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 46 Eikev; 118.12.8
Torah
Devarim 7:12 – 11:25
“If you obey My rules and observe the commandments, then Adonai will
remember (Adonai’s) covenant which (Adonai) made with your ancestors.
“(Adonai) will love you. (Adonai) will bless you, (Adonai) will
make you numerous. (Adonai) will bless you with many children, (Adonai)
will increase the crops of your land, your grain, your wine, your oil, the
calves of your herds, and the lambs of your flocks, in the land that (Adonai)
promised your ancestors to give to you.” (v12-13)
“Show no mercy to the nations that Adonai delivers into your
hands. Do not worship their idols, because that will be a deadly
trap.” (v16)
“Little by little Adonai will drive out these nations.
“Do not drive them out too quickly; otherwise the wild animals
will (become) too numerous.” (v22).
“Remember how Adonai led you these forty years in the wilderness.
(Adonai) sent hardships to test you, to determine what is in your heart:
whether you would keep (Adonai’s) commandments or not.” (v2).
“Adonai is bringing you to a fertile land with flowing streams and with
springs gushing from valleys and mountains. It is a land overflowing with
wheat, barley, grapes, figs, and pomegranates—a land of olive and honey-date
trees. It is a land of plentiful food, where nothing is lacking, a land where
iron stones are plentiful, and the mountains are filled with copper.
“When you eat and are satisfied, you must thank Adonai for the
(benevolent) land (Adonai) has given you.” (v7-10).
“Later, when you are successful, take care not to say to yourself, ‘It
was my own strength and my power that made me successful.’” (v17).
“Today be aware that Adonai is the One (Who) will cross ahead of
you. (Adonai) is like a fierce fire, and as Adonai has promised you,
(Adonai) will weaken the nations before you and drive them out and destroy
them.” (v3)
“I want you to know that you are a very stubborn nation, and it is not
because of your righteousness that Adonai is giving you this land to
occupy.” (v6).
“At that time I climbed the mountain to get the tablets of the Ten
Commandments, the covenant that Adonai had made with you. For forty days and
forty nights I remained on the mountain without food or water.” (v9).
“I saw at once that you had sinned against Adonai by making a golden
calf and by so quickly abandoning the path that Adonai had made for you.”
(v16).
Moshe provides additional recollection of Israeli experiences within the
wilderness.
“Adonai is the Supreme Being. Adonai is powerful, great, mighty,
and awesome. Adonai’s decisions are fair and (Adonai) cannot be
bribed. (Adonai) provides justice to orphans and widows, and takes care
of foreigners, and gives them food and clothing. You too must show
respect toward foreigners, because you were once foreigners in the land of
Egypt.” (v17-19).
“If you observe My commandments, which I am giving you today, and if you
love Adonai with all your heart and soul, then Adonai has promised to send the
fall and spring rains at the proper time so that you can harvest your grain,
oil, and wine. (Adonai) will provide grass for your animals, and you will
eat and be satisfied.
“Take care, however, that your hearts do not turn away and worship other
idols.
“Then Adonai will be angry, and (Adonai) will shut down the skies so
that there will be no rain. The land will not grow crops, and you will
soon disappear from the Promised Land that Adonai is giving you.
“Keep these words of mine in your heart and in your soul. Wind
them as a reminder on your arm, and let them be a sign in the center of your
forehead. Teach them to your children, and speak of them when you are at
home, and when you travel on the road, and when you lie down, and when you rise
up. Write them on parchments attached to the doorposts of your houses and
gates. If you do this, you and your children will live long on the land
that Adonai swore to give to your ancestors, as long as the heavens are above
the earth.” (v13-21).
