307 lines
14 KiB
Plaintext
307 lines
14 KiB
Plaintext
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THE PERSON AND CHARACTER OF THE FOUNDER
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This section contains passages which describe either the divinity
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of the founder as a manifestation of God, or the humanity of the founder
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as a person with a unique and striking personality. In some religions the
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founder, as the human being who is completely one with Absolute Reality,
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is described as divine. The concurrence of humanity and divinity in a
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single person is a mystery which is described in various ways: Christology
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is the theological and doctrinal reflection by which Jesus is
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characterized as fully God and fully man. Jainism holds that the
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Tirthankara has realized the state of param-atman, or perfected soul, who
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alone is divine and absolute. Hinduism understands the concurrence of
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divinity and humanity through the doctrines of the avatar and the
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indwelling of divinity in the soul of the Sage.
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Jesus Christ is also recognized as the incarnation of the Second
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Person of the Trinity: three persons--Father, Son, and Holy
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Spirit--united, and manifesting the creative, redemptive, and sanctifying
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activity of God in the world. The comparable Mahayana Buddhist doctrine
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of the Trikaya, the Buddha's three bodies, holds at one the Dharmakaya,
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Eternal Buddha, which is the substance of Enlightenment and Truth itself;
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the Sambhogakaya, the compassion and wisdom of the Buddha by which people
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are led to salvation; and the Nirmanakaya, the bodily manifestations of
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the Buddha, the latest being the historical Siddhartha Gautama. The Hindu
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Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, the Creator, Preserver, and
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Destroyer is not strictly comparable; it deals with a three-fold
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manifestation of the God head quite apart from any incarnation.
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In the orthodox traditions of Islam, Judaism, Theravada Buddhism,
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and Confucianism, on the other hand, the founder is a human being and
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emphatically distinct from deity. The majority of traditions about the
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founder in these religions describe his character in very human terms, in
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order to avoid any attempt to make him into a god. And yet, mystical and
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popular strands in many of these religions cherish traditions about the
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founder's person that recognize in him qualities like unto Ultimate
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Reality.
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See Vishnu Purana 1, p. 82.
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THE DIVINE PERS0N
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Whoever sees me [Muhammad] has seen God.
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Islam. Hadith of Bukhari and Muslim
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He who sees the Norm, he sees me; he who sees me, he sees the Norm.
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Buddhism. Samyutta Nikaya iii.120
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Do you not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father; how
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can you say, "Show us the Father?" Do you not believe that I am in the
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Father and the Father in me?
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Christianity. Bible, John 14.9-10
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Says Nanak, "The Master is the Lord's image;
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The Lord in the Master pervasive--
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Brother! between these lies no difference."
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Sikhism. Adi Granth, Asa Chhant, M.4, p. 442
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Glory be to Lord Mahavira, in whose mirror of enlightenment are reflected
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vividly the terrestrial and the extra-terrestrial, and whose complexion
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resembles the interior of a blooming lotus and burnished gold.
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Jainism. Virasena, Jayadhavala 3
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In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
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God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him,
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and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and
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the life was the light of men.... And the Word became flesh and dwelt
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among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of
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the only Son of the Father.
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Christianity. Bible, John 1.1-4, 14
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Samyutta Nikaya III. 120: `Norm', that is, the Dhamma. Jayadhavala 3: Cf.
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Ratnakarandasravakacara 7-10, p. 637. John 1.1-4: See note on p. 150.
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The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship
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of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
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Christianity. Bible, 2 Corinthians 13.14
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The supreme, complete enlightenment is the realm of Nirvana. The
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realm of Nirvana is the Dharma-body of the Tathagata [the Eternal Buddha].
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Attaining the absolute Dharma-body is [attaining] the absolute One
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Vehicle. The Tathagata is not different from the Dharma-body. The
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Tathagata is identical with the Dharma-body.... The Absolute is unlimited
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and unceasing.
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O Lord, the Tathagata, who is not limited by time... is without
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limita- tion. His great compassion also is unlimited, bringing peace and
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comfort to the world. His unlimited great compassion brings unlimited
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peace and comfort to the world. This explanation is a good explanation
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concerning the Tathagata. If one again speaks of the inexhaustible
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Dharma, the eternally abiding Dharma which is the refuge of all
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worlds--this is also a good explana- tion concerning the Tathagata.
