Sacred Texts in World Religions

The Buddhist Society outlines the different scripture sets, including the Pali Canon, Sanskrit Canon, Mahayana texts, Tantric texts and the Tibetan and Mongolian Canon. Find them by clicking the "Scriptures" link on the left sidebar.

BuddhaNet ’s "Sutras" page summarizes the significance of ancient Buddhist texts, provides actual scriptures and writings, as well as links to contemporary expert analyses of the sutras. Go to "The Buddhist Scriptures" for an introductory essay on the topic. The "Buddhist File Library" provides links to many texts from different Buddhist sects, including Theravada, Mahayana, Tibetan and Zen/Chan writings.

The Internet Sacred Text Archive has a large holding of Buddhist scripture and scholarly books and essays from the public domain. This is probably the best selection available on the Web, as it includes such renowned pieces as the Zen classic by Ekai, “The Gateless Gate,” and Dwight Goddard's “A Buddhist Bible.” It has texts from nearly all Buddhist sects, most of which can be found in their entirety, and in English. Take advantage of this great resource.

Access to Insight claims to have the largest collection of English-language texts from the Tipitaka, or Pali Canon. Acccording to the site, several of the lesser-known books have not been translated into English; it’s therefore impossible to read the entire canon without learning Pali.

Pali Text Society publishes English translations and ancillary works related to the study of the Pali Canon; all are available for purchase on this UK-based site. Choose a publication from the left sidebar. Note: as shipping and monetary conversions must be calculated, buyers receive an invoice.

The Digital Sanskrit Buddhist Canon Web site, a joint project of the University of the West in Los Angeles and the Nagarjuna Institute of Exact Methods in Nepal, offers free online access to the Sanskrit version of the Canon.

The University of Notre Dame Web site offers an outline of the history of the written Jewish and Christian Bibles, and explains the reasons behind the differing versions of the Bible used by Catholics and Protestants.

The Christian Bible Reference Site is a nonsectarian site with a section that provides a “Summary of the Bible,” covering the New and Old Testaments and their respective books in simple terms. It also features Bible quizzes, and an alphabetical index of questions, Bible stories and the Bible’s stance on controversial issues such as abortion and war.

Bible Gateway is a powerful reference tool that gives you access to many versions of the holy texts in several languages. The quick search tool can help you find a specific passage or search for verses on a certain theme. Use the more advanced options, such as “Passage Lookup,” to restrict your search to specific Bible versions or books.

Bible.org is an educational site for Bible study. Browse and search an online version of the Bible, then explore the articles available on the site, covering all aspects of the text. This site also hosts forums, separated into groups for men, women and pastors, that offer ideas for Christian ministry, guidance through personal crises and discussion boards.

The Holy See is the first stop for the official versions of fundamental Catholic texts such as the Bible, the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Documents of the II Vatican Council.

Christian Classics Ethereal Library has a substantial online archive of Christian writings. Go to the “Browse Library” section on the right side of the page to search by author, title, language and more.

LDS.org allows you to read or listen to audio of Mormon Scriptures on its site. Read or listen to the Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price.

The BBC has a concise overview of the Hindu sacred texts, describing the Vedas, Upanishads, Samhitas, Bhagavad Gita and Ramayana.

Hinduwebsite.com also offers the basics about Hindu texts, but in slightly more detail than the BBC site. You can also find the online versions of some Hindu scriptures on the site.

The Internet Sacred Texts Archive does a great job digitizing the sacred Hindu texts. Not every available interpretation and transcription is provided here, but you’ll find a variety of options. Look for English and Sanskrit versions of the Vedas, Upanishads and Puranas, in addition to the Mahabharata and Ramayana epics, some further texts and the Bhagavad Gita.

Celextel’s Online Spiritual Library has English versions of the sacred Hindu texts. The graphic design isn’t the best, but the site is fairly user friendly: to access the material, just click on the text of your choice on the left sidebar.

ReligionFacts offers one of the simplest introductions to the Islamic holy texts that you’ll find, with an overview of the faith’s two central texts, the Quran and the Hadith. Use the links provided for more detailed explanations.

Al-Ahram , a respected Egyptian newspaper, contains this insightful article about the Quran. The selection is long and it covers a number of issues, such as reading the Quran in a language other than Arabic when it is supposed to be read in Arabic, and what a reader should keep in mind when going through the Quran.

The USC-MSA Compendium of Muslim Texts is a tremendous source for learning about the sacred works of Islam. The site’s two most valuable features are the Quran Search and the Hadeeth Search, where you can search for specific words or terms in both of the texts. Also access the Quran in its entirety, learn all about Muslim fundamentals and even explore a section of “Special Topics” to read “Misconceptions About Islam” and Muslim history.

QuranExplorer.com 's online Quran tool is a truly remarkable resource for anyone interested in the Quran. Click on the “Launch Quran Explorer button” to activate this helpful applet, which lets you jump to any point in the Quran and display the passage of your choice. Choose from a number of different translations to show alongside the original Arabic, and listen to one of five beautiful recitations. The applet allows you to repeat a passage recitation multiple times, which makes this a valuable Quran memorization tool.

The Islamic Texts Society publishes books about all aspects of Islam, available for purchase on the site. Here you’ll find holy texts translated into English and works from theologians and historians past and present. The Society is a British educational charity that seeks to “promote a greater understanding of Islam among both Muslims and non-Muslims, catering for laypersons as well as academics in the field of Islamic studies.”

The New South Wales Board of Jewish Education offers a simple introduction to Jewish sacred stories and writings and their purposes. Read a brief overview of the Tanach, Mishnah, Talmud and Midrash.

The Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides a comprehensive explanation of Judaism’s sacred texts, as well as historical synopses about the commentaries or interpretive books written by scholars to explain the sacred texts.

The Jewish Virtual Library has an article discussing ancient Jewish writings not included in the Tanach. It explores the history and significance of the Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha and the Dead Sea Scrolls, and describes how they relate to the Tanach.

Navigating the Bible II 's excellent Torah tool displays the original Hebrew with n'kudot (vowel marks) section by section alongside the English translation and transliteration. Click on the speaker symbol next to any Hebrew line to hear an audio recording of the line. This tool is also available with Russian and Spanish translations. Look for additional tools for Torah study, genealogy, the Jewish calendar and more.

Chabad.org ’s online version of “Classic Jewish Texts” shares much of the same information as the site above but with a cleaner layout and superior navigability.  The site also includes the texts of Jewish prayers as well as books containing commentary, advice and wisdom.

The Jewish Theological Seminary lets you follow along with the Torah portions that are read each week in synagogue, supplemented with commentary from selected Rabbis. If you’re not familiar with the Torah, then this Web page may be difficult to understand and follow.

The British Library presents an eclectic mix of Jewish texts throughout the ages. View a Torah found in China from 1643–63 or a 14th-century Barcelona Haggadah. See vivid images of these historical writings and read short summaries explaining what they are. An interesting feature allows you to virtually turn the pages of some of the books; follow the directions to download the appropriate plug-ins.