279 lines
14 KiB
Plaintext
279 lines
14 KiB
Plaintext
LABOR AND INDUSTRY
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World Scripture
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LABOR AND INDUSTRY
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An important practical function of religion is to encourage the virtues that
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make for economic success, such as: industry, frugality, concern for home and
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family, delay of gratification for a future goal, honesty in one's dealings,
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and perseverance in an undertaking. In addition, religion should give positive
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value to worldly success and the labor required to become prosperous. Max
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Weber's well-known thesis on the rise of capitalism credits the Calvinist
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Protestant ethic with the rise of capitalism in the West by encouraging
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believers to interpret their success as a sign of God's favor. He doubted that
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modern industrial societies could arise in people of other religions. Today,
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however, it is imperative that the wealth of Western capitalism be shared by
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all peoples, and this requires that every society develop its own industrial
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base. And indeed, as the economic rise of the Confucian-based societies of
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East Asia proves, other religions also possess--or potentially can develop--the
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foundations necessary to support the development of a modern industrial society.
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We give a few texts from scriptures which support industry and value the
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accumulation of wealth. They approve of honest work as its own reward,
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condemning sloth, laziness, and profligacy. But labor is even more sanctified
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if its wealth, once accumulated and enjoyed, is then devoted to charitable and
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public ends. Philanthropy is the logical end of capitalist accumulation, and
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one of its most important religious justifications.
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We conclude this section with two versions of the Parable of the Talents, from
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the New Testament and the Jain scriptures. Though they have different imports,
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they share in common the theme that a person has the obligation to make the
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best use of what has been given him.
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Work is worship.
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1.Hinduism. Virashaiva Proverb
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Great is labor; it confers honor on the laborer.
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2.Judaism. Talmud, Nedarim 49b
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When the blacksmith dies, his hand hangs in the world.
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3.African Traditional Religions. Idoma Proverb (Nigeria)
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When the prayer is finished, scatter in the land and seek God's bounty, and
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remember God frequently, that you may prosper.
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4.Islam. Qur'an 62.10
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Do you keep your feet, hands, intellect ready, O Mazdayasni Zoroastrians, in
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order to practice lawful, timely, well-done deeds, in order to undo unlawful,
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untimely, bad-done deeds. Let one practice here good industry; let one make
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the needy prosperous.
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5.Zoroastrianism. Avesta, Visparad 15.1
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And the Lord will make you abound in prosperity, in the fruit of your body, and
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in the fruit of your cattle, and in the fruit of your ground.... And the Lord
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will make you the head, and not the tail; and you shall tend upward only, and
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not downward; if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God.
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6.Judaism and Christianity. Deuteronomy 28.11-13
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Weeping is not the answer to poverty; a lazy man who is hungry has no one to
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blame but himself.
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He who wishes to eat the honey which is under the rock should not be unduly
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worried about the edge of the axe.
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There is no place where one cannot achieve greatness; only the lazy prospers
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nowhere. There is no place that does not suit me, O divinity!
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7.African Traditional Religions. Yoruba Proverbs (Nigeria)
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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Virashaiva Proverb: This expression, kayakave kailasa, means that labor, when
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done with a selfless attitude (see Bhagavad Gita 3.4-9, below) is equal to
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self-realization itself. It could also be translated, Service is salvation.
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Qur'an 62.10: Prayer and spiritual concerns must be the foundation for worldly
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success. Visparad 15.1: The Parsees in India have long been known for their
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industry; they occupy much of Bombay's middle class. Deuteronomy 28.11-13:
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Prosperity is a mandate from God. This passage is often used in lower-class
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Protestant churches to exhort people to industry, thrift, and ambition, to
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forswear the fatalism and profligacy of poverty, and adopt a middle-class
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lifestyle--all with the confidence that they really are meant to succeed in
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life.
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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He who says, "It is too hot, too cold, too late!"
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Leaving the waiting work unfinished still,
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Lets pass all opportunities for good.
