9 episodes
Religion of the Month Club Alessandro
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- Religion & Spirituality
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5.0 • 3 Ratings
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Every month we discuss a chapter from one of the world's scriptural traditions, from the Bible to the Bhagavad Gita, from the Tao Te Ching to the Quran, and so on.
Episodes will come out on the first of every lunar month as designated by the tradition associated with the text. For the first six months, we will focus on the first chapter of the each text (with some exceptions), e.g. the first chapter of Genesis (בְּרֵאשִׁית), the first chapter of the Tao De Ching (道德經), the first chapter of the Qur'an (القرآن), &c.
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Heart Sutra
It is the first day of the sixth month of the year 2564 of the Buddhist calendar. In this episode we discuss the Prajñāpāramitā Hṛdaya Sūtra, also known as the Heart of Transcendent Wisdom or the Insight that Brings Us to the Other Shore.
Key Question: what does it mean for your chosen path to be merely a vehicle to be discarded once you reach your destination? -
Sura Al-Fatiha
It is the first day of Dhu al-Qa'dah, 1442 A.H. In this episode, we discuss the opening of the Qur'an, Sura Al-Fatiha.
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Mark 1
Today marks the Feast of the Ascension, the 40th day of Easter in the Christian calendar, in the year 2021 anno Domini. In this episode, we discuss the first chapter of the Gospel according to Mark.
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Bhagavad Gita 2
It is the first day of Vaisakha in the year 2078 in the Hindu calendar. In this episode we discuss the second chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, the Song of God, from the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata.
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Setting the Wheel of Dhamma in Motion
This month, in the year 2564 of the Buddhist Era, we discuss the Buddha's first sermon in Varanasi, Setting the Wheel of Dhamma in Motion, or the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta.
Questions for consideration:
- Have you ever felt like "life is suffering?"
- What does "the middle path" mean to you?
Translations referenced:
- Piyadassi Thera - https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.011.harv.html
- Thanissaro Bhikkhu - https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.011.than.html
Books referenced:
- God Is Not One by Stephen Prothero - https://www.stephenprothero.com/god-is-not-one -
Tao Te Ching 1
Happy Chinese New Year, everybody! It's the year of the Ox. In this episode we discuss the first chapter of the Tao Te Ching.
Questions for consideration:
What do you think of the two roles of "mother" as progenitor and nurturer?
Is it possible to see the world without desire?
Customer Reviews
When is next episode coming out?
This is a great forum to learn about the deep traditions that shape our societies around the world. Living in secular West, perhaps we take it for granted that others do not take religion seriously like us modernists living in San Francisco, New York or London. However, given that billions of people today are self professed followers of some form of religion (Islam, Christianity, Buddhism or others), we will do well by understanding the basic principles of many people around the world. Perhaps that could be the seeding for more mutual respect and understanding among us.
Alessandro, a few questions for future episodes:
1. What is your view on the notion of Trinity in how at least Christians interpret the plurality of God in Genesis?
2. Would you be able to come up with 1 or 2 key questions to ponder for each of these scriptures? For foundational books like these sacred texts, questions could be helpful in fostering conversations. For example, for the Oxford lecture series on Shakespeare, Professor Emma King anchors each lecture around a central question (what is the role of agency in “Macbeth”?). I found these penetrating questions helpful in allowing me to explore these deep topics better.
3. Would you explore the historic, cultural, or even social context for why certain scriptures originated in a particular region? For example, why did Abrahamic religions all come from the Middle East? Why did Protestantism originate in Europe? Buddhism in India? Dao De Jing in China?
Thank you for doing this. Can’t wait for the next episode!