341 lines
17 KiB
Plaintext
341 lines
17 KiB
Plaintext
Ill
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World Scripture
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ILL
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The First of the Buddha's Four Noble Truths is that human existence is
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suffering, or ill (Pali dukkha), which connotes the idea of an illness
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generated by the self through its false attachments. Often this condition is
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described by the metaphor of a universal fire engulfing the world. In
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Hinduism, the human lot of samsara is to go through an endless cycle of death
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and rebirth, conditioned by nature (the gunas) and rooted in the results of
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past actions. This is likened to a universal tree, turned upside-down, whose
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roots and branches trace the sequences of actions (karma) back to the beginning
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of time: The whole of it is suffering. In Christianity, the doctrine of
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Original Sin conveys a similar idea: Humans are, by their fallen condition,
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cut off from God and hence unable to fulfill the true purpose of life. We may
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try to be good, but in spite of our best efforts, we miss the mark. Original
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Sin, like the Hindu notion of samsara, is understood to be a condition
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perpetuated throughout the generations of humankind. (The doctrine of Original
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Sin also includes an explanation of its cause in the primordial Fall of Man,
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but that topic is deferred to the next chapter.)
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Analogous statements recognizing that the human condition is inveterately ill,
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deficient, or sinful can be found in the scriptures of many religions. No one
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is untainted by sin and evil. Few are they who truly seek truth, beauty, and
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goodness. Even when people begin with the best of intentions, their behavior
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usually degenerates and ends in acrimony, betrayal, or violence.
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The Noble Truth of Suffering (Dukkha) is this: Birth is suffering; aging is
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suffering; sickness is suffering; death is suffering; sorrow and lamentation,
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pain, grief, and despair are suffering; association with the unpleasant is
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suffering; dissociation from the pleasant is suffering; not to get what one
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wants is suffering--in brief, the five aggregates of attachment are suffering.
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1. Buddhism. Samyutta Nikaya lvi.11: Setting in Motion the Wheel of Truth
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I look at what ordinary people find happiness in, what they all make a mad dash
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for, racing around as though they couldn't stop--they all say they're happy
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with it. I'm not happy with it and I'm not unhappy with it. In the end, is
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there really happiness or isn't there?
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2. Taoism. Chuang Tzu 18
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Affliction does not come from the dust,
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nor does trouble sprout from the ground;
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but man is born to trouble
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as the sparks fly upward.
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3. Judaism and Christianity. Job 5.6-7
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This world, become ablaze, by touch of sense afflicted,
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utters its own lament. Whatever conceit one has,
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therein is instability. Becoming other,
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bound to becoming, yet in becoming it rejoices.
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Delight therein is fear, and what it fears is Ill.
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4. Buddhism. Udana 32
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Samyutta Nikaya lvi.11: This is the first of the Four Noble Truths, taken from
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the Buddha's first sermon. The 'five aggregates,' or skandhas, are the
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elements of the personality to which we cling in our vain craving for
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existence. They are: body-form, feeling, perception, activities which make
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karma, and consciousness. Udana 32: Cf. Lankavatara Sutra 24, p. 398;
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Svetasvatara Upanishad 1.6-8, p. 398.
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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Brothers, all is burning. And what is the all that is burning? Brothers, the
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eye is burning, visible forms are burning, visual consciousness is burning,
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visual impression is burning, also whatever sensation, pleasant or painful or
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neither-painful-nor-pleasant, arises on account of the visual impression, that
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too is burning. Burning with what? Burning with the fire of lust, with the
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fire of hate, with the fire of delusion; I say it is burning with birth, aging,
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and death, with sorrows, with lamentations, with pains, with griefs, with
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despairs.
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The ear is burning, sounds are burning, auditory consciousness is burning,
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auditory impression is burning, also whatever sensation, pleasant or painful or
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neither-painful-nor-pleasant, arises on account of the auditory impression,
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that too is burning. Burning with what? Burning with the fire of lust, with
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the fire of hate, with the fire of delusion; I say it is burning with birth,
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aging, and death, with sorrows, with lamentations, with pains, with griefs,
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with despairs.
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The nose is burning, odors are burning, olfactory consciousness is burning,
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olfactory impression is burning....
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The tongue is burning, flavors are burning, consciousness of flavor is burning,
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taste impression is burning....
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The body is burning, tangible things are burning, tactile consciousness is
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burning, tactile sensation is burning....
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The mind is burning, thoughts are burning, consciousness of thought is
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burning.... Burning with what? Burning with the fire of lust, with the fire
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of hate, with the fire of delusion; I say it is burning with birth, aging, and
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death, with sorrows, with lamentations, with pains, with griefs, with despairs.
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5. Buddhism. Samyutta Nikaya xxxv.28: The Fire Sermon
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Farid, I thought I alone had sorrow;
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Sorrow is spread all over the whole world.
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From my roof-top I saw
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Every home engulfed in sorrow's flames.
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6. Sikhism. Adi Granth, Shalok, Farid, p. 1382
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Kisa Gotami had an only son, and he died. In her grief she carried the dead
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child to all her neighbors, asking them for medicine, and the people said, "She
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has lost her senses. The boy is dead."
