363 lines
14 KiB
Plaintext
363 lines
14 KiB
Plaintext
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DECISION
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The religious life begins with a decision. It is not something
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that comes in the natural course of an unexamined life, but it must be
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consciously chosen and cleaved to. Neither can the decision be compelled
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by human authorities, nor by the power of Heaven. The call to faith must
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be entered into freely. Often the call to decision is an exhortation to
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awaken to the real dangers and fragility of human life: the inevitability
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of death, the awareness of the sinfulness of one's life, the looming
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threat of hell and punishment. In the light of these dangers, religion
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offers a sure refuge and way to salvation. This decision is commonly
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described as between two possibilities: life or death, the narrow gate or
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the wide gate, two roads. This decision also requires a commitment based
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upon knowledge sufficient that one will not later be swayed by doubts.
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"Men, what must I do to be saved?" And they said, "Believe in the Lord
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Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."
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Christianity. Acts 16.30-31
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Say, "O mankind, I am the Messenger of God to you all, of Him to whom
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belongs the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth. There is no God but
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He. He gives life, and He makes to die. So believe in God, and His
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messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor write, who believes in God
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and in His words, and follow him that haply you may be led aright."
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Islam. Qur'an 7.158
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Seek refuge with the Lord alone,
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with your whole being, Bharata.
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By His grace, you will reach
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supreme peace, an everlasting estate.
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Hinduism. Bhagavad Gita 18.62
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To many a refuge fear-stricken men betake themselves--to hills, woods,
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groves, trees, and shrines. Nay, no such refuge is safe, no such refuge
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is supreme. Not by resorting to such a refuge is one freed from ill.
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He who has gone for refuge to the Buddha [the teacher], the Dhamma [the
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teaching], and the Sangha [the taught], sees with right knowledge the Four
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Noble Truths: Sorrow, the Cause of Sorrow, the Transcending of Sorrow and
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the Noble Eightfold Path which leads to the Cessation of Sorrow. This,
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indeed, is refuge secure. By seeking such refuge one is released from all
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sorrow.
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Buddhism. Dhammapada 188-192
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Young person, run to embrace Ifa.
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Young person, run to embrace Ifa.
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If people deceive you,
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Dhammapada 188-192: Cf. Khuddaka Patha, p. 53.
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Do not accept.
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If people deceive you,
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Do not accept.
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Truth is bitter.
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The future of the world belongs to Ifa
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It will certainly not be spoiled in our own time.
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It will not be spoiled in our own time.
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The world will not be spoiled in our own time.
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Ifa will mend it.
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African Traditional Religions. Yoruba Hymn (Nigeria)
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Confucius said, "Set your heart upon the Way, support yourself by its
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power, lean upon goodness, seek distraction in the arts."
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Confucianism. Analects 7.6
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Arise! Awake! Approach the great and learn. Like the sharp edge of a
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razor is that path--so the wise say--hard to tread and difficult to cross.
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Hinduism. Katha Upanishad 1.3.14
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Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy that
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leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is
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narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are
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few.
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Christianity. Matthew 7.13-14
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Man always stands at the crossroads of good and evil.
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Perfect Liberty Kyodan. Precepts 18
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Surely, the path that leads to worldly gain is one, and the path that
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leads to Nibb-ana is another; understanding this, the bhikkhu, the
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disciple of the Buddha, should not rejoice in wordly favours, but
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cultivate detachment.
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Buddhism. Dhammapada 75
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Have We not granted him two eyes,
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and a tongue, and two lips,
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and guided him on the two high roads?
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Yet he has not assaulted the Steep!
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What will make you realize what is the Steep?
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To free a slave,
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or to give food at a time of hunger,
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to an orphan near of kin
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or a needy man in misery;
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then to become one who believes, and to counsel each other to be
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steadfast, and to counsel each other to be merciful.
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Islam. Qur'an 90.8-17
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Yoruba Hymn: Ifa is the name of one of the high Yoruba divinities, but it
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also means Yoruba religion as a whole. Both meanings are used here.
