385 lines
16 KiB
Plaintext
385 lines
16 KiB
Plaintext
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SINCERITY
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Sincerity of heart is the starting point of spiritual practice and
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ethical living. A person's inner intention goes far towards determining
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the extent to which a particular action is Good and Evil, pp. 464-69. In
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theistic traditions, God sees into the heart and requites a person
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according to his or her inmost reality. For Shinto, sincerity (makoto)
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means the inner, harmonious coherence of thought and action, of the
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individual's will and the will of the kami. Or in Buddhism, as the
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Dhammapada so forcefully states, action begins with the mind; it is
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created by the mind; it goes forth according to the inner state of the
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mind. In some of the passages gathered here, sincerity means the natural
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and spontaneous flow of the mind, devoid of all pretense and all egoistic
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grasping. Other passages view the matter differently, and call for
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self-examination and self-cultivation in order to manifest true sincerity.
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Even when the outward form of an act is obedient and faithful, the
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person's inner intentions become manifest in the end. The concluding
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passages examine how differences in the progress made in the religious
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life are due to the different hearts with which people approach the same
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task.
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Sincerity is the single virtue that binds divinity and man in one.
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Shinto. Jingishoju
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It matters not whether you do much or little, so long as your heart is
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directed to Heaven.
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Judaism. Talmud, Berakot 17a
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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Berakot 17a: Berakot 5.1, p. 839; Baraita Kallah, p. 867; Psalm 145.18, p.
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826.
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A man becomes pure through sincerity of intellect; thereupon, in
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meditation, he beholds Him who is without parts.
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Hinduism. Mundaka Upanishad 3.1.8
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Sincerity (ihsan): You should worship God as if you saw Him; for although
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you do not see Him, He sees you.
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Islam. Forty Hadith of an-Nawawi 2
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Sincerity (makoto) is the mind of the kami. Accordingly, when serving the
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kami in worship, if one has a mind of sincerity, the kami will surely
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respond.
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Shinto. Ekken Kiabara, Divine Injunctions
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"The one true God is Spirit"; therefore, when you pray to the Divine
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Spirit, you must be true in spirit.
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Omoto Kyo. Michi-no-Shiori
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Abu Huraira reported God's Messenger as saying, "God does not look at your
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forms and your possessions, but He looks at your hearts and your deeds."
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Islam. Hadith of Muslim
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Through the best righteousness,
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Through the highest righteousness,
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May we catch sight of Thee,
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May we approach Thee,
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May we be in perfect friendship with Thee.
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Zoroastrianism. Yasna 60.21
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A worship without love
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And an unfeeling act,
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Behold, my brothers, is
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A pictured loveliness--
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No joy in its embrace;
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A painted sugarcane--
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No relish in its taste.
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O Lord, without sincerity
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Is no piety.
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Hinduism. Basavanna, Vachana 126
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Mundaka Upanishad: Cf. Rig Veda 10.151.4-5, p. 752. Forty Hadith of
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an-Nawawi 2: Compare Analects 3.12, p. 867. Divine Injunctions: Cf.
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Records of the Enshrinement of the Two Imperial Deities at Ise, p. 829;
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One Hundred Poems on the Jeweled Spear, p. 768.; also Boran Prayer, p.
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829; Chuang Tzu 23, p. 735. Michi-no-Shiori: Cf. Records of the
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Enshrinement of the Two Imperial Deities at Ise, p. 829; also Sifre
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Deuteronomy 41, p. 829; Boran Prayer, p. 829; Psalm 145.18, p. 826.
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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No matter how dark, the hand always knows the way to the mouth.
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African Traditional Religions. Idoma Proverb (Nigeria)
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Mind is the forerunner of all evil states. Mind is chief; mind-made are
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they. If one speaks or acts with wicked mind, because of that suffering
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follows one, even as the wheel [of the cart] follows the hoof of the
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draught ox.
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Mind is the forerunner of all good states. Mind is chief; mind-made are
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they. If one speaks or acts with pure mind, because of that happiness
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follows one, even as one's shadow that never leaves.
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Buddhism. Dhammapada 1-2
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Thoughts alone cause the round of births (samsara); let a man strive to
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purify his thoughts. What a man thinks, that he is: this is an old
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secret.
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By the serenity of his thoughts a man blots out all actions, whether good
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or bad. Dwelling within his Self with serene thoughts, he obtains
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imperishable happiness.
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If the thoughts of a man were so fixed on Brahman as they are on the
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things of this world, who would not then be freed from bondage?
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The mind, it is said, is of two kinds, pure and impure: impure from the
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contact with lust, pure when free from lust.
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When a man, having freed his mind from sloth, distraction, and
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vacillation, becomes as it were delivered from his mind, that is the
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highest point.