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At length Kisa Gotami met a man who replied to her request, "I cannot give you
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medicine for your child, but I know a physician who can. Go to Sakyamuni, the
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Buddha."
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Kisa Gotami repaired to the Buddha and cried, "Lord and Master, give me the
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medicine that will cure my boy."
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The Buddha answered, "I want a handful of mustard seed." And when the girl in
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her joy promised to procure it, the Buddha added, "The mustard seed must be
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taken from a house where no one has lost a child, husband, parent, or friend."
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Poor Kisa Gotami now went from house to house, and the people pitied her and
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said, "Here is the mustard seed, take it!" But when she asked, "Did a son or
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daughter, a father or mother, die in your family?" they answered her, "Alas!
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the living are few, but the dead are many. Do not remind us of our deepest
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grief." And there was no house but some beloved one had died in it.
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Kisa Gotami became weary and hopeless, and sat down at the way-side, watching
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the lights of the city as they flickered up and were extinguished again. At
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last the darkness of night reigned everywhere. And she considered the fate of
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men, that their lives flicker up and are extinguished. And she thought to
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herself, "How selfish am I in my grief! Death is common to all; yet in this
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valley of desolation there is a path that leads him to immortality who has
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surrendered all selfishness."
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Putting away the selfishness of her affection for her child, Kisa Gotami had
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the dead body buried in the forest. Returning to the Buddha, she took refuge
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in him and found comfort in the Dharma.
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7. Buddhism. Buddhaghosa, Parable of the Mustard Seed
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Samyutta Nikaya xxxv.28: The theme of a world on fire is elaborated in the
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Lotus Sutra's Parable of the Burning House; see p. 145n. Cf. Genesis Rabbah
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39.1, p. 593; Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.3.1-7, pp. 388f.
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
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a time to be born, and a time to die;
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a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
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a time to kill, and a time to heal;
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a time to break down, and a time to build up;
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a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
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a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
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a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
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a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
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a time to seek, and a time to lose;
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a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
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a time to rend, and a time to sew;
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a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
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a time to love, and a time to hate;
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a time for war, and a time for peace.
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8. Judaism and Christianity. Ecclesiastes 3.1-8
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Parable of the Mustard Seed: This parable appears in various sources in the
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Buddhist tradition. It illustrates the principle of the impermanence of
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phenomena, the attachment to which is the basis of all suffering. Cf. Diamond
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Sutra 32, p. 123; Lankavatara Sutra 24, p. 398. Ecclesiastes 3.1-8: This
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meditation on the impermanence of life is often recited at funerals. Cf.
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Isaiah 40:6-8, p. 123.
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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There is an eternal pipal tree, with roots on high and branches downward. The
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verses of Scripture are its leaves. Who understands this tree understands the
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Scriptures.
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It stretches its branches upward and downward. The states of all things
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nurture the young shoots. The young shoots are the nourishment of our senses.
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And below, the roots go far into the world of men; they are the sequences of
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actions.
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This understanding of the tree's shape--its end and its beginning, and its
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ground--is not open to the ordinary world. The roots of that pipal tree have
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spread far. With the strong axe of detachment a man should cut that tree.
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9. Hinduism. Bhagavad Gita 15.1-3
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No creature, whether born on earth or among the gods in heaven, is free from
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the conditioning of the three states of matter (gunas).
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10. Hinduism. Bhagavad Gita 18.40
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The question as to when the union of soul with karma occurred for the first
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time cannot arise, since this is a beginningless relation like gold and stone.
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11. Jainism. Pancadyayi 2.35-36
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If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
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12. Christianity. 1 John 1.8
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Nor do I absolve my own self of blame; the human soul is certainly prone to
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evil, unless my Lord do bestow His mercy.
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13. Islam. Qur'an 12.53
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All men, both Jews and Greeks, are under the power of sin, as it is written,
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None is righteous, no, not one;
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no one understands, no one seeks for God.
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All have turned aside, together they have gone wrong;
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no one does good, not even one.
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14. Christianity. Romans 3.9-12
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Bhagavad Gita 15.1-3: Cf. Suhi, M.5, p. 399, Svetasvatara Upanishad 1.6-8, p.
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398; Uttaradhyayana Sutra 3.1-7, p. 315; Udana 77, p. 532. On the 'states of
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all things' (gunas) see the following note. Bhagavad Gita 18.40: The three
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gunas or qualities of matter are goodness or purity (sattva), energy or passion
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(rajas), and darkness or inertia (tamas). Every person contains all three
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qualities in different proportions, as all light is a mixture of the three
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primary colors. As forces operating within the world of matter (prakriti), the
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gunas condition human existence and obscure the way to the Self. Cf. Bhagavad
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Gita 13.19-22, p. 178. 1 John 1.8: Cf. Mark 10.17-18, p. 655; Jeremiah 17.9,
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p. 455; also Shinran, pp. 913f. Qur'an 12.53: Cf. Quran 4.28, p. 509. Not
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even Muhammad, the best of men, regarded himself blameless; cf. Qur'an 17.11,
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p. 389; Hadith of Muslim, p. 508. On the original uprightness of human nature,
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see Qur'an 30.30, p. 215. Romans 3.9-12: Paul is quoting from Psalm 14, p.
