J U D A I S M themselves Yehudim, Jews, united by their beliefin Yahweh, their history, and their VISion Of a Promised Land. The Book ofJob showed [ 0 what extremes one 's fai th should stretch. Job was a good man, in fact "blameless and upright, who feared G0d and turned away from evil." Satan, the embodiment of evi 1 , wanted [ 0 prove to God that Job 's faith came only from his being so happily blessed. AII those blessings were taken away—his house was destroyed, and his children died in a tornado; he was afflicted with boils all over his body; his wife lost faith and told him to curse God. Through it all, Job's faith was solid. "I know that you can do all things , and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted , he said finally to God. "Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things t00 wonderful for me, which I did not know … . I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes. " The G0d of the Jews was demanding and terrifying at times, but in the end, just. He accepted J0b's prayer and mutiplied his blessings. The Prophet J()b came tO stand for the human condition in the Jewish world view: Despite extremes ofsuffering, theJewish person 儀 i [ h 応 1 to G0d will ultimately win his blessings. When Cyrus of Persia gained control of Babylon, the exile was ended. "l returned tO [these] sacred cities on the other side of the Tigris, the sanctuaries of which have been in ruins for a long time , the images which [used]to live therein [and] all their [former] inhabitants," reads the so- called Cyrus Cylinder, a clay object on which the great Persian leader imprinted his version of history. ln 538 B. C. E. some Jews began to return to lsrael. The vast major- ity stayed ⅲ Babylon and built several communities such asNehardea on the Euphrates, which became an important center forJewish scholarship in the third century C. E. From this moment on, the Babylonian community remained the largest Jewish center in the world until well intO medieval times. The influence of the Jews 砿 Babylon, which then became part Of the Persian Empire, iS [ 0 be seen in the cel- ebration 0 「 the Purim festival each year. This reflects the attempt of Haman, duri ng the reign 0f Ataxerxes , to destroy the Jewish community. Thanks to Mordecai and Esther, as recorded in the biblical Book ofEsther, the Jews were saved. To this day Purim is celebrated throughout the Jewish world a day offancy dress, banquets, and gifts to the poor. The Megilla, the scroll ofEsther, is read in synagogues in a festive atmosphere. Those who did go home returned to Jerusalem with increased passion, ready [ 0 rebuild their city, their Temple, and their natlon. E Z R A ' S R E V I V A L I N I T I A LLY T H E return toJudaea was fraught with dif- ficulty, and several attempts to rebuild the Temple and Jerusalem failed. Only later, under the joint leadership of Ezra and Nehemia, did another "return succeed in reestab- lishing a vibrant JewiSh community in Judaea. Jerusalem was slowly rebuilt and a new Temple erected. Ezra also brought about a maJOr religious revival. ln particular he reformed the priesthood but he alSO introduced innovations t0 make Judaism less exclusively a Temple-based religion. Typical Of hiS reformation was the reaffirmation Of the biblical Feast of TabernacIes, Sukkoth, as a festival for everyone, not JLISt the priests. A crowd gathered at Jerusalem's Water Gate—the city S east entrance, WhiCh opened ontO the hillside nearest Gihon Spring. lt was one Ofthe massive new gates built intO the much expanded ci ty wall. People watched wi th antici- pation Ezra, a Temple scribe, climbed up on [ 0 a wooden platform erected in the city square .Next [ 0 him StOOd Other Temple elders : the Levi tes , descended 仔 om the tri be Levi considered teaching priests. Two of them held a pair of wooden spools, on [ 0 which a scroll ofparchment was wound. This was the Torah—the Hebrew word for "law," now used to name the holy books of Juda1sm. Throughout history, Jewish relig ious leaders have repeated the ceremony of car- rying a scrolled Torah, opening it, and reading 伝 om it aloud. Ezra began by addressing the crowd in Aramaic, the language most of them used. Then he began to read 221

F E S T I V A L S A M U s E D Y 0 U N G women ( の ofthe Bhiltribe, in central lndia, dress [ 0 impress prospective husbands during Bhagor1ya, which can be translated as the festi- val of elopement. Any young man attending the dance whO is interested in one Of them, simply has tO offer her a betel leaf,. If she accepts, the young woman grabs him and dances with him 0 ・なん ) , signifying to allthat they are engaged. The only thing le 丘 t0 resolve is the matter of a dowry, which the groom's family must pay. Hindu festivals such as the Bhagoriya often serve several purposes. They unite religion with pageantry and magic and serve tO purify and renew, or thwart evil influences on daily lives. Ancient ln orlgin, the Hindu festivals are typical ofthe many celebrations that take place throughout the year in lndia. Pilgrims bathe 〃ツ第 4 、ⅵ n the spray of the Kapildhara FaIIs, near the source of the Narmada River.