--
Amidst the conveyance of the blessing and the curse within the opening
of Parashah Eikev, there is reference to the blessing and the curse, with
material prosperity promised when Israelis are obedient to the mitzvot of
Adonai; a logical reaction to this blessing and curse may be, when
observing a person who is experiencing severe material deprivation, that such a
person must be experiencing the consequences of previously transgressing
against the mitzvot (or Will) of Adonai; however, Israelis are also
commanded to be compassionate and generous with impoverished people; how
is this apparent duality reconciled? Is such compassion simply a practise
of condescending pity? Is all material poverty, and are additional
hardships, exactly the consequence of previous transgressions? Can this
rationalisation be utilised to explain all suffering (even that of “innocent”
people)? How does this rationalisation compare with additional concepts
of “justice,” such as Karma? How does this presumed equation, of material
affluence and righteousness, balance with additional teachings (within Judaism,
Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism) that describe the transgressions
that coincide with the accumulation and maintenance of material
affluence? Another teaching regarding suffering suggests that the
experience of suffering and challenges is comparable to an athlete training
within a sport: when the coach sees an athlete skilfully completing the
training regiment, the coach often adds challenges to the athlete-in-training
(additional weights, obstacles, distances, repetitions, drills, and
additionally) to increase the athlete’s strength, endurance, skill level,
endurance; is there any legitimacy within the consideration that such
suffering may simply be considered as additional “training” for those who are
increasingly adept in life? What may be some of the “riches” that exist
within “poverty,” and some of the “poverty” that exists within “riches”?
When a person experiences substantial suffering, what type of credibility does
this provide to that person (that material affluence is incapable of providing)
to heal the suffering of others?
What are the dynamics within the command to abstain from attributing
one’s own strength and power as the cause of one’s own comfort? Whilst
this command attributes an individual’s existence to Adonai, and emphasises the
practise of humility in recognising the source of Creation and an individual’s
own existence and circumstance, and may also provide a certain experience of
“liberation” amidst the absence of absolute “responsibility” for an
individual’s actions and circumstances, is there any propensity within this
command towards unduly subjugating an individual to another individual(s):
through an individual proclaiming closer “proximity” towards, or “authority”
from, Adonai, and thus attempting to transfer a portion of another individual’s
“submission” to Adonai into adherence to what the “proximate” or
“authoritative” individual dictates? What is the nature of an
individual’s own ego and free will amidst the mere concept of Omnipotence and
the Will of Adonai? And what are the dynamics of an individual’s will and
ego amidst the perception of the respective wills and egos of additional individuals?
For all 1 individual knows, might each and every additional being within the
Universe be exactly an extension of, or a direct manifestation of, the Will of
Adonai? What is the nature of intrinsic interconnectivity between all
beings throughout the Universe, beyond the physical separation of bodies and
perceived, respective “egos,” “wills,” and additionally perceived individual
“identities” and characteristics?
Amidst the description of Adonai’s “Supreme Being” and the kindnesses of
Adonai, what is the intentionality within the command to “be like
Adonai”? Does the description of Adonai provide tangible guidance
regarding how a person (and particularly presuming a man) is supposed to
behave? Amidst the belief that Adonai exists beyond personification, and
thus also exists beyond emulation; might this establish a certain
futility within an individual’s spiritual aspirations and strivings towards
righteousness? Might the initially described belief of Adonai existing as
a comparatively “finite” (albeit “Supreme”) Being, to be emulated, also
establish a certain futility within an individual’s spiritual aspirations and
strivings towards righteousness (as it de-emphasises the intrinsic, inevitable,
and involuntary phenomenon of the “Spirit” of Adonai already and perpetually
existing within the individual)? What is the nature of the confluence of
the individual “i,” and the “I” of Adonai; and what is the nature of the
perceived distinction between the 2? What is the nature of the “we/We”?
--
Bhagavad Gita
Chapter 10
“Listen further, Arjuna, to (My) supreme teaching, which gives you such
joy. Desiring your welfare, O
strong-armed warrior, I will tell you more.
“Neither (deities) nor sages know (My) origin, for I am the source from
which the (deities) and sages come.
“Whoever knows (Me) as the Lord of all creation, without birth or
beginning, knows the truth and frees himself from all evil.” (v1-3).
“Discrimination, wisdom, understanding, forgiveness, truth,
self-control, and peace of mind; pleasure
and pain, birth and death, fear and courage, honor and infamy;
“non-violence, charity, equanimity, contentment, and perseverance in
spiritual disciplines—all the different qualities found in living creatures
have their source in (Me).”
Arjuna asks to hear about the attributes of Brahman.
“All right, Arjuna, I will tell you of (My) (Divine) powers. I will mention only the most glorious; for there is no end to them.” (v19).
“I am the true Self in the heart of every creature, Arjuna, and the
beginning, middle, and end of their existence.”
(v20).
Sri Krishna describes additional attributes.
“But there is no end to (My) (Divine) attributes, Arjuna; these I have mentioned are only a few.
“Wherever you find strength, or beauty, or spiritual power, you may be
sure that these have sprung from a spark of (My) essence.” (v40-41).
