Lethal Spots, Vital Secrets

Medicine and Martial Arts in South India

Nonfiction, Health & Well Being, Medical, Specialties, Healing, Religion & Spirituality, Eastern Religions, Hinduism, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Anthropology
Cover of the book Lethal Spots, Vital Secrets by Roman Sieler, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Roman Sieler ISBN: 9780190273064
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: June 1, 2015
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Roman Sieler
ISBN: 9780190273064
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: June 1, 2015
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

Lethal Spots, Vital Secrets provides an ethnographic study of varmakkalai, or "the art of the vital spots," a South Indian esoteric tradition that combines medical practice and martial arts. Although siddha medicine is officially part of the Indian Government's medically pluralistic health-care system, very little of a reliable nature has been written about it. Drawing on a diverse array of materials, including Tamil manuscripts, interviews with practitioners, and his own personal experience as an apprentice, Sieler traces the practices of varmakkalai both in different religious traditions--such as Yoga and Ayurveda--and within various combat practices. His argument is based on in-depth ethnographic research in the southernmost region of India, where hereditary medico-martial practitioners learn their occupation from relatives or skilled gurus through an esoteric, spiritual education system. Rituals of secrecy and apprenticeship in varmakkalai are among the important focal points of Sieler's study. Practitioners protect their esoteric knowledge, but they also engage in a kind of "lure and withdrawal"---a performance of secrecy---because secrecy functions as what might be called "symbolic capital." Sieler argues that varmakkalai is, above all, a matter of texts in practice; knowledge transmission between teacher and student conveys tacit, non-verbal knowledge, and constitutes a "moral economy." It is not merely plain facts that are communicated, but also moral obligations, ethical conduct and tacit, bodily knowledge. Lethal Spots, Vital Secrets is an insightful analysis of practices rarely discussed in scholarly circles. It will be a valuable resource to students of religion, medical anthropologists, historians of medicine, Indologists, and martial arts and performance studies.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Lethal Spots, Vital Secrets provides an ethnographic study of varmakkalai, or "the art of the vital spots," a South Indian esoteric tradition that combines medical practice and martial arts. Although siddha medicine is officially part of the Indian Government's medically pluralistic health-care system, very little of a reliable nature has been written about it. Drawing on a diverse array of materials, including Tamil manuscripts, interviews with practitioners, and his own personal experience as an apprentice, Sieler traces the practices of varmakkalai both in different religious traditions--such as Yoga and Ayurveda--and within various combat practices. His argument is based on in-depth ethnographic research in the southernmost region of India, where hereditary medico-martial practitioners learn their occupation from relatives or skilled gurus through an esoteric, spiritual education system. Rituals of secrecy and apprenticeship in varmakkalai are among the important focal points of Sieler's study. Practitioners protect their esoteric knowledge, but they also engage in a kind of "lure and withdrawal"---a performance of secrecy---because secrecy functions as what might be called "symbolic capital." Sieler argues that varmakkalai is, above all, a matter of texts in practice; knowledge transmission between teacher and student conveys tacit, non-verbal knowledge, and constitutes a "moral economy." It is not merely plain facts that are communicated, but also moral obligations, ethical conduct and tacit, bodily knowledge. Lethal Spots, Vital Secrets is an insightful analysis of practices rarely discussed in scholarly circles. It will be a valuable resource to students of religion, medical anthropologists, historians of medicine, Indologists, and martial arts and performance studies.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book The Simple Flute by Roman Sieler
Cover of the book A Tale of Seven Scientists and a New Philosophy of Science by Roman Sieler
Cover of the book The Struggle for Egypt : From Nasser to Tahrir Square by Roman Sieler
Cover of the book The Myth of Mob Rule by Roman Sieler
Cover of the book The Ethics of Surgical Practice by Roman Sieler
Cover of the book Pornography by Roman Sieler
Cover of the book Visions of Jazz : The First Century by Roman Sieler
Cover of the book On the Art of Singing by Roman Sieler
Cover of the book Playable Bodies by Roman Sieler
Cover of the book Everything in Its Place by Roman Sieler
Cover of the book The Science of the Perfect Swing by Roman Sieler
Cover of the book Innovation Generation by Roman Sieler
Cover of the book Knowing Emotions by Roman Sieler
Cover of the book Girl on a Motorcycle - With Audio Starter Level Oxford Bookworms Library by Roman Sieler
Cover of the book Mafia Brotherhoods by Roman Sieler
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy