Cover
Title Page
List of Boxes
List of Tables
List of Figures
Preface
Note on Scriptural References
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part 1 Beyond Time and Space
1. 1 Image
  1. 1.1 Introduction
  2. 1.2 The Second Commandment
  3. 1.3 Shirk
  4. 1.4 Incarnate Son
  5. 1.5 Murti
  6. 1.6 Opening the Radiance
  7. 1.7 The Three Bodies
  8. Summary
  9. Discussion Topics
  10. Further Reading
2. 2 Book
  1. 2.1 Introduction
  2. 2.2 Shruti and Smriti
  3. 2.3 Daozang
  4. 2.4 The Three Baskets
  5. 2.5 New Testament
  6. 2.6 Tanach
  7. 2.7 Qur’an
  8. Summary
  9. Discussion Topics
  10. Further Reading
Part 2 Within Time and Space
1. 3 Ethics
  1. 3.1 Introduction
  2. 3.2 Dharma
  3. 3.3 Pancasila
  4. 3.4 Inner Power
  5. 3.5 The Ten Words
  6. 3.6 A New Commandment
  7. 3.7 The Greater Jihad
  8. Summary
  9. Discussion Topics
  10. Further Reading
2. 4 Birth
  1. 4.1 Introduction
  2. 4.2 Baptism
  3. 4.3 B’rit Milah
  4. 4.4 Aqiqah
  5. 4.5 Birth Samskaras
  6. 4.6 The Buddhist Exception
  7. 4.7 Chinese Customs
  8. Summary
  9. Discussion Topics
  10. Further Reading
3. 5 Death
  1. 5.1 Introduction
  2. 5.2 The Wheel of Rebirth
  3. 5.3 The Last Sacrifice
  4. 5.4 Hun and Po
  5. 5.5 Resurrection of the Body
  6. 5.6 Salat al‐Janazah
  7. 5.7 First Fruits
  8. Summary
  9. Discussion Topics
  10. Further Reading
4. 6 Marriage
  1. 6.1 Introduction
  2. 6.2 Nikah
  3. 6.3 Under the Huppah
  4. 6.4 Householder and Forest‐Dweller
  5. 6.5 Bride of Christ
  6. 6.6 The Renunciation
  7. 6.7 Arts of the Bedchamber
  8. Summary
  9. Discussion Topics
  10. Further Reading
5. 7 Food
  1. 7.1 Introduction
  2. 7.2 Cuisines of Immortality
  3. 7.3 Ahimsa and Samadhi
  4. 7.4 Blessed Leftovers
  5. 7.5 Bread and Wine
  6. 7.6 Kosher
  7. 7.7 Halal
  8. Summary
  9. Discussion Topics
  10. Further Reading
6. 8 Clothing
  1. 8.1 Introduction
  2. 8.2 The Veil of Modesty
  3. 8.3 Kippah, Tefillin and Tallit
  4. 8.4 The Thread and the Mark
  5. 8.5 Vestments and Habits
  6. 8.6 Garments of the Gods
  7. 8.7 The Three Robes
  8. Summary
  9. Discussion Topics
  10. Further Reading
Part 3 Time and Space
1. 9 Year
  1. 9.1 Introduction
  2. 9.2 Four Seasons
  3. 9.3 Full Moons and Monsoons
  4. 9.4 Day of Brahma
  5. 9.5 The 78th Cycle
  6. 9.6 Harvests, History and High Holy Days
  7. 9.7 Lunar Year
  8. Summary
  9. Discussion Topics
  10. Further Reading
2. 10 Building
  1. 10.1 Introduction
  2. 10.2 Mosque
  3. 10.3 Synagogue
  4. 10.4 Church
  5. 10.5 Mandir
  6. 10.6 Temple Complex
  7. 10.7 Guan
  8. Summary
  9. Discussion Topics
  10. Further Reading
3. 11 Journey
  1. 11.1 Introduction
  2. 11.2 The Sacred Ford
  3. 11.3 Reverencing the Mountain
  4. 11.4 Traces of Tathagata
  5. 11.5 The Quest of the Magi
  6. 11.6 Aliyah
  7. 11.7 Hajj
  8. Summary
  9. Discussion Topics
  10. Further Reading
Conclusion
Glossary
Select Bibliography
Index
End User License Agreement

List of Tables

Chapter 01
1. Table 1.1 The Five Wisdom Buddhas of Tibetan Buddhism.
Chapter 03
1. Table 3.1 The Daoist adaption of the Buddhist Pancasila.
2. Table 3.2 The Ten Commandments in its different forms.
Chapter 07
1. Table 7.1 The Five Elements of Daoism.
Chapter 09
1. Table 9.1 The Western Christian calendar.
2. Table 9.2 The Theravada Buddhist calendar.
3. Table 9.3 The southern Hindu calendar.
4. Table 9.4 The Chinese calendar.
5. Table 9.5 The Jewish calendar.
6. Table 9.6 The Islamic calendar.