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But he who reckons heat and cold as straws
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And like a man does all that's to be done,
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He never falls away from happiness.
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8.Buddhism. Digha Nikaya iii.185, Sigalovada Sutta
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Go to the ant, O sluggard;
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consider her ways, and be wise.
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Without having any chief,
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officer, or ruler,
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she prepares her food in summer,
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and gathers her sustenance in harvest.
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How long will you lie there, O sluggard?
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When will you rise from your sleep?
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A little sleep, a little slumber,
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a little folding of the hands to rest,
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and poverty will come upon you like a vagabond,
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and want like an armed man.
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9.Judaism and Christianity. Proverbs 6.6-11
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One who claims to be a saint,
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And goes about begging--
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Touch not his feet!
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He whose livelihood is earned through work,
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And part given away in charity--
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Such a one, Nanak, truly knows the way to God.
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10.Sikhism. Adi Granth, Var Sarang, M.1, p. 1245
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We were not idle when we were with you, we did not eat anyone's bread without
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paying, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not
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burden any of you. It was not because we have not that right, but to give you
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in our conduct an example to imitate. For even when we were with you, we gave
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you this command: If any one will not work, let him not eat. For we hear that
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some of you are living in idleness, mere busy- bodies, not doing any work. Now
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such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work in
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quietness and to earn their own living.
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11.Christianity. Bible, 2 Thessalonians 3.8-12
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Digha Nikaya iii.185: This sutra is addressed to householders and refers to the
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worldly labors of trade and industry, not merely to spiritual pursuits. Yet
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the latter also applies, compare Luke 14.16-24, p. 585. Var Sarang, M.1: This
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passage critiques asceticism which can degenerate into parasitic begging. The
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religious ideal of ascetic poverty may discourage the sincere believer from
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striving for economic success. Cf. Dhammapada 308, p. 427. 2 Thessalonians
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3.8-12: Paul is speaking of how he and his fellow apostles did not rely upon
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their congregations for support, but earned their own bread.
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He who shirks action does not attain freedom; no one can gain perfection by
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abstaining from work. Indeed, there is no one who rests even for an instant;
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every creature is driven to action by his own nature.
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Those who abstain from action while allowing the mind to dwell on sensual
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pleasure cannot be called sincere spiritual aspirants. But they excel who
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control their senses through the mind, using them for selfless service.
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Fulfill all your duties; action is better than inaction. Even to maintain your
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body, Arjuna, you are obliged to act. But it is selfish action that imprisons
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the world. Act selflessly, without any thought of personal profit.
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12.Hinduism. Bhagavad Gita 3.4-9
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In the dark night live those for whom the world without alone is real; in night
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darker still live those for whom the world within alone is real. The first
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leads to a life of action, the second to a life of meditation. But those who
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combine action with meditation cross the sea of death through action and enter
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into immortality through the practice of meditation. So have we heard from the
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wise.
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13.Hinduism. Isha Upanishad 9-11
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Rabbi Judah ben Ilai, Rabbi Jose ben Halafta, and Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai were
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sitting together. Rabbi Judah praised the Roman government for the splendid
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markets, bridges, and baths they had erected in Palestine. Rabbi Jose kept
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silent. Rabbi Simeon retorted that they had done so for their own benefit, not
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for the land's sake.
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A disciple incautiously repeated this, and a Roman spy informed the government.
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An edict was issued that Rabbi Judah be promoted to the headship of Jewish
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assemblies; that Rabbi Jose be banished to Galilee; and that Rabbi Simeon be
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executed. Rabbi Simeon and his son, Rabbi Eleazar, hid in a cave for many
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years and spent their time there in mystical studies, laying the foundation for
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the Zohar and other works of Kabbalah. When they left the cave, following a
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change in the administration of Palestine, they beheld several men engaged in
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agricultural labor. They exclaimed, "These folk neglect eternal affairs and
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trouble themselves with temporal matters."
