The doctrine of bhagavad gita is a sure shot method for reaching god almighty. I think you are confusing something that is holy from something that is dogma. Based on knowledge it need not fear any advance in knowledge. Hinduism, buddhism, confucianism, taoism, islam, judaism, christianity and the native. I agree with all those who said bhagavadgita and bhagavata pura. But it is an unusually diverse religionone divided by caste, community, language, and regionand is thus quite difficult for outsiders to grasp. Proverbs, psalms, song of songs, ecclesiastes, book of wisdom, wisdom of sirach, and to some extent baruch the last three are deuterocanonical books of the old testament.
He convincingly conveys the unique appeal and gifts of each of the traditions and reveals their hold on. He wrote innumerable books, essays and articles on philosophy and religion. Renowned world religions scholar huston smith says, every society and religion. He was widely regarded as one of the worlds most influential figures in religious studies. But the vedantic beliefs went under much transformation and became gradually polytheistic in character. Download holy books of all religions and belief systems. First, lets distinguish between two types of hindu literature.
Jan 15, 2009 the vedas are the prime book of knowledge on which primary hindu beliefs stands. The vedas are scriptures that the hindu people use as a guide to daily and religious life. In the upanishads, the philosophical versions and texts of hinduism, there is a phrase that comes repeatedly like the clang of a gong. The worlds wisdom sacred texts of the worlds religions, by philip novak, is a historical account of the seven great religions of the world and a summary of primal religions that preceded them and no longer exist. Hinduism holy book important books and writings of hinduism. Such power as i possess for working in the political field has derived from my experiments in the spiritual field.
Your question concerns me not because of the potential damage your reading may have wrought but because i am not sure it is a sincere question versus, bait to try and get someone to explain what you believe cannot be explained. Smith provides thoughtful insights into the worlds largest religionshinduism. The vedas are the prime book of knowledge on which primary hindu beliefs stands. Hinduism and buddhism, confucianism, christianity and judaism, islam. A guide to our wisdom traditions huston smith hinduism. His documentary films on hinduism, sufism, and tibetan buddhism have all won. The puranas are holy books of hinduism that date back to gupta empire in ancient india. He had authored at least thirteen books on worlds religions and philosophy, and his book the worlds religions originally titled the religions of man sold over three million. The wisdom of faith with huston smith is a 2dvd boxed set of five. Composed in vedic sanskrit hymns, the texts constitute the oldest layer of sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of hinduism. For i know the plans i have for you, declares the lord, plans to. Sruti pronounced shroothee are the holy books within hinduism that are considered to be divinely inspired, and thus infallible and authoritative. Distilled from huston smith s monumental work religions of the world audio seminar, and complete with a new, updated introduction, understanding islam brings a voice of understanding to this most challenging of the wisdom traditions. Here, i will give only a brief introduction to the holy books of hinduism.
The holy book in the hindu religion is known as the vedas. So dont bankrupt yourself on a momentary positive impulse, only to regret it later. Huston cummings smith may 31, 1919 december 30, 2016 was a leading scholar of religious studies in the united states. In the septuagint, the greek noun sophia is the translation of hebrew. Faith, in this series, is presented as a fundamental aspect of the human condition. It is the most important book in comparative religious studies ever, stephen. Biographies of huston smith and bill moyers and a gallery of religious iconography. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Smith was inspired to explore religious mysticism and quickly expanded his. Assimilating the wisdom contained in the holy book bhagavad gita of hinduism human beings finally gained enlightenment kaivalya jnana and salvation moksha. However, the puranas are supposed to be complied by muni vyasa. World religions chapter 2 the illustrated worlds religions. As i said before this book tells about the different religions over the world, as i read i saw that smith not only talked about the meaning of the religions, but he also talked about some cases huston smith was the one that wrote this book.
His book the worlds religions has sold more than 2. Huston smith went on to obtain a degree in philosophy and earned his ph. The scriptures of the vedas are meant to guide hindu believers in their daily lives. Hinduism may not be called religion in the sense other religions are known. Proverbs, psalms, song of songs, ecclesiastes, book of wisdom, wisdom of sirach, and to some extent baruch the. Sruti pronounced shroothee are the holy books within hinduism that are considered to be. Smith spent ten weeks with a zen master silently meditating 8 hours a day, where he derived insights that help the viewer understand the way of zen buddhism. The essence of it all can be summed up in tat tvam asi thou art that. Distilled from huston smiths monumental work religions of the world audio seminar, and complete with a new, updated introduction, understanding islam brings a voice of understanding to this most challenging of the wisdom traditions. See more ideas about world religions, religious studies and this or that questions. Huston smith, worlds religion scholar and seeker of the divine, died at home on december 30, 2016 in berkeley, california after a long illness. Gita is about 5000 years old, bhagavatam about years, scholars say. The tibetan book of the dead first of all there will appear to you, swifter than lightning, the luminous splendor of the colorless light of emptiness, and that will surround you on all sides. May 10, 2020 here at the hinduism section of, we aim at presenting the original works that lay the foundations of hinduism.