“But of what use is it to you to know all this, Arjuna? Just remember that I am, and that I support
the entire cosmos with only a fragment of (My) being.” (v42).
--
Bhagavad Gita
Chapter 10
“Listen further, Arjuna, to (My) supreme teaching, which gives you such
joy. Desiring your welfare, O strong-armed warrior, I will tell you
more.” (v1).
“Neither (deities) nor sages know (My) origin, for I am the source from
which the (deities) and sages come.
“Whoever knows (Me) as the Lord of all creation, without birth or
beginning, knows the (Truth) and frees himself from all evil.” (v2-3).
“Discrimination, wisdom, understanding, forgiveness, (Truth),
self-control, and peace of mind; pleasure and pain, birth and death, fear
and courage, honor and infamy;
“nonviolence, charity, equanimity, contentment, and perseverance in
spiritual disciplines—all the different qualities found in living creatures
have their source in (Me).” (v4-5).
“I am the source from which all creatures evolve. The wise
remember this and worship (Me) with loving devotion.
“Their thoughts are all absorbed in (Me), and all their vitality flows
to (Me). Teaching one another, talking about (Me) always, they are happy
and fulfilled.” (v8-9).
“To those steadfast in love and devotion I give spiritual wisdom, so
that they may come to (Me).
“Out of compassion I destroy the darkness of their ignorance. From
within them I light the lamp of wisdom and dispel all darkness from their
lives.” (v10-11).
“You are Brahman supreme, the highest abode, the supreme purifier, the
divine, eternal spirit, first among the (deities), unborn and infinite.”
(v12).
“Now, O Krishna, I believe that everything you have told me is divine (Truth).
O Lord, neither (deities) nor demons know (Your) (Real) nature.
“Indeed, (You) alone know (Yourself), O supreme spirit. You are
the source of being and the master of every creature, God of (deities), the
Lord of the Universe.” (v14-15).
“Tell me all (Your) divine attributes, leaving nothing unsaid.
Tell me of the glories with which (You) fill the cosmos.” (v16).
“All right, Arjuna, I will tell you of (My) divine powers. I will
mention only the most glorious; for there is no end to them.
“I am the (True) Self in the heart of every creature, Arjuna, and the
beginning, middle, and end of their existence.” (v19-20).
Additional features of Brahman are described.
“Among the great seers I am Bhrigu, and among words, the syllable
Om; I am the repetition of the Holy Name, and among mountains I am the
Himalayas.” (v25).
“Among trees I am the ashvattha, the sacred fig; among the
gandharvas or heavenly musicians I am Chitraratha. Among divine seers I
am Narada, and among sages I am Kapila.” (v26).
“I am the beginning, middle, and end of creation. Of all the
sciences I am the science of Self-knowledge, and I am logic in those who
debate.” (v32).
“Among letters I am A; among grammatical compounds I am the
dvandva. I am infinite time, and the sustainer whose face is seen
everywhere.” (v33).
“I am death, which overcomes all, and the source of all beings still to
be born. I am the feminine qualities: fame, beauty, perfect speech,
memory, intelligence, loyalty, and forgiveness.” (v34).
“Among the Vrishnis I am Krishna, and among the Pandavas I am
Arjuna. Among sages I am Vyasa and among poets, Ushanas.” (v37).
“I am the sceptre, which metes out punishment, and the art of
statesmanship in those who lead. I am the silence of the unknown and the
wisdom of the wise.” (v38).
“I am the seed that can be found in every creature, Arjuna; for
without (Me) nothing can exist, neither animate nor inanimate.” (v39).
“But there is no end to (My) divine attributes, Arjuna; these I
have mentioned are only a few.
“Wherever you find strength, or beauty, or spiritual power, you may be
sure that these have sprung from a spark of (My) essence.
“But of what use is it to you to know all this, Arjuna? Just
remember that I am, and that I support the entire cosmos with only a fragment
of (My) being.” (v40-42).
--
Discussion Questions From Chapters 9 – 10
How does the teaching within Verse 2, regarding the practice of
righteousness, compare with Moshe’s teaching, within Devarim of the Torah,
regarding the proximity and feasibility of the mitzvot that Adonai commands
upon the Israelites?
Within the opening of Chapter 9, on what or whose behalf is Sri Krishna
speaking: Sri Krishna, Brahman, or
another being/phenomenon?
