ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
ABOUT THIS BOOK
The tradition of agape, or unconditional love, is not exclusive to any one religion. Actually, it is a major underlying principle found in religions worldwide. The concept of altruistic love is one that challenges the spiritual person to "love your enemies," or to "love without thought of return." It is a love that flows out to others in the form of compassion, kindness, tenderness, and charitable giving.
Buddhists have a path of compassion, where caring for others becomes the motivating force behind existence. Hindus have a branch of yoga, the heart-centered path, that leads to enlightenment through an overwhelming love for God that takes the form of loving all of humanity. Eastern religions, such as Taoism and Confucianism, see transcendent love as essential part of true wisdom.
The universal theme of love is found in all religious traditions, Buddhist, Christian, Islam, or others. As we begin realize that all religions have at their core this spiritual principle of love, we can develop a sense of common humanity. The religious tradition of agape love examined in this book will serve as an inspiration for those who are learning to grow in compassion and love for all people.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY Sir John Templeton was born in Winchester, Tennessee, went to Yale and then to Oxford as a Rhodes scholar. He is known for his astute investment skills on Wall Street and through the Templeton Mutual Funds. In 1987 he founded the John Templeton Foundation, and he currently funds the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion.
REVIEWS Knight Ridder Newspapers - Sacramento, CA March 18, 2000
"Author finds love in everything, former financier preaches universal goodwill in new book" By William R. Macklin
Sir John Templeton cares so much about agape love that he's even written a book about it. But when he's asked to define it, he pauses, lets a few reflective moments waft by, then almost cryptically, says, "It's not Eros love. It is not filial love. It is not tribal love," Templeton says. The onetime financier appears to reach into the recesses of the complex mind that helped conceive the rudiments of global investment and finds a definition that seems to belie all the hardnosed tactics associates with the business world in which Templeton made millions. "It's pure love for every human being with ever any exception," he says. Love, boundless and all encompassing, a concept the ancient Greeks termed "agape." Templeton says it exists everywhere. "I might even say that the universe is an expression of God's love," he says. Templeton, 87, a lifelong Presbyterian, expounds the prevalence of universal goodwill in his recently published book, Agape Love: A Tradition Found in Eight World Religions. The founder chairman and chief donor of an eponymous foundation that pays upwards of $35 millions a year for the scientific study of spiritual faith, Templeton is a forceful, sometimes controversial figure in ecumenical theology. Before remaking himself as a sort of Indiana Jones in search of lost spiritual virtues, Templeton made a fortune in international finance as the founder of the Templeton Groups of Mutual Funds. But while he once commanded the forces of global capitalism, he now seeks to understand the vast, "mysterious force" of agape. Its disparate strands are evident in Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Confucianism and Native American religions, Templeton maintains. Agape is the charity, kindness, forgiveness and compassion expressed by believers everywhere, he says. At least everywhere that human ego has been brought into check. Templeton has written or edited 12 books through his Templeton Foundation Press, including The Humble Approach: Scientists Discover God and Worldwide Laws of Life. He often focuses on the importance of humility, saying social and religious conflicts usually result from egos gone amok. He doesn't say if that idea applies to critics who have complained that Templeton's mingling of religion and science may distort the objective study of both. "If we would be humble enough to admit that no human being even knew 1 percent of the great and universal God, then we would be able to say that maybe we can learn something from someone else," he says. Templeton, who had once dreamed of being a missionary to China, says his current mission is to revive the world's religions by helping them increase their knowledge and relevance. "I worry that religions have become old-fashioned because they have not discovered new things every year," he said. "I want to reveal the increasing mysteries… encourage new inquiries and new experiments." But is he the man for the job? Critics contend that Templeton is a lightweight who repackages the deep thoughts and important ideas of others. His Worldwide Laws of Life, a 502-page demi-Gospel for his adherents, includes 200 spiritual principles for week-to-week living culled from a range of religious and philosophical text with commentaries by Templeton. The palm-sized, 106-page Agape Love takes roughly the same approach. The sentiments may be lovely, but University of Pennsylvania philosopher James F Ross dismisses Templeton's work as thin and wishful - a troubling attempt to give the world's religions a Judeo-Christian contour. "The idea is that you can look at all of these world religions and find them confirming the claim that this ideal exists everywhere," says Ross, who specializes in religious philosophy. "But what he is doing is a projection of his own… Christian viewpoint." When confronted with the criticism, Templeton is restrained. "Let's all just try and be open minded," he says. Asked how he maintained his spiritual balance in the cutthroat world of international finance, Templeton, who retired in 1992, says it was wrong to assume that successful corporate executives lack spiritual depth. "People who have not made success out of something think that people ho have did it out of evil," he says. "There are a few people in finance who have a cutthroat attitude and they succeed for a little while. "But when I started as a financial adviser, I had the desire to help the customer. If I had only wanted to help myself, I wouldn't have had any customers." Now, he says he wants to help the world, and against the clamor of his critics Templeton said he will continue to make his fortune a tool of his faith. "I'd like to prove that you do not exist," he said, "and that God is the only reality."
