Philosophy of Religion

and Religious texts

 

 Center For Compassion

 

Bibliography

 

The Perennial Dictionary of World Religions

by Keith Crim, General Editor, 1989

 

The Harpercollins Concise Guide to World Religions

by Mirecea Eliade

and Ioan P. Couliano,

with Hillary S. Wiesner

The A - to - Z Encyclopedia of all the

Major Religious Traditions, 1991

 

Religion A Cross-Cultural Dictionary

by David Levinson, 1996

 

A Common Faith

by John Dewey, 1934

 

Faith and Reason:

Essays in the Philosophy of Religion

by R. G. Collingwood

Edited with an introduction by Lionel Rubinoff, 1968

 

Philosophy of Religion

by Julius R. Weinberg and Keith E. Yandell, 1971

Problems in Philosophical Inquiry; Volume IV

 

Problems of the Philosophy of Religion

by John K. Roth, 1971

 

Christianity and Other Religions

edited by John Hick and Brian Hebblethwaite, 1981

 

Philosophy of Religion

Selected Readings

edited by William L. Rowe and William J. Wainwright, 1989

 

Beyond The Post-Modern Mind

by Huston Smith, 1992

Updated and Revised

 

Contemporary Perspectives on Religious Epistemology

 edited by R. Douglas Geivett and Brendan Sweetman, 1992

 

Introduction to Philosophy of Religion

 (Readings and Supplement)

by Iaues Kellenbger, 2007

 

Phenomenology

The Sacred and The Profane:

 The Nature of Religion

by Mircea Eliade, 1987

 

Sociology of Religion

The Sacred Canopy:

 Elements of A Sociological Theory of Religion

by Peter L. Berger, 1967/90

  

World Religions Textbooks

 

The Religions of Man

by Huston Smith, 1965/

 

Religions of the World

by Lewis M. Hopfe, 1987

 

The World's Religions

by Ninian Smart, 1989

 

Paths of Faith

by John A. Hutchison, 1991

 

Our Religions

edited by Arvind Sharma, 1993

 

A History of the World's Religions

Ninth Edition

by David S. Noss and John B. Noss, 1994

 

Worldviews:

 Crosscultural Explorations of Human Beliefs

by Ninian Smart, 1995

 

Religions of the World

by Lewis M. Hopfe and Mark R. Woodward, 2007

 

World Religions:

 A Historical Approach

by S. A. Nigosian, 2008

 

Experiencing the World's Religions:

 Tradition, Challenge, and Change

by Michael Moiloy, 2008

  

Religious Text

 

The Dead Sea Scriptures

with Introduction and Notes

by Theodor H. Gaster, 1956

 

Bhagavad-Gita As It Is

Abridged Edition

with translations and elaborate purport

by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, 1968

 

The  Zohar:

Rav Shimon bar Yochai

From The Book of Avraham

 with Commentary

by Rav Yehuda Ashlag, 2003

 

The Old Testament

The Apocrypha

 

The Book of Mormon, 1963

 

The Jerusalem Bible

 Reader's Edition, 1971

 

The Sacred Writings of the World's Great Religions

edited by S. E. Frosr, Jr., 1972

 

Science and Health

with Key to the Scriptures

by Mary Baker Eddy, 1971

 

Seven Arrows

by Hyemeyohsts Storm, 1972

Thank You Mother Earth for Giving Us Everything We Need

 

The Holy Qur'an

Text, Translation and Commentary

by A. Yusuf Ali, 1983

 

  

Buddhism

 

Homage to the Perfection of Wisdom,

the Lovely, the Holy!

