This extensive collection of religious texts examines a wide variety of spiritual traditions. Modern students of religion understand the difference between traditional streams of thought regarding Ultimate Reality. These volumes invite readers into the ancient conversation and provide a grounding for modern scholarship and inter-faith understanding.

Gathering together the seminal texts of major world religions and metaphysics, this collection offers a window into diverse perspectives on ethics, truth, and what it means to lead a good life. Each volume includes contemporary editions of each text, as well as facing-page commentary, providing analysis and cultural context.

Twenty-six centuries after their origination, the principles laid down in the Analects of Confucius still act as the foundation of Chinese philosophy, ethics, society, and government, and play a formative role in the development of many Eastern philosophies. In this intriguing look at the meaning of the Analects, Rodney L. Taylor, the foremost American researcher of Confucius as a religious and spiritual figure, explains their teachings. He shows how Confucius advocates learning and self-cultiva...