T H E C A L L T O ・ / ・ O R S H I P F I V E T I M E S a day, at sunrlse, noon, afternoon, sunset, and evenlng, muezzlns around the world callthe faithful to worship, chanting in Arabic, "Come and pray, come and flourish, there is no god but Allah. " "Allahu akhbar! " God is most great. ln the mosque, at work, and at home, Muslims pause for the ritual and, above all, prayerful consclousness. To pray without niyyah, inten- t10n, means less than not praylng at all. ln some cultures women pray at home, whereas men go to the mosque, but all Muslims—women, men, and children—praise Allah and his Prophet, Muhammad. Before prayer, Muslims cleanse themselves. Most mosques have a fountaln with water for wash- ing face, hands, arms, and e [. A mosque is primarily a great hall, often an open courtyard, in which worshipers assume orderly rows facing the mihrab, the ornamented wall niche that indicates the directlon tO Mecca. An imam leads the worshipers ln prayer, WhiCh combines a reciting ()f 伝 om the Qur'an with devout motion: standing, bowing, kneeling face down, kneeling, and sitting. The worshipers may be so great in number that the mosque overflows and even the sidewalks outside are lined with straw mats on WhiCh men prostrate themselves. At prayer's end, people turn to their right and left, and bid their Ⅱ ow Muslims to walk in peace with God's blessings. Praying five times a day is one of the Five Pillars of lslam—the five tenets ofpious behavior that all Muslims 応Ⅱ ow. Congregational prayers are held at mosques on Friday, and many businesses stay closed on Friday afternoons. ノキ丘 er Friday prayer, worshipers sit and listen tO an imam or Other member Of the congregation lecture on verses fr()l the Qur an, illuminating their meaning and applying them t0 modern daily life. As early as they begin t0 speak, Muslim children memorize sacred phrases in Arabic, such as " B え衂″ / 4 なル 4 〃なん〃 2 " ーー " ln the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. " This phrase, WhiCh begins every sura, or chapter, Of the Qur'an, invests meaning intO every endeavor. Muslims utter it when beginning anything—a meal, a trip, a viSIt with a friend, when entering a room or a mosque—as a way ofremalmng mindful ofthe One True G ( . Any reference [ 0 the Prophet, spoken or written, is followed immediately by an honorific phrase: "Peace be upon him," ln English sometlmes shortened to pbuh' in parentheses. 気 h words ofprayer and honor at the ready at every turn of the day, Muslims hope that every day will be a God-conscious one.

