Holy Scriptures Study, Week 16 Yitro, 118.5.30
Torah
Shemot 18:1 – 20:23
Yitro arrives from Midian with Moshe’s wife, Tzipporah, and his sons, Gershom and Eliezer.
“Yitro was happy for all the good things Adonai had done for Israel by rescuing them from Egypt. Yitro said, ‘Blessed be Adonai, who rescued you from the power of Egypt and from Pharaoh. Now I know that Adonai is greater than any other deity.’” (v9-11).
Yitro provides a sacrifice to Adonai.
Yitro observes Moshe’s judging over the disputes amongst the Israelites.
“(Moshe’s) father-in-law said to him, ‘What you are doing is not right. The responsibility will exhaust you and will harm the nation. You are going to wear yourself out. You cannot do it all alone.’” (v17-18).
Yitro advises for Moshe to delegate responsibility to other Israelite leaders; Moshe follows Yitro’s suggestions.
The Israelites arrive at the mountain in the wilderness of Sinai.
Moshe ascends mountain and Adonai promises the special designation of Israel amidst Israel’s compliance with Adonai’s commands.
“In one loud voice, all the people answered and said, ‘Everything that Adonai has spoken, we will do.’” (v8)
Adonai communicates to Moshe the intent of returning to address the Israelites in 3 days, and directs the Israelites to prepare and be clean for Adonai’s arrival.
A boundary is set around the mountain to prevent the Israelites from approaching too near to Adonai.
Adonai arrives with smoke, fire, and shofar blasts; Moshe ascends the mountain.
Adonai confers the 10 commandments.
“I am Adonai, who brought you out of Egypt, from the land of slavery.” (v2)
“You shall not have any other (deities) except Me. Do not make carved statues or pictures of anything in the heavens above, or on the earth below, or in the water below. Do not bow down to such idols or pray to them. I, Adonai, am jealous, and I demand total loyalty. As for My enemies, I will remember the sins of the fathers up to the third and fourth generations. But for those who love Me and keep My commandments, I will show them kindness for thousands of generations.” (v3-6).
“Do not misuse the name of Adonai. (Adonai) will not allow anyone who misuses (Adonai’s) name to go unpunished.” (v7).
“Remember to observe the Sabbath and keep it holy. You shall do all your regular work during the six days of the week. But the seventh day is the Sabbath to Adonai, your Lord. Do not do any kind of work. This includes you, your son, your daughter, your slave, your maid, your animal, and the strangers in your country. It was during the six weekdays that Adonai created the cosmos, which includes planet earth, the sea, and everything that is in them, but (Adonai) rested on the Sabbath. Therefore Adonai blessed the Sabbath and made it holy.” (v8-11).
“Honor your father and your mother. If you do, you will live long on the land that Adonai is giving you.” (v12).
“You must not murder.” (v13).
“You must not commit adultery.” (v13).
“You must not steal.” (v13).
“You must not act as a false witness against your neighbor.” (v13).
“You must not be jealous of your neighbor’s wealth. You must not be jealous of your neighbor’s wife, his slave, his maid, his ox, his donkey, or anything belonging to your neighbor.” (v14).
The Israelites are fearful of Adonai, and solicit Moshe to be the interceder.
Moshe assures the Israelites.
Adonai commands the prohibition from making statues of deities and restrictions regarding altars.
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What is the connexion and the significance between Yitro’s arrival and advice to Moshe, and the immediately subsequent provision of the 10 commandments? What lessons does this provide regarding the propensity for Gentiles to provide guidance for Israel? What are the implications of the Prophet of Israel being so substantially involved with foreigners (by having a wife, children, and family outside of Israel)?
Even amidst the substantial “downplaying” of the 10 commandments within the contemporary practise of Judaism (attributing the specific designation of the 10 commandments to Christian tradition), the 10 commandments seem to maintain a considerable distinction and significance specifically within Judaism; what is the nature of the 10 commandments amidst the 613 mitzvot, why do Jews stand during the recitation of the 10 commandments, and what are the interreligious “political” implications regarding this designation?
