The Illustrated Guide to World ReligionsMichael David Coogan Graced with rich illustrations and written by a team of eminent scholars, The Illustrated Guide to World Religions presents a wealth of information on faiths around the world. Each chapter in this volume examines one of seven major world religions--from Judaism to Christianity and from Islam to Buddhism--and contains information about its holidays and festivities, key historical and mythological figures, architectural styles, calendars, language, and important texts. The book deals with such issues as the afterlife, the role of women, the importance of saints, and the quest for higher wisdom. We discover, for instance, that Pure Land Buddhism--found mainly in China, Japan, and Tibet--holds that meditation on a particular deity at the moment of death will help insure rebirth into that deity's celestial domain. In Judaism, on the other hand, the concept of an afterlife has never played a central role. Uniquely organized in a manner that encourages comparative analysis, the book's lavish full-color art, maps, and photographs all focus on faith in practice, in both elaborate ritual and everyday life. Religion continues to be a monumental force in a rapidly changing world. Whether tracing the origins of your own faith or attempting to satisfy a curiosity about religious practices an ocean away, The Illustrated Guide to World Religions will be a fascinating and indispensable guide to the complexity of the world's living religions. |
Contents
Sacred Texts THE WORD OF GOD 104 | 89 |
Sacred Persons 2 IMAMS AND SAINTS | 108 |
Sacred Time DUTIES OF WORSHIP | 114 |
Society and Religion ISSUES AND DISPUTES | 120 |
INTRODUCTION | 126 |
Aspects of the Divine GODS AND GODDESSES | 134 |
Sacred Persons TEACHERS AND LEADERS | 142 |
Sacred Time REJOICING IN THE DIVINE | 152 |
Sacred Texts WORDS OF THE DHARMA | 178 |
Ethical Principles THE PATH TO NIRVANA | 184 |
Sacred Time HONORING THE WAY | 190 |
JAPANESE TRADITIONS | 237 |
Aspects of the Divine A WORLD OF SPIRITS | 246 |
Sacred Persons LIGHTS OF WISDOM | 252 |
Sacred Space A LANDSCAPE OF SANCTUARIES | 258 |
Death and the Afterlife HEAVENS AND HELL | 266 |
Society and Religion DIVISION AND IDENTITY | 158 |
INTRODUCTION | 164 |
Historical Development SCHOOLS AND VEHICLES | 172 |
GLOSSARY | 272 |
288 | |
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Common terms and phrases
Amida ancient Arabic Asia believed Bible bodhisattva body Buddha Buddhist canon celebrated celestial central century China Chinese Christ Christian church Confucian culture cycle Daoism death deity depicted devotion Dharma divine doctrine dynasty early emperor ethical example faith festival founder goddess Hadith Heaven Hindu Hinduism holy human Imam important India Islamic Israel Japan Japanese Japanese Buddhism Jerusalem Jesus Jewish Jews Judaism kami known Kojiki Krishna lives Lotus Sutra Mahayana main text meditation mikoshi modern monastery monastic monks mosque movement Muhammad Muslim mystical Nihonshoki nirvana Orthodox period pilgrimage popular practice prayer priests Prophet Pure Land Quran rabbis rebirth reform religion religious revered rites ritual role Roman sacred saints salvation Sanskrit scholars scripture sect Shii Shinran Shinto shrine Siddhartha sidebar social society soul spiritual Sutra symbolism Tantric teachings temple theology Theravada Tibet Tibetan Torah tradition Vedas veneration Vishnu Western women worship