שלום.नमस्ते.สมาธ.Pax.سلام.Peace.साटीनाम.صلح.Kwey.Amani.Udo.Barış.ειρήνη.Pace.Paz.Paix.Fred.
Frieden.Vrede.Siochana.мир.امن.和平.平和.평화.Ingatka.Wominjeka.Aloha.
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ૐ.אמן
Holy
Scriptures Study, Week 51 Nitzavim; 119.1.11
Torah
Devarim 29:9 – 30:20
“Today your leaders, your tribal chiefs, your elders, your judges, every
Israelite man, your children, your wives, and the foreigner in your camp, even
your woodcutters and water drawers—you are all standing before Adonai.
“Today you are about to be brought into the covenant with Adonai, sealed
with the promise that (Adonai) is making to you today.” (v9-11).
“(Adonai) is confirming that you are (Adonai’s) nation, and that
(Adonai) will be your God, just as (Adonai) promised you, and as (Adonai) swore
to your ancestors, (Avraham), (Yitzak), and (Yaakov).
“I am not making this covenant with you alone. I am making this
covenant with everyone who is standing here with us today before Adonai and
with all the future generations of Israel.” (v12-13).
“You remember that we lived in Egypt, and that we journeyed through the
territories of enemy nations. You saw their stupid idols made of wood and
stone, gold and silver. Surely no man, woman, family, or tribe is
unfaithful to Adonai by worshipping the idols of those other nations.
Make certain that none of you are poisoned by their ideas.
“When such a traitor hears the warning of this terrible oath, he may say
to himself, ‘I am safe if I do my own thing.’ This attitude will lead to
his downfall and ruination.
“Adonai demands exclusive worship and will not forgive such a
person. Adonai’s anger will be directed like angry flames against that
person. All the terrible curses written in this book will bury him, and
Adonai will erase his name from under the heavens. Adonai will separate
him from all the Israelite tribes, and he will suffer all the dread curses of
the covenant that are recorded in this teaching scroll.” (v15-20).
“Then future generations of your descendants, and foreigners from far
away, will see the punishment against the land, and the diseases with which
Adonai has struck it, and they will say, ‘Sulphur and salt have burned the
soil. The soil is burned dry and has become a desert of salt, and not
even grass can grow on it, just like the destruction of Sodom, Gomorrah, Adma,
and Zevoyim, the cities that Adonai destroyed when (Adonai) became
angry.’ Nations will ask, ‘Why did Adonai punish this land? Why was
(Adonai) so angry?’
“They will be told, ‘It is because they abandoned the covenant that
Adonai made with their ancestors when (Adonai) freed them from slavery in
Egypt.’” (v21-24).
“There are many secrets that Adonai has not told us. However, the
rules and laws that have been revealed are meant for us and our children
forever. They must be forever obeyed.” (v28).
“The time will come when you will experience the blessing and the curses
that I have set before you. You will be scattered among many nations and
then you will (Realise) that (Adonai) is punishing you. Then you will
return to Adonai, and you will obey (Adonai), and do everything that I am
commanding you today. Then you and your children will repent with all
your heart and with all your soul.
“Adonai will have mercy and rescue your remnants. Adonai will once
again bring you back from among the nations where (Adonai) scattered you.
Even though you are living at the ends of the earth, Adonai will gather you up
from there and will bring you back.” (v1-4).
“Then Adonai will bring you to the land that belonged to your ancestors,
and now you will possess it once more. Adonai will do (benevolence) for
you, and (Adonai) will make you even more successful than your ancestors.
Adonai will cleanse your minds and hearts, and the minds and hearts of your
descendants, so that you will love Adonai with all your heart and soul, so that
Israel will once again flourish.” (v5-6).
“Adonai will turn all these curses against your enemies and against
those who pursue you.
“But you must return and obey Adonai, and observe all (Adonai’s)
commandments which I am giving you today.” (v7-8).
“These commandments that I am giving you today are not impossible to
obey. These laws are not far away in heaven, so that you might say,
‘These rules are far away in heaven; bring them down to us so that we can
hear them and obey them.’ They are not far away across the ocean so that
one can say, ‘Who can sail across the ocean and bring them to us so that we can
hear them and obey them?’ No! The commandments are very close to
you. They are on your lips and in your heart, so that you can easily obey
them.” (v11-14).