List of Illustrations

Chapter 01
1. Figure 1.1 Interior of a Jewish synagogue.
2. Figure 1.2 Interior of the Blue Mosque, Istanbul.
3. Figure 1.3 Christian mosaics in the Hagia Sophia, Istanbul.
4. Figure 1.4 Sacred image (murti) of the Hindu goddess Durga.
5. Figure 1.5 Daoist images on an altar.
6. Figure 1.6 The Taijitu.
7. Figure 1.7 Buddha statue at Kamakura, Japan.
Chapter 02
1. Figure 2.1 The setting of the Bhagavad Gita: Krishna and Arjuna in dialogue.
2. Figure 2.2 Laozi.
3. Figure 2.3 Buddha preaching to the first five disciples at Sarnath.
4. Figure 2.4 A Jewish boy reads from a Torah scroll using a yad.
5. Figure 2.5 Qur’an with prayer beads.
Chapter 04
1. Figure 4.1 A priest pours holy water over a baby’s head during a baptism.
2. Figure 4.2 A mohel prepares a child for circumcision.
3. Figure 4.3 The Hindu sacred sound aum.
4. Figure 4.4 A Hindu child receives his first haircut in the cudakarana ceremony.
Chapter 05
1. Figure 5.1 Central section of the Buddhist wheel of life.
2. Figure 5.2 Lighting a Hindu funeral pyre on the banks of a river.
3. Figure 5.3 Memory stones on a Jewish grave.
4. Figure 5.4 Muslim women visiting a cemetery.
5. Figure 5.5 Cross and flowers on a Christian grave.
Chapter 06
1. Figure 6.1 Traditional breaking of the glass at a Jewish wedding.
2. Figure 6.2 A Hindu wedding with canopy (mandap) and sacred fire.
3. Figure 6.3 A Christian bride and groom take their vows before the altar.
4. Figure 6.4 A new Buddhist novice with shaven head and robes.
5. Figure 6.5 Tea ceremony at a Chinese wedding.
6. Figure 6.6 The Bagua (Later Heaven version).
Chapter 07
1. Figure 7.1 Buddhist monks carrying bowls on their daily alms round.
2. Figure 7.2 Bread and wine used in a Christian Eucharist.
3. Figure 7.3 Jewish Passover plate with symbolic foods.
4. Figure 7.4 An Islamic butcher shop in England.
Chapter 08
1. Figure 8.1 Islamic women in the veil.
2. Figure 8.2 Jewish boy wearing kippah, tallit and tefillin.
3. Figure 8.3 A young man receives the sacred thread during an Upanayana ceremony.
4. Figure 8.4 Image of St Patrick in episcopal dress with miter and crozier.
5. Figure 8.5 Daoist priests in ritual vestments.
6. Figure 8.6 Thai Buddhist monks in their traditional robes.
Chapter 09
1. Figure 9.1 Christmas nativity scene.
2. Figure 9.2 Young Buddhists often join a monastery during the wet season (Vassa).
3. Figure 9.3 Hindu girls lighting lamps on the feast of Divali.
4. Figure 9.4 Chinese Dragon Boat Racing.
5. Figure 9.5 Eight‐branched menorah (with central lighting candle) used at Hanukkah.
6. Figure 9.6 Shi’ite Muslims beating their chests during Ashura.
Chapter 10
1. Figure 10.1 A mosque with two minarets in Azerbaijan.
2. Figure 10.2 Torah scrolls inside the holy ark in a synagogue.
3. Figure 10.3 Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris.
4. Figure 10.4 The Vastu Purusha Mandala.
5. Figure 10.5 Hindu mandir (temple) at Khajuraho, India.
6. Figure 10.6 Kuthodaw Buddhist Temple in Mandalay, Myanmar.
7. Figure 10.7 Basic geometric patterns of the stupa design.
8. Figure 10.8 Qingyang Daoist Temple in Sichuan, China.
Chapter 11
1. Figure 11.1 Major pilgrimage sites in Hinduism.
2. Figure 11.2 The holy city of Varanasi (Benares) on the Ganges.
3. Figure 11.3 Major pilgrimage sites in Daoism.
4. Figure 11.4 Stairway to Heaven, Taishan.
5. Figure 11.5 Major pilgrimage sites in Buddhism.
6. Figure 11.6 Buddhists meditating at the bodhi tree, Bodhgaya.
7. Figure 11.7 Major Christian pilgrimage sites in Israel.
8. Figure 11.8 The old city of Jerusalem.
9. Figure 11.9 Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem.
10. Figure 11.10 The Western Wall, Jerusalem.
11. Figure 11.11 Muslim pilgrims at the Ka’bah, Mecca.
12. Figure 11.12 Sites of the Hajj.

