288 lines
14 KiB
Plaintext
288 lines
14 KiB
Plaintext
The Decalogue
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World Scripture
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THE DECALOGUE
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The moral outlooks of most religions are basically quite similar. Just as the
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Decalogue, or Ten Commandments, is the basis of Jewish and Christian ethical
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values, similar lists of ethical principles may be found in one form or another
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in the scriptures of most religions. The Qur'an contains several passages
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summarizing proper ethical behavior which have been called Islamic Decalogues.
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In Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism we find lists of ten charges or ten precepts
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for monks and lay people, and there are further condensations into five
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universal dharmas called samanya dharma. Another comparable list is found in
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the Buddhist Eightfold Path.
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The first table of the Decalogue contains positive injunctions for right
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worship to establish a proper vertical relationship with God, and the second
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table contains negative injunctions prohibiting criminal behavior in order to
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foster horizontal relationships of community. These two ethical dimensions,
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the vertical towards the Absolute and the horizontal towards one's neighbor,
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are characteristic of such lists in every religion. We may regard the
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injunctions to renunciation and meditation in the Buddhist Eightfold Path and
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in other Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain lists of dharmas as non-theistic expressions
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of the vertical dimension. In the horizontal dimension of law, prohibitions
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against social crimes such as murder, adultery, and stealing are universal. The
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specific offenses will be taken up again individually in Chapter 9.
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And God spoke all these words, saying, "I am the Lord your God, who brought you
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out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
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You shall have no other gods before me.
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You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything
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that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the
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water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the
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Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the
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children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing
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steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
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You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain: for the Lord will not
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hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
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Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do
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all your work; but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you
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shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your manservant, or
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your maidservant, or your cattle, or the sojourner who is within your gates;
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for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in
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them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day
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and hallowed it.
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Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which
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the Lord your God gives you.
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You shall not kill.
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You shall not commit adultery.
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You shall not steal.
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You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
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You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's
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wife, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his ass, or anything
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that is your neighbor's."
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1. Judaism and Christianity. Bible, Exodus 20.1-17: The Ten Commandments
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The second five commandments were intended to be paired off with the first five
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commandments.
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"You shall not murder" corresponds to "I the Lord am your God." The Holy One
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said, "If you did murder, I hold it against you as though you have diminished
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the image of God."
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"You shall not commit adultery" is paired with "You shall have no other gods."
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God said, "If you committed adultery, I hold it against you as though you bowed
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down to another god."
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"You shall not steal" is paired with "You shall not swear falsely by the name
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of the Lord your God.".... If you steal, you will go on to swear falsely, go on
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to lie, and end up swearing by My name falsely.
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"You shall not bear false witness" is paired with "Remember the Sabbath day."
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God said, "If you bear false witness against your neighbor, I hold it against
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you as though you bore witness against Me to the effect that I did not create
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My world in six days and did not rest on the seventh."
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"You shall not covet" is paired with "Honor your father and your mother." Clans
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like Gaius of Gadara and Lucius of Susitha would sneak into each other's homes
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and cohabit with the wives of the others, the others with the wives of these.
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In time a quarrel fell out between them, and a man killed his father, unaware
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that it was his father.
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2. Judaism. Midrash, Pesikta Rabbati
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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Exodus 20.1-17: These are the Ten Commandments. There is some variation as to
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how they should be divided. In the Jewish tradition the verse 'I am the Lord
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your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage' is
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regarded as the first commandment, but Christians regard it as a prologue. Most
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Protestants and Eastern Orthodox Christians reckon 'You shall have no other
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gods before me' as the first commandment and the prohibition of images as the
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second commandment. For Jews the second commandment includes both 'You shall
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have no other gods' and the prohibition of graven images. Lutherans and Roman
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Catholics likewise regard 'You shall have no other gods' and the prohibition of
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graven images as together constituting a single commandment, but reckon it the
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first commandment; they then divide the verse against covetousness into two
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commandments to make up the ten. See the short enumerations of the
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Commandments in Psalm 2 4.3-6, p. 229; Hosea 4.1-3, p. 318; Jeremiah 7.1-15, p.