“Look! Today I have set before you a free choice: Choose
between life and (benevolence) on one side, and death and evil on the other
side.
“I have commanded you today to love Adonai, to walk in (Adonai’s)
footsteps and observe (Adonai’s) commandments, decrees, and laws. If you
do this you will live and be successful, and Adonai will bless you in the land
that you are about to occupy.
“But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you decide
to bow down and worship idols, then I warn you: If you do this you will
be completely destroyed. You will not live a long and prosperous life in
the land you are crossing the (Yordan) to occupy.
“As witnesses I call heaven and earth. I have given you the choice
of life or death, blessing or curse. Choose life, so that you and your
descendants will live.” (v15-19)
“You must make the choice to love Adonai, and to obey (Adonai),
and to commit yourself to (Adonai), for (Adonai) is your life and the length of
your days. Then you will be able to live peacefully in the land that
Adonai swore to give to (Avraham), (Yitzak), and (Yaakov).” (v20).
--
Within each religious tradition, there seems to be a fundamental
temporal contradiction that challenges the integrity of each religion’s
pragmatic doctrine: how does Judaism overcome the contradiction of the
“ger” (the stranger); how does Islam overcome the command to follow the
Sunna of Muhammad (PBUH), without actually making the same claims of Prophesy
as Muhammad (PBUH); how does Christianity overcome the command to love as
Jesus does without searching to be killed or expecting someone else to be
killed; how does Buddhism overcome the implicit teaching of “Becoming”
that the Buddha is effectively the manifestation of 1’s own cognition;
and how does Hinduism overcome the tamasic (microcosmic) tendency of the
varnas? Without challenging the profound, esoteric wisdom and the
benevolent pragmatic guidance that respectively and commonly exists within Judaism,
Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and additional religious traditions,
how do the teachings and practises of any religion manifest the Universal
consciousness of each individual without simultaneously becoming susceptible to
the apparent, intrinsic contradictions (and subsequent hypocrisies) that exist
within this temporal life? Is there any validity within the notion that
the only fundamental distinction between beings is the respective nature of our
energy, and that humans simply tend to congregate with those who share a
similar set of hypocrisies, and effectively judge and condemn those whose
hypocrisies are considerably different? What is the appropriate level of
love, altruism, forgiveness, and self-interest that we are each to maintain?
Is there any significance within the fact that Moshe seems to exclude
single Israeli women from his address within the opening of Nitzavim?
How does Moshe’s command to abstain from “doing 1’s own thing,” compare
and contrast with the example of Avraham, as well as with the expected
emergence of Moshiach? How does 1 genuinely follow the example of
Avraham, Jesus, the Buddha, the Rishis, and/or Muhammad (May Be Peace With Each
Prophet), without “transcending” the subsequent doctrines of the respective Prophet,
and similarly establishing 1’s own Prophetic example? What propensity
(and, indeed, what responsibility) does each individual have in doing so?
And, does each individual already do so, in 1 way or another?
--
Bhagavad Gita
Chapter 15
“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.
“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.”
(v2-4).
“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).
“The deluded do not see the Self when it leaves the
body or when it dwells within it. They
do no see the Self enjoying sense objects or acting through the gunas. But they who have the eye of wisdom
see.” (v10).
“Those who strive resolutely on the path of yoga
see the Self within. The thoughtless,
who strive imperfectly, do not.” (v11).
“I enter breathing creatures and dwell within as
the life-giving breath. I am the fire in
the stomach which digests all food.”
(v14).
“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).
“In this world there are two orders of being: the perishable, separate creature 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.” (v16-17).
“I am that supreme Self, praise by the scriptures
as beyond the changing and the changeless.
“Those who see in (Me) that supreme Self see
(Truly). They have found the source of
all wisdom, Arjuna, and they worship (Me) with all their heart.” (v18-19).
--
Bhagavad Gita
Chapter 15
“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.” (v1).
“Nourished by the gunas, the limbs of this tree spread above and
below. Senese objects grow on the limbs as buds; the roots hanging
down bind us to action in this world.” (v2).
“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. (Search for)
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.” (v7).
“Those who strive resolutely on the path of yoga see the Self
within. The thoughtless, who strive imperfectly, do not.” (v11).
“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).
“In this world there are two orders of being: the perishable,
separate creature 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.”
(v16-17).
