Sacred texts that have had an affect on you.

[an anarchist]

As a Christian, I have read the Bible. For a while, I never read any text from other religions (I was taught it was blasphemy across the board). Growing out of that, I’ve been reading sacred texts from other religions. Each one that I have read has had a profound impact on my life. It is through reading these texts that I’ve developed syncretic beliefs.
I’m curious about the sacred texts people have read. Also, if you haven’t read the texts from other religions, why? If you’ve just never considered it, I strongly urge you do! I am sure you will find the God you worship in all of the texts. If you have a negative opinion about another religion, but haven’t read their religious texts, surely that negativity is coming from a place of misunderstanding and confusion.
As for my part, I have read:
The Bible (plus Enoch!)
The Bhagavad Gita
The Dhammapada
Tao Te Ching
Tibetan Book of the Dead
The I Ching, Analects of Confucius, Autumn and Spring (Confucius texts)
Each of these books have had an equally profound impact on my life. I believe Christians who restrict themselves to the Bible are doing themselves an injustice. It’s just I know I used to have negative opinions on all other religions, it took me a while to realize that I should read their texts before formulating an opinion.
I intend to read the Quran next. I’ve started it, and so far, I see the same God.

 

[Dan From Smithville]

Just the Bible. I was going to read the Satanic Bible, but I am a procrastinator.

 

[SigurdReginson]

I've spent the first 30 years of my life studying the Bible as a biblical literalist. After that, I studied the Zend Avesta, and especially the Gathas.

The Gathas showed me that the Bible didn't hold a monopoly on good moral doctrine (moral truths). I was initially drawn to the loving God figure of Ahura Mazda as portrayed by the Gathas as well. I kind of substituted Yahweh with Ahura Mazda, but ultimately he was a stepping stone for me. So then I learned about the other beliefs that were linked via their deep roots going back to the Proto-Indo-European speaking peoples, so I looked into Heathenry.

The idea of Heathenry intrigued me, as it seemed to compliment my already caring nature with concepts of personal growth and inner strength. This was my first venture into polytheism, and it was something that took time for me to wrap my head around. I studied the sagas, and the Havamal was a book that left a big impact on my life. I still plan on getting it's words in runes on my arm tattooed in the future. Books on runecraft also made a big impact on me, as did Austin Osman Spare's work.

I kind of went off and became an atheist not long after that. I had spiritual experiences in all of those paths, but ultimately, naturalism seemed to resonate with me the most. I don't think that will ever change (neither will my status as an atheist). I do miss my Pagan practices though, and I'd like to get back into them... Connecting with the earth just puts me in a good place, and I don't feel like I explored my pagan path as completely as I'd like.

 

[Viker]

The Satanic Bible, Anton LaVey
The Satanic Scriptures, Peter Gilmore
The Lucifer Principle, Howard Bloom
The Holy Bible, KJV
Ater Votum
Just to name a few

 

[an anarchist]

The Satanic Bible, Anton LaVey
The Satanic Scriptures, Peter Gilmore
The Lucifer Principle, Howard Bloom
The Holy Bible, KJV
Ater Votum
Just to name a few

Ever heard of Outwitting the Devil? It may sound like a silly concept, but the author, Napoleon Hill, interviews the Devil. It’s up to the reader to decide whether or not it’s the actual Devil, but upon reading it I think it’s very clear it is legitimate. I’m curious if a satanist would suppose this book to be legitimate.

 

[Viker]

Ever heard of Outwitting the Devil? It may sound like a silly concept, but the author, Napoleon Hill, interviews the Devil. It’s up to the reader to decide whether or not it’s the actual Devil, but upon reading it I think it’s very clear it is legitimate. I’m curious if a satanist would suppose this book to be legitimate.

Most Satanists would tell you that a conversation/interview with the Devil is impossible, as most don't believe Satan is a literal sentient being ( but a significant symbol to embody themselves ). A convo with old scratch might just be a convo with one's self.