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Katha Upanishad 1.3.14: Cf. Bhagavad Gita 4.34-35, p. 814; Uttaradhyayana
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Sutra 10.28-33, p. 962. Dhammapada 75: See previous note.
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Thus says the Lord:
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"Stand by the roads, and look,
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and ask for the ancient paths,
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where the good way is; and walk in it,
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and find rest for your souls."
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Judaism and Christianity. Jeremiah 6.16
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They say only, "Lo! we found our fathers following a religion, and we are
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guided by their footprints." And even so We sent not a warner before you
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[Muhammad] into any township, but its luxurious ones said, "Lo! We found
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our fathers following a religion, and we are following their footprints."
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And the warner said, "What! Even though I bring you better guidance than
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that you found your fathers following?" They answered, "Lo! In what you
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bring we are disbelievers." We have requited them; see what was the
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consequence for the deniers.
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Islam. Qur'an 43.22-25
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Jesus said to them, "No one puts new wine into old wineskins; if he does,
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the new wine will burst the skins and will be spilled, and the skins will
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be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins."
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Christianity. Luke 5.37-38
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Were I but possessed of the least knowledge, I would, when walking on
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the great way, fear only paths that lead astray. The great Way is easy,
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yet people prefer bypaths.
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The court is corrupt,
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The fields are overgrown with weeds,
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The granaries are empty;
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Yet there are those dressed in fineries,
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With swords at their sides,
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Filled with food and drink,
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And possessed of too much wealth.
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This is known as taking the lead in robbery.
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Far indeed is this from the Way.
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Taoism. Tao Te Ching 53
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Qur'an 90.8-17: The two highways are the steep and difficult path of
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virtue--called the Steep--and the easy path of vice and self-centered
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living. On the Straight Path, see Qur'an 1, p. 53. Qur'an 43.22-25: In
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contrasting this and the preceding passage, recall that Muhammad was a
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prophet who brought a new teaching that differed from the traditions of
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the polytheists, while Jeremiah was a prophet who called his people back
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to the fundamentals of the Covenant of Moses. Luke 5.37-38: Jesus brought
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a new message, 'new wine'; it could not abide with those who were attached
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to the conventional wisdom, the 'old wineskins.' Cf. Luke 9.60, p. 583.
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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A man once gave a great banquet, and invited many; and at the time for the
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banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, "Come;
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for all is now ready." But they all alike began to make excuses. The
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first said to him, "I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it; I
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pray you, have me excused." And another said, "I have bought five yoke of
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oxen, and I go to examine them; I pray you, have me excused." And another
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said, "I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come." So the
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servant came and reported this to his master. Then the householder in
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anger said to his servant, "Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the
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city, and bring in the poor and maimed and blind and lame." And the
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servant said, "Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is
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room." And the master said to his servant, "Go out to the highways and
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hedges, and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. For I
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tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet."
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Christianity. Luke 14.16-24: Parable of the Banquet
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He who is not with me is against me.
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Christianity. Matthew 12.30
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God puts forth a parable: A man belonging to many partners at variance
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with each other, and a man belonging entirely to one master: are those two
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equal in comparison?
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Islam. Qur'an 39.29
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No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the
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other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot
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serve God and mammon.
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Christianity. Matthew 6.24
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If by giving up a lesser happiness one may behold a greater one, let the
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wise man give up the lesser happiness in consideration of the greater
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happiness.
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Buddhism. Dhammapada 290
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Tao Te Ching 53: The 'by paths' mean ways of avoiding or rationalizing
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away one's obligations for the sake of personal gain. Cf. Tao Te Ching
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12, p. 934. Luke 14.16-24: In this parable, Jesus laments that the most
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qualified people make excuses that worldly occupations keep them from
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participating in God's kingdom. So God must call the poor and
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impoverished, who have nothing to lose. Cf. Matthew 16.26, p. 962; Luke
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9.60, p. 583; 9.62, p. 742; Abot 2.8, p. 959; Digha Nikaya iii.185, p.
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1013. On the other hand, compare Abot de Rabbi Nathan B, 31, p. 304.
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Matthew 12.30: Compare Bhagavad Gita 6.5-6, p. 391. Matthew 6.24: Cf.
