Readings in Eastern Religions

This popular anthology, originally developed for use in introductory courses on the study of religious traditions of the East, offers a selection of readings from primary texts of India, China, and Japan. This second edition has been thoroughly revised to reflect the changing needs of students. Existing introductions have been expanded and new introductions added to provide a better sense of the context for the excerpts as well as a better sense of historical developments. A section on Ch'an/Zen and excerpts from the writings of Ge Hong, representing the central concerns of Daoism, have been included. As in the first edition, a concerted effort has been made to present larger excerpts than conventional anthologies generally provide. This allows the student to gain a better sense of the flavour and historical development of the texts and stories. While the material is presented thematically, within each section it is presented chronologically, as religious developments seen through primary texts are more memorable and understandable if they can be seen or read within a historical framework.

Table of Contents:
Table of Contents for Readings in Eastern Religions, 2nd Edition by Harold Coward, Ronald Neufeldt, and Eva Neumaier Acknowledgements Introduction Names and Terms in Asian Languages ONE Hinduism Scripture in Hinduism Samhita Rigveda Atharvaveda Brahmanas â The Satapatha Brahmana Upanishads Legal Literature Laws of Manu Epics Bhagavad Gita Ramayana Devotional Literature Bhagavad Gita Ramayana The Goddess Indian Devotional Poet-Saints Manikkavachakar Appar Kabir Mirabai Hindu Ethics and Dharma Hindu Ethics and Dharma â Vasudha Narayanan Sources of Dharma Ages of Time Specific Dharma and âUniversalâ or Common Dharma Text and Practice Moral Paradigms Dharma and Liberation New Reproduction Technology and the Hindu Tradition Notes TWO Jainism Jain Sutras Notes THREE Buddhism Buddha, the Awakened Autobiographical Records The Great Passing Away or Parinirvana The Buddha Biography Told by a Narrator Buddhaâs Intrinsic Nature Dharma: The Teaching of the Buddha Ethics (Shila) Cultivation of a Spiritual Life (bhavana) The Development of Wisdom (prajna) The Community Selected Voices of Modern Buddhism Colonel Henry Steel Olcott (1832â1907): A Voice of Revisionist Buddhism Thich Nhat Hanh (born 1926): Mindfulness and Engaged Buddhism Womenâs Voices Tenzin Gyatso (born 1935), the Fourteenth Dalai Lama Notes FOUR Sikhism Hymns of Guru Nanak Rahit Namas Notes FIVE Early Chinese Thought Book of Historical Documents Book of Odes Book of Changes Notes SIX Confucian Thought Confucius The Analects Mencius Xunzi Neo-Confucians Zhu Xi/Chu Hsi Wang Yangming/Wang Yang-Ming Notes SEVEN Daoist/Taoist Thought Daodejing Zhuangzi Religious Daoism The Alchemical Tradition Notes EIGHT Modern Chinese Though Mao Zedong Notes NINE Shinto The Ancient Mythology Early and Medieval Shinto The Engi Shiki (Institutes of the Engi Period) Kitabatake Chikafusa (1263â1354) Shinto Resurgence Ichijo Kanera (1402â1481) Kumazawa Banzan (1619â1691) Motoori Norinaga (1730â1801) Hirata Atsutane (1776â1843) The Disestablishment of State Shinto Notes TEN New Religions Tenrikyo Soka Gakkai Notes Glossary Permissions

About the Author :
Harold Coward is director of the Centre for Studies in Religion and Society at the University of Victoria. Ronald Neufeldt is Professor of Eastern Religions at the University of Calgary, Canada. Eva K Neumaier teaches Tibetan and Buddhist Studies at the University of Alberta, Canada.

Review :
``I liked Readings in Eastern Religions and would recommend it for uses in classes.... Readings in Eastern Religions is largely successful in what it sets out to do. The longer readings give a more vivid sense of the various scriptures. The selections from the Bhagavad Gita and the Laws of Manu, for example, are strikingly elegant. Similarly, the greater length helps convey the depth of the scriptures. The readings from Xunxi, the proponent of realistic Confucianism, give a much stronger flavour of his logical style and argument than those I have read elsewhere. The same is true for the more narrative style of the Taoist, Zhuangzi. At the same time, the readings convey important aspects of the various traditions. The extracts from the Vedas and the Laws of Manu gave me a much better appreciation of Vedic orthodoxy.... In addition to this, Readings in Eastern Religions give a good variety of readings. The inclusion of both women's voices and modern voices gives a fuller, richer sense of the different traditions.'' -- James Quinn, Concordia University -- Journal of Religion and Culture, Vol. 20, 2008, 200904