 

Buddhist Meditation

by Edward Conze, 1956/69/2003

 

Buddhism:

Its essence and development

by Edward Conze, 1959

 

Buddhism Wisdom Books

Containing

The Diamond Sutra and The Heart Sutra 

Translated and Explained

by Edward Conze, 1972

 

The Tibetan Book of the Dead

Compiled and edited by W. Y. Evans-Wentz, 1960

 

What the Buddha Taught

by Walpola Rahula, 1962

 

The Secret Oral Teaching in Tibetan Buddhist Sects

by Alexandra David-Neel and Lama Yongden, 1967

 

A Buddhist Bible

edited by Dwight Goddard

Introduction by Huston Smith, 1970

 

The Way of the White Clouds:

 A Buddhist Pilgrim in Tibet

by Lama Anagarika Govinda, 1970

 

Magic and Mystery in Tibet

by Alexandra David-Neel, 1971

 

The Tantric Mysticism of Tibet 

A practical guide to the theory, purpose,

and techniques of Tantric meditation

by John Blofeld, 1972

 

Psycho-cosmic Symbolism of the Buddhist Stupa

by Lama Anagarika Govinda, 1976

 

The Flower of Chinese Buddhism

by Daisaku Ikeda

translated by Burton Watson, 1986

 

Rebel Buddha:

On the Road to Freedom

by Dzogchen Ponlop, 1993/2010

 

Thoughts without a Thinker

Psychotherapy from a Buddhist Perspective

by Mark Epstein, M.D.

Fordward by the Dalai Lama, 1995

 

MEDICINE BUDDHA TEACHINGS

by Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, 2004

 

Mindfulness for Beginners:

Reclaiming the Present Moment and Your Life

by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., 2012

 

 

Buddhist Meditation

 

Bare Attention

A period of silent attention to mind and body.

 Note the physical sensations of the in and out breath. 

Buddhist meditation takes the untrained, everyday mind

as its natural starting point, and it requires the development

of one particular attentional posture of naked, or bare, attention

 

Defined as:

"The clear and single-minded awareness of what actually happens to us and in us at the successive moments of perception."  

Bare attention takes this unexamined mind and opens it up by observing the mind, emotions, and body the way they are. It is the fundamental tenet of Buddhist psychology that this kind of attention is, in itself, healing

 

Concentration

In the Eightfold Path, the Buddha spoke specifically about cultivating two particular kinds of attention: concentration and mindfulness. They are not the same. Traditionally, concentration is taught first. By repeatedly returning one's attention to a central object of awareness---a word, a sound, a sensation, a visual image, or an idea---feelings of tranquility are generated in mind and body. The chattering, discursive mind is quieted, and the experiences of delight begin to unfold.

 

Mindfulness

The Buddha taught that one must not escape into the concentrated absorption of the tranquil mind but rather contemplate what he called the "Four Foundations of Mindfulness," particularly the body, the feelings, the mind, and the thoughts and emotions, which he called "mental objects" or "mental factors." Like bare attention, mindfulness means being aware of exactly what is happeing in the mind and body as it is occurring: what it reveals is how much of a flux we are in at all times.

 

Mindfulness

To be more present; Moment to moment awareness.

  

Zen Buddhism

 

Zen Flesh Zen Bones

A Collection of Zen and Pre-Zen Writings

Compiled by Paul Reps and Nyogen Senzaki, 1957/85

 

Zen in English Literature and Oriental Classics

by R. H. Blyth, 1960

 

A History of Zen Buddhism

by Heinrich Dumoulin, S. J.

 Translated from the German

by Paul Peachey, 1963

 

Manual of Zen Buddhism

by D. T. Suzuki, 1960

 

Essays in Zen Buddhism

First Series

by D. T. Suzuki, 1961

 

An Introduction to Zen Buddhism

by D. T. Suzuki, 1964

 

The Field of Zen

by D. T. Suzuki, 1969

 

What is Zen?

by D. T. Suzuki, 1971

 

Zen and Japanese Culture

by Daisetz T. Suzuki, 1971

 

Zen in the Art of Archery

by Eugen Herrigel, 1971

 

The Method of Zen

by Eugen Herrigel, 1974

 

The Three Pillars of Zen:

 Teaching Practice Enlightenment

Compiled and Edited

by Philip Kapleau, 1972 

 

The Sound of the One Hand

 281 Zen Koans with Answers

 Translated with a Commentary

by Yoel Hoffmann, 1975

 

Zen Mind Beginner's Mind

by Shunryu Suzuki, 1976

 

Zen in the Art of Flower Arrangement

by Gustie L. Herrigel, 1979

 

