Introduction,
Huston Smith, chap. 1, What is Religion?

Van Voorst, chap. 1, Scripture Among the World’s Religions

periods of scripture scholarship: (1) critical translations of the 19th century, (2) Religionswissenschaft, study of religion centered on history & ritual, (3) balancing text & history

nature & definition of scripture: (1) literary form: scriptures include: history, poetry, law codes, philosophical reflection, sacred songs & ritual instruction; (2) number, from many texts (Taoism) to one (Islam); (3) function, from thoughtful counsel to the words of God; "Scripture is the writing accepted and used in a religious community as especially sacred and authoritative." most scriptures originate in oral tradition; text & commentary; scriptures seem heterogeneous but are perceived as a unity; closure: canon

uses of scripture: cognitive uses: (1) establish doctrine, (2) guide public worship, (3) used in meditation & devotion; noncognitive uses: (1) the use of language not understood by the speaker, (2) iconic, (3) mixing religion & magic

advantages & disadvantages of studying scripture: disadvantages: (1) not all traditions have scriptures, (2) scriptures are not regarded the same in every tradition, (3) dependence on translation, (4) scriptures tend to particularly reflect "the patriarchal and elites perspectives of their traditions." (5) we have no experience of the lived context of the religions from which scriptures derive advantages: (1) use of scriptures is widespread among world religions, (2) scriptures tend to be comprehensive within their faiths, (3) scriptures are authoritative, (4) scriptures are ancient in character, (5) scriptures are accessible to English speakers, (6) scriptures are open to critical analysis

world scriptures & modern scholarship: growth of the historical-critical method; persistence of Protestant bias in the field plan of the book: India, China, Japan, Near East; the ordering within each chapter is structured & also pedagogical based pronunciation/suggestions for reading scripture

primal religions, Huston Smith chap. 9

primal/tribal/oral religions: Aborigines, Native Americans, African religions; the Australian Experience; Orality, Place, and Time; Place versus space; Eternal time; the Primal World: no dividing line between the natural & supernatural; the Symbolic Mind; the danger of romanticizing the primal

Ake Hultkrantz, from Native Religions of North America: The Power of Visions & Fertility: commonalties among N. American Indians: (1) similar worldview, including closer connections between humans & animals (even inorganic life), absence of a sharp line between sacred & profane, lack of sharp distinction between divine & human (2) notion of cosmic harmony, with emphasis on sacred number, balancing of points of the compass, revolution of seasons (3) direct experience of powers & visions, vision quest: Black Elk Speaks, Mabel McKay & (4) cyclical view of life and death, with ‘Confucian’ relative disinterest in afterlife, though hunting tribes have some notion of a "happy hunting ground" and agricultural communities belief in a subterranean world of the dead

Eliade, Cosmos & History; W. Benjamin, "Thesis on the Philosophy of History"; Ong/Havelock, oral culture (Nell, The Iliad); Black Elk Speaks, Mabel McKay)

Blake, Auguries of Innocence
"To See a World in a Grain of Sand…
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower
Hold Infinity in the Palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour."

music: R. Robertson, Mahk Jchi (Heartbeat Drum Song)
film: Walkabout; Powwow Highway; Emerald Forest
literature: Black Elk Speaks

Confucius, Huston Smith chap. 4, Shinto

Kung Fu-Tzu; 551-479 BC; period of warring states; balancing tradition and innovation; balancing other-worldly and this-worldly perspectives; mean between realists (political disciplinarians) and Mohism (ethical idealists): The First Teacher; The Problem Confucius Faced; Rival Answers; Confucius’ Answer; The Deliberate Tradition: (1) Jen: love, humaneness, virtue, human-heartedness" (Smith); the "silver" rule (shu) (do not do to others what you do not wish done to yourself); (2) Chun Tzu [literally, ‘aristocrat, son of a ruler’, becoming a full and rich person based on accomplishment & character, not birth; (3) Li, ritual (initially warrior’s chivalry code), and the social structure of the five constant relationships (parent/child–xiao; husband/wife; elder sibling/younger sibling; elder friend/younger friend; ruler/subject) (4) Te, power, social power, power of leading through example; (5) Wen, the arts of peace: music, poetry; Ethics or Religion? Impact on China; a supremely social/civilized orientation to life. Confucius popularized by Mencius (371-289 BC), who elaborated that man is innately good but goes awry through lack of education or bad environment; emphasis on need of reform to move from rulers downward through ]society; Confucian civil service exams in place until 1905

Van Voorst: Five earlier classics: I Ching (classic of changes, a diviner’s manual); Shu Ching (Classic of History/Documents); Shih Ching (Classic of Poetry); Ch’un ch’iu (Spring & Autumn Annals); Li Chi (Classic of Rites); the Four Books: Lun Yu (Analects); Meng-tzu (Mencius); Ta huseh (Great Learning); Chung yung (Doctrine of the Mean)

Dictionary of Philosophy: Lun Yü (Analects); Chunqiu (Spring & Autumn), Daxue (Great Learning) ascribed to disciple Tseng Tzu: (1) investigation of things, (2) extension of knowledge, (3) sincerity of the will, (4) rectification of the mind, (5) cultivation of personal life, (6) regulation of the family, (7) national order, (8) world peace; Zhong-Yong (Doctrine of the Mean) ascribed to Confucius’ grandson, Tzu-ssu, Liji (Collections of Rituals), & Yijing (Book of Changes)

WB: Shu King (Canon of History); Shi King (Canon of Poetry) I King (Canon of Changes), Li Ki (Book of Rites), Chun Chiu (Spring & Autumn Annals), Hsiao King (Book of Filial Piety) attributed to Confucius, Analects, Ta Hsiao (Great Learning) Chung Yung (Doctrine of the Mean) attributed to his followers…

Shinto: no authoritative scripture, the Kojiki & Nihongi (both written in a Chinese style)written by imperial degree in 8th century; teach (1) about the kami, gods & spirits, viewed polytheistically, (2) human being descended from the kami, (3) Japan the center of the world, & (4) the kami bless through the imperial family; genealogical myths incorporated in to the Kojiki, which itself draws on earlier oral tradition; some believe that earlier Japanese views of the complementary of men & women were reworked to reflect the Confucian idea of male superiority

music: Chinese classical music
film: The Joy Luck Club
literature: The Woman Warrior

