337 lines
18 KiB
Plaintext
337 lines
18 KiB
Plaintext
The Ideal Society
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World Scripture
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THE IDEAL SOCIETY
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The ideal of a righteous society is the topic of this section. The social ideal
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is one where there is liberty, justice, kindness, and peace. Some of the
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verses of scripture which teach these human rights and social values have
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stirred people of every age to the struggle for freedom and justice. Additional
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material on this topic, particularly where it concerns the government's
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obligation to insure these rights, will be found throughout Chapter 20.
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Furthermore, we look at passages which describe the ideal society in comparison
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with the decadence of societies in the existing world. Some enunciate general
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principles. Others describe the ideal society as it was purportedly realized
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long ago in a past Golden Age. Thus the Chinese religions idealized the
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legendary days of the ancient sage-kings. In Judaism and Christianity,
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conversely, the ideal society is to be realized in the future, at the
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consummation of history, with the establishment of The Kingdom of Heaven, pp.
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1110-1120.
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Proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants.
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1. Judaism and Christianity. Bible, Leviticus 25.10
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Take away from me the noise of your songs;
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To the melody of your harps I will not listen.
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But let justice roll down like waters,
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and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
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2. Judaism and Christianity. Bible, Amos 5.23-24
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Leviticus 25.10: This well-known passage, which is carved on America's Liberty
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Bell, was originally a proclamation of the Jubilee Year, once every fifty
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years, in ancient Israel. At the jubilee, all debts were forgiven, all Hebrew
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slaves freed, all leases expired, and all property returned to its original
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owners. This practice was based upon the premise that the land belongs to God,
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to be granted to the clans and families of Israel in perpetuity; it is not
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private property to be bought and sold. It prevented the impoverishment of
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poor farmers by wealthy creditors. Amos 5.23-24: Cf. Micah 6.6-8, pp. 860f.;
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Psalm 24.3-6, p. 229.
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Lo! God enjoins justice and kindness, and giving to kinsfolk, and forbids
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lewdness and abomination and wickedness. He exhorts you in order that you may
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take heed!
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3. Islam. Qur'an 16.90
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The world stands upon three things: upon the Law, upon worship, and upon
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showing kindness.
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4. Judaism. Mishnah, Abot 1.2
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God said, "O My servants, I have forbidden wickedness for Myself and have made
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it forbidden among you, so do not do injustice to one another."
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5. Islam. Forty Hadith of an-Nawawi 24
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Two hundred cattle are under one stick, but two hundred human beings are under
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two hundred sticks.
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6. African Traditional Religions. Nupe Proverb (Nigeria)
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Thus says the Lord, "Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of
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the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the
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alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood."
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7. Judaism and Christianity. Bible, Jeremiah 22.3
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Now is the gracious Lord's ordinance promulgated,
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No one shall cause another pain or injury;
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All mankind shall live in peace together,
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Under a shield of administrative benevolence.
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8. Sikhism. Adi Granth, Sri Raga, M.5, p. 74
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In this world may obedience triumph over disobedience,
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May peace triumph over discord,
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May generosity triumph over niggardliness,
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May love triumph over contempt,
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May the true-spoken word triumph over the false-spoken word,
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May truth triumph over falsehood.
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9. Zoroastrianism. Yasna 60.5
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Nupe Proverb: People are by nature independent and can be expected to drive
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themselves. Cf. Qur'an 2.256, p. 676; Tao Te Ching 60, p. 1065; Baba Batra
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60b, p. 1065. Sri Raga, M.5: Cf. Gauri, Ravidas, p. 1118.
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When the right principles of man operate, the growth of good government is
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rapid, and when the right principles of soil operate, the growth of vegetables
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is rapid. Indeed, government is comparable to a fast-growing plant. There-
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fore the conduct of government depends upon the men. The right men are
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obtained by the ruler's personal character. The cultivation of the person is
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to be done through the Way, and the cultivation of the Way is to be done
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through benevolence (jen).