Zen and Zen Classics Volume Five

by R. H. Blyth, 1979

 

Zen Enlightenment:

 Origins and Meaning

by Heinrich Dumoulin, 1985 

 

The True Dharma Eye

Zen Master's Dogen's

Three Hundred Koans

with Commentary and Verse

by John Daido Loori

Translated by

Kazuaki Tanahashi and John Daido Loori, 2005

 

Christianity

 

It is not necessary to believe in God to be a good person. In a way, the traditional notion of God is outdated. One can be spiritual but not religious. It is not necessary to go to church and give money - for many, nature can be a church. Some of the best people in history did not believe in God, while some of the worst deeds were done in His name.

Pope Francis, 2015

 

 

The Quest of the Historical Jesus:

A Critical Study of Its Progress from Reimarus to Wrede

  by Albert Schweitzer, 1906

 

Reverence for Life

by Albert Schweitzer, 1933

 

A History of the Christian Church

 by Williston Walker and Richard A. Noris,

David W. Lotz, Robert T. Handy, 1918/85

 

Moral Man and Immoral Society

by Reinhold Niebuhr, 1932/60

 

Radical Monotheism And Western Culture

by H. Richard Niebuhr, 1943/60

 

Christian Thought

Its History and Application

by Ernst Troeltsch

edited with an introduction and index

by Baron F. von Hugel, 1957

 

Jesus Christ and Mythology

by Rudolf Bultmann, 1958

 

Kerygma and Myth

by Rudolf Bultmann and Five Critics

Edited by Hans Werner Bartsch, 1961

 

Honest to God

by John A. T. Robinson, 1963

 

Scholasticism:

Personalities and Problems of Medieval Philosophy

by Josef Pieper, 1964

 

God and the World

by John B. Cobb, Jr. 1969

 

Jesus For A No-God World

by Neill Q. Hamilton, 1969

 

Theology and the Kingdom of God

 by Wolfhart Pannenberg

Edited by Richard John Neuhaus, 1969

 

The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross:

A study of the nature and origins of Christianity

within the fertility cults of the ancient Near East

by John M. Allegro, 1970

 

Which Jesus?

by John Wick Bowman, 1970

 

Experiential Religion

by Richard R. Niebuhr, 1972

 

Love, Power, and Justice

by Paul Tillich, 1954

 

Dynamics of Faith

by Paul Tillich, 1957

 

Theology of Culture

by Paul Tillich, 1959

 

Morality and Beyond

by Paul Tillich, 1963

 

On the Boundary:

 An Autobiographical Sketch

by Paul Tillich, 1966

 

My Search for Absolutes

by Paul Tillich, 1967

 

Systematic Theology:

Three volumes in one

by Paul Tillich, 1967

 

The Christian Tradition:

A History of the Development of Doctrine

 1. The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition (100-600)

 by Jaroslav Pelikan, 1971

 

The Christian Tradition:

A History of the Development of Doctrine

2. The Spirit of Eastern Christendom (600-1700)

 by Jaroslav Pelikan, 1974

 

The Christian Tradition:

A History of the Development of Doctrine

3. The Growth of Medieval Theology (600-1300)

 by Jaroslav Pelikan, 1978

 

Gnosis:

The Nature & History of Gnosticism

by Kurt Rudolph, 1977

 

The Humility of God

by John MacGuarrie, 1978

 

Lost Christianity:

 A Journey of Rediscovery to the Center of Christian Experience

by Jacob Needleman, 1980

 

Popular Religion in the Middle Ages:

Western Europe 100-1300

 by Rosalind and Christopher Brooke, 1984

 

The New Testament and Early Christianity

by Joseph B. Tyson, 1984

 

The Gnostic Gospels

by Elaine Pagels, 1979

 

Adam, Eve, and the Serpent

by Elaine Pagels, 1988

 

The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Christian Myth

 second revised addition

by John M. Allegro, 1992

 

 

Confucius

 

The Analects of Confucius

Translated and Annotated

by Arthur Waley, 1938

 

The Sayings of Confucius

A New Translation

by James R. Ware, 1955

 

