NEGROS COLLEGE, INC.
Tampocon II, Ayungon, Negros Oriental
College of Education
Religious Texts
Module 3
In
World Literature
S.Y.2023-2024
2nd Semester
JOVELYN R. MELANCHOLICO
Teacher
_________________________
Student
Excerpts from Religious Texts
This reading features thematic comparisons among texts of the great world
religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Christianity, Daoism, Islam, Judaism and
Shinto. The purpose is not to compare religions, but to give readers some context for
understanding why such diverse religious and philosophical beliefs have have existed side by
side, particularly along the Silk Roads.
The Silk Roads encompassed a diversity of cultures embracing numerous religions
and world views from a vast region stretching from Venice, Italy, to Heian (present day
Kyoto), Japan. Between these two geographic end points, belief systems that are
represented include Buddhism, Confucianism, Christianity, Daoism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism
and Shinto. During the height of Silk Roads trading in the 8th century, Buddhism, Islam, and
Nestorian, Christianity were the dominant religions. Using quotes from translation of
religious texts help shed light on the similarities and differences among belief systems and
remind us of how cultural interchange are represented in the ancient and contemporary
world.
On Good and Evil
Analogously, brethren, a person here happens to be very gentle, very humble, and very quiet
as long as unpleasant things do not touch him. It is only when unpleasant things happen to a
person that it is known whether he is truly gentle, humble, and quiet.
—Buddhism. Majjhima Nikaya, i.123-24, Kakacupama Sutta
The five sources of happiness; the first is long life; the second, riches; the third, soundness of
body and serenity of mind; the fourth, love of virtue; the fifth is an end crowning the life. Of
the six extreme evils, the first is misfortune shortening the life; the second,sickness; the third,
distress of mind; the fourth, poverty; the fifth, wickedness; the sixth, weakness.
—Confucianism. Book of History, 5.4.9
That again which is virtue may, according to time and place, be sin.Thus appropriation of
what belongs to others, untruth, and injury and killing, may, under special circumstances,
become virtue.
Acts that are apparently evil, when undertaken from considerations connected with the gods,
the scriptures, life itself, and the means by which life is sustained, produce consequences that
are good.
—Hinduism. Mahabharata, Shanti Parva, 37.11,14
Evil and good are not equal, even though the abundance of evil may amaze you; so heed God,
you men of wits, so that you may prosper!
—Islam. Qur’an, 5.100
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness forlight and light for
darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.
—Judaism and Christianity. Isaiah, 5.20
On The Golden Rule of Reciprocity
For a state that is not pleasant or delightful to me, must also be to him; and a state that is not
pleasing or delightful to me, how could I inflict that upon another?
—Buddhism. Samyutta Nikaya, v.353
Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them.
—Christianity. Matthew, 7.12
Not one of you is a believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.
—Islam. Forty Hadith of an-Nawawi 13
Try your best to treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself, and you will find that
this is the shortest way to benevolence.
—Confucianism. Mencius, VII A 4
One should not behave towards others in a way which is disagreeable to oneself. This is the
essence of morality. All other activities are due to selfish desire.
—Hinduism. Mahabharata, Anusasana Parva, 113.8
Not one of you is a believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.
—Islam. Forty Hadith of an-Nawawi, 13
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
—Judaism and Christianity. Leviticus, 19.18
On Blessings and Love
The Great Compassionate Heart is the essence of Buddhahood.
—Buddhism. Gandavyuha Sutra
God is love.
—Christianity. John, 4.8
Abundant is the year, with much millet and much rice;
And we have our high granaries,
With myriads and hundreds of thousand, and millions (of measure in them); For spirits and
sweet spirits,
To present our ancestors, male and female,
And to supply all our ceremonies.
The blessings sent down on us are of every kind.
—Confucianism. Book of Songs, Ode 279
To love is to know Me,
My innermost nature, the truth that I am.
—Hinduism. Bhagavad Gita, 18.55
God is All-gentle to His servants, providing for whomsoever He will.
—Islam. Qur’an, 42.19
Compassion and Tolerance
As a mother with her own life guards the life of her own child, let all-embracing thoughts for
all that lives be thine.
—Buddhism. huddaka Patha, Metta Sutta
Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.
—Christianity. 1 Corinthians, 10.24
He who can find no room for others lacks fellow feeling, and to him who lacks fellow feeling,
all men are strangers.
—Daoism. Zhuangzi, 23
What sort of religion can it be without compassion? You need to show compassion to all
living beings. Compassion is the root of all religious faiths.
—Hinduism. Basavanna, Vacana 247
Those who act kindly in this world will have kindness.