--
Discussion Questions From Chapters 15 – 16
How does the teaching regarding the ashvattha tree
compare with the notion of “Etz Chayim,” the “Tree of Life,” as well as the
“Tree of Knowledge,” within the Torah?
How the “mind made of prakriti,” derived from “an
eternal part” of presumably Brahman, factor within the Hindu Theology of the
gunas, prakriti, Purusha, the intellect, and the Atman? How does this compare with respective
teachings from additional religious traditions that explain such phenomena and
experiences?
How does the description of the “Self” compare with
the Christian description of the “Spirit;”
and how does this compare with similar teachings within Judaism, Islam,
and Buddhism?
What is the difference between the “changeless
spirit” and the “supreme Self”? What is
an exampled of the “changeless” that is distinct from the “supreme Self” and/or
Brahman?
In stating, “I am that supreme Self,” and, “Those
who see in (Me) that supreme Self,” is Sri Krishna communicating as Brahman or
as Sri Krishna or both? Do these 2
statements actually communicate different circumstances? Is Sri Krishna demanding worship of Sri Krishna
or of Brahman? Is there a discernible,
relevant distinction?
How do the principles, communicated within Chapter
16 Verse 1, compare with the “feminine” attributes, and the “beloved”
attributes, communicated elsewhere within the Bhagavad Gita? What is the distinction of context of these
different attributes, and which attributes are prioritised?
How does “compassion to all” compare with the
teachings regarding animal sacrifice within the Torah? Are the attributes of “loyalty” and
“equanimity” ultimately mutually exclusive?
What is an appropriate balance amidst these 2 practises, and what are
some examples of such balance?
How do the “divine attributes” of Arjuna compare
with the “Holiness” of the kohanim and the Israelites? Within many traditions, including Judaism,
Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam, there seems to be an effective
“socio-religious” binary with a certain tendency of explicit or implicit
subjugation: between “believer” and
“disbeliever,” “Priest/Monk” and “layperson,” and additionally; is it possible to practise a religion and/or
a system of social order genuinely without such a binary?
Is there any connexion between the Bahagavad Gita’s
teaching regarding “uncleand ends” and “abusing the presence of Brahman within
one’s self and others” with the Torah’s teaching regarding the “cleanliness” of
the dietary rules of kashrut and the mitzvot for the Israelites to be Holy as
Adonai is Holy? How do these respective
correlations compare and contrast with each other? How do the acts of lust and a carnivorous
diet factor into these considerations and teachings?
Do “all the scripture lead to (Me),” and “let the
scriptures be your guide,” genuinely refer to any and all Holy Scriptures
respectively from any and all religious traditions? What are the implications of this statement
and how might this be perceived within the aggregate of humanity and/or the
Universe? How might reconciliation and
the retention of differences be achieved within such an amalgamation? Does the Universe indeed already exist as
such? How do Judaism, Christianity,
Islam, and Buddhism address this consideration?
--
Discussion Questions From Chapters 15 – 16
Is there any connexion between the prohibition against Ashera trees,
described within the Torah, and the ashvattha tree? How does cutting the
tree with “the sharp axe of detachment” both compare and contrast with the
distinct teachings within the Torah?
What is the nature of the “individual;” the “ego,” and the respective
experience of both, therein (with the body, and the respective processes
enacted to sustain life)? What is the nature of the confluence of the
individual (ego) and the Universal nature of Brahman, and how does this
appropriately guide an “individual’s” interaction with additional “individuals”
throughout the Universe, and also maintain an appropriate balance with all
beings, life, phenomena, and circumstances throughout the Universe?
--
Dhammapada
Chapters 6 – 10
“Look upon the man who tells thee thy faults as if he told thee of a
hidden treasure, the wise man who shows thee the dangers of life. Follow
that man: he who follows him will see (benevolence) and not evil.
“Let him admonish and let him instruct, and let him restrain what is
wrong. He will be loved by those who are (benevolent) and hated by those
who are not.” (v1-2).
“He who drinks of the waters of Truth, he rests in joy with mind
serene. The wise find their delight in the Dhamma, in the Truth revealed
by the great.
“Those who make channels for water control the waters; makers of
arrows make the arrows straight; carpenters control their timber;
and the wise control their own minds.
“Even as a great rock is not shaken by the wind, the wise man is not
shaken by praise or by blame.” (v80-81).