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Hinduism. Maitri Upanishad 6.34.3-7
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By the Truth I mean purity and sincerity in their highest degree. He who
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lacks purity and sincerity cannot move others. Therefore he who forces
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himself to lament, though he may sound sad, will awaken no grief. He who
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forces himself to be angry, though he may sound fierce, will arouse no
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awe. And he who forces himself to be affectionate, though he may smile,
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will create no air of harmony. True sadness need make no sound to awaken
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grief; true anger need not show itself to arouse awe; true affection need
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not smile to create harmony. When a man has the Truth within himself, his
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spirit may move among external things. That is why the Truth is to be
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prized!
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Taoism. Chuang Tzu 31
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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Idoma Proverb: This means that regardless of the circumstances, you can
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always know yourself. Dhammapada 1-2: These are the justly famous opening
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verses of the Dhammapada. Cf. Lankavatara Sutra 64, p. 155; 78, p. 182;
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Matthew 15.11-20, p. 860; Sarvarthasiddhi 6.3, p. 466. Chuang Tzu 31: Cf.
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Chuang Tzu 13, p. 220; Doctrine of the Mean 20.18, p. 227.
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The truly upright is that which flows out of your genuine innermost self
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as a result of the sincerity shown by the kami; on all occasions, you must
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exert this sincerity to the utmost, even in the most minor of your
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activities. Courtesy and ritual without this sincerity and honesty is
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mistaken and insufficient. It is like drawing a bow and merely releasing
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the string blindly without firming your hand, or like trying to move in a
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boat without an oar.
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Shinto. Moshimasa Hikita, Records of the Divine Wind
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You should speak with your mind--your inmost self. If it is sympathetic
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with others, you can become one with God and automatically know the truth
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of the universe.
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Unification Church. Sun Myung Moon, 11-19-78
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Brother! without guidance of the Preceptor comes not illumination (sahaj).
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>From the holy Word arises equipoise (sahaj), And is the holy Lord
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attained. What in serenity (sahaj) is sung is properly rewarded; Without
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serenity all utterance is in vain. From equipoise arises devotion; Ffrom
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equipoise comes love and dispassion towards the world. From equipoise
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arise joy and peace; Without equipoise is life a waste.
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Sikhism. Adi Granth, Sri Raga Ashtpadi, M.3, p. 68
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You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul,
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and with all your might.
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Judaism and Christianity. Deuteronomy 6.5
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Because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of
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my mouth.
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Christianity. Revelation 3.16
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We should examine ourselves and learn what is the affection and purpose of
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the heart, for in this way only can we learn what we honestly are.
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Christian Science. Science and Health, p. 8
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Records of the Divine Wind: Cf. Chuang Tzu 13, p. 220; 23, p. 735. Sri
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Raga Ashtpadi, M.3: The key term in this passage is sahaj, variously
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translated illumination, equipoise, serenity, sponaneous devotion. It is
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essentially an unforced, spontaneous dawning of the self, born from
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within. Sikhism is opposed to hatha yoga, a term which it uses to
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classify all yogic practices involving forced austerities, extreme effort,
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and asceticism. Instead it seeks to cultivate a spontaneous sense of
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harmony and poise: sahaj. Hence a comparison with Taoist and Shinto
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concepts of spontaneity and sincerity is useful. Cf. Chuang Tzu 23, p.
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735. Deuteronomy 6.5: This is taken from the Shema, Deuteronomy 6.4-9, p.
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55. Revelation 3.16: This letter, sent to the wealthy church of Laodicea,
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complains that their lukewarm Christianity is nauseating. It is the
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antithesis of the absolute sincerity called for in the previous passage.
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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What is meant by "making the will sincere" is allowing no
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self-deception, as when we hate a bad smell or love a beautiful color.
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This is called satisfying oneself. Therefore the superior man will always
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be watchful over himself when alone.
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When the inferior man is alone and leisurely, there is no limit to
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which he does not go in his evil deeds. Only when he sees a superior man
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does he then try to disguise himself, concealing his evil and showing off
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the good in him. But what is the use? For other people see him as if they
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see his very heart. This is what is meant by the saying that what is true
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in a man's heart will be shown in his outward appearance. Therefore the
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superior man will always be watchful over himself when alone.
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Tseng Tzu said, "What ten eyes are beholding and what ten hands are
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pointing to--isn't it frightening?"
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Wealth makes a house shining and virtue makes a person shining.
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When one's mind is broad and his heart generous, his body becomes big and
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is at ease. Therefore the superior man always makes his will sincere.
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Confucianism. Great Learning 6.1-4
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Truth [sincerity] means the fulfilment of our self; the moral law
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means following the law of our being. Truth is the beginning and end, the
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substance, of material existence. Without truth there is no material
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existence. It is for this reason that the moral man values truth.
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Truth is not only the fulfilment of our own being; it is that by
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which things outside of us have an existence. The fulfilment of our being
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is moral sense. The fulfilment of the nature of things outside of us is
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intellect. These, moral sense and intellect, are the powers or faculties
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of our being. They combine the inner or subjective and the outer or
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objective use of the power of the mind. Therefore, with truth, everything
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done is right.