Can the belief within the reincarnation of souls and the passages
through many lives also be understood within a comparatively “linear” manner of
emerging from the infinity of Brahman, experience the phenomenon of life within
this temporal realm, and eventually returning to the infinity of Brahman; with the temporal perception of reincarnation
simply being an experience of the infinity of Brahman from which each
individual is derived and where each individual maintains a semblance of the
omniscience of Brahman?
Within Verse 23, there is the teaching that even worship of other
deities is actually worship of Brahman;
how might this teaching be received, and/or criticised, within
additional religious traditions (particularly Judaism and Islam), where there
is an emphatic belief in monotheism? And
how might such criticism be balanced amidst the belief of
Brahman/Adonai/Allah/God being omnipresent and existing within all phenomena
(or might such be dismissed as similarly adverse pantheism?
What may be some appropriate ways in which to perceive the manner in
which an individual can “live in Brahman,” and through which “Brahman comes to
life” within an individual?
Amidst the teaching within Verse 31, does a spiritual aspirant maintain
any free will, or is the will of the individual necessarily amalgamated within
Dharma, making “free willing” obsolete and irrelevant? Amidst the notion of all beings and phenomena
conforming to the perceived Omnipotence of Brahman, does “free will” actually
even exist, or is it simply an illusion?
Does Verse 32 teach a doctrine that alleviates the distinction of
castes? How may such equanimity be
appropriately understood?
How do the qualities, described within Verses 4 – 5, compare within the
qualities that are specifically designated as, “feminine”?
--
Discussion Questions From Chapters 9 – 10
There is the description of certain individuals experiencing rebirth
because of a lack of spiritual practise (or righteousness); yet there is
also the description of Brahman “looking upon all creatures equally;” how
is this apparent dichotomy reconciled?
What is the nature of the confluence and synonymity amidst Verses 12,
14, and 37 (referencing the identity of Brahman, Sri Krishna, and
Arjuna)? And how does this appropriately guide the manner in which Arjuna
(and any individual) perceives and interacts within any and all additional
individuals and beings?
Amidst becoming aware of the existence of the Ultimate singularity
(perceivably Atman, or “Spirit” of Brahman) existing within one’s own self,
within all others, and throughout the Universe, what influence does such
individual awareness have amidst the experience (and very existence) of the
individual’s ego (and the manner in which the individual, in some way, is
distinct from all other individuals, beings, and the Universe)?
Amidst the reference to the letter, “A,” what is the actual letter that
is described within the Sanskrit version of the Bhagavad Gita?
--
Digha Nikaya
Sangiti Suttanta (Part 1: Chapters 1
– 4)
“Thus have I heard:--
“The Exalted One was once
making a tour in the country of the Mallas, accompanied by a great company of
the brethren, numbering about five hundred.
And he arrived at Pava the Malla capital. There he resided in the mango-grove of Cunda
the smith.
“Now at that time a new
mote-hall of the Pava Mallas named Ubbhataka had not long been built, and had
not been occupied by recluse or Brahmin or any human being whatever. And the Pava Mallas heard that the Exalted
One on his tour had arrived with his following at Pava and was staying in
Cunda’s mango-grove. And they went to
visit him, and saluting him sat down at one side. So seated they said to him:--
“ ‘(Leader), a new
mote-hall named Ubbhataka has lately been built by us Mallas of Pava, and no
recluse or Brahmin or any human being whatever has yet occupied it. Let, (leader), the Exalted One be the first
to make use of it. That it has first
been used by the Exalted One will be for the lasting (benefit) and happiness of
the Pava Mallas.’
“The Exalted One by his
silence assented.” (v1-2).
“Then the Exalted One
dressed himself and taking bowl and robe he went with the company of brethren
to the mote-hall. On arriving he bathed
his feet, and entered the hall, and took his seat facing the east, leaning
against the central pillar. The brethren
also bather their feet and entered the hall ranging themselves against the
western wall and facing the east, behind the Exalted One.” (v4).
The Buddha provides a
doctrine organised by the significance of numbers.
“1”: The single doctrine:
“All beings persist
through causes. All beings persist
through conditions.” (v8).
“2”: 33 “double doctrines” are described,
including 1.) mind and body, 5.) conscientiousness and discretion, 16.) kindness and love, 17.) absence of mind and want of intelligence, and
19.) unguardedness of faculties and
intemperance in diet.
