The Asian Classics Input Project works to preserve
disappearing books containing the great ideas of the Eastern half of humanity,
and to make these books and ideas accessible to the world at large. Downloadable
mainly as zipped text & rtf files. Includes ACIP Release V: World.Wide.Wisdom.
Over 200 previously unreleased titles from the classics of traditional Asian philosophy
in the Tibetan language. www.asianclassics.org
Baha'i
Bahá'í Sacred Writings and other Baha'i books, articles, research guides
etc. Up to fourteen different language versions available. To read online in HTML,
or downloadable as text, rtf, pdf or Word documents. www.bahai-library.org
The Kitáb-i-Iqán Parts One and Two,
online in sections. In English, with site versions also accessible in Farsi and
Arabic http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/KI
BuddhaNet Theravada and Mahayana texts and teachings,
general Buddhist works, texts on meditation, and Buddhist stories for children.
The texts may be read online with the Adobe Reader (Version 6 and above optimal,
version 4 or below will not work), or variants thereof. Or, download them as zipped
.pdf files to save and read offline. The files may be large. In English. www.buddhanet.net/ebooks.htm
Buddhist
Reading Room Sutras & other content for online reading in HTML. Includes
Dharma Stories, lessons, verses, poems. http://www.buddhistreadingroom.com/
Online Dharma Resources Provides
access to an extensive collection of Buddhist texts and information across the
range of Buddhist schools and traditions (Theravada, Mahayana, Tibetan/Vajrayana,
Zen (Japan), Chan (China), Pure Land, Jodo Shinshu, and Korean Buddhism). www.dharmanet.org/learning.htm
Sacred Texts: Buddhism In English,
for reading online. Includes modern (early 20th century) compilations of
the Buddhist Canon, plus texts of Northern & Southern Buddhist schools,Tibetian
Buddhism and much else. www.sacred-texts.com/bud
Centre for Studies in Caodaism (Sydney) Online full
text Cao Dai scriptures & books, articles, images,& audio-visuals, in Vietnamese,
French & English. Includes information on the history, organization, philosophy
and practice of Caodaism. An Australian archive in HTML, with some PDFs and audio
(WMA) files. Thanks to Cong-Tam Dao of the University of Sydney. http://pandora.nla.gov.au/tep/10190
The
NET Bible (New English Translation) a completely
new translation of the Bible. Includes many thousands of hyperlinked (clickable)
translator's notes (which may include theological opinion). Online in HTML. Courtesy
of bible.org. www.bible.org/netbible/index.htm
New Testament, TNIV version to search, browse and read online, in plain text. (TNIV = Today's New International
Version, a more contemporary translation of the NIV version). Audio also available
- requires either Real Player or Flash audio software. www.biblica.com/bibles/tniv/
Search
the TNIV Bible
Bible Downloads for Mobile
Devices A variety of Bible versions and other works,
plus reader software, available in English, plus Albanian, Arabic, Basque, Byzantine
& modern Greek, Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Esperanto, Finnish, French,
German, Hungarian, Italian, Latin, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian, Spanish, Swahili,
Swedish, Tagalog. Also other historical versions e.g, Wyclif Bible. Many other
free Christian resources here, plus others available to buy. www.olivetree.com/store/home.php?cat=259&free=y
The Bible, text
search of multiple versions Some twenty versions in English are available
for search here, plus other versions in around forty languages. www.biblegateway.com
The
Holy Bible - John Wycliffe's Translation Translated from the Vulgate Latin
version into an old (late fourteenth century) form of English that many may have
difficulty with. You may open the PDF to read online; save the PDF (a large file)
for offline use; or read individual books of this translation online in plain
text. http://wesley.nnu.edu/sermons-essays-books/john-wycliffes-translation/
The
Holy Bible - William Tyndale's Translation Written in the 16th century vernacular,
this was the first English translation to draw directly from Hebrew and Greek
texts. You may read it online in PDF format with your Web browser's Adobe Reader
add-on, or download the entire work as a ZIP file for offline use. http://wesley.nnu.edu/sermons-essays-books/william-tyndales-translation/
Christian
Classics Ethereal Library Huge collection
of significant Christian works. Especially in English, but with some Russian &
Chinese e-texts, plus a few in Latin, Greek, French, German, Czech, Italian &
Spanish. Many In ThML (Theological Markup Language, an XML variant), or in HTML.