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396. Yet every person still has a measure of conscience and moral sense; see
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Romans 2.14-16, p. 215. Cf. Book of Mormon, Mosiah 3.19, p. 912.
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Surely man was created fretful,
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when evil visits him, impatient,
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when good visits him, grudging,
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save those that pray.
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15. Islam. Qur'an 70.19-22
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Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
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16. Judaism and Christianity. Psalm 51.5
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Each of us is destined at birth to bear the legacy of man's first and
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continuing rebellion against God. That legacy is the tendency to sin. A person
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sins when he succumbs to the inclination to contravene the divine will by
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pursuing inordinate desires. It is an inclination that lurks in the hearts of
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all people whether they believe in God or not, but many are not even aware of
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it.
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17. Sekai Kyusei Kyo. Mokichi Okada, Johrei
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Confucius said, "I for my part have never yet seen one who really cared for
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Goodness, nor one who really abhorred wickedness. One who really cared for
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Goodness would never let any other consideration come first. One who abhorred
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wickedness would be so constantly doing Good that wickedness would never have a
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chance to get at him. Has anyone ever managed to do Good with his whole might
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even as long as the space of a single day? I think not. Yet I for my part
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have never seen anyone give up such an attempt because he had not the strength
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to go on."
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18. Confucianism. Analects 4.6
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Confucius remarked, "There is in the world now really no moral social order at
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all."
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19. Confucianism. Doctrine of the Mean 5
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There is a male monkey in every forest.
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20. African Traditional Religions. Tiv Proverb (Nigeria)
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Qur'an 70.19-22: Cf. Qur'an 95.4-6, p. 453. Psalm 51.5: In the tradition of
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St. Augustine's explanation of original sin, Protestants and Catholics have
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generally regarded the act of procreation as instrumental in transmitting
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original sin from one generation to the next. But this does not make the act
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itself sinful. According to Vatican II, Guadium et Spes, conjugal love is a
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means of grace in Christian marriage. Johrei: This idea reflects the influence
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of Christianity on the new religions of Japan. Compare also the Jewish concept
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of the evil inclination in Kiddushin 30b, p. 390, and Book of Mormon, Mosiah
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3.19, p. 912. Analects 4.6: The last sentence means that it is the will, not
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the way, that is wanting. Cf. Analects 14.2, p. 227. Tiv Proverb: Every
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community has its troublemaker, bully, or thief.
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The slanderers of the true dharma in the latter age of decay are as numerous as
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the soil of all the worlds in the universe is immeasurable. Those who keep the
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true dharma are as few in number as a bit of soil on a fingernail.
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21. Buddhism. Mahaparinirvana Sutra
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Since beginningless past, all sentient beings and I have been parents and
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children, brothers and sisters to each other. Being full of greed, hatred, and
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ignorance, pride, conceit, dishonesty, deception, and all other afflictions, we
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have therefore harmed each other, plundering, raping, and killing, doing all
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manner of evil. All sentient beings are like this--because of passions and
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afflictions they do not respect or honor each other, they do not agree with or
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obey each other, they do not defer to each other, they do not edify or guide
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each other, they do not care for each other--they go on killing and injuring
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each other, being enemies and malefactors to each other. Reflecting on myself
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as well as other sentient beings, we act shamelessly in the past, future, and
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present, while the Buddhas of past, future, and present see and know it all.
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22. Buddhism. Garland Sutra 22
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How vast is God,
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The ruler of men below!
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How arrayed in terrors is God,
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With many things irregular in his ordinations.
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Heaven gave birth to the multitudes of the people,
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But the nature it confers is not to be depended upon.
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All are good at first,
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But few prove themselves to be so at the last.
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23. Confucianism. Book of Songs, Ode 255
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When men get together to pit their strength in games of skill, they start off
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in a light and friendly mood, but usually end up in a dark and angry one, and
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if they go on too long they start resorting to various underhanded tricks. When
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men meet at some ceremony to drink, they start off in an orderly manner, but
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usually end up in disorder, and if they go on too long they start indulging in
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various irregular amusements. It is the same with all things. What starts out
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being sincere usually ends up being deceitful. What was simple in the
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beginning acquires monstrous proportions in the end.
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24. Taoism. Chuang Tzu 4
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Mahaparinirvana Sutra: Nichiren Buddhists regard the present age as the Mappo,
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the Age of the Degeneration of the Law, and for this reason the followers of
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the true Law are persecuted; cf. Lotus Sutra 13, p. 1090. Book of Songs, Ode
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255: On being 'good at first,' cf. Mencius IV.B.12, p. 214, and Book of Ritual
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38.13, p. 215; cf. Ecclesiastes 7.29, p. 453; Qur'an 95.4-6, p. 453.
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