Origin The Challenge to the Global Community of Religions
"In this new ecological age of developing global community and interfaith dialogue, the world religions face what is perhaps the greatest challenge that they have ever encountered. Each is inspired by a unique vision of the divine and has a distinct cultural identity. At the same time, each perceives the divine as the source of unity and peace. The challenge is to preserve their religious and cultural uniqueness without letting it operate as a cause of narrow and divisive sectarianism that contradicts the vision of unity and peace. It is a question of whether the healing light of religious vision will overcome the social and ideological issues that underline much of the conflict between religions." ~ Dr. Steven C. Rockefeller, Middlebury College, Spirit and Nature, p. 169
CONTENTS | INVOCATION | INTRODUCTION | PROLOGUE | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21
WS FORUM

INVOCATION

Synopsis
Title Page
This Archive
Advisors and Contributors
Foreword by Ninian Smart
How to obtain a printed (hardbound/paperback) version

PROLOGUE:
MANY PATHS TO ONE GOAL

The Truth in Many Paths
Tolerance and Respect for All Believers

INTRODUCTION
The Purpose of World Scripture
The Organization of World Scripture
The World's Religions and Their Scriptures
Acknowledgements
Notes

ESSAY:
World Scripture and Education for Peace

PART ONE:
Ultimate Reality and the Purpose of Human Existence

CHAPTER 1: Ultimate Reality
Traces of God's Existence
The One
Formless, Emptiness, Mystery
Transcendent, All-Pervasive Reality
Sovereign and Omnipotent
Omniscient
Immanent and Near at Hand
Eternal -- in a World of Transience
The Creator
Goodness and Love
Divine Father and Mother

CHAPTER 2: Divine Law, Truth, and Cosmic Principle
Eternal Truth
Moral Law
The Decalogue
The Golden Rule
Polarity, Relationality, and Interdependence
Cosmic Justice

CHAPTER 3: The Purpose of Life for the Individual
Joy and Happiness
For God's Good Pleasure
Image of God and Temple of God
Inborn Goodness and Conscience
Original Mind, No Mind
Perfection
True Love

CHAPTER 4: The Purpose of Life in the Family and in Society
The Family
Parents and Children
Husband and Wife
Friendship
Unity and Community
Equality
The People of God
The Ideal Society

CHAPTER 5: The Purpose of Life in the Natural World
The Sanctity of Nature
Reverence for Life
The Microcosm
Dominion
The Lord of Spirits
Creation Rejoices

CHAPTER 6: Life Beyond Death and the Spiritual World
The Spiritual World: Mystery, Multiplicity, Analogy, Harmony
The Immortal Soul
Prepare Now for Eternity
Passage Beyond
Heaven
Hell
Spiritual Benefactors
Spiritual Error and the Occult

PART TWO:
Evil, Sin, and the Human Fall

CHAPTER 7: The Human Condition
Ill
The War Within
Ignorance
Idolatry
Pride and Egotism
Selfish Desire, Lust, and Greed

CHAPTER 8: Fall and Deviation
The Human Fall
Demonic Powers
Heresy
Degraded Human Nature
God's Grief

CHAPTER 9: The Major Sins
Good and Evil
Adultery
Murder
Theft
Lying and Deceit
Hypocrisy
Slander, Gossip and Foul Speech
Addiction

PART THREE:
Salvation and the Savior

CHAPTER 10: Salvation-Liberation-Enlightenment
Grace
Universal Salvation
Atonement and Forgiveness of Sins
Healing
Liberation
Enlightenment
Crossing the Waters
Reversal and Restoration
Peace
Help and Deliverance
The Refining Fire
Born Anew
Eternal Life
The Unitive State

CHAPTER 11: The Founder
Call and Awakening
Rejected by the World
The Victor
He Who Subjugates Satan
The Revealer of Truth
The Man for Others
The Living Presence
The Person and Character of the Founder: Divine Person
Human Person
The Succession of Founders and Messengers

PART FOUR:
The Religious Life

CHAPTER 12: Responsibility and Predestination
Decision
Individual Responsibility
Synergy
Predestination
Karma and Inherited Sin
Duty

CHAPTER 13: Self-cultivation and Spiritual Growth
Spiritual Growth
Cultivate the Good
Sincerity
Purity
Self-Control
Preparing the Start
Vigilance
Perseverance and Patience

CHAPTER 14: Faith
Faith
Devotion and Praise
Fear, Submission, and Obedience
Anxiety
Gratitude
Argument with God

