Sacred Texts of the World A Universal Anthology

440 Pages·1982·58.95 MB·English

by  Ninian Smart

Sacred Texts of the World
A Universal Anthology
ACRED
TEXTS OF
THE WORLD
A UNIVERSAL
ANTHOLOGY
EDITED BY
NINIAN SMART &
RICHARD D. HECHT
MACMILLAN REFERENCES BOOKS
© Ninian Smart and Richard D. Hecht, 1982
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1982
All rights reserved. No part of this publication
may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form
or by any means, without permission.
First published 1982 by
Macmillan Reference Books
a division of
MACMILLAN PUBLISHERS LTD
ISBN 978-0-333-31080-9 ISBN 978-1-349-05927-0 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-05927-0
Typeset by Leaper & Gard Ltd, Bristol
Contents
List of illustrations 1x
Acknowledgments x
Introduction x1
THE POWERFUL DEAD
Introduction 1
Sacred Narrative The Primordial Choice 4 Marduk Creates theWo rld 6 Creation according to
Hesiod 9 Creation according to the Pop ol Vuh 10
Doctrine Akhenaten's Great Hymn to the A ten 12 The Cinvat Bridge 14 Timaeus on the Creator and
Creation 15
Ritual U nas Comes toRe-A tum 18 A Zoroastrian Sacrifice to the Sun 19 Iamblichus on Prayer 20
A Sacrifice forTezcatlipoca 21
Institutional Expression The Kingships of Osiris and Horus 22 Gilgamesh Discovers the
Responsibilities of a King 25 Augustus and theNe w Age 29 The City of the Gods 31
Experience The Prophecy of Neferti 31 A Lamentation overthe Destruction of U r 33
The Manifestation of Isis 35 'Now You are Born Again' 36
Ethics A Negative Confession of the Dead 37 The Law Code of Hammurabi 38 Plotinus on
Virtue 39 The Tasks of the Wise Man 42
Postscript 43 Bibliography 43
JUDAISM
Introduction 45
Sacred Narrative Creation 49 The Covenant with Abraham 52 Oppression and the youth of
Moses 53 TheDeliverancefromPharaoh54 TheDeathofMoses 56 TheExperienceofExile 57
The Messianic King 58
Doctrine The Oneness of God 59 Wisdom and Torah 59 History and Identity 61
Commandments and Land 61 The Promise of Redemption 62
Ritual The Shabbat 64 Sacrifice 65 The Festivals of Shavuot and Sukkot 67 Praise ofthe
Creator 68 The Passover 69
Institutional Expression The Priesthood 71 A Kingdom of Priests 72 The Decologue of the
Community 72
Experience The Burning Bush 73 The Revelation at Sinai 74 Prophetic Visions 76
The Code of Holiness 79 Human Limitation 80
Ethics The Ten Commandments 84 The Woman of Valour 85 The Wise and the Wicked 86
The Clean and Unclean 87
Postscript 89 Bibliography 89
CHRISTIANITY
Introduction 91
Sacred Narrative The Suffering Servant 93 Christ as Faith-Inspiring Healer 93 Christ's Death and
Resurrection 95 The Last Things 97
Doctrine Christthe Creator 99 Christ as Incarnate God 99 The Religion of and about} esus 102
Sin and Freedom 104 Life after Death 1O S
Ritual DespairandDeliverance 107 BeyondtheValleyofDeath 108 TheLastSupper 109
The Bread of Heaven 109 Worship in the Early Church 110
InstitutionalExpression TheNewlsrael112 TheComingoftheSpirit 113 ChurchOrder 114
Experience Jesus Transfigured 116 Christ and the Devil 117 Paul's Conversion 118
Ethics The Sermon on the Mount 119 Practical Christianity 122 A Hymn to Love 123
Postscript 123 Bibliography 124
Vl SACJUD TEXTS Or THE WORLD
ISLAM
Introduction 125
Sacred Narrative Mu~ammad: The Seal of the Prophets and the Messenger of Allah 130 Qur'an as Sacred
Book 132 The Preceding Prophets and Revelations 135
Doctrine Allah 142 Angels, Sa tans and J inn 144 The Day of Judgment 146
Predestination 149
Ritual The Kalima or Creed of Islam 150 Prayer 151 Almsgiving 153 Fasting 155
Pilgrimage 156
Institutional Expression The Community 158 The People of the Book 160 Struggle (Jihad) 162
Experience The Transcendence and Immanence of God 164 Certainty 165 TheNightJourncy 166
The Prophet is Taken into the Presence of God 170
Ethics ACodeofPcrsona!Bchaviour 172 TruePiety 173 Mu~ammed as the Moral Ideal 174