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Therefore, in a world that has not been saved, a world without a refuge,
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there is an inexhaustible, eternally abiding refuge equal to the utmost
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limit: the Tathagata, Arhat, Completely Enlightened One.
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Buddhism. Lion's Roar of Queen Srimala 5
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Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am."
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Christianity. Bible, John 8.58
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Outwardly, we are last of all, but inwardly we preceded everyone.
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Islam. Hadith of Bukhari
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I have been Manu and also Surya,
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I am the wise rishi Kakshivat,
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I have befriended Kutsa, Arjuni's son,
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and I am the poet Usanas; behold Me!
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Hinduism. Rig Veda 4.26.1
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2 Corinthians 13.14: This Trinitarian benediction suggests the distinctive
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activities of the persons of the Trinity: the grace of Christ, who died as
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atonement for our sins, leads us to the love of God, and the Holy Spirit
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manifests God's love through producing fellowship with God and among
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people. Lion's Roar of Queen Srimala 5: A statement of the Trikaya
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doctrine: the Tathagata is at once the realm of Absolute Suchness, or the
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Dharmakaya, the Dharma of compassion that fills the world, or
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Sambhogakaya, and the person of the human Tathagata, the Arhat. For texts
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on the Dharmakaya, cf. Garland Sutra 37, p. 96; Holy Teaching of
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Vimalakirti 12, p. 96; for a visual depiction of the Sambhogakaya, see
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Garland Sutra 2, p. 99. John 8.58: As the pre-existent Word, Jesus
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preceded Abraham, even all human beings. Hadith of Bukhari: This refers
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to Muhammad, who is outwardly the last of the prophets but inwardly
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preceded them. Rig Veda 4.26.1: As the 'Poet of poets' God (Indra)
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infuses the Vedic sages and gives them their holy utterance. This is the
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Vedic foundation for the later Hindu doctrine of avatars.
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Whenever truth is forgotten in the world, and wickedness prevails, the
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Lord of Love becomes flesh to show the way, the truth, and the life to
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humanity. Such an incarnation is an avatar, an embodiment of God on
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earth.
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Hinduism. Srimad Bhagavatam 1.1
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Jesus took with him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up
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a high mountain apart. And he was transfigured before them, and his face
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shown like the sun, and his garments became white as light. And behold,
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there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. And Peter said
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to Jesus, "Lord, it is well that we are here; if you wish, I will make
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three booths here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah." He
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was still speaking, when lo, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice
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from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;
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listen to him." When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces,
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and were filled with awe. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Rise,
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and have no fear." And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one
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but Jesus only.
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Christianity. Bible, Matthew 17.1-8
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O Krishna, it is right that the world delights and rejoices in your
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praise, that all the saints and sages bow down to you and all evil flees
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before you to the far corners of the universe. How could they not worship
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you, O Lord? You are the eternal Spirit, who existed before Brahma the
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Creator and who will never cease to be. Lord of the gods, you are the
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abode of the universe. Changeless, you are what is and what is not, and
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beyond the duality of existence and nonexistence....
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Sometimes, because we were friends, I rashly said, "Oh, Krishna!" "Say,
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friend!"--casual, careless remarks. Whatever I may have said lightly,
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whether we were playing or resting, alone or in company, sitting together
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or eating, if it was disrespectful, forgive me for it, O Krishna. I did
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not know the greatness of your nature, unchanging and imperishable.
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Hinduism. Bhagavad Gita 11.36-42
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Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when
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Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord."
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But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails,
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and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his
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side, I will not believe." Eight days later, his disciples were again in
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the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came
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and stood among them, and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to
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Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand,
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and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing." Thomas
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answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you believed
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because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet
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believed."
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Christianity. Bible, John 20.24-29
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Srimad Bhagavatam 1.1: See Bhagavad Gita 4.7-8, p. 662, the classic
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statement on avatars. Cf. Srimad Bhagavatam 10, p. 637; Ramayana, Bala
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Kanda 15, p. 625; Kularnava Tantra 13, p. 817; Swaiyya Guru, Kala, p. 663.
