Larry D. Shinn Bücher

A marvellous introductory text, well-organized and clearly written. The renditions of stories are readable and engaging. Edward T. Gilday, Bowdoin College A delicious repast of stories, delightfully told and intended to satisfy our narrative appetites and nourish our moral sensibilities. Drawing upon tales from the Hindu epics, the Pancatantra, Puranas, Jatakas, Nikayas, and other texts, the authors provide translations and summaries of stories illustrating fundamental Hindu and Buddhist values and attitudes...A good candidate for use in undergraduate courses in Indian religions or the introduction to religion. Religious Studies Review This instructive retelling of tales from traditional Hindu and Buddhist texts introduces the reader to the popular teachings of these traditions not as abstract concepts but dressed in their original, attractive story form.

Combining behind-the-scenes views of an often besieged religious group with a personal account of the author's struggle to find meaning, this work takes readers closer than any other source to the reality of life in the Hare Krishna movement. Nori J. Muster, who joined the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKON) in 1977, lived in the movement's western headquarters in Los Angeles and worked for a decade as a public relations secretary and editor of the organization's newspaper. Her narrative reveals the decline of the Hare Krishnas through personal reminiscences, published articles, and internal documents. It details troubling issues such as drug dealing, weapons stockpiling, deceptive fundraising, child abuse, and murder within ISKON, alongside the schisms that led to the departure of approximately 95 percent of the original members. Despite the turmoil following the death of the movement's founder, the author's journey reflects a continual search for truth and religious meaning. Muster's account of the scandal-plagued decade after Swami Prabhupada's death culminates in 1988, when she, disillusioned by ongoing internal strife and scandals, left her job and the movement.