Wise Studies has 3 audiobooks on Listento.it, narrated by 3 narrators. The most-rated is Lives of the Buddha with Sarah Shaw.
Swami Vivekananda and His Legacy with Gwilym Beckerlegge
Summary
In this five part lecture series Gwilym Beckerlegge discusses the life and legacy of Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), the Hindu teacher who was arguably the first "global guru". Vivekananda has been influential in shaping, among other things, Hindu notions of social activism, and what has come to be known as Modern Yoga, which is now practised beyond India. Gwilym covers the influence of Vivekananda's own guru, the widely revered Sri Ramakrishna, Vivekananda's fascinating journey from India to the United States and Europe at the turn of the 20th century, and the institutions Vivekananda started in Ramakrishna's name. Vivekananda has been a highly influential but contentious figure in the history of recent Hindu tradition. These lectures will explore aspects of Vivekananda’s legacy with particular reference to the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, the movement Vivekananda founded in his guru's name, and the Vivekananda Kendra, also inspired by Vivekananda, which came into existence in 1972. The Kendra, however, promotes in Vivekananda’s name an ideology strongly influenced by Hindu nationalism. Through an examination of these two movements, the lecture will illustrate the diffuse and durable nature of Vivekananda’s influence, and in the process explain why Vivekananda has been judged by some to have been a contradictory and controversial figure. Session 1 - Introducing Vivekananda and his guru Ramakrishna Session 2 - Vivekananda in the USA and London Session 3 - Establishing the Ramakrishna Math and Mission in India: Vivekananda and the spiritual discipline of service Session 4 - Continuity, discontinuity, and innovation in Vivekananda's ideas Session 5 - Vivekananda and his Hindu nationalist admirers
©2020 Wise Studies (P)2020 Wise Studies
Unveiling the Divine Feminine with Angela Voss
Summary
In these two lectures about Sandro Botticelli (1444-1510) and the meaning behind two of his best-loved paintings, Angela introduces you to the esoteric worldview which flourished in the early centuries CE in cultural centres such as Alexandria in Egypt, and was reborn in Renaissance Europe. In 15th-century Florence, a group of intellectuals centred around the great Platonic philosopher Marsilio Ficino (1433-99) instigated a revival of what was then called ‘the ancient wisdom’, now often referred to as the Western esoteric tradition, or the Perennial Wisdom. Angela Voss, PhD, SFHEA is programme director for the MA in Myth, Cosmology and the Sacred at Canterbury Christ Church University, UK. She has studied and taught Western esotericism for over twenty years, and is also a musician and an astrologer. Her interest began with the Renaissance philosopher Marsilio Ficino, who was deeply indebted to both Plato and Hermes in his desire to renew the spirit of the Christian religion (see Marsilio Ficino, 2006), and she completed a doctorate on his astrological music therapy in 1992. She is now in the Education Faculty at Canterbury Christ Church, and is working within a transformative learning context, finding ways to bridge esoteric wisdom and reflexive scholarship. She has written extensively on Ficino, the symbolic imagination, music, astrology and divination, and she regards her vocation as a ‘walker between the worlds’, of spiritual experience and academic discourse.
©2020 Wise Studies (P)2020 Wise Studies
Lives of the Buddha with Sarah Shaw
Summary
In this 10 part lecture series Sarah Shaw explores several stories from the Jatakas, stories of the previous lives of the Gautama Buddha both in human and animal form. The stories are entertaining and allegorical. Sarah connects these tales from fourth and fifth century B.C.E. with their relevance for our lives today. Session 1: Sarah discusses the Bodhisatta vow and the 10 perfections, The Dipa?kara Jataka Session 2: Sarah explains the structure of Jataka tales and explores why birth stories are important. She shares the story: Lost in The Wilderness. Apa??aka-jataka: a True Story, Jataka 1 Session 3: Sarah explains how Jatakas were heard and how to cope with moral dilemmas, the people of Kuru and their code: Kurudhamma-Jataka (Jataka 276) Session 4: The historical background of the Jatakas. Why are birth stories important? Session 5: Protection and story of the golden peacock The Peacock Story, Mora Jataka (Jataka 159) Session 6: Sarah discusses Jataka 541: Nemi Jataka about king Nemi Session 7: Jataka 55: Pañcavudha-jataka, the five weapons story Session 8: Jataka 385. Nandiyamiga-jataka. The story of the Buddha’s life as Nandiya, the deer Session 9: Mahosadha or Ummagga Jataka , Jataka 546 Session 10: Sarah concludes the course with the final life of the Buddha Sarah Shaw received her Phd in English from Manchester University. After studying Pali and Sanskrit at Oxford, she began teaching and writing on Buddhist subjects. She has written several books on meditation theory and practice, and jataka literature. She is the author of several books including Introduction to Buddhist Meditation, The Jatakas: Birth Stories of the Bodhisatta, and her most recent book, The Spirit of Buddhist Meditation. She is a member of the Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford, and Wolfson College. She is a fellow of the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies.
©2020 Wise Studies (P)2020 Wise Studies