What are you reading/What have you read recently? (merged)

[jetswin]

Originally Posted by CanadaSteve

Jones, Charles B. “Emptiness, Kenosis, History, and Dialogue: The Christian Response to Masao Abe’s Notion of “Dynamic Sunyata” in the Early Years of the Abe-Cobb Buddhist-Christian Dialogue,”

Odin, Steve. “Kenosis as a Foundation for Buddhist-Christian Dialogue: The Kenotic Buddhology of Nishida and Ni****ani of the Kyoto School in relation to the Kenotic Christology of Thomas J.J. Altizer.” Eastern Buddhist, ns 20 no 1(spring, 1987): 34-61.

no ****!

I have these right next to Bill Mazer's Sports Answer Book on my bookshelf

[CanadaSteve]

Originally Posted by JStokes

Dude, why did you have to plagiarize MY thesis?





_

Sometimes you just gotta cut corners!

[CanadaSteve]

Originally Posted by WestCoastOffensive

I will take a look for these; interesting stuff, Steve. Good luck with your thesis.

Very interesting stuff indeed....there is a great deal of work that has been done in inter-faith dialogue between Buddhism and Christianity...Masao Abe is a leader in this field, as is John Cobb Jr....happy reading! I can always suggest more if interested!

[WestCoastOffensive]

Originally Posted by CanadaSteve

Very interesting stuff indeed....there is a great deal of work that has been done in inter-faith dialogue between Buddhism and Christianity...Masao Abe is a leader in this field, as is John Cobb Jr....happy reading! I can always suggest more if interested!

No, that will be plenty. There are many great minds that can dissect and discuss the differences between the two. What I am looking for is dialogue where inter-faith means discussing how the teachings are helping each practictioner, and what lessons they can learn from each other.

Let me advance what I am referring to; from my side: Nichiren Buddhism.

I still think a lot of non-Nichiren Buddhists will have a hard time understanding how chanting for earthly desires leads to enlightenment. Well, to begin with, I think it is important for all Buddhists—even members of the SGI—to understand that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is not some kind of magic formula to be recited to fulfill desires. It is a practice that expresses our faith in the truth and brings our lives into rhythm with that truth. It is a path for overcoming the so-called lesser self that is attached to desires and tormented by deluded impulses. It is a process of training and transforming our lives to be able to manifest our greater self, to bring forth our Buddha-wisdom and the compassionate capacity to realize happiness for ourselves and other people.

In its early days, the Soka Gakkai was despised and laughed at in Japanese society as a gathering of the sick and poor. Josei Toda, my life mentor, took this as a point of pride, however, and declared with confidence: “The true mission of religion is to bring relief to the sick and the poor. That is the purpose of Buddhism. The Soka Gakkai is the ally and friend of the common people, a friend to the unhappy. However much we may be looked down on, we will continue to fight for the sake of such people.” Faced with the devastation of postwar Japan, Toda was convinced that, in the eyes of the Buddha, this was the most noble action.


From Tricycle Magazine in 2008 interview with Daisaku Ikeda
http://www.tricycle.com/interview/faith-revolution

http://www.daisakuikeda.org/

http://www.daisakuikeda.org/sub/book...dialogues.html

[WestCoastOffensive]

Originally Posted by jetswin

no ****!

I have these right next to Bill Mazer's Sports Answer Book on my bookshelf

Bill seems to be firm in his belief that Ken Osis was the Greatest 2nd baseman of his day.