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Bhagavad Gita
Chapters 15 – 16
“Sages speak of the immutable ashvattha tree, with its taproot above and its branches below. On this tree grow the scriptures; seeing their source, one knows their essence.
“Nourished by the gunas, the limbs of this tree spread above and below. Sense objects grow on the limbs as buds; the roots hanging down bind us to action in this world.” (v1-2)
“The true form of this tree—its essence, beginning, and end—is not perceived on this earth. Cut down this strong-rooted tree with the sharp axe of detachment;
“then find the path which does not come back again. Seek That, the First Cause, from which the universe came long ago.” (v3-4).
“Not deluded by pride, free from selfish attachment and selfish desire, beyond the duality of pleasure and pain, ever aware of the Self, the wise go forward to that eternal goal.” (v5).
“An eternal part of (Me) enters into the world, assuming the powers of action and perception and a mind made of prakriti.
“When the (Divine) Self enters and leaves a body, (It) takes these along as the wind carries a scent from place to place.
“Using the mind, ears, eyes, nose, and the senses of taste and touch, the Self enjoys sense objects.” (v7-9)
“Entering into every heart, I give the power to remember and understand; (It) is I again who take that power away. All the scriptures lead to (Me); I am their author and their wisdom.” (v15).
There are 2 orders of being: perishable, separate creatures and the changeless spirit.
“But beyond these there is another, the supreme Self, the eternal Lord, who enters into the entire cosmos and supports it from within.” (v17).
“Be fearless and pure; never waiver in your determination or your dedication to the spiritual life. Give freely. Be self-controlled, sincere, truthful, loving, and full of the desire to serve. Realize the truth of the scriptures; learn to be detached and to take joy in renunciation.” (v1).
“Do not get angry or harm any living creature, but be compassionate and gentle; show good will to all.
“Cultivate vigor, patience, will, purity; avoid malice and pride. Then, Arjuna, you will achieve your divine destiny.” (v2-3).
“Other qualities, Arjuna, make a person more and more inhuman: hypocrisy, arrogance, conceit, anger, cruelty, ignorance.” (v4).
Sri Krishna describes some people having Divine tendencies, and some having demonic.
“The demonic do things they should avoid and avoid the things they should do. They have no sense of uprightness, purity, or truth.” (v7).
“‘There is no (Deity),’ they say, ‘no truth, no spiritual law, no moral order. The basis of life is sex; what else can it be?’
“Holding such distorted views, possessing scant discrimination, they become enemies of the world, causing suffering and destruction.” (v8-9).
“Hypocritical, proud, and arrogant, living in delusion and clinging to deluded ideas, insatiable in their desires, they pursue their unclean ends.
“Although burdened with fears that end only with death, they still maintain with complete assurance, ‘Gratification of lust is the highest that life can offer.’” (v10-11).
“Bound on all sides by scheming and anxiety, driven by anger and greed, they amass by any means they can a hoard of money for the satisfaction of their cravings.” (v12).
“Self-important, obstinate, swept away by the pride of wealth, they ostentatiously perform sacrifices without any regard for their purpose.
“Egotistical, violent, arrogant, lustful, angry, envious of everyone, they abuse (My) presence within their own bodies and in the bodies of others.” (v17-18)
“There are three gates to this self-destructive hell: lust, anger, and greed. Renounce these three.” (v21).
“Therefore let the scriptures be your guide in what to do and what not to do. Understand their teachings; then act in accordance with them.” (v24).
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How can the nature of the ashvattha tree be explained in simpler terms for novices; what are the esoteric intentions and implications regarding the ashvattha tree; and how does this teaching of the ashvattha tree compare with the Jewish Kabbalistic teaching of the Presence of Adonai existing as an upside down tree with the roots existing within Heaven and the nutrients of Heaven being distributed through the leaves located throughout the Earth (which seems appropriate, particularly amidst the recent observance of Tu B’Shevat)?