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Then they returned to the cave until their minds had grown accustomed to the
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idea that people should engage in material labor as well as in spiritual work,
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and that such is the will of God.
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14.Judaism. Talmud, Shabbat 33b
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Bhagavad Gita 3.4-9: Cf. Bhagavad Gita 3.25-26, p. 833.
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A clansman has wealth acquired by energetic striving, amassed by strength of
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arm, won by sweat, lawful and lawfully gotten. At the thought, "Wealth is mine
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acquired by energetic striving, amassed by strength of arm, won by sweat,
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lawful and lawfully gotten," bliss comes to him, satisfaction comes to him.
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This is called "the bliss of ownership."
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A clansman by means of wealth acquired by energetic striving... both enjoys his
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wealth and does meritorious deeds therewith. At the thought, "By means of
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wealth acquired... I both enjoy my wealth and do meritorious deeds," bliss
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comes to him, satisfaction comes to him. This is called "the bliss of wealth."
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15.Buddhism. Anguttara Nikaya ii.68
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Abu Huraira reported God's Messenger as saying, "Among the actions and good
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deeds for which a believer will continue to receive reward after his death are
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knowledge which he taught and spread, a good son whom he left behind, or a copy
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of the Qur'an which he left as a legacy, or a mosque which he built, or a house
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which he built for the traveler, or a stream which he caused to flow, or a
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contribution which he gave from his property when he was alive and well, for
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which he will continue to receive reward after his death."
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16.Islam. Hadith of Ibn Majah
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It will be as when a man going on a journey called his servants and entrusted
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to them his property; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another
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one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received
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the five talents went at once and traded with them; and he made five talents
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more. So also, he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who
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had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's
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money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled
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accounts with them. And he who had received five talents came forward,
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bringing five talents more, saying, "Master, you delivered to me five talents;
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here I have made five talents more." His master said to him, "Well done, good
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and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over
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much; enter into the joy of your master." And he also who had the two talents
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came forward, saying, "Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have
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made two talents more." His master said to him, "Well done, good and faithful
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servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much, enter
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into the joy of your master." He also who had received one talent came
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forward, saying, "Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did
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not sow, and gathering where you did not winnow; so I was afraid, and I went
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and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours." But his
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master answered him, "You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap
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where I have not sowed, and gather where I have not winnowed? Then you ought
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to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have
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received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give
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it to him who has the ten talents. For to every one who has will more be
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given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has
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will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness;
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there men will weep and gnash their teeth."
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17.Christianity. Matthew 25.14-30: Parable of the Talents
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Three merchants set out on their travels, each with his capital: one of them
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gained there much, the second returned with his capital, and the third merchant
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came home after having lost his capital. This parable is taken from common
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life; learn to apply it to the Law.
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The capital is human life, the gain is heaven; through the loss of that capital
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man must be born as a denizen of hell or a brute animal.
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The slave to his lusts has forfeited [his capital], human life and divine life.
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Having forfeited them, he will have to endure one of these two states of
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misery; it will be difficult for him to attain an upward course for a long
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time...
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He who brings back his capital, is to be compared to one who is born again as a
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man. Those men who through the exercise of various virtues become pious
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householders will be born again as men; for all beings will reap the fruit of
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their actions.
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But he who increases his capital is like one who practices eminent virtues; the
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virtuous, excellent man cheerfully attains the state of the gods.
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18.Jainism. Uttaradhyayana Sutra 7.14-21
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Uttaradhyayana Sutra 7.14-21: This Jain Parable of the Talents, even more than
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the Parable of the Talents in the Christian Bible, is not really about labor
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and industry in a worldly sense, but rather uses that theme to illustrate a
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truth about the spiritual life and the treasure in heaven which is its aim--see
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Matthew 6.19-21, p. 293. Yet the principles of worldly success and success in
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the spiritual life are similar: both require investment, ambition, labor, and
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perseverance.
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