CHAPTER 15: Wisdom
The Search for Knowledge
Scripture and Tradition
Poverty of Conceptual Learning
Scripture Teaches in Parables
Learning and Practice
Teacher and Disciple
New Wine and Old Wineskins

CHAPTER 16: Worship
Prayer
The Name of God
Meditation
Ritual
Beyond Ritual

CHAPTER 17: Offering and Sacrifice
Offering
Donations
Self-Sacrifice
Persecution and Martyrdom

CHAPTER 18: Self-Denial and Renunciation
Self-denial and No-self
Repentance, Confession, and Restitution
Humility
Restraint and Moderation
Control Anger
Subdue Desires and Passions
Detachment from the Senses
Renunciation of Wealth
Asceticism and Monasticism
Separation from Family
Separation from the World

CHAPTER 19: Live for Others
Loving-kindness
Serving Others
Sacrificial Love
Giving and Receiving
Charity and Hospitality
Forgiveness and Reconciliation
Judge Not
Love Your Enemy
Turn the Other Cheek
Good Deeds
Labor and Industry
Honesty and Expediency
Witness

PART FIVE:
Providence, Society, and the Kingdom of Heaven

CHAPTER 20: Good Government and the Welfare of Society
The Pillars of Society
The Prophet and Reformer
War Against Evil
Respect for Legitimate Governments
Government by Divine Law
Consideration for the People
Leadership by Example and Honest Government
Judgments and Punishments
Providence and the Mandate of Heaven

CHAPTER 21: Eschatology and Messianic Hope
Tribulation
The Last Judgment
The Messiah
The Kingdom of Heaven

Interspirit Network for global illumination
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CHAPTER 16, WORSHIP
THE NAME OF GOD

    Praising or chanting the name of God is a special form of prayer.  In
many religions, the excellence of chanting the name(s) of God lies in the
mystic syllables which invoke God's purity and sovereign power.  The var-
ious mantras in Hinduism and Buddhism, such as OM, Hari Krishna,
Namu-myo-ho-renge-kyo or Om Mane Padme Hum, and the Roman Catholic prac-
tice of chanting the Rosary, all focus the mind on Ultimate Reality and
call forth its mystical elevating influence.  In Christianity, prayers are
offered in the name of Jesus Christ, who promises to do whatever is asked
in faith.

    On the other hand, in the Jewish tradition the explicit name of God is
too holy to be uttered by the human tongue.  In particular, the
Tetragrammaton YHWH, which is translated "the Lord" in modern Bibles, is
never to be spoken.  To show respect, God is often referred to paraphras-
tically by such terms as the Lord, Heaven, the King, the Almighty, the
Name, and G-d.  Thus, to praise and bless the name of God, as in the psalm
quoted here, means to extol God's greatness and mighty works without men-
tioning his sacred name.

    Of special mention are traditions of the many names of God which
enumerate his many attributes.  The Qur'an contains the Ninety-nine Most
Beautiful Names of Allah, and in an excerpt from the Mahabharata we give a
few of Vishnu's Thousand Names.  To recite these names is to give a magni-
ficent description of the height, depth, and breadth of divinity.

Verily nothing is more purifying than the holy name of God.

                   Hinduism.  Srimad Bhagavatam 6.1

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Srimad Bhagavatam 6.1: In Vaishnavite Hinduism, the names of God are
Krishna, Rama, Hari, Narayana, and other titles of Vishnu.
- - - - - - - - -

Wonderful is the teacher, Sri Krishna;
Wonderful are his deeds.
Even the utterance of his holy name
Sanctifies him who speaks and him who hears.

                   Hinduism.  Srimad Bhagavatam 10

Contemplate solely the Name of God--
Fruitless are all other rituals.

                   Sikhism.  Adi Granth, Suhi, M.1, p. 728

Contemplate the Name yourself; inspire it to others;
By attending to it, discoursing of it, living by it,
    obtain liberation.
The true essence, eternal is the Lord's Name:
By spontaneous devotion, says Nanak, chant the Lord's praise.

                   Sikhism.  Adi Granth, Gauri Sukhmani 19, M.5, p. 289

All Buddhas in the universe througout past, present, and future invari-
ably attain Buddhahood with the seed of the five characters of
"Namu-my-o-h-o-renge-ky-o."