Confucius and the Chinese Way

by H. G. Creel, 1960

 

The Five Confucian Classics

by Michael Nylan, 2001/14

 

The Analects of Confucius

Translated by Simon Leys,

 

 

Hinduism

 

The Vedas are liturgical, the Brahmanas are explanatory of the ritual,

and the Upanisads are devoted to the Brahma-doctrine or Theologia Mystica,

which is taken for granted in the liturgy and ritual. The Brahma Sutra is a greatly

condensed compendium of Upanisad doctrin, and the Bhagavad Gita

is an exposition adapted to the understanding of those whose primary business

has to do with the active rather than the contemplative life.

A. K. Coomaraswamy

 

The Rig-Veda

 

 The Upanisads

by Patrick Olivelle, 1996

 

Hinduism

by R. C. Zaehner, 1962

  

Hinduism:

A Religion to Live By

by Nirad C. Chaudhuri, 1979

 

Great Sanskrit Plays

by P. Lal, 1964

  

Enchanted Land:

A Journey with the Saints of India

By David Lane

See the Last Chapter

The Journey: A Voyage of Light and Sound

 

 

Islam

 

 

Means peace.

 Muslim: Literally "submitter."

One who submits to the will of God.

 

The Five Pillars of Islam

Those thing that one must do to be a good Muslim are usually referred to as:

"The Five Pillars of Islam."

 

These Five Pillars, or Obligations, are:

 

1. Repatition of the Creed

2. Daily prayer

3. Alms giving

4. The fast duties of the month of Ramadom

5. The Pilgrimage to Mecca.

 

 The History of Islam

by Robert Payne, 1959

 

The Sufis

by Idries Shan

Introduction by Robert Graves, 1964

 

The Way Of The Sufi

by Idries Shah, 1968

 

The Sense of Unity:

The Sufi Tradition in Persian Architecture

 by Nader Ardalan and Laleh Bakhtiar, 1973

 

Islam:

The Straight Path

by John L. Esposito, 1988

 

Islam

by Jonathan Bloom and Sheila Blair, 2002

Companion to the PBS documentary

 

Islam:

Empire of Faith

by Dr. Suhail Saheed, 2005

 

Muhammad:

A Biography of the Prophet

by Karen Armstrong, 1992/2006

 

middle east

Power point presentation

 

 

 

Judaism 

 

The Old Testament

The Apocrypha

 

The Mishnah

Translation by Herbert Danby, 1933 

 

Between Man and Man

 by Martin Buber, 1947

 

HASIDISM and Modern Man 

by Martin Buber, 1958

 

Two Types of Faith:

A study of the interpenetration of Judaism and Christianity

By Martin Buber, 1961

 

I and Thou 

by Martin Buber, 1970

 

Martin Buber:

 The Life of Dialogue 

by Maurice Friedman, 1955

 

The Way of Response: Martin Buber

Selections from his Writings

Edited by N. N. Glatzer, 1966

 

Judaism:

Development and Life

by Leo Trepp, 1966

 

Everybody's Talmud

edited by A. Cohen, 1975

 

An Analitical Interpretation of Martin Buber's I and Thou

with a biographical introduction and glossary

by Alexander S. Kohanski, 1975

 

Loving the Torah More than God?

Toward a Catholic Appreciation of Judaism

by Frans Jozef van Beeck, S.J., 1989

 

The  Zohar:

Rav Shimon bar Yochai

From The Book of Avraham

 with Commentary

by Rav Yehuda Ashlag, 2003

 

 

Taoism and Confucianism Outline

 

Ch'u Yuan

(329-299 B.C.E.)

A Chinese poet

The Heaven Questions

are a series of queries put into verse

about the nature of the universe

Translated by Stephan Field

 

Lao Tzu

(c. 600-500 B.C.E.)

A Philosopher of ancient China and is a central figure in Taoism,

regarded as the author of the

Doodejing (Tao Te Ching)

 

Confucius

(c. 551-479 B.C.E.)

The basic teachings of Confucianism stress the importance of education

for moral development of the individual so the state can be governed by moral virtue

rather than by the use of coercive laws.

