Victoria Kennick & Arvind Sharma 
Spiritual Masters of the World’s Religions 

What is a spiritual master?
Spiritual Masters of the World’s Religions offers an important contribution to religious studies by addressing that question in the context of such themes as charismatic authority, role models, symbolism, and categories of religious perception. The book contains essays by scholar-practitioners on the topic of spiritual masters in Judaic, Christian, Islamic, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Confucian, and Daoist traditions. It provides a full spectrum of exemplars, including founders, spiritual masters who highlight cultural themes, and problematic figures of modern times. To define
spiritual master, the work of Max Weber, Mircea Eliade, Daniel Gold, and Bruce Lincoln is referenced to provide a balanced notion that includes both religionist and reductionist perspectives. This book takes readers from the past spiritual masters to the future of masters of any sort, posing food for thought about the future of master-disciple relationships in an emerging age of egalitarian sentiments.

Table des matières

Preface


Arvind Sharma



Introduction: Defining
Spiritual Master


Victoria Kennick



1. Jewish Spiritual Masters


Harold Kasimow



2. Christian Spiritual Masters


James A. Wiseman



3. Muslim Spiritual Masters


Osman Bakar



4. Hindu Spiritual Masters


Arvind Sharma



5. Sikh Spiritual Masters


Mary Pat Fisher



6. Buddhist Spiritual Masters


Victoria Kennick



7. Confucian Spiritual Masters


Simon Man Ho Wong



8. Daoist Spiritual Masters


Eva Wong



Concluding Remarks


Arvind Sharma



List of Contributors

Index

A propos de l’auteur

Victoria Kennick is Professor of Humanities at the University of Maryland University College and the author of
Introducing World Religions.
Arvind Sharma is Birks Professor of Comparative Religion at Mc Gill University. His many books include
Hinduism as a Missionary Religion;
One Religion Too Many: The Religiously Comparative Reflections of a Comparatively Religious Hindu; and
Religious Studies and Comparative Methodology: The Case for Reciprocal Illumination, all published by SUNY Press.