The Encyclopedia of Religion, Volume 13

The opening article, “Sainthood,” approaches the idea of the saint comparatively, examining sanctity and exemplary religious personalities across Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and other traditions. The volume then devotes extensive attention to Śaivism, including its historical development and major traditions such as Śaiva Siddhānta, Vīraśaivism, Nāyaṉārs, Krama Śaivism, Trika Śaivism, Kashmir Śaivism, Pratyabhijñā, Pāśupatas, and Kāpālikas.

A notable feature of the volume is the extensive treatment of Indian religious thought. Entries on Śaivism, Sāṃkhya, samādhi, saṃsāra, and saṃgha provide important reference material for the study of Hinduism and Buddhism, while broader entries such as sainthood and salvation facilitate comparative analysis across religious traditions.

Other important entries address themes such as salvation, the Salvation Army, Islamic ṣalāt, Sufi samāʿ, Buddhist and Hindu samādhi, saṃsāra, Buddhist saṃgha, and the classical Indian philosophical school of Sāṃkhya. The articles combine historical description, textual analysis, theological interpretation, comparative religion, anthropology, sociology, and philosophy.

As with the encyclopedia as a whole, individual entries are generally written by specialist scholars and accompanied by bibliographical references. The volume is therefore particularly useful for researchers in religious studies, Buddhist studies, Hindu studies, comparative theology, philosophy of religion, and the history of religions.