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SUMMARY:South Asia Guest Lecture Series - Jarosław Zapart
DTSTART:20260520T140000Z
DTEND:20260520T160000Z
DTSTAMP:20260430T134519Z
UID:south-asia-guest-lecture-series-jaroslaw-zapart-14151@ceres.rub.de
CATEGORIES:
DESCRIPTION:The Challenges of Researching Digital Hinduism: Guru Authority
  and a New Theology of the Internet\n\nThe lecture focuses on selected are
 as of digital Hinduism as seen through the activities of guru-godman Swami
  Nithyananda\, a self-proclaimed “Pontiff of Hinduism\,” miracle worke
 r\, and alleged incarnation of the god Śiva. A fugitive from Indian law\,
  hiding since 2019 in an undisclosed location\, Nithyananda has become an 
 internet guru par excellence with a powerful and enduring presence in all 
 digital social media. Although active only on the web\, he still manages t
 o maintain an ever growing following and continues to successfully style h
 imself as a universal guru and leader of the global “Hindu nation” nam
 ed Kailasa. Using the activities of the Swami as a case in point\, the lec
 ture delves into selected areas of digital religion studies\, tackling phi
 losophical\, methodological\, and case specific questions. It starts by es
 tablishing an ontological perspective by analyzing the historical relation
 ship between the online and offline using contrasting theories of the theo
 logy and materiality of the internet. Then\, it tackles the methodology of
  researching digital Hinduism using the popular paradigm of “third space
 ” which allows us to grasp the interconnectedness of online and offline.
  The media strategies for building religious authority are scrutinized nex
 t\, with Nithyananda and his community providing many examples of aggressi
 ve campaigns to legitimize the authority of the guru through online darśa
 n\, seva\, hagiographic discourse\, systems of yoga and spiritual coaching
  based on pseudoscientific claims\, etc. The lecture is concluded by envis
 ioning a future of digital Hinduism with some of Nityananda’s innovation
 s as prospective templates for other gurus. Will an intimate guru–śiṣ
 ya (disciple) relationship still be possible with the physical absence of 
 a guru? Is AI software trained in the sacred scriptures the future of Hind
 uism? Will it make physical gurus obsolete or\, contrarily\, provide them 
 with digital immortality\, thus initiating a new theology of the internet?
 \n\n \n\nDr Jarosław Zapart – Assistant Professor at the Institute of 
 Comparative Studies of Civilisations\, Jagiellonian University\, Kraków. 
 Working in the field of Indian and Buddhist studies\, with current researc
 h efforts focused on the Hindi Sants and North Indian Bhakti\, Hinduism in
  digital media\, and early thought and history of Mahāyāna Buddhism.
URL:https://ceres.rub.de/de/events/south-asia-guest-lecture-series-jarosla
 w-zapart/
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