Religion and the subtle body in Asia and the West: Between mind and body

Samuel, Geoffrey Brian ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5563-871X and Johnston, Jay, eds. 2013. Religion and the subtle body in Asia and the West: Between mind and body. Routledge Studies in Asian Religion and Philosophy, No. 8. London: Routledge. 10.4324/9780203558249

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Abstract

Subtle-body practices are found particularly in Indian, Indo-Tibetan and East Asian societies, but have become increasingly familiar in Western societies, especially through the various healing and yogic techniques and exercises associated with them. This book explores subtle-body practices from a variety of perspectives, and includes both studies of these practices in Asian and Western contexts. The book discusses how subtle-body practices assume a quasi-material level of human existence that is intermediate between conventional concepts of body and mind. Often, this level is conceived of in terms of an invisible structure of channels, associated with the human body, through which flows of quasi-material substance take place. Contributors look at how subtle-body concepts form the basic explanatory structure for a wide range of practices. These include forms of healing, modes of exercise and martial arts as well as religious practices aimed at the refinement and transformation of the human mindbody complex. By highlighting how subtle-body practices of many kinds have been introduced into Western societies in recent years, the book explores the possibilities for new models of understanding which these concepts open up. It is a useful contribution to studies on Asian Religion and Philosophy.

Item Type:	Book - edited
Book Type:	Edited Book
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > History, Archaeology and Religion
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BL Religion D History General and Old World > D History (General) > D901 Europe (General) D History General and Old World > DS Asia
Publisher:	Routledge
ISBN:	9780415608114
Funders:	AHRC
Last Modified:	03 Aug 2026 14:55
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/45913

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