                   Buddhism.  Nichiren

If there be anyone who commits evil deeds... let him utter the name
"Buddha Amitayus" serenely and with voice uninterrupted; let him be cont-
inually thinking of Buddha until he has completed ten times the thought,
repeating, "Namu Amida Butsu."  On the strength of uttering Buddha's name
he will, during every repetition, expiate the sins.

                   Buddhism.  Meditation on Buddha Amitayus 3.30

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Suhi, M.1: In Sikhism God is formless; worship of idols, which in Hinduism
is the practice of puja, is not permitted.  Nam, the Name of God, image-
less sound, is the only substantial form of God that can be apprehended by
humans; it signifies the presence of Divine Reality.  Hence the Name is
the medium of communication between God and man.  The supreme name of God
is Ek Oankar, and repeating or contemplating this or any of God's other
names or titles is the chief form of prayer and devotion.  The word Nam
also signifies this devotion.  Cf. Var Majh, M.1, p. 728; Asa Chhant, M.5,
p.839.  Nichiren: Nichiren (b.1222), the great Buddhist reformer in Japan,
set up these five words as the Daimoku; the words mean Homage to the Lotus
Sutra.  The Lotus Sutra, which is seen as the epitome of the truth, may
only be received through faith (see Lotus Sutra 3, p. 757).  Hence to
chant its praises is to align oneself with the teaching of the sutra and
so receive its benefits.  Chanting the Daimoku is the prevalent practice
in the various religious organizations which descend from Nichiren and
revere the Lotus Sutra, such as Nichiren-shu, Soka Gakkai, and
Rissho-kosei-kai.  Meditation on Buddha Amitayus 3.30: Pure Land Buddhists
in Japan keep the mind fixed on Ultimate Reality by constantly chanting
'Namu-Amida-Butsu,' All Hail to Amitabha Buddha.  Cf. Myokonin, p. 778.
- - - - - - - -

Hail Mary, full of grace!  Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is
the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our
death.

                   Christianity.  The Rosary

The goal which all the Vedas declare, which all austerities aim at, and
which men desire when they lead a life of continence, I will tell you
briefly: it is OM.

This syllable OM is indeed Brahman.  This syllable is the Highest.  Who-
soever knows this syllable obtains all that he desires.

                   Hinduism.  Katha Upanishad 1.2.15-16

OM! This syllable is this whole world.  Its further explanation is: the
past, the present, the future--everything is just the word OM.  And what-
ever else that transcends threefold time--that, too, is just the word OM.

For truly everything here is Brahman; this Self (Atman) is Brahman.  This
same Self has four fourths: the waking state, outwardly cognitive... the
dreaming state, inwardly cognitive... the deep sleep state, unified, a
cognition-mass...and the state of being one with the Self, the cessation
of phenomena, tranquil....

This is the Self with regard to the word OM, with regard to its elements.
The elements are the fourths, the elements: the letter A, the letter U,
the letter M.

The waking state, the common-to-all-men, is the letter A... the sleeping
state, the Brilliant, is the letter U... the deep-sleep state, the Cog-
nitional, is the letter M...  The fourth is without an element, with which
there can be no dealing, the cessation of phenomena, benign, without a
second.  This AUM is the Self indeed.

                   Hinduism.  Mandukya Upanishad

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The Rosary: For Roman Catholics, frequent repetition of this chant is a
devotion and a penance that expiates sin.  Mary is 'Mother of God' in that
she is the mother of Jesus, yet she is by no means God herself, but a hu-
man being, 'blessed among women.'  As first among the saints in heaven,
she serves God alongside the angels as a mediator of divine grace (see
Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah 81, p. 371n.).  The first half
of the Rosary is a quotation of Luke 1.42.  Katha Upanishad 1.2.15-16: A
number of passages in the Upanishads praise the mystic syllable OM, which
is chanted at the beginning of all sacred discourse.  See the Mandukya
Upanishad (below), Mundaka Upanishad 2.2.6, p. 839; Bhagavad Gita 8.13,
p. 344; also Taittiriya Upanishad 1.8 and Prasna Upanishad 5.1-7.
Mandukya Upanishad: Although, in fact, OM is not pronounced 'AUM,' in
Sanskrit the vowel O is a dipthong contracted from AU.  Hence the
Upanishad can analyze OM as three letters A-U-M.  These are invested with
mystical significance.  The last non-element is the end of the sound,
- - - - - - - -

Mind's arising dependent
On a sense and an object
Are said to be man;
Tra means protection.

