Comparative Religion studies

  Many people today would like to see the emergence, and continuance, of a World of Peace and Tolerance and tend to view studies in Comparative Religion in a very positive light as a potential contributor to greater mutual understanding and respect.

  Given the immense historical-cultural importance of forms of religion across the Globe over several millenia we cannot but accept that most people "feel" a call towards Spirituality. Yet, in our everyday lives, we are aware of "Worldly" callings as well as those of the Spirit.

It happens that there is a close similarity in the spiritual insights that have been won within each of several major world religions. We at age-of-the-sage hope to show that the Insights of the Mystics can allow humanity to more directly identify and recognise spiritual truths that the worldly aspects of Human Nature may not readily appreciate. A more truly harmonious, "rounded and Human" life being Worldly in many ways but also being responsive to the claims of the Spirit.

Live while you live, the epicure would say,
And seize the pleasures of the present day;
Live while you live the sacred preacher cries,
And give to God each moment as it flies.
Lord, in my views let both united be;
I live to pleasure when I live to thee.

Philip Dodderidge

  Saints and Sages, meanwhile, tend to lead more intensely Spiritual lives with less attention being paid to the various calls to Worldliness. Their intense spirituality often being accompanied by an heightened open-ness to Insight and Enlightenment.

  The AWESOMELY profound Insights from Mysticism and Spirituality that are available on several of our pages are drawn from Christian, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, and Taoist sources and focus deeply on several spiritual truths.

Sample illustrative quotations that hopefully demonstrate the type of Insights that are recognised by each of several World Faiths are available in the scrollable region following:-

A Disdain for Materialism

Chuang Tzu put on cotton clothes with patches in them, and arranging his girdle and tying on his shoes,
( to keep them from falling off)
went to see the prince of Wei.
"How miserable you look, Sir!" Cried the prince. "It is poverty, not misery", replied Chuang Tzu. "A man who has TAO cannot be miserable. Ragged clothes and old boots make poverty, not misery".

Chuang Tzu - (Taoism)

A Distrust of Intellect

Sell your cleverness and buy bewilderment; Cleverness is mere opinion, bewilderment intuition.

Rumi - (Islam)

A Yearning for Divine Edification

It is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him. But God has revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
  ...the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

St. Paul - (Christianity)

Charity

 He that does everything for Me, whose supreme object I am, who worships Me, being free from attachment and without hatred to any creature, this man, Arjuna!, comes to Me.

Bhagavad Gita - (Hinduism)

Purity of Heart

 The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

Solomon - (Judaism)

Humility

Would you become a pilgrim on the road of love? The first condition is that you make yourself humble as dust and ashes.

Ansari of Heart - (Islam)

Meekness

 Let a man overcome anger by love, let him overcome evil by good; let him overcome the greedy by liberality, the liar by truth! Speak the truth, do not yield to anger; give, if thou art asked for little; by these three steps thou wilt go near the gods.

Dhammapada - (Buddhism)

Communion with God!!!

There are quotations from several World Religions that suggest it is possible for people grow spiritually towards a Mystical Union with God!!!

  The sample quotations just presented demonstrate the recognition of individual important spiritual truths by one World Faith in the case of each "Truth." Our extensive Spiritual and Poetry insights quotations pages are FULL of examples of how such profound truths are recognised, and applauded, by a Spiritual-Poetical aspect innate in Human Nature.

  We consider that the results of these studies definitely extends the range of established and accepted similarities between the messages of several Faiths.

  We hope and expect that those interested in promoting Peace and Tolerance between persons of goodwill will find much worthy of their most serious consideration arising from a full establishment that their are many similarities between the Mysticisms that lie at the very heart of several World religions.


Click on these links to review quotations
about "Central" spiritual insights
drawn from sources as indicated :-
 

  There may well be other faiths (not least Sikhism) that should properly be included in any definitive consideration of Mysticism in world religions !!!