The religions of man is the seminal work in the scholarship of world spiritual traditions, by the eminent and beloved huston smith, who was born to a christian missionary family in china and raised among books and humanity to embody a life of nearly a century questing for the meaning of our souls, hearts, and language of seeking, of faith. The world of religion according to huston smith page 2 mother. The four books is a collection of confucian root texts. I regard monotheism as the greatest disaster ever to befall the human race. Huston smith gives insight into the condition of china during this difficult period. Huston smith is doing publicity for his 14th book, though at nearly 90 he is. Rather, the author describes each religion separately and rarely engages in comparing one religion to another. Smith, as a young man, spent much of his time searching for treasure, claiming supernatural powers which allegedly aided him in these searches. Confucianism, christianity and judaism, islam, and a personal philosophy.
Remembering huston smith, noted worlds religions scholar. Practice giving things away, not just things you dont care about, but things you do like. There are thousands of classic textbooks of confucianism, none of them being holy. The impact of confucianism the impact confucianism has had on china can hardly be overestimated. In contrast to the sayings of confucius which are short and selfcontained, mencius consists of long dialogues with extensive prose. Even if religion is taken in a narrower sense, as a concern to align humanity with the transcendental ground of its existence, confucianism is still a religion. Smith explains how the intertwining of opposites is key to.
When we begin our life, we take care of ourselves and avoid harm. One of the great strengths of smiths approach is that he has made complex and arcane issues accessible to the layperson seeking a brief introduction to major world faith traditions. It means holy war either against infidels or ones inner demons. Nov 22, 2016 confucian texts the lunyu analects are the most revered sacred scripture in the confucian tradition. Their holy book is called the analects they study this book and tells them what. Fingarettewho thinks the best way to discover confuciuss teaching is by taking him at his worduses original text as his principal resource in an effort to try to see what it says, what it implies and what it does not say. In private life it is expressed in courtesy, unselfishness, and empathy, the capacity to measure the. Welcome to our religions website for our ap human geography project. The four books sishu are chinese classic texts illustrating the core value and belief systems in confucianism. The mormon books book of mormon, doctrine and covenants and pearl of great price are purported to be revelations of joseph smith. It has been established that none of them has been written by confucious kungtzu, 551479 b. The recipient of twelve honorary degrees, smiths fifteen books include his bestselling. Actually, the tao te ching is completely unlike the holy books you have studied.
According to yale university, the sacred texts of confucianism are five books that legend states confucius wrote. According to houston smith in his book, religions of the world, these two schools of. Take confucianism, one of huston smith s favorite subjects. Huston smiths 90 years of prayer, yoga and acid newsweek. The confucian canon achieved its present form in the sung dynasty under the direction of chu hsi 11200. Smith digs underneath the rituals, theology, and cold historical facts to capture why some of these major religious traditions, such as hinduism, buddhism, and christianity, are so deeply and meaningfully profound to billions and billions of people. From zhu xis time to our own, particular stress has been placed on the four books as the most central part of the canon, as well as the place for students to begin their lifelong study of it. So dont bankrupt yourself on a momentary positive impulse, only to regret it later. I grew up in china and in my case, my religious upbringing was positive. Remembering huston smith, noted worlds religions scholar smith, who died on friday, was a methodist minister who traveled the world studying christianity, judaism, islam, buddhism, confucianism. Search the worlds most comprehensive index of fulltext books. Mencius also spelled mengzi or mengtzu, a book of his conversations with kings of the time, is one of the four books which form the core of orthodox confucian thinking. Like many great religious leaders, confucius was eventually deified by his.
It is not written or inspired by deities, prophets, or saviors. Aug 26, 2005 typically speaking, these are divided into the religious forms of taoist praxis, which are still mostly found in china and the surrounding area, the philosophical taoism, which is often what we find in the nonasian countries and, the spiritual alchemy schools, which can be found throught the taoist practicing world. The worlds religions, by one of the most esteemed religious authorities in academia, huston smith, is perhaps the bestwritten primer on the religions of the world in human history. Confucius own teachings have come down to us from four books written by his. Download books, sacred, spiritual texts and pdf ebooks. Confucian values merged with the generic values of the chinese people to the point where it is difficult to separate the two.
