救済のための自傷行為 Sacred Pain : Hurting the Body for the Sake of the Soul

Glucklich, Ariel

Oxford University Press Inc（2003/12発売）

• 製本 Paperback:紙装版/ペーパーバック版／ページ数 288 p.
• 言語 ENG
• 商品コード 9780195169430
• DDC分類 291.447

基本説明

New in paperback. Hardcover was published in 2001. The first book to explore the religious uses of pain reveals the propose behind self-inflicted suffering.

Full Description

Physical pain ranks as one of the great evils of human life, not far behind death. Yet, religious individuals and groups around the world and throughout history have inflicted pain on themselves and on others in pursuit of religious goals. Despite this, no broad explanation for the uses of pain has emerged, and this book seeks to remedy this lack. Glucklich shows that a ritually controlled regimen of pain can produce a transformation of consciousness in which personal identity gives way to identification with God, Truth, or other spiritual ideals. This phenomenon is explored in many cultural and historical contexts, including rituals of possession and exorcism, rites of passage, and the tortures of the Inquisition. Glucklich also shows how the modern invention of anæsthesia transformed our perception of pain and undermined the idea that pain can be good. This book helps us to understand "sacred pain" from the perspective of its practitioners, opening a window onto a mysterious world of experience.