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Matthew 17.1-8: This is the Transfiguration, when Jesus' disciples first
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become aware of his divinity. Cf. John's vision of the resurrected Jesus
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in Revelation 1.9-19, p. 100. Bhagavad Gita 11.36-42: Arjuna spoke these
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words just after being awe-struck by a vision of Krishna's transcendental
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form in Bhagavad Gita 11.3-34, pp. 102f., 1044f. For other of Krishna's
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transcendental manifestations, see Srimad Bhagavatam 10.5, p. 764, and
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Srimad Bhagavatam 10.16, pp. 626f.
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When Confucius returned from his visit with Lao Tzu, he did not speak for
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three days. His disciples said, "Master, you've seen Lao Tzu--what
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estimation would you make of him?" Confucius said, "At last I may say
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that I have seen a Dragon--a Dragon that coils to show his body at its
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best, that sprawls out to display his patterns at their best, riding on
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the breath of the clouds, feeding on the yin and yang. My mouth fell open
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and I couldn't close it; my tongue flew up and I couldn't even stammer.
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How could I possibly make any estimation of Lao Tzu?"
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Taoism. Chuang Tzu 14
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At one time the Lord was journeying along the highroad between
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Ukkattha and Setabbya; so also was the brahmin Dona. He saw on the Lord's
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footprints the wheels with their thousand spokes, their rims and hubs and
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all their attributes complete, and he thought, "Indeed, how wonderful and
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marvelous--it cannot be that these are the footprints of a human being."
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Then Dona, following the Lord's footprints, saw that he was sitting
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under a tree, comely, faith-inspiring, his sense-faculties and his mind
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peaceful.... Dona approached the Lord and said, "Is your reverence a god?"
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"No indeed, brahmin, I am not a god."
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"Then an angel?"
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"No indeed, brahmin."
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"A fairy, then?"
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"No indeed, brahmin, I am not a fairy."
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"Then is your reverence a human being?"
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"No indeed, brahmin, I am not a human being."
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"You answer No to all my questions. Who then is your reverence?"
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"Brahmin, those outflows whereby, if they had not been
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extinguished, I might have been a god, angel, fairy, or a human
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being--those outflows are extinguished in me, cut off at the root, made
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like a palm-tree stump that can come to no further existence in the
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future. Just as a blue, red, or white lotus, although born in the water,
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grown up in the water, when it reaches the surface stands there unsoiled
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by the water--just so, brahmin, although born in the world, grown up in
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the world, having overcome the world, I abide unsoiled by the world. Take
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it that I am Buddha."
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Buddhism. Anguttara Nikaya ii.37-39
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John 20.24-29: This is the account of doubting Thomas. The resurrection
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of Jesus in a tangible body is one proof of his divinity; cf. Luke 24, pp.
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616f. Others prove Jesus' divinity by citing his miracles, such as walking
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on water, see Matthew 14.24-31, p. 759. Chuang Tzu 14: Chuang Tzu often
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casts Confucius in the role of a poor and benighted sage whose wisdom
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cannot compare with that of the Taoist masters. Such was then the rivalry
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between the two schools. Anguttara Nikaya ii.37-39: The Buddha's
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transcendental nature cannot be comprehended by conventional notions of
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divinity, for the Hindu gods are merely another class of creatures, as are
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gandharvas (angels) and yakkhas (fairies) . He is beyond any form or
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phenomena of existence. Cf. Dhammapada 93, p. 531; Sutta Nipata 1072-76,
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p. 532. Majjhima Nikaya i.318: The Buddha lays himself open to inquiry by
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inviting others to observe his behavior and judge his mental purity. He
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invites them to judge him as a man. Mark 10.17-18: Cf. 1 John 1.8, p. 383;
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also Qur'an 12.53, p. 383; Hadith of Muslim, p. 508. Qur'an 5.75: Muslims
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consider the belief that Jesus is God, or the son of God--'son' understood
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in the sense of procreation or partaking of divinity--as one of the chief
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errors of Christian theology. In Islam there is an absolute distinction
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between God and human beings. Cf. Qur'an 21.26-29, p. 377 and note.
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