“Cutting down this strong-rooted tree” seems to utilise the same metaphoric guidance as “Sleighing the fierce enemy of selfishness;” however, there is also what seems to be the eventual command from Sri Krishna for Arjuna to join the actual battle that confounds him; is this eventual command also to be understood in the same metaphoric, esoteric manner (as a command to pursue the spiritual life)? If this is an actual command, how are the direct, esoteric teachings for meditation, equanimity, wisdom, and the pursuit of spiritual awakening, congruent with the practical teachings of the varnas (strict adherence to, and segregation amongst, the castes) and the commands to wage war? Do the teachings of spiritual awakening supercede, in an implicit or direct manner, and is this part of the challenge of adhering to such? How does this compare with Jesus’s saying: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”?
What is the nature of the Self existing within the body? There seems to be a critical point to understand regarding the manner in which the infinite Ultimate Reality of Brahman exists within and individual and the confluence of this phenomenon with the existence and experience of the individual ego and the tendency for egocentricity; whilst both concepts may be perceived, it also seems as though, at some point or in some manner, these 2 seemingly distinct phenomena are joined together as one consciousness within an individual, that this exists similarly within each individual, each sentient being, perhaps each form of life and even matter within the Universe, amidst our respective distinctions; amidst the respective “Eastern” and “Western” traditions (spiritual, religious, mystical, philosophical, metaphysical, and additionally), it seems as though we are reaching an increasingly cooperative context wherein we may share with each other our respective concepts, understandings, and wisdom, and from this, perhaps identify the nature of this connexion with increasing proficiency, and particularly as a means to cultivate increased and pervasive compassion within all individuals, beings, life, and matter (understanding the intrinsic interdependence amidst our respective independence, and the intrinsic value, legitimacy, and Truth that exists within all phenomena); does anyone have any ideas?
What is the nature of the “changeless spirit,” and how is this distinct from the “Supreme Self”? Is the “changeless spirit” part of the phenomenon that exists within an individual being, perhaps like the Atman (if the Atman can be understood in such a manner)?
Is the Ultimate Reality of Brahman communicating through Sri Krishna when Sri Krishna speaks to Arjuna in the “ultimate 1st person” tense? Can this be understood in a similar manner to the angels of Adonai communicating to Avraham, Moshe and additional Prophets in the “ultimate 1st person” tense?
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Digha Nikaya
Mahapadana Suttanta (Chapter 2)
“Now the young (leader) Vipassi, brethren, when many years, many centuries, many thousands of years had passed by, bade his charioteer make ready the state carriages, saying:--‘Get ready the carriages, good charioteer, and let us go through the park to inspect the pleasuance.’ ‘Yea, my (leader),’ replied the charioteer, and harnessed the state carriages and sent word to Vipassi:-- ‘The carriages are ready, my (leader); do now what you deem to be fit.’ Then Vipassi mounted a state carriage, and drove out in state into the park.” (v1).
“Now the young (leader) Vipassi saw, brethren, as he was driving to the park, an aged man as bent as a roof gable, decrepit, leaning on a staff, tottering as he walked, afflicted and long past his prime. And seeing him Vipassi said:-- ‘That man, good charioteer, what has he done, that his hair is not like that of other men, nor his body?’
“‘He is what is called an aged man, my (leader).’
“ ‘But why is he called aged?’
“ ‘He is called aged, my (leader), because he has not much longer to live.’
“ ‘But then, good charioteer, am I too subject to old age, one who has not got past old age?’
“ ‘You, my (leader), and we too, we all are of a kind to grow old, we have not got past old age.’
“ ‘Why then, good charioteer, enough of the park for to-day! Drive me back hence to my rooms.’
“ ‘Yea, my (leader),’ answered the charioteer, and drove him back. And he, brethren, going to his rooms sat brooding sorrowful and depressed, thinking:-- ‘Shame then verily be upon this thing called birth, since to one born old age shows itself like that!’” (v2).
Bandhuman learns of Vipassi’s experience and orders additional sensual pleasures for Vipassi to dissuade him from the homeless state.
“Now after many years, many centuries, many thousands of years had passed by, the young (leader) Vipassi, brethren, again bade his charioteer make ready, and drove forth as once before.” (v5).
