The Common Teachings of Four World Religions

Edited and with an introduction by Richard Hooper. A remarkable work. Divided into thirteen subject areas, each chapter is introduced by the author, and the parallel sayings by these four religious leaders, Jesus, Buddha, Krishna and Lao Tzu, are presented in four columns across two face-to-face pages.

“The Parallel Sayings is a priceless treasury of interfaith understanding that touches my heart. I add my prayers that this book will find its way too many open-hearted readers.” - Brother David Steindl-Rast, O.S. B., author (with Robert Aitken Roshi) of The Ground We Share

“A much needed journey into the minds and hearts of the great prophets of our world; academic, yet heart-filled, stimulating and illuminating. At a time when too many use religion to separate, Parallel Sayings finds a way to join. This rare text answers many questions that others leave hanging, and touches the spirit as well as the mind. A book you will be proud and fulfilled to own and share - Alan Cohen, author of Chicken Soup for the Soul and A Deep Breath of Life

“I was very much taken by the idea of this book when I first learned it was in the making, but the execution of it—the reality of it—is just wonderful. Its publication is a truly timely event, bound to nourish those who are soul-weary of combativeness in the name of religion.” - Carol Lee Flinders, Ph.D,, author of Enduring Lives: Portraits of Women and Faith in Action

“Richard Hooper sends a powerful message that will be welcomed by all who seek the truth within, and within their own tradition. The Divine expresses itself wherever there is a transformed heart and open mind—no matter the culture, no matter the time. By venturing outside the circle of Christianity, as the author was prompted to do, we too find more that can feed us, more that illumines what we first learned so we can truly embrace the Divine as present in all, and everywhere.” - Jeffrey M. Cox, Snow Lion Publications

“Great Souls are born among humankind to uplift them to higher consciousness, transformation and being. In this book, former minister Richard Hooper, M. Div. presents basic building blocks of world spirituality through the parallel sayings of Jesus , Buddha, Krishna and Lao Tzu. Here one finds our common thread in the universality of spirituality. World Peace might be achieved if we understood life and the divine as presented here.” - Adrian Ravarour, Ph.D., Bishop, American Catholic Church


“Richard Hooper takes you beyond what the holy men said, and into the heart and mind that drove the likes of Gandhi, as he fell dead, blessing and forgiving the man who shot him, or Francis of Assisi tossing his clothes out the window and strolling out the back door naked to begin his quest for God. A man whose own spiritual intensity has taken him from renegade Lutheran pastor to the no-brand seek of truth he is today, Hooper can certainly irritate your comfort zones. One sometimes imagines that if James Dean, minus the cigarette, had been thoroughly educated in the great religions and a whole lot smarter, he might have been Richard Hooper.” - Larry Moffitt, Editor, ReligionAndSpirituality.com, United Press International; Vice President, the Washington Times Foundation

“Richard’s comparative study beautifully shows us unity in diversity. In the spirit of the Gayatri Mantra – may this work illuminate our understanding and guide us to our goal.” - Mark Johnson, Vice-President Australian Association of Yoga in Daily Life.

“We’ve come to a point in history where the boundaries among the world’s religions have become more transparent. In this great wake of change is a new understanding of a collective golden thread of consciousness running through all spiritual paths. In Jesus, Buddha, Krishna and Lao Tze: The Parallel Sayings, author Richard Hooper shatters any preconceived notions that there is only “one way” to enlightenment. Instead, he blazes a path of collective understanding beyond dogma toward finding the divinity within ourselves.” - Judy Martin, National Radio Journalist and founder of WorkLifeMonitor.com

Oversized softcover; 187 pages