Dimensions of the Sacred: An Anatomy of the World's BeliefsThis extraordinary book, the result of twenty-five years of reflection and research, is nothing less than a comprehensive examination of how what is spiritual or sacred to humans - both conventionally religious beliefs and those we usually think of as secular - manifests itself around the world. Dimensions of the Sacred for the first time maps the underlying features of the world's major faiths - Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and African and other indigenous religions. This would be remarkable in itself. But Ninian Smart then uses the same principles to investigate "secular religions" such as Marxist-Leninism and nationalism. Smart identifies seven similarities uniting these systems of belief. Whether religious or secular, all world views have elements of ritual - worship, meditation, pilgrimage, and sacrifice - and an edifice of doctrine and philosophy. All world views likewise share a mythic dimension that uses fictional and historical narratives to present and interpret the present. All possess an experiential or emotional dimension giving weight to the visionary experiences of prophets, mystics, and shamans. And all demonstrate an ethical or legal aspect - the Torah in orthodox Judaism, Shari'a in Islam, the Four Noble Truths in Buddhism, and the honorable ideal in Confucianism. Smart also explores the organizational and social components of sacred belief - the many ways people organize spiritually through institutions, such as church, sect, and caste. He concludes by surveying the artistic and material dimension, uncovering the various ways religions and world views express themselves in material creations such as temples, catherals, chapels, mosques, tombs, icons, pulpits, statues, and books. |
Contents
INTRODUCTION I | 11 |
Doctrine Philosophy Some Dimensions | 27 |
The Ritual Dimension | 70 |
The Mythic or Narrative Dimension | 130 |
The Experiential Emotional Dimension | 166 |
The Ethical Legal Dimension | 196 |
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Common terms and phrases
Advaita Vedanta Africa ancient Asia aspect axis mundi become behaviour belief bhakti Bodhisattva brahmavihāras Brahmins Buddha Buddhism Catholic China Chinese Christ Christian church concept Confucian contemplative context cosmology cosmos course created cultures dhyāna dimension divine doctrine ethical example experiential faith function gods heaven Hindu Hindu tradition Hinduism holy human idea ideology important incarnation India instance Islam Jewish Judaism kind king kingship liberation magical Mahayana major mantric Marxism means meditation mode modern monks monotheism moral Moreover Muslim mystical mythic myths narrative nature nirvana notably numinous numinous experience Orthodox patterns perhaps person phenomenology philosophy pilgrimage political practice prophet Protestantism reasons relation religion religious experience rites ritual role sacred sacrifice saint Sangha scriptures secular sense shamanism social society soul spiritual stories Sufism symbolism Taoism temples theism theistic theme theology theory Theravada Theravadin tion transcendent typically ultimate vision Western whole worldviews worship York