Huston Smith

The World’s Religions, by beloved author and pioneering professor Huston Smith (Tales of Wonder), is the definitive classic for introducing the essential elements and teachings of the world's predominant faiths, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, as well as regional native traditions.This revised and updated edition provides sympathetic descriptions of the various traditions, explaining how they work “from the inside,” which is a big reason why this cherished classic has sold more than two million copies since it first appeared in 1958.

A concise and up-to-date guide to the history, teachings, and practice of Buddhism by two luminaries in the field of world religions.

“In this delightful autobiography, Smith tells us how he became the dean of world religion experts. Along the way we meet the people who shaped him and shared his journey—a Who’s Who of 20th century spiritual the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the Dalai Lama, Aldous Huxley, Timothy Leary, T.S. Eliot, Thomas Merton and Pete Seeger.... A valuable master class on faith and life.”— San Francisco Chronicle Book Review As Stephen Hawking is to science; as Peter Drucker is to economics; and as Joseph Campbell is to mythology; so Huston Smith is to religion. Tales of Wonder is the personal story of the author of the classic The World’s Religions , the man who taught a nation about the great faiths of the world, and his fascinating encounters with the people who helped shape the 20th century.

Huston Smith, the author of the classic bestseller The World's Religions , delivers a passionate, timely The human spirit is being suffocated by the dominant materialistic worldview of our times. Smith champions a society in which religion is once again treasured and authentically practiced as the vital source of human wisdom.

This book takes a serious look at the use of psychedelic drugs as a means to achieve mystical union with the divine.

This classic companion to The World's Religions articulates the remarkable unity that underlies the world's religious traditions

"I have tried to describe a Christianity which is fully compatible with everything we now know, and to indicate why Christians feel privileged to give their lives to it."—Huston Smith In his most personal and passionate book on the spiritual life, renowned author, scholar, and teacher of world religions Huston Smith turns to his own life-long religion, Christianity. With stories and personal anecdotes, Smith not only presents the basic beliefs and essential teachings of Christianity, but argues why religious belief matters in today's secular world. Though there is a wide variety of contemporary interpretations of Christianity—some of them conflicting—Smith cuts through these to describe Christianity's "Great Tradition," the common faith of the first millennium of believers, which is the trunk of the tree from which Christianity's many branches, twigs, and leaves have grown. This is not the exclusivist Christianity of strict fundamentalists, nor the liberal, watered-down Christianity practiced by many contemporary churchgoers. In exposing biblical literalism as unworkable as well as enumerating the mistakes of modern secularists, Smith presents the very soul of a real and substantive faith, one still relevant and worth believing in. Smith rails against the hijacked Christianity of politicians who exploit it for their own needs. He decries the exercise of business that widens the gap between rich and poor, and fears education has lost its sense of direction. For Smith, the media has become a business that sensationalizes news rather than broadening our understanding, and art and music have become commercial and shocking rather than enlightening. Smith reserves his harshest condemnation, however, for secular modernity, which has stemmed from the misreading of science—the mistake of assuming that "absence of evidence" of a scientific nature is "evidence of absence." These mistakes have all but banished faith in transcendence and the Divine from mainstream culture and pushed it to the margins. Though the situation is grave, these modern misapprehensions can be corrected, says Smith, by reexamining the great tradition of Christianity's first millennium and reaping the lessons it holds for us today. This fresh examination of the Christian worldview, its history, and its major branches provides the deepest, most authentic vision of Christianity—one that is both tolerant and substantial, traditional and relevant.

The world's premier authority on religious traditions presents a concise and timely guide to the history, teachings, and practice of Islam. Drawn from his masterful presentation of Islam in the bestselling book The World's Religions (over two million copies sold), Huston Smith offers a revealing look into the heart of a tradition with more than one billion adherents worldwide. Dispelling narrow and distorted notions about the nature of Islam and featuring a new introduction by the author, this book compellingly conveys the profound appeal of Islam, while addressing such timely issues as the true meaning of jihad, the role of women in Islamic societies, and the remarkable growth of Islam in America.