Confucius: Van Voorst, pp. 145-165

History: The Character of Confucius "A transmitter and not a maker, believing and loving the ancients…" "I have never refused instruction to anyone;" "I am one who is fond of antiquity" "the subjects on which the Master did not talk… spiritual beings" "There were four things the Master taught–letters, ethics, devotion of soul, and truthfulness" "‘Has any person been hurt?’ He did not ask about the horses." Ethics: The Virtues of the Superior Man seeking to become a "chun-tzu" "Filial piety and fraternal submission–are they not the root of all benevolent actions?" "The superior man is distressed by his lack of ability. He is not distressed by his lack of fame." "What the superior man seeks is in himself. What the inferior man seeks is in others." "Is there one word… Is not Reciprocity [shu] such a word? What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others." Benevolence (jen) "If the will is set on virtue, there will be no practice of wickedness." Actions of Filial Piety (hsiao, from Li Chi, Classic of Rites) "When sons and their wives are ordered to do anything by their parents, they should immediately respond and reverently proceed to do it." "When sons and their wives have not been filial and reverential, the parents should not be angry and resentful with them, but endeavor to instruct them." Attitude of Filial Piety "parents… should be sacrificed to according to propriety" "If the son for three years [following death] does not alter from the way of his father, he may be called filial." "The father conceals the misconduct of the son…" Propriety (li) "If a man lacks the virtues… what has he to do with music?" the Way (tao) Son of Heaven, princes, officers: hierarchy of those who may legitimately act officially Love of Learning six faults: the love of (1) benevolence, (2) knowledge, (3) sincerity, (4) candor, (5) boldness & (6) firmness without learning Goodness of Human Nature (from Mencius) "The tendency of man’s nature is to good like the tendency of water to flow downwards." "Benevolence, propriety, righteousness, and knowledge are not infused into us from without. We are certainly furnished with them." Basis of Good Government (from the Great Learning) "To know what is first and what is last will lead near to what is taught in the Great Learning." "The ancients who wished to illustrate illustrious virtue…" "the ruler must himself be possessed of good qualities" "Never has there been a man, who, not having reference to his own character and wishes in dealing with others, was able effectually to instruct them." Ruler as Example to the People "To govern means to rectify." Confidence and Prosperity in Government "Therefore an intelligent ruler will regulate the livelihood of the people, so as to make sure that they shall have enough to serve their parents…" Ritual: Divination three hexagrams Songs for Sacrifice for departed ancestors Music and Morality "Licentious music and corrupted ceremonies are not admitted into the mind to affect its powers."

Taoism Huston Smith chap. 5 The Old Master; three meanings of Tao; three notions of Power & Tao: efficient power & philosophical Taoism; augmented power and hygiene/yoga; & vicarious power & religious Taoism. the mingling of powers; creative quietude; other Taoist values

born c. 604 BC? "old boy," "old master." conceived of a shooting star? sprung full-grown from his mother’s womb at 82 (!) Confucius: Lao Tzu the dragon (read Smith, 197)–writes the Tao Te Ching at the Hankao pass on his way out of town. Tao as (1) ultimate reality (transcendent), (2) immanent (pervades everything), & (3) the ideal human path. Te: three schools: Te as (1) efficient power, "philosophical" or "school" Taoism (more momentarily); (2) augmented power: not just conserving but extending Te/power, ch’i (breath, vital energy), use of diet, t’ai chi chuan; acupuncture to free up the flow of Te in the human body, contemplative meditation to enhance the energy of the individual, but to share that unleashed positive energy with the community, (3) vicarious power, Tao Chiao, church Taoism, magic, ritual, arts of the dead. each of the three schools interact over time; wu wei, creative inaction; the action of water; relativity of all things: yang in yin & yin in yang; Confucianism & Taoism the two poles of Chinese traditional culture

Van Voorst: The Taoist canon called the Tao Tsang; 1,120 volumes in edited in 1926, divided into "three caverns" (San-Tung), for the Supreme Clarity, Numinous Treasure, and Three Sovereigns schools, each made up of various writings; the Tao Te Ching now thought to have been written by various authors, edited in the 3rd century BCE–parallelism & rhyming lost in translation; the Tao Te Ching used in all schools of Taoism; Chuang-tzu the second primary text, emphasizes the illusory nature of reality; other writings more focused on religious Taoism

Tao Te Ching Teaching: Nature of the Tao it is unnamable, female, the mother of heaven & earth, accomplishing great things by small steps; "It is in that excrement." The World "Tao engenders One, One engenders Two, Two engenders Three, Three engenders the ten thousand things" "We gain by losing, Lose by gaining" Ethics: Nonaction (wu-wei) "Nonaction makes its exemplifier the lord of all fame…" Individual Life in Harmony with the Tao "Sages cling to the One/And take care of this world" "Knowing others is intelligent. Knowing yourself is enlightened. Conquering others takes force. Conquering yourself is true strength. " The Superior Man "he lets the gold lie hid in the hill" "all things belong to the one treasury, and that death and life should be viewed in the same way." Government "The Sage rules By emptying hearts and filling bellies" "I do nothing And people transform themselves." "A thousand-mile journey Begins with a single step." On Death "Would you like to hear me, Sir, tell you about death?" Reward & Retribution "in heaven and earth there are spirits that take account of men’s transgressions" "He who would seek to become an Immortal of Heaven should give the proof of 1,300 good deeds" "If at death there remains any unpunished guilt, judgment extends to his posterity." Ritual: Methods of Prolonging Life "If you are going to do everything possible to nurture your life, you will take the divine medicines."

music: Richard Warner, Spirit of the Tao Te Ching
film: A Great Wall; Koyanisquaatsi
literature: The Tao of Pooh; The Eight Immortals of Taoism

what people want/ what people really want; the beyond within; 4 paths to God; God though (1) knowledge, (2) love, (3) work, (4) psychophysical exercises. stages & stations of life; "Thou Before Whom All Words Recoil." coming of age in the universe; the world: welcome & farewell. many paths to the same summit; Sikhs

Hinduism gives people what they want: (1) pleasure (2) worldly success (though both are insecure, insatiable, center on the self & are ephemeral). Eventually we will see through their appeal and turn to the Path of Renunciation, which gives us what we really want: (1) being (2) knowledge (3) infinite joy, liberation (moksha). What are we? the hidden self within, Atman, is part of Brahman, the godhead. Our joy is thwarted by (1) physical pain (2) frustration of our desire & (boredom).

