knowledge, this dissertation contributes to the on-going debate about the nature and the driving forces of modern Indian philosophy.

In this essay I have tried to describe the rich tradition of thoughts about the afterlife in Judaism. The first part contains litterary studies and the second part is based on interviews with religious representatives. The first part is a description of the progress of thought in history around the issue afterlife. The sources reveal a vast amount of intellectual work on the issue. I have tried to follow the path of thought, and how it developed, so that the reader can see how one thought leads to the other but also how each period’s way of thinking is influnced by its context. The picture is not homogenetic. Troughout Jewish history there has been a permisive attitude against the impulse of saying the opposite of the general wiew, and to include the counterparts view in the texts that was saved for the future. Despite this, there have been influences from important philosophers, changes in history (enlightenment and holocaust) and both common attitudes and prejudicism, that has taken the issue afterlife off the agenda in judaism. It is – up until this day – not unusual that a rabbi, confronted with the question what jews beleive about life after death, can answer: - ”We have no beleif in the afterlife. We are a this-worldly religion.” When I started my work on this essay I talked with a friend who had heard a christian priest talk about what they knew about the Jewish views on the afterlife, and their conclusion was that the jews didn’t have any view on the afterlife.” This essay proves that they are wrong, although I met restraint. Having read a lot about the vast tradition about afterlife ideas through history, it was astonishing and surprising to get the answer, ”we don’t have a view about the afterlife, from one of the representatives. The second part of the essay tries to answer the question wether there is a conciousness about the vast and rich tradition of though about the afterlife, or not. Despite the restraint, the interviewed representatives revealed a great deal of knowledge, even of the parts in the tradition that they deny. My hope and ambition with this essay is that reading it will guide the reader inside the Jewish way of thinking, more than answering the question what will happen after I die. If I manage to show the reader my fascination of the combination between playfulness and deep seriousity in Jewish thinking; I have succeded.

Kapitlet behandlar Sveriges buddhistiska liv, dess kulturellt, etniskt och språkligt pluralistiska grupper och de många konvertitkommuniteterna. En historisk översikt ges över buddhismens framväxt i Asien och i Sverige. Därefter diskuteras tematiskt hur asiatiska och konverterade buddhistgrupper skiljer isg från varandra vad gäller antalet utövare och traditioner, lokalitet, ekonomiska resurser och religiös praktik. Kapitlet avslutas med att diskutera samtida trender, bland annat mindfulness.

The purpose of this study is to investigate how a religious tradition changes when transposed to a new context: how it is received and incorporated in its new context and how individuals in Sweden perceive and make use of this tradition. This is done by highlighting the development of insight meditation, Vipassana, and more specifically, the Burmese practice lineage originating from the Burmese lay meditation teacher U Ba Khin and his student S N Goenka. The study gives a broad and rich depiction of contemporary Buddhist insight meditation (Vipassana), its historical conditions as well as the reception of meditation in religious and secular contexts in Sweden. The study aims to contribute to the understanding of new religious movements, Buddhist meditation and religious change in contemporary Swedish society. It wishes also to participate in an in-depth critical discussion of the growing use of mindfulness as a therapeutic treatment. By using a variety of approaches and methods, such as field work, interviews and conversations, survey and text analysis, as well as by applying theoretical pluralism, the study displays the complex web of contemporary interpretations of which meditation is a part. By means of participation observation, the field work includes a total of more than six months meditative experience at intense meditation retreats. In Sweden several groups teach meditation with a more or less Buddhist foundation, where the meditation practice can be said to be either “embedded in”, or “disembedded of” Buddhist tradition. Among the approximately 40 Buddhist groups in the country (comprising around 30,000 Buddhists of mainly Asian origin), Buddhist mindfulness (sati) in the form of Vipassana meditation is taught in Asian temples by monks and by convert groups. The majority of users seem to relate in a liberal way in their interpretations and usages of meditation and their religious inclinations show both modern and postmodern features. Mindfulness, as an East-West hybrid, has become very popular and can be found among many New Age groups as well as other groups in the alternative health sector, where religiosity is expressed in terms of health and whose purpose is expressed in finding one’s own inner potential. Hybrid mindfulness can also be found in more pronounced secular environments, for example, in the Swedish health care sector, where it is applied in a clinical perspective designed to treat specific symptoms. Here, mindfulness is taught - and even sold expensively - in a ritual context that emphasizes the individual and the self, emphasizes health benefits and is closely linked to powerful economic forces. Mindfulness in this respect tends to imply creating a state of sensuality and wellbeing. Practice mimics to some extent Buddhist meditation, but there are also significant differences, particularly in the setting of the ritual context.