 

Mo Tzu

(c. 470-391 B.C.E.)

He founded the school of Mohism and argued

strongly against Confucianism and Daoism

 

Mencuius

(c. 371-289 B.C.E.)

A Chinese philosopher who was arguably

the most famous Confucian after Confucius

 

Chuang Tzu

(c. 369-286 B.C.E.)

An influential Chinese philosopher whose

philosophy is mildly skeptical, arguing that

our life is limited and the amount of things to know is unlimited.

 

Tao Te Ching

(c. 300 B.C.E.)

 

Hsun Tzu

(c. 298-238 B.C.E.)

A Chinese Confucian philosopher, his

philosophy has a more pragmatic flavor

compared to Confucian optimism.

Provincial Orders to conduct regular services in honor of Confucius c. 630 C.E.

 

Chu Hsi

(1130-1200 C.E.)

Confucian scholar who became the leading

figure of the School of Principle and

the most influential rationalist Neo-Confucian in China.

 

Publication of the Taoist Canon

1445 C.E.

 

Wang Yangming

(1473-1529 C.E.)

He was a Ming Chinese idealist Neo-Confucian philosopher,

official, educationist, calligraphist, and general.

After Zhu Xi, he is commonly

regarded as the most important Neo-Confucian thinker.

 

Communist takeover of China 1949

 

Taoism

 TAO. A road, a path, the way by which people travel,

the way of nature and finally the Way of ultimate Reality.

 

T.A.O.

Truth Above Oneself

Truth Among Ourselfes

 

Tao is the Integral Truth of the Universe

Teh is the application of the universal truth.

Ching is holy book or route.

 

 

"The Way to Do is to Be."

 

Wei wu wei. This paradoxical expression is the key to Chinese mysticism. It cannot be translated literally and still render its meaning. Wei is a verb corresponding to the English do or act but sometimes meaning other things, depending on the expression. Wu is a negative. Thus, clumsily, wei wu wei is to do without doing, To act without action. Put positively, it means to get along as nature does: the world gets created, living things grow and pass away without any sign of effort.

During the third century, B.C.E., another group developed an indigenous and probably very ancient dualism into a more or less systematic purview of nature.They became known as the "Yin-Yang" experts. Their writings have perished, but from quotations, it is known that they developed cosmological ideas and a limited amount of geographical information comparable to that of the early Ionian thinkers.

Yin and Yang are the famed cognates of Chinese thought about nature. Generally speaking, Yin stands for a constellation of such qualities as shade ("on the north side of a hill") darkness, cold, negativeness, weakness, female; while Yang ("on the south side of a hill") denotes light, heat, strength, positiveness, maleness. The Yin-Yang experts regarded the interaction of these cognates as the explanation of all change in the universe. Not even politics was exempt.

 

 

 

Chinese Symbolism & Art Motifs:

 A comprehensive handbook on symbolism

in Chinese art through the ages

By C. A. S. Williams, 1974

 

The Shambhala Dictionary of Taoism

By Ingrid Fisher-Schreiber

Translated by Werner Wunsche, 1996

 

The Texts of Taoism

The Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu

The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Part 1)

The Sacred Books of China

Translated by James Legge, 1891/1962

 

The Way of Life:

 According to Lao Tzu

An American Version

Translated

by Witter Bynner, 1944/1980

 

The Way of Life

By Lao Tzu 

  A New Translation of the Tao Te Ching

By R. B. Blakney, 1955

 

The Secret of the Golden Flower:

A Chinese Book of Life

 Translated and Explained by Richard Wilhelm, 1962

 

The Way of Chuang Tzu

By Thomas Merton, 1969

 

Lao Tzu and Taoism

By Max Kaltenmark

Translated from the French

by Roger Creaves, 1969

 

Taoism: The Parting of the Way

By Holmes Welch, 1970

 

Creativity and Taoism:

A Study of Chinese Philosophy, Art, and Poetry

By Chang Chung-yuan, 1970,

 

Embrace Tiger, Return to Mountain

The essence of Tai Chi

By Al Chung-liang Huang, 1973

 

Taoism:

