Sacred Texts of the World: A Universal Anthology by Ninian Smart (PDF)

Description

A perennial best-seller, this collection of readings remains a favorite of teachers of world religions for its impartial tone and its balance of major contemporary religious traditions with primitive, ancient, and esoteric religions.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐I have yet to find a better reader for sacred texts. But that’s not all. It also follows Smart’s very helpful approach of six dimensions (which he later amended to seven). The intro to the book, and intro to each chapter and text are also helpful. This book is definitely worth purchasing.That said…sometimes the writing is incredibly unclear, leaving the reader searching other books for clarity. Also, my least favorite part of this book is that often the scriptures are vaguely referenced (i.e. Svetasvatara Upanishad, instead of Svetasvatara Upanishad, 5th Adhyaya, 5.1-14; this example is taken directly from Doctrine 4 on page 197). As a few other reviewers have noted, this leaves you searching through either the sacred text itself or your favorite search engine. It’s very frustrating.In spite of that, I use this book constantly for the four courses I teach on world religions. I just wish it would be updated with some clearer writing in a few places, and more accurate citations.

⭐I was looking for an anthology pretty much like this for use in a college classroom setting, and this was the best of the bunch that I inspected. This one has a set of long readings, divided up by religious traditions–and with plenty of traditions, including Sikh, Jainism, Shinto, etc. The selections are long, are credited (although sometimes you have to look hard to find the pertinent translator info), and are quite varied in genre. This should provide students with enough to study well and try out their analytic tools.On the downside: While the selections are credited to the work from which they come, they are not always (although they are sometimes) sourced down to the volume, chapter, and verse. I need to know context from time to time, and searching through the Sacred Texts website (not related) for a name or phrase–or looking through the Jatakas one by one–is not a fun way to spend an afternoon. This really was a reason to take away a star; otherwise I would have given it a fourth.

⭐I’m planning to use this text in an undergraduate introduction to the exegesis of religious sacred texts. I selected it because it had a very broad range of sacred texts, because it used larger excerpts than some other anthologies, and because most of the selections I could find the references and the immediate context. (A few selections still require some diligent search.) Ask me at the end of the semester how well it went.

⭐school requirement

⭐Very useful reference volume

⭐ugh for a class

⭐Great!

⭐This text is well written, easily understood and absorbing. I believe that understanding others’ beliefs is helpful in the understanding and acceptance of the diverse culture we live in as the world ‘shrinks.’

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