Quran / القرآن الكريم by Anonymous

Quran / القرآن الكريم by Anonymous


I don't rate religious or holy books. There was a lot in the Quran/ Koran which sounded familiar to me from the Jewish Old Testament, but there was less of a narrative regarding the events and persons. There were also some things from the New Testament such as Jesus, hell, and the end of days. The middle of the book seemed largely devoted to fighting the Infidel and the end was a discussion and assurance that would punishments inflicted on the infidel in the afterlife.

I'm trying to read a few books about the Quran to get a better understanding of the history and current practice as well.

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The Way of the Bodhisattva by Śāntideva

The Way of the Bodhisattva: A Translation of the Bodhicharyavatara by Śāntideva
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Some interesting things to think about. Some weird stuff. Short but dense. Read it because Dan Harris said Dalai Lama recommended it. Hm.

I was particularly interested in some (accidental?) overlap with Christianity (love thy enemy) and modern particle physics.

As one reviewer mentioned, this is definitely not an introductory text for Buddhism but a more advanced book, and despite the previous Buddhism books I've read, a substantial amount was probably just above my head.

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The Upanishads by Anonymous

The Upanishads: Translations from the Sanskrit by Anonymous


As a rule, I don't rate Holy Books. I will say this is more the sort of thing one would expect from a holy book if you were imagining the concept from scratch. The philosophy here overlaps a bit with Buddhism. It also does not depend purely on reasoning, as the philosophy can be better understood through the practical application of meditation. Not all of it makes great sense to me, but I'm not a great Yogi, so I wouldn't expect it to anyway.

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