195 lines
8.2 KiB
Plaintext
195 lines
8.2 KiB
Plaintext
OFFERING
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World Scripture
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OFFERING
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The way begins from the heart, is manifest in deeds, and extends to the entire
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cosmos. All tasks should be done with an attitude of offering--in other words,
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doing them for God's sake, not for one's personal gain. People should offer up
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the thing that is dearest, with a willing and cheerful heart, for an offering
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expresses a person's very self. Finally, several important Hindu texts
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describe sacrifice as central to the creation and maintenance of the cosmos.
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Lo! We have given you abundance; so pray to your Lord, and sacrifice.
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1.Islam. Qur'an 108.1-2
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Let all your deeds be done for the sake of Heaven.
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2.Judaism. Mishnah, Abot 2.17
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Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
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3.Christianity. 1 Corinthians 10.31
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The most excellent action is love for God's sake and hatred for God's sake.
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4.Islam. Hadith of Abu Dawud
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Whatever is given should be given with faith, not without faith--with joy, with
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modesty, with fear, with kindness.
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5.Hinduism. Taittiriya Upanishad 1.11.3
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Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under
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compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
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6.Christianity. 2 Corinthians 9.7
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Whether we bring much or little, it matters not, if only we fix our heart upon
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our Father in heaven.
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7.Judaism. Talmud, Berakt 17a
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"Make your offering," said the Master. "As you make it be pleased in mind.
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Make your mind completely calm and contented. Focus and fill the offering-mind
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with the giving. From this secure position you can be free from ill will."
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8.Buddhism. Sutta Nipata 506
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Abot 2.17: Cf. Abot 2.4, p. 771. 1 Corinthians 10.31: Cf. Matthew 7.21, p.
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811. Hadith of Abu Dawud: Cf. Qur'an 5.35, p. 771. Taittiriya Upanishad
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1.11.3: Cf. Chandogya Upanishad 7.22, p. 201; Svetasvatara Upanishad
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4.13,21-22, pp. 768f. Berakot 17a: Cf. Berakot 30b, p. 829. But attention to
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one's personal state of mind may not be all that is required; see Matthew
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5.23-24, p. 993. Sutta Nipata 506: See previous note.
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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Of the saying, The word "sacrifice" is like the word "present"; one should
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sacrifice to a spirit as though the spirit were present, Confucius said, "If I
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am not present at the sacrifice, it is as though there were no sacrifice."
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9.Confucianism. Analects 3.12
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Rabbi Meir was once asked, "Why do the scriptures tell us in some passages that
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sacrifice is very pleasant unto the Lord, while in others it is said that God
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dislikes sacrifices?" He answered, "It depends whether a man's heart is
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sacrificed at the time he brings the sacrifice."
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10.Judaism. Midrash, Baraita Kallah 8
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Whatever I am offered in devotion with a pure heart--a leaf, a flower, fruit,
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or water--I partake of that love offering. Whatever you do, make it an
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offering to me--the food that you eat, the sacrifices that you make, the help
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you give, even your suffering. In this way you will be freed from the bondage
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of karma, and from its results both pleasant and painful. Then, firm in
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renunciation and yoga, with your heart free, you will come to me.
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11.Hinduism. Bhagavad Gita 9.26-28
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The offering is not of myself,
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but rather of
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The heavenly goddess Toyookahime--
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It is the offering of her palace,
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The offering of her palace.
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Would that I were an offering,
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Taken up in the kami's hand,
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Drawn near to my god,
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Drawn near to my god.
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12.Shinto. Kagura-Uta, Offerings
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The essence of the offering is that it be analogous to the sin, and that a man
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offer to God his desires and passions, for this is more acceptable than all.
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Blessed are the righteous, that they bring this offering every day.
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13.Judaism. Zohar, Leviticus 9b
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The dedication of the offering is God; that which is offered is God; God offers
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it on God's fire. God is attained by those who concentrate on God's work.
