Religio

Introduction to Buddhism in tension: identity, power, and representation

2025-10-13T09:50:05+02:00

Ñāṇasatta Thera (1908-1984): the first Czech Buddhist monk

2025-08-13T12:02:27+02:00

Martin Novosad, a native of Vizovice in Moravia, was the first citizen of former Czechoslovakia to become a Buddhist monk. After his entry into the Buddhist community (saṅgha), which took place at Island Hermitage in Ceylon in 1938, he received the monastic name Ñāṇasatta Thera from the Venerable Ñāṇatiloka Mahāthera, one of the most prominent Western Buddhist monks of the time. Novosad/Ñāṇasatta, whose work and extraordinary life is the focus of this article, was an extremely interesting and renowned personage, especially in Sri Lanka/Ceylon. His contribution to the history of Theravāda Buddhism is also significant.

Lhasa Tsuglakhang's Bathing Maitreya : the story of an unknown statue and its photographs

2025-10-13T11:06:21+02:00

The paper deals with one statue located in the most sacred Tibetan Buddhist temple, Rasa Trulnang Tsuglakhang (ra sa 'phrul snang tsug lag khang), known also as the Jokhang in Lhasa, bearing the somewhat mysterious name of Bathing Maitreya. The 11th century statue is depicted in just two photographs and disappeared in 1966 during the so-called Cultural Revolution. The first black and white photograph is by Ernst Krause from 1939, the second is in colour by Josef Vaniš from 1954. The paper places both photographs in their proper historical, religious and factual context. For the first time, it publishes one of them, the Vaniš one, in its entirety, i.e. uncut, and correctly located and described. And for the second photograph, Krause's, the paper correctly identifies for the first time what it depicts. It is thus a visual reconstruction of a unique Tibetan statue, a replica of which is now in Lhasa in the same place as the original.

Does the matter matter? : on purpose, mantras and substances in the Ba ri be'u bum

2025-08-13T11:53:49+02:00

This article examines Tibetan private practical rituals through the lens of materiality, understood as tangibility. While recent scholarship has investigated Tibetan collections of such rituals — often labelled as 'magic' — most analyses remain primarily descriptive and qualitative. To address this gap, the study adopts a quantitative perspective, focusing on tangible and intangible components of rituals, conceived as vehicles for achieving their purpose. After introducing relevant terminology and historical context, the structure and purpose-based categorisation of the analysed rituals are outlined. The analysis draws on 54 rituals from the renowned "spellbook" Ba ri be'u bum, attributed to Rinchen Drak (Rin chen grags), also known as Bari Lotsāwa (1040–1112). Findings indicate that tangibility is predominant — though not exclusive — while intangible components are significant. Rituals aimed at swift, practical results favour tangible elements, whereas those involving preternatural beings, such as for wealth or weather control, show a more balanced tangible-to-intangible ratio.

Sinicisation of mind : everyday control and patriotic education in Tibetan areas of the PRC

2025-08-13T12:03:58+02:00

In China, enhancing patriotic sentiments through patriotic education is seen by the Chinese Communist party as the means to achieve the "Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation." In the New Era of Xi Jinping, the core attempt of the communist party of China to build a community with a shared Chinese culture and shared values of socialism with Chinese characteristics is underway. The process of the systematic sinicisation of minority nationalities residing in the People's Republic of China, such as the Tibetans, includes restrictions on the use of intangible aspects of the minorities' culture such as language and religion and the nationalisation of its tangible features, ideological (re)education, and overall control of all aspects of people's everyday life. The contemporary state attempts at sinicisation are not only not inclusive, but instead even contribute to the further marginalisation of non-Han populations. This paper looks into ways of the "sinicisation of mind", which aims at a forceful assimilation of the Tibetans into an envisioned "Chinese" society compliant to the will of the ruling Communist Party of China.

Reviving Buddhism in Western India : pluralism and cultural hybridization in the Ambedkarite Buddhist Movement(s)

2025-08-13T12:00:48+02:00

This article explores the contemporary forms and internal diversity of Ambedkarite Buddhism, tracing its origins to B. R. Ambedkar's mass conversion movement in 1956. Based on field research conducted in Maharashtra and analysis of both primary and secondary sources, it examines how Ambedkarite Buddhism, as understood by many of its followers today, has been shaped by ongoing — and often competing — processes of legitimization, cultural bricolage, and hybridization. These dynamics inform debates over authenticity, reinterpretations of Buddhist symbols and practices, and the negotiation of collective identities and their boundaries. The article argues that while these processes have produced a wide spectrum of cultural forms — reflecting tensions between personal spiritual reform and collective social transformation — they have also contributed to the adaptability of Ambedkarite Buddhism within both local and global contexts.