 

[an anarchist]

Most Satanists would tell you that a conversation/interview with the Devil is impossible, as most don't believe Satan is a literal sentient being ( but a significant symbol to embody themselves ). A convo with old scratch might just be a convo with one's self.

The conversation in the book doesn’t happen like so, nor is Satan embodied in any way. I’m sure I’m not explaining it well but let’s say it was a result of circumstance, and karmic energy. It happened in his head as he was sitting on a park bench. Satan was bound to the interview to unveil his secrets, as a result of his significant damage to the world (via depression). Napoleon Hill I would say would be the only individual possible of recording such an encounter. His sole purpose in life was that he was an interviewer of successful people. He idolized figure such as Rockefeller, who in his eyes, were bastions of the free world. His work was commissioned by Carnegie himself, which I think is telling.
So it is a convo with himself, but I think the Devil makes himself very visible in these pages. He’d like to use this interview for his purposes, rather than Mr. Hills.

 

[Viker]

The conversation in the book doesn’t happen like so, nor is Satan embodied in any way. I’m sure I’m not explaining it well but let’s say it was a result of circumstance, and karmic energy. It happened in his head as he was sitting on a park bench. Satan was bound to the interview to unveil his secrets, as a result of his significant damage to the world (via depression). Napoleon Hill I would say would be the only individual possible of recording such an encounter. His sole purpose in life was that he was an interviewer of successful people. He idolized figure such as Rockefeller, who in his eyes, were bastions of the free world. His work was commissioned by Carnegie himself, which I think is telling.
So it is a convo with himself, but I think the Devil makes himself very visible in these pages. He’d like to use this interview for his purposes, rather than Mr. Hills.

I'll give it a read when I can.

 

[Altfish]

 

[Marcion]

Affected/affects me most:

Ananda Sutram
A Commentary on Ananda Sutram
Subhasita Samgraha
Ananda Vacanamritam
Discourses on Tantra
Namami Krishnasundaram
Namah Shivaya Shantaya
Ananda Marga Elementary Philosophy

affected me somewhat less:
Sayings of Jesus (Q-lite)
Mahabharata (especially the Bhagavad Gita)
Upanishads

I did try reading the New Testament, the Koran, A Course in Miracles, I Ching, Tibetan Book of the Dead, some Buddhist texts, Gospel of Thomas and some texts by Bahaullah but they failed to affect me as much as the above mentioned texts.

 

[Trailblazer]

As a Christian, I have read the Bible. For a while, I never read any text from other religions (I was taught it was blasphemy across the board). Growing out of that, I’ve been reading sacred texts from other religions. Each one that I have read has had a profound impact on my life. It is through reading these texts that I’ve developed syncretic beliefs.
I’m curious about the sacred texts people have read. Also, if you haven’t read the texts from other religions, why? If you’ve just never considered it, I strongly urge you do! I am sure you will find the God you worship in all of the texts. If you have a negative opinion about another religion, but haven’t read their religious texts, surely that negativity is coming from a place of misunderstanding and confusion.
As for my part, I have read:
The Bible (plus Enoch!)
The Bhagavad Gita
The Dhammapada
Tao Te Ching
Tibetan Book of the Dead
The I Ching, Analects of Confucius, Autumn and Spring (Confucius texts)
Each of these books have had an equally profound impact on my life. I believe Christians who restrict themselves to the Bible are doing themselves an injustice. It’s just I know I used to have negative opinions on all other religions, it took me a while to realize that I should read their texts before formulating an opinion.
I intend to read the Quran next. I’ve started it, and so far, I see the same God.

I was never very interested in religion because I was not raised in a religious home. I only became a Baha'i when I was 17 years old because I fell in love with the principles and the high ideals, not because I was searching for God or a religion. That explains why I never read any religious texts.