[WestCoastOffensive]

Here you go Steve:

The Persistence of Religion: Comparative Perspectives on Modern Spirituality
with Harvey G. Cox
Pub. Year

2009
Publisher

I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd.
ISBN

(hardcover) 978-1-84885-194-8
(paperback) 978-1-84885-195-5

Harvey G. Cox, former Hollis Professor of Divinity at Harvard University and ordained Baptist minister, and Daisaku Ikeda examine the continuing appeal of religion which, despite the onslaught of scientific reason, has not been relegated. Cox, who played a significant role in launching the civil rights movement led by Martin Luther King Jr., says that "religion is about meaning, values and community" and offers alternative values to materialism, which has, according to Ikeda, "hollowed out the human spirit." Citing the examples of Gandhi, King and Mandela, the authors are convinced, as Ikeda emphatically states, "far from being petty creatures, human beings have the power to change the world." We must, Cox says, "pool all our resources," by engaging in inter-cultural dialogue at all levels and "learn to learn from each other." Only then can a peaceful, humane society or the unity of heaven and humanity, be achieved.
Pinpointing the causes of conflict and the rise of radical religious factions as being poverty and disrespect of individuals, their countries and their cultures, Cox and Ikeda recommend a return to universal values underpinned by the recognition of human dignity and kindness—or, depending upon the author's perspective, the presence of God in all and Christian love or inherent Buddhahood and compassion. In order to position human dignity and kindness as the core value of our lives, we need to undertake altruistic action for the happiness of others and strive towards the eradication of social injustice. In dialogue, universal values impart the humility and willingness to listen to others and, says Cox, whatever our worldview, "the frank recognition that we could be mistaken." These three things help lessen the causes of conflict. Ikeda later supports this idea, stating that two of religions most important roles are "restoring human ties and making local communities, and society more generally, warmly humane."
Cox and Ikeda call for a new stage of dialogue going beyond the recognition of our similarities in which we face and speak candidly about our differences, enabling true tolerance to emerge. Rather than being just the permissive acceptance that differences exist, true tolerance is the active appreciation of differences that opens up new horizons and creates new values without which nothing can change. "As long as we live," says Ikeda, "we must always move forward, creating new values." The authors look to religion to provide the spiritual strength and courage to choose dialogue and true tolerance over violence and conflict.
Having covered topics such as education, human rights, and the impact of the internet, Cox and Ikeda recommend that people everywhere have discourses similar to their own to uncover new and unfamiliar insights and possibilities. With the true humility they advocate, Cox and Ikeda conclude their dialogue by thanking each other for what they have learned.
Widely recognized as one of America's foremost theologians, Cox has advocated for decades the evolution of religion from its institutionalized practices of the past to one founded on spirituality. He first met Ikeda when the latter delivered an address at Harvard in 1991, then served as a panelist reviewing Ikeda's second Harvard lecture in 1993.
CONTENTS

Preface by Harvey Cox

Preface by Daisaku Ikeda

One Beyond the Clash of Civilizations Two Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Spirit of Non-Violence Three The Market Economy and the Role of Religion Four The Age of the Internet: Interplay of Danger and Promise Five Rapidly Changing Times: Return to the Origins of Religion Six Courageous Heroes of Non-Violence Seven The Future of China and India: Great Spiritual Heritages Eight The Future of University Education
Appendix 1 Mahayana Buddhism and Twenty-First-Century Civilization Appendix 2 Religion, Values and Politics in a Religiously Plauralistic World
Glossary

Notes

Further Reading

Index

[CanadaSteve]

Originally Posted by WestCoastOffensive

Here you go Steve:

The Persistence of Religion: Comparative Perspectives on Modern Spirituality
with Harvey G. Cox
Pub. Year