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Some aspirants offer material sacrifices; others offer selfless service upon
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the altar of God. Some renounce all enjoyment of the senses, sacrificing them
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in the fire of asceticism. Others partake of sense objects but offer them in
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service through the fire of the senses. Some offer the workings of the senses
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and the vital forces through the fire of self-control, kindled in the path of
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knowledge.
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Some offer wealth; others offer asceticism and suffering. Some take vows and
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offer knowledge and study of the scriptures; and some make the offering of
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meditation. Some offer the forces of vitality, regulating their inhalation and
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exhalation, offering their life-breath as they breathe in and breathe out.
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Others offer the forces of vitality by fasting. All these understand the
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meaning of sacrifice and will be cleansed of their impurities.
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In the offering is true sustenance, and through it a man or woman reaches the
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eternal Reality. But those who do not seek to serve are without a home in this
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world. Arjuna, how can they be at home in any world to come?
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Thus many kinds of offerings are made, and each guides mankind along a path to
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God. Know that they are born of action, and understanding this, you will
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attain liberation.
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14.Hinduism. Bhagavad Gita 4.24-32
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So great is the power of sacrifice that it is the Self of the gods. When, out
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of the essence of sacrifice, the gods had made their own Self, they took their
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seat in the world of heaven. Similarly, the one who sacrifices now, when out
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of the essence of sacrifice he has made his own Self, takes his seat in the
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world of heaven.
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15.Hinduism. Satapatha Brahmana 6.1.10
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When with the Supreme Being as the offering
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the gods performed a sacrifice,
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spring was the molten butter, summer
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the fuel, and autumn the oblation.
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On the grass they besprinkled Him,
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the Sacrificed Supreme Being, the first born.
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With him the gods sacrificed,
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and those Sadhyas and the sages.
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From that sacrifice, fully offered,
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was gathered mixed milk and butter.
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And the birds of the air arose,
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the forest animals and the domestic.
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From that sacrifice, fully offered,
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the Rig and the Saman [Vedas] were born,
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the Chandas [Atharva Veda] was born of that,
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and from that were born the Sacrificial formulae.
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From that were born horses, and the
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animals with two rows of teeth;
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yea, kine were born of that, and
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of that were born the goat and the sheep....
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From his mind was born the moon, and
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from his eye the sun. From his mouth
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were Indra and Agni born,
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and Vayu (wind) was born from his breath.
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From his navel came the mid-air,
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from his head the sky was fashioned,
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from his feet the earth, and from his ear
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the quarters. Thus they formed the worlds.
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Seven were the sticks of the enclosure,
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thrice seven the logs of wood prepared,
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when the gods, performing the rite,
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bound, as their victim, the Supreme Being.
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With sacrifice the gods worshipped the Supreme Sacrifice.
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Those were the earliest holy ordinances.
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16.Hinduism. Rig Veda 10.90.6-10, 13-16
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Analects 3.12: Cf. I Ching 16, p. 855; compare Forty Hadith of an-Nawawi 2,
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p.721. Baraita Kallah 8: Cf. Berakot 30b, p. 829. Cf. Chandogya Upanishad
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7.22, p. 201. Bhagavad Gita 9.26-28: Cf. Bhagavad Gita 7.3,17,28, p. 752. Rig
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Veda 10.90.6-10,13-16: The theme of this well-known hymn is sacrifice as the
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method of creation. The world comes into being through the sacrifice and
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dismemberment of the primordial Person. The fruits of sacrifice were the
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scriptures: Rig Veda, Saman Veda, 'Chandas' (Atherva Veda) and 'Sacrificial
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formulae' (Yajur Vedas). Following the Word came the physical world and
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humankind. Cf. Aitareya Upanishad 1-3, pp. 307f.; Mundaka Upanishad 1.1.7-9,
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p. 133; also Okanogan Creation, pp. 261f. In the ellipsis go the well-known
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verses on the origin of the four castes, which are given in another
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context--see Rig Veda 10.90.11-12, p. 275.
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