H I N D U I S M after the cremation, the family offers tenpindas, or rice balls tO the river, tO feed the spirit Of the deceased on itS travels 1ntO the next lncarnatlon. 、 A belief in reincarnatlon infuses the entire system Of Hinduism. Every living thing, the Hindu believes, has a spirit cycling through many b0dy forms, undergoing a rhythm ofrepeating births and deaths that could be end- less. Through karma, which means actlon" in Sanskrit, the deeds of the present li sh 叩 e the character ofthe next. A li of generous devotion [ 0 the gods will be rewarded in the next lncarnation. "AS a man acts, as he behaves, SO does he become , says one ancient Hi ndu text. 'Whoso does good , becomes go : whoso does evil , becomes evil. By good works a man becomes holy, by evil he becomes evil. During the first millennium, this doctrine Of rein- carnation began t0 emerge in the Ganges Valley. Some historlans see 1 [ as a response tO the growlng power Of priests and the sacrifices they performed. Men ofpower and wealth wanted [ 0 bank more than one life's share ofdivine favor, goes one theory, and the promise Of future lives offered them that comfort. The promise 0 日 i after death began t0 appear in h01y writings in lndia by about 5()() B. C. The doctrine of karma, which came tO function as a 1 れ oral rule guiding present-day li and prom1Sing reincarnation, was one 0f a bundle 0f new religious ideas now reshaping the ancient VediC traditions. As trade and economic stability enriched li in the Ganges Valley, a religious countermovement began. Frail, ln truth, are those boats, the sacrifices," reads one com- mentary on the vedas. "Nothing that is eternal can be gained by what is not eternal. " Denouncing wealth and sac- rificial objects, followers of this new faith chose poverty and turned inward for spiritual reward. The turnabout SignalS a step toward the Hinduism of today and also marks the startlng point for t 、 VO new religions: Jainism and Buddhism. Brahmans traveled throughout the Ganges Valley, leading ritual events by recitlng and commenting on the ancient texts. Their teachings have come down through his- tory as the next great chapter Of Hindu scripture, the Upanishads. Written between 700 and 200 B. C. the Upanishads all share the new concept Of one cosm1C spirit, infusing the umverse and the individual. ThiS COS- mic spirit is called Brahma. 'Let a man meditate on mind as Brahma,' reads one of the Upanishads, linking what is inside the individual with What pervades the vast universe. 'He iS my selfwithin the heart , smaller than a corn Of rice , smaller than a corn Of bar- ley, smaller than a mustard seed, smaller than a canary seed or the kernel of a canary seed. He also is my self within the heart, greater than the earth, greater than the sky, greater than heaven, greater than all these worlds. " The seed ofBrahma inside each human being is called atman, the soul. The ultimate goal is [ 0 experience atman and Brahma one, which would lead to ″ 2 磋紡 or ultimate liberation 仕 om the cycle Of birth, death, and reincarnation. Under the influence ofthe Upanishads and other late- first-millennium commentaries, Hinduism developed With an emphasis on spiritual rather than material riches. Animal sacrifice was abandoned under the new concept Of ahimsa, which forbade injury to any creature, either by word, thought, or deed. Many ritual practices remained, however: the importance Of fire and water, the acts Of cleansing and lifting 叩 symbolic gifts [ 0 the gods. Brahma, set above the many particular gods 0f the Vedas, did not replace those gods. Nor did attention tO the atman within mean an end to physical ritual. These new ideas represented a larger cosmos within which the wheel of living beings—gods, demons, and humans alike—kept turning. A household deity, a 10Ca1 god, or the many emanations 0fShiva simply provided the Hindu with different pathways by which [ 0 approach the divine. Even today, the Hindu believer chooses among four paths t0 spiritual fulfillment: karma yoga, the path 0f righteous action in the world; jnana yoga, or intel- lectual inquiry; raJa yoga, meditation through physical oppo Ⅵ 0 〃いな所ん 4 加 Ga 〃 g / ん " 翔 g g んな , " な〃のノん / ノ々怩な / の 4 みルノ / ん読 4 ノル / ん膨 / . 99