Deepak chopra, author of war of the worldviews huston smith approaches religion with the wisdom of a philosopher and the wonder of a child. I borrowed this book from my universitys library because i needed it for a summer class on the history of religions. Michaels lenten lecture series on huston smith s the worlds religions. I see no good in judaism, christianity, or islam good people, yes, but any religion based on a single, well, frenzied and virulent god, is not as useful to the human race as, say, confucianism, which is not a religion but an ethical and educational system. Huston smith s the worlds religions is one of the most significant books ive ever read. Huston attempts to show each religion at its best and is more concerned with the founding principals of the religions than any mistakes their believers may have made. The book consists of a short main text, attributed to confucius and nine commentaries chapters by zeng zi, one of confucius disciples. These books are the book of history, the book of poetry, the book of changes, the book of rites, and the spring and autumn annals. Hey everyone, ive been listening to whisper videos for many years now and got my hands on a decent recording device recently so decided to have a bit of fun and make my own. The worlds religions can best be described by taking note of what it is not. Download audiobooks narrated by huston smith to your device. Zhu xi codified the sacred texts of confucianism, calling them simply the four books. His life is an extraordinary adventure, and in his amazing tales of wonder, he invites you to come along to explore your own vistas of. It was originally one chapter in li ji the classic of rites.
The worlds religions, revised and updated huston smith. The worlds religions, by beloved author and pioneering professor huston smith, is the definitive classic for introducing the essential elements and teachings of the worlds predominant faiths, including hinduism, buddhism, confucianism, taoism, judaism, christianity, islam, as well as regional native traditions. An ideal way to discover the teachings of confucius. However, it is important that the teacher realize that any instruction. In this series of conversations with renowned journalist bill moyers, huston smith provides thoughtful insights into the worlds largest religionshinduism, buddhism, confucianism, christianity, judaism, and islam. Our great wisdom traditions by huston smith excellent copy minimum wear clean uncreased spine nice large size type minimal amount of edgware on its corners. The first term is jen, which involves simultaneously a feeling of humanity toward others and respect for oneself, an indivisible sense of the dignity of human life wherever it appearsin private life it is expressed in courtesy, unselfishness, and empathy, the capacity to measure the feelings of others by ones. Onethird of our western civilization bears the mark of its jewish ancestry. He is the focus of a fivepart pbs television series with bill moyers and has taught at washington university, the massachusetts institute of technology, syracuse university, and the university of california at berkeley.
The common vision of the worlds religions, beyond the postmodern mind, and why religion matters. Houston smith excellent book discussing the origins and philosophies of the major world religions with one chapter devoted to each religion. They were selected by zhu xi in the song dynasty to serve as general introduction to confucian thought, and they were, in the ming and qing dynasties, made the core of the official curriculum for the civil service. Understanding the worlds religions can be led by ministers, laypersons, or a combination. Watson professor of religion and distinguished adjunct professor of philosophy, emeritus, syracuse university. Hinduism, buddhism, confucianism, taoism, islam, judaism, christianity and the. Its such a respected book that its often used as a university textbook in world religion classes. It is nothing more than a collection, filled with nuggets of wisdom that the ancient chinese felt were very effective when applied to life. Confucian books are boring if youre interested in holy stories, spiritual miracles, and afterlife thrills. The worlds religions, by one of the most esteemed religious authorities in academia, huston smith, is perhaps the bestwritten primer on. Audible provides the highest quality audio and narration. The worlds religions our great wisdom traditions chapter vii. On this website we discuss 8 of the worlds religions. Religionfacts does not necessarily endorse the contents of these books.
However, the four books, are considered the closest we come to the original teaching of confucious. Prompted as if by call at fifty i perceived the divine mission he gave his next thirteen years, with many a backward look and resisting footsteps, to the long trek, in which he wandered from state to. The huston smith reader will enlighten you, delight you, and expand your awareness. In his book, smith does not create a comparative exploration of the major religions.
Based primarily on the masters sayings, preserved in both oral and written transmissions, it captures the confucian spirit in the same way that the platonic dialogues embody socratic teachings. Throughout life we want different things at different stages. Author huston smith states emphatically that the book is not one of comparative religions. Huston smith sums up confucian ideals under five key terms.
