The Ascetic Self: Subjectivity, Memory and Tradition

by Gavin D. Flood

Focusing on Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism, this book argues that asceticism must be understood within the boundaries of tradition. It exemplifies a completely new paradigm for comparative religion which seeks to avoid a problematic universalism on the one hand and an area-specific relativism on the other. The volume's original contribution to methodology will be influential in the future development of comparative religious studies.

Genres: Religion, Philosophy

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Ben Fairchild · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have just started reading this highly academic work as a primer to my engines for hitting the books on MONDAY. The premiss of the work is amiss because it states that asceticism divorced from an inherited tradition is not asceticism at all whereas I would say that the traditions are obviously founded on a primal transcendental reality that operates irrespective of tradition and it is these realities which interest me. The value of the book for me lies in its multi-faith approach which is both new and important. I like the idea that the multi-faith movement is set up and run by Christians because it is a bit like me inviting everyone to a party for everyone; at the end of the day my influence would be paramount on the tone and tenor of the whole affair non?

I didn't quite trust this professor of theology in the end. He used the word "hermitic" instead of "eremitic"

[Jonathan]

Rebind.

[Ryan Patrick]

The subject is intriguing and the author did make a couple of interesting insights in the chapters I read, but the book is weighed down with a preponderance of post-modern jargon (read: gibberish), that I'm not even convinced that the author always knows what he is talking about.