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Sir John TempletonSir John Templeton eBooks Agape Love
eBook Summary: 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 an essential part of true wisdom. The Jewish faith carries the essential message of agape in this passage from Leviticus: "You shall not hate your brother in your heart... but you shall love your neighbor as yourself." — Lev. 19:17f. This is very similar to the New Testament passage: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." — Matthew 22:39. The universal theme of love is found in all religious traditions, whether Buddhist, Christian, Islam, or others. As we begin to 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. Highlights Includes Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Confucianism, and Native American spirituality. A beautiful gift book for inspiration and guidance. Pure Unlimited Love
eBook Summary: Understanding and expressing unconditional love—also called agape love—can be a lifelong quest. First, however, we must ask ourselves and others what it is. Is it an action, a universal energy, or a creative principle? And if we understand it, can its expression ever be realized or is it simply a divine attribute? These and other questions are addressed in an inspirational and practical style in this philosophical essay from Sir John Templeton. He seeks to define pure, unlimited love as the "transcendent power of divine love that expresses itself through our hearts and minds when we are open and receptive to it." Its greatest attributes are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Another important concept is that God’s love is given to us because we seek and accept it, not because we deserve it. It is the humble and sincere person who is most receptive to God’s perfect love. This love can be awakened in other people through the action of love itself. We learn what it is from those who have it, and we can begin to recognize it through loving service to others. Basic reality seems to be that the more you try to be like God by radiating unlimited love, the more you become flooded by waves of love from others and from God. Sir John summarizes with the statement "How wonderful it would be if we could begin to say whenever we meet or depart, ‘God loves you and I do too.’" This, in fact, is the essence of pure, unlimited love—a concept we can understand and can begin to practice in our daily lives. This thoughtful book can serve as an inspiration as well as a step-by-step guide on how to put this into practice. Highlights A thoughtful essay on unconditional love Conversion of a complex theological principle to practical actions A clear explanation of the power of love Worldwide Worship
eBook Summary: Drawn from classical and religious texts, as well as the work of poets and other artists, Worldwide Worship is a unique celebration of worship found in many religious traditions. These selections have been chosen singularly and as a group by John Marks Templeton, not only for their individual aesthetic beauty, but also to assist us in learning various lessons of life. The collection begins with prayer, drawn from sources such as Celtic, Native American, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim traditions, among others. These words are used to help the reader understand the power of prayer and how it can best be used as a conduit for God’s love and wisdom. The next section combines hymns, spiritual songs, and contemporary tunes into a ministry of music. There are some classic favorites as well as ones from Hindu worship, Filipino folk songs, Kwanzaa celebrations, and the Buddhist tradition. Combining uplifting words with music carries feelings directly to the heart, and many of these selections have the accompanying musical scores included to add to one’s enjoyment. Both the imagery and construction of poetry included in the next section convey powerful feelings and can open the heart to the elegance of language and the richness of the spirit. Among the selections are Walt Whitman and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow along with contemporary writers Ken Wilber and Jack Kornfield. Navajo prayers are juxtaposed to Kahil Gibran and Hildegard of Bingen. From this rich mixture of prayer, song, and poetry comes a confirmation of the life-affirming universality of the human spirit. Together these works celebrate the universal principles found in the human mind, and attempt to bridge the gaps between religions, cultures, and peoples of the world. About the Author: 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.
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