Looking for religious books to read...

[Otherright]

Dualism is when God and soul are seen as separate entities.
Non-dualism means that God and soul are one.


Bhagavad Gita
Puranas

No, dualism simply denotes two states. Good / Evil. Love / Hate.

 

[ratikala]

dear on a quest

you ask what other buddhist texts there were ?

prehaps the most important peice of buddhist doctrine to read would be the deer park teachings , buddhas original teachings given after his enlightenment . these teachings begin with the four noble truths ,( buddhas realisation of our human condition) and the noble eight fild path , (which provides a structured method by which to attain enlightenment )
most buddhist texts after this original teaching are expositions upon the original text or cultural variations in translation and understanding . (of which there are many)

on the question of the upanisads ?

concidering that the hindu canon is so vast I am hardly surprised that it is difficult to know where to start ? and it is not an easy question to answer either .
begin by knowing one division and their meanings,

SRUTI:direct revalation , that which has divine origin. this includes the four vedas

rig veda , yajur veda , sama veda , athara veda (and comentarys upon) and allso
the upanisads , brahmanas and aranyakas .....

SMRITI: remembered , that which was writen after the vedas and contains the collective wisdom of sadus , sages or realised persons .

therefore it is some times confusing but sepperating the two might help .it confused me terribly at first especialy when the' mahabharata' is conciddered smriti , but the bhagavad gita is an upanisad , therefore sruti ! The song of the lord , spoken by the lord , thus it is often regarded as the most comonly read scripture from the hindu canon .
it is allso worth knowing what upanisad actualy means , "to sit down close to (at the foot of)a teacher ,(and with the corect mind) listen" . therefore it is important to receive the correct oral transmition , as reading alone can result in confusion .

personaly I feel it is allways best to start at the begining , with simple teachings , the word of god ,and not worry so much about all the arguements which invariably come later as to whos philosophical position is corect ?


so ........Deer park teachings (setting in motion the wheel of law) for buddhism .

and , of the upanisads .....The Bhagavad Gita (the song of the lord)

best wishes ...ratikala

 

[On_a_Quest]

prehaps the most important peice of buddhist doctrine to read would be the deer park teachings , buddhas original teachings given after his enlightenment . these teachings begin with the four noble truths ,( buddhas realisation of our human condition) and the noble eight fild path , (which provides a structured method by which to attain enlightenment )
most buddhist texts after this original teaching are expositions upon the original text or cultural variations in translation and understanding . (of which there are many)

Thank you very much for your post! With regards to the Deer Park Teachings, where would I be able to find a copy of these? Do they go by a different name that might be more recognizable?

 

[ratikala]

dear on a quest

the deer park teachings ,

or , setting in motion the wheel of law ,

or , you might find it listed under two seperate headings ,

The four noble truths ,(which come first) , followed by

The noble eight fold path .

you will find many discourses on the truths and path , I found it helpfull to read it from a few different perspectives as together you get a more complete picture ,
but it is absolute basic buddhism so you should find it every where .

best wishes .....ratikala

 

[Valjean]

How about Illusions, by Richard Bach or The Education of Oversoul Seven by Jane Roberts.
Much more fun than dry religious tracts, they a have plots, character development, stories. Still, they clarify many of the essential concepts of Eastern philosophical thought.

 

[On_a_Quest]

Okay, sooo I've compiled a massive reading list...


- Christianity
o The Bible
o How to Read the Bible
o Lost Christianities
o The Bible: A Biography
o Christianity: The First 3000 Years
o Lost Scriptures
o On the True Doctrine: A Discourse Against the Christians
o Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free
o Book of Mormon
o Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius
o The Rite by Matt Biglio
o Catechism of the Catholic Church
- Judaism
o The Talmud
- Islam
o Qur’an
o Understanding the Qur’an: Themes and Style
o In Search of the Original Koran: The True History of the Revealed Text
- Sikhism
o Shri Guru Granth Sahib
- Hinduism
o The Vedas
§ Rig Veda
§ Yajur Veda
§ Sama Veda
§ Atharvaveda
§ The Upanishads
o The Mahabharat
§ The Bhagavad Gita
o The Puranas
- Buddhism
o The Dhammapada
o Four Noble Truths, Eight-fold path
- Taoism
o Tao Te Ching
- Baha’i Faith
o Kitab-i-Aqdas
o Kitab-i-Iqan
- Confucianism
o The Sayings of Confucius
- Zoroastrianism
o The Avesta
- Ancient Mythology
o Greek
o Norse
o Egyptian
- Miscellaneous
o The World’s Religions
o Why Religion Matters: The Fate of the Human Spirit in an Age of Disbelief
o Tales of Wonder: Adventures of Chasing the Divine
o Idolatry
o How to Be Idle: A Loafer’s Manifesto
o How to Know God: The Soul’s Journey into the Mystery of Mysteries
o Why God Won’t Go Away: Brain Science and the Biology of Belief
o Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind

The reason that the list for Christianity is so much bigger than the others is because I figure I need to learn more about my own religion (as of right now) before I go indepth into others. Mostly because I need a solid starting point to launch from and because, while I'm fairly knowledgeable when it comes to Catholicism, I need to learn a lot more about other Christian faiths as well.

I'm posting this update because I need advice on how to tackle an ambitious project like this while still juggling other commitments with college and a part-time job. Also, suggestions on how to prioritize books (especially within Hinduism and Christianity) would be awesome. Any friendly advice at all is welcome!

 

[Valjean]

Jeez, Questor, you're going to be reading forever!

