Revealing Eastern Religions

Revealing® Eastern Religions includes eight modules that cover the religions most often taught in introductory eastern religion courses—Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Daoism, Confucianism, and Shinto—along with modules on the academic study of religion and religious pluralism in the 21st century. Clear links are drawn between religions related to one another (e.g., Hinduism and Buddhism). The modules can be studied in whatever order the instructor prefers.

The text is designed to convey the maximum amount of information in the most user-friendly manner and to reinforce learning with interactive exercises. Revealing® Eastern Religions is vastly more experiential than other introductory religion textbooks. Evocative images of the religions presented appear at the rate of one for roughly every seventy words of text, a ratio that print textbooks cannot begin to match. Selected audio clips allow students to hear the sounds of the religions they are studying. Links to scriptures of the world’s religions lessen the need for adjunct texts such as anthologies of primary readings.

Revealing® Eastern Religions Modules:

  • Exploring Religion
  • Hinduism
  • Buddhism
  • Sikhism
  • Daoism
  • Confucianism
  • Shinto
  • Religious Pluralism
Price: $40

Exploring Religion

What Is Religion?
  • Goals: What Is Religion?
  • Religion & Religions
  • One Reality or Many?
  • Defining Religion
  • Theoretical, Practical, Sociological
  • Religious Specialists
  • Religious Syncretism
  • Summary: What Is Religion?
  • Try It: What Is Religion?
Types of Religion
  • Goals: Types of Religions
  • Eastern & Western Religions
  • Families of Religions
  • Ethnic & Universal
  • Theisms
  • The Ineffable
  • Atheism & Agnosticism
  • Summary: Types of Religions
  • Try It: Types of Religions
Studying Religion
  • Goals: Studying Religion
  • Why Is There Religion?
  • Functionalism
  • Theorists of Religion
  • Ways to Study Religion
  • Belief & Unbelief
  • Why Study Religion?
  • The Religious Quest
  • Summary: Studying Religion
  • Try It: Studying Religion
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Hinduism

Defining & Finding Hinduism
  • Goals: Defining Hinduism
  • Religion in Ancient India
  • Religions of India
  • Expansiveness of Hinduism
  • How Old Is Hinduism?
  • Sanatana Dharma
  • Indian Definition of Hinduism
  • Religious Conflict in India
  • World Distribution
  • Summary: Defining Hinduism
  • Try It: Defining Hinduism
The Birth of Hinduism
  • Goals: The Birth of Hinduism
  • Timeline of Hinduism
  • Indus Civilization
  • Aryan Invasion Theory
  • Caste System
  • Early Vedic Religion & Ritual
  • Vedic Gods
  • Agni & Soma
  • Vedic Scriptures
  • Summary: The Birth of Hinduism
  • Try It: The Birth of Hinduism
Hinduism After the Vedas
  • Goals: Hinduism After the Vedas
  • Relationship of Hinduism & Buddhism
  • The Epics
  • Classical Texts
  • Tantric Texts
  • Islam in India
  • Colonial Powers in India
  • Indian Independence
  • Summary: Hinduism After the Vedas
  • Try It: Hinduism After the Vedas
Philosophy of Hinduism
  • Goals: Philosophy of Hinduism
  • Basic Tensions in Hinduism
  • Brahman
  • Atman
  • Maya
  • Karma
  • Reincarnation in Hinduism
  • Samsara
  • Moksha
  • Cosmogenesis & Kaliyuga
  • Summary: Philosophy of Hinduism
  • Try It: Philosophy of Hinduism
Yoga
  • Goals: Yoga
  • Types of Yoga
  • Jnana Yoga
  • Karma Yoga & Arjuna
  • Bhakti Yoga & Mirabai
  • Raja Yoga
  • Hatha Yoga
  • Four Stages of Life
  • Sannyasin
  • Varieties of Yoga
  • Summary: Yoga
  • Try It: Yoga
Schools of Hindu Philosophy
  • Goals: Schools of Hindu Philosophy
  • Samkhya Philosophy
  • Purusha & Prakriti
  • The Three Gunas
  • Meditation & Consciousness
  • Vedanta
  • Qualified Nondualism
  • Tantric Hinduism
  • Kundalini Yoga
  • Tantra
  • Summary: Schools of Hindu Philosophy
  • Try It: Schools of Hindu Philosophy
The Hindu Pantheon
  • Goals: The Hindu Pantheon
  • Nature of the Hindu Pantheon
  • The Trimurti
  • Vishnu
  • Rama
  • Krishna
  • Shiva
  • Devi
  • Lesser Deities
  • Summary: The Hindu Pantheon
  • Try It: The Hindu Pantheon
Puja & Pilgrimage
  • Goals: Puja & Pilgrimage
  • Hindu Practice
  • Hindu Tradition
  • Hindu Devotional Practice
  • Darshan & Puja
  • Procession & Pilgrimage
  • Gurus
  • Temple Worship
  • Music & Chant
  • Hindu Sacred Dance
  • Summary: Puja & Pilgrimage
  • Try It: Puja & Pilgrimage
Hinduism in the West
  • Goals: Hinduism in the West
  • Hinduism Outside India
  • Swami Vivekananda
  • Transcendental Meditation
  • ISKCON
  • Yoga in the West
  • Summary: Hinduism in the West
  • Try It: Hinduism in the West
Living Hinduism
  • Growing Up Hindu
  • Becoming Hindu
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Buddhism

