...or philosophical viewpoint, or author of thoughtful thoughts.
So...I'm not looking to 'convert' or anything like that. Over various times in my life I've devoted a little effort in studying religions, or in schools of thought and philosophy, or even just more generally thought provoking books. I kinda do this to some degree all the time, but sometimes I try to focus more on a single area for a couple of months, and get a bit more in depth understanding, or at least read and study more widely than I normally would.
I'm interested in both religions or philosophies you think I may be interested in (easier for those who've conversed with me, I guess) and also suggestions of useful materials if you have any. I'm trying to get an outsider's perspective, here. Whilst 'living as an x' is a useful way to a deeper understanding, I'm not really putting myself up for that, at least at this time. Life is challenging enough, and my wife already thinks I'm half mad.
No need for me to 'believe' in the religion to do this, obviously, but for this time around I'm kinda tossing up a couple of things.
1) Non-Western schools of thought and religion I can approach in terms of structure and concepts. (Possibly more concepts than structure). What are the schools of thought, what is the daily life of an adherant like, what is the history of the religion, how has it evolved, developed and split over time. To be clear, on these topics I am at a pretty basic level of understanding, so any materials suggested would need to be novice level, really, at least in terms of concept. History, etc, can be more complex and in depth.
2) Polytheistic and pagan belief systems, both in terms of what is known about the classical belief, and how some of these are incorporated in modern beliefs. Anything historical in this area I already have a decent handle on, I would say, so I'd be looking for pretty in depth information on old beliefs, stories, rituals and life styles. Modern pagan beliefs are much less known to me.
I'll trundle along in my own way regardless of responses to this thread, since I tend to always have some sort of academic reading on the go at any point in time. But I thought some people might be able to provide me with some thoughts or directions I hadn't considered, or some useful references to some I had.
So...I'm not looking to 'convert' or anything like that. Over various times in my life I've devoted a little effort in studying religions, or in schools of thought and philosophy, or even just more generally thought provoking books. I kinda do this to some degree all the time, but sometimes I try to focus more on a single area for a couple of months, and get a bit more in depth understanding, or at least read and study more widely than I normally would.
I'm interested in both religions or philosophies you think I may be interested in (easier for those who've conversed with me, I guess) and also suggestions of useful materials if you have any. I'm trying to get an outsider's perspective, here. Whilst 'living as an x' is a useful way to a deeper understanding, I'm not really putting myself up for that, at least at this time. Life is challenging enough, and my wife already thinks I'm half mad.
No need for me to 'believe' in the religion to do this, obviously, but for this time around I'm kinda tossing up a couple of things.
1) Non-Western schools of thought and religion I can approach in terms of structure and concepts. (Possibly more concepts than structure). What are the schools of thought, what is the daily life of an adherant like, what is the history of the religion, how has it evolved, developed and split over time. To be clear, on these topics I am at a pretty basic level of understanding, so any materials suggested would need to be novice level, really, at least in terms of concept. History, etc, can be more complex and in depth.
2) Polytheistic and pagan belief systems, both in terms of what is known about the classical belief, and how some of these are incorporated in modern beliefs. Anything historical in this area I already have a decent handle on, I would say, so I'd be looking for pretty in depth information on old beliefs, stories, rituals and life styles. Modern pagan beliefs are much less known to me.
I'll trundle along in my own way regardless of responses to this thread, since I tend to always have some sort of academic reading on the go at any point in time. But I thought some people might be able to provide me with some thoughts or directions I hadn't considered, or some useful references to some I had.
