Sonic Theology
Hinduism and Sacred Sound

Guy L. Beck (Author), Frederick M. Denny (Series edited by)

9781570038433

Paperback / softback, published 23 April 2009

312 pages
22.8 x 15.2 x 1.7 cm, 0.488 kg

Sonic Theology makes a significant contribution to the ongoing Western understanding of the audible or sonic dimension in Hinduism, and it also provides a welcome corrective in the academy by focusing on sacred sound.... Sonic Theology has not only tuned itself to the sonic experience in theology, it has struck a note that will reverberate for years to come. - History of Religion

This title presents a comparative approach to understanding the centrality of sound to Hindu religious practices. The Hindu world is permeated by sound: drums, bells, gongs, cymbals, conches, flutes, and an array of vocalizations play a central role in worship. Guy L. Beck contends that the traditional Western focus on Hinduism's visual component has often been at the expense of the religion's most important feature - its emphasis on sound. In ""Sonic Theology"", Beck addresses this longstanding imbalance, contending that Hinduism is essentially a sonic theology. Beck argues that sound participates at every level of the Hindu cosmos. Comparing the centrality of sound in Hindu theology to its place in other religions, Beck raises issues about sound and language that not only reshape our understanding of Hindu worship but also invite a fresh approach to comparative theology.