560 lines
28 KiB
Plaintext
560 lines
28 KiB
Plaintext
Perfection
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World Scripture
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PERFECTION
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This and the following section describe the perfect virtues of the person who
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is at one with the Absolute, who is firmly established in Truth, purity, and
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integrity, who is without sin or bondage to worldly corruption, who exhibits
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the fullness of sanctifying grace. Such a person may be called a saint, a sage,
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an arahant, a siddha, a Buddha, a perfect man, or by other names. There is
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remarkable unanimity among religions as to what characterizes the realized or
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perfected human being.
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Such a person embodies in himself the perfections of Ultimate Reality.
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Therefore he is truly in the Image of God, pp. 207-13. Furthermore, the saint
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has overcome selfish desires and is purified of any feelings of lust, greed, or
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other cravings. He is unfettered by attachment to worldly concerns for wealth,
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power, or reputation. He is free from bondage to sin and does not have any
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desire to commit sin: in Augustine's words, he is free to "love God and do what
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you will." He is unified within himself and has dominion over himself. He has
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risen above the world of change and conditions and therefore attains
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immortality. These characteristics of the saint are described in the passages
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collected in this section.
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You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
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1. Christianity. Bible, Matthew 5.48
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Abu Huraira reported God's Messenger as saying, "The believers whose faith is
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most perfect are those who have the best character."
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2. Islam. Hadith of Abu Dawud and Darimi
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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Matthew 5.48: In context, the perfection of God which is most stressed by Jesus
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is total impartiality and unconditional love, even to the point of loving one's
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enemies. See Matthew 5.43-48, p. 1000.
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- - - - - - - - - - -
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Whose minds are well perfected in the Factors of Enlightenment, who,
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without clinging, delight in the giving up of grasping, they, the
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corruption-free, shining ones, have attained Nibbana even in this world.
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3. Buddhism. Dhammapada 89
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One should be known as true who in his heart bears truth--
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His impurity of falsehood cast off, his person should be washed clean.
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One should be known as true who to truth is devoted in love.
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4. Sikhism. Adi Granth, Asa-ki-Var, M.1, p. 468
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He who has achieved it cannot either be drawn into friendship or repelled,
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Cannot be benefited, cannot be harmed,
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Cannot either be raised or humbled,
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And for that reason is highest of all creatures under heaven.
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5. Taoism. Tao Te Ching 56
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God the Almighty has said..., "My servant will not approach Me with
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anything dearer than that which I put on him as an obligation; and he
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continues presenting Me with works of supererogation, that I may love him.
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And when I love him, I am his hearing by which he hears, his sight by which
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he sees, his hand by which he strikes, and his foot with which he walks."
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6. Islam. 40 Hadith of an-Nawawi 38
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Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all
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ungodliness; and if you shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and love
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God with all your might, mind, and strength, then is his grace sufficient
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for you, that by his grace you may be perfect in Christ; and if by the
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grace of God you are perfect in Christ, you can in no way deny the power of God.
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7. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Book of Mormon, Moroni 10.32-33
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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Dhammapada 89: The seven Factors of Enlightenment are: mindfulness, searching
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the scriptures, energy, zest, tranquillity, contemplation, and evenmindedness.
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Cf. Large Sutra on Perfect Wisdom 211-12, p. 656; Bhagavad Gita 5.21-23, p.
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199. Moroni 10.32-33: Cf. Ephesians 4.7-16, pp. 713f.
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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Rabbi Me'ir said, "Whosoever labors in the Torah for its own sake merits many
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things; and not only so, but the whole world is indebted to him: he is called
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friend, beloved, a lover of the All-present, a lover of mankind; it clothes him
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in meekness and reverence; it fits him to become just, pious, upright, and
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faithful; it keeps him far from sin, and brings him near to virtue."
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8. Judaism. Mishnah, Abot 6.1
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In this way [the superior] man comes to resemble heaven and earth; he is not in
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conflict with them. His wisdom embraces all things, and his Tao brings order
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into the whole world; therefore he does not err. He is active everywhere but
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does not let himself be carried away. He rejoices in heaven and has knowledge
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of fate, therefore he is free of care. He is content with his circumstances
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and genuine in his kindness, therefore he can practice love.