This new edition of acclaimed essays explores sea changes in the relationship between religion and science over the course of Western culture and suggest possible breakthroughs toward reaching an enlightened consciousness.

"Where can we find what is ultimately meaningful? How can we discover what is truly worth knowing?" In one form or another Huston Smith has been posing these questions to himself—and the world—all his life. In the course of seeking answers, he has become one of the most interesting, enlightening, and celebrated voices on the subject of religion and spirituality throughout the world. The twenty-three interviews and essays in this volume, edited by cultural historian and filmmaker Phil Cousineau, offer a uniquely personal perspective on Smith's own personal journey, as well as wide-ranging reflection on the nature and importance of the religious quest.In The Way Things Are, readers will find Smith in conversation with some of the world's most influential personalities and religious leaders, from journalist Bill Moyers to religion scholar Philip Novak, and recounting his personal experiences with such luminaries as Joseph Campbell, Aldous Huxley, Timothy Leary, Daisetz Suzuki, Ram Dass, and the Dalai Lama. Throughout these engaging exchanges Smith speaks with passion and humor of his upbringing as the son of missionary parents in China, of the inspiring and colorful individuals he has known, and of his impressions of the different religious and philosophical traditions he has encountered. A fascinating view of the state of world religion and religious leadership over the past fifty years, the book also looks to the future with a final interview on the vital importance of the transcendent message of religion for the post-9/11 world. Readers will find The Way Things Are to be Huston Smith's most and accessible book to date.

Spiritual trailblazer Huston Smith has written comprehensive books about religion and a memoir of his own life, but nowhere has he merged the two elements of seeking and experience with such storytelling flair as he has in these pages. Few have done as much as Smith to explore and illuminate the world’s religions and spiritual traditions, and none have done it with such accessibility, wonder, and delight. In this joyous volume, he looks back on his extraordinary life, describing riveting scenes with unforgettable characters in India, Africa, Tibet, and Japan. Smith’s charm and exuberance come through on every page.Praise for And Live Rejoicing:“When I think of Huston Smith, the word radiance comes to mind. And that generous radiance shines through this extraordinary book — a tribute to his delight in the joy at the heart of things. He has had a reverence for and a delight in everyone he has met. Someone once wrote of Shakespeare’s immense intelligent charity. That’s Huston. His unique gift to us is the generous radiance of the joining of his sharp intellect with his universal spirit. At the same time, this book reveals the richness of the great spiritual traditions, which call us to be generously human. A healing and hilarious book for our time.”— Alan Jones, dean emeritus of Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, and honorary canon of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres“One loves what Huston Smith brings to us as one loves an unfailing source of light and warmth. A book — a life — that nourishes the spirit as it opens the heart.” — Jacob Needleman, author of An Unknown World: Notes on the Meaning of the Earth“An enthusiastic discourse on authentic joy, and Smith’s joy resonates from every page. His missionary lineage and childhood in rural China...positioned him to look at life through a different lens. As he matured, he made a decision to use that lens to find the humanity at the heart of what he perceived. Humble, kind, and nonconforming, Smith gives readers the gift of observing through the obvious to the core of existence and the eternal spirit that is our birthright.”— Anna Jedrziewski, Retailing Insight

For more than sixty years, Huston Smith has not only written and taught about the world's religions, he has lived them. This Reader presents a rich selection of Smith's writings, covering six decades of inquiry and exploration, and ranging from scholarship to memoir. Over his long academic career, Smith's tireless enthusiasm for religious ideas has offered readers both in and outside the academy a fresh understanding of what religion is and what makes it meaningful. The Huston Smith Reader offers a comprehensive guide to understanding religion and spirituality as well as a memorable record of Huston Smith's lifelong endeavor to enrich the inner lives of his fellow humans.