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10. Confucianism. Doctrine of the Mean 20
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I exist for my family, my family exists for our society, our society exists for
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our nation, our nation exists for the world, all the world exists for God, and
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God exists for you and me, for all mankind. In this great circle of give and
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take there is harmony, there is unity, and there is an eternal process of
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increasing prosperity. Furthermore, since in this circuit all existence will
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fulfill its purpose of creation, there is abundant and profound joy. This is
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the Kingdom of Heaven, in which feelings of happiness overflow.
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11. Unification Church. Sun Myung Moon, 10-20-73
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If love and agreement are manifest in a single family, that family will
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advance, become illumined and spiritual; but if enmity and hatred exist within
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it, destruction and dispersion are inevitable. This is likewise true of a
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city. If those who dwell within it manifest a spirit of accord and fellowship,
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it will progress steadily and human conditions become brighter, whereas through
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enmity and strife it will be degraded and its inhabitants scattered. In the
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same way the people of a nation develop and advance toward civilization and
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enlightenment through love and accord, and are disintegrated by war and strife.
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Finally, this is true of humanity itself in the aggregate. When love is
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realized and the ideal spiritual bonds unite the hearts of men, the whole human
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race will be uplifted, the world will continually grow more spiritual and
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radiant, and the happiness and tranquillity of mankind be immeasurably
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increased. Warfare and strife will be uprooted, disagreement and dissension
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pass away, and Universal Peace unite the nations and peoples of the world. All
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mankind will dwell together as one family, blend as the waves of one sea, shine
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as stars of one firmament, and appear as fruits of the same tree. This is the
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happiness and felicity of humankind. This is the illumination of man, the
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glory eternal and life everlasting; this is the divine bestowal.
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12. Baha'i Faith. 'Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace
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Doctrine of the Mean 20: See Great Learning, pp. 682f.; Mencius II.A.6, p. 216;
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and Great Learning 8, p. 240.
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Let there be a small country with a few inhabitants. Though there be
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labor-saving contrivances, the people would not use them. Let the people mind
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death and not migrate far. Though there be boats and carriages, there would be
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no occasion to ride in them. Though there be armor and weapons, there would be
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no occasion to display them.
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Let people revert to the practice of knotting ropes [instead of writing], and
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be contented with their food, pleased with their clothing, satisfied with their
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houses, and happy with their customs. Though there be a neighboring country in
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sight, and the people hear each other's cocks crowing and dogs barking, they
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would grow old and die without having anything to do with each other.
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13. Taoism. Tao Te Ching 80
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When the eighty-four thousand kings of the eighty-four thousand cities of India
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are contented with their own territories and with their own kingly state and
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their own hoards of treasure, they will not attack one another or raise mutual
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strife. They will gain their thrones by the due accumulation of the merit of
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their former deeds; they will be satisfied with their own royal state, and will
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not destroy one another nor show their mettle by laying waste whole provinces.
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When all the eighty-four thousand kings of the eighty-four thousand capital
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cities of India think of their mutual welfare and feel mutual affection and
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joy... contented in their own domains... India will be prosperous, well-fed,
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pleasant, and populous.
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14. Buddhism. Golden Light Sutra
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And Judah and Israel dwelt in safety, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, every man
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under his vine and under his fig tree, all the days of Solomon.
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15. Judaism and Christianity. Bible, 1 Kings 4.25
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Rama, whose arms reached to his knees, the powerful elder brother of Lakshmana,
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ruled the earth in glory and performed many sacrifices with his sons, brothers,
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and kinsfolk. No widow was ever found in distress nor was there any danger
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from snakes or disease during his reign; there were no malefactors in his
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kingdom nor did any suffer harm; no aged person ever attended the funeral of a
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younger relative; happiness was universal; each attended to his duty and they
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had only to look to Rama to give up enmity. Men lived for a thousand years,
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each having a thousand sons who were free from infirmity and anxiety; trees
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bore fruit and flowers perpetually; Parjanya sent down rain when it was needed
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and Maruta blew auspiciously; all works undertaken bore happy results and all
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engaged in their respective duties and eschewed evil. All were endowed with
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good qualities; all were devoted to pious observances, and Rama ruled over the
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kingdom for ten thousand years.