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9. Confucianism. I Ching, Great Commentary 1.4.3
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The Supreme Soul (paramatman) is free from birth, old age, and death; he is
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supreme, pure, and devoid of the eight karmas; he possesses infinite
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knowledge, intuition, bliss, and potency; he is indivisible,
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indestructible, and inexhaustible. Besides, he is supersensuous and
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unparalleled, is free from obstructions, merit, demerit, and rebirth, and
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is eternal, steady, and independent.
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10. Jainism. Kundakunda, Niyamasara 176-77
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The Supreme Reality stands revealed in the consciousness of those who have
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conquered themselves. They live in peace, alike in cold and heat, pleasure and
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pain, praise and blame.
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They are completely filled by spiritual wisdom and have realized the Self.
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Having conquered their senses, they have climbed to the summit of human
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consciousness. To such people a clod of dirt, a stone, and gold are the same.
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They are equally disposed to family, enemies, and friends, to those who support
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them and those who are hostile, to the good and the evil alike. Because they
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are impartial, they rise to great heights.
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11. Hinduism. Bhagavad Gita 6.7-9
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By fullness of leadership,
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the Wise Lord shall grant powerful communion
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Of perfection and Immortality,
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of Right, Dominion and Good Thought--
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To him who is a sworn friend;
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to him by spirit and by actions!
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Clear are these to the man of insight,
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as to a knowing one by mind.
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He upholds good Dominion,
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and Right by words and by actions.
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He, O Lord of Wisdom,
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shall be Thy most helping associate!
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12. Zoroastrianism. Avesta, Yasna 31.21-22
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I Ching, Great Commentary 1.4.3: Cf. I Ching 35, p. 209. Niyamasara 176-77:
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Cf. Acarangasutra 5.123-40, p. 89; Pancastikaya 170, p. 197. Bhagavad Gita
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6.7-9: Cf. Bhagavad Gita 6.5-6, p. 391; Mundaka Upanishad 3.2.8-9, p. 586;
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Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 4.4.23, p. 562.
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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None of you truly believes until his inclination is in accordance with what I
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have brought.
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13. Islam. Forty Hadith of an-Nawawi 41
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A novice asked the Buddha, "What is goodness and what is greatness?" The
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Buddha replied, "To follow the Way and hold to what is true is good. When the
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will is in conformity with the Way, that is greatness."
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14. Buddhism. Sutra of Forty-two Sections 15
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Of the saying, He upon whom neither love of mastery, vanity, resentment, nor
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covetousness have any hold may be called Good, the Master said, "Such a one has
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done what is difficult; but whether he should be called Good I do not know."
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15. Confucianism. Analects 14.2
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Sincerity [Absolute Truth] is the Way of Heaven; the attainment of Sincerity is
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the Way of man. He who possesses Sincerity achieves what is right without
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effort, understands without thinking, and naturally and easily is centered on
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the Way. He is a sage.
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16. Confucianism. Doctrine of the Mean 20.18
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The whole world is sustained by God's charity; and the righteous are sustained
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by their own force.
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17. Judaism. Talmud, Berakot 17b
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No one born of God commits sin; for God's nature abides in him, and he cannot
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sin because he is born of God.
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18. Christianity. Bible, 1 John 3.9
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Forty Hadith of an-Nawawi 41: Compare the hadith from Abu Nuaym, p. 208.
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Analects 14.2: Confucius considered goodness to be the loftiest ideal and
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doubted if any human could attain to it. Cf. Analects 4.6, p. 384; Analects
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7.33, p. 655; compare Mark 10.17-18, p. 655. Doctrine of the Mean 20.18: Cf.
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Mencius II.A.2, p. 740; Chuang Tzu 12, p. 589. 1 John 3.9: Cf. Sun Myung Moon,
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10-20-73, p. 145.
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One who is rich in the enlightenment will not indulge in any sinful action,
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since his conscience is guided by the intellect fully illumined with Truth.
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19. Jainism. Acarangasutra 1.174
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The arahant monk, who has destroyed the cankers, lived the life, done what was
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to be done, laid town the burden, won the goal, burst the bonds of becoming,
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and is freed by the fullness of gnosis, cannot transgress nine standards: a
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monk in whom the cankers are destroyed cannot deliberately take the life of any
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living thing; cannot, with intention to steal, take what is not given; cannot
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indulge in carnal intercourse; cannot intentionally tell a lie; cannot enjoy
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pleasures from memories as of yore when a householder; a monk, in whom the
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cankers are destroyed, cannot go astray through desire; cannot go astray
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through hate; cannot go astray through delusion; cannot go astray through fear.