—Islam. Qur’an, 39.10
All men are responsible for one another.
—Judaism. Talmud, Sanhedrin, 27b
Those who do not abandon mercy will not be abandoned by me.
—Shinto. Oracle of Itsukushima
Creation
The Dao gave them birth; The power of the Dao reared them, Shaped them according to their
kinds, Perfected them, giving to each its strength.
—Daoism. Daode jing, 51
Nothing whatsoever exists without me or beyond me. The atoms of the universe may be
counted, but not so my manifestations; for eternally I create innumerable worlds.
—Hinduism. Srimad Bhagavatam, 11.10
God it is who created the heavens and the earth, and that which is between them, in six days.
Then He mounted the throne.
—Islam. Qur’an, 32.4
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
—Judaism and Christianity. Genesis, 1.1
The mind which gives life to all the people in the world: Such is the very mind which
nourishes me!
—Shinto. Moritake Arakida, One Hundred Poems about the World
Life after Death
Relatives and friends and well-wishers rejoice at the arrival of a man who had been long
absent and has returned home safely from afar. Likewise, meritorious deeds will receive the
good person upon his arrival in the next world, as relatives welcome a dear one on his return.
—Buddhism. Dhammapada, 219–20
Till you know about the living, how are you to know about the dead?
—Confucianism. Analects, 11.11
Birth is not a beginning; death is not an end. There is existence without limitation; there is
continuity without a starting point. Existence without limitation is space. Continuity without a
starting point is time. There is birth, there is death, there is issuing forth, there is entering in.
That through which one passes in and out without seeing its form, that is the Portal of God.
—Daoism. Zhuangzi, 23
Now my breath and spirit goes to the Immortal, and this body ends in ashes; OM O Mind!
Remember. Remember the deeds. Remember the actions.
—Hinduism. Isha Upanishad, 17
And among His signs is this: you see the earth barren and desolate, but when He sends down
rain to it is stirred to life and yields increase. Truly, He who gives life to the dead earth can
surely give life to men who are dead. For He has power over all things.
—Islam. Qur’an, 41.39
The dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit to God who gave it.
—Judaism and Christianity. Ecclesiastes, 12.7
Author: Compiled by Joan Barnatt.
Additional Background Reading
Religion in the Philippines
The Philippines boasts to be the only Christian nation in Asia.
The Three Teachings
How Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism complement one another.
Islamic Belief Made Visual
On Islam and the use of geometric patterns.
The Religions of South Asia
The complex and important role of religion in South Asia, from the earliest civilizations to
present
The Origins of Buddhism
The life of Buddha, the emergence of Buddhism, basic tenets, and major sects throughout
Asia.
Ramayana
Tragedy, love, deception, envy, adventure - who knew religious texts could be so epic?
Bible:
Story of Creation in Genesis
Parable of Good Samaritan
Ecclesiastes’ A Time for Everything
Activities:
A. Individual activity to be written in a whole intermediate paper and to be
passed on February 16, 2024.
1. Choose from the given reading texts above,
2, Read through the piece, it is only the summary that is given, research for
the whole piece.
3. Write an essay using Traditional Critical Approaches which are
emphasized below and
4. Defend to what approach is used and why
B. By GROUP to be presented on MARCH 1, 2024
Present the assigned piece in the most creative way you can. Do this as a
group. You may refer to the examples given, yet choose what best suit
your piece.
e.g. drama, role play, storytelling, creative reading or a speech choir
Story of Creation in Genesis
1 ANADON, MARILOU C.
2 BACARO, JECCA MAE B.
3 BALDIVINO, FATE JA MAICHA
4 BALSIMO, MELOJEAN E.
5 BALUCAN, ANGEL MARIE Q.
6 BANTAYAO, JENELEN
7 CABABAT, KHEA JE G.
8 CADALIN, JIM ROSE C.
9 CAINGCOY, JOEBERT T.
1
CALLAO, ANGELA J.
0
1
CALLORA, JESSA J.
1
1
CRISOSTOMO, JEREVEL Y.
2
1
DAGUIL, AISA V.
3
1
DAYAPAN, JESSEVELL
4
Parable of Good Samaritan
1
DE BAGUIO, CRISLYN G.
5
1
DE JESUS, NIECA L.
6
1
DELA TORRE, ANA ROSE
7
1
DELOS SANTOS ARGIE C.
8
1
DEPILLO, MANELYN L.
9
2
DIALINO, IRELLE GRACE J.
0
2
DUMAT-OL, JULIE M.
1
2
ELENTORIO, KARL J.
