A review by hannahleelovestoread
Nectar of All World Religions: 1000 Selections from 11 Spiritual Traditions - teachings of Bahaullah, Buddha, Confucius, Guru Nanak, Jesus, Krishna, Lao Tzu, Mahavir, Moses, Muhammed and Zoroaster by Ishwar Joshi Awalgaonkar

challenging informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

This book is a beautiful collection of phrases and sayings from the sacred texts of eleven major religions and spiritual traditions. It would at first appear to offer a wide variety of thoughts and ideas, but author Ishwar Joshi Awalgaonkar makes an apt observation when he writes in the prologue that he “would always feel the same magical supernatural authoritative voice speaking to me from all of [the major sacred texts].” I, too, found that many phrases included in this collection — even those written in vastly different places and time periods — communicated the same basic message. As a practicing Christian and student of the Bible, I was already very familiar with the Abrahamic religions. Furthermore, as a college history minor, I learned about the basic tenets of Buddhism; Confucianism; Hinduism; Jainism; Taoism; and Zoroastrianism in my university days. It was Bahai and Sikhism about which Awalgaonkar’s curated excerpts taught me the most. Like those of my own religion of Christianity, Bahai’s sacred writings reflect upon the omnipotence of God and the sentiment that man will return to dust, i.e. that humanity is mortal. Also like the Christian Bible, Sikh texts celebrate God’s merciful nature, advocate for universal kindness, and deride arrogance. Overall, this is an excellent book. I recommend it to anyone who is curious about religions other than his or her own and how the different major belief systems of the world connect to one another.