Can't comment on the other sections, but your Hindu reading list is pretty abstruse. It would confuse the heck out of me -- if I managed to stay awake.
and you can delete the Gita -- it's contained in the Mahabharata.

 

[On_a_Quest]

Haha, I know! Might as well get started now.

you can delete the Gita -- it's contained in the Mahabharata.

Okay, that's what I thought. Thanks!

 

[Tarheeler]

For Judaism, I'd suggest an actual Jewish Bible with commentary; the differences between the two can be surprising.

I'd also recommend Jewish Literacy by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin. He breaks down many topics and concepts into short sections complete with bibliographies and recommend readings. Not only does it have good information, but it is also a good resource to build a reading list from.

I found This is my God by Herman Wouk to be quite helpful as well.

 

[Katzpur]

Okay, sooo I've compiled a massive reading list...


- Christianity
o The Bible
o How to Read the Bible
o Lost Christianities
o The Bible: A Biography
o Christianity: The First 3000 Years
o Lost Scriptures
o On the True Doctrine: A Discourse Against the Christians
o Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free
o Book of Mormon
o Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius
o The Rite by Matt Biglio
o Catechism of the Catholic Church
- Judaism
o The Talmud
- Islam
o Qur’an
o Understanding the Qur’an: Themes and Style
o In Search of the Original Koran: The True History of the Revealed Text
- Sikhism
o Shri Guru Granth Sahib
- Hinduism
o The Vedas
§ Rig Veda
§ Yajur Veda
§ Sama Veda
§ Atharvaveda
§ The Upanishads
o The Mahabharat
§ The Bhagavad Gita
o The Puranas
- Buddhism
o The Dhammapada
o Four Noble Truths, Eight-fold path
- Taoism
o Tao Te Ching
- Baha’i Faith
o Kitab-i-Aqdas
o Kitab-i-Iqan
- Confucianism
o The Sayings of Confucius
- Zoroastrianism
o The Avesta
- Ancient Mythology
o Greek
o Norse
o Egyptian
- Miscellaneous
o The World’s Religions
o Why Religion Matters: The Fate of the Human Spirit in an Age of Disbelief
o Tales of Wonder: Adventures of Chasing the Divine
o Idolatry
o How to Be Idle: A Loafer’s Manifesto
o How to Know God: The Soul’s Journey into the Mystery of Mysteries
o Why God Won’t Go Away: Brain Science and the Biology of Belief
o Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind

The reason that the list for Christianity is so much bigger than the others is because I figure I need to learn more about my own religion (as of right now) before I go indepth into others. Mostly because I need a solid starting point to launch from and because, while I'm fairly knowledgeable when it comes to Catholicism, I need to learn a lot more about other Christian faiths as well.

I'm posting this update because I need advice on how to tackle an ambitious project like this while still juggling other commitments with college and a part-time job. Also, suggestions on how to prioritize books (especially within Hinduism and Christianity) would be awesome. Any friendly advice at all is welcome!

Wow! I am so impressed! I'll be even more impressed if you actually do it. But I've got to say that it's a truly worthy goal. (I also noticed that you put The Book of Mormon under Christiantiy. Good for you. )

 

[On_a_Quest]

For Judaism, I'd suggest an actual Jewish Bible with commentary; the differences between the two can be surprising.

Could you clarify please, the difference between two what? Between the Jewish Bible and it's commentary, between the Jewish Bible and the Chrisitan Bible, or something else? I couldn't catch what you were referring to.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I'd suggest the Principia Discordia.

Also, it's not normally thought of as a "religious" book, but I'd also suggest A Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi.

And religious but not a "book" per se, I'd recommend Letter to the Governor of Barbados by George Fox.

 

[Tarheeler]

Could you clarify please, the difference between two what? Between the Jewish Bible and it's commentary, between the Jewish Bible and the Chrisitan Bible, or something else? I couldn't catch what you were referring to.

Between the Jewish and Christian Bibles.

 

[On_a_Quest]

Between the Jewish and Christian Bibles.

So, the Old Testament in the Christian Bible is not the same as the Jewish Bible? How big would you say the differences are and could you give me an example?

 

[Tarheeler]

So, the Old Testament in the Christian Bible is not the same as the Jewish Bible? How big would you say the differences are and could you give me an example?

I'll put it this way: When a Christian reads the Old Testament, he sees justification for original sin, vicarious salvation, the Trinity, a prophesy about Jesus, and all kinds of things that do not exist in Judaism

A Jewish Bible, particularly one with commentary, presents the Torah within the framework of the Jewish tradition and Jewish philosophy. The Old Testament, in comparison, is a Christian text, written by Christians, and uses Christian understanding.

 

[On_a_Quest]

Okay, I see. So it's not so much the content that's different, it's the perspective. Fair 'nough.

 

[IsmailaGodHasHeard]

I suggest the New American Standard Bible.

 

[the-jesusist]

The Gathas are really unique, and very old.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Try the Analects for Confucianism, I own this book and it was pretty amazing, and I think it more like the official book for Confucianism.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

For your To Do list, may I add a few?

The Satanic Bible - I have not bought the book yet, but I read it on Google Books and it was one of the best philosophical texts I've read.

Mr. Martyr - I thought this was the name, but I can't find Google results for it, so I'm not sure, maybe there was something behind the title. But it basically describes what it was like to be a martyr during the Mayan Ages.

A Witch's Bible - I have yet to read it, but it describes the tenets of Wicca.

I know more but not their name off the back, and I don't want to fill your list to where you can't breath .