Books from thinkers around the world

Native American Wisdom ~ edited by Kent Nerburn and Louise Mengelkoch, 1991, philosophy and mythology, 124 pages

This book selects a wide range of Native American wisdom and distills it to its essence in short quotes that are meaningful and timeless.  Quote from Kent Nerburn:  "My work has been a constant search, from various perspectives, for an authentic American spirituality, integrating our western Judeo-Christian tradition with the other traditions of the world, and especially the indigenous spirituality of the people who first inhabited this continent.  Someone once called me a 'guerilla theologian,' and I think that is fairly accurate."

The HarperCollins Concise Guide to World Religions: The A-to-Z Encyclopedia of All the Major Religious Traditions ~ by Mircea Eliade and Ioan P. Couliano, 1999, religion, xii + 301 pages

The definitive dictionary of the world's religions, compiled by two of the 20th century's most distinguished religion scholars.  This highly accessible resource distils Mircea Eliade's lifework of detailing and comparing humanity's entire religious heritage, providing fascinating insights into the character and worldview of the 33 principal religions.  The book covers all kinds of religious figures, histories, sacred texts, mythologies, and mystical techniques.  It includes Buddhism, Christianity, Jainism, Judaism, Islam, Shinto, Shamanism, Taoism, South American religions, Baltic and Slavic religions, Confucianism, and the religions of Africa and Oceania.

God's Breath: Sacred Scriptures of the World ~ by John Miller and Aaron Kenedi, introduction by Thomas Moore, 2000, religion, xvii + 536 pages

For millennia seekers of truth have found God in a handful of sacred texts.  This book gathers together selections from seven of the world's major wisdom traditions with detailed introductions by scholars and spiritual teachers including Huston Smith, Karen Armstrong, Reynolds Price, Stephen Mitchell, Marcus Borg, Joseph Campbell, Carl Jung, the Dalai Lama, and others.  The selections include excerpts from the book of Genesis, the Tao Te Ching, the Book of Rumi, the Gospel of John, the Bhagavad Gita, the Qur'an, and the Tibetan Book of the Dead.

Deb at Readerbuzz hosts The Sunday Salon.