2009
Publisher

I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd.
ISBN

(hardcover) 978-1-84885-194-8
(paperback) 978-1-84885-195-5

Harvey G. Cox, former Hollis Professor of Divinity at Harvard University and ordained Baptist minister, and Daisaku Ikeda examine the continuing appeal of religion which, despite the onslaught of scientific reason, has not been relegated. Cox, who played a significant role in launching the civil rights movement led by Martin Luther King Jr., says that "religion is about meaning, values and community" and offers alternative values to materialism, which has, according to Ikeda, "hollowed out the human spirit." Citing the examples of Gandhi, King and Mandela, the authors are convinced, as Ikeda emphatically states, "far from being petty creatures, human beings have the power to change the world." We must, Cox says, "pool all our resources," by engaging in inter-cultural dialogue at all levels and "learn to learn from each other." Only then can a peaceful, humane society or the unity of heaven and humanity, be achieved.
Pinpointing the causes of conflict and the rise of radical religious factions as being poverty and disrespect of individuals, their countries and their cultures, Cox and Ikeda recommend a return to universal values underpinned by the recognition of human dignity and kindness—or, depending upon the author's perspective, the presence of God in all and Christian love or inherent Buddhahood and compassion. In order to position human dignity and kindness as the core value of our lives, we need to undertake altruistic action for the happiness of others and strive towards the eradication of social injustice. In dialogue, universal values impart the humility and willingness to listen to others and, says Cox, whatever our worldview, "the frank recognition that we could be mistaken." These three things help lessen the causes of conflict. Ikeda later supports this idea, stating that two of religions most important roles are "restoring human ties and making local communities, and society more generally, warmly humane."
Cox and Ikeda call for a new stage of dialogue going beyond the recognition of our similarities in which we face and speak candidly about our differences, enabling true tolerance to emerge. Rather than being just the permissive acceptance that differences exist, true tolerance is the active appreciation of differences that opens up new horizons and creates new values without which nothing can change. "As long as we live," says Ikeda, "we must always move forward, creating new values." The authors look to religion to provide the spiritual strength and courage to choose dialogue and true tolerance over violence and conflict.
Having covered topics such as education, human rights, and the impact of the internet, Cox and Ikeda recommend that people everywhere have discourses similar to their own to uncover new and unfamiliar insights and possibilities. With the true humility they advocate, Cox and Ikeda conclude their dialogue by thanking each other for what they have learned.
Widely recognized as one of America's foremost theologians, Cox has advocated for decades the evolution of religion from its institutionalized practices of the past to one founded on spirituality. He first met Ikeda when the latter delivered an address at Harvard in 1991, then served as a panelist reviewing Ikeda's second Harvard lecture in 1993.
CONTENTS

Preface by Harvey Cox

Preface by Daisaku Ikeda

One Beyond the Clash of Civilizations Two Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Spirit of Non-Violence Three The Market Economy and the Role of Religion Four The Age of the Internet: Interplay of Danger and Promise Five Rapidly Changing Times: Return to the Origins of Religion Six Courageous Heroes of Non-Violence Seven The Future of China and India: Great Spiritual Heritages Eight The Future of University Education
Appendix 1 Mahayana Buddhism and Twenty-First-Century Civilization Appendix 2 Religion, Values and Politics in a Religiously Plauralistic World
Glossary

Notes

Further Reading

Index

Thanks West Coast....wish I had this when I was starting the thesis....my final draft is Friday, so I can't really get into working a new source in. This is where my thesis of the christian church reinventing itself was going. The old model of christianity's power, more built on roman empiricism, is gone; secularism has taken care of that...and good I say! But religion is not inherently a bad thing. If Jesus is the Word of God, than the Word of God goes beyond religion, and can be known in all disciplines: Math, science, music, etc....It is not something 'owned' by born-agains...it is this 'truth' that must be wrested from the evangelical right.
There has been some dialoguing that has been happening the past five-ten years between leading scholars in the Abrahamic faiths: Christianity/Judaism/Islam; the lectures even came to my seminary, but trying to do a Masters, work part-time, and be a stay at home dad to a 2 and 5 year old....NO TIME.
I will check this book out when I am done school....and take a two month hiatus from anything remotely resembling a book.

[JStokes]

What the hell has happened to the Hampur?


_

[RaoulDuke]

Originally Posted by JStokes

What the hell has happened to the Hampur?


_

I feel very insecure that WCO who laughs at all the doots jokes can go all smaht on us like that.

Maybe there is only a handful of true imbiciles in this place.