Press - Grand Rapids, MI April 1, 2000
"Authors celebrate the meaning of love in world's religions"
In Agape Love, Sir John Templeton explores the varied concepts of love set forth in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Confucianism, Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Native American spirituality through passages from sacred texts and noting common threads. "Perhaps without even being fully aware of it," Templeton writes, "religious leaders and their followers through the ages have defined religion largely in terms of love". "All the world's great religions… both teach and assume the priority of love in religious practice." Templeton defines the highest kind of love as "agape." Agape Love - derived from ancient Greek - is "not directed toward a single person or small group of friends, but toward all humanity, even all of creation." Templeton credits scholars for helping him find examples of agape love in religions worldwide. His commentaries are brief, yet insightful. At first, I was leery of this book. Noting the publisher, I wondered if it might be a vanity offering. But I have enjoyed reading it many times. Its message is simple, yet it has profound implications on the interrelatedness of all spiritual endeavors.
4E Port Arthur News November 7, 1999
Whatever happiness in the world has arisen from a wish for the welfare of others, says Buddhist proverb. Whatever misery there is has arisen from indulging selfishness, it continues. Love is all-important and its own reward goes a Tamil proverb. "Those who say, 'I love God' and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars." 1 John 4:20 These bits of wisdom are from Agape Love: A Tradition Found in Eight World Religions, by Sir John Templeton.
Unconditional Love - agape love - encompasses total acceptance, compassion, selflessness, kindness, and forgiveness. It's at the center of every major world religion, and as Templeton examines its foundations in Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Taoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Native American spirituality, the universality of its principles is made powerfully evident. One perfect expression of agape is St. Francis' "Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace"; similar sentiments are quoted from the texts and traditions of each of the selected belief systems. The result of all these teachings, summarizes Templeton, should be a recognition that peace and love must reign over violence and hatred, and that the practice of an active love, a joyful love, can indeed transform and heal our world. Thought small, this little volume carries a lot of weight. Just right for giving or keeping close at hand, it's proof once again that really good things don't always need big packages.
The Scientific and Medical Network Spring 2004
A gem of a book explaining how this principle of agape love is to be found in all the major traditions, including in this case Confucianism and Native American Spirituality. Each tradition is clearly set out in a few simple pages with special quotations interspersed on alternate pages. Inspiring bedtime reading.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction / 1
Judaism / 11
Christianity / 23
Islam / 35
Hinduism / 45
Buddhism / 59
Taoism / 69
Confucianism / 81
Native American Spirituality / 89
Concluding Thoughts / 99
References and Further Reading / 103
About the Author / 105
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
with an electronic file for alternative access.
Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
The tradition of agape, or unconditional love, is not exclusive to any one religion. Actually, it is a major underlying principle found in religions worldwide. The concept of altruistic love is one that challenges the spiritual person to "love your enemies," or to "love without thought of return." It is a love that flows out to others in the form of compassion, kindness, tenderness, and charitable giving.
Buddhists have a path of compassion, where caring for others becomes the motivating force behind existence. Hindus have a branch of yoga, the heart-centered path, that leads to enlightenment through an overwhelming love for God that takes the form of loving all of humanity. Eastern religions, such as Taoism and Confucianism, see transcendent love as essential part of true wisdom.
The universal theme of love is found in all religious traditions, Buddhist, Christian, Islam, or others. As we begin realize that all religions have at their core this spiritual principle of love, we can develop a sense of common humanity. The religious tradition of agape love examined in this book will serve as an inspiration for those who are learning to grow in compassion and love for all people.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY Sir John Templeton was born in Winchester, Tennessee, went to Yale and then to Oxford as a Rhodes scholar. He is known for his astute investment skills on Wall Street and through the Templeton Mutual Funds. In 1987 he founded the John Templeton Foundation, and he currently funds the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion.