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16. Hinduism. Ramayana, Yuddha Kanda 130
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Tao Te Ching 80: This is the ideal of simple village life rooted in tradition
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and interwoven with loving ties of family and friends. It is quite the
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opposite of life of the modern jet-setter who travels everywhere but has no
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roots. For a similar Buddhist image, see Digha Nikaya iii.74-75, p. 1116. Cf.
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Tao Te Ching 32, p. 1063; Chuang Tzu 9, p. 320.
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Long, long ago, brethren, there was a sovereign overlord named Strongtyre, a
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righteous king ruling in righteousness, lord of the four quarters of the earth,
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conqueror, the protector of his people, possessor of the seven precious things.
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His were these seven precious things: the Wheel, the Elephant, the Horse, the
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Gem, the Woman, the House-father, the Counselor. More than a thousand sons
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also were his, heroes, vigorous of frame, crushers of the hosts of the enemy.
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He lived in supremacy over this earth to its ocean bounds, having conquered it,
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not by the scourge, not by the sword, but by righteousness....
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King Strongtyre, having in due form established his eldest son on the throne,
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shaved hair and beard, donned yellow robes and went forth from home into the
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homeless state. But on the seventh day after the royal hermit had gone forth,
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the Celestial Wheel disappeared.
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When the new king was informed that the Celestial Wheel had disappeared, he was
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grieved and afflicted with sorrow. He went to the royal hermit and told him,
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saying, "Know, sire, verily the Celestial Wheel has disappeared." The royal
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hermit replied, "Grieve not, dear son, that the Celestial Wheel has
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disappeared, nor be afflicted. The Celestial Wheel is no paternal heritage of
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yours. You yourself do good, as I did, and earn the Wheel. Act up to the
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noble ideal of the duty which is set before true world sovereigns. Then it
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well may be that if you carry out the noble duty of a Wheel-turning monarch, on
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the feast of the full moon when you go with bathed head to observe the feast on
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the upper terrace, the Celestial Wheel will manifest itself with its thousand
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spokes, its tire, hub, and all its parts complete."
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"But what, sire, is this noble duty of a Wheel-turning monarch?"
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"This, dear son, that you, leaning on the Law, honoring, respecting, and
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revering it, doing homage to it, hallowing it, being yourself a banner of the
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Law, a signal of the Law, having the Law as your master, should provide the
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right watch, ward, and protection for your own people, for the army, for the
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nobles, for vassals, for brahmins, and householders, for town and country
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dwellers, for the religious world, and for beasts and birds. Throughout your
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kingdom let no wrongdoing prevail. And whosoever in your kingdom is poor, to
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him let wealth be given.
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"And when, dear son, in your kingdom men of religious life, renouncing the
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carelessness arising from the intoxication of the senses and devoted to
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forbearance and compassion, each mastering self, each calming self, each
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perfecting self, shall come to you from time to time and question you
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concerning what is good and what is bad, what is criminal and what is not, what
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is to be done and what left undone, what line of action will in the long run
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work for weal or for woe, you should hear what they have to say.... This, dear
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son, is the noble duty of a sovereign of the world."
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"Even so, sire," answered the anointed king, and obeying, carried out the noble
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duty of a sovereign lord. To him, thus behaving, when on the feast of the full
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moon he had gone in due observance with bathed head to the chief upper terrace,
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the Celestial Wheel revealed itself, with its thousand spokes, its tire, its
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navel, and all its parts complete. And seeing this it occurred to the king,
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"It has been told me that a king to whom on such an occasion the Celestial
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Wheel reveals itself completely becomes a Wheel-turning monarch. May I, even I,
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also become a sovereign of the world!"
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Then, brethren, the king arose from his seat, and uncovering his robe from one
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shoulder, took in his left hand a pitcher, and with his right hand sprinkled up
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over the Celestial Wheel, saying, "Roll onward, O lord Wheel! Go forth and
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overcome, O lord Wheel!" Then the Celestial Wheel rolled onwards towards the
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region of the East, and after it went the Wheel-turning king, and with him his
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army, horses and chariots and elephants and men. And in whatever place the
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Wheel stopped, there the king, the victorious war-lord, took up his abode, and
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with him his four-fold army. Then all the rival kings came to the sovereign
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king and said, "Come, O mighty king! Welcome, O mighty king! All is thine, O
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mighty king! Teach us, O mighty king!"