four paths (each a discipline, yoga, yoke): (1) jnana yoga (for the reflective, philosophical yoga, discerning the eternal self (2) bhakti yoga, the yoga of love and devotion: practices include (1) japam, chanting god’s name (2) expanding love into all relationships (3) choosing an ishta, a form of the divine to worship; (3) karma yoga, worshipping god through work, working without attachment to outcome (4) raja yoga, the yoga of the asanas (postures) & meditation: seeking being itself, the being behind being, through eight steps: (1) the five abstentions (no injury, lying, stealing, sensuality, greed) (2) 5 observances (cleanliness, contentment, self-control, studiousness, contemplation of the divine) (3) working through the body (through the asanas) to the mind (4) controlling the breath (5) controlling the senses, turning them inward (6) controlling the imagination, choosing a subject to focus on (7) merging subject & object in the mind (8) samadhi, joining the divine (Adhi, Lord)–the mind continues to think, but of no subject

four stages of life: (1) the student (2) the householder (focused on family, vocation, community, seeking pleasure, success, duty) (3) retirement–into the forest of solitude (4) sannyasin, "one who neither loves nor hates anything," the life of the mendicant four stations of life: caste: (1) brahmins, seers (2) kshatriyas, administrators (3) vaishyas, artisans, producers (4) shudras, workers, followers, (5) outcasts (Mlerchchha). Flaws/accretions in the caste system: (1) appearance of the untouchables (2) proliferation of subcastes (3) proscription of intercaste marriage (4) privileges of the uppercastes (5) caste enforced via hereditary. Virtues: justice and privilege proportionate to ability & contribution to society (kshatriyas should be) highest paid; differing moral/legal standards for different castes: system comparable to Plato’ Republic

Hindu Concepts: supreme reality, Brahman (from br, breathe & brih, great): attributes of sat (being), chit (awareness) & ananda (bliss); God in many appearances; God as singular/eternal & multiple/personal: God as creator (Brahma), preserver (Vishnu) & destroyer (Shiva)

souls (jivas) appear in the world without explanation; spirit does not depend on body & continues throughout multiple bodies (reincarnation/samsara); karma (literally work), the moral law of cause & effect (what goes around comes around)–extending complete individual moral responsibility in a world without accident; the Atman (the God within) the constant in the travel of the individual soul

the world a training ground for the human spirit; the world not perfectible; dual and non-dual points of view; this a world of images, illusion (maya)–though still of great importance; the world is the play (lila) of God: we live in a world that is (1) multiple (2) moral (karma always operates) (3) middling & will never become or replace the spiritual world (4) maya, deceptive & tricky (5) a training ground (6) lila, the play of god: many paths: Hinduism open in principal (though often fanatically intolerant in practice)

Van Voorst: Hinduism: Shruti (what is heard): Vedas (books of knowledge), Brahmanas, Aranyakas, Upanishads (the most philosophical of Hindu texts); & Smriti (what is remembered): Ramayana & Mahabharata (including the Bhagavad Gita)

Sikhs: followers of Guru Nanak (guru, dispeller of darkness (gu) bringer of enlightenment (ru), (1469-1539): joins Hinduism & Islam, holy city of Amritsar, institutes pure order (Khalsa): uncut hair (spiritual power), comb (cleanliness) steel bracelet (shield & shackle to God), dagger (originally for protection) & undershorts (ready for action). "Sikhs seek salvation through union with God by realizing through love, the Person of God" (77); world renunciation not an aspect of Sikhs, who are closer to Hinduism in theology and closer to Muslims in practice

Van Voorst: Sikhs: Adi Granth–"the first book": most revered of world religious texts; called "Sri Guru Granth Sahib"–Revered Teacher Granth); Sikh temples shrines for the Adi Granth

music: Within You, Without You; Ravi Shankar
film: Gandhi: ecumenicism; cleaning latrines; anger (sattva to raja)
Mahabharata (3’08")
literature: Tagore, The Home & the World

Bhagavad Gita: Preface • Introduction

Chapter 1: Armies on the Battlefield of Life As the opposing armies stand poised for battle, Arjuna, the mighty warrior, sees his relatives, teachers and friends in both armies ready to fight. Overcome by grief and pity, Arjuna fails in strength, his mind becomes bewildered, and he gives up his determination to fight.

Chapter 2: Contents of the Gita Summarized Arjuna submits to Krishna as His disciple, and Krishna begins His teachings to Arjuna by explaining the fundamental distinction between the temporary material body and the eternal spirit soul. Krishna explains the process of transmigration, the nature of selfless service to the Supreme and the characteristics of a self-realized person.

Chapter 3: Karma-yoga Everyone must engage in some sort of work in this material world. But actions can either bind one to this world or liberate one from it. By acting for the pleasure of Brahman, without selfish motives, one can be liberated from the law of karma and attain knowledge of the self and the Supreme.

Chapter 4: Knowledge & Sacrifice Knowledge–the spiritual knowledge of the soul, of God, and of their relationship–is both purifying and liberating. Such knowledge is the fruit of selfless devotional action (karma-yoga). Krishna explains the remote history of the Gita, the purpose and significance of His periodic descents to the material world, and the necessity of approaching a guru, a realized teacher.

Chapter 5: Karma-yoga Outwardly performing all actions but inwardly renouncing their fruits, the wise man, purified by the fire of transcendental knowledge, attains peace, detachment, forbearance, spiritual vision and bliss.

Chapter 6: Jñana-yoga Jñana-yoga, a meditative practice, controls the mind and senses and focuses concentration on Paramatma (the Supersoul, the form of Krishna situated in the heart). This practice culminates in samadhi, full consciousness of the Supreme.

Chapter 7: Knowledge of the Absolute Krishna is the Supreme Truth, the supreme cause and sustaining force of everything, both material and spiritual. Advanced souls surrender unto Him in devotion, whereas impious souls divert their minds to other objects of worship.

Chapter 8: Brahman, Atman, Karma–what? Attaining the Supreme By remembering Krishna in devotion throughout one's life, and especially at the time of death, one can attain to His supreme abode, beyond the material world.

Chapter 9: The Most Confidential Knowledge Krishna is the Supreme Godhead and the supreme object of worship. The soul is eternally related to Him through transcendental devotional service (bhakti). By reviving one's pure devotion one returns to Krishna in the spiritual realm.

Chapter 10: Krishna the excellence of all forms All phenomena showing power, beauty, grandeur or sublimity, either in the material world or in the spiritual, are but partial manifestations of Krishna. As the supreme cause of all causes and the support and essence of everything, Krishna is the supreme object of worship for all beings.

