This title presents a comparative approach to understanding the centrality of sound to Hindu religious practices. The Hindu world is permeated by sound: drums, bells, gongs, cymbals, conches, flutes, and an array of vocalizations play a central role in worship. Guy L. Beck contends that the traditional Western focus on Hinduism's visual component has often been at the expense of the religion's most important feature - its emphasis on sound. In ""Sonic Theology"", Beck addresses this longstanding imbalance, contending that Hinduism is essentially a sonic theology. Beck argues that sound participates at every level of the Hindu cosmos. Comparing the centrality of sound in Hindu theology to its place in other religions, Beck raises issues about sound and language that not only reshape our understanding of Hindu worship but also invite a fresh approach to comparative theology.
- ISBN10 0872498557
- ISBN13 9780872498556
- Publish Date 31 December 1993
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 24 April 2009
- Publish Country US
- Imprint University of South Carolina Press
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 306
- Language English