Texts may also be available, variously, in other formats - online facsimile (as
PNG images), plain text, ePub, PDF, Palm Docbook (.pdb), or Microsoft Reader formats.
Some MP3 audio files also. In addition, this site offers its own CCEL desktop
software. Browse the collection by author, title, subject, language, format or
tag. From Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Missouri. www.ccel.org
Free
Online Christian Books This collection contains links to several hundred past
Christian theological writings, mostly in the Reformed tradition. Entries date
as far back as St Augustine, but the majority are 16th-19th century AD, and include
John Bunyan and John Calvin. The books are listed by author. Mostly online as
plain text or HTML. http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/books/onlinebooks.html
Free
Christian e-books A large collection of free Christian e-books across
a wide range of topics. In English, plus Arabic, French, German, Hebrew, Korean,
Russian and Spanish. All are available in PDF, some also in ePub and/or Mobipocket
(.prc) formats. From Plough Publishing, part of an Anabaptist/Mennonite international
community. See link in left menu at: www.plough.com
Christian Latin Online versions of Christian
Latin texts, listed alphabetically from Abelard on - around fifty authors are
represented. Also some papal bulls, hymns and canticles, and other documents.
In HTML. www.thelatinlibrary.com/christian.html
The Catholic Encyclopedia
(1914 edition), for online reading or consultation. Hyperlinked. www.newadvent.org/cathen
Some Catholic devotional works
Traditional prayers, Catholic meditations, devotional prayers, litanies etc. Online
in HTML. www.theworkofgod.org/Catholic_prayers.htm
Puritan
Library An extensive collection featuring the writings of some forty-five
Puritan writers, and other Puritan resources. Some texts are in HTML for your
browser online, most either in PDF alone or in three formats - PDF, ePub and Kindle.
The Westminster Confession of Faith is also available here in ePub and
Kindle formats. www.puritanlibrary.com/
Early
Christian Writings: New Testament, Apocrypha, Gnostics, Church Fathers. In
HTML. Some 150 texts here, a substantial collection. www.earlychristianwritings.com
The Ecole Initiative - a "Hypertext Encyclopedia
of Early Church History," up to the Reformation. This site is archival in nature
(with no additions since 2007). It contains Short Essays/ treatments (the Glossary),
Long Essays (articles) and a cross-indexed timeline. www2.evansville.edu/ecoleweb
Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons): The Book of Mormon,
online by chapters in HTML. A downloadable version (.pdb file) for Palm & Windows
CE devices is also available. Other Mormon e-texts here too on other pages, viz.
Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price, Study Helps. Audio versions are
available in some cases ( they require Windows Media Player). http://scriptures.lds.org/bm/contents
The
Gnostic Society Library A comprehensive collection
of Gnostic texts online. Over a thousand translated
documents, including all major Gnostic writings and anti-Gnostic patristic texts.
Also audio lectures in RealAudio &mp3 formats. All the texts may be searched
across using the Gnosis Archive Index search
engine. www.gnosis.org/library.html
Desiderata -
meaning, that which is to be desired. Much concentrated & timeless wisdom here.
The text may be found by clicking the link above the framed art print. http://artandpoetry.com/art/sherrie/desiderata.html
Epic of Gilgamesh Summary of the fullest version of the ancient
text, written by the oldest-known named human author, Shin-eqi-unninni. This version
derived from twelve stone tablets in the Akkadian language found at Nineveh in
the ruins of the library of Ashurbanipal, king of Assyria 669-633 B.C. www.wsu.edu/~dee/MESO/GILG.HTM
Hinduism
The
Vedas - claimed to be mankind's oldest scriptures,
and considered by Hindus to be a direct revelation of God. Read online in HTML.
In 7 parts and 21 chapters. English translation by Professor Raimon Panikkar.