World Religions in Practice

The new edition of World Religions in Practice has been expanded to introduce six of the world’s major religions to students. This unparalleled introduction, exploring how religions are lived through their customs, rituals and everyday practices, now includes Daoism in addition to the religions covered in the first edition: Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Innovative and accessible, the text goes beyond many traditional textbooks by adopting a directly comparative approach that allows for a greater understanding of the nature of religion.

Each chapter engages with an individual theme, such as birth, death, food, pilgrimage, sacred texts, worship, and ethics, exploring the rituals, customs and beliefs across a range of religions. With great clarity, Gwynne works through these key themes, describing the practices of each religion, at the same time providing a balanced and sympathetic discussion of the similarities and differences between each faith.

The new edition includes an increased range of student‐friendly features. These include short readings from sacred texts and rites across different traditions, which allow students to engage directly with original sources.

Paul Gwynne lectures in comparative religion in the General Education Program of the University of New South Wales. He completed his doctoral studies in Rome and has taught theology and religious studies in Indonesia and at the Melbourne College of Divinity. His previous books include Special Divine Action (1996), the first edition of World Religions in Practice (2008, Wiley Blackwell) and Buddha, Jesus and Muhammad: A Comparative Study (2014, Wiley Blackwell).

This second edition first published 2018
© 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Edition History: Blackwell Publishing Ltd (1e, 2009)
(Hardback: 978‐1‐4051‐6702‐4 / Paperback: 978‐1‐4051‐6703‐1)

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by law. Advice on how to obtain permission to reuse material from this title is available at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

The right of Paul Gwynne to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with law.

Registered Offices
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, USA
John Wiley & Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK

Editorial Office
9600 Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2DQ, UK
For details of our global editorial offices, customer services, and more information about Wiley products visit us at www.wiley.com.

Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats and by print‐on‐demand. Some content that appears in standard print versions of this book may not be available in other formats.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty
While the publisher and authors have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services and neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Gwynne, Paul, 1957– author.
Title: World religions in practice : a comparative introduction / Paul Gwynne.
Description: 2nd edition. | Hoboken, NJ : John Wiley & Sons, 2017. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017006967 (print) | LCCN 2016059938 (ebook) | ISBN 9781118972267 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781118972281 (Adobe PDF) | ISBN 9781118972274 (ePub)
Subjects: LCSH: Religions.
Classification: LCC BL80.3 .G89 2017 (ebook) | LCC BL80.3 (print) | DDC 200–dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017006967