REVIEWS Knight Ridder Newspapers - Sacramento, CA March 18, 2000
"Author finds love in everything, former financier preaches universal goodwill in new book" By William R. Macklin
Sir John Templeton cares so much about agape love that he's even written a book about it. But when he's asked to define it, he pauses, lets a few reflective moments waft by, then almost cryptically, says, "It's not Eros love. It is not filial love. It is not tribal love," Templeton says. The onetime financier appears to reach into the recesses of the complex mind that helped conceive the rudiments of global investment and finds a definition that seems to belie all the hardnosed tactics associates with the business world in which Templeton made millions. "It's pure love for every human being with ever any exception," he says. Love, boundless and all encompassing, a concept the ancient Greeks termed "agape." Templeton says it exists everywhere. "I might even say that the universe is an expression of God's love," he says. Templeton, 87, a lifelong Presbyterian, expounds the prevalence of universal goodwill in his recently published book, Agape Love: A Tradition Found in Eight World Religions. The founder chairman and chief donor of an eponymous foundation that pays upwards of $35 millions a year for the scientific study of spiritual faith, Templeton is a forceful, sometimes controversial figure in ecumenical theology. Before remaking himself as a sort of Indiana Jones in search of lost spiritual virtues, Templeton made a fortune in international finance as the founder of the Templeton Groups of Mutual Funds. But while he once commanded the forces of global capitalism, he now seeks to understand the vast, "mysterious force" of agape. Its disparate strands are evident in Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Confucianism and Native American religions, Templeton maintains. Agape is the charity, kindness, forgiveness and compassion expressed by believers everywhere, he says. At least everywhere that human ego has been brought into check. Templeton has written or edited 12 books through his Templeton Foundation Press, including The Humble Approach: Scientists Discover God and Worldwide Laws of Life. He often focuses on the importance of humility, saying social and religious conflicts usually result from egos gone amok. He doesn't say if that idea applies to critics who have complained that Templeton's mingling of religion and science may distort the objective study of both. "If we would be humble enough to admit that no human being even knew 1 percent of the great and universal God, then we would be able to say that maybe we can learn something from someone else," he says. Templeton, who had once dreamed of being a missionary to China, says his current mission is to revive the world's religions by helping them increase their knowledge and relevance. "I worry that religions have become old-fashioned because they have not discovered new things every year," he said. "I want to reveal the increasing mysteries… encourage new inquiries and new experiments." But is he the man for the job? Critics contend that Templeton is a lightweight who repackages the deep thoughts and important ideas of others. His Worldwide Laws of Life, a 502-page demi-Gospel for his adherents, includes 200 spiritual principles for week-to-week living culled from a range of religious and philosophical text with commentaries by Templeton. The palm-sized, 106-page Agape Love takes roughly the same approach. The sentiments may be lovely, but University of Pennsylvania philosopher James F Ross dismisses Templeton's work as thin and wishful - a troubling attempt to give the world's religions a Judeo-Christian contour. "The idea is that you can look at all of these world religions and find them confirming the claim that this ideal exists everywhere," says Ross, who specializes in religious philosophy. "But what he is doing is a projection of his own… Christian viewpoint." When confronted with the criticism, Templeton is restrained. "Let's all just try and be open minded," he says. Asked how he maintained his spiritual balance in the cutthroat world of international finance, Templeton, who retired in 1992, says it was wrong to assume that successful corporate executives lack spiritual depth. "People who have not made success out of something think that people ho have did it out of evil," he says. "There are a few people in finance who have a cutthroat attitude and they succeed for a little while. "But when I started as a financial adviser, I had the desire to help the customer. If I had only wanted to help myself, I wouldn't have had any customers." Now, he says he wants to help the world, and against the clamor of his critics Templeton said he will continue to make his fortune a tool of his faith. "I'd like to prove that you do not exist," he said, "and that God is the only reality."
Press - Grand Rapids, MI April 1, 2000
"Authors celebrate the meaning of love in world's religions"
In Agape Love, Sir John Templeton explores the varied concepts of love set forth in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Confucianism, Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Native American spirituality through passages from sacred texts and noting common threads. "Perhaps without even being fully aware of it," Templeton writes, "religious leaders and their followers through the ages have defined religion largely in terms of love". "All the world's great religions… both teach and assume the priority of love in religious practice." Templeton defines the highest kind of love as "agape." Agape Love - derived from ancient Greek - is "not directed toward a single person or small group of friends, but toward all humanity, even all of creation." Templeton credits scholars for helping him find examples of agape love in religions worldwide. His commentaries are brief, yet insightful. At first, I was leery of this book. Noting the publisher, I wondered if it might be a vanity offering. But I have enjoyed reading it many times. Its message is simple, yet it has profound implications on the interrelatedness of all spiritual endeavors.
4E Port Arthur News November 7, 1999
Whatever happiness in the world has arisen from a wish for the welfare of others, says Buddhist proverb. Whatever misery there is has arisen from indulging selfishness, it continues. Love is all-important and its own reward goes a Tamil proverb. "Those who say, 'I love God' and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars." 1 John 4:20 These bits of wisdom are from Agape Love: A Tradition Found in Eight World Religions, by Sir John Templeton.
Unconditional Love - agape love - encompasses total acceptance, compassion, selflessness, kindness, and forgiveness. It's at the center of every major world religion, and as Templeton examines its foundations in Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Taoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Native American spirituality, the universality of its principles is made powerfully evident. One perfect expression of agape is St. Francis' "Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace"; similar sentiments are quoted from the texts and traditions of each of the selected belief systems. The result of all these teachings, summarizes Templeton, should be a recognition that peace and love must reign over violence and hatred, and that the practice of an active love, a joyful love, can indeed transform and heal our world. Thought small, this little volume carries a lot of weight. Just right for giving or keeping close at hand, it's proof once again that really good things don't always need big packages.
The Scientific and Medical Network Spring 2004
A gem of a book explaining how this principle of agape love is to be found in all the major traditions, including in this case Confucianism and Native American Spirituality. Each tradition is clearly set out in a few simple pages with special quotations interspersed on alternate pages. Inspiring bedtime reading.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction / 1
Judaism / 11
Christianity / 23
Islam / 35
Hinduism / 45
Buddhism / 59
Taoism / 69
Confucianism / 81
Native American Spirituality / 89
Concluding Thoughts / 99
References and Further Reading / 103
About the Author / 105
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
with an electronic file for alternative access.
Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
It can take 2-3 weeks for requests to be filled.
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
