Wisdom from World Religions: Lifting your Awareness to a Higher Level of Receptivity
Week 1 Day 1 Unit 3: A Spiritual Practice from Sir John Templeton
Hi Substack Community!
Here is the third video and study guide for Day 1, Week 1 in the course. Enjoy!
The Design of the Course
I originally offered the course in eighteen modules over six weeks. Each module contained three or four videos and study material. That was a brisk pace, so now I am posting the approximately seventy videos over a longer period of time.
Here are the study guides and discussion questions for this session. (The course syllabus and the weekly study guide are at the bottom of each posts, but, for convenience, I have placed useful sections below after the discussion questions.)
Feel free to share your thoughts or questions.
Week 1 Spiritual Law from Sir John Templeton:
“The rich variety of world religions creates a tapestry of amazing beauty—a testimony to the spiritual nature of our human visit on earth” (WWR 56).
Week 1 Day 1 Unit 3 Study Guide
A spiritual practice from Sir John Templeton: Lifting your awareness to a higher level of receptivity
Unit 3 Learning Objectives:
1. To describe SJT’s approach to the wisdom of the world’s religions
2. To explain how SJT’s Wisdom from World Religions (WWR) relates to the academic and religious study of religion.
3. To outline some of the skills that we need to bring to the study the world’s religions.
Suggested Reading in Wisdom from World Religions
pages xix-xxv (the same as for video 1 and 2)
Video 3 Learning Objective: To employ this spiritual practice from Sir John Templeton.
Discussion questions (same as Video 2)
Seekers
What is the value of “an inquiring and open mind” (xxi), according to the Sir John?
How can studying the world’s religions help us to see the world and its diverse peoples differently?
Proficients
How do the spiritual teachings of the world’s religions help us understand our place and role in the world?
What consequences for your own views of religion does studying other religions have?
Adepts
What might be the unifying principle or principles of the vastly diverse religions of the world?
In contrast, say, to philosophy, how do the religions of the world promote wisdom?
From the Syllabus
The Purpose and Structure of the Course
Course Description
Until recently, the wisdom of the world’s many religions existed in separate silos blocked from other traditions by barriers of language, distance, and slow communications. Now, more than any time in history, this collective wisdom is easily available to anyone with an internet connection. But without a guide to this enormous wealth of information and practice, we can quickly lose our way. In this course, comparative religionist Kenneth Rose, PhD, will be your guide in learning about and practicing the religious and spiritual wisdom that can change your life and the life of your community. Taking his start from the spiritual principles and practices outlined by noted financier and spiritual teacher Sir John Templeton in his book Wisdom from World Religions: Pathways Toward Heaven on Earth, Prof. Rose will trace these teachings to their sources in the world’s major religions and show you how you can put them into practice.
Learning Objectives
Questions That Guide this Course
This course provides clear and inspiring answers to many of life’s big questions:
Does life have an ultimate meaning?
Is science the ultimate guide to the deepest truths of life?
Does God, or a divine reality, exist?
What practices can bring God, or a divine reality, into your own experience?
Is death the end of life?
What You'll Learn
After taking this course, participants will be able to:
Identify the basic teachings of the world’s major religious traditions.
Distinguish these religions from each other.
Compare these religions in search of what they have in common and how they differ.
Evaluate Sir John Templeton’s contributions to the study of spirituality.
Apply some of the spiritual practices suggested by Sir John Templeton
Assess claims about spiritual realities made by the various religions.
How You’ll Learn
Each post contains a link to a short YouTube video (approximately ten minutes in length). These videos are the core of the course, so watching them attentively is essential to profiting from the spent with them.
In videos containing “Video 1” and “Video 2” in the titles, I trace central themes in the religions of the world and in the spiritual thought of Sir John Thompson.
In videos containing “Video 3” in the titles, I introduce a spiritual practice adapted from Sir John Templeton’s writings. You are invited to participate in this spiritual practice—or not, as you choose.
Suggested Book
The lectures in the videos are based on selected readings from Sir John Templeton’s Wisdom from World Religions: Pathways Toward Heaven on Earth (Philadelphia and London: Templeton Foundation Press, 2002). Look for relevant page numbers in the study guide for each video (see below). Templeton’s book is available in print, audio, and e-book formats at these sites:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/1890151912/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=all
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wisdom-from-world-religions-john-templeton/1114314497
https://play.google.com/store/books/details?pcampaignid=books_read_action&id=vicTZS8PvgYC
Discussion Groups
In the online course, participants divided themselves into three groups based on where they saw themselves in relation to religion and the spiritual life. As you will see, I have divided up the discussion questions to fit each group. Here are the descriptions of each group. You can choose the group that suits you—or switch between them as you like.
Seeker: These questions are ideal for learners who are new to the study and practice of religion and spirituality.
Proficient: These questions are for learners with extensive knowledge and practice of at least one religious tradition
Adept: These questions are for learners with broad experience in the practice and study of multiple religious traditions.