What do we really know about Buddhist meditation research? : controversies and problems surrounding the study of Buddhist meditation

2025-09-10T08:44:51+02:00

Buddhist meditations have become a prominent subject in modern science, often approached with respect and reverence. However, this study reveals controversial aspects of research on Buddhist meditations, which lead to a uniform portrayal of these practices as a panacea. The study reveals the historical background of Buddhist meditation research and points out where the overly positive image of Buddhist meditations, lacking reporting on their side effects, comes from. It focuses on engaged scientists associated with the mindfulness movement and the Mind and Life Institute, which are creating a new missionary effort to promote religious interests through a scientific framework. The rise of positive psychology and the influence of social media also play a crucial role in perpetuating this idealized image. Consequently, the article sheds light on the current dynamics between science and Buddhism, in which scientific inquiry investigates Buddhism, while Buddhism also utilizes science to advance its interests.

Labels and identities : classification of the Moravian Anabaptists in the sources from 16th and 17th centuries

2025-08-13T12:05:46+02:00

The study critically examines and compares the various 16th and 17th century lists of diverse Anabaptist groups reported to exist in Moravia between 1526 and 1622. In addition to the Hutterite Chronicles, the paper analyzes a range of other sources including the documents of the Moravian government and local authorities; polemical works of Sebastian Franck, Georg Eder and Christoph Erhard; but also reports of the Italian weaver Marcantonio Varotta and the Lutheran nobleman Christoph Kereczényi. Comparing the different classifications of Anabaptists as presented in these sources challenges the dominant narrative of Hutterite supremacy in Moravia after their establishment in 1530s. Mapping the reports of non-Hutterite Anabaptist groups reveals that several of them persisted much longer than previously recognized. Through this analysis, the study initiates a broader critical reflection on the historical construction of group identities and their transformations from the early Anabaptist presence in Moravia to its decline in the post-White Mountain period.

Teonymní interpretatio v antickém diskursu a význam planetárního týdne při ustalování interpretačních schémat

2025-09-10T08:47:06+02:00

The study presents the concepts of interpretatio Romana and interpretatio Graeca as a discourse with which Roman and Greek authors approached foreign deities, "interpreting" them as their own gods under different names. Although this discourse was shared by a number of other ancient cultures, mutual identifications of gods were usually made on an ad hoc basis and did not form established patterns. The main exception was the concept of the classical seven theonymic planets and the seven planetary days of the week. These patterns of seven deities spread across the languages and cultures of classical antiquity and the Middle Ages, and the names of the seven selected gods were repeatedly "translated" from one language to another. It was by no means always necessary for the concepts of seven planets and seven days to spread together. The theonymic week had a significant "competitor" in the form of the numerical week associated mainly with Abrahamic monotheisms. However, sometimes the concept of the seven theonymic planets alone, or conversely the concept of the seven theonymic days alone, was sufficient for the scheme of seven interpretable theonyms to survive.

Vzpomínky na Pavla Spunara

2025-10-13T10:35:35+02:00

Tibetanisticko-buddhologický workshop II, 9. dubna 2025, Brno

2025-10-09T16:41:42+02:00

Správa zo študentskej vedeckej odbornej konferencie 2025, 23.-24. mája 2025, Modra

2025-10-09T17:06:37+02:00

Mezinárodní konference "Jídlo a etika v kultuře a náboženství: Historické, sociálněvědní a filosofické kontexty", 11.-12. června 2025, Pardubice

2025-10-09T16:43:49+02:00

Third World Conference of Religious Dialogue and Cooperation, 23-27 June 2025, Krushevo, Macedonia

2025-10-09T17:23:19+02:00

The 38th Biennial Conference of the International Society for the Sociology of Religion (ISSR), 30 June - 4 July 2025, Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania

2025-10-09T17:17:26+02:00

Světové religionistické setkání v Krakově, 24.-30. srpna 2025, Polsko

2025-10-17T08:03:24+02:00

Kritické reflexie k vybraným naratívom vo výskume online náboženstva a spirituality

2025-10-10T08:23:16+02:00

Recenzované dílo:

Dojčár, Martin et al. Náboženstvo v kyberpriestore: zborník konferenčných príspevkov z rovnomennej medzinárodnej vedeckej konferencie ... Prvé vydanie. V Trnave: Pedagogická fakulta Trnavskej univerzity v Trnave, 2023. 113 stran. ISBN 978-80-568-0616-6.