Cover Image: © Bazuki Muhammad / Reuters
Cover Design: Wiley

List of Boxes

0.1	Some Definitions of Religion
1.1	The 13 Principles of the Jewish Faith (Maimonides)
1.2	The Shema
1.3	The Five Pillars of Sunni Islam
1.4	The Nicene Creed
1.5	The 10 Avatars of Vishnu
2.1	The Principal Upanishads (and Corresponding Vedas)
2.2	The Opening Chapter of the Daode jing
2.3	The Three Baskets of Buddhism (Tipitaka)
2.4	The Books of the New Testament
2.5	The 24 Books of the Jewish Scriptures (Tanach)
2.6	Al‐Fatiha: The Opening Chapter of the Qur'an
3.1	Traditional Hindu Classes (Varna) and Life Stages (Ashrama)
3.2	The Four Noble Truths
3.3	The Buddhist Pancasila
3.4	The Four Main Sunni Schools of Law
3.5	The Golden Rule of Ethics in Each Religion
4.1	Prayer over the Baptismal Font (Catholic Rite)
4.2	The Seven Sacraments
4.3	Prayer from a Jewish Circumcision Rite
4.4	The Adhan (Islamic Call to Prayer)
4.5	The Traditional Hindu Samskaras
4.6	The 12 Stages of Dependent Origination and Their Traditional Symbols (Buddhism)
5.1	Buddhist Bardo Prayer (for the Dead)
5.2	The Six Bardos of Tibetan Buddhism
5.3	Jewish Kaddish Prayer
5.4	A Muslim Funeral Prayer
6.1	The Wives of Muhammad
6.2	The Seven Jewish Wedding Blessings
6.3	Prayer from an Eastern Orthodox Wedding Rite
7.1	The Buddha's Teaching on Eating Meat (Mahayana version)
7.2	Prayer from an Anglican Rite of the Eucharist
8.1	Prayers for Donning the Tefillin
8.2	The Upanayana Ceremony
9.1	The Four Yugas (Ages) of the Hindu Time Scale
9.2	The Five Scrolls and Their Corresponding Holy Days
9.3	The 39 Prohibited Activities on the Jewish Sabbath
9.4	Salat Prayer Times

List of Figures

1.1	Interior of a Jewish synagogue
1.2	Interior of the Blue Mosque, Istanbu
1.3	Christian mosaics in the Hagia Sophia, Istanbu
1.4	Sacred image (murti) of the Hindu goddess Durga
1.5	Daoist images on an altar
1.6	The Taijitu
1.7	Buddha statue at Kamakura, Japan
2.1	The setting of the Bhagavad Gita: Krishna and Arjuna in dialogue
2.2	Laozi
2.3	Buddha preaching to the first five disciples at Sarnath
2.4	A Jewish boy reads from a Torah scroll using a yad
2.5	Qur’an with prayer beads
4.1	A priest pours holy water over a baby’s head during a baptism
4.2	A mohel prepares a child for circumcision
4.3	The Hindu sacred sound aum
4.4	A Hindu child receives his first haircut in the cudakarana ceremony
5.1	Central section of the Buddhist wheel of life
5.2	Lighting a Hindu funeral pyre on the banks of a river
5.3	Memory stones on a Jewish grave
5.4	Muslim women visiting a cemetery
5.5	Cross and flowers on a Christian grave
6.1	Traditional breaking of the glass at a Jewish wedding
6.2	A Hindu wedding with canopy (mandap) and sacred fire
6.3	A Christian bride and groom take their vows before the altar
6.4	A new Buddhist novice with shaven head and robes
6.5	Tea ceremony at a Chinese wedding
6.6	The Bagua (Later Heaven version)
7.1	Buddhist monks carrying bowls on their daily alms round
7.2	Bread and wine used in a Christian Eucharist
7.3	Jewish Passover plate with symbolic foods
7.4	An Islamic butcher shop in England
8.1	Islamic women in the veil
8.2	Jewish boy wearing kippah, tallit and tefillin
8.3	A young man receives the sacred thread during an Upanayana ceremony
8.4	Image of St Patrick in episcopal dress with miter and crozier
8.5	Daoist priests in ritual vestments
8.6	Thai Buddhist monks in their traditional robes
9.1	Christmas nativity scene
9.2	Young Buddhists often join a monastery during the wet season (Vassa)
9.3	Hindu girls lighting lamps on the feast of Divali
9.4	Chinese Dragon Boat Racing
9.5	Eight‐branched menorah (with central lighting candle) used at Hanukkah
9.6	Shi’ite Muslims beating their chests during Ashura
10.1	A mosque with two minarets in Azerbaijan
10.2	Torah scrolls inside the holy ark in a synagogue
10.3	Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris
10.4	The Vastu Purusha Mandala
10.5	Hindu mandir (temple) at Khajuraho, India
10.6	Kuthodaw Buddhist Temple in Mandalay, Myanmar
10.7	Basic geometric patterns of the stupa design
10.8	Qingyang Daoist Temple in Sichuan, China
11.1	Major pilgrimage sites in Hinduism
11.2	The holy city of Varanasi (Benares) on the Ganges
11.3	Major pilgrimage sites in Daoism
11.4	Stairway to Heaven, Taishan
11.5	Major pilgrimage sites in Buddhism
11.6	Buddhists meditating at the bodhi tree, Bodhgaya
11.7	Major Christian pilgrimage sites in Israel
11.8	The old city of Jerusalem
11.9	Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem
11.10	The Western Wall, Jerusalem
11.11	Muslim pilgrims at the Ka’bah, Mecca
11.12	Sites of the Hajj