“(Benevolent) men, at all times, surrender in (Truth) all
attachments. The holy spend not idle words on things of desire.
When pleasure or pain comes to them, the wise feel above pleasure and
pain.” (v83).
“For he whose mind is well trained in the ways that lead to light, who
surrenders the bondage of attachments and finds joy in his freedom from
bondage, who free from the darkness of passions, shines in a radiance of light,
even in this mortal life he enjoys the immortal Nirvana.” (v89).
“The traveller has reached the end of the journey! In the freedom
of the Infinite he is free from all sorrows, the fetters that bound him are
thrown away, and the burning fever of life is no more.” (v90).
“Those who have high thoughts are ever striving: they are not
happy to remain in the same place. Like swans that leave their lake and
rise into the air, they leave their home for a higher home.” (v91).
“Who can trace the path of those who know the right food of life and,
rejecting over-abundance, soar in the sky of liberation, the (Infinite) Void
without beginning? Their course is as hard to follow as that of the birds
in the air.” (v92).
“He is calm like the earth that endures; he is steady like a
column that is firm; he is pure like a lake that is clear; he is
free from Samsara, the ever-returning life-in-death.” (v95).
“In the light of his vision he has found his freedom: his thoughts
are peace, his words are peace and his work is peace.” (v96).
“And he who is free from credulous beliefs since he has seen the eternal
Nirvana, who has thrown off the bondage of the lower life and, far beyond
temptations, has surrendered all his desires, he is indeed great amongst
men.” (v97).
“Wherever holy men dwell, that is indeed a place of joy—be it in the
village, or in a forest, or in a valley or on the hills.” (v98).
“Better than a thousand useless words is one single word that gives
peace.” (v100)
“If a man should conquer in battle a thousand and a thousand more, and
another man should conquer himself, his would be the greater victory, because
the greatest of victories is the victory over oneself; and neither the
(deities) in heaven above nor the demons down below can turn into defeat the
victory of such a man.” (v103-105).
“And whosoever honours in reverence those who are old in virtue and
holiness, he indeed conquers four treasures: long life, and health, and
power and joy.” (v109).
“Better than a hundred years lived in vice, without contemplation, is
one single day of life lived in virtue and in deep contemplation.”
(v110).
“Make haste and do what is (benevolent); keep your mind away from
evil. If a man is slow in doing (benevolence), his mind finds pleasure in
evil.” (v116).
“If a man does something wrong, let him not do it again and again.
Let him not find pleasure in his sin. Painful is the accumulation of
wrongdoings.” (v117).
“If a man does something (benevolent), let him do it again and
again. Let him find joy in his (benevolent) work. Joyful is the
accumulation of (benevolent) work.” (v118).
“A man may find pleasure in evil as long as his evil has not given
fruit; but when the fruit of evil comes then that man finds evil indeed.
“A man may find pain in doing (benevolence) as long as his (benevolence)
has not given fruit; but when the fruit of (benevolence) comes then that
man finds (benevolence) indeed.” (v119-120).
“Hold not a sin of little worth, thinking ‘this is little to me.’
The falling of drops of water will in time fill a water-jar. Even so the
foolish man becomes full of evil, although he gather it little by little.
“Hold not a deed of little worth, thinking ‘this is little to me.’
The falling of drops of water will in time fill a water-jar. Even so the
wise man becomes full of (benevolence), although he gather it little by
little.” (v121-122).
“All beings tremble before danger, all fear death. When a man
considers this, he does not kill or cause to kill.” (v129).
“He who for the sake of happiness hurts others who also want happiness,
shall not hereafter find happiness.” (v131).
“If you can be in silent quietness like a broken gong that is silent,
you have reached the peace of Nirvana and your anger is peace.” (v134).
“Neither nakedness, nor entangled hair, nor uncleanliness, nor fasting,
nor sleeping on the ground, nor covering the body with ashes, nor
ever-squatting, can purify a man who is not pure from doubts and desires.
“But although a man may wear fine clothing, if he lives
peacefully; and is (benevolent), self-possessed, has faith and is pure;
and if he does not hurt any living being, he is a holy Brahmin, a hermit of
seclusion, a monk called Bhikkhu.” (v141-142).
