| Description |
xiv, 402 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm |
| Summary |
The book proposes the hypothesis that six generic ways of being religious may be found in any large-scale religious tradition such as Christianity or Buddhism or Islam or Hinduism: sacred rite, right action, devotion, shamanic mediation, mystical quest, and reasoned inquiry. These are recurrent ways in which, socially and individually, devout members of these traditions take up and appropriate their stories and symbols in order to draw near to, and come into right relationship with, what the traditions attest to be the ultimate reality. |
| Contents |
Part I. Generic ways of being religious. General introduction -- Thinking generically about religion -- Different ways of being religious -- The ways of being religious exemplified -- Variations in quality of practice of the ways -- Using the framework -- Part II. Applying the framework to a comparison of whole traditions. Applying the framework to the whole of Buddhism -- Applying the framework to the whole of Christianity -- Part III. Applying the framework to a comparison of parallel ways in different traditions. The way of reasoned inquiry -- The way of right action -- The way of devotion -- The way of Shamanic mediation -- The way of sacred rite -- Concluding reflections: comparing Buddhism and Christianity by means of the framework |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references and indexes |
| Subject |
Religion -- Study and teaching.
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Religions -- Study and teaching.
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Religions -- Relations.
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| LC no. |
95016047 |
| ISBN |
0534253326 alkaline paper |
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