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20. Buddhism. Anguttara Nikaya iv.370
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Clear: The name of a state achieved through auditing, or an individual who has
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achieved this state. A Clear is a being who no longer has a reactive mind. A
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Clear is an unaberrated person and is rational in that he forms the best
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possible solutions he can on the data he has and from his viewpoint.
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Operating Thetan: It is a state of beingness. It is a being "at cause [can
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assume responsibility] over matter, energy, space, time, form, and life."
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Operating comes from "able to operate without dependency on things," and Thetan
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is [from] the Greek letter theta, which the Greeks used to represent thought or
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perhaps spirit....
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21. Scientology. L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology 0-8, The Book of Basics
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Undivided I am, undivided my soul, undivided my sight,
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undivided my hearing;
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undivided my in-breathing, undivided my outbreathing,
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undivided my diffusive breath;
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undivided the whole of me.
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22. Hinduism. Atharva Veda 19.51.1
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Scientology 0-8: According to Scientology, spiritual attainment is on a
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graduated scale. The state of Clear is the level where an individual can
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function optimally, without any negative thoughts or desires--the 'reactive
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mind'--to confuse his reason. It is achieved through training by a process of
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instruction called 'auditing.' 'Operating Thetan' is an even higher stage, one
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of total freedom in the world of being and able to take responsibility for all
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things. Atharva Veda 19.51.1: The human condition of internal conflict and
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contradiction--Maitri Upanishad 6.34, p. 390; Bhagavad Gita 6.5-6, p. 391--is
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overcome by one in perfect unity; cf. Mundaka Upanishad 3.1.1-3, p. 387. This
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verse also refers to the attainment of tranquillity and unity in meditation;
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cf. Bhagavad Gita 6.10-27, p. 845.
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While there are no stirrings of pleasure, anger, sorrow, or joy, the mind may
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be said to be in a state of equilibrium (chung). When those feelings have been
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stirred, and they act in their due degree, there ensues what may be called the
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state of harmony (ho). This equilibrium is the great root from which grow all
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the human actings in the world, and this harmony is the universal path which
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they all should pursue. Let the states of equilibrium and harmony exist in
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perfection, and a happy order will prevail throughout heaven and earth, and all
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things will be nourished and flourish.
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23. Confucianism. Doctrine of the Mean 1.4-5
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Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
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and who shall stand in His holy place?
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He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
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who does not lift up his soul to what is false,
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and does not swear deceitfully.
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He will receive blessing from the Lord,
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and vindication from the God of his salvation.
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Such is the generation of those who seek Thee,
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who seek the face of the God of Jacob.
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24. Judaism and Christianity. Bible, Psalm 24.3-6
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Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
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Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
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Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
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Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be
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satisfied.
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Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
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Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
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Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
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Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the
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kingdom of heaven.
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25. Christianity. Bible, Matthew 5.3-10
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Doctrine of the Mean 1.4-5: Cf. Doctrine of the Mean 22, p. 317; Chuang Tzu 12,
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p. 589. Psalm 24.3-6: The conditions enumerated here correspond to the
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Decalogue; see Exodus 20.1-17, p. 166. This psalm was sung in ancient Israel
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by pilgrims as they reached the Temple gates, where they would proclaim their
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qualifications to enter its holy precincts. Cf. Yasna 60.21, p. 721. Matthew
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5.3-10: These are the first eight of the nine Beatitudes. They proclaim God's
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favor to those who fear Him, who have cast off egoism, and who aspire to do His
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will. 'Poor in spirit' refers to those who recognize their spiritual poverty
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though they may know countless doctrines and formal teachings--cf. 1
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Corinthians 1.18-25, p. 798. 'Those who mourn' expresses the fact that people
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in the lower classes of society who suffer grief, poverty, and oppression are
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often less bound by attachments to worldly things and more able to receive
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God's wisdom--cf. Matthew 19.21-24, p. 939; Luke 18.10-14, p. 902. 'The meek'
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are not puffed up with pride and do not act arrogantly towards others. They
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are the little children to whom belongs the Kingdom of heaven--cf. Luke
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18.16-17, p. 912. 'Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness' have a deep
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sense of empathy with the suffering of others and are not just concerned with
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their own situation. On the 'pure in heart,' cf. 2 Timothy 2.21-22, p. 729.
