Shining Light on Scripture

• When:           Wednesday Mornings
• Time:             11:00 am – 1:00 pm
• Where:          The Gathering Place, 3613 Bechelli Lane, Redding, CA  96002
• Zoom link:    https://us02web.zoom.us/j/931097698?pwd=YzdSdnlsNGxmR0FPY0xCUTdRdldTdz09
• Facilitated by Chris Johnson, RScP

Join Chris Johnson, RScP on Wednesdays from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm for a fun and enlightening study of the Sacred Scriptures of the World. We began with the Hebrew Scriptures – or Old Testament, looking at each story and character through the lens of mythology and symbolism; within its historical and cultural context; and according to its literary genre and qualities. Then we considered how these stories shaped the teachings of the Rabbi Yeshua of Nazareth and the formation of the early Christian Church, before exploring the non-canonical Gospels of Thomas and Mary Magdalene. And now, for something completely different…

For now we are leaving the Judeo-Christian Scriptures behind, as we study

The Bhagavad Gita

Recommended Reading

The Bhagavad Gita, translated by Eknath Easwaran

A brief synopsis from bookseller.org (supporting local independent bookstores):

The Bhagavad Gita is the best known of all the Indian scriptures, and Eknath Easwaran’s best-selling translation is reliable, readable, and profound.

 

Easwaran’s 55-page introduction places the Bhagavad Gita in its historical setting, and brings out the universality and timelessness of its teachings. Chapter introductions clarify key concepts, and notes and a glossary explain Sanskrit terms.

 

Easwaran grew up in the Hindu tradition in India, and learned Sanskrit from a young age. He was a professor of English literature before coming to the West on a Fulbright scholarship. A gifted teacher, he is recognized as an authority on the Indian classics and world mysticism.

 

The Bhagavad Gita opens, dramatically, on a battlefield, as the warrior Arjuna turns in anguish to his spiritual guide, Sri Krishna, for answers to the fundamental questions of life. Yet, as Easwaran points out, the Gita is not what it seems – it’s not a dialogue between two mythical figures at the dawn of Indian history. “The battlefield is a perfect backdrop, but the Gita’s subject is the war within, the struggle for self-mastery that every human being must wage if he or she is to emerge from life victorious.”

 

Arjuna’s struggle in the Bhagavad Gita is acutely modern. He has lost his way on the battlefield of life and turns to find the path again by asking direct, uncompromising questions of his spiritual guide, Sri Krishna, the Lord himself. Krishna replies in 700 verses of sublime instruction on living and dying, loving and working, and the nature of the soul.

 

Easwaran shows the Gita’s relevance to us today as we strive, like Arjuna, to do what is right.

 

“No one in modern times is more qualified – no, make that ‘as qualified’ – to translate the epochal Classics of Indian Spirituality than Eknath Easwaran. And the reason is clear. It is impossible to get to the heart of those classics unless you live them, and he did live them. My admiration of the man and his works is boundless.” – Huston Smith, author of The World’s Religions

Download a pdf copy of the Bhagavad Gita here: https://www.gita-society.com/bhagavad-gita-in-english-source-file.pdf 

This is a drop-in book study group – come whenever you like.

We meet at the Gathering Place, 3613 Bechelli Lane, Redding, CA, and online at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/931097698?pwd=YzdSdnlsNGxmR0FPY0xCUTdRdldTdz09

Donations graciously accepted.

Bible Study Resources

• The Beginner’s Guide to the Bible by Jeffrey Kranz
• The Bible Project: a website with free Bible study resources and terrific videos
• Five Gospel Parallels: Shows parallel passages from the four canonical gospels and the Gospel of Thomas (from the University of Toronto
• Metaphysical Bible Dictionary: Provides metaphysical meanings for names of people and places in the Bible (from TruthUnity)
• The Gnostic Society Library: a treasure trove of non-canonical Christian gospels and apocrypha, including the Nag Hammadi Library, Hermetic Literature, and more
• King James Version of the Bible with Strong’s Concordance: Contains links to the original Hebrew and Greek words for a more in-depth exploration of other possible translations (from godrules.net)
• King James Version of the Bible with Apocrypha: Includes the Apocrypha, which are books contained in the Catholic Bible, but not the Protestant Bible (from the University of Michigan)
• Revised Standard Version of the Bible with Apocrypha: Includes more Apocryphal books in a more modern translation (from the University of Michigan)
• Early Christian Writings: Includes the canonical New Testament books as well as non-canonical gospels, such as those of Thomas, Philip, Mary Magdalene, etc., plus lots of writings that were circulated among the first and second century Christ Followers.