To access, click on the Vedic Experience link under the "Ancient Scriptures
and Hymns" heading. www.himalayanacademy.com/resources/books/
Collection of online HTML Hindu e-books and PDFs, many free. www.himalayanacademy.com/resources/
Bhagavad-Gita Available online as illustrated
HTML in Sanskrit and English, with English commentaries,or In online audio versions
in16 languages, viz. Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Dutch, English, French,
German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian Serbian and
Spanish. www.bhagavad-gita.org
Dharmic
Scriptures. This page at present contains the four
Vedas as a zipped Word file for downloading, plus Vedas Exerpts, Vedic
Samhitas & Brahmanas Introduction, and the Upanishads, as Word files.
Plus over 200 Upanishads and some Puranas as PDFs, with more planned, and the
Puranas in English as a zipped file. www.dharmicscriptures.org/scriptures.htm
Upanishads - The Texts “Upanishad”
means “be seated at the feet of the Guru to receive the teaching.“ Available
individually online here in HTML, or downloadable gathered as one PDF file, or
as a Microsoft Reader (.lit) file. http://sanatan.intnet.mu/upanishads/mandukya.htm
Dvaita
Text Resources This site houses some classic
Hindu texts as PDF files in Sanskrit, some with Roman script versions. Some audio
lectures as streaming mp3s also. www.dvaita.net
Hindu Insights Many
mini-texts on Hinduism for reading on this award-winning site. www.hinduism.co.za
Ars Floreat A
number of spiritual and sacred texts, including the Bible, the Koran, Plato and
some Hindu scriptures, presented in Dutch, from an overall philosophical basis
of the Advaita Vedanta tradition of India. In PDF. www.arsfloreat.nl
Divine Life Society
A large number of texts on Yoga, Hinduism and Hindu philosophy are available here,
in English. If you wish to read Sanskrit references please note the font installation
requirements. All texts are in PDF format, and most also in HTML for your browser
online. www.dlshq.org/download/download.htm
The
Tolerance of Hinduism by Jagdish R. Singh.
A novel illustrating precepts and principles of Hinduism. As a PDF. www.jagdishraisingh.com
Islam
The Koran (Qur'an)
The
Qur'an, in four side-by-side English translations;
plus versions in over twenty other languages. Available by chapters for online
reading. Also in Arabic and English together, in HTML, and as a Qur'an search
in five languages. www.quran.org/quran/quranframe.htm
The Koran An electronically scanned version
of M. H. Shakir's English translation of the Holy Qur'an, as published by Tahrike
Tarsile Qur'an, Inc., in searchable SGML form. http://etext.virginia.edu/koran.html
The Koran, downloadable as an e-book program
file. "Developed to allow users to easily recite and understand the Quran". This
program file offers Arabic in a clear, large and easy to read font, plus a transliteration,
plus a full English translation. There are also surah introductions. A stand-alone
English translation may alternatively be downloaded. Note that this is a very
large (31 MB) .exe file. http://www.imaanstar.com/quran.php
Hadith
Viewer Free Multilingual
Hadith software as developed by Jamal Al-Nasir. Full Arabic text of Ahadith agreed
upon by Imam's Bukhari and Muslim is built into this Hadith Viewer, along with
an English translation. English translation of a collection of over 1900 Ahadith
compiled by Imam Nawawi also provided. Supports plug-in Hadith collections in
five additional languages, French, German, Indonesian, Tukish and Urdu. www.2muslims.com/directory/Detailed/225686.shtml
Hadith (Sayings and Traditions attributed
to The Prophet Muhammad) A variety of texts and commentaries online in HTML,
some audio also. www.al-islam.org/links.asp?CatId=70
International Islamic Digital Library
"An ambitious project to create a centralized repository of
knowledge on Islam and the Muslim communities which is authoritative, comprehensible
& reliable". This Malaysian initiative includes books, manuscripts, multimedia,
theses, articles & conference papers, and cultural artefacts. Users need to register.
www.iidl.net
Islam
Denounces Terrorism, and other free titles available
as online e-books in HTML, or download as .pdf files.