ー響譱ー 1 応Ⅱ ow an underlying sequence ofreadings, actions, and song, uniting in the ritual With Jews around the world. Passover IS one 0f the many commands given t0 the Jewish people by G0d through Moses. ln every ques- tion ofright or wrong, Jews refer to teachings conveyed by Moses from God. The people stood at the 応 ot of Mount Sinai, but Moses climbed to the top, where he talked directly with G0d. He descended carrying two stone tablets on WhiCh were written, according tO the BOOk Of EXOdus 'the words Of the covenant, the Ten Commandments. This event is celebrated by the festival of Pentecost, called Shabuoth in Hebrew. The Ten Commandments form the foundation of morallaw for all three religions descending 伝 om Abraham: Judaism, Christianity, and lslam. Unique [ 0 the times, they begin with the principle ofmonotheism—"You shall have no other gods before me … for I the Lord your God am a jealous God. ' They forbid idolatry, require observance of the seventh day as a day Of rest, command that parents be honored , and include the la 、 VS Of social contract against mur- der, theft, lying, and adultery. The laws voiced by Moses numbered well more than ten. Jewish scribes counted 613 mltzvoth, or commandments, in the Five BOOkS Of Moses, the Torah, which define the practice of Judaism. They range frOI the ethical (not tO wrong anyone ln speech, not tO bear a grudge or take revenge, and [ 0 love a stranger) [ 0 the practical (not t0 sow different seeds together in one field) tO the charitable (not tO harvest the grapes or Olives that have fallen [ 0 the ground or that lie in the corners of fields, nor gather discarded corn, all which had [ 0 beleft to the poor). Some are profoundly metaphysical ()o know that God eXIStS and not tO entertain the idea that there is any god but AB()VE: . C んル〃川 0 〃 as た〃い / んノ / ん、ルイ " 着るなんけ 4 ツ房〃バルん功い加イ川伽示砌〃紘ⅵ / ん翔 g 訪 . 214

G I V E U S T H I S D A Y A Da 〃 ) P 4 ノ“ M O S T C H R I S T I A N S attend a church servlce once a week, usually on Sunday morning. Entering the house 0f prayer 伝 om the back, they see rows 0f benches, or pews, on which they sit tO face the altar in the front. There a priest or mimster, Often attended by Others, conducts a hOly service. over the altar may hang a crucifix—in many Protestant churches a simple cross, but in Other Christian churches an image Of the crucified Jesus ChriSt. ln many churches, statuary, murals, paintings, and stained-glass windows depict other h01y figures and scenes 伝 om the Bible. The min1Ster conducts the Sunday service, following a liturgy, a ritual pattern that varies according tO church or denomination. The tone and content Of Sunday services fOllOW an annual cycle that mirrors the progress 0f the life of Jesus and his ministry, from his birth (Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany) through his Crucifixion (Lent and Easter) and the early forming of the church (Pentecost). Special rituals and celebrations mark the major church holidays, especially Christmas Eve or Christmas—no matter what day of the week—and Easter, which always falls on a Sunday. Often a Sunday service begins with a call to worship and a hymn sung by a choir or the congregation. Many services include a shared statement Of confession and a response from the priest, although confession ⅲ the Cath01ic tradition takes place privately in a b00th, the con- fessor speaking unseen and the priest responding fror れ behind a screen. Confession Of sins may bring forgiveness from G0d, expressed through the priest. All people sin, Christians believe, but only those who repent, confess, and are forgiven will be rewarded in heaven after death. sometlmes a confessor must perform penance, such as saylng prayers, [ 0 become cleansed Of Sins. Recitation ofverses fr()l れ the Old and New Testament provides Christian worshipers With texts tO consider for the conung week. The focus Of many Christian services iS the sermon—a lecture wrltten and delivered by the min1Ster tO interpret those texts and apply them tO daily life. other services f()CLIS on ceremony: the processl()n ()f church officials intO the sanctuary, the call [ 0 worship, the confession and forgiveness, prayers spoken aloud, and Commumon. Communion IS a universal Christian ceremony in which participants reenact the Last Supper shared byJesus Christ with his disciples just before his Crucifixion. As they eat bread or wafers, church members partake of the body of Christ; drinking wine, they drink the b100d of Christ.

