Diss.--Wien--Universität, 1987.

Thesis advisor: James F. Keenan / Secular voices have contributed immensely to the emergence of bioethical discourse in India. The media and the intellectuals frequently employ the language of human dignity, rights and justice to critique the policies of the government or medical institutions and the contemporary healthcare practices. In analyzing the healthcare concerns and in proposing remedial measures to better the situation, they also refer to the notions of care and access but in secular terms. Recognizing that insufficient attention has been paid to the religious dimension in this process and arguing that peoples' religious worldviews bear enormous influence on the entire spectrum of healthcare and in making it better accessible, the thesis examines the Catholic and Hindu religious traditions to find out how they have historically wrestled with and incorporated the theological values of care and access in dealing with healthcare. The study also draws upon the contemporary practices and policies of two select Catholic and Hindu healthcare institutions to illustrate how care and access inform their services and policies. In conclusion, I propose that the inclusion of religious insights and foundational theological values and principles into the mainstream bioethical discourse in India will both enrich the interreligious learning and enhance the various initiatives to promote basic healthcare more participatory and successful. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2014. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Theology.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Canterbury, 2007. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (p. 406-429) and index. Also available via the World Wide Web.

Dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Masters Degree in Technology: Education at the Durban Institute of Technology, 2004. / The ultimate goal of this research is to demonstrate the positive effect that can be achieved in the educational management arena by following the teachings of Sathya Sai Baba. This work attempts to add the voice of Sathya Sai Baba in classroom and school management and to demonstrate how his teachings could be used to the benefit of school principals, fellow educators and learners. In this research, focus is placed on secondary schools in the central Stanger area as the researcher is a principal in this area / M

I begin this thesis with a brief account of my meetings with popular South Indian guru Sathya Sai Baba (1926- ) and very brief a discussion of recent fraud and sexual abuse allegations that have been made against him. I note that one of the key factors involved in this, also accountable for his extraordinary popularity, is his divine persona-especially his self-proclaimed identity as "the avatar"-and I review previous academic studies pertaining to this. In contrast to most previous studies of Sathya Sai Baba, which align him primarily with Śaiva traditions and with the "Sai Baba movement", I note a strong (and long running) affinity in his ideas for Vaiṣṇava traditions (especially the Bhagavad-Gītā and the Bhāgavata-Purāṇa), and I add that his background as a member of a traditionally highly regarded bardic caste may have contributed to his divine persona. I further investigate this persona via a history of potentially parallel traditional and modern avatar ideas. I show something of the manner in which many of the avatar concepts and myths to which Sathya Sai Baba refers originated and developed, especially invoking the episteme of "resemblance", posited by Brian Smith, the idea of "inclusivism"-which I adapt from the work of Paul Hacker and Wilhelm Halbfass-and traditional (Sāṁkhya) processes of "distinction", "categorization", and "enumeration". In addition to these, I much refer to Max Weber's analysis of "pure types" of authority-traditional, charismatic, and rational-showing that Sathya Sai Baba draws upon all of these in legitimating his claim to be "the avatar". I also show that his divine persona draws upon a strong affinity that he exhibits for advaita ("non-dualism"), especially that of Śaṅkara, and that his personal history of intense devotional and ecstatic/yogic spiritual practices was likely important in the formative stages of this persona. I further suggest that the history of his geographic locale, in which there are strong themes of sacred kingship and ecstatic/advaitic/poetic/devotional sainthood, may have contributed to the production and reception of his persona. On top of this, I note that the influence of a number of modern avatar figures, especially Ramakrishna, Vivekananda, and Aurobindo, is patent in his avatar teachings, and I compare and contrast him with a number of other significant modern figures. Based upon all of this, I consider the question of whether Sathya Sai Baba ought to be regarded as a "traditionalist", both vis-à-vis modernity ("Neo-Hinduism", as defined especially by Paul Hacker) and "innovation". I conclude that, in contrast to most previous scholarly characterizations, he is certainly innovative, but that he ought not to be considered a "Neo-Hindu"-most appearances to the contrary being due to his borrowing or extrapolating ideas in a very traditional manner from typical Neo-Hindu thinkers (especially Vivekananda), as if these ideas, and those that framed them, were thoroughly traditional. Finally, I outline a couple of major themes in his avatar teachings: an ambivalent attitude to his role as an exemplar, which I note to accord with earlier and parallel avatar ideas; and strong docetic tendencies, which similarly, in contrast to some scholarly characterizations, find parallels in popular portrayals of other avatar figures.

The work introduces three exponents of Indian spirituality of the 20th Century. The first chapter deals with the life and teaching of Bhagawan Nityananda who shows various features of the Kashmir shaivism philosophy that is briefly described in the apendix of this chapter. There are examined the main elements of the Nityananda teaching {--} purity of mind and emotions, faith, meditation, siddha yoga and shaktipat. The second chapter introduces the personage and teaching of Neem Karoli Baba. Significant features of his teaching are the emphasis on the love to God and to fellow humans, detachment, service to others, meditation. Part of the chapter is dedicated to his relation to Christ. The third chapter deals with the legendary Indian saint Sai Baba of Shirdi. Although he died in 1918, his populariry in India has steadily grown and he is adored by both, hindus and muslims. His teaching shows many elements of sufism, bhakti yoga and jnana yoga. One of the leading ideas of this work is to show that the personages and teachings of these masters are universal. They prove in their lives not only the existence of the supersensory, spiritual world, but also the unity of people in the relation to this world.