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Confucianism. Doctrine of the Mean 25
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Great Learning 6.1-4: These two Confucian passages and the following
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Buddhist text describe a more active and mindful type of sincerity, one
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requiring constant effort at practice and self-examination. It is quite a
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different concept from that of the Taoist and Sikh passages just given.
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See Doctrine of the Mean 33, p. 110; Mencius II.A.2, p. 740. Doctrine of
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the Mean 25: 'Truth' means trueness, the state of the fullest expression
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of one's being. Hence it may also be translated 'sincerity.' The
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necessary complementarity of internal and external, of morality and
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material production, is characteristic of Chinese thought.
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If, brethren, a woman or man or a young lad fond of self-adornment,
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on examining the reflection of his own face in a bright clean mirror or
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bowl of clear water, should see therein a stain or speck, he will strive
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to remove that stain or speck; and when he no longer sees it there he is
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pleased and satisfied, thinking, "A gain it is to me that I am clean."
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Likewise a monk's introspection is most fruitful in good conditions, thus:
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"Do I or do I not generally live covetous? Do I or do I not generally
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live malevolent in heart? Do I or do I not generally live possessed by
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sloth and torpor? Do I or do I not generally live excited in mind? Do I
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generally live in doubt and wavering, or have I crossed beyond it? Do I
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generally live wrathful or not? Do I generally live with soiled thoughts
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or clean thoughts? Do I generally live with body passionate or not? Do I
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generally live sluggish or full of energy? Do I generally live
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uncontrolled or well controlled?"
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If on self-examination a monk finds thus: "I generally live
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covetous, malevolent in heart, possessed by sloth and torpor, excited in
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mind, doubtful and wavering, wrathful, with body passionate, sluggish,
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uncontrolled"--then that monk must put forth extra desire, effort,
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endeavor, exertion, impulse, mindfulness, and attention for the abandoning
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of those wicked, unprofitable states.
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Buddhism. Anguttara Nikaya v.66
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A man is led to follow the road he wishes to pursue.
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Judaism. Talmud, Makkot 10b
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Like a clear mirror
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Reflecting images according to the forms,
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So from Buddha's field of blessings
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Rewards are obtained according to one's heart.
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Buddhism. Garland Sutra 10
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To the pure all things are pure, but to the corrupt and unbelieving
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nothing is pure; their very minds and consciences are corrupted.
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Christianity. Titus 1.15
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Actions are but by intention and every man shall have but that which he
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intended. Thus he whose migration was for Allah and His messenger, his
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migration was for Allah and His messenger, and he whose migration was to
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achieve some worldly benefit or to take some woman in marriage, his
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migration was for that for which he migrated.
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Islam. Forty Hadith of an-Nawawi 1
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When a person is devoted to something with complete faith, I unify his
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faith in that. Then, when his faith is completely unified, he gains the
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object of his devotion. In this way, every desire is fulfilled by me.
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Those whose understanding is small gain only to transient satisfaction:
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those who worship the gods go to the gods. But my devotees come to me.
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Hinduism. Bhagavad Gita 7.21-23
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Anguttara Nikaya v.66: Cf. Majjhima Nikaya i.55-63, pp. 845f. Garland
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Sutra 10: Cf. Kularnava Tantra 13, p. 817. Forty Hadith of an-Nawawi 1:
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The migration was the exile of Muhammad and his Companions from Mecca to
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Yathrib (Medina). Yet the point of this tradition is universally
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applicable. Cf. Analects 7.29, p. 114. Bhagavad Gita 7.21-23: Cf.
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Bhagavad Gita 7.3,17,28, p. 752; Tao Te Ching 23, p. 685; Analects 7.29,
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p. 114.
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The Dharma is without taint and free of defilement. He who is attached to
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anything, even to liberation, is not interested in the Dharma but is
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interested in the taint of desire. The Dharma is not an object. He who
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pursues [the Dharma as an] object is not interested in the Dharma but is
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interested in objects... The Dharma is not a secure refuge. He who
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enjoys [it as] a secure refuge is not interested in the Dharma but is
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interested in a secure refuge... The Dharma is not a society. He who
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seeks to associate with the Dharma is not interested in the Dharma but is
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interested in association.
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Buddhism. Holy Teaching of Vimalakirti 6
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If you pray to God (Imana) for blessing while sitting on a hearth he
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anoints you with ashes.
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African Traditional Religions. Ruanda-Urundi Proverb (Burundi)
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When the monks assembled before the midday meal to listen to his lecture,
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the great Hogen of Seiryo pointed at the bamboo blinds. Two monks
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simultaneously went and rolled them up. Hogen said, "One gain, one loss."
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Mumon's comment, "Tell me, who gained and who lost? If you have an eye to
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penetrate the secret, you will see where their teacher failed. However, I
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warn you strongly against discussing gain and loss."
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Buddhism. Mumonkan 26
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