In this collection of illuminating conversations, renowned historian of world religions Huston Smith invites ten influential American Indian spiritual and political leaders to talk about their five-hundred-year struggle for religious freedom. Their intimate, impassioned dialogues yield profound insights into one of the most striking cases of tragic irony in the country that prides itself on religious freedom has resolutely denied those same rights to its own indigenous people. With remarkable erudition and curiosity--and respectfully framing his questions in light of the revelation that his discovery of Native American religion helped him round out his views of the world's religions--Smith skillfully helps reveal the depth of the speakers' knowledge and experience. American Indian leaders Vine Deloria, Jr. (Standing Rock Sioux), Winona LaDuke (Anishshinaabeg), Walter Echo-Hawk (Pawnee), Frank Dayish, Jr. (Navajo), Charlotte Black Elk (Oglala Lakota), Douglas George-Kanentiio (Mohawk-Iroquois), Lenny Foster (Dine/Navajo), Tonya Gonnella Frichner (Onondaga), Anthony Guy Lopez (Lakota-Sioux), and Oren Lyons (Onondaga) provide an impressive overview of the critical issues facing the Native American community today. Their ideas about spirituality, politics, relations with the U.S. government, their place in American society, and the continuing vitality of their communities give voice to a population that is all too often ignored in contemporary discourse. The culture they describe is not a relic of the past, nor a historical curiosity, but a living tradition that continues to shape Native American lives.

A challenging and provocative collection of essays on comparative philosophy, religion and culture from one of the foremost thinkers of our time, this volume gathers Huston Smith's most insightful and important reflections on the state of the human spiritual life. With a range and depth seldom seen in contemporary religious studies, Smith examines the contributions of religion and philosophy to the worldÆs great civilizations, both past and present. He explores the traditions of East Asia, South Asia, and the West, discusses the importance of comparative studies in a religiously pluralistic world in energetic prose that can be appreciated by both the layman and the student.

Join a legendary authority for comparative religions on this timely listener's guide to the most "persistently misunderstood religion in the world." On Understanding Islam, Huston Smith invites you to learn about Islam's founding lineage, its inspiration in Greek philosophy, and its common roots with both Judaism and Christianity. Topics The message of the prophet Mohammed The why it is perceived as a tool for violence Women under the surprising truth, and more.

Too often we have come to associate faith with narrow interests and competing dogmas. The Big Picture gives voice to a larger point of view: that a grand and remarkable unity underlies all of our major religious traditions. Here is the "forgotten truth" about the sacred teachings, principles, and themes that have unified perennial philosophies through the ages, brought to life by our greatest living scholar of comparative religions, Huston Smith. On The Big Picture, Smith draws from his lifetime of scholarship to describe for us the nature of ultimate reality, combining the most up-to-date findings of science with the enduring truths of the world's greatest religions. The vision is mystical and, as supported by the evidence Smith introduces, completely believable. Join this distinguished author, scholar, and teacher as he explores the world's great religions-and what they all have in common. "America's religious landscape is changing before our eyes, and no one has done more to prepare us for the new religious reality than Huston Smith."-Bill Moyers

The life of Huston Smith reads like an adventure novel. One of the foremost religious scholars in the world today, Smith has lived in a missionary household in China, monasteries in Japan, and a sweat lodge in North America. Smith has engaged many of the contemporary wisdom giants—including Thomas Merton and the Dalai Lama—and believes in the eternal mystery of life, cautioning against our "tendency to reduce the Divine to where it is easily manageable by our finite mind." Due to his varied background studying the world’s diverse religions, Smith is a natural to discuss the role of religion today; the value religion continues to provide for those who choose to listen; the difference between religion and spirituality; the commonalities of various religions; and the qualities of Native American religious beliefs. Westerners look to science to explain the way things are, yet science often overlooks something essential to the human spirit. Professor Smith discusses the role of spirit in modern life, focusing on how to understand the difference between the secular and the sacred in a scientifically biased world. He looks at why spirituality has taken a back seat to science for 400 years and how idolizing science has diminished the human spirit. Although he describes the pitfalls of the "Modern Western mind set," Smith points to a new balance between the worlds of science and mysticism and shows why physics and philosophy go hand in hand. He also updates us on his own excitement and puzzlements about new developments in science and spirituality. Join Huston Smith on a fascinating journey for the truth!