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1088.
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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Say, Come, I will recite what God has made a sacred duty for you:
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Ascribe nothing as equal with Him;
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Be good to your parents;
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Kill not your children on a plea of want--We provide sustenance for you and for
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them;
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Approach not lewd behavior whether open or in secret,
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Take not life, which God has made sacred, except by way of justice and law.
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Thus does He command you, that you may learn wisdom.
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And approach not the property of the orphan, except to improve it, until he
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attains the age of maturity.
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Give full measure and weight, in justice--No burden do We place on any soul but
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that which it can bear.
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And if you give your word, do it justice, even if a near relative is concerned;
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and fulfill your obligations before God. Thus does He command you, that you
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may remember.
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Verily, this is My straight Path: follow it, and do not follow other paths
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which will separate you from His Path. Thus does He command you, that you may
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be righteous.
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3. Islam. Qur'an 6.151-53
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The charge to avoid the taking of life.
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The charge to avoid taking what is not given.
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The charge to avoid unchastity.
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The charge to avoid falsehood.
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The charge to avoid fermented liquor, distilled liquor, intoxicants giving rise
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to sloth.
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The charge to avoid unseasonable meals.
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The charge to avoid dancing, song, playing music, and seeing shows.
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The charge to avoid the use of flowers, scents, and unguents, wearing
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ornaments and decorations.
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The charge to avoid the use of raised beds, of wide beds.
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The charge to avoid the accepting of gold and silver.
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4. Buddhism. Khuddaka Patha: The Ten Charges
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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Pesikta Rabbati: Cf. Tosefta Shebu`ot 3.6, p. 397. Qur'an 6.151-153: See
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Qur'an 2.177, p. 861; Hadith of Bukhari and Muslim, p. 491; also Qur'an
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17.23-38.
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- - - - - - - - - - -
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Contentment, forgiveness, self-control, not appropriating anything
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unrighteously, purification, coercion of the organs, wisdom, knowledge of the
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Supreme, truthfulness, and abstention from anger: these constitute the tenfold
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law [for ascetics].
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5. Hinduism. Laws of Manu 6.92
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Forgiveness, humility, straightforwardness, purity, truthfulness,
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self-restraint, austerity, renunciation, non-attachment and chastity [with
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one's spouse] are the ten duties [of lay people].
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6. Jainism. Tatthvarthasutra 9.6
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Not killing, no longer stealing, forsaking the wives of others, refraining
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completely from false, divisive, harsh and senseless speech, forsaking
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covetousness, harmful intent and the views of Nihilists--these are the ten
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white paths of action, their opposites are black.
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7. Buddhism. Nagarjuna, Precious Garland 8-9
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The first great vow, Sir, runs thus, I renounce all killing of living beings,
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whether subtle or gross, whether movable or immovable. Nor shall I myself kill
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living beings [nor cause others to do it, nor consent to it]. As long as I
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live, I confess and blame, repent and exempt myself of these sins, in the
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thrice threefold way [i.e., acting, commanding, or consenting, either in the
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past, present, or future], in mind, speech, and body. There are five clauses...
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The second great vow, Sir, runs thus, I renounce all vices of lying speech
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arising from anger or greed or fear or mirth. I shall neither myself speak
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lies, nor cause others to speak lies, nor consent to the speaking of lies by
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others. I confess... There are five clauses....
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The third great vow, Sir, runs thus: I renounce all taking of anything not
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given, either in a village or a town or a wood, either of little or much, of
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small or great, of living or lifeless things. I shall neither take myself what
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is not given, nor cause others to take it, nor consent to their taking it. As
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long as I live, I confess... There are five clauses....
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The fourth great vow, Sir, runs thus, I renounce all sexual pleasures, either
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with gods or men or animals. I shall not give way to sensuality, nor cause
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others to give way to it, nor consent to their giving way to it. As long as I
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live, I confess... There are five clauses....