Fast forward about 42 years and I had not even read one page from the Bible and I knew nothing about Jesus or Christianity. I did not even know what NT and OT stood for or what the gospels were. I started to learn all that when I first started posting on forums about 8 1/2 years ago. Since then I have learned a lot about Christianity and read a lot of the Bible but I have been too busy to read the Bible cover to cover or read any other religious texts. I hardly even have time to read the Baha'i Writings but I have read the most important ones that I need to know many times. I hope that I will find time to read the Qur'an soon since that is important for me to know as a Bahai.

My favorite religious texts are Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh and The Kitáb-i-Íqán.

The reason I like Gleanings so much is because it is so inspiring, as explained in the Introduction of Gleanings:

“Gleanings is a book for meditative study. It is not a book of history and facts, but of love and spiritual power. No one can understand the faith of the thousands of martyred followers of the Bab, unless he catches the spirit of this book. No one can appreciate why thousands of Baha’is give up the comfort of settled homes and move into strange countries to tell the people about Baha’u’llah, unless he clearly glimpses the spirit of this book.” Gleanings

Gleanings is called Gleanings because it is an extraction of information from various Tablets of Baha'u'llah... from the Introduction:

“Gleanings is excerpts from various Tablets. In the introduction to Gleanings it explains how it is organized into five parts. Part one, pages 1-46, proclaims this as the “Day of God.” Part two, pages 46-136, concerns the Manifestation of God and His significance. Part three, pages 136-200, deals with basic questions concerning the soul and its immortality. Part four, pages 200-259, concerns the spiritual aspects of the World Order and the Most Great Peace. Part five, pages 259-346, deals with the duties of the individual and the spiritual meaning of life.” Gleanings

 

[Irate State]

Ramen.

 

[an anarchist]

I was never very interested in religion because I was not raised in a religious home. I only became a Baha'i when I was 17 years old because I fell in love with the principles and the high ideals, not because I was searching for God or a religion. That explains why I never read any religious texts.

Fast forward about 42 years and I had not even read one page from the Bible and I knew nothing about Jesus or Christianity. I did not even know what NT and OT stood for or what the gospels were. I started to learn all that when I first started posting on forums about 8 1/2 years ago. Since then I have learned a lot about Christianity and read a lot of the Bible but I have been too busy to read the Bible cover to cover or read any other religious texts. I hardly even have time to read the Baha'i Writings but I have read the most important ones that I need to know many times. I hope that I will find time to read the Qur'an soon since that is important for me to know as a Bahai.

My favorite religious texts are Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh and The Kitáb-i-Íqán.

The reason I like Gleanings so much is because it is so inspiring, as explained in the Introduction of Gleanings:

“Gleanings is a book for meditative study. It is not a book of history and facts, but of love and spiritual power. No one can understand the faith of the thousands of martyred followers of the Bab, unless he catches the spirit of this book. No one can appreciate why thousands of Baha’is give up the comfort of settled homes and move into strange countries to tell the people about Baha’u’llah, unless he clearly glimpses the spirit of this book.” Gleanings

Gleanings is called Gleanings because it is an extraction of information from various Tablets of Baha'u'llah... from the Introduction:

“Gleanings is excerpts from various Tablets. In the introduction to Gleanings it explains how it is organized into five parts. Part one, pages 1-46, proclaims this as the “Day of God.” Part two, pages 46-136, concerns the Manifestation of God and His significance. Part three, pages 136-200, deals with basic questions concerning the soul and its immortality. Part four, pages 200-259, concerns the spiritual aspects of the World Order and the Most Great Peace. Part five, pages 259-346, deals with the duties of the individual and the spiritual meaning of life.” Gleanings

The fact that most of Baha’u’llah’s writings are not in English has given me the long term goal to learn the original language, as to read them. I’ll be old or dead by then though I figure. I was planning on reading a collection of speeches given by his son sometime soon, so I’ll also read the gleanings alongside it when I do!