It is as objective a look as possible at the major religions of the world today for the. The worlds religions, by beloved author and pioneering professor huston smith tales of wonder, is the definitive classic for introducing the essential elements and teachings of the worlds predominant faiths, including hinduism, buddhism, confucianism, taoism, judaism, christianity, islam, as well as regional native traditions. Fingarettes primary aim is to help readers discover what is distinctive in confucius and to learn what he can teach us. In this paper i will examine the confucian notion of the sage, with some comparisons made along the way to taoism and finally to western thought. I thought this was going to be only an audio reading of huston smith s classic, the worlds religions, which i would have been very happy with. The studentwill be able to read sections from the three books that each of these philosophers inspired. Confucianism has made a significant contribution to the moral, philosophical and spiritual history of humankind. A wonderful insight into the development of confucianism as it traces its existence from ancient china to the modern day. The worlds religions chapter iv, confucianism, rival. Buy a cheap copy of the religions of man book by huston smith.
The features mentioned below pretty much blanket east asia as a whole, for japan, korea, and much of southeast asia. Confucianism, taoism, islam, judaism, christianity and what smith calls. This book presents an objective summary of these seven. The philosophy and religion of confucianism uphold nine different works as its canonical texts, known as the four books and five classics. The worlds religions chapter iv, confucianism, confucius. Remember, it is not the size of a gift, it is its quality and the amount of mental attachment you overcome that count. Confucius was no god, but his teachings were the invisible mortar holding together a. The film he narrated from that experience carries us into the infinite vision of the east, the cradle of two great religions hinduism and buddhism. Read the appropriate material in huston smith s book and in this study guide well in advance of the session.
Download the bible, the holy quran, the mahabharata and thousands of free pdf ebooks on buddhism, meditation etc. Huston smith is doing publicity for his 14th book, though at nearly 90 he is debilitated by osteoporosis and cant get up from his leather chair. Accordingly, this is a book about values not religious history. Since confucianism gradually assumed control over all of ones life, and it was the presupposition from which all action was decided, it necessarily permeated chinese religious thought, belief and practice as well. Solved 1 the world religions huston smiths book on the.
In modern times the four books are usually filled out by the classic of filial piety, item 9. Huston smith is internationally known and revered as the premier teacher of world religions. In the 12th century, zhu xi codified the sacred texts of confucianism, calling them simply the four books. Confucianism is depending on ones perspective either a religion, philosophical movement, cultural way of. Religious scholar huston smith sits down with renowned journalist bill moyers to delve into. According to hinduism, there are 4 main things people want. Born in china of missionary parents, smith learned about chinese language, culture, and religion while growing up near shanghai. However, i was pleasantly surprised to find that these tapes have new material by professor smith. All are available for purchase on click book images for details. If religion is taken in its widest sense, as a way of life woven around a peoples ultimate concerns, confucianism clearly qualifies.
Renowned world religions scholar huston smith says, every society and. The world of religion according to huston smith smith has devoted his life to the study of christianity, islam, judaism, buddhism, confucianism, and hinduism. The great learning, the analects of confucius, the book of mencius and the doctrine of the mean. The canonical books of confucianism canon of the literati. The worlds religions by huston smith is considered a classic in the genre by many.
The world of religion according to huston smith mother jones. The great learning is the first of the four books which were selected by zhu xi in the song dynasty as a foundational introduction to confucianism. His book the worlds religions has sold more than 2. Study the worlds religions plus discussion and chapter questions and find the worlds religions plus study guide questions and answers. The fate of the human spirit in an age of disbelief, as well as the classic the worlds religions. The people of this religion celebrate teachers day as a tribute to teachers. Confucianism a key aspect of this religion is filial piety, which is respect for ones elders. Prompted as if by call at fifty i perceived the divine mission he gave his next thirteen years, with many a backward look and resisting footsteps, to the long trek, in which he wandered from state to state proffering.
It was probably compiled by the second generation of confucius disciples. This bestselling book has been in print for more than 50 years, and this revised and updated edition of the masterpiece includes a new foreword and even deeper. Huston smiths the worlds religions is one of the most significant books. A collection of handselected books on confucianism, chosen on the basis of apparent usefulness and quality. The religions of man book by huston smith thriftbooks. However, in confucianism, sageliness is the personification of an acquired wisdom that benefits the people in a way denied by laotzu. Most important, he shared the worlds religions with the west writing two bestselling books and serving as the focus of a fivepart pbs television series by bill moyers.