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The fifth great vow, Sir, runs thus, I renounce all attachments, whether
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little or much, small or great, living or lifeless; neither shall I myself form
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such attachments, nor cause others to do so, nor consent to their doing so. As
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long as I live, I confess... There are five clauses....
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He who is well provided with these great vows and their twenty-five clauses is
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really homeless if he, according to the sacred teaching, the precepts and the
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way, correctly practices, follows, executes, explains, establishes and,
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according to the precept, effects them.
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8. Jainism. Acarangasutra 2.15
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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Khuddaka Patha: These are the rules of training observed by the monks, with the
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third charge modified as a concession to lay people (a monk would of course
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take a vow of celibacy). Lay people ordinarily observe the first five charges.
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Cf. Dhammapada 246-47, p. 463. Khuddaka Patha, Laws of Manu 6.92,
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Tatthvarthasutra 9.6 and Precious Garland 8-9: The tradition of ten precepts
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runs through Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, though elements in the list may
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vary.
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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Nonviolence, truthfulness, not stealing, purity, control of the senses--this,
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in brief, says Manu, is the Dharma for all the four castes.
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9. Hinduism. Laws of Manu 10.63
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Laws of Manu 10.63: This list of universally applicable dharma for all castes
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and stages of life is called sadharan or samanya dharma. It is the universal
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foundation upon which are erected the specific dharmas which differentiate the
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castes. It is a least common denominator by which Hindu society, for all its
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variety of castes, roles, and traditions, maintains an ethical consensus. Cf.
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Chandogya Upanishad 5.10.9, p. 463.
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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The Noble Truth of the Path leading to the cessation of suffering is this Noble
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Eightfold Path, namely: right view, right aspiration, right speech, right
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action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.
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What is right view? Knowledge of suffering, knowledge of the arising of
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suffering, knowledge of the cessation of suffering, knowledge of the path
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leading to the cessation of suffering--this is called right view.
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What is right aspiration? Aspiration for renunciation, aspiration for
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non-malevolence, aspiration for harmlessness--this is called right aspiration.
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What is right speech? Refraining from lying speech, refraining from slanderous
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speech, refraining from harsh speech, refraining from gossip--this is called
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right speech.
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What is right action? Refraining from violence against creatures, refraining
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from taking what has not been given, refraining from going wrongly among the
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sense-pleasures, this is called right action.
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What is right livelihood? A disciple of the Noble Ones, getting rid of a wrong
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mode of livelihood, makes his living by a right mode of livelihood. This is
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called right livelihood.
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What is right effort? A monk generates desire, effort, stirs up energy, exerts
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his mind and strives for the non-arising of evil unskilled states that have not
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arisen... for the getting rid of evil unskilled states that have arisen... for
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the arising of skilled states that have not arisen... for the maintenance and
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completion of skilled states that have arisen. This is called right effort.
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What is right mindfulness? A monk fares along contemplating the body in the
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body... the feelings in the feelings... the mind in the mind... the mental
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states in the mental states... ardent, clearly conscious of them, mindful of
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them so as to control the covetousness and dejection in the world. This is
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called right mindfulness.
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And what is right concentration? A monk, aloof from the pleasures of the
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senses, aloof from unskilled states of mind, enters on and abides in the first
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meditation which is accompanied by initial thought and discursive thought, is
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born of aloofness, is rapturous and joyful. By allaying initial thought and
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discursive thought, with the mind subjectively tranquilized and fixed on one
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point, he enters on and abides in the second meditation which is devoid of
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initial thought and discursive thought, is born of concentration, and is
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rapturous and joyful. By the fading out of rapture... he enters on and abides
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in the third meditation... the fourth meditation. This is called right
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concentration.
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10. Buddhism. Majjhima Nikaya iii.251-52, Saccavibhangasutta
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Majjhima Nikaya iii.251-52: This is a complete statement of the Noble Eightfold
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Path.
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