“World Religions” writes: I’m
picking up references where I find them relevant. The general Editor calls this
book “Reference Classics”. However, there are a lot of misconceptions about the
religion of the Indians. -M.S.Vichare
Spirituality checks greed. It
raises awareness and brings a sense of caring and commitment for the whole
planet. Spirituality elevates our consciousness. It opens our eyes to the
beauty of nature, and encourages us to honor nature and life and helps bring
more joy and celebration into our lives. A spiritual outlook and sensitivity is
essential to foster environment consciousness.
The system of
transliteration:
Throughout the centuries, the
Sanskrit language has been written in a variety of
alphabets. The mode of
writing most widely used throughout India, however, is called
“Devanagari”, which means,
literally, the writing used in “the cities of demigods.” The
Devanagari alphabets consists
of forty-eight characters: thirteen vowels and thirty-five
consonants: Ancient Sanskrit
grammarians arranged this alphabets according to practical
linguistic principles, and
this order has been accepted by all Western scholars. The system of
transliteration used here conforms to a system that scholars in the last
seventy years have accepted to indicate the pronunciation of each Sanskrit
sound. However, Germans and Russians use different diacritical characters in
the Sanskrit transliteration. Their versions of Rugvedic verses are available
on web-sites.
ABOUT THE GENERAL EDITOR
Michael D. Coogan (General
Editor; Introduction) is Professor of Religious Studies at Stonehill College, Easton, Massachusetts, and Director of Publications at the Harvard Semitic Museum. He has also taught at Wellesley College and Harvard University. He is a highly respected authority on religious
studies and a frequent contributor to scholarly journals. Among the many books
he has written and edited are The New Oxford Annotated Bible, The Oxford
History of the Biblical World and The Oxford Companion to the Bible (co-edited
with Bruce M. Metzger).
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS
Malcolm David Eckel
(Buddhism) is Associate Professor of Religion at Boston University. He has lectured widely and contributed many articles
to scholarly journals, and is the author of Jµanagarha’s Commentary on the
Distinction between the Two Truths and To See the Buddha: A Philosopher’s Quest
for the Meaning of emptiness.
Carl S. Ehrlich (Judaism) Is
Associate Professor of Humanities and Coordinator of Religious Studies at York University, Toronto.
He is the author of numerous publications, including The Philistines in
Transition, and co-editor with Marsha White of Saul in Story and Tradition.
Matthew S. Gordon (Islam) is Associate Professor in the Department of History
at Miami University in Oxford,
Ohio. He is the author of The Breaking of a Thousand
Swords and co-editor, with L. Carl Brown, of Franco-Arab Encounters.
Rosemary Drage Hale
(Christianity) is Professor in the Department of History and Dean of the
Faculty of Humanities at Brock University, Canada. She has also taught at Concordia University and Harvard University, and has lectured extensively. Among her many
articles and publications are Cloistered Women: Fourteenth-Century Convent
literature and Models of Holiness: Paradigms of Virtue in Medieval Sermons
(co-edited with Beverly Kienzle.
C. Scott Littleton (Japanese
Traditions) is Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at Occidental College, Los Angeles.
He has taught at Waseda University and at the University of Tokyo,
and has twice been awarded the prestigious Fulbright Research Fellowship. His
many publications include The Sacred East (General Editor and author of the
chapter on Shinto) and Understanding Shinto. Vasudha Narayanan (Hinduism) is
Professor of Religion at the University of Florida and President of the American Academy of Religion. Her many publications include The
VernacuIar Veda: Revelation,
Recitation, and Ritual, The
Way and the Goal; Expressions of Devotion in the Early Srivaisnava All Hindus
are in agreement with this conception.) Tradition, and (with John Carman) the
Tamil Veda: Pillan''s Interpretation of the Tiruvaymoli. Jennifer Oldstone-Moore
(Chinese Traditions) is Assistant Professor at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, where she is a member of the departments of Religion
and East Asian Studies. She has contributed to a number of publications
including China: The land of the Heavenly Dragon. Understanding
Confucianism and scholarly journals.
All these authors wrote
“WORLD RELIGIONS” under the general editorship of Michael D. Coogan. I observed
that at a few places they seem to be either miss-informed or did not go in
detail in the studies in general. It can be agreed that the world’s major
living faiths are Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Chinese
traditions and Japanese traditions. The book “World Religions” selects these
seven traditions from their number of followers. However, the history shows
that except Judaism and Hinduism,
brutal force of arms is used
to forcibly obtain followers for their faith. Judaism, Chinese and Japanese
traditions are mostly influenced by the Aryan and Buddhist traditions; though
Buddhism cannot be separated from Hindu traditions in the final analysis.
Aryans are the first people
to have engaged themselves in the practice of religion. Carved figurines, cave
paintings, elaborate burial rituals originated from the initial thought of God
of ancient sages. In existence today are only later thought of God of ancient
sages. In existence today are only later parallels.
Broad overviews; overviews in
details are written in the past two centuries on religious traditions all over
the world by the respective religious tradition holders. But the intention is
to highlight their merits and condemn the rest of the traditions and declare
them as pagan or inhuman. Common man is still confused whatever faith he
belongs to; he needs to be reassured. Zoroastrianism (Aryan offshoot) is
ancient, while relatively modern offshoots are Sikhism, Bahai and Mormonism.
There are many more which remain
obscure not because they are
unintelligible or incomprehensible, but only because they are confined to their
own locality and the ardent followers do not influence the world one way or the
other.
Religious, intellectual and
cultural influence of Hinduism was never recognized; western intellectuals had
glimpse of its wide application during the tour of Swami Vivekananda to attend
the congress meet of World Religions. The expansion of religion, much later on
known as Hinduism was intellectual; but it was not “institutional” as the term
is understood today. It was a way of living, acquiring knowledge, teaching and
extending benefits to the entire societies of human beings, and giving meaning
and purpose
to their lives. Miraculous
things happened out of ordinary; no one demanded credit for them. <*Dark Ages –
(the period from A.D. 476 to about 1000> The word “tantra” means technique;
“mantra” is made effectively fruitful by the application of tantra.
Intellectuals among Muslims,
having accepted Muhammad as the Prophet who received divine revelation at the
mouth of God, regard the teachings as the founding moment of their new
tradition. Later on they had to look up to the Greeks to search the
philosophical viewpoint in the teachings. There was nothing new that was not
said earlier by wise men; the only difference was the Muhammad’s claim that the
revelation was divine. Whatever is said is accepted without argument. Many
wandering sages who visited Islam influenced areas saved th