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Matthew 16.26, p. 962. Dhammapada 290: Cf. Holy Teaching of Vimalakirti
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4, p. 198.
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Both the good and the pleasant present themselves to a man. The calm soul
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examines them well and discriminates. Yea, he prefers the good to the
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pleasant; but the fool chooses the pleasant out of greed and avarice.
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Hinduism. Katha Upanishad 1.2.2
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The Self-existent pierced sense openings outward;
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therefore a man looks out, not in.
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But a certain wise man, in search of immortality,
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turned his gaze inward and saw the Self within.
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The foolish go after outward pleasures
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and walk into the snare of all-embracing death.
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The wise, however, discerning [the path to] immortality,
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do not seek the permanent among things impermanent.
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Hinduism. Katha Upanishad 4.1-2
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The kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man
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found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all he has and
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buys that field.
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The kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on
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finding one pearl of great price, went and sold all he had and bought it.
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Christianity. Matthew 13.44-46
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Hear with your ears that which is the sovereign good;
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With a clear mind look upon the two sides
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Between which each man must choose for himself,
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Watchful beforehand that the great test may be accomplished in our favor.
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Now at the beginning the twin spirits have declared their nature,
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The better and the evil,
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In thought and word and deed. And between the two
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The wise ones choose well, not so the foolish.
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Zoroastrianism. Avesta, Yasna 30.2-3
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Behold, I [Moses] set before you this day a blessing and a curse: the
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blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I
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command you this day, and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments
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of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you this
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day, to go after other gods.
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Judaism and Christianity. Deuteronomy 11.26-28
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Katha Upanishad 1.2.2: Cf. Chandogya Upanishad 7.23, p. 198; Dhammapada
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7-8, p. 444. Katha Upanishad 4.1-2: Truth is found through meditation and
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fixing attention on the Self within, not by dealing with the deceptive and
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transient phenomena of the world. This is the most fundamental statement
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of Upanishadic philosophy. Cf. Mahabharata, Shanti Parva 177, p. 199;
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Udana 11, p. 199. Yasna 30.2-3: Cf. Yasna 30.3-5, p. 388, 49.3, p. 963.
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Deuteronomy 11.26-28: Cf. Deuteronomy 6.20-8.20, p. 1084.
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And now remember, remember my brethren, that whosoever perishes,
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perishes unto himself; and whosoever does iniquity, does it to himself;
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for behold, you are free; you are permitted to act for yourselves; for
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behold, God has given you a knowledge and has made you free.
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He has given to you that you might know good from evil; and he has
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given to you that you might choose life or death; and you can do good and
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be restored to that which is good, or have that which is good restored to
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you; or you can do evil, and have that which is evil restored to you.
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Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Book of Mormon,
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Helaman 14.30-31
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No compulsion is there in religion; rectitude has been distinguished from
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error.
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Islam. Qur'an 2.256
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I [Krishna] give you these precious words of wisdom; reflect on them and
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then do as you choose.
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Hinduism. Bhagavad Gita 18.63
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I am not biased in favor of Mahavira, nor averse to Kapila or other
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teachers. I am committed to the preaching that is truly rational.
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Jainism. Haribhadra, Loktattvanirnaya 38
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Do not be misled by reports, or tradition, or hearsay. Be not led by the
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authority of religious texts, nor by mere logic or inference, nor by
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considering appearances, nor by the delight in speculative opinions, nor
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by seeming possibilities, nor by the idea: "This is our teacher." But
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when you know for yourselves that certain things are unwholesome and
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wrong, and bad, then give them up.... And when you know for yourselves
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that certain things are wholesome and good, then accept them and follow
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them.
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Buddhism. Anguttara Nikaya i.190-91, Kesaputta Sutta
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Qur'an 2.256: Cf. Qur'an 10.94-95, p. 759, 10.99-100, p. 65; Analects
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12.19, p. 1072. Anguttara Nikaya i.190-91: Cf. Majjhima Nikaya i.318,
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p. 655, ii.16, p. 759; Vinaya ii.10, p. 64.
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