Understanding religion : What is religion? -- Patterns among religions -- Multidisciplinary approaches to the study of religion -- Key critical issues -- Why study the major religions of the world? -- The journey -- Reading : The warmth and light of fire -- Indigenous religions : Discovering indigenous religions -- Studying indigenous religions : Learning from patterns -- Sacred practices in indigenous religions -- Personal experience : Meeting Maori people -- Indigenous religions today -- Reading : Lame deer's calling -- Hinduism : The origins of Hinduism -- The upanishads and the axis age -- Living spiritually in the everyday world -- Devotional Hinduism -- Personal experience : A visit to the self-realization fellowship lake shrine temple -- Hinduism and the arts -- Hinduism : Modern changes -- Reading : Spiritual greatness -- Buddhism : The beginnings of Buddhism : The life of Buddha -- The basic teachings of Buddhism -- The influence of Indian thought on early Buddhist teachings -- The early development of Buddhism -- Teravada Buddhism : The way of the elders -- Mahayana Buddhism : The "big vehicle" -- Vajrayana Buddhism : The "diamond vehicle" -- Personal experience : New Year's Day at Wat Saket -- Buddhism and the modern world -- Reading : The wonder of tea -- Jainism and Sikhism : Shared origins -- Jainism : Background -- Mahavira and the origins of Jainism -- Worldview -- Jain ethics -- The development of Jainism and its branches -- Jain practices -- Jain scriptures -- Jain art and architecture -- Sikhism : Background -- Nanak and the origins of Sikhism -- The worldview and teachings of nanak -- The development of Sikhism -- Sikh scriptures -- Sikhism and the modern world -- Personal experience : A visit to the golden temple -- Reading : God is found in every direction -- Daoism and Confucianism : Basic elements of traditional Chinese beliefs -- Daoism : The origins of daoism -- Basic early teachings -- Daoism and the quest for longevity -- The development of daoism -- Daoism and the arts -- Daoism and the modern world -- Confucianism : The dao in Confucianism -- The life of Confucius -- Living according to Confucian values -- Confucian literature -- Confucianism and the arts -- Personal experience : Qing Ming, a ceremony in spring -- Confucianism and the modern world -- Reading : On cloud-like wandering -- Shinto : The origins of Shinto -- The historical development of Shinto -- Essentials of Shinto belief -- Shinto religious practices -- Personal experience : An unexpected shrine -- Shinto and the arts -- Shinto offshoots : The new religions -- Reading : The Heian shrines at Nikko -- Judaism : An overview of Jewish history -- The Hebrew bible -- Biblical history -- Cultural conflict during the second temple era -- The development of rabbinical Judaism -- Questioning and reform -- Judaism and the modern world -- Personal experience : A visit to a kibbutz in the north -- Jewish belief -- Religious practice -- Divisions within contemporary Judaism -- Jewish identity and the future of Judaism -- Reading : Liberation -- Christianity : The life and teachings of Jesus -- EArly Christian beliefs and history -- The early spread of Christianity at the end of the Roman empire -- The eastern orthodox church -- Personal experience : Mar Saba Monastery -- Christianity in the middle ages -- The protestant reformation -- The development of Christianity following the protestant reformation -- Christian practice -- Christianity and the arts -- Christianity faces the modern world -- Reading : Discovering the next step -- Islam : The life and teachings of Muhammad -- Essentials of Islam -- The historical development of Islam -- Sufism : Islamic mysticism -- Personal experience : Visit to a mosque -- Islamic law and philosophy -- Islam and the arts -- Islam and the modern world -- Reading : The most high -- Alternative paths : Origins of new religions -- Contemporary paganism : Wicca and druidism -- Religions of the Yoruba tradition : Santeria, voodoo, and candomble -- Theosophy -- Scientology -- Cao dai -- Rastafarianism -- Bahi'i -- Parody religions -- Humanism -- New religious movements : A special role -- Personal experience : Celebrating the goddess -- Reading : Meditating on the earth -- The modern search : Modern influences on the future of religion -- The recurring challenges of change -- Environmentalism : A religious phenomenon? -- Eclectic spirituality -- Personal experience : An unexpected meeting -- Reading : Climbing center mountain

"Religions speak in symbols-fire, cloud, hills and high places, darkness and light, incense, candles, colors. Religions, though, perhaps love water best. Buddhists use water for blessing. Hindus purify themselves in rivers. Christians undergo baptism in water as a rite of initiation. Followers of Islam and Shinto cleanse themselves with water before prayer. Water means change, purification, and new beginnings. Because water can signify so much to us, it is the major symbol of this book. By studying many religions, we also hope to be cleansed and brought to new life. This book was written for my students. Keeping their needs in mind, I have tried to provide what is essential and to present it in clear language. I want to talk about doctrine and practice. Yet I also hope to show some of those things that have captivated me: religious music, art, and architecture. I want to show my respect for all religious traditions, both in a scholarly and an approachable way. Finally, I hope to invite students not only to read about religions, but also to experience them firsthand. It is like the difference between reading maps of a country and then actually traveling on its roads and seeing its sights. Experience brings the prize"--