Postscript 176 Bibliography 177
HINDUISM
Introduction 179
Sacred Narrative Creation 181 Prajapati Creates Agni 184 Vi~lfU Tradition 185
Siva Traditions 186 The Power of the Goddess 190
Doctrine Rebirth and the Doctrine of Karma 192 Bhakti ~nd the Availability of God 193 Yoga 195
The 011_e God and the Phenomenal World 197 Maya 198 Sankara's Advaita Vedanta 199 Ramanuja
on the Atman and Body 202
Ritual The Soma Sacrifice and the Preparation of the Sacrificer 204 The Vajapeya 206
TheRajasuya 208 TheAsvamedha 209 Puja 211
Institutional Expression The Order of Human Life 212 The Householder and the Sannyasin 213
Death 216
Experience 'Everything is a Sacrifice to Me' 218 'The Absolute Foundation of All Things' 219 The
Symbolism of Om and the Transcendental Consciousness 223 Longing for Kr~':a 224 Ramakrishna's
Enlightenment 225
Ethics TheMeritofBuildingaTemple 226 TheThreeDa's 228 Ahimsa 229
Postscript 230 Bibliography 230
BUDDHISM
Introduction 231
Sacred Narrative The Enlightenment of the Buddha 233 The First Sermon 236 The Death of the
Buddha 237 The Transcendental Initiative 239
Doctrine Doctrinal Limits 241 No Self 242 The Simile of the Blind Turtle 243
Dependence and the Middle Path 244 Two Levels of Truth 245 The Essence of Insight 246 Beyond
Words 247
Ritual The Rejection of Brahmin Sacrifice 250 Relics and Liberation 251 Offerings 253
Confession ofF au Its 253 Tantric Means 254
Institutional Expression Ordination into the Order 255 Women and the Order 256 The Rules of the
Order 257
Experience Meditation and Emptiness 259 The Appeal to Experience 261 Early Poetical
Expression 262 The Qualities of Nirvana 263 Zen Enlightenment 264 The Sense of
Dependence 264 A Vision of Paradise 265
Ethics The Way to Nirvana 266 Wisdom and Foolishness in Action 268 The Five Precepts and their
Meaning 269 The Ethics of the Eightfold Path 271 The Bodhisattva Ideal 272 The Lay Ideal 272
Postscript 275 Bibliography 275
JAINISM
Introduction 277
Sacred Narrative Mahavira as Liberator 278 The Simile of the Leaf 280
CONTENTS vn
Doctrine Living Beings and the Round of Rebirth 282 Suffering and Freedom 283
Ritual Reverence for the Order 283 Cessation 284 Praise of the Great Hero 284
Institutional Expression The Order of Monks and Nuns 285
Experience The Consciousness of Liberation 286 Higher Meditation 286 The Lay Person's Inner
Voyage 287
Ethics Non-Injury and the Path 287 Five Great Vows 289
Postscript 289 Bibliography 290
TAOISM
Introduction 291
Sacred Narrative The Ineffable Tao 292 The Universe Flows from the Tao 292
The Creation of the Universe 293 The Great and the Small 294
Doctrine The Meaning of Taoist Emptiness 294 The Relationship of Taoism to other Schools 295
Ritual Divination and the Tao 296
Institutional Expression The Role of the Priest 297
Experience The Domain of Nothingness 298 Blankness of Mind 299 The Self-Training of the
Sage 299 Sadness Must Be Transcended 300
Ethics TheTrueVirtueoftheWay 300 TheRewardforDeeds 301
Postscript 302 Bibliography 303
CONFUCIANISM
Introduction 305
Sacred Narrative The Mystic Past 306 Confucius in Brief 307 Confucius' Conversation and
Manners 308
Doctrine The Mandate of Heaven 308 Chu Hsi on the Great Ultimate 309
Ritual The Centrality of Li 309 The Reverence for Ancestors 311
Institutional Expression TheWe ll-Ordered Society 311
Experience Moral and Social Programmes 313 The Investigation of the Mind 314
Ethics Reciprocity 315 The Innateness of the Four Great Virtues 316
Postscript 316 Bibliography 317
SHINTOISM
Introduction 319
Sacred Narrative The Origins 320 Birth of Amaterasu 321 The Creation of the Divine
Ancestors 321
Doctrine Harmony between Humankind and Nature 323
Ritual The Most Ancient Shrine 324
Institutional Expression Separation of Shinto and State 324
Experience Purity and A we 325
Ethics The Japanese Ethos 326
Postscript 327 Bibliography 327
SIKHISM