The Life of the Buddha
  • Goals: The Life of the Buddha
  • Siddhartha Gautama
  • Context of Siddhartha
  • From Birth to Age 30
  • Four Passing Sights
  • Siddhartha as Renunciate
  • Awakening of Siddhartha
  • Buddha as Teacher
  • Sangha
  • Parinirvana
  • Summary: The Life of the Buddha
  • Try It: The Life of the Buddha
Philosophy of Buddhism
  • Goals: Philosophy of Buddhism
  • The Four Noble Truths
  • The Five Precepts
  • The Three Jewels
  • Dharma
  • Dependent Co-Arising
  • No Self
  • Nirvana
  • Arhat
  • Reincarnation in Buddhism
  • Summary: Philosophy of Buddhism
  • Try It: Philosophy of Buddhism
The First 400 Years
  • Goals: The First 400 Years
  • Transmission & Spread of Buddhism
  • King Asoka
  • Schools of Buddhism
  • Major Branches of Buddhism
  • Buddhism in First Century CE
  • Summary: The First 400 Years
  • Try It: The First 400 Years
Theravada Buddhism
  • Goals: Theravada Buddhism
  • Pali Canon
  • Becoming an Arhat
  • Women in Theravada Buddhism
  • Theravadan Meditation
  • Theravadan Iconography
  • Worship of the Buddha
  • Sri Lanka
  • Major Theravadan Temples
  • Thailand
  • Summary: Theravada Buddhism
  • Try It: Theravada Buddhism
Mahayana Buddhism
  • Goals: Mahayana Buddhism
  • The Bodhisattva Ideal
  • The Buddhist Pantheon
  • Three-Body Doctrine
  • Skillful Means
  • Mahayana Scriptures
  • Mahayana Buddhist Philosophy
  • Summary: Mahayana Buddhism
  • Try It: Mahayana Buddhism
Vajrayana Buddhism
  • Goals: Vajrayana Buddhism
  • Origin of Vajrayana Buddhism
  • Buddhism in Tibet
  • Tantric Buddhism
  • Buddhist Mantras
  • Vajrayana Iconography
  • Vajrayana Meditation
  • Tibetan Deities
  • Milarepa
  • Summary: Vajrayana Buddhism
  • Try It: Vajrayana Buddhism
Mahayana in China
  • Goals: Mahayana in China
  • Buddhism Enters China
  • Chan Buddhism
  • Pure Land Buddhism
  • Huayan Buddhism
  • Master Xu Yun
  • Chinese Buddhist Iconography
  • Buddhism in China Today
  • Mahayana in Korea
  • Mahayana in Vietnam
  • Summary: Mahayana in China
  • Try It: Mahayana in China
Mahayana in Japan
  • Goals: Mahayana in Japan
  • Buddhism Enters Japan
  • Nara Period
  • Shingon Buddhism
  • Tendai Buddhism
  • Kamakura Period
  • Jodo Shu Buddhism
  • Nichiren Buddhism
  • Zen Buddhism
  • Devotional Practice
  • Summary: Mahayana in Japan
  • Try It: Mahayana in Japan
Buddhism in the West
  • Goals: Buddhism in the West
  • Schools of Buddhism in the West
  • Insight Meditation Society
  • Shambhala
  • City of 10,000 Buddhas
  • Plum Village
  • Engaged Buddhism
  • Women in Western Buddhism
  • Summary: Buddhism in the West
  • Try It: Buddhism in the West
Living Buddhism
  • Growing Up Buddhist
  • Becoming Buddhist
Back to top

