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               The World’s Religions  by Huston Smith

Huston Smith is widely regarded as the most eloquent and accessible      contemporary authority on the history of religions.  Born in China as the child of American Methodist missionaries, he has traveled around the world many times. He once survived six rigorous weeks in a Zen monastery in Japan. On another occasion, high in a Himalayan monastery, he tape recorded the rare chanting of Tibetan Buddhist monks and came home to write a scientific paper on their unique sound characteristics. He has taught at Washington University, MIT, Syracuse University, and the University of California at Berkeley. Several years ago, Huston Smith was featured in a special interview series by Bill Moyers on public television entitled “The Wisdom of Faith”.

Emphasizing the inner-rather than institutional-dimensions of these religions, Smith devotes special attention to Zen and Tibetan Buddhism, Sufiism, and the teachings of Jesus. He convincingly conveys the unique appeal and gifts of each of the traditions and reveals their hold on the human heart and imagination.

“If we take the world’s enduring religions at their best, we discover the distilled wisdom of the human race.” - Huston Smith