“3”: 60 “triple doctrines” are described,
including: 1.) bad roots or conditions: greed, hate, dullness; 2.)
benevolent roots:
disinterestedness, love, intelligence;
3./4.) malevolent/benevolent
conduct: act, word, and thought; 5.)
bad thought: sense-desire,
enmity, cruelty; 6.) benevolent thought: renunciation, amity, kindness; 23.)
forms of conceit: being better, being
equal, being worse than…; 24.) periods:
past, future, present; 26.) feelings:
pleasant, painful, neutral;
31.) obstacles: lust, hate, illusion; 44.)
armour: doctrine learnt,
detachment, knowledge; 46.) vision:
eye of flesh, heavenly eye, eye of insight; and, 56.)
influences: self-criticism,
community, spiritual things.
“4”: 49 “4-fold doctrines” are described,
including: 1.) applications of mindfulness: body, feelings, thought, ideas; 2.)
supreme efforts: preventing
wicked ideas, alleviating wicked ideas, cultivating benevolent ideas,
maintaining benevolent ideas; 4.) Jhanas;
7.) Jhanas of Arupa
Consciousness; 9.) Ariyan lineages; 11.)
knowledges: the Doctrine,
corollaries, another’s consciousness, popular knowledge; factors in stream-attainment: intercourse with benevolence, hearing
benevolent doctrine, systematised attention, practise in that which leads to
doctrine and corollaries; elements: earth, water, fire, air; 19.)
going astray: through partiality,
hate, illusion, fear; 23.) divisions of doctrine: disinterestedness, amity, perfect
mindfulness, perfect concentration;
26.) powers: energy, mindfulness, concentration,
insight; and, 28.) modes of answering questions: categorical reply, discriminating reply,
counter-question reply, waived question.
--
How does the Buddha’s
washing of his feet compare with Jesus’s teachings and narratives regarding the
washing of feet? How does this compare
with Avraham’s hospitality to his visitors and additional episodes within the
Torah? And how dos this compare with the
Islamic practise of wudu, and similar practises within Hinduism? What are traditional practises regarding the
washing of feet, and what is the significance therein?
Is there any discernible
logical patterns or emphases that may be extrapolated from the Buddha’s
“numbered” doctrines? How do these
doctrines exist within the preceding context of the aggregate of the Buddha’s
teachings, including those teachings that have doctrines that are predicated
upon some “numbered affiliation” (such as the 4-Fold Noble Truth and the Noble
8-Fold Path)?
--
John 13
“Now before the feast of (Pesach), when Jesus knew that his hour had
come to depart out of this world to the (Creator), having loved his own who were
in the world, he loved them to the end.” (v1).
“Jesus, knowing that the (Creator) had given all things into his hands,
and that he had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper, laid
aside his garments, and girded himself with a towel. Then he poured water
into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the
towel with which he was girded. He came to Simon Peter; and Peter
said to him, ‘(Leader), do you wash my feet?’ Jesus answered him, ‘What I
am doing you do not know now, but afterward you will understand.’ Peter
said to him, ‘You shall never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered him, ‘If I do
not wash you, you have no part in me.’ Simon Peter said to him,
‘(Leader), not my feet only but also my hands and my head!’ Jesus said to
him, ‘He who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but he is
clean all over; and you are clean, but not every one of you.’”
(v3-10).
“When he had washed their feet, and taken his garments, and resumed his
place, he said to them, ‘Do you know what I have done to you? You call me
Teacher and (Leader); and you are right, for so I am. If I then,
your (Leader) and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one
another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do
as I have done to you. Truly, (Truly), I say to you, a servant is not
greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent
him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. I am
not speaking of you all; I know whom I have chosen; it is that the
scripture may be fulfilled,” (v12-18).
Jesus describes the arrival of Judas’s betrayal.
Jesus describes the eventuality of Peter’s denial.
--
Discussion Questions From Chapters 11 – 13
How does Jesus’s love for Lazarus compare and contrast with the love
that Jesus proclaims for his biological brothers?