G E O G R A P H Y AIIah's help, some 7(),()()0 [0fHeraclius' men] were putto death, and their remnants [ 00k t0 flight. ' Jews 0f the regl()n, according tO an account, their con- querors, saying,'We like your rule and justice far better than the state Of oppression and tyranny in WhiCh we were. Muslims remember the martyrs whO died or lost sight or limbs for victory. From the Yarmuk, it was a short march tO Jerusalem, which MusIims already considered their holy city because of Muhammad's Night Journey to the Temple Mount on his way tO heaven. The entry intO the city was relatively peaceful. According [ 0 a tenth-century Christian hiStO- rian, Umar, the second caliph, assured the citizens that under hiS rule "their lives, possessions, and churches" would be secure and the churches "would neither be destroyed nor made into dwellings. " Umar asked Sophronius, the regional Christian bishop, for a place [ 0 build a mosque. The patri- arch said, "I will give you a place where you can build a mosque, a place where the emperors Of R01 れ e would not allow anything [ 0 be built. At this place can be found the rock where God spoke [ 0 Jacob and which Jacob called the gate of heaven. Jews called it the holy 0f holies and it is in the middle the earth. The temple of the Jews once StOOd there and Jews venerated it. 、を/ ・ herever they were when they prayed they turned their faces t0 it. I will show you this place on the condition that YOLI wrlte a document that only this one mosque will be built in Jerusalem. Sch01ars have pointed out that 13th-century version prOJects back [ 0 an earlier time Ofan urbane civility that may not have existed between Muslim and Christian leaders in 656. MusIim accounts state that Umar asked [ 0 be shown the site of the Temple of David and Solomon. Sophronius showed him tWO places that he knew were wrong. You are lying, ' Umar is believed t0 have said, "for the Messenger [Muhammad] described to me the Sanctuary ofDavid and this is not it. " The site of the Temple, last renovated by Herod, had been flattened by the Romans in 70 A. D. , and both chroniclers describe it as a dung-heap. 気 h the approval ofSophronius, I-Jmar oversaw the construction Of O F R E L I G I O N a mosque there, LIS1ng stones strewn about during the disassembly of Herod's Temple. lt was named aI-Masjid el-Aqsa, the Farthest Mosque, shortened to al-Aqsa. Al-Aqsa was the start of a Muslim holy site in Jerusalem, which grew to 5 5 acres ofgrounds, gardens, and buildings including the famous Dome of the Rock. The sanctuary plan provides a virtual history Of lslam ln Jerusalem. Umar built an entrance tO the sanctuary from the west : masslve structural gates with parallel passageways through either Bab ar-Rahmah, the Door 0fMercy, or Bab at-Tawba, the Door of Repentance. At the south end , Umar built a mosque big enough for 3 , 000 worshipers. Not 50 years later, in 685 , Caliph Abdal-Malik ibn Marwan sited a second mosque to the north. He built the Dome 0f the Rock, so called because its central dome arcs 115 feet tall over a rock that protrudes fror れ the floor—the very rock, Muslims say, where Muhammad was greeted by Abraham, Moses, and Jesus and from which Jibril led him up to heaven. 気 h the completion ofthe Dome ofthe Rock, the al-Aqsa Mosque was enlarged to nearly double capacity. The open-air Dome Of the Chain marks the exact center Of the sanctuary and may have replaced a building that predated al-Aqsa. TO level the southeast corner, a vaulted passageway was built below the sanctuary in the eighth century. Growing numbers of the faithful required several mosque expansions up t0 1053 A. D. The Dome 0f aI-Nahawiah was built in 1207 as a school ofliterature. ln the 16 [ h century, Ottoman Emperor Suleiman installed stunning mosaICS, predominantly a cerulean blue, in the ceiling of the Dome 0f the Rock. ln elegant Arabic script the tiles spell out 〃 , one of the Prophet's names found in a verse from the Qur'an: By the wise Qur'an. You are truly one of the Messengers. Upon a straight path. lt is the Revelation of the All-Mighty, the Merciful. To warn a peo- ple, whose fathers were not warned and so they are heedless. The dome's gold exterior has recently been restored. Two mosques were J0ined in 1922 to form the lslamic Museum, the oldest museum in Jerusalem, displaying holy books and artifacts from the 1 lth century [ 0 the 2()th. 374