Sikhism

Emergence of Sikhism
  • Goals: Emergence of Sikhism
  • The Sikh Religion
  • The Punjab
  • Blending Hinduism & Islam
  • Guru Nanak
  • Summary: Emergence of Sikhism
  • Try It: Emergence of Sikhism
Life of Guru Nanak
  • Goals: Life of Guru Nanak
  • Family of Nanak
  • Birth of Guru Nanak
  • Nanak as a Young Man
  • Travels of Nanak
  • Epiphany of Nanak
  • Ashram of Nanak
  • Death of Nanak
  • Summary: Life of Guru Nanak
  • Try It: Life of Guru Nanak
Sikh Theology
  • Goals: Sikh Theology
  • Sikh Monotheism
  • A Personal God
  • Sikh View of Human Nature
  • Reincarnation & Liberation
  • Union with God
  • Summary: Sikh Theology
  • Try It: Sikh Theology
The Ten Gurus
  • Goals: The Ten Gurus
  • First Guru
  • Second Guru
  • Third Guru
  • Fourth Guru
  • Fifth Guru
  • Sixth Guru
  • Seventh & Eight Gurus
  • Ninth Guru
  • Tenth Guru
  • Summary: The Ten Gurus
  • Try It: The Ten Gurus
The Khalsa
  • Goals: The Khalsa
  • Founding the Khalsa
  • Sikh Identity
  • The Warrior Ideal
  • Sikh/Muslim Conflict
  • Summary: The Khalsa
  • Try It: The Khalsa
Sikh Scripture
  • Goals: Sikh Scripture
  • Adi Granth
  • Mul Mantra
  • Authors of the Granth
  • Translations of the Granth
  • Dasam Granth
  • Other Sikh Scriptures
  • Summary: Sikh Scripture
  • Try It: Sikh Scripture
India & the Diaspora
  • Goals: India & the Diaspora
  • Sikhism after Guru Gobind Singh
  • Ranjit Singh
  • Sikhs & the British Empire
  • The Partition of India
  • Sikh Separatism
  • Sikhs in the Punjab Today
  • Sikhs in the Diaspora
  • Variants of Sikhism
  • Summary: India & the Diaspora
  • Try It: India & the Diaspora
Rituals & Rites of Passage
  • Goals: Rituals & Rites of Passage
  • Sikh Worship
  • The Gurdwara
  • The Langar
  • Birth in Sikhism
  • Initiation in Sikhism
  • Marriage in Sikhism
  • Death in Sikhism
  • Summary: Rituals & Rites of Passage
  • Try It: Rituals & Rites of Passage
Sikh Holidays
  • Goals: Sikh Holidays
  • Cycle of Sikh Holidays
  • Baisakhi
  • Hola
  • Diwali
  • Sikh Commemorations
  • Sikh Processions
  • Sikh Pilgrimage
  • Summary: Sikh Holidays
  • Try It: Sikh Holidays
Living Sikhism
  • Growing Up Sikh
  • Becoming Sikh
Back to top