--
Within each religious tradition, there seems to be a fundamental
temporal contradiction that challenges the integrity of each religion’s
pragmatic doctrine: how does Judaism overcome the contradiction of the
“ger” (the stranger); how does Islam overcome the command to follow the
Sunna of Muhammad (PBUH), without actually making the same claims of Prophesy
as Muhammad (PBUH); how does Christianity overcome the command to love as
Jesus does without searching to be killed or expecting someone else to be
killed; how does Buddhism overcome the implicit teaching of “Becoming”
that the Buddha is effectively the manifestation of 1’s own cognition;
and how does Hinduism overcome the tamasic (microcosmic) tendency of the
varnas? Without challenging the profound, esoteric wisdom and the
benevolent pragmatic guidance that respectively and commonly exists within
Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and additional religious
traditions, how do the teachings and practises of any religion manifest the
Universal consciousness of each individual without simultaneously becoming
susceptible to the apparent, intrinsic contradictions (and subsequent
hypocrisies) that exist within this temporal life? Is there any validity
within the notion that the only fundamental distinction between beings is the
respective nature of our energy, and that humans simply tend to congregate with
those who share a similar set of hypocrisies, and effectively judge and condemn
those whose hypocrisies are considerably different? What is the
appropriate level of love, altruism, forgiveness, and self-interest that we are
each to maintain?
How does the prose of the Dhammapada compare with the metaphors within
Jesus’s parables, as well as with similar literary devices within the
respective traditions of Judaism, Islam, and Hinduism?
How do the Dhammapada’s teachings regarding detachment compare and
contrast within similar teachings (regarding the nature of temporal phenomena
and Nirvana [unity with the Ultimate Reality]) respectively within Judaism,
Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam?
How does the teaching within Verse 91, regarding being insatiable with
higher thought, compare and contrast with additional teachings regarding the
principle of equanimity and comparative indifference?
What may be further consideration regarding a wise person avoiding the
“over-abundance” of the “right food of life”? How does such a teaching
compare with the practise of egalitarianism; and how does this compare
with similar teachings provided by Jesus, as well as within the traditions of
Islam, Judaism, and Hinduism?
Within every tradition that facilitates social interaction within a
community, there is tremendous benefit that the community experiences through
such cooperation; yet, the cooperation within that community identity
necessarily establishes a binary of those who are perceived as existing outside
that community, and thus a different manner of interacting with those who are
perceived as outside the community; and thus, there emerges a
contradiction within the very principles that facilitate the cooperation within
the community; whilst adults, parents, and elders may be substantially
entrenched within such contradiction, so as to effectively ignore and/or deny
it, children are increasingly drawn towards Truth and honesty and addressing
such contradictions; and many children experience difficulty in receiving
a community’s teachings of cooperation that abstain from addressing such
contradictions; and thus, many children search beyond the traditions of
the community to find the Truth and honesty in any manner that it may be
communicated (often within the respective traditions of other
communities); so the consideration becomes: how may a community
Truthfully and honestly impart its teachings of cooperation amongst its
children, addressing the contradictions amidst “identifying the other,” whilst
maintaining the integrity of such cooperation? What are the limits in
extending a community (in a genuine and pragmatic manner) to include the entire
Universe? Is it possible to have multiple, distinct communities that
simultaneously exist within a larger community, whilst members of each
community genuinely and simultaneously maintain a proficient identity within
both the respective smaller community, as well as the whole community? Is
that the way the Universe already exists? How can we improve the
relations between our respective smaller communities?
--
Gospels
John 18
“When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth
with his disciples across the Kidron valley, where there was a garden, which he
and his disciples entered. Now Judas,
who betrayed him, also knew the place;
for Jesus often met there with his disciples. So Judas, procuring a band of soldiers and
some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with
lanterns and torches and weapons. Then
Jesus, knowing all that was to befall him, came forward and said to them, ‘Whom
do you seek?’ They answered him, ‘Jesus
of Nazareth.’ Jesus said to them, ‘I am
he.’ Judas, who betrayed him, was
standing with them. When he said to
them, ‘I am he,’ they drew back and fell to the ground. Again he asked them, ‘Whom do you seek?’ And they said, ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’ Jesus answered, ‘I told you that I am
he; so, if you seek me, let these men
go.’” (v1-8).
“Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and
struck the high priest’s slave and cut off his right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus. Jesus said to Peter, ‘Put your sword into its
sheath; shall I not drink the cup which
(Deus) has given me?’” (v10-11).