J U D A I S M Conservat1ve and many Orth0dox traditions, girls at age 12 undergo Bat Mitzvah, a confirmation and coming Of age. The wedding ceremony dates back more than 2 OOO years. lt requires the consent OfbOth parties and a document signed by two witnesses, called a Ket ″ , that outlines the religious, social, and financial obligations ofboth sides. The ceremony begins with the bedecking 0f the bride when the groom covers her with a veil. They proceed [ 0 the C 第 4 , a four-poled canopy that represents divine protec- tion. The bride circles the bridegroom seven times, recall- ing the way S010m0n dedicated the Temple. ln this way the bride sancti fies her husband-to-be and dedicates him to her. The officiant, who may be a rabbi or a learned layperson, recites the ancient blessing Of sanctification over the first cup ofwine, and the bride and groom drink 伝 om the c 叩 . The groom places a ring on the bride's finger, saying in Hebrew, Be sanctified [ 0 me with this ring ln accordance with the law of Moses and lsrael. " The Ketuba is read, followed by seven blessings relating tO marriage, and the second cup iS drunk. The ceremony ends with the groom breaking a glass, symbolizing the destruction 0f the Temple as well as the Talmudic tradition tO remember that even on the hap- piest occaslon, there iS always S01 e sadness. Following practices established with the Talmud, men in 1 OS [ branches ofJudaism cover their head out Of humility and reverence for G0d, especially during reli- g ious services. Many wear a skullcap—called a yarmulke i n Y1ddish, a 走ゆ〃 in Hebrew—which can differ in size and material according tO tradition. MOSt . American synagogues are oriented SO that tO face the center Of the sanctuary iS alSO [ 0 face toward Jerusalem. Each synagogue has itS own Torah, ()ften encased in a recessed wall cabinet and covered by a curtain, replicating the Holy 0f H01ies in the Temple ofJerusalem. At times in the service, the doors are opened and the Torah revealed. ln many communlties, that iS occa- sion for the congregation tO stand. Unlike other religions , Judaism does not employ visual imagery [ 0 convey a sense Ofan afterworld. Jews find C01 れ一 fort in the beliefthat their 届 th 応 1 behavior will 反 rewarded after death. The dead are prepared for burial with simplic- ity and swiftness, for ancient JewiSh la , considered corpses unclean. At the time of the burial—and throughout the year for parents, or for 30 days for other relatives—a descendant, spouse, or sibling reads the Kaddish, a prayer that glorifies GOd and reminds mourners ()f GOd amid their sorro 、 V. After the burial a seven-day period ofmourning, or shivah, begins, during which family and friends respectfully gather for prayer in the home of the deceased. Practices such as these, which connect Jews of today with their forebears ofmore than 3,000 years ago, must have been one Of the few sources Of consolation during the H010caust of the 20th century, when Jews suffered the worst genocide ever perpetrated in human history. ln four years' time, between 1941 and 1945 , as many as six mil- lion Jews were executed in concentration camps operated under the Nazi regime of Adolf Hitler. Five death camps in P()land , most notoriously the one in Auschwi tz-B irkenau, near the Czech border, were designed [ 0 exterminate Jews and others determined by the Nazi leadership as weaken- ing the gene pool 0f their Aryan nation. Jews throughout Nazi—controlled Europe once agaln were required [ 0 wear identifying badges with the six-pointed Star of David. The nation of lsrael emerged from these horrors, although it had been taki ng sh 叩 e throughout the 2 ()th cen- tury. The end of World War I saw the 信Ⅱ of the Ottoman Empire, which had ruled Palestine S1nce the 16th century. The League ofNations divided theland into mandates con- trolled by France and Britain. ln its 1917 Balfour Declaration, Britain indicated that it Vie 、 ved "with favor the establish- ment in Palestine 0fa national home for the Jewish people,' but believed it important tO ensure "that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish commumties in Palestine. ' By 1946 Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, lraq, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia were all sovereign states. Only Palestine remalned a mandate, tech- nically ruled by B ritai n but possessed by those who lived there: ArabS, many Of them Palestimans with ancient roots there, but alSO newcomers•, and Jews, many ()f them recent 2 ア -

G E 0 G R A P H Y flowing, and yet ever the same Ganga. ' The river's head- waters originate in an icy cave called Gaumukh the " CO な Mouth," downstream 伝 om the Gangotri Glacier, which glis- tens amid the Bhagirathi Peaks 0f the Himalaya. From an altitude of い , 000 feet, the stream called Bhagirathi plunges through gorges and tumbles down slopes. Where the AIaknanda merges with the Bhagirathi in the mountains, the Ganges S maln stream begins. The Ghaghara, Gandak, Kosi, and Brahmaputra Rivers 伝 om the Himalayan highlands, and the Yamuna from central lndia—all join in. The Ganges measures more than 1 , う 00 miles 伝 om headwaters to mouth. The river plunges through itS initial one hundred miles, but from Haridwar on it O F R E L I G 1 0 N broadens outlnto a gently rolling floodplain, its elevation dropping no more than a 応 0t a mile from there allthe way to the lndian Ocean. This fertile band is known as the Ind0-Gangetic Plain. Three thousand years ago, those dwelling along the Ganges began the slow process 0f clearing the forest and turning the SOil. Migration tO the Ganges and settlement locations may have been guided by the search for deposits of iron ore, which came lnto use in this area around 700 B. C. 