Vipassi witnesses sickness, and a similar response results.
Vipassi witnesses death, and a similar response results.
Vipassi visits the park for a 4th time.
“And he saw, brethren, as he was driving to the park, a shaven-headed man, a Wanderer, wearing the yellow robe. And seeing him he asked the charioteer;-- ‘That man, good charioteer, what has he done, that his head is unlike other men’s heads and his clothes too are unlike those of others?’
“ ‘That is what they call a Wanderer, because, my (leader), he is one who has gone forth.’
“ ‘What is that, to have gone forth?’
“ ‘To have gone forth, my (leader), means being thorough in the religious life, thorough in the peaceful life, thorough in good actions, thorough in meritorious conduct, thorough in harmlessness, thorough in kindness to all creatures.’
“Excellent indeed, friend charioteer, is what they call a Wanderer, since so thorough is his conduct in all those respects. Wherefore drive up to that forthgone man.’” (v14).
Vipassi speaks with the ascetic.
Vipassi decides to become an ascetic.
84,000 people in Bandhumati hear of Vipassi becoming an ascetic and make the same decision.
Vipassi decides to live in solitude.
Vipassi perceives the proceeding process of causation: suffering, decay, and death being caused by birth; birth being caused by becoming; becoming being caused by grasping; grasping being caused by craving; craving being caused by feeling; feeling being caused by contact; contact being caused by the six-fold field; the six-fold field being caused by name and form; name and form being caused by cognition;
Vipassi proceeds through a similar process of reasoning regarding the “causal absence” of each of these phenomena.
“Then to Vipassi the Bodhisat, brethren, this occurred:-- ‘Lo! I have won to this, the Way to enlightenment through insight. And it is this, that from name-and-form ceasing, cognition ceases, and conversely; that from name-and-form ceasing, the sixfold field ceases; from the sixfold field ceasing, contact ceases; from contact ceasing, feeling ceases; from feeling ceasing, craving ceases; from craving ceasing, grasping ceases; from grasping ceasing, becoming ceases; from becoming ceasing, birth ceases; from birth ceasing, decay and dying, grief, lamentation, ill, sorrow and despair cease. Such is the ceasing of this entire body of Ill.” (v21).
Vipassi is liberated from the Intoxicants.
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What is the connexion between the narrative that the Buddha provides in this sutta and the actual, temporal biography of Siddharta Gautama? Is this intended to communicate that such experience is intrinsic within the temporal life of a Buddha (perhaps corresponding with the 32 signs)?
How does Bandhuman’s reaction of providing additional sensual pleasures compare with conventional practises within the conventional hierarchies of contemporary industrial and post-industrial societies: conspicuous consumption, sexual promiscuity, obesity, intoxications, and additional indulgences, particularly amongst “higher socioeconomic” communities, particularly amongst university and graduate students who are being trained to assume positions of authority, and particularly as a means of establishing proficient relationships and influence within such hierarchy and simultaneously financially obligating “upwardly mobile” professionals into making acquisitions that further entrench such individuals within such lifestyles, all whilst substantially ignoring the tangible and immediate suffering experienced within “lower socioeconomic” communities, and even exactly within “higher socioeconomic” communities?
Similarly, or conversely, there is also the consideration that Bandhuman abstains from imprisoning or confining Vipassi, and instead, simply attempts to deter Vipassi through sensual gratification; what lessons does this provide for those who are dissatisfied with conventional authority and the practises of “higher socioeconomic” communities? How can an individual progress very being envious of “higher socioeconomic” communities towards becoming increasingly autonomous and independent from “higher socioeconomic” communities through living within one’s means (and abstaining from incurring financial debt [and enslavement] for the acquisition of material resources and services], directly challenging the constructs of convention that directly facilitate such suffering, and/or even adopting an ascetic lifestyle?
