archetypal actions of ritual, The

Book Description

This groundbreaking exploration challenges everything we think we know about ritual and its role in spiritual practice. Drawing from extensive fieldwork with Jain communities in western India, Caroline Humphrey presents a revolutionary perspective on how and why rituals function in human experience.

Rather than viewing ritual as a special category of meaningful events, this work introduces the concept of ritualization as a fundamental modification of human action. The authors reveal how people can engage in ritual practices successfully without traditional belief systems or even without attributing specific meanings to their actions. This insight opens new pathways for understanding spiritual engagement in our contemporary world.

The book addresses a fascinating paradox: in ritual performance, participants simultaneously become both the authors and non-authors of their own actions. Through careful analysis of Jain practices, the authors demonstrate how ritualization transforms ordinary activities into something qualitatively different, regardless of the performer's internal beliefs or interpretations.

Integrating insights from philosophy of action, cognitive psychology, and phenomenology, this work examines how ritual shapes bodily experience and influences our sense of self. The authors explore the complex relationship between sacred texts and lived practice, offering fresh perspectives on how spiritual traditions adapt and survive when their foundational assumptions are questioned.

For anyone seeking to understand the deeper mechanics of spiritual practice beyond conventional frameworks of belief and meaning, this scholarly yet accessible work provides profound insights into the nature of human ritual behavior.