www.islamdenouncesterrorism.com/
Harun
Yahya Islamic books online in HTML, or as PDFs, or zipped DOC files for offline
use. From noted Turkish author Harun Yahya. Many titles available in English here,
with printed versions for sale.Other languages accessible from the site. www.harunyahya.com/
Shi'ite Encyclopedia
(Revised 2001 edition). View online in HTML. Or download chapter by chapter in
Text or MS Word. www.al-islam.org/encyclopedia
The Tragedy of Al-Zahra' by Ayatollah`Allama
Sayyid Ja'far Murtada al-`Amili, translated from the Arabic by Yasin T. al-Jibouri
(Al-Zahra' refers to Fatima, only daughter of the prophet Muhammed, who became
the wife of the Imam Ali). Online in HTML. http://almujtaba.com/books/tragedy/
Islamic e-books (currently seven, more
are planned) are offered here in English for downloading in PDF format. From the
"Islamic Occasions Network". www.ezsoftech.com/islamic/download.asp
The Ahlul Bayt Digital
Islamic Library Project Islamic resources with particular emphasis on the
Twelver Shia Islamic school of thought. This large collection now contains close
to five thousand items. Important Shi`ite texts include the Nahjul-Balagha (500
sermons, letters, and sayings of Ali b. Abi Talib), the al-Sahifa al-Kamila (83
prayers and a treatise by the 4th imam), the Supplication of Kumayl and a Shi`ite
Anthology. Resources also include significant Islamic art & calligraphy, and Shi`ite
primary sources in English translation. www.al-islam.org/
Sufism, the Way of the Heart "The Ways to God
are as numerous as the breaths of humankind." -Sufi Tradition.
Sufi e-books
A half dozen books on Sufism, translated into English, as PDF files. Also, Sufi
art and music. http://www.thesufi.com/
Jainism
The Jaina Sutras, in two parts: a)
Akaranga Sutra and Kalpa Sutra, b) the Uttaradhyayana Sutra and Sutrakritanga.
Plus, a variety of other Jain texts. Online in plain text and HTML. www.sacred-texts.com/jai/index.htm
Judaism
Note: The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh is roughly
equivalent to the Christian Old Testament, and has three parts, Torah, Nevi'im
& Ketuvim. The Torah, in the narrow sense (the Written Torah) is the Pentateuch,
the first five books of the Bible. The Nevi'im are the Prophets - Samuel,
Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and the Twelve Minor Prophets. The Ketuvim
is the Writings, including Psalms and Proverbs, Esther and Ecclesiastes, Daniel,
Chronicles, Ruth, and the love poetry of Song of Songs. If you take the T (from
Torah), the N (from Nevi'im) and the K (from Ketuvim), and put them together in
one word, you have TNK. Add some vowels and it becomes the Tanakh.Text versions
of the Torah, Nevi'im & Ketuvim are available in English with some useful further
information at: www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/Tanakh.html
Tanakh (here spelled as Tenach). HTML online version of the English translation
(1917) by the Jewish Publication Society of America, from the Masoretic Text.
Cross references to Hebrew, Aramaic, Living Torah and Modern Hebrew have been
added, with hyperlinked translator's notes. www.breslov.com/bible/
The Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) in various HTML
language editions. Five editions in Hebrew, plus Aramaic, English, parallel Hebrew
and English, parallel Hebrew and French. Zipped version available for download.
Book-by-book printer-friendly version and MP3 recordings of the books of the Hebrew
Bible also provided, plus The JPS Bible for both the Palm Pilot and PocketPCs.
Also, the Oral Law (Mishneh Torah) in several editions. A Torah encyclopedia as
well, in a single ZIP in English, and other Torah resources, all from: www.mechon-mamre.org
Jewish Torah Audio. Hundreds of hours of commentary,
stories, songs, poetry etc, in downloadable audio format (mp3), plus some text
and PDF files. Describes itself as "The first world-wide Jewish audio since Mount
Sinai". www.613.org
Divrei
Torah - Commentaries. This site provides links to
a huge variety of Divrei Torah online. As HTML, with a link to a fuil text search
of these works, the latter available from the Shamash website. www.shamash.org/tanach/dvar.shtml#shamash
Seforim e-books Hundreds
of seforim (Hebrew books by rabbis), to read online, or download as PDF files.