気 h crude metaltools these people cultivated rice, a crop that tolerates the extremes Of the monsoon climate. Household devotlons amplified their practical successes ln the fields. Following the rules laid down by the priests who AB()VE: なルみ 4 ルルの初 4 第〃ん〃 g / ん B ん g ノな / ん , 4 砿ノ g / ル / s なル / ん語 / ん Ga 〃 g OPP() 7 、″〃所いないえ元な G 〃″走な確 " C ・な川 " 功日 4 / 44 〃 s 砒イんんり Ga 〃 g 甌

other faiths, which also acts as a foundation for the devel- opment ofharmony between the world's different religions. This, in turn, will certainly help increase greater under- standing and peace among peoples throughout the world. I believe this is something [ 0 which we all aspire. By declaring my respect and reverence for all the world's maJor faiths, I am not advocating any attemptto unify the various traditions intO a single world religion. ' I firmly believe that we need different religions, because a single tra- di tion cannot satisfy the needs and mental diSPOS itions ()f the great diversity that iS our human community. Even our body needs a variety offood lfa restaurant were to sell only one kind 0 「 meal, it soon would have no customers. BL1t because it offers a variety offood more people come and enjoy it. Everyone feels their own form ofreligious practice iS the best. I myselffeelthat Buddhism is best for me. This does not mean that Buddhism is best for everyone. Everyone has a right tO make his or her own chOice. Even SO, I dO not believe that people should lightly change the religion oftheir birth. 市 a [ we need to do is to develop an understanding ()f the differences ln ()L1t- vari()LIS traditions [ 0 the value and potential ofeach ofthem. lndeed, I believe that one Of the greatest benefits Of achieving an lnner spiritual transformation based on our own faith iS that this experience helps us appreciate the value Of Other traditions. Cultivating harmony, respect for others, compassion, and tolerance IS somethlng that 、 ve can each start dOing in our 0 嶬 , n lives and in our own actl()ns. lf, on the Other hand, we take the differences between 届 ths as grounds for argument and conflict, there will be no end to it. AII of us will be dimin- ished, even ifone Side manage [ 0 1n11 メ ) se itS P()int ()fview by force. History shows that coercion has rarely yielded pos- itive results, and in the present, no one side will triumph through belligerence. Hostili ty based on religious differences can have no meaningful or lasting benefit at all. perhaps the most significant obstacle [ 0 inter-religious harmony is the lack 0f appreciatlon 0f the value 0f Others' faith traditions. Until comparatively recently, com- mumcation between different cultures, even different com- munities, was SIOW or nonexistent. Sympathy and respect for Other fai thS was not important or relevant , except where members of different religions lived side by side. But this situatlon IS no longer viable. ln today's increasingly complex and interdependent world, we are compelled to acknowledge the existence ofother cultures, different ethnic groups, and, Of course, Other religious faiths. Whether we like it or not, most Of LIS now experlence this diversity on a daily basis. One ()fthe most (X)Sitive aspects Ofthe time I have spent in exile from my own country iS that I have been freer tO travel. I have had extraordinary opportumtles tO meet with Other religious leaders and practitloners and h()ld discusslons with them, [ 0 visit the holy sites of other faiths, to pay my respects there, and [ 0 j0in ln prayers with other pilgrims. Such g()()d fortune is not open tO everyone. However, I believe that reading this b00k, which attempts t0 present the world's major religions, their histories, hOly places, and practices ln an accessible way, could be like undertaking a pilgrimage. ltS riCh illustratlons reveal the vibrant visual quality Of our diverse faiths, while the personal accounts a Ⅱ 0 嶬 , us tO expe- rlence an inside View. I believe that in a real sense, religion has [ 0 do with generating a good heart and a positive mind, both of which ultimately bring us benefits and happiness. lt iS 1 y S1ncere hope that readers will C01 e [ 0 recognize that there are many ways of accomplishing this, and that if we have faith and put these ways intO actual practice we can all contribute tO making a more peaceful and kinder world.