Seeing the ascetic in the park after old age, sickness, and death, seems to provide a natural solution to the challenges that Vipassi experiences; how might circumstances be different if Vipassi actually sees the ascetic first? Might this have less impact than it does after seeing old age, sickness, and death? Is it necessary to experience the challenge (and the suffering) before experiencing the solution (and the healing)? What legitimacy exists within the notion of each experience of suffering simply being a lesson (like a university course) in that form of suffering and its solutions, with the direct and specific purpose of being prepared to share those lessons of solution and healing with additional people who experience such suffering (and perhaps to alleviate the Universal nature of the experience of suffering)? Is it possible that ascetics are present during the previous 3 trips that Vipassi and his charioteer make to the park, yet it is only on the 4th occasion that Vipassi is able to see the ascetic? What lesson might this provide regarding the intrinsic connexion between awareness and sensual gratification?
How does the process of causation perceived by Vipassi exist amidst the 4 Noble Truths of the Buddha: Dukkha (Suffering), Desire, Cessation, and the Noble 8-Fold Path? There seems to be emphasis upon the connexion between desire and dukkha; is this an accurate assessment? And how does the Buddha overcome the experience of “craving” or “grasping,” when the Buddha is described as eating and engaging within additional “ordinary” human behaviour that seems to involve some form of grasping or craving or additionally similar intentionality (and/or insufficiency)? Is the aspiration of attaining Nirvana, in and of itself, an intrinsic form of craving or grasping (albeit within a manner that is other than necessarily sensory-based)? Does the experience of suffering (and the perceivable personal insufficiency therein) connote a deficiency within an individual’s spiritual practise?
What is the nature of the recurring emergence of the Buddhas? What implication does such a phenomena have upon the respective nature of existence and karma of all additional beings and life within the Universe; is the Universe destined to experience the continual emergence of the Buddha, and is this the karma of all those who exist within the many different realms of this Universe? Are there beings that currently exist as inevitable Buddhas; and if so, what prevents such beings from immediately attaining Nirvana?
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Gospels
Luke 11 – 12
“He was praying in a certain place, and when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, ‘(Leader), teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’ And he said to them, ‘When you pray, say:
“ ‘(God), hallowed be (Thy) name. Thy (Sovereignty) come. Give us each day our daily bread; and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive every one who is indebted to us; and lead us not into temptation.’’” (v1-4).
Jesus describes blessings from God like a friend providing bread to another friend at night.
“And I tell you, Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” (v9-10).
Jesus casts out a demon and is accused of healing by Beelzebul.
“But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls.’” (v17).
“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he passes through waterless places seeking rest; and finding none he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes he finds it swept and put in order. Then he goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.” (v24-26).
“As he said this, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, ‘Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts that you sucked!’ But he said, ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!’” (v27-28).
Jesus upbraids contemporary generation, referencing the example of Yonah.
“No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a bushel, but on a stand, that those who enter may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is sound, your whole body is full of light; but when it is not sound, your body is full of darkness. Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.” (v33-36).
Jesus chastises the practise of searching for honour and recognition amongst the Pharisees, and the imposition of burdens from the lawyers.
“Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.” (v1-3).
“I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after than have no more that they can do.” (v4).
“And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious how or what you are to answer or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” (v11-12).
“And he said to them, ‘Take heed, and beware of all covetousness; for a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’” (v15).
Jesus tells the parable of the man who builds his barns to store his grain and then passes from life before reaping the material benefits.
“And he said to his disciples, ‘Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat, nor about your body, what you shall put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.’” (v22-23).
“Consider the lilies, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” (v27).
“Fear not, little flock, for it is your (God’s) good pleasure to give you the (Sovereignty). Sell your possessions, and give alms; provide yourselves with purses that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (v32-34).
Jesus tells parables regarding the servants of God.
“Every one to whom much is given, of him will much be required; and of him to whom men commit much they will demand the more.” (v48).
“I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled! I have a baptism to be baptized with and how I am constrained until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division; for henceforth in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.” (v49-53).
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In some English translations, the “Lord’s Prayer” describes forgiveness of “sins,” or “debts,” or “trespasses;” what are the distinctions and implications within each of these?