The Road to Immortally

By John Blofeld, 1978

 

Facets of Taoism:

 Essays in Chinese Religion

Edited By Holmes Welch and Anna Seidel, 1979

 

The Complete Works Of

LAO TZU

TAO TEH CHING & HUA HU CHING

Translation and Elucidation

by Hua-Ching Ni, 1979/2003

 

The Natural Paradigm of the Universe

by Hua-Ching Ni,

 

Tao,

The Subtle Universal Law

&

The Integral Way Of Life

by Hua-Ching Ni, 1979/2019

 

The Taoist Inner View of the Universe and the Immortal Realm

by Hua-Ching Ni, 

 

The Essence of T'ai Chi Ch'uan:

 The Literary Tradition Translated and Edited

by Benjamin Pang Jeng Lo, 1985

 

Tao Te Ching:

The book of Meaning and Life by Lao Tzu

The Richard Wilhelm Edition, 1987

 

The Teachings of Chuang Tzu:

Attaining Unlimited Life

by Hu-Ching Ni, 1989/2009

 

The Tao Te Ching

New translation with Commentary

By Ellen M. Chen, 1989

 

Chronicles of Tao:

 The Secret Life of a Taoist Master

by Deng Ming-Dao, 1993

 

TaoTe Ching

by Stephen Mitchell, 1994/2006

 

Hua Hu Ching:

 The Latter Teachings of Lau Tzu

by Hua-Ching Ni, 1995

 

 

The only way to attain the Universal Way is to maintain the integral virtues of constancy, steadiness, and simplicity in one's daily life. There are four cardinal virtues which assist one in achieving this goal.

 

The first is unconditional natural piety. 

Natural piety means love and respect for one's being, both the internal aspects and the external manafestations.Uncinditional m=natural piety is vert different from artificial, blind piety advocated by religions; it is a state of profound reverence toward natural life.

 

The second virtue is natural sincerity.

To be naturally sincere means to be genuine, earnest, honest, and wholehearted. To be naturally sincere also means being free of all self-deception.

 

The third virtue is gentleness.

When one is rough, one tends to be aggressive, inconsiderate and unkind to others.

 

The fourth virtue is being naturally supportive.

This means that one does not set his mind to do only what he likes all the time, but in his spare time he helps others for positive purposes. To be a spiritual teacher or worker is to achieve oneself by serving others without reservation.

 

All virtues lead to true blessings. The five greatest blessings are: Fuh or happiness that makes no demands; Su or longevity that does not make things short; Kang or health that is free from abuse; Ning or peace that is not self disturbing or disturbing to others; and Fui or wealth that does not come about through scheming. Virtue is the mother of all blessings, for it not only brings fourth blessings but also protects them.

 

From:

The Complete works of LAO TZU

Translated and Elucidation 

by Hua-Ching Ni, 1979/2003

pages 166-167.

 

 

The I Ching

 

The I Ching

or

Book of Changes

 The Richard Wilhelm Translation Rendered into English

by Cary F. Baynes, 1950

Foreward by C. G. Jung

Bollingen Series XIX 

 

I Ching

 Edited and with an Introduction

by Raymond Van Over

Based on the translation

by James Legge, 1971

 

Secrets of the I Ching

by Joseph Murphy, 1973

 

I Ching:

 A New Interpretation for Modern Times

by Sam Reifler, 1974/91

 

Understand the I Ching:

 The History and use of the world's most ancient system of divination

 By Tom Riseman, 1980

 

I Ching,

The Book of Changes and the Unchanging Truth

by Hua-Ching Ni,1983/1990

 

I Ching

By Kerson and Rosemary Huang, 1987

 

  

 

Meditation

 

Altered States of Consciousness

Edited by Charles T. Tart, 1969/72 

See Chapter 4: Introduction to Meditation

 

Buddhist Meditation

by Edward Conze

 

How to Meditate:

 A Guide to Self-discovery

by Lawrence LeShan, 1975

 

How to Meditate:

 A Practical Guide

by Kathleen McDonald, 1984

 

Wherver You Go There You Are

Mindfulness Meditation In Everyday Life

by Jon Kabat-Zinn, 1994

 

The Art of Living Consciously

by Nathaniel Branden, 1999

 

Pointing out the Great Way:

 The stages of meditation in the mahamudra tradition

by Daniel P. Brown, 2006

 

 

Buddhist Meditation

 

Bare Attention

A period of silent attention to mind and body.