Chapter 11: Krishna Revealed Krishna grants Arjuna divine vision and reveals His spectacular unlimited form as the cosmic universe. He conclusively establishes His divinity. Krishna explains that His own all-beautiful human like form is the original form of Godhead. One can perceive this form only by pure devotional service.

Chapter 12: Devotional Service Bhakti-yoga, pure devotional service to Krishna, is the highest and most expedient means for attaining pure love for Krishna, which is the highest end of spiritual existence. Those who follow this supreme path develop divine qualities.

Chapter 13: Nature, the Enjoyer, and Consciousness One who understands the difference between the body, the soul and the Supersoul beyond them both attains liberation from this material world.

Chapter 14: The Three Modes Of Material Nature All embodied souls are under the control of the three modes, or qualities, of material nature: goodness, passion and ignorance. Krishna explains what these modes are, how they act upon us, how one transcends them, and the symptoms of one who has attained the transcendental stage.

Chapter 15: The Yoga of the Supreme Person The ultimate purpose of Vedic knowledge is to detach oneself from the entanglement of the material world and to understand Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One who understands Krishna's supreme identity surrenders unto Him and engages in His devotional service.

Chapter 16: The Divine And Demoniac Natures Those who possess demoniac qualities and who live whimsically, without following scripture, attain lower births and further material bondage. Those who possess divine qualities and live regulated lives, abiding by scripture, gradually attain spiritual perfection.

Chapter 17: The Divisions of Faith Three types of faith (sattva, raja, tamas, corresponding to the three modes of nature. Acts performed by those whose faith is in passion and ignorance yield only impermanent, material results, whereas acts performed in goodness, in accord with scriptural injunctions, purify the heart and lead to pure faith in Krishna and devotion to Him.

Chapter 18: ConclusionÑThe Perfection of Renunciation Krishna explains the meaning of renunciation and the effects of the modes of nature on human consciousness and activity. He explains Brahman realization, the glories of the Bhagavad-Gita, and the ultimate conclusion of the Gita: the highest path of religion is absolute, unconditional loving surrender unto Krishna, which frees one from all sins, brings one to complete enlightenment, and enables one to return to Krishna's eternal spiritual abode.

Buddhism, Huston Smith chap. 3

the man who woke up; the silent sage; the rebel saint; the 4 Noble Truths; the eightfold path; basic Buddhist concepts; big raft & little; the secret of the flower; the diamond thunderbolt; the image of crossing; the confluence of Buddhism & Hinduism in India

Siddhartha Gautama of the Sakyas, b. 563 BC, marries Yasodhara at 16, son Rahula: handsome, of noble birth: prophecy that he would unite India, or that if he withdrew from the world he would become a great religious leader: the Four Passing Sights (an old man; an ill & sickly man; a corpse; a mendicant monk) leads to the Great Going-Forth; six years spent seeking enlightenment through asceticism (which didn’t work, leading to the doctrine of the Middle Way) and Siddhartha turned to yogic meditation–enlightenment finally came under the peepul tree (the Bodhi tree): the "Evil One" tempts him in the guise of Kama (desire), death (Mara) and finally challenging his right to proceed, was defeated: the Great Awakening, Siddhartha becomes the Buddha. 49 days spent lost in rapture: nearly 50 years follow as Buddha challenges the deadness of Brahmin society, through a life-long pattern of engagement and retreat (three months a year, three times a day): "All compounded things decay. Work out your own salvation with diligence" (88). profound rationalism combined with Franciscan tenderness. Sakyamuni (the silent sage), Tathagata (the truth winner)

six aspects of religion:

Buddhism is (1) empirical (2) scientific (3) pragmatic (4) therapeutic (5) psychologically attuned (6) egalitarian (7) directed toward individuals

Four Noble Truths: (1) dukkha, suffering, life is dislocated, at six points in particular: trauma of birth, sickness, decrepitude, fear of death, being tied to what one dislikes, being separated from what one loves (2) tanha, attachment to private desire (3) the cure lies in detaching from the narrow bounds of selfishness (4) the way out is the Eightfold Path, intentional living, the Path:

(1) Right Views (2) Right Intent (3) Right Speech (eschewing false witness, idle chatter, gossip, slander, and abusive language) (4) Right Conduct: Five Precepts: do not kill, do not steal, do not lie, do not be unchaste, do not drink intoxicants (5) Right Livelihood: work which promotes life (6) Right Effort: "the Buddha had more confidence in the steady pull than in the quick spurt" (p. 109) (7) Right Mindfulness: (with Socrates) ignorance, not sin, the cause of human frailty (8) Right Concentration: through raja yoga

Concepts: nirvana (to blow out, extinguish), neither God nor not God, denial of spiritual substance; existence is impermanent (anicca ) suffering (dukkha) & soulless (anatta)

Buddhist schools:

Theravada most common in southeast Asia (Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia) where society revolves around a Buddhist image of the ideal society: the monarchy, the monastic order, and the lay world; Mahayana the more prominent/populous tradition of world Buddhism, especially in east Asia (China), where Confucianism peeled off the social aspects of Theravada’s teachings; Theravada continues as a fairly unified tradition; Mahayana has split into other traditions:

Zen: enlightenment without or beyond language: zazen ( seated meditation), the koan (the obscure riddle) sanzen/dokusan (Rinzai/Soto) (tutorial with the master): all aim at intuitive breakthrough (satori/kensho): Zen experience and life begins with satori: learning to infuse the temporal with the eternal

Vajrayana Buddhism: the Diamond Way. Shingon Buddhism in Japan, Tibetan Buddhism/Tantric Buddhism: reaching nirvana in a single lifetime: using all the energies of the body: Mantras (holy chants) Mudras (holy hand gestures) Mandalas (holy icons); the Dalai Lama

Three vows: refuge in the Buddha, set sail in the dharma, the raft, among the sangha, the other pilgrims

Today Buddhism is vital throughout Asia save India, where Buddhism has been re-absorbed within Hinduism

Van Voorst: Theravadan Buddhism uses the Tipitaka, "the three baskets": the Vinaya Pitaka (the "discipline" basket), the Sutta basket (the discourse/teaching basket), and the Abhidhamma Pitaka (the special teaching basket); Mahayana Buddhism expands on the texts of Theravada Buddhism, but without the three-part structure, and adds many texts to that of the Theravada tradition; Tibetan Buddhism also adds many texts, which are regarded to the point of bibliolatry