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For Jesus' teachings on mercy, see Matthew 18.21-35, p. 995, and on making
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peace, see Matthew 5.23-24, p. 993. To willingly accept persecution for God's
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sake is the highest expression of discipleship--cf. Matthew 16.24-25, p. 875.
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Dhammapada 90: Cf. Sutta Nipata 1072-76, p. 532; Anguttara Nikaya ii.37-39, p.
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654.
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Arjuna: Tell me of those who live established in wisdom, ever aware of the
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Self, O Krishna. How do they talk? How sit? How move about?
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Lord Krishna: They live in wisdom who see themselves in all and all in them,
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who have renounced every selfish desire and sense craving tormenting the heart.
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Neither agitated by grief nor hankering after pleasure, they live free from
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lust and fear and anger. Established in meditation, they are truly wise.
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Fettered no more by selfish attachments, they are neither elated by good
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fortune nor depressed by bad. Such are the seers.
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Even as a tortoise draws in its limbs, the wise can draw in their senses at
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will. Aspirants abstain from sense pleasures, but they still crave for them.
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These cravings all disappear when they see the highest goal. Even of those who
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tread the path, the stormy senses can sweep off the mind. They live in wisdom
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who subdue their senses and keep their minds ever absorbed in Me.
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26. Hinduism. Bhagavad Gita 2.54-61
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For him who has completed the journey, for him who is sorrowless, for him who
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from everything is wholly free, for him who has destroyed all ties, the fever
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of passion exists not.
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He whose corruptions are destroyed, he who is not attached to food, he who has
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deliverance, which is void [of lust, hate, and ignorance] and signless [without
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the signs of lust, etc.], as his object--his path, like that of the birds of
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the air, cannot be traced.
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He whose senses are subdued, like steeds well-trained by a charioteer, he whose
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pride is destroyed and is free from the corruptions--such a steadfast one even
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the gods hold dear.
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Like the earth, a balanced and well-disciplined person resents not.... He is
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like a pool, unsullied by mud; to such a balanced one, life's wanderings do not
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arise.
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Calm is his mind, calm is his speech, calm is his action, who, rightly knowing,
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is wholly freed [from defilements], perfectly peaceful and equipoised.
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The man who is not credulous but truly understands the Uncreated (Nibbana), who
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has cut off the links, who has put an end to occasion [of good and evil], who
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has eschewed all desires, he indeed is a supreme man.
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27. Buddhism. Dhammapada 90, 93-97
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He who possesses virtue in abundance
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May be compared to an infant.
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Poisonous insects will not sting him.
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Fierce beasts will not seize him.
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Birds of prey will not strike him.
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His bones are weak, his sinews tender, but his grasp is firm.
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He does not yet know the union of male and female,
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But his organ is aroused.
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This means that his essence is at its height.
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He may cry all day without becoming hoarse,
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This means that his natural harmony is perfect.
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To know harmony means to be in accord with the eternal.
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To be in accord with the eternal means to be enlightened.
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28. Taoism. Tao Te Ching 55
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Living beyond the reach of I and mine and of pleasure and pain, patient,
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contented, self-controlled, firm in faith, with all his heart and all his mind
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given to me--with such a one I am in love.
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Not frightening the world or by it frightened, he stands above the sway of
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elation, competition, and fear--he is my beloved.
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He is detached, pure, efficient, impartial, never anxious, selfless in all his
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undertakings--he is my devotee, very dear to me.
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Running not after the pleasant or away from the painful, grieving not, lusting
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not, but letting things come and go as they happen--he is very dear to me.
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That devotee who looks upon friend and foe with equal regard, who is not buoyed
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up by praise nor cast down by blame, alike in heat and cold, pleasure and pain,
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free from selfish attachments, the same in honor and dishonor, quiet, ever
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full, in harmony everywhere, firm in faith--such a one is dear to me.
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Those who meditate upon this immortal Truth as I have declared it, full of
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faith and seeking me as life's supreme goal, are truly my devotees, and my love
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for them is very great.
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29. Hinduism. Bhagavad Gita 12.14-20
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He who realizes here in this world the destruction of his sorrow, who has laid
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the burden aside and is emancipated [from defilements]--him I call a brahmin.