Huston smith papers an inventory of his papers at the syracuse. He was largely responsible for introducing eastern religion to americans with his 1950s tv series, the religions of. Hinduism is the only faith to have boldly and confidently proclaimed that truth is one, the wise call it by various names. Dating back some five thousand years, hinduism is the dominant faith of india and an increasingly powerful spiritual force in the west. Holy books is the largest collection of highquality sacred texts, holy books, spiritual texts as pdf ebooks. Conversations with huston smith on the spiritual life, edited by phil cousineau working for peace those who listen work for peace, a peace built not on ecclesiastical or political hegemonies but on understanding and mutual concern. The epic of gilgamesh from sumer, although only considered by some scholars as a religious text, has origins as early as 2150 bce, and stands as one of the earliest literary works that includes various mythological figures and themes. This holy book is written in the sanskrit language. Wisdom, compassion, and courage are the three universally recognized moral qualities of men. These texts are glorious tales of the hindu trinity brahma, vishnu and maheshwar shiva. Hinduism stresses the whole consciousness, which also includes rational thought and faith, and is more universal. The vedas and these other works are further divided into two sections. For a man who has spent his life traversing the planet pursuing the divine, huston smiths world has grown rather small. Our great wisdom traditions was originally published in 1958.
Professor smith may have reached his widest audience in 1996, when bill moyers put him at the center of a fivepart pbs series, the wisdom of faith with huston smith. One of the oldest known religious texts is the kesh temple hymn of ancient sumer, a set of inscribed clay tablets which scholars typically date around 2600 bce. Jun 26, 2009 for a man who has spent his life traversing the planet pursuing the divine, huston smiths world has grown rather small. Smith has found that there are true believers in the divine everywhere on the globe and the series builds from that premise. Feb 03, 2009 video of bill moyers interview of scholar huston smith from the video series, the wisdom of faith. Huston smith s the worlds religions our great wisdom traditions chapter iii. Besant held hinduism in high esteem and very well advised in her book, in defense of hinduism. Best known for his book the worlds religions published in 1958 as the. Start studying world religions chapter 2 the illustrated worlds religions. Dec 20, 2011 the sacred bhagavad gita is part of mahabharata. The four noble truths are said to be a holy teaching. The majority of the vedas are considered the shruti, which is translated to that which is hard. Smith emphasises the inner rather than institutional dimensions of these religions and gives special attention to zen, tibetan buddhism, sufism, and the teachings of jesus.
The book is highly informative about the greatly diverse religious beliefs. As per the vedantic embodiments hinduism is monotheistic. The world of religion according to huston smith mother jones. He wrote the 1958 book the religions of man and its abridged 1991. He taught at the universities of colorado and denver from 19441947, moving to washington university in st. Some of the other holy works and books of hinduism are stories and epic poems. Wisdom is the abstract of the past, but beauty is the promise of the future. Remember, it is not the size of a gift, it is its quality and the amount of mental attachment you overcome that count.
The buddha, dharma and sangha are said to be holy and worthy of reverence. The author describes the most revered and sacred writings and tomes for each of the religions. The worlds religions our great wisdom traditions chapter ii. A devout christian, smith pioneered the field of comparative religion, having written the worlds religions, first published 50 years ago and still considered one of the best texts on the subject. His documentary films on hinduism, sufism, and tibetan buddhism have all won awards, and in 1996 he was featured on bill moyers fivepart pbs special the wisdom of faith with huston smith. For half a century huston smith has immersed himself in the worlds religions, seeking to understand their hold on the human heart and imagination. Hinduism does not possess a single holy book like bible in christianity and quran in islamic dharma. In this episode of wisdom of faith, smith discusses his own methodist faith and his admiration for the jewish faith of his soninlaw.
Heir to a throne, he deserted it at age twentynine. How to rebuild my connection with god after my holy book. Louis, missouri for the next ten years, and then professor of philosophy at mit from 19581973. Wisdom is a central topic in the sapiential books, i. While we have the main vedas, upanishads, the mahabharata in several translations we also present newer commentaries, anthologies, and entirely new branches of hinduism. Smith was born in suzhou, china to methodist missionaries and spent his first 17 years there. In this video, the gentelmen discuss the complexity of hinduism including. While we have the main vedas, upanishads, the mahabharata in several translations we also present newer commentaries, anthologies. For example, you can download the bible, download the quaran, the vedas and thousands of ancient texts on religion and spiritual practice. Practice giving things away, not just things you dont care about, but things you do like. The religion of hinduism originated in northern india, near the river indus, about 4000 years ago and is the worlds oldest existing religion.
He convincingly conveys the unique appeal and gifts of each of the traditions and reveals their hold on the human heart and imagination. As i said before this book tells about the different religions over the world, as i read i saw that smith not only talked about the meaning of the religions, but he also talked about some cases huston smith was. Huston smith died peacefully on the morning of december 30, 2016 at his home. Video of bill moyers interview of scholar huston smith from the video series, the wisdom of faith. The dvd version of this program also includes a special video introduction by mr. The vedas are a large body of hindu texts originating in ancient india, with its samhita and brahmanas complete before about 800 bce. Remembering huston smith, noted worlds religions scholar. For i know the plans i have for you, declares the lord, plans to prosper you. The approach huston smith has followed is nonjudgmental and ecumenical.
Hinduism is the worlds third most popular religion, with around 750 million followers. The upanishads are also called as vedantas or the end of the vedas. The belief system in the hindi religion is outlined from these scriptures. Skill is knowing how to do it, and virtue is doing it. Jan 01, 2017 professor smith may have reached his widest audience in 1996, when bill moyers put him at the center of a fivepart pbs series, the wisdom of faith with huston smith. Religious scholar huston smith sits down with renowned journalist bill moyers to delve into the worlds largest religions in.
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