Download note: these are often large files, more suitable for broadband
than dialup. You may search within each sefer. From the Society for Preservation
of Hebrew Books. www.hebrewbooks.org
SeforimOnline.org
also distributes old and out of print Hebrew books as e-books, mostly in PDF
format (with some TIFF files), for free. An informative blog is another major
feature of this site, referencing many Hebrew manuscript discoveries.
www.seforimonline.org
Myths
& Legends
Encyclopedia Mythica is
an internet encyclopedia of mythology, folklore, and religion. The mythology section
is divided into large geographical regions, with consequent subdivisions, and
is also searchable by ethno-lingistic groups. Folklore is in three sections; general
folklore, folktales from many lands and Arthurian legends. A further feature is
several special interest areas - these include a Bestiary, legendary heroes, an
image gallery, and genealogical tables of various pantheons and prominent houses.
www.pantheon.org
An international collection
of proverbs, Indexed by 100 countries and cultures (five examples supplied for
each). Or, use the Proverbs Search Engine to find specific sayings from a database
of 12,000 world proverbs. http://creativeproverbs.com/
Sprituality
(various)
Advaita
(Non-duality) Spiritual e-books Including Nothing Personal,Living
from the Heart, Beyond No Self' and Gifts with No Giver. Available
as PDFs for download; some in ePub, Kindle, Palm Doc versions, or to read online
in HTML & plain text formats. http://endless-satsang.com/ebooks.htm
HolyBooks.com Although
it also hosts traditional religious texts, this website is notable for providing
access to many recent books concerning a wide range of spiritualities. There is
no general catalogue, but you can either browse categories or search by topic,
author, tag, or keyword. All e-books here are Public Domain texts, in PDF format. www.holybooks.com/
Ishaya
Tradition Offers e-books
referring to the Ascension meditation technique of this group, which claims spiritual
lineage from the Apostle John. In English, some also in Chinese, German, & Finnish.
Presented as PDF files for download. http://devabookstore.org/ebooks.html
Religion of Expressionism (Chiropractic)
A 5.27Mb PDF download requiring the Adobe Reader, or read online in HTML. www.TriuneOfLife.org
Science
and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, to read online.
Sponsored by the Christian Science Publishing Society. Also here, a search facility
for that text and for the King James Bible. www.spirituality.com/dt/toc_SH.jhtml
Spiritwatch Several free e-books available
(link at top) covering a range of New Age, Psychic and Spiritual subjects and
life issues. Reincarnation and karma are major themes. Online in HTML (one PDF
also). www.spiritwatch.com/
Summum
Bonum The return of Amen Ra. Online in HTML, or downloadable as a self-extracting
.exe file (instructions on site) for Windows, Macintosh, Palm, Pocket PC or in
PDF. Also available for Kindle ( a small charge applies for the Kindle version). www.summum.us/philosophy/book.shtml
Theosophical texts online
A large collection in plain text, including books by Blavatsky, Judge, Tingley,
Purucker and others. Also, introductory manuals on Theosophy and material on the
world's sacred traditions. Plus, a searchable PDF version of Blavatsky's The
Secret Doctrine, and the latter as a downloadable zipped file. www.theosociety.org/pasadena/tup-onl.htm
Shinto
The Kojiki (excerpts), the Nihongi (excerpts), the Yengishiki
(Shinto Rituals). PlusThe Book of Tea & other texts, online. www.sacred-texts.com/shi/
The Tao Te Ching online, in English. Plus the Chuang-tzu, I Ching and other
works. Further links to a wide variety of Taoist texts and commentaries. Thanks
to the Taoism Virtual Library. www.vl-site.org/taoism/index.html
The Tao Of Programming & much else Modern internationalism - from Russia with love,
in English, some classic & Modern Zen texts. http://klein.zen.ru/English
Zoroastrian Archives. Provide the complete text of the Avesta, the most ancient
scriptures of Zoroastrianism, as well as many Pahlavi scriptures. It also includes
information about the Avestan language, and other useful information for students
of Zoroastrian religion. www.avesta.org/avesta.html
The Meaning of Life
Coming soon.
*******
Note:
If there are sacred texts you cannot locate, try TheInternet Sacred
Text Archive at: www.sacred-texts.com/
NB: New
notations are not used in the Sacred Texts/Religion section.
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