Jains; WB, chap. 113-159: founded by Mahavira in the 6th century BCE as a stricter version of Upanishadic Hinduism, with special emphasis on the teaching of ahimsa (noninjury); Jains influential beyond their number, especially in this century on Gandhi; two different sects of Jains disagree on the capacity of women to reach nirvana. Jain faith centers in the authority of Mahavira, the source, though not the author, of Jain writings. Monks (as in Theravadan Buddhism) control the transmission of writings, which emphasize concerns of monastic life. The Jain laity is more educated/literate than many Indians and the use of scripture by the Jain laity is appreciable.

music: Gyuto Tibetan Monks; Kundun
film: Little Buddha: enlightenment under the Bodhi tree
Kundun: 4 noble truths & 3 jewels (Buddha, dharma, sangha)
literature: H. Hesse, Siddhartha

Buddhist texts: Van Voorst, pp. 75-105

History: The Past Lives of Gotama Buddha: the shipwreck: "In this place there is no help for us except the Three Jewels": the sea-serpent which saves them: "Keep company with the wise and good. If this barber had not been in company with this pious layman, he would have perished in the midst of the deep." The Life of Gotama Buddha: "From the side of the queen, who was purified by her vow, her son was born for the welfare of the world." "[He said:] ‘I am born for supreme knowledge, for the welfare of the world. Therefore, this is my last birth.’" "He might see some inauspicious sight that could disturb his mind." "Then he removed from the road with the greatest gentleness all those who had mutilated limbs or maimed senses, the decrepit and the sick and all squalid beggars." "But the gods, dwelling in their pure abodes, saw the city rejoicing like heaven itself. They created an old man to walk along and to stir the heart of the king’s son." "Meditating on the origin and destruction of the world, he laid hold of the path that leads to firmness of mind." "Then the saint whose every effort was pure [Gotama] fixed his dwelling on the pure bank of the Nairangana.… Five beggars…" "True calm is properly attained by the constant satisfaction of the senses." "Then, having conquered the hosts of Mara by his firmness and calmness, the great master of meditation set himself to meditate. He longed to know the supreme end." The Death of Gotama Buddha "The truths and the rules of the order that I have set forth and laid down for you all, let them be your Teacher when I am gone." "‘Decay is inherent in all component things! Work out your salvation with diligence.’ This was the last word of the Tathagata." But those brothers who were free from the passions bore their grief collected and composed at the thought. "All component things are impermanent! How is it possible that [they should not be dissolved]?" "the funeral pyre of the Blessed One caught fire by itself." Teaching: the Four Noble Truths: "There are two extremes, O monks, which the man who has given up the world ought not to follow.… sensuality… asceticism… There is a middle path, O monks, avoiding these two extremes, discovered by the Tathagata.… Truly, it is this noble eightfold path…" "[1] Birth brings pain… [2] the origin of suffering. Truly, it is the thirst or craving… [3] harboring no longer this thirst… [4] this Noble Eightfold Path…" "This is my last existence. Now there will be no rebirth for me!" The Skandhas & the Chain of Causation: "Whoever has his mind indifferent and is empty of all desire for any further form of existence, let him abolish one by one the several steps of the chain of causation." "When you have learned this, to be freed from the bond of existence you must cut down ignorance with all your efforts, for it is the root of pain." [ODWR: the five Skandas: material composition, sensing, perception, mental formation of character, consciousness] Essence of Buddhism "form is emptiness, emptiness is form" A Mahayana View of the Buddha: "It is not by reasoning Sariputra, that the law is to be found: it is beyond the pale of reasoning, and must be learned from Tathagata.… To open the eyes of creatures for the sight of Tathagata-knowledge, the Buddha, the Tathagata, appears in the world.…" "Whoever after the complete extinction of the Tathagata shall hear this Dharmaparyaya… I predict their destiny to supreme and perfect enlightenment." "In short… any young men or young women of good family who shall keep or joyfully accept only a single stanza of this teaching… I predict their destiny of supreme and perfect enlightenment." Ethics: Conduct of the Monk (the from Dhammapada): "Restraint is good in all things." "O monk, empty this boat! If emptied, it will go quickly. When you have cut off passion and hatred, you will go to Nirvana." Admonition to Laity "Let him not kill… abstain from taking anything in any place that has not been given to him… avoid an unchaste life… no one speak falsely… not give himself to intoxicating drinks" Wisdom of the Buddha (the from Dhammapada): "All that we are is the result of what we have thought" "For hatred does not cease by hatred at any time: hatred ceases by love; this is an old rule. The world does not know that we must all come to an end here. But for those who know it, their quarrels cease at once." "As rain does not break through a well-thatched house, passion will not break through a well-reflecting mind." "By oneself evil is done, by oneself one suffers. By oneself evil is left undone, by oneself one is purified. Purity and impurity belong to oneself; no one can purify another." Organization: Founding of the Order "‘Come, monk,’ said the Blessed One, ‘for the doctrine is well taught. Lead a holy life for the sake of the complete extinction of suffering. Then this venerable person received the ordination.…" When this exposition had been given, the minds of the five monks became free from attachment to the world, and were released from the Asavas. Then there were six arhants in the world." Rules of Defeat "he is no longer in communion." Rules Requiring Formal Meetings: emitting semen, contact with a woman, verbally arousing a woman; soliciting sex; acting as a pimp; building without a permit; false impeachment of another monk; divisiveness; making faction; causing laity to stumble The Order of Nuns: "It would be well, Lord, if women should be allowed to renounce their homes and enter the homeless state under the doctrine and discipline proclaimed by the Tathagata." eight rules for the initiation of nuns; they may seek to become nuns only after they have left the life of the householder Ritual & Meditation: Relics of the Buddha: "Let thupas [stupas] arise widespread in every land, that humanity may trust in the Enlightened One! Brahmin, divide the remains of the Blessed One equally into eight parts, with fair division." Mindfulness in Meditation: "the fourfold establishment of mindfulness" of body, feelings, thoughts, the elements of reality Merit of Making Images: "Let a son of good family or a daughter of good family but be pure and faithful, and fix his mind solely upon the virtues of the Buddha, and meditate unceasingly upon his awe-inspiring virtue and majesty." "Maitreya, if there is a man who, in the midst of this world, can awaken his faith and build an image of the Buddha, then between his having done so and his not having done so the difference is … great: for anywhere this man is born, he is purified and free of all his past sins, and by all his skill may gain liberation even without a teacher.…"