Jesus is captured.
“Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another
disciple. As this disciple was known to
the high priest, he entered the court of the high priest along with Jesus,
while Peter stood outside at the door.”
(v15-16).
“The high priest then questioned Jesus about his
disciples and his teaching. Jesus
answered him, ‘I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the
temple, where all Jews come together; I
have said nothing secretly. Why do you
ask me? Ask those who have hear me, what
I said to them; they know what I
said.’” (v19-21).
“Now Simon Peter was standing and warming
himself. They said to him, ‘Are not you
also one of his disciples?’ He denied it
and said, ‘I am not.’ One of the
servants of the high priest, a kinsman of the man whose ear Peter had cut off,
asked, ‘Did I not see you in the garden with him?’ Peter again denied it; and at once the cock crowed.” (v25-27).
Jesus is taken to Pilate.
“Pilate entered the praetorium again and called
Jesus, and said to him, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ Jesus answered, ‘Do you say this of your own
accord, or did others say it to you about me?’
Pilate answered, ‘Am I a Jew?
Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me; what have you done?’ Jesus answered, ‘My kingship is not of this
world; if my kingship were of this world, my servants would fight, that I might
not be handed over to the Jews; but my
kingship is not from the world.’ Pilate
said to him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus
answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For
this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to
the (Truth). Every one who is of the
(Truth) hears my voice.’ Pilate said to
him, ‘What is (Truth)?’” (v33-38).
Pilate addresses the crowd and the crowd condemns
Jesus.
--
Gospels
Gospels
John 18
“When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples
across the Kidron valley, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples
entered.” (v1).
Judas arrives to betray Jesus; and Jesus is captured.
Peter denies Jesus thrice before the cock crows.
Jesus is brought before Pilate.
The crowd demands the release of Barabbas, rather than Jesus.
--
Discussion Questions From Chapters 18 – 21
How does the narrative of Jesus’s capture, as told
within the Gospel according to John, compare with the respective narratives
within additional Gospels? How is each
description to be appropriately understood, and what are the implications
within each description, as well as within the distinctions that exist therein?
Why is it necessary for the Priests and Pharisees
to even hire Judas to identify and betray Jesus when Jesus regularly visits the
Synagogues and frequently communicates with the Priests and Pharisees?
Who is this “other” disciple, who seems to be later
described as, “the one whom Jesus loves”?
Is this Gospel provided by the apostle, John, who is the brother of
James, and the son of Zebedee?
What basic human characteristic exists within Peter
whereby he maintains the interest in following Jesus (by following him into the
courtyard), yet whereby he also maintains certain physical needs (in warming
himself by the fire that is provided the accusing community), and eventually
denies Jesus on three occasions? What
lessons exist within the subsequent leadership that Peter provides to the initial
“Christian Church” after Jesus is crucified?
What is the nature of the interaction between
Pilate and Jesus? What lessons of
sovereignty and rule does Pilate provide in the manner in which he receives,
interrogates, and sentences Jesus?
Within Chapter 19 Verse 17, there is the
description that Jesus bears his own cross;
yet within additional Gospels, there is the description of another
person carrying Jesus’s cross before his crucifixion; is this a significant distinction, and what
are the implications of this?
Why does there seem to so many women named, “Mary,”
within the Gospels: Jesus’s mor, Mary,
her sister, Mary, and Mary Magdalene? Is
there any significance within this frequency?
What is the significance of Jesus calling the
disciple his mor’s son, particularly after Jesus proclaims that all women who
follow his Gospel are his mors, and all men and women who do so are
respectively his brothers and sisters?
Amidst the description of the disciple taking Mary
into his house, does this imply that Jesus’s far, Joseph, previously passes
away from life?
How does John’s description of Jesus’s passing on
the cross compare with the respective descriptions within additional Gospels?
How does Jesus’s salutation of Peace to his
disciples compare with the salutations of Peace described within the Koran?
What human characteristics exist within the
disciple, Thomas’s, doubt?
What lessons exist within the fact that Jesus’s
disciples return to fishing after Jesus’s crucifixion?
--
Discussion Questions From Chapters 14 – 21
What is the nature of the Holy Spirit as Jesus describes this?
What is the nature of the friendship that Jesus describes?
