The World's Wisdom: Sacred Texts of the World's Religions

In this perfect companion to Huston Smith's bestselling The World's Wisdom, Philip Novak distills the most powerful and elegant expressions of the wisdom of humankind. Novak draws on fifteen years of teaching to gather foundational scriptures that reveal each tradition at its best.

The volume ranges from Vedic hymns and the Upanishads to the discourses of the Buddha and the sayings of Confucius. He sets Hebrew prophecy, Christian Gospels, and the Qur’an beside sacred oral narratives from Maori, Hopi, and Sioux lore.

Each chapter outlines central doctrines and distinctive moods, providing direct access to primary voices. Authentic, poetic translations of key texts are coupled with insightful introductions and "grace notes."

• Buddhist Teachings: Follows Siddhartha Gotama from his encounter with old age, sickness, and death to his steadfast meditation under the Bodhi tree and the realization of Nirvana.
• Taoist Teachings: Explores the principle of wei wu wei through Lao Tzu’s reflections on water and Chuang Tzu’s paradoxes on the butterfly dream.
• Islamic Teachings: Pairs foundational suras of Mecca and Medina with intimate Hadith accounts of the Prophet and the passionate love poetry of Jelaluddin Rumi.
• Sacred Texts: Features Nachiketas questioning the God of Death in the Katha Upanishad and Krishna counseling Arjuna on nonattachment amidst the turmoil of battle.