It seems obvious that Jesus’s teaching regarding, “Search and you will find,” abstains from applying to every single request that every single individual makes within life; or does it? It seems like the significant consideration is what questions people are asking and what aspirations people are maintaining; how can people be encouraged to ask the “right” questions and search for the “right” solutions?
What is the metaphysical, esoteric, and actual nature of the existence of demons and spirits within Christian Theology? The passage describing the unclean spirit returning to the body seems to discourage the initial casting out of the unclean spirit; is this to be understood as guidance for individuals to be increasingly vigilant upon the casting out of an unclean spirit amidst the propensity of such a return? Is there an intrinsic connexion between this phenomenon and the parable of the sower dropping seeds in the thorns, on the path, or amidst the rocks, where temporal circumstances preclude the plants from growing? And how does the esoteric nature of demon and spirits compare with Hinduism, Buddhism, and additional religious traditions (particularly within “Eastern” civilisations, and amidst respective indigenous peoples)?
How does Jesus’s chastisement against the Pharisees and the lawyers compare with the Bhagavad Gita’s description of the characteristics and detriments of the guna of rajas?
Jesus’s teaches that the Holy Spirit guides a person in what to say when being confronted by the authorities; how does this compare with contemporary legal doctrine regarding a person being under remaining silent and anything that person says being utilised against that person? And how does Jesus’s approach compare with the methodology of the Buddha and his dialogue with the Brahmins and Kyshatriyas of his time? And how does all of that compare with the practise of meditation? Within each approach, what are the lessons that are provided to the conventional authorities?
How does Jesus’s teachings about “treasures in Heaven” compare with the ascetic practices within Hinduism and Buddhism? And how does this specific passage compare with the narrative within the Torah of the Egyptians providing treasures to the Israelites?
How dos Jesus’s teaching regarding his intention of bringing violence and dissension compare with his additional teachings, and particularly his Sermon on the Mont, specifically regarding Peace, compassion, forgiveness, and reconciliation? Which teaching supercedes the others? Is this specific passage simply to be understood as the teaching of indifference to conventional and familial constructs and relationships amidst adherence to a spiritual Truth, and availing one’s self to the adversities that occur amidst adherence to that spiritual Truth? Is it possible to simultaneously adhere to that spiritual Truth whilst maintaining proficient conventional constructs and familial relationships? What is evidence of such balance within the Gospels of Christianity, as well as within the respective Holy Scriptures, narratives, and teachings within additional religious traditions?
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Koran
Sura 18: Al Kahf (The Cave)
“Surely We have made whatever is on the earth an embellishment for it, so that We may try which of them is best in works.” (v7).
There is the story of the 2 youths who are trapped in the cave for 300 years.
“…This is of the signs of Allah. He whom Allah guides, he is on the right way; and whom (Allah) leaves in error, thou wilt not find for him a friend to guide aright.” (v17).
“And say not of anything: I will do that tomorrow,
“Unless Allah please. And remember thy Lord when thou forgettest and say: Maybe my Lord will guide me to a nearer course to the right than this.” (v23-24)
“And recite that which has been revealed to thee of the Book of thy Lord. There is none who can alter (Allah’s) words. And thou wilt find no refuge beside (Allah).” (v27).
Molten brass is provided to transgressors, and gardens of bounty are provided to believers.
There is the parable of the 2 men with gardens, one with increasing bounty and becoming arrogant, and the other maintaining modesty and praising Allah; with the garden of the first eventually being destroyed.
“And set forth to them the parable of the life of this world as water which We send down from the cloud, so the herbage of the earth becomes luxuriant thereby, then it becomes dry, broken into pieces which the winds scatter. And Allah is the Holder of power over all things.” (v45).
“Wealth and children are an adornment of the life of this world; but the ever-abiding, the good works, are better with thy Lord in reward and better in hope.” (v46).
Iblis refuses to submit to Adam.
There is the narrative of Moshe and one of the servants from Allah.
There is reference to Dhu-l-Qarnain.
“He said: AS for him who is unjust, we shall chastise him, then he will be returned to his Lord, and (Allah) will chastise him with an exemplary chastisement.
“And as for him who believes and does good, for him is a good reward, and We shall speak to him an easy word of Our command.” (v87-88).