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The king, the sovereign war-lord spoke thus, "You shall slay no living thing.
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You shall not take what has not been given. You shall not act wrongly,
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touching bodily desires. You shall speak no lie. You shall drink no maddening
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drink. Enjoy your possessions as you have been wont to do. Then, brethren,
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all that were enemy kings became vassals to the king, the Wheel-turner.
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17. Buddhism. Digha Nikaya iii.59-62, Cakkavatti-Sihanada Suttanta
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Confucius said, "The practice of the Great Tao and the eminent men of the Three
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Dynasties--this I have never seen in person, and yet I have a mind to follow
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them. When the Great Tao prevailed, the world was a commonwealth; men of
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talent and virtue were selected, mutual confidence was emphasized, and
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brotherhood was cultivated. Therefore, men did not regard as parents only
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their own parents, nor did they treat as sons only their own sons. Old people
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were able to enjoy their old age; young men were able to employ their talents;
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juniors respected their elders; helpless widows, orphans, and cripples were
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well cared for. Men had their respective occupations, and women their homes.
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They hated to see wealth lying about in waste, and they did not hoard it for
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their own use. They hated not to use their energies, and they used their
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energies not for their own benefit. Thus evil schemings were repressed, and
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robbers, thieves, and traitors no longer appeared, so that the front door
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remained open. This was called the Ta-tung (Grand Unity).
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"Now the Great Tao has fallen into obscurity, and the world is in the
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possession of families. Each regards as parents only his own parents and
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treats as sons only his own sons; wealth and labor are employed for selfish
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purpose. The sovereigns take it as the proper behavior (li) that their states
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should be hereditary; they endeavor to make their cities and suburbs strong,
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their ditches and moats secure. Propriety (li) and justice (i) are used as the
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norms to regulate the relationship between ruler and subject, to ensure
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affection between father and son, harmony between brothers, and concord between
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husband and wife; to set up institutions, organize farms and hamlets, honor the
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brave and the wise, and bring merit to the individual. Hence schemes and
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plottings come about and men take up arms."
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18. Confucianism. Book of Ritual 7.1.2
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It was when the Great Tao declined,
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That there appeared the doctrines of humanity (jen) and righteousness (i).
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It was when knowledge and wisdom arose,
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That there appeared much hypocrisy.
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It was when the six family relationships lost their harmony,
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That there was talk of filial piety and paternal affection.
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It was when the country fell into chaos and confusion,
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That there was talk of loyalty and trustworthiness.
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Banish sageliness, discard wisdom,
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And the people will be benefited a hundredfold.
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Banish humanity, discard righteousness,
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And the people will return to filial piety and paternal affection.
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Banish skill, discard profit,
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And thieves and robbers will disappear.
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These three are the ill-provided adornments of life,
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And must be subordinated to something higher:
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Seek the simple, embrace primitivity;
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Reduce the self, lessen the desires.
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19. Taoism. Tao Te Ching 18-19
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Digha Nikaya iii.59-62: The Wheel is the symbol of the Dhamma, which the Buddha
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turned on preaching his opening sermon at Deer Park near Varanasi. The ideal
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king rules according to right, not might, and all submit to him willingly;
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without warfare or bloodshed he conquers the world. This sutra describes the
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suffering social degradation which follows when the Dhamma is not practiced,
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and predicts that the world will one day return to the practice of the truth
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and realize the social ideal once again at the coming of the Maitreya Buddha.
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See other excerpts of this sutta on pp. 1064, 1091f., 1107, and 1116. Book of
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Ritual 7.1.2: More of this passage, p. 663, refers to the illustrious ideal
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rulers Y, T'ang, Wen, Wu, and the Duke of Chou. Cf. Mencius I.A.1, p. 1075;
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I.A.7, p. 974. On the degradation of humanity, cf. Laws of Manu 1.81-86, p.
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433. Tao Te Ching 18-19: Cf. Tao Te Ching 32, 1063; 37, p. 554; 38, p. 434;
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51, p. 294; I Ching 42, p. 1066.
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