Asia, Modernity, and the Pursuit of the Sacred : Gnostics, Scholars, Mystics, and Reformers

Asia, Modernity, and the Pursuit of the Sacred examines a large number of Europeans who, disillusioned with western culture and religion after World War I, and anticipating the spiritual seekers of the counterculture, turned to the religious traditions of Asia for inspiration. Front Matter....Pages i-xv Anthropology and the Limits of Secular Reason....Pages 1-13 Gnosticism and the Pursuit of the Sacred....Pages 15-28 Traditionalism: A Dialectic of Authenticity....Pages 29-54 Gnostics, Religion, and the (Mis)Recognition of Modernity....Pages 55-77 Modern Mystics: Toward a Gnostic Science....Pages 79-97 The Inner Journey of the Gnostic Self: Ethics and Politics....Pages 99-120 Other Worlds or Ours? Sacred/Secular/Gnostic/Modern....Pages 121-146 What if Culture Did Not Matter? Asian Studies and the New Universalism(s)....Pages 147-155 Back Matter....Pages 157-192 "Examines a large number of Europeans who, disillusioned with western culture and religion after World War I, and anticipating the spiritual seekers of the counterculture, turned to the religious traditions of Asia for inspiration. Harshly criticized by both scholars and religious reformers, their project of "Gnostic Diplomacy" became of continuing relevance in a time of violent clashes between inhabitants of 'secular' and 'sacred' worlds"-- Provided by publisher