Arvind Sharma is professor of religion at McGill University and the author or editor of many books on world religions.
Summary
Leading experts in the great living religions present their own faith traditions.
In 1893 a parliament of religions took place at the world's exposition in Chicago. It was a watershed event
in the history of religions; religious teachers from around the world assembled there, and meditation, yoga, Zen,
and other Eastern teachings and practices were introduced to the West. Now the perspectives and techniques of religious
traditions from around the world - from Hasidic stories to Zen koans, yoga positions to Tibetan chants, Taoist
classics to The Art of War in Wall Street briefcases - have become an increasingly significant part of American
life. Since 1893 we have also become aware not only of the rich variety of humankind's great religious traditions,
but also of the frightening capacity for narrow religious convictions to breed enmity, division, and horrific violence.
So today more than ever, there is a chronic need for the adherents of the various religious traditions to understand
and respect one another's faiths. Remarkably, this is the first introduction to world religions for general readers
in which leading scholars each present their own traditions. And many of the authors - such as Masao Abe on Buddhism,
Tu Wei-ming on Confucianism, and Liu Xiaogan on Taoism - are regarded as the preeminent scholars in the world of
their own traditions. Each chapter presents the religion as a living contemporary worldview and way of life. Even
seemingly remote elements of a tradition are shown to be more a part of our life than we may realize: Taoist books
appear on bestseller lists, the word Zen has become part of everyday speech, and there is growing awareness that
Confucian principles underlie the success of East Asian business. Each author communicates the religion's essential
nature, its history, and its key teachings and practices. The delightful chapter on Christianity by renowned Harvard
professor Harvey Cox, the authoritative presentation of Judaism by the dean of modern Jewish studies, Jacob Neusner,
the comprehensive account of Islam by t
Published for the 1993 Parliament of the World's Religions, this is the first introduction to the topic in which
renowned scholars present their own traditions--Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity,
and Islam--from both contemporary and historical perspectives.