2
2
EMPERADO, KENETH M.
3
2
EMPERADO, KLYD M.
4
2
GARGOLES, FLORAMIE L.
5
2
GAUDAN, RECHELE M.
6
2
GAUDIANO, AIJAY F.
7
2
GEDORIO, IRISH JANE B.
8
Ecclesiastes’ A Time for Everything
2
GOMERA, JAKE C.
9
3
GONZAGA, MARICEL JOY B.
0
3
HINO-O, JEZA JANE R.
1
3
IBERO, JAMES C.
2
3
LANGOMES, DANICA P.
3
3
LAPUZ, MIENJIELL ROSE G.
4
3 LERIO, JAMES J.
5
3
LIGATO, CHRISTIAN A.
6
3
LIMBAGA, SAYAMI NICOLE D.
7
3
MENDOZA, LIZLIE MAY M.
8
3
ORIL, CHARISSE M.
9
4
QUILLANO, CHRISTINE
0
4
REPASO, ALAN T.
1
4
TAYUBAL, RAFAEL JAMES C.
2
4
VILLACAMPA, GRAZIEL BETH F.
3
What Is Literary Criticism?
Literary criticism is the practice of studying, evaluating, and interpreting works of literature.
Similar to literary theory, which provides a broader philosophical framework for how to
analyze literature, literary criticism offers readers new ways to understand an author’s work.
Examples of literary theories include new historicism, queer theory, critical theory, and post-
colonial theory.
What Is the Purpose of Literary Criticism?
The purpose of literary criticism is to broaden a reader’s understanding of an author’s work
by summarizing, interpreting, and exploring its value. After giving the text a close reading, a
critic formulates a comprehensive literary analysis that can inform or challenge another
reader’s understanding of the text. The practice of literary criticism creates space for readers
to better understand the beauty and complexity of the world through literature.
11 Traditional Critical Approaches
Explore the wide variety of approaches to literary criticism.
. 1. Historical-biographical criticism: Historical-biographical criticism examines
literature through the perspective of the author’s historical context. This approach
assumes that the significance of a particular piece of literature is inextricably linked
to its historical context. For example, historical-biographical critics evaluate
Shakespeare’s work within the context of English literature, history, and culture
during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries.
. 2. Moral-philosophical criticism: This literary criticism style approaches literature
based on its ethical merits. Moral-philosophical critics evaluate literary works based
on the moral statements and judgments the characters and author express
throughout the literary text.
. 3. Sociological criticism: Sociological criticism evaluates literature based on its
relationship to society. The sociological criticism method examines the author’s
status in their society as well as the effect that the literary work had on its audience
within the society. One form of sociological criticism is Marxist criticism, which
examines how a specific work of literature affirms or rejects oppression within class
systems.
. 4. Psychoanalytic criticism: This form of literary criticism examines literature based
on the psychological desires and neuroses of the characters within a particular piece
of literature. Psychoanalytic critics believe that an author’s unconscious thoughts
are expressed through their work.
. 5. Practical criticism: This study of literature encourages readers to examine the text
without regard to any outside context—like the author, the date and place of
writing, or any other contextual information that may enlighten the reader.
. 6. Formalism: Formalism compels readers to judge the artistic merit of literature by
examining its formal elements, like language and technical skill. Formalism favors a
literary canon of works that exemplify the highest standards of literature, as
determined by formalist critics.
. 7. Reader-response criticism: Reader-response criticism is rooted in the belief that a
reader's reaction to or interpretation of a text is as valuable a source of critical study
as the text itself.
. 8. New criticism: New critics focused on examining the formal and structural
elements of literature, as opposed to the emotional or moral elements. Poet T.S.
Eliot and critics Cleanth Brooks and John Crowe Ransom pioneered the approach in
the mid-twentieth century.
. 9. Post-structuralism: Post-structuralist literary criticism abandoned ideas of formal
and structural cohesion, questioning any assumed universal truths as reliant on the
social structure that influenced them. One of the writers who shaped post-
structuralist criticism is Roland Barthes—the father of semiotics, or the study of
signs and symbols in art.
. 10. Deconstruction: Proposed by Jacques Derrida, deconstructionists pick apart a
text’s ideas or arguments, looking for contradictions that render any singular reading
of a text impossible.
. 11. Feminist criticism: As the feminist movement gained steam in the mid-twentieth
century, literary critics began looking to gender studies for new modes of literary
criticism. One of the earliest proponents of feminist criticism was Virginia Woolf in
her seminal essay, A Room of One's Own. Other notable feminist critics include
Elaine Showalter and Hélène Cixous.