Judaism, Huston Smith chap. 7; Van Voorst, pp. 203-211; 240-244

Genesis 1-4; 12-18; 21-22; 27-33; Exodus 1-20:21; Lev. 16; Deut. 6:1-9; 32:48-52; 34; Joshua 23

Deut. 18:14022; I Sam 1-3; 8-9; 16-17; II Sam 11-12; I King 17-21; II Kings 2; Isaiah 6:1-13; 11:1-9; 53 Hosea; Jonah; Job 1-3; 42; Psalms 1; 8; 14; 22, 23, 42, 51, 73, 119:1-8; 132; Ecclesiastes (all); Song of Songs (all)

meanings in (1) God, (2) creation, (3) human existence, (4) history, (5) morality, (6) justice, (7) suffering, (8) Messianism; the Hallowing of life; revelation. the chosen people

the Jews were nobodies on the stage of history, who chose a nondescript and not particularly desirable land and made it and their God the key to their history; the Jewish god the root meaning of all that Jews value; the world not prosaic, chaotic, amoral or hostile: seeking God as a personal and compassionate force unique to Jews; the Jews fundamentally monotheistic: their God supreme. the Jews ultimately optimistic about life, positive about the value of the material world (Judaism among "the most materialistic religions in the world" [279]) "what are human beings?" "a blend of dust and divinity"–even kings and heroes presented "warts and all"–the basic limitation of human beings is moral, not physical. History the arena of God’s purposive activity; historical events, unique, because potentially distinct acts of God. history is contextual–God’s election of a specific people at a specific time; Judaism lays the groundwork for social protest; law, defining behavior, creating meaning in morality/human behavior: the 10 (of 613) commandments structures a whole social world; meaning in justice described & urged by the prophets–through the prophetic guilds, the ethical, individual pre-writing prophets (Elijah, Elisha), and the eponymous prophets (Amos, Isaiah, Jeremiah)–speaking truth to power: finding sin in the social fabric, not just individual actions; seeking God’s justice in the consequence for apostasy–punishment through history, but suffering produces a "passion for freedom and justice that would affect all humankind" (295); the Jewish view of history leads to a sense of the capacity of progress in history, and to Messianism, focused on either a political or a spiritual liberator: would the messiah fulfill history or abruptly refocus it?; Jews profoundly moved by ritual as a way of marking the sacredness of life, a mixing of "mystery, ecstasy and the numinous" (301); revelation God’s gift to Jews first and mankind generally; God powerful but also loving, and dealing with human beings through covenant; election of the Jews both a privilege and a responsibility–with their persistence despite astonishing odds one of history’s great mysteries; refounding of Israel due to (1) ethnic security (2) psychological need for a society which is Jewish (3) cultural need for a society which is Jewish (4) political need for a land dedicated to the social ideals of Judaism

music: Kol Nidre
film: The 10 Commandments; Stranger Among Us
literature: the stories of Isaac Bashevis Singer

Genesis 1-9:17; 12-33; Exodus 1-20:21; Leviticus 16: the Day of Atonement;
Deuteronomy 6:1-9: "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One."; 32:48-52: Moses to Mt. Nebo; 34: the death of Moses; Joshua 23: Joshua’s farewell

Deuteronomy 18:14-22: calling new prophets; I Samuel 1-3: the birth of Samuel; 8-9: Samuel’s sons: Israel asks for a king; the anointing of Saul; 16-17: the repudiation of Saul & the choosing of David; II Samuel 11-12: David, Bathsheba & Nathan; I King 17-19: Elijah’s drought; Elijah & the prophets of Baal; 21: Naboth’s vineyard; II Kings 2: the assumption of Elijah, passing of his role to Elisha; Isaiah 6:1-13: the calling of Isaiah; 11:1-9; Hosea; Jonah

• video clip: Moses –> MLK, "I have been to the mountain"

• making heroes of critics

• imagine being Nathan confronting David

• imagine being Elijah confronting Ahaz & Jezebel

• Jonah & the universalistic temperament in the prophets

Job 1-3: the sufferings of Job; 42: Job restored; Psalms 1: "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked"; 8: "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is hour name… what is man that you are mindful of him"; 14: "The fool says in his heart, there is no god… there is no one who does god, not even one"; 22: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?", 23: "The Lord is my shepherd", 42: "As the deer pants for streams of water", 51: "Have mercy on me, O God… Against you, you only, have I sinned.", 73: "Surely God is good to Israel… For I envied the arrogant… They have no struggles"; 119:1-8: "Blessed are they whose ways are blameless"; 132: "O Lord, remember David and all the hardships he endured."

• Psalm 73: the prospering of the wicked; the suffering of the good

• Job: who controls our lives?

• Ecclestiastes: what is the value of a godless life?

• women in the Hebrew Bible?

• Psalm 22: the crucifixion?

• Song of Songs: what is it about?

• Psalm 51–who did David sin against?

Christianity, Huston Smith chap. 8; Van Voorst, pp. 247-253

Matthew; Acts 9:1-19; 15:1-35; Romans; Daniel 7, 12, Revelation

Smith: the historical Jesus; the Christ of faith; end & beginning; the good news; the mystical body of Christ; the mind of the church; Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Protestantism

Van Voorst, pp. 247-253: all Christians recognize the New Testament (and little else); Names: Bible = Old Testament/New Testament: continuity & discontinuity; Structure & Content: gospels–good news–(synoptic & John); Acts; letters; (Apocalypse) Origin & Development: early Christian communities had a scripture (the Jewish scripture) & remembered Jesus for what he said & thus had no need to write; canonization began in 2nd century & rested on apostolic authority; gospels adopted in part through their use in local churches; consensus about the canon toward the 3rd & 4th century, with the exception of Hebrews, James, II & III John, Jude, II Peter & Revelation–all accepted by 367 Use: Christian attitudes toward scripture closely mirror Jewish attitudes, from which they are derived