 Note the physical sensations of the in and out breath. 

Buddhist meditation takes the untrained, everyday mind

as its natural starting point, and it requires the development

of one particular attentional posture of naked, or bare, attention

 

Defined as:

"The clear and single-minded awareness of what actually happens to us and in us at the successive moments of perception."  

Bare attention takes this unexamined mind and opens it up by observing the mind, emotions, and body the way they are. It is the fundamental tenet of Buddhist psychology that this kind of attention is, in itself, healing

 

Concentration

In the Eightfold Path, the Buddha spoke specifically about cultivating two particular kinds of attention: concentration and mindfulness. They are not the same. Traditionally, concentration is taught first. By repeatedly returning one's attention to a central object of awareness---a word, a sound, a sensation, a visual image, or an idea---feelings of tranquility are generated in mind and body. The chattering, discursive mind is quieted, and the experiences of delight begin to unfold.

 

Mindfulness

The Buddha taught that one must not escape into the concentrated absorption of the tranquil mind but rather contemplate what he called the "Four Foundations of Mindfulness," particularly the body, the feelings, the mind, and the thoughts and emotions, which he called "mental objects" or "mental factors." Like bare attention, mindfulness means being aware of exactly what is happeing in the mind and body as it is occurring: what it reveals is how much of a flux we are in at all times.

 

Mindfulness

To be more present; Moment to moment awareness.

 

 

Directed Readings in Chinese Philosophy and Religion

From:

  Professor Sushma Hall's Sabbatical notes Fall 2003

 

A History of Chinese Civilization

by Jacques Gernet, 1996

 

The Ancestral Landscape

by David N. Keightly, 2000

 

The Five Confucian Classics

by Michael Nylan, 2001/14

 

The Analects of Confucius

Translated by Simon Leys,

 

Sources of Chinese Tradition

Compiled by William Theodore De Barry, Wing-Tsit Chan,

and Bruton Watson, 1969/99

 

Mencius

Translated by  D. C. Lau, 2005

 

Lao Tzu-Tao Te Ching

Translated with commentary by Robert G. Henricks, 1992

 

The Complete Works of Chuang Tzu

Translated by Burton Watson, 1968

 

Taoism: Growth of a Religion

by Isabelle Robinet

and Translated by Phyllis Brooks, 1997

 

 

Other Books of Interest

 

The Greeks and Their Gods

by W.K.C. Guthrie, 1950

 

Greek Religion

by Walter Burkert

Translated by John Raffan, 1985

 

The Future of an Illusion

by Sigmund Freud, 1930

 

Moses and Monotheism

by Sigmund Freud, 1939

 

Black Elk Speaks

Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux

As told through John G. Neihardt (Flaming Rainbow), 1932/1979

 

Beyond Theology:

 The Art of Godmanship

by Alan Watts, 1964

 

Lame Dear Seeker of Visions

by John Fire and Richard Erdoes, 1972

 

Indian Givers

by Jack Weatherford, 1988

 

Native Roots

How the Indians Enriched America

by Jack Weatherford, 1992

 

Mother Earth Spirituality

by Ed McGaa, Eagle Man, 1990

 

Native Wisdom:

Perceptions Of The Natural Way

 by Ed McGaa, Eagle Man, 1995

 

A Sense of the Cosmos:

 The Encounter of Modern Science and Ancient Truth

by Jacob Needleman, 1975

 

Forgotten Truth:

 The Primordial Tradition

by Huston Smith, 1976

 

A Guide for the Perplexed

by E. F. Schumacher, 1977

 

Within the Four Seas:

 The Dialogue of East and West

By Joseph Needham, 1979

 

The Boomer Bible:

A Testament For Our Times

By R. F. Laird, 1991

 

God:

A Biography

by Jack Miles, 1995

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last Updated: 10/19/22