What is the nature and the purpose of the antagonism that Jesus
describes between his disciples and “the world”?
What may exist within the teachings that Jesus abstains from explicitly
sharing with his disciples?
What is the nature of the distinction that Jesus describes between those
who are of Jesus and the rest of the World?
--
Koran
Sura 111: Al-Lahab: The Flame
“Abu Lahab’s hands will perish and he will perish.
“His wealth and that which he earns will not avail him.
“He will burn in fire giving rise to flames—
“And his wife—the bearer of slander;
“Upon her neck a halter of twisted rope!” (v1-5).
--
Within each religious tradition, there seems to be a fundamental
temporal contradiction that challenges the integrity of each religion’s
pragmatic doctrine: how does Judaism overcome the contradiction of the
“ger” (the stranger); how does Islam overcome the command to follow the
Sunna of Muhammad (PBUH), without actually making the same claims of Prophesy
as Muhammad (PBUH); how does Christianity overcome the command to love as
Jesus does without searching to be killed or expecting someone else to be
killed; how does Buddhism overcome the implicit teaching of “Becoming”
that the Buddha is effectively the manifestation of 1’s own cognition;
and how does Hinduism overcome the tamasic (microcosmic) tendency of the
varnas? Without challenging the profound, esoteric wisdom and the
benevolent pragmatic guidance that respectively and commonly exists within
Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and additional religious
traditions, how do the teachings and practises of any religion manifest the
Universal consciousness of each individual without simultaneously becoming
susceptible to the apparent, intrinsic contradictions (and subsequent
hypocrisies) that exist within this temporal life? Is there any validity
within the notion that the only fundamental distinction between beings is the
respective nature of our energy, and that humans simply tend to congregate with
those who share a similar set of hypocrisies, and effectively judge and condemn
those whose hypocrisies are considerably different? What is the
appropriate level of love, altruism, forgiveness, and self-interest that we are
each to maintain?
Does Sura Al Lahab reference a specific contemporary of Muhammad
(PBUH); and what is the purpose of including this Sura amidst the
conclusion of the Koran, and amidst the increasingly “lighter” teachings within
the surrounding Suras?
--
May Love, Peace, And Blessings Of The Highest Authority We Respectively
Recognise, Known By Many Names, Including God, El Shaddai, Eloheinu, Elohim,
Adonai, Hashem, Brahman, Nirvana, Dharma, Karma, Tao, Gud, Dieu, Deus, Dios,
Dominus, Jah, Jehovah, Allah, Ahura Mazda, Vaya Guru, The Divine, Infinity,
Logic, Wakan Tanka, And Additionally Be Upon The Rishis, Moshe, The Buddha,
Jesus, Muhammad, Baha’u’llah, Guru Nanak, Zarathustra, Avraham, Yitzak, Yaakov,
Confucius, Lao Tzu, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Black Elk, Martin Luther,
Gandhi, Bob Marley, The Respective Indigenous Of Taínoterranea, Asia, Europe,
Mediterranea, Africa, The Earth, Galaxy, Universe, Our Families, Friends, And
The Universe. Om. Shanti.
Shanti. Shantihi. Amen.
שלום.नमस्ते.สมาธ.Pax.سلام.Peace.साटीनाम.صلح.Kwey.Amani.Udo.Barış.ειρήνη.Pace.Paz.Paix.Fred.
Frieden.Vrede.Siochana.мир.امن.和平.平和.평화.Ingatka.Wominjeka.Aloha.
.
..
...
ૐ.אמן
Shalom(Hebrew).Namaste(Sanskrit).Samadhi(Thai/Pali).Pax(Latin).Salaam(Arabic).Peace(English).
SatNam(Punjabi).Solh(Persian).Kwey(Algonquin).Amani(Swahili).Udo(Ibo).Barish(Turkish).Erieni(Greek).Pache(Italiano).Paz(Espanol).Paix(Francais).
Fred(Scandinavian).Frieden(Deutsch).Siochana(Irish).Mir(Russian).Amin(Urdu).Heping(Mandarin).Heiwa(Japanese).Pyeonghwa(Korean).
Ingatka(Tagolog).Wominjeka(Wurundjeri).Aloha(Hawai’ian).Peace(Common
Symbol).Peace(Common Sign).Peace(American Sign).Peace(American Braille).
Om. Amen.
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