[CanadaSteve]

Originally Posted by RaoulDuke

I feel very insecure that WCO who laughs at all the doots jokes can go all smaht on us like that.

Maybe there is only a handful of true imbiciles in this place.

ha..ha...you said imbecile

[JStokes]

Originally Posted by RaoulDuke

I feel very insecure that WCO who laughs at all the doots jokes can go all smaht on us like that.

Maybe there is only a handful of true imbiciles in this place.

Honestly, that exchange between WCO and Canada almost made my eyes hemorrhage.

I'm going to go to the can and read Get Fuzzy just to recenter my brain.

_

[RaoulDuke]

Originally Posted by CanadaSteve

ha..ha...you said imbecile

Guess I'll have to take the English class with 82Airborne..

[jetswin]

Originally Posted by RaoulDuke

Maybe there is only a handful of true imbiciles in this place.

[WestCoastOffensive]

Originally Posted by CanadaSteve

Thanks West Coast....wish I had this when I was starting the thesis....my final draft is Friday, so I can't really get into working a new source in. This is where my thesis of the christian church reinventing itself was going. The old model of christianity's power, more built on roman empiricism, is gone; secularism has taken care of that...and good I say! But religion is not inherently a bad thing. If Jesus is the Word of God, than the Word of God goes beyond religion, and can be known in all disciplines: Math, science, music, etc....It is not something 'owned' by born-agains...it is this 'truth' that must be wrested from the evangelical right.
There has been some dialoguing that has been happening the past five-ten years between leading scholars in the Abrahamic faiths: Christianity/Judaism/Islam; the lectures even came to my seminary, but trying to do a Masters, work part-time, and be a stay at home dad to a 2 and 5 year old....NO TIME.
I will check this book out when I am done school....and take a two month hiatus from anything remotely resembling a book.

Yes, I think those masters are bringing more "power" or empowerment to the flock, and leave the formalities and personal guidance to the church masters and those that follow the "way".

Originally Posted by JStokes

What the hell has happened to the Hampur?


_

Originally Posted by RaoulDuke

Maybe there is only a handful of true imbiciles in this place.

Please...I am sorry...I won't do it again. I swear I belong!

Look:

"Extended warranty?!?! I can't lose! SIGN ME UP!!!"

[RaoulDuke]

Originally Posted by WestCoastOffensive

Please...I am sorry...I won't do it again. I swear I belong!

Look:

"Extended warranty?!?! I can't lose! SIGN ME UP!!!"

[WestCoastOffensive]

Frank Zappa uses honesty like a sledgehammer. One of the most hilarious reads you will enjoy.

[HessStation]

For any horror fans, I'm almost done reading this on. It has some genuine creepy parts. The book is more or less about haunted woods in an Australian town.


Some others previously read this year:
This was a very funny and strange book. Similar to Hitchhikers Guide...


A good thriller, Female Hannibal Lecter


Now one of my favorite books.

[JStokes]

Mods-- can you merge this thread with the earlier versions so there is one thread as the "go to" for books?

http://www.jetsinsider.com/forums/sh....php?p=3656476

http://www.jetsinsider.com/forums/sh....php?p=2773472


Finally finished my second reading of Herman Wouk's Winds of War and War and Remembrance a few weeks (months?) back and I moved on to a series of really crappy throw-away beach books.

So I decided to try one of the monstrous classical tomes that's been sitting in my nightstand that I promised myself I'd read.

East of Eden.

I was anticipating being bored out of my mind and putting it down after 100 pages--but I gotta say--it's REALLY good. Lots of character development which can go one of 2 ways--Steinbeck's way is really engaging and interesting. I think it was on one of those "greatest contemporary American novel" lists and in this case they may have gotten it right.

Anyone have anything GREAT they can recommend?

_

[BleedGreen314]

[bitonti]

there's a book Im reading called Scorecasting it's like freakanomics for sports. Very good read.