Daoism

Ancient Chinese Religion
  • Goals: Ancient Chinese Religion
  • Indigenous Religions of China
  • The Warring States Period
  • Ancient Chinese Religions
  • Ancient Chinese Philosophy
  • Daoism & Confucianism
  • Summary: Ancient Chinese Religion
  • Try It: Ancient Chinese Religion
Beginnings of Daoism
  • Goals: Beginnings of Daoism
  • Laozi
  • Origins of the Daodejing
  • The Daodejing
  • Zhuangzi
  • Transliterating Chinese
  • Summary: Beginnings of Daoism
  • Try It: Beginnings of Daoism
Philosophy of the Dao
  • Goals: Philosophy of the Dao
  • What Is the Dao?
  • The Ten Thousand Things
  • The Ineffable Dao
  • Wu Wei
  • The Nature of Human Beings
  • Yin & Yang
  • The Importance of Nature
  • Summary: Philosophy of the Dao
  • Try It: Philosophy of the Dao
Daoism as a Religion
  • Goals: Daoism as a Religion
  • Philosophy or Religion?
  • Celestial Master Daoism
  • Magic & Alchemy
  • Supreme Clarity Daoism
  • Numinous Treasure Daoism
  • Summary: Daoism as a Religion
  • Try It: Daoism as a Religion
Daoist Pantheon
  • Goals: Daoist Pantheon
  • Basic Features
  • Hierarchy of the Pantheon
  • Major Deities
  • Guan Yin
  • Land God
  • God of Wealth
  • The Eight Immortals
  • He Xiangu
  • Other Daoist Deities
  • Summary: Daoist Pantheon
  • Try it: Daoist Pantheon
Second Millennium CE
  • Goals: Second Millennium CE
  • Later Sects of Daoism
  • Orthodox Unity Daoism
  • Integral Perfection Daoism
  • White Cloud Abbey
  • Daoist Temples
  • Wang Ling Guan
  • Daoist Priesthood
  • Summary: Second Millennium CE
  • Try It: Second Millennium CE
Daoist Meditation & Medicine
  • Goals: Daoist Meditation & Medicine
  • Breathing Exercises
  • The Spiritual Embryo
  • Holding the Ones
  • Taijiquan
  • Daoist Martial Arts
  • Traditional Medicine & Acupuncture
  • Herbology
  • Macrobiotic Diet
  • Summary: Meditation & Medicine
  • Try It: Daoist Meditation & Medicine
Daoist Ritual Practices
  • Goals: Daoist Ritual Practices
  • Chinese Festivals
  • Chinese Astrology
  • Feng Shui
  • Yijing
  • Calligraphy
  • Healing Rituals
  • Ancestor Veneration
  • Jiao
  • Summary: Daoist Ritual Practices
  • Try It: Daoist Ritual Practices
Daoism in the Modern Era
  • Goals: Daoism in the Modern Era
  • The Decline of Daoism
  • Daoism Under the Manzhous
  • Daoism & Western Imperialism
  • Taiping Rebellion
  • The Communist Revolution
  • Daoism in China Today
  • Daoism Outside Mainland China
  • Summary: Daoism in the Modern Era
  • Try It: Daoism in the Modern Era
Living Daoism
  • Growing Up Daoist
  • Becoming Daoist
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Confucianism

Life of Confucius
  • Goals: Life of Confucius
  • Early Life of Confucius
  • Confucius as a Young Man
  • Teacher & Philosopher
  • Summary: Life of Confucius
  • Try It: Life of Confucius
Fundamentals of Confucianism
  • Goals: Fundamentals
  • A Moral Philosophy
  • Confucianism as a Religion
  • Five Great Relationships
  • Rectification of Names
  • Five Virtues
  • Male Dominance in Confucianism
  • Human Nature in Confucianism
  • Confucian Ideals for Government
  • Yin & Yang in Confucianism
  • Summary: Fundamentals
  • Try It: Fundamentals
Confucian Texts
  • Goals: Confucian Texts
  • Significance of Confucian Texts
  • The Five Classics
  • The Book of Rites
  • The Four Books
  • The Analects
  • The Great Learning
  • The Book of Mencius
  • Summary: Confucian Texts
  • Try It: Confucian Texts
Early Confucian History
  • Goals: Early Confucian History
  • After Confucius
  • Mencius
  • Mozi
  • Xunzi
  • The Han Dynasty
  • Confucian Religion
  • Veneration of Confucius
  • Confucian Priesthood
  • Summary: Early Confucian History
  • Try It: Early Confucian History
The Modern Era
  • Goals: The Modern Era
  • Confucianism & Buddhism
  • Neo-Confucianism
  • The Great Ultimate
  • Sitting Meditation
  • Becoming a Sage
  • Wang Yangming
  • Reforms in Confucianism
  • Confucianism in the Modern Era
  • Summary: The Modern Era
  • Try It: The Modern Era
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Shinto