Self-immolation is not an ordinary suicide or self-destructive act, but has a religious dimension since one’s own body is seen as a gift for a greater cause. This article highlights the specific Buddhist ritual and textual heritage when analyzing the recent wave of self-immolations in Tibet, and incorporates the act in a wider Buddhist set of practices called ”gift of the body”. The first political sacrifices made in the 1960s intended to save Buddhism at a time when it was perceived as being threatened in South Vietnam, and later focus shifted towards bringing an end to the Vietnam War. As a result, their sacrifices were addressed to Vietnamese politicians and to the global community. Nearly fifty years later, a new wave of self-immolations have occurred in Tibet – with previously no tradition of self-immolation – and this time, the fiery suicides by Tibetan monks and former monks can be seen as an expression of the nationalist struggle for a free Tibet.

The article provides a short background to Buddhism in Sweden, focusing on observable trends among Buddhist groups before giving a descriptive account of how Buddhist meditational techniques, as taught in mindfulness-based therapies, have been integrated into the Swedish health care sys- tem. This trend of “non-religious” or “therapeutic” Buddhism seems to be of major importance when considering the impact Buddhism has had on the majority populations. Mindfulness-based therapies have been introduced by a handful of Swedish medical proponents (authors, doctors, educational in- stitutions and individual therapists) who have facilitated their use within the health care system. Out- side clinical settings, a wide range of institutions offer courses in mindfulness as a general life skill. Some of these also are aimed at medical professionals. The article asks whether mindfulness based therapies, viewed as knowledge capital, can have a bridging capacity or linking character, and ends with a discussion of the potential challenges involved when mindfulness is promoted as something that can be taught, and sold, as a commodity.

Mindfulness can be found in three distinctly different contexts in Sweden: therapeutic, commercial and religious. Its greatest expansion can be found within the Swedish health care system, where mindfulness-based therapies and interventions can be used, and among private operators selling mindfulness courses to both the public and private sectors. Here, mindfulness is decontextualised and detraditionalised and presented as a universal life skill without any religious belonging. However, there is a difference: the therapeutic use of mindfulness encourages the individual to delevop metacognition and the ability to decentre, while the commercial use of mindfulness puts greater emphasis on sensory experiences. In the religious context, sati (the Pali term translated into mindfulness) is an integral part of a Buddhist soteriological system aimed at freeing the individual from worldly bonds. This shift in conceptualising mindfulness reflects a general trend in Western countries where spirituality replaces religion.

Hur kan erfarenhetsbaserat lärande medverka till att vidga studenters förståelse för sin omvärld samtidigt som kunskapsinhämtning sker? Artikeln presenterar och diskuterar en fenomenografisk övning som använts på grundnivå inom ämnet religionsvetenskap, och argumenterar för att erfarenhetsbaserat lärande, även på kurser med små resurser, kan användas för att påbörja en ”conceptual change” (Posner et al 1982) hos studenterna. Övningen som presenteras, Levande buddhistisk etik, kombinerar postkoloniala och mångkulturella ansatser i undervisningen. En utvärdering visar att övningen och dess efterföljande diskussioner hjälpte studenterna att konkretisera momentets begreppsundervisning. Studenterna aktiverades i en ny lärsituation som hjälpte dem att omstrukturera sina tidigare kunskaper om buddhism och tillägna sig nya perspektiv. Samtidigt gavs läraren möjlighet att uppmärksamma om studenterna konstruerade bristfällig eller till och med felaktig kunskap om det buddhistiska karma-begreppet.

Thai Buddhist communities are by far the fastest-growing Buddhist establishments in Sweden, and – contrary to other Buddhist congregations that are mainly clustered in the cities – Thai Buddhist temples can be found in sparsely-populated areas and rural parts of Sweden. This article aims to document and analyse the ‘foodscape’ of diasporic Thai Buddhism in Sweden. In particular the article identifies and discusses five different strategies used by local communities- in order to support their temples in urban as well as rural areas: 1) local support, 2) pre-cooking and freezing, 3) pre-organised almsgiving in nearby cities, 4) change of food gifts, 5) change of the nikaya. A temple’s location in a rural area can drive forward a reinterpretation and adaptation of the monk’s rules, and contribute to a changing composition of food gifts. Food performs several functions. In addition to the religious functions that are associated with almsgiving, food can also serve as a means of generating bonding and bridging civic social capital, and providing economic income to temples.

The article is based on ethnographic observations and photo documentation of the festival Bun Phra Wet celebrated at the Thai Buddhist temple Wat Dalarnavanaram in June 2012.The article argues that the jataka genre (birth stories of the bodhisattva) is of importance for understanding contemporary Theravada Buddhism and lay Buddhism. Ascetic monastic ideals are often studied at the expense of lay practices. The article therefore raises questions of how Buddhism is studied, and investigates what sources should be used in the study of Buddhist traditions. The article argues that by focusing on the materiality of religion, a closer attention can be given to how religious life and rituals are being created in a migration context, including a wider focus that includes body, practices and space.