Nunca compreenderemos o mundo onde vivemos se não compreendermos a religião em que fomos educados e as religiões em que foram educados os nossos vizinhos.No preciso momento em que lê estas linhas, um pouco por todo o mundo haverá cristãos ajoelhados em prece, judeus a recitar a Tora, muçulmanos a rezar voltados para Meca, hindus a banharem-se nas águas sagradas do Ganges, monges budistas a meditar... Neste preciso momento, milhares de fiéis procuram na religião uma paz e um consolo que só a fé lhes consegue trazer.Huston Smith, provavelmente a maior autoridade norte-americana no campo dos estudos religiosos, viveu na pele todas essas crenças milenares. Passou anos entre os missionários cristãos na China, sofreu o rigor dos retiros budistas, o êxtase das danças sufis...Em "A Essência das Religiões", o autor observa de perto as sete tradições religiosas mais relevantes do mundo, despidas do seu carácter institucional. "O mais relevante livro no campo da religião."LIBRARY JOURNAL

Nunca compreenderemos o mundo onde vivemos se não compreendermos a religião em que fomos educados e as religiões em que foram educados os nossos vizinhos.No preciso momento em que lê estas linhas, um pouco por todo o mundo haverá cristãos ajoelhados em prece, judeus a recitar a Tora, muçulmanos a rezar voltados para Meca, hindus a banharem-se nas águas sagradas do Ganges, monges budistas a meditar... Neste preciso momento, milhares de fiéis procuram na religião uma paz e um consolo que só a fé lhes consegue trazer.Huston Smith, provavelmente a maior autoridade norte-americana no campo dos estudos religiosos, viveu na pele todas essas crenças milenares. Passou anos entre os missionários cristãos na China, sofreu o rigor dos retiros budistas, o êxtase das danças sufis...Em "A Essência das Religiões", o autor observa de perto as sete tradições religiosas mais relevantes do mundo, despidas do seu carácter institucional. "O mais relevante livro no campo da religião."LIBRARY JOURNAL

Publish By Suhail Acdamy Pakistan

Nunca compreenderemos o mundo onde vivemos se não compreendermos a religião em que fomos educados e as religiões em que foram educados os nossos vizinhos.No preciso momento em que lê estas linhas, um pouco por todo o mundo haverá cristãos ajoelhados em prece, judeus a recitar a Tora, muçulmanos a rezar voltados para Meca, hindus a banharem-se nas águas sagradas do Ganges, monges budistas a meditar... Neste preciso momento, milhares de fiéis procuram na religião uma paz e um consolo que só a fé lhes consegue trazer.Huston Smith, provavelmente a maior autoridade norte-americana no campo dos estudos religiosos, viveu na pele todas essas crenças milenares. Passou anos entre os missionários cristãos na China, sofreu o rigor dos retiros budistas, o êxtase das danças sufis...Em "A Essência das Religiões", o autor observa de perto as sete tradições religiosas mais relevantes do mundo, despidas do seu carácter institucional. "O mais relevante livro no campo da religião."LIBRARY JOURNAL

Nunca compreenderemos o mundo onde vivemos se não compreendermos a religião em que fomos educados e as religiões em que foram educados os nossos vizinhos.No preciso momento em que lê estas linhas, um pouco por todo o mundo haverá cristãos ajoelhados em prece, judeus a recitar a Tora, muçulmanos a rezar voltados para Meca, hindus a banharem-se nas águas sagradas do Ganges, monges budistas a meditar... Neste preciso momento, milhares de fiéis procuram na religião uma paz e um consolo que só a fé lhes consegue trazer.Huston Smith, provavelmente a maior autoridade norte-americana no campo dos estudos religiosos, viveu na pele todas essas crenças milenares. Passou anos entre os missionários cristãos na China, sofreu o rigor dos retiros budistas, o êxtase das danças sufis...Em "A Essência das Religiões", o autor observa de perto as sete tradições religiosas mais relevantes do mundo, despidas do seu carácter institucional. "O mais relevante livro no campo da religião."LIBRARY JOURNAL