For while it may have been the tradition in the West to naturally equate power with the masculine, this is not at all a universally held outlook. One world-view which offers a fresh and radically different approach to the issue of power and the feminine is found in the philosophy and culture of Hinduism – and specifically in the concept of Shakti. Within the metaphysical framework of Shakti, the concept of the feminine is the very manifestation of power itself. In the following essay, the author: 1) examines the concept of Shakti as found throughout the history and various schools of thought of Hinduism; 2) explores the historical implications that this concept has contributed in forming the traditional Hindu view of the nature of the feminine and the subsequent role of women; and 3) shares some thoughts on the role that the concept of Shakti can potentially play in helping to bring about a reemergence of the much neglected and crucially needed feminine in the Western culture.
Author: Frank MoralesPublished: Select Date 1998
Language(s): English
Content Type(s): Text
Region(s): Global
Link: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.542.6948&rep=rep1&type=pdf