Early Japanese Religion
  • Goals: Early Japanese Religion
  • Indigenous Japanese Religion
  • The Japanese People
  • Prehistoric Japan
  • Early Shinto
  • Shamanism
  • Early Shinto Gods & Goddesses
  • Summary: Early Japanese Religion
  • Try It: Early Japanese Religion
Shinto After Buddhism
  • Goals: Shinto After Buddhism
  • Shinto & Chinese Religions
  • Shinto & Buddhism
  • Shinto Writings
  • Separating Shinto & Buddhism
  • Meiji Restoration
  • State Shinto
  • After World War II
  • Summary: Shinto After Buddhism
  • Try It: Shinto After Buddhism
Key Characteristics of Shinto
  • Goals: Key Characteristics
  • Major Concerns of Shinto
  • Purity
  • Tradition in Shinto
  • Honoring Nature
  • The Land of Japan
  • An Optimistic Religion
  • Orthopraxis in Shinto
  • Summary: Key Characteristics
  • Try It: Key Characteristics
Shinto Mythology
  • Goals: Shinto Mythology
  • Origin Myth of Shinto
  • Izanami & Izanagi
  • The Birth of Fire
  • Return of Izanagi
  • The Birth of Amaterasu
  • The Heavenly Rock Cave
  • Descendants of Amaterasu
  • Summary: Shinto Mythology
  • Try It: Shinto Mythology
Kami
  • Goals: Kami
  • Definition of Kami
  • Types of Kami
  • Traits of Kami
  • The Kami & Humans
  • The Waving Cat
  • Kami Iconography
  • Summary: Kami
  • Try It: Kami
Shinto Shrines
  • Goals: Shinto Shrines
  • Shinto Shrines in Japan Today
  • Torii
  • Shimenawa
  • Shrine Architecture
  • Features of Shinto Shrines
  • Enshrined Kami
  • The Three Treasures
  • Summary: Shinto Shrines
  • Try It: Shinto Shrines
Shinto Worship
  • Goals: Shinto Worship
  • Worshipping the Kami
  • Visiting a Shrine
  • Oracles & Charms
  • Occasions for Visiting a Shrine
  • Shinto Funerals
  • Priest-Led Worship
  • The Shinto Priesthood
  • Shinto Worship at Home
  • Summary: Shinto Worship
  • Try It: Shinto Worship
Shinto Festivals
  • Goals: Shinto Festivals
  • Occasions for Festivals
  • New Year Festivals
  • Rice Festivals
  • Other Shinto Festivals
  • Processions in Shinto
  • Shinto Dance & Theater
  • Shinto Pilgrimage
  • Summary: Shinto Festivals
  • Try It: Shinto Festivals
Religious Blending in Japan
  • Goals: Religious Blending in Japan
  • Who Practices Shinto?
  • Daoist Elements in Shinto
  • Confucian Elements in Shinto
  • Buddhist Elements in Shinto
  • New Religious Movements in Japan
  • Shinto Outside Japan
  • Summary: Religious Blending in Japan
  • Try It: Religious Blending in Japan
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Religious Pluralism

Comparing Religions
  • Goals: Comparing Religions
  • Making Meaningful Comparisons
  • Universal & Ethnic Religions
  • Orthopraxis & Orthodoxy
  • Sacred Time
  • Founders, Prophets, & Teachers
  • Sex, Life, & Death
  • One God or Many?
  • Summary: Comparing Religions
  • Try It: Comparing Religions
New Religious Movements
  • Goals: New Religious Movements
  • Religious Change
  • Millennial Movements
  • Universalist Religions
  • Nature Religions
  • New Age Religions
  • Summary: New Religious Movements
  • Try It: New Religious Movements
The 21st Century
  • Goals: The 21st Century
  • The Secularization Thesis
  • Fundamentalism
  • Interreligious Dialogue
  • Female Religious Leadership
  • Religion in Popular Culture
  • Looking Forward
  • Summary: The 21st Century
  • Try It: The 21st Century

About the Author: Cynthia Eller, Ph.D.

Cynthia Eller has taught religious studies at Claremont Graduate University, Pitzer College, Claremont McKenna College, Montclair State University, Yale Divinity School, and Princeton University. She has written numerous books in the fields of women and religion, ethics, and women’s studies, including Living in the Lap of the Goddess: The Feminist Spirituality Movement in America (Boston: Beacon Press, 1995) and The Myth of Matriarchal Prehistory: Why an Invented Past Won’t Give Women a Future (Boston: Beacon Press, 2000).

Like all religious studies faculty, Dr. Eller hopes to draw her students into an appreciation of the elements of a wide swath of religions and instill a desire in her students to explore religion and its study further through upper-division classes. In Revealing World Religions and Revealing Religion, she has developed digital texts that convey basic concepts and subject matter, illustrate lived religion in a compelling way, and reinforce learning in ways unavailable with a printed text. These courseware titles are a new kind of textbook for a new generation of learners.

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