Huston Smith: Christianity the largest & most widespread–and most diverse of the world’s religions; Christianity a historical religion, though little is known about Jesus–he left little trace outside of his followers–the methods of New Testament criticism would scandalize classical scholars; Jesus focused on (a) the spirit world, (b), using his powers to alleviate suffering, (c) teaching about a "new social order." Jesus initially positions himself in the sequence of Jewish prophets; Jesus also clearly seen as a healer & miracle worker; Jesus takes his place alongside Pharisees (seeking to revitalize Judaism through renewed devotion to the Torah), Sadducees (who support accommodation with Rome), zealots (revolutionaries) & Essences (ascetics & withdrawn from society) –though he is none of them. The Gospels emphasize the compassion of Jesus and his response via miracles and teaching: he welcomed all regardless of class or social background; the teaching of Jesus focused on (1) the love of God for humanity and (2) the need of people to accept that love and allow it to work through them; his teachings perfectionist ("unrealistic"). Jesus appeared to his followers to have practiced what he taught; the "end" of Jesus’ life–in crucifixion–the beginning of Christianity–early Christians relieved, through God’s love, of (1) fear (especially fear of death), (2) guilt & (3) ego. the Christian Church, ekklesia, the mystical body of Christ, now Christ in the world; Christian thinking slow to form and congeal: Incarnation; Atonement, Trinity. Religion not primarily ethical but spiritual; early Christian had no problem with man as god but that god would become something as modest as man Roman Catholicism: tradition & the church as teacher; papal infallibility (much misunderstood); church as sacramental agent–sacraments, what; Eastern Orthodoxy: much in common with Catholicism with the exception that the church can interpret but not initiate doctrine, and the church looks for consensus from is membership, not its clergy; Protestantism: justification by faith & the Protestant principle, warning against idolatry and absolutizing the relative, including spiritual things themselves

music: Christianity montage; Hallelujah Chorus
film: Jesus of Montréal; The Last Temptation of Christ; The Seventh Seal
literature: Dante, Divine Comedy

Matthew: 1 genealogy & birth 2 the Magi, escape to Egypt & return to Nazareth 3 John the Baptist 4 the temptation & the beginning of Jesus’ ministry 5 beatitudes; salt & light; the fulfillment of the law & prophets; murder, adultery, divorce, oaths, turning the cheek, loving enemies 6 alms, prayer, fasting, treasure in heaven, don’t worry 7 judging others; ask, seek, knock; the narrow gate; tree & its fruit; wise & foolish builders 8 healing leprosy; the Centurion’s faith; the cost of following Jesus; calming the storm; healing 2 demon-possessed men 9 healing a paralytic; calling Matthew; questions from John’s disciples about fasting; dead girl & sick woman; healing the blind & dumb; the workers are few 10 sending out the 12 11 Jesus & John the Baptist; woe on unrepentant cities; rest for the weary 12 lord of the Sabbath; Isaiah: God’s chosen servant; Jesus & Beelzebub; the sign of Jonah 13 parable of the sower, the weeds, the mustard seed & the yeast, hidden treasure & the pearl & the net; a prophet without honor 14 John the Baptist beheaded; feeding the 5,000; Jesus walks on the water 15 clean & unclean; faith of the Canaanite woman; feeding the 4,000 16 the demand for a sign; yeast of the Pharisees & Sadducees; Peter’s confession; Jesus predicts his death 17 the transfiguration; healing an epileptic boy; the temple tax 18 the greatest in the kingdom of heaven; the brother who sins against you; unfaithful servant 19 divorce; little children; the rich young man 20 workers in the vineyard; Jesus against predicts his death; mother Zebedee’s request; 2 blind men receive sight 21 triumphal entry; Jesus at the temple; parable of the tenants 22 the wedding banquet; taxes to Caesar; marriage at the resurrection; the greatest commandment; whose son is the Christ? 23 seven woes 24 signs of the end of the age; day & hour unknown 25 the 10 virgins; the talents; the sheep & the goats 26 the plot against Jesus; anointed at Bethany; Judas agrees to betray Jesus; the Lord’s supper; Jesus predicts Peter’s denial; Gethsemane; Jesus arrested; before the Sanhedrin; Peter disowns Jesus 27 Judas hangs himself; Judas & Pilate; the soldiers mock; the crucifixion; the death & burial of Jesus; the sleeping guards 28 the resurrection; the guards’ report; the great commission

Acts 9:1-19: the conversion of Paul; 15:1-35: the council at Jerusalem regarding gentile converts–insistence on circumcision & obedience to the law by Christian Pharisees; instead, gentile converts urged to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from strangled animals & from sexual immorality

Romans: 1 "gospel promised beforehand" (2); longing to visit Rome; "The gospel… the power of God for salvation" (16); "God’s invisible qualities… have been clearly seen" (20) 2 "You, therefore, have no excuse you who pass judgment on someone else" (1); trouble/reward, "first for the Jew, then for the Gentile" (9, 10); "All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law" (12); "law… written on their hearts" (15); "a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart" (29) 3 Jews "have been entrusted with the very words of God" (1); "Jews & Gentiles alike are all under sin" (9); "through the law we become conscious of sin" (20); "we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart form observing the law" (28) 4 "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." (3); "he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised" (11); "Abraham. He is the father of us all." (16) 5 Death through Adam, Life through Christ 6 "we died to sin" (2); "For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace" (14) 7 "For apart from law, sin is dead." (8); "when the commandment came, sin sprang to life" (9); "it is no longer I who sin, but it is sin living in me that does it." (20) 8 "the law of the spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death" (2); "we hope for what we do not yet have" (25) 9 "it is not the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise" (8); quoting Hosea (25); Jews pursued it [righteousness] not by faith but as it were by works" (32) 10 "for there is no difference between Jew and Gentile" (12) 11 "Did God reject his people?" (1); "salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious" (11); Gentiles "grafted in" (17); "Israel has experienced a hardening… And so all Israel will be saved" (25, 26); "for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable" (29) 12 living sacrifice 13 submission to governing authorities 14 weak & the strong; eating & observing holy days; "All food is clean" (20) 15 "bear with the failings of the weak" (1) 16 Paul’s intention to visit Rome en route to Spain; farewells

Daniel 7, Daniel’s dream/vision of 4 beasts: a winged lion, bear, leopard, & the beast w/ten horns; the vision of the Ancient of Days on his throne; the vision of the "son of man," "given authority, glory and sovereign power;" "the four great beasts are four kingdoms;" the fourth beast different; "a time, times and half a time" 12, distress followed by the awakening of those who sleep in the dust, "time, times and half a time;" "I heard, but I did not understand." "None of the wicked will understand;" "From the time that daily sacrifice is abolished"