Introduction 329
Sacred Narrative Nanak's Call 330
Doctrine GodasTruth 330
Ritual The Repetition of the Divine N arne 332
Institutional Expression The Community and its Past Saints 334
Experience Spiritual Marriage 335
Ethics Truth as the Heart of Conduct 336
Postscript 336 Bibliography 336
Vlll SACRED TEXTS OfTHF WORLD
SMALL-SCALE TRADITIONAL RELIGIONS
Introduction 337
Sacred Narrative The Emergence of the Worlds 339 Rangi and Papa Create the World 340 The
Cosmic Parents and Twin Brothers 341 Ta'aroa Creates the Cosmos 341 Karora Creates the World from
Nothing 342 Ta'aroa Creates the Universe 344 An Earth-Diver Narrative from Siberia 345
Hainuwele, the Maiden of Ceram 345
Doctrine Ngai, the High-God of the Gikuyu 347 A Traditional Pygmy Hymn on God 348
Sword, a Dakota Indian, on W akan Tanka 349
Ritual The Yah una of the Amazonian Basin Narrate the Origin of Manioc 349 Mukat and the Origin of
Plants 350 The Sun Dance as Described by Chased-by-Bears 351
Institutional Expression The Hornbill, the Watersnake and the Institutions of the Ngaju Dayak 351 The
Gabon Pygmies on Exile 354 Ogotemmeli Narrates the Descent of the Cosmic Granary 354
Experience The Shaman's Initiation 356 The Vision Quest of Brave Buffalo 359 The Great Vision of
Black Elk 359 Wavoka's Letter and an Anthropologist's Description of the Ghost Dance 365
Ethics Instructions in the Ciexaus Ceremony 367
Postscript 367
NEW RELIGIONS
Introduction 369
Sacred Narrative Sun Myung Moon's Divine Principle 370
Doctrine Mind over Matter 371
Ritual TheMeaningofMeditation 373
Institutional Expression The Church of the Latter-Day Saints 375
Experience A Black Messiah 3 77
Ethics Self-expression and the Good Life 378 United Humanity 379
Postscript 379
SECULAR WORLDVIEWS
Introduction 381
Sacred Narrative National Sacrifice 382
Doctrine The New Materialism and History 382
Ritual A Free Man's Worship 385
Institutional Expression The Party and Faith 387
Experience Mystical Experience 389
Ethics National Freedoms and Human Rights 391
Postscript 392
Index 393
Sources and acknowledgments 405
Illustrations
The Qur'an, from a 14th-century transcription facing page xiii
The Hall of 1u dgment, from the Egyptian Book of the Dead facing page 1
A Zoroastrian priest with the Avesta facing page 44
Genesis 22, from a 14th-century manuscript facing page 45
The Gospel of St 1o hn, from the Codex Sinaiticus facing page 91
A Greek orthodox priest holding the Gospels facing page 124
Boys being instructed in the Qur'an facing page 125
The Bhagavad-Gitii, from an 18th-century manuscript facing page 179
A follower of Vi~gu reading a sacred text facing page 230
A Theravadin ordination ceremony facing page 231
The Kalpasiitra, from a Prakrit text facing page 277
Statue of the 1a in saint Gommatesvara facing page 290
The opening lines of the Tao Te Ching facing page 291
Lao Tzu, a 17th-century bronze facing page 305
The Emperor Wu and the diviners following page 317
The Kojiki, a 14th-century manuscript following page 317
The ritual purification of a Shinto priest facing page 319
The Sikh miil mantra facing page 329
Reading from the Gurii Granth in a Sikh temple facing page 336
Black Elk at the centre of the earth facing page 337
An initiation ceremony in Australia facing page 368
The Book of Mormon, 1830 facing page 369
A N azarite congregation following page 379
The Gettysburg Address following page 379
The Communist Manifesto facing page 381
Acknowledgements
We wish to thank those who have helped in the preparation of the text, especially Mara
Vilcinskas and Penelope Allport of Macmillan Press, Margot Levy, 1u liet Brightmore and,
in Santa Barbara, Randi Glick, Steven Konstantine and Libushka Smart. We are also grateful
for advice from 1o seph Adler and Wilbur Fridell of the Department of Religious Studies in
the University of California Santa Barbara.
NINIAN SMART
RICHARD HECHT
1une1982