 

[SalixIncendium]

I can't think of any sacred texts that have had a particularly profound impact on my life. Experience has had a significantly more profound impact than any sacred texts. Some of these texts have merely validated these experiences or helped me to better understand them.

I've studied the Bible. I've read the Principle Upanishads and am currently studying them with Shankaracharya's commentary. I'm also currently studying the Bhagavad Gita through lectures of Swami Sarvapriyananda from the Vedanta Society of New York. Next on my list is the Brahma Sutras.

 

[Rival]

I've read the Bible, the Qur'an, the Gathas, dipped my toe into some of the Puranas and now am the possessor of the Book of the Dead. I've also read some Egyptian wisdom literature.

 

[A Vestigial Mote]

I've read some - but none that didn't read like clap trap, honestly. Quotes about things that are supposed to sound utterly profound end up landing like wet spaghetti noodles in my particular mind. Perhaps that is some disposition of mine - as I do tend to be very utilitarian in my assessment of a thing's worth. As it stands, texts of a supposed "spiritual" nature have not impressed me in the slightest. Always too easy to see the broad strokes they are being painted with - always too easy to come up with a counter-case that makes any "truth" they supposedly hold just fall apart. The "golden rule" is about the only thing of worth I would say has come out of it all. Beyond that it just seems poetic - which can be entertaining... but usually only that in any serious sense.

 

[sayak83]

As a Christian, I have read the Bible. For a while, I never read any text from other religions (I was taught it was blasphemy across the board). Growing out of that, I’ve been reading sacred texts from other religions. Each one that I have read has had a profound impact on my life. It is through reading these texts that I’ve developed syncretic beliefs.
I’m curious about the sacred texts people have read. Also, if you haven’t read the texts from other religions, why? If you’ve just never considered it, I strongly urge you do! I am sure you will find the God you worship in all of the texts. If you have a negative opinion about another religion, but haven’t read their religious texts, surely that negativity is coming from a place of misunderstanding and confusion.
As for my part, I have read:
The Bible (plus Enoch!)
The Bhagavad Gita
The Dhammapada
Tao Te Ching
Tibetan Book of the Dead
The I Ching, Analects of Confucius, Autumn and Spring (Confucius texts)
Each of these books have had an equally profound impact on my life. I believe Christians who restrict themselves to the Bible are doing themselves an injustice. It’s just I know I used to have negative opinions on all other religions, it took me a while to realize that I should read their texts before formulating an opinion.
I intend to read the Quran next. I’ve started it, and so far, I see the same God.

Rig Veda
Mahabharata
Gita
Upanisads
Brahnasutra
Sankhya karika
Yogasutra
Nyaya sutra
Parts of Buddhist Nikayas
Dhammapada
Part of Nagarjuna's Mulamadhyamakarika
Bible
Half of Quran
Analects
Dao De Jing
Socrates and Plato
Aristotle
Half of the Gathas
Maxims of Ptahotep

I don't count impact that way. But I use Gita and Upanisads more often than others. So in that way...

 

[RabbiO]

He idolized figure such as Rockefeller, who in his eyes, were bastions of the free world. His work was commissioned by Carnegie himself, which I think is telling.

Apparently Hill’s conversation with Andrew Carnegie happened much the same as his conversation with the devil - all in his head.

 

[SalixIncendium]

Rig Veda
Mahabharata
Gita
Upanisads
Brahnasutra
Sankhya karika
Yogasutra
Nyaya sutra
Parts of Buddhist Nikayas
Dhammapada
Part of Nagarjuna's Mulamadhyamakarika
Bible
Half of Quran
Analects
Dao De Jing
Socrates and Plato
Aristotle
Half of the Gathas
Maxims of Ptahotep

WOW!! That's quite the list!! Impressive!!

 

[Secret Chief]

Part of Nagarjuna's Mulamadhyamakarika

Are you mad?