Revelation: 1 "what must soon take place;" "the time is near;" "I was in the spirit;" "like a son of man;" seven stars, angels, spirits, lamp stands 2 Ephesus, "You have forsaken your first love;" Smyrna: "you will suffer persecution for ten days;" Pegramum: "You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam…" Thyatira: "You tolerate that woman Jezebel" 3 Sardis: "you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead;" Philadelphia: "Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial;" Laodicea: "you are neither cold nor hot;" "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline" 4 the throne, 24 thrones, 24 elders, 7 lamps, 7 spirits of God, before a glassy sea, the 4 living creatures (lion, ox, man, eagle) 5 the sealed scroll which no one is worthy to open; the Lion of Judah is able to open it; the slain lamb appears & takes the scroll 6 1st seal: rider on a white horse leaves to conquer; 2nd seal: rider on a red horse leaves to take peace from earth; 3rd seal, rider on a black horse with scales (of justice?); 4th seal: Death on a pale horse, given power to kill a fourth of the earth by famine & plague; 5th seal reveals those slain, who are urged to wait a little longer; 6th seal: earthquake & sun turns black 7 sealing the foreheads of the 144,000 servants of God; the multitude who has survived the great tribulation 8 7th seal: silence for half an hour: 7 angels w/7 trumpets; the angel who flings the censer at the earth; 1st trumpet: hail & fire mixed with blood; 2nd trumpet: mountain hits the sea; 3rd trumpet: a star hits the rivers; 4th trumpet: a third of the sun, moon & stars struck 9 5th trumpet/1st woe: a star his the earth & opens the keys to the abyss, from which come locusts to torture those without the seal of God on their foreheads; 6th trumpet/2nd woe: release of the four angels held by the Euphrates & the death of another third of the world: those who remain do not repent 10 an angel descends with a scroll, which John is forbidden to open; instead, he is instructed to eat it, and it tastes sweet but is sour in his stomach 11 John commanded to measure to temple; the two witnesses prophesy; the beast from the abyss kills them; they lie dead for 3 1/2 days, are breathed back to life & ascend to heaven; 7th trumpet/3rd woe: announcement by the 24 elders that the "world has become the kingdom of our Lord;" the opening of God’s temple in heaven 12 the sign of the pregnant woman & the dragon in heaven: the woman gives birth & the child ascends to the throne of God; the woman flees into the desert, pursued by the dragon 13 the 10 horn/7 head/10 crowned beast, given authority by the dragon, given authority to blaspheme for 42 months; the beast with horns like a lamb, who speaks with the dragon, works miracles, and places his mark, 666, on the right hand & forehead 14 the lamb & the 144,000 pure followers singing a new song only they know; the three angels & their warnings; three more angels appear to harvest the earth 15 7 angels receive 7 final plagues in 7 bowls from one of the 4 living creatures 16 details of the 7 last plagues 17 the woman (Babylon the Great) seated on a scarlet beast, with 7 heads, 10 horns… the horns are kings; 5 have been, 1 is, 1 is yet to come; the beast makes an 8th king 18 "Fallen is Babylon the Great"–"come out of her my people;" the wealth & commerce of Babylon ends amid mourning; final destruction of Babylon foretold 19 beginning of the celebration of the feast of the lamb; the rider on the white horse who leads the elect; uprising and destruction of the beast & the false prophet 20 the dragon bound in the abyss for 1000 years; resurrection of martyrs who reign with Christ for 1000 years; the release of Satan & his deceiving of the nations; his eternal punishment in the lake of burning sulfur; resurrection & judgment of the dead & the destruction of death & Hades 21 "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth;" "Now the dwelling of God is with men;" an angel takes John to see the new Jerusalem, with no temple because God & the Lamb are its temple 22 "the river of the water of life… flowing… down the middle of the great street of the city"

Islam, Huston Smith chap. 6

Van Voorst, pp. 285-291; Van Voorst, pp. 291-324

background; the seal of the prophet; the migration that led to victory; the standing miracle; basic theological concepts; the 5 pillars; social teachings; Sufis; whither Islam?

Islam youngest & most misunderstood of religions; erroneously called Mohammedism–but Mohammed always claimed to be no more than a man; s-l-m, submission (same root as shalom, peace); Allah from al-Ilah, the god–the god of Abraham, descended through Ishmael in Mecca; Mohammed the "seal of the prophets"–no prophets to arise after him; biographical Mohammed suffered much loss–of father, mother & grandfather by the time he was 8; he went to live with his uncle @ 8 minding sheep; he went into the caravan trade at 25, working for Khadija (then 40), whom he later married; jinns, desert spirits; hanifs, desert mystics worshipping the one true god; Mohammed’s first vision on "the night of power," when Gabriel "whelms" him & commands him to "read" or "recite." accepted from the start by Khadija, Mohammed faces an uphill battle persuading others of the authenticity of his vision–but all who are persuaded become fiercely loyal; resistance in Mecca grounded on (1) local profitable idolatry, (2) dissolute social order, & (3) unjust economic order; 622, Hijra to Yathrib (Medina), which chooses Mohammed to resolve local feuding, and agrees to worship the one true God–70 families leave Mecca before Mohammed, and he is nearly taken with Abu Bakr, but they succeed in reaching what would become known as Medinat-al-Nabi, the city of the prophet; Mohammed becomes the chief administrator, diplomat–& general–of Medina–composed of 5 feuding factions, 3 of which were Jewish–into a unified community; military struggles between Medina & Mecca lead to Mohammed’s triumphant return in 630 (10 AH, after Hijra)–rededicating the Ka’ba (temple said to have been built by Abraham) back to the one true God; Mohammed dies in 632.

VV: Quran = "recitation; reading;" readings always vocalized; 114 surahs; first surah, "Fatihah," introduction to entire text; "Bismillah = "In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful;" verses = ayahs; wahy, the means of revelation to Mohammed; hadith, oral traditions going back to Mohammed; Quranic commentary = tafsir; public recitation, tilawa

B&D: Islam the youngest and one of the most successful world religion; monotheistic, rapid expansion in the 7th-8th centuries Mohammed, the "seal of the prophets", "Muslim" one who surrenders, "Islam" submission to God c. 570-632; Qur’an, "recitation;" Surahs, inspired sayings (slightly shorter than the New Testament), plus hadith, sayings of Muhammad; Five Pillars: (1) shahadah, "la ilaha illa Allah; Muhammad rasul Allah;" (2) salat: prayers, recited 5 times daily (3) zakat, almsgiving, 1/40th of wealth (not income) (4) sawn, the fast of Ramadan & (5) hajj, pilgrimage. Sufis: fakirs, ("poor men") or dervish (beggar): seeking the spirit rather than the letter of the law

music: Music of Islam, call to prayer; Sufi Soul
film: The Message; Malcolm X
literature: stories of Naguib Mahfouz