Protection by means of all the vajras,
Of the pledges and vows explained,
Free from the ways of the world,
Is called "the practice of mantra."

                   Buddhism.  Guhyasamaja Tantra 18.69c-71b

Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glori-
fied in the Son; if you ask anything in my name, I will do it.

                   Christianity.  John 14.13-14

God's messenger is reported as saying, "The words dearest to God are four:
Glory be to God, Praise be to God, there is no god but God, and God is
most great."

                   Islam.  Hadith of Muslim

I will extol thee, my God and my King,
    and bless thy name for ever and ever.
Every day I will bless thee,
    and praise thy name for ever and ever.
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
    and his greatness is unsearchable.

                   Judaism and Christianity.  Psalm 145.1-3

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unutterable, fading away, merging with silence.  Uttering the mystic syll-
able OM corresponds with the movement of the soul from the external senses
through successively deeper levels of being towards ultimate merging with
the Unattributed.  See Katha Upanishad 3.13, p. 840.  John 14.13-14:
Christians pray in the name of Jesus Christ, calling upon him who assures
the efficacy of their prayers; cf. Colossians 3.17, p. 777.  Latter-day
Saints do likewise; see 3 Nephi 18.19-21, p. 827.  Hadith of Muslim: These
words are spoken in the five obligatory daily prayers, called salat and in
phrases which the Muslim continually repeats throughout the day.  Each
repetition (rakat) of the salat begins with the words, "God is most great,"
and ends with the words "Glory be to my Lord, the Most High."  It includes
a recitation of the opening sura of the Qur'an, p. 53, which includes the
words, "Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds."  The Shahadah, or declara-
tion of faith, reads "There is no god but God, and Muhammad is His
Prophet."  Psalm 145.1-3: This is the beginning of an acrostic psalm, for
which each verse begins with the next letter in order of the Hebrew alpha-
bet.  In Jewish tradition, God is too holy to be spoken of directly by his
proper name, the Tetragrammaton.  Hence, to praise the name of God means
to praise God's attributes and mighty works.
- - - - - - - - -

He is God, there is no god but He.
He is the knower of the Unseen and the Visible;
He is the All-merciful, the All-compassionate.

He is God, there is no God but He.
He is the King, the All-holy, the All-peaceable,
The All-faithful, the All-preserver,
The All-mighty, the All-compeller, the All-sublime.
Glory be to God, above that they associate!

He is God, the Creator, the Maker, the Shaper.
To Him belong the Names Most Beautiful.
All that is in the heavens and the earth magnifies Him;
He is the All-mighty, the All-wise.

                   Islam.  Qur'an 59.22-24

The Thousand Names of the great Lord which are based on his qualities, and
which the sages have sung, I shall proclaim for the weal of the world,

    "He who is in the form of the Universe and is All-pervasive, who is of
     the form of Sacrifice, who is the Lord of the past, future, and pres-
     ent, the Creator of all living beings, their Sustainer and their
     Existence, their Indweller and Well-wisher; the Pure and Supreme
     Being, the highest Goal of the liberated, the imperishable Spirit
     that is the Onlooker and the eternal Knower of the body; who is the
     Path and the Leader among those who know the path, himself Matter,
     Spirit, and God, the Supreme Being who took the form of the Man-lion,
     who has rays of light as hair, and possesses the Goddess of Fortune;
     the All, the Destroyer, the Beneficent, the Steadfast, the Prime
     Source of beings, the Inexhaustible Repository, who manifests himself
     as he pleases, the Benefactor, the Protector, One whose birth is uni-
     que, the Capable, the Master; the Self-born, the Giver of happiness,
     the Solar Deity, the Lotus-eyed, the Speaker of the sublime sound
     named Veda... the King, the Destroyer of sins; he who holds the Conch,
     the Sword, the Discus, the Bow, and the Mace, the Discus-armed, the
     Unperturbed, he who can use anything as a weapon for striking."

    Thus these Thousand from among the divine Names of the Great Kesava,
fit to be sung, have been fully told.  He who listens to this or recites
it daily shall encounter nothing untoward here or in the hereafter.

                   Hinduism.  Mahabharata, Anusasana Parva 254

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Qur'an 59.22-24: Islamic tradition lists Allah's Ninety-nine Most Beautiful
Names, each one drawn from the Qur'an.  Mahabharata, Anusasana Parva 254:
Reciting this list of God's Thousand Names, which are actually God's
attributes, is a major form of Hindu devotion.
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