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He whose knowledge is deep, who is wise, who is skilled in the right and wrong
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way, and who has reached the Highest Goal--him I call a brahmin.
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He who has no longings pertaining to this world or to the next, who is
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desireless [for himself] and emancipated--him I call a brahmin.
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He who has no longings, who, through knowledge, is free from doubts, who has
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gained a firm footing in the Deathless (Nibbana)--him I call a brahmin.
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Herein he who has transcended both good and evil, and the Ties [lust, hatred,
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delusions, pride and false views] as well, who is sorrowless, stainless, and
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pure--him I call a brahmin.
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He who is spotless as the moon, who is pure, serene, and unperturbed, who has
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destroyed craving for becoming--him I call a brahmin.
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He who has passed beyond this quagmire which is difficult to cross, the ocean
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of life (samsara), this delusion, who has crossed over and gone beyond; who is
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meditative, free from craving and doubts; who, clinging to naught, has attained
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Nibbana--him I call a brahmin.
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The fearless, the noble, the hero, the great sage, the conqueror, the
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desireless, the cleanser [of defilements], the enlightened--him I call a
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brahmin.
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30. Buddhism. Dhammapada 402-22
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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Tao Te Ching 55: The little child is totally spontaneous and acts without any
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artifice. This spontaneity means that the child is fully expressing his
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original nature; this is the Taoist ideal. Cf. Tao Te Ching 10, p. 890; 20, p.
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608; 28, p. 912; Atharva Veda 6.121.4, p. 531.
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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Whoever in his self the Supreme Being has lodged,
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His name is truly the servant of God:
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On his vision has flashed the Lord that is also within the self.
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This by utter humility has he obtained.
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The servant who ever realizes the Lord to be near,
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At the divine Portal finds acceptance.
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By divine grace falling on His servant,
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Comes to him full realization.
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To be with all, yet in his self unattached--
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Such a way, says Nanak, to God's servant is known.
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One that the Lord's command in mind cherishes,
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Is truly to be called Jivan-mukta (liberated while living).
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To such a one are joy and sorrow alike;
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Ever in joy, never feels he sorrow.
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Gold and a clod of earth to him are alike,
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As also nectar and foul-tasting poison.
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To him are honor and dishonor alike;
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Alike also pauper and prince.
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One that such a way practices,
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Says Nanak, a Jivan-mukta may be called.
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31. Sikhism. Adi Granth, Gauri Sukhmani 9, M.5, p. 275
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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Dhammapada 402-22: Vv. 402, 403, 410-414, 422. These verses, taken from the
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concluding chapter of the Dhammapada, describe the ideal of the arhat--one who
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has realized the highest goal. But they also make a political statement for
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the equality of all people regardless of race or caste. Instead of being a
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brahmin by birth, any person can become a brahmin--one who knows Brahman--by
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attaining enlightenment through the path laid out by the Buddha. Cf.
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Dhammapada 393, 396, p. 279.
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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The servants of the All-merciful are those who walk in the earth modestly and
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who, when the ignorant address them, say, "Peace;" who pass the night prostrate
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to their Lord and standing; who say, "Our Lord, turn Thou from us the
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chastisement of Gehenna; surely its chastisement is torment most terrible; evil
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it is as a lodging place and an abode"; who, when they expend, are neither
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prodigal nor parsimonious, but between that is a just stand; who call not upon
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another god with God, nor slay the soul God has forbidden except by right,
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neither fornicate....
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And those who bear not false witness and, when they pass by idle talk, pass by
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with dignity; who, when they are reminded of the signs of their Lord, fall not
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down thereat deaf and blind; who say, "Our Lord, give us refreshment of our
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wives and seed, and make us a model to the godfearing." Those shall be
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recompensed with the highest heaven, for that they endured patiently, and they
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shall receive therein a greeting and "Peace." Therein they shall dwell forever;
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fair is it as a lodging place and an abode.
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32. Islam. Qur'an 25.63-76
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In order to know Shinto, the people must first be united with the mind of the
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kami.... Whoever would serve the kami in worship must cast off his polluted
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mind, and stand with pure, bright mind before the deity both morning and
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evening, serving the kami warmly and with utmost propriety and awe, in order to
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accord with the august mind of the divine.
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With propriety never ending, the utmost in truth, without a single falsehood,
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correct and rectified without a single error, pure and without a spot of
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pollution, without selfish desires, and thus not greedy of personal gain, full
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of love and affection. Such is the mind of the kami.
