Sacred Mountains of the World - Softcover

Bernbaum, Edwin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0520214226 ISBN 13: 9780520214224

Publisher: University of California Press, 1998

Synopsis

Since the beginning of human history mountains have had an extraordinary power to evoke the sacred in our lives. Regarded as places of mystery and spiritual attainment by people in every culture, mountains arouse feelings of reverence and awe. In this book Edwin Bernbaum combines photography with years of mountaineering and scholarly research to provide a study of sacred mountains and their significance around the world. Part I explores the significance of sacred mountains across the globe, including Sinai and Zion in the Middle East, Olympus in Greece, T'ai Shan in China, Fuji in Japan, Kailas in Tibet and the San Francisco Peaks in Arizona. Bernbaum focuses on notable mountains in each region, placing them in their historical, relistious and cultural contexts. In Part II he identifies the major themes found in traditional views of sacred mountains, themes such as mountains as centres of the cosmos, abodes of the gods and divine sources of life. He also takes a look at well-known works of literature and art, noting the ways that mountains are integral to ancient myths and religious traditions.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

"This book is fascinating . . . full of adventure, cultural significance and religious symbology."Sir Edmund Hillary

"A treasure of a book that masterfully weaves together fact, history, legend, and spiritual truth."Jacob Needleman, author ofThe New Religions

"Edwin Bernbaum has succeeded in unfolding the many aspects of this rich symbol, and has never forgotten to let the reader climb with him in this symbolic ascent. In our time of increasing ecological disastersas well as awarenesssuch a book is a timely and important contribution."Raimon Panikkar, University of California, Santa Barbara

"Once in a great and precious while, a book comes across a columnist's desk that arrests the spirit and causes one to see the world in a breathtakingly new way. [This] is such a book."Georgie Ann Geyer, Universal Press Syndicate

About this edition

• Publisher: University of California Press
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0520214226
• ISBN 13: 9780520214224
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 318