“Say: If the seas were ink for the words of my Lord, the sea would surely be exhausted before the words of my Lord were exhausted, though We brought the like of it to add (thereto).” (v109).
“Say: I am only a mortal like you—it is revealed to me that your God is one God. So whoever hopes to meet his Lord, he should do good deeds, and join no one in the service of his Lord.” (v110).
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The “literary” nature of the Koran is rather different from the linear and narrative nature of the Torah, the Gospels, and the Suttas within the Digha Nikaya, and is also distinct from the alinear nature of the Vedas, and the Upanishads; within the Koran, there is a confluence of direct commands, poetic allegories, and narratives, each of which are often included within one sura and interposed amidst the verses within a sura; and much like the geographic nature of Mecca and Medina, between Eretz Israel and the Indus and the Ganges rivers, the Koran seems to include the respective “literary” natures from these civilisations as well, the linear/narrative form and the alinear/esoteric form; is there any legitimacy within this observation?
How does the teaching within verse 7 compare with Jesus’s teaching regarding “treasures in Heaven,” within this week’s passage within the Gospel of Luke?
Within verse 17, there is the teaching regarding, “He whom Allah guides…,” which seems to suggest a certain inevitability and futility within interceding in the affairs of another individual; is this an accurate interpretation of this passage? Does this affirm the Omnipotent nature of Allah? And if so, what are some traditional Islamic beliefs and teachings regarding the nature of absolute Omnipotence amidst the perception of free will? Amidst a belief within the absolute Omnipotence of Allah, do individuals actually have the free will to commit transgressions/sins; or are all of these acts necessarily the manifestation of the Will of Allah? And if so, amidst such Omnipotence and amidst Allah being the Most Gracious and Most Merciful, why does suffering exist, at all, within life? How might the Buddha respond? And what relevance exists within the previously described consideration (in response to this week’s passage from the Digha Nikaya) regarding the intrinsic purpose that exists within suffering, and suffering existing as a “university course” to prepare individuals to teach others the solutions and reconciliation of such suffering?
What insight from verses 23 – 24 can be placed upon the practise of saying, “En’sh’Allah,” as well as that of, “B’ezrat Hashem,” and, “God Willing”? Are there similarly practiced sayings within additional religious traditions, including Hinduism and Buddhism?
Picking up from verse 27, what is the nature of the ultimate revelation being experienced by a Prophet, being constrained by the inevitable limitations and biases within any language, including Arabic, Hebrew, Sanskrit, Pali, Latin, Greek, English, and additionally? Whilst the revelation may be Divine, how can humanity fully perceive, let alone communicate, such perfect Divinity, amidst the confines of the intrinsic imperfection of this temporal realm? What is the nature of the Presence of Allah existing within each individual, and through that Presence, each individual being able to intuitively, innately recognise the Truth when it is observed and experienced within this temporal realm of the Universe; and perhaps how such intuitive/innate recognition may be impaired as one becomes increasingly enveloped within the sensual pursuits and material gains within this temporal realm? How do the proceeding teachings inform us regarding this phenomenon: within the Mahapananda Suttanta regarding the notion of becoming (and the alleviation of the 5 intoxicants); the teachings of Jesus regarding “treasures in Heaven;” the guidance from the Bhagavad Gita regarding rajas and the equanimity amidst spiritual transcendence; and the pragmatic, structural doctrine of the 10 commandments? Presuming that part of the purpose of life is the propagation of life, how is this to be pursued without becoming enveloped within this pursuit itself (whilst maintaining proficient spiritual ascension)?
What is the further story and significance of Dhu-l-Qarnain; similarly, is there any symbolic significance within the building and destruction of the wall; and how does this narrative compare with the circumstances around the wall in China, the wall amidst Israel and Palestine, the wall in Berlin, and even the tower of Babel, the Temple built by Solomon, the Kaba and Masjid in Mecca, and any additional edifice constructed by humanity? And how does this compare with the command that Adonai provides to the Israelites after the conveyance of the 10 commandments?
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