Preface

The second edition of World Religions in Practice retains most of the key features of the original edition. It remains a comparative study of a sample of major religions based on a set of practical themes. What is new in this edition is the inclusion of a sixth religious tradition – Daoism – and, consequently, a slight reduction in the number of themes in order to maintain the length of the book. The addition of Daoism means that the sample now includes one of the principal ingredients of Chinese religious culture, which is an eclectic mix of popular folk traditions and the “Three Teachings”: Daoism, Confucianism and Buddhism. Whilst Buddhism has an Indian provenance, Daoism and Confucianism originated in China and, in introductory works on world religions, are often dealt with under the umbrella term “Chinese religion”. The decision to focus on Daoism alone, rather than include all elements of Chinese religious practice, is not intended as a value judgment on those other elements but simply to ensure that a manageable, working comparison is achieved.

The addition of this extra material meant that the chapter entitled Day has been omitted, although some of its time‐related contents have been incorporated into the chapter entitled Year, which looks at the annual calendars. It also meant that, in each chapter, the original sections on the five religions have been trimmed to provide a more succinct presentation. Finally, the inclusion of Daoism has also affected the order in which the religions are covered in each chapter. As explained in the first edition, this order is not random. Rather, it has been designed to highlight similarities and connections between religions on the theme in question, thus producing a useful spectrum of comparative analysis each time. In other words, Daoism has now joined the “dance” of the religions across the themes. Hopefully, these changes have resulted in a tighter, more representative comparison of the fascinating interplay between six of the world’s major religious traditions.

Note on Scriptural References

The following versions of scriptural and traditional texts have been used:

Access to Insight: Readings in Theravada Buddhism, ed. John Bullitt, sutta translations by the Venerables Bhikkhu Bodhi, Acharya Buddharakkhita, Bhikkhu Khantipalo, Nanamoli Thera, Ñanavara Thera, Narada Thera, Nyanaponika Thera, Soma Thera, Thanissaro Bhikkhu (Phra Ajaan Geoff), and Sister Vajira; I. B. Horner, John D. Ireland, K. R. Norman, and F. L. Woodward. At www.accesstoinsight.org.
Babylonian Talmud, ed. Rabbi Dr Isidore Epstein. London: Jews’ College. Also available at www.come‐and‐hear.com/talmud.
Bhagavad Gita, trans. Laurie L. Patton. London: Penguin, 2008.
The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version with Apocrypha. New York: Oxford University Press (1991). Copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Hadith, USC‐MSA Compendium of Muslim Texts, University of Southern California, at www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah.
The Holy Koran, trans. Mohammed H. Shakir. New York: Tahrike Tarsile Qur’an Inc., 1983. Also available at www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah.
Translations of the Daode jing and other Daoist texts are taken from Louis Komjathy (2013). The Daoist Tradition. London: Bloomsbury.

The Pinyin system has been used for transliterations of Chinese words.

Words in bold type are included in the Glossary at the end of the book.

Acknowledgments

I wish to thank the following academic colleagues for their invaluable feedback on the draft manuscript:

Professor John D'Arcy May, Irish School of Ecumenics, Trinity College, Dublin

Associate Professor Douglas Pratt, Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, University of Waikato, New Zealand

Dr Heather Foster, School of Education, University of South Australia, Adelaide

Peta Jones Pellach, Director of Adult Education, Shalom Institute, Sydney

Associate Professor Mehmet Olzap, Charles Sturt University

Amna Hansia and the staff of the Australian Islamic College, Perth

Associate Professor Constant Mews, Director of Centre for Studies in Religion and Theology, Monash University, Melbourne

I am also very grateful for the professional advice and support of the Blackwell staff and their associates for this second edition, especially Rebecca Harkin, Ruth Swan, Vimali Joseph and Georgina Colby. I also wish to thank my wife, Kim Host, for her proof‐reading of the manuscript.

Paul Gwynne
Sydney

1.1	The Five Wisdom Buddhas of Tibetan Buddhism
3.1	The Daoist adaption of the Buddhist Pancasila
3.2	The Ten Commandments in its different forms
7.1	The Five Elements of Daoism
9.1	The Western Christian calendar
9.2	The Theravada Buddhist calendar
9.3	The southern Hindu calendar
9.4	The Chinese calendar
9.5	The Jewish calendar
9.6	The Islamic calendar

A Comparative Introduction