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With the foremost quality of truth, the mind of the divine is purity and
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honesty. Since this is so, the emperor, too, has been in accord with these
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virtues since ancient times to the present. Accordingly, the people as well
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should follow the emperor's example of purity and honesty, making their own
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minds earnest, meek, and gallant.
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33. Shinto. Ekken Kaibara, Divine Injunctions
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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Qur'an 25.63-76: Vv. 63-68, 72-76. Cf. Qur'an 6.151-53, p. 168; 8.2-4, p. 751;
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and 17.23-38. Divine Injunctions: The Emperor of Japan has traditionally been
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regarded as ikigami--a living god. In life he is already manifesting the kami
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nature, which ordinary people will manifest only after death. Many of the
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|
founders of the new religions in Japan are equally seen as ikigami. Their
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|
words and actions have inherent authority and ultimacy. On the responsibility
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|
of rulers to manifest the most perfect character, see Doctrine of the Mean 33,
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p. 1034; Analects 12.19; Bhagavad Gita 3.20-21; Anguttara Nikaya ii.75, p.
|
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1072; and related passages.
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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Mahamati, when the bodhisattvas face and perceive the happiness of the Samadhi
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|
of perfect tranquilization, they are moved with the feeling of love and
|
|
sympathy owing to their original vows [made for the salvation of all beings,
|
|
saying, "So long as they do not attain Nirvana, I will not attain it myself"]
|
|
and they become aware of the part they are to perform as regards the
|
|
inexhaustible vows. Thus, they do not enter Nirvana. But the fact is that
|
|
they are already in Nirvana, because in them there is no rising of
|
|
discrimination. With them the discrimination of grasped and grasping no more
|
|
takes place; as they recognize that there is nothing in the world but what is
|
|
seen of the Mind itself, they have done away with the thought of discrimination
|
|
concerning all things. They have abandoned adhering to and discriminating
|
|
based upon the faculties of cognition (citta), analysis (manas), and judgment
|
|
(manovijnana), and external objects, and self-nature. However, they have not
|
|
given up the things promoting the cause of Buddhism. Because of their
|
|
attachment to the inner insight which belongs to the stage of Tathagatahood,
|
|
whatever they do all issues from this transcendental knowledge.
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34. Buddhism. Lankavatara Sutra 80
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|
|
What do I mean by a True Man? The True Man of ancient times did not rebel
|
|
against want, did not grow proud in plenty, and did not plan his affairs. Being
|
|
like this, he could commit an error and not regret it, could meet with success
|
|
and not make a show. Being like this, he could climb the high places and not
|
|
be frightened, could enter the water and not get wet, could enter the fire and
|
|
not get burned. His knowledge was able to climb all the way up to the Way like
|
|
this.
|
|
|
|
The True Man of ancient times slept without dreaming and woke without care; he
|
|
ate without savoring and his breath came from deep inside. The True Man
|
|
breathes with his heels; the mass of men breathe with their throats. They,
|
|
crushed and bound down, gasp out their words as though they were retching.
|
|
Deep in their passions and desires, they are shallow in the workings of Heaven.
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|
|
|
The True Man of ancient times knew nothing of loving life, knew nothing of
|
|
hating death. He emerged without delight; he went back in without a fuss. He
|
|
came briskly, he went briskly, and that was all. He did not forget where he
|
|
began; he did not try to find out where he would end. He received something
|
|
and took pleasure in it; he forgot about it and handed it back again. This is
|
|
what I call not using the mind to repel the Way, not using man to help out
|
|
Heaven. This is what I call the True Man.
|
|
|
|
35. Taoism. Chuang Tzu 6
|
|
|
|
- - - - - - - - - - - -
|
|
Lankavatara Sutra 80: This describes the bodhisattva who has taken a vow not to
|
|
enter Nirvana until he has rescued all beings from suffering--cf.
|
|
Sikshasamuccaya 280-81, pp. 979f, and Garland Sutra 23, p. 980. His attitude
|
|
is so totally without self that he is, according to this sutra, already in
|
|
Nirvana. Thus Nirvana is a state of being that can be lived out in the world;
|
|
cf. Mulamadhyamaka Karika 25, pp. 91f; Holy Teaching of Vimalakirti 2, p. 965.
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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