[Šebek, Jaroslav. Hrdinou se člověk nerodí, ale stává: kardinál František Tomášek, církev a stát (1965-1992)]

2025-10-13T10:02:39+02:00

Recenzované dílo:

Šebek, Jaroslav. Hrdinou se člověk nerodí, ale stává: kardinál František Tomášek, církev a stát (1965-1992). V Praze: Karmelitánské nakladatelství, 2024. 526 stran, 32 obr. příl. Osudy; svazek 98. ISBN 978-80-7566-172-2.

[Černý, Karel, ed. Nad Evropou půlměsíc. II, Muslimové v Česku a v sousedních německy hovořících zemích]

2025-10-13T10:00:48+02:00

Recenzované dílo:

Černý, Karel, ed. Nad Evropou půlměsíc. II, Muslimové v Česku a v sousedních německy hovořících zemích. Vydání první. Praha: Univerzita Karlova, nakladatelství Karolinum, 2024. 400 stran. ISBN 978-80-246-5713-4.

[Benedetti, Marina, ed. Eretiche ed eretici medievali: la "disobbedienza" religiosa nei secoli XII-XV]

2025-10-13T09:56:23+02:00

Recenzované dílo:

Benedetti, Marina, ed. Eretiche ed eretici medievali: la "disobbedienza" religiosa nei secoli XII-XV. 1a edizione. Roma: Carocci editore, 2023. 415 p. Frecce; 372. ISBN 978-88-290-1994-6.

[Owen, Suzanne; Puca, Angela, eds. Pagan religions in five minutes]

2025-10-13T09:58:07+02:00

Recenzované dílo:

Owen, Suzanne; Puca, Angela, eds. Pagan religions in five minutes. Sheffield, UK: Bristol, CT: Equinox, 2024. xix, 232 p. Religion in 5 minutes. ISBN 9781800505247 (hardback), ISBN 9781800505254 (paperback).

[Palán, Aleš. Ten farář je nějakej divnej: o farářkách nemluvě]

2025-10-13T09:54:59+02:00

Recenzované dílo:

Palán, Aleš. Ten farář je nějakej divnej: o farářkách nemluvě. Vydání první. Praha: Portál, 2025. 269 stran. ISBN 978-80-262-2271-2.

[Bradley, Ian C. Water: a spiritual history]

2025-10-10T08:58:13+02:00

Recenzované dílo:

Bradley, Ian C. Water: a spiritual history. 1st pub. London: Bloomsbury, 2012. xi, 287 p. ISBN 978-1-4411-1173-9.

[Vojtíšek, Zdeněk. Hnutí Grálu: příběh nového náboženství (The Grail Movement: the story of a new religion)]

2025-10-13T09:59:20+02:00

Recenzované dílo:

Vojtíšek, Zdeněk. Hnutí Grálu: příběh nového náboženství [The Grail Movement: The Story of a New Religion]. První vydání. Praha: Univerzita Karlova, nakladatelství Karolinum, 2025. 552 stran, 10 obr. příl. ISBN 978-80-246-5762-2.

[Sitz, Anna Marie. Pagan inscriptions, Christian viewers: the afterlives of temples and their texts in the late antique Eastern Mediterranean]

2025-10-13T09:53:33+02:00

Recenzované dílo:

Sitz, Anna Marie. Pagan inscriptions, Christian viewers: the afterlives of temples and their texts in the late antique Eastern Mediterranean. New York: Oxford Universita Press, c2023. xxv, 321 p. Cultures of reading in the Ancient Mediterranean. ISBN 978-0-19-766643-2.

[Hefner, Robert W. Islam and citizenship in Indonesia: democracy and the quest for an inclusive public ethics]

2025-10-13T09:47:28+02:00

Recenzované dílo:

Hefner, Robert W. Islam and citizenship in Indonesia: democracy and the quest for an inclusive public ethics. London; New York: Routledge, 2024. xiv, 388 p. ISBN 978-1-032-62914-8, ISBN 978-1-032-62913-1.

[Martin, Nastassja. Věřit v šelmy]

2025-10-13T15:24:42+02:00

Recenzované dílo:

Martin, Nastassja. Věřit v šelmy. Překlad Jana Bednářová. V Praze: Neklid, 2022. 114 stran. ISBN 978-80-908247-5-1.