How does Jesus’s proclamation of being the resurrection connect with his
description of beings existing as Angels within Heaven? How do
reincarnation and Nirvana compare and contrast within these notions of
resurrection and Heaven? What is the nature of the tangible experience
(through dreams, meditation, prayer, imagination, conscious thought, and
additionally) of resurrection, reincarnation, Heaven, and Nirvana? How
does the notion of everyone being derived from Heaven/Nirvana/Deus, and
everyone eventually returning to Heaven/Nirvana/Deus, compare, contrast, and
confluence with these respective notions?
Is death simply an illusion? How might this be tangibly perceived,
understood, and experienced within this temporal Realm of the Universe?
What legitimacy exists within the notion of all phenomena being an illusion
(including all the words and actions of all other beings around 1’s own self),
and that all such phenomena are simply a challenge for an individual to respond
with compassion and righteousness?
Who are the “children of God” that are referenced within Verse 52, and
what does this mean to gather the children of God into 1? Might this
include bringing together nations of other religions into a higher practise of
singular humanity/sentient beings? How is such “Universality”
strengthened by the traditional development of Christianity beyond the Children
of Israel? Does such expansion historically establish circumstances
whereby the “proclamation of Faith” is increasingly significant so as to
distinguish between practitioners of Jesus’s perceived doctrine and
practitioners of perceived “other” doctrines? What are some of the
challenges with relying substantially upon the proclamation of Faith as a means
of establishing/perceiving/evidencing allegiance as a community? What are
additional means through which to discern such allegiance?
--
Koran
Sura 77: Al Mursalat: Those Sent Forth
Sura 78: Al Naba: The Announcement
Sura 79: Al Naziat: Those Who Yearn
“By those sent forth to spread (benevolence)!
“Then those driving off the chaff!
“And those spreading (benevolence), far and wide!
“Then those making a distinction!
“Then those offering the Reminder,
“To clear or to warn!
“Surely that which you are promised will come to pass.
“So when the stars are made to disappear,
“And when the heaven is rent asunder,
“And when the mountains are carried away as dust,
“And when the messengers are made to reach their appointed time,
“To what day is the doom fixed?
“To the day of Decision.
“And what will make thee comprehend what the day of Decision is?”
(v1-14).
“Did We not create you from ordinary water?
“Then We placed it in a secure resting-place,
“Till an appointed term,
“So We determined—how well are We at determining!” (v20-23)
“Of what do they ask one another?
“Of the tremendous announcement
“About which they differ.
“Nay, they will soon know;
“Nay, again, they will soon know.
“Have We not made the earth an expanse
“And the mountains as pegs?
“And We have created you in pairs,
“And made your sleep for rest,
“And made the night a covering,
“And made the day for (searching for) livelihood.
“And We have made above you seven strong bodies.
“And made a shining lamp,
“And We send down from the clouds water pouring forth in abundance,
“That We may bring forth thereby grain an herbs,
“And luxuriant gardens.
“Surely the day of Decision is appointed—
“The day when the trumpet is blown, so you come forth in hosts,
“And the heaven is opened so it becomes as doors,
“And the mountains are moved off, so they remain a semblance.”
(v1-20).
“By those yearning vehemently!
“And those going forth cheerfully!
“And those running swiftly!
“And those that are foremost going ahead!
“And those regulating the Affair!
“The day when the quaking one shall quake—
“The consequence will follow it.
“Hearts that day will palpitate,
“Their eyes downcast.” (v1-10).
The story of Moshe and Paraoh are told.
“Are you the stronger in creation or the heaven? (Allah) made it.
“(Allah) raised high its height, and made it perfect,
“And (Allah) made dark its night and brought out its light.
“And the earth, (Allah) cast is after that.
“(Allah) brought forth from it its water and its pasture.
“And the mountains, (Allah) made them firm,
“A provision for you and for your cattle.
“So when the great Calamity comes;
“The day when man remembers all that he strove for,
“And hell is made manifest to him who sees.
“Then as for him who is inordinate,
“And prefers the life of this world,
“Hell is surely the abode.
“And as for him who fears to stand before his Lord and restrains himself
from low desires,
“The Garden is surely the abode.
“They ask thee about the Hour, When will that take place,
“About which thou remindest?
“To thy Lord is the goal of it.
“Thou art only a warner to him who fears it.
“On the day when they see it, it will be as if they had but tarried for
an evening or a morning.” (v27-46).
--
Within a certain amount of the contemporary conversations within our
international community, there is the discussion of current temporal
experiences being similar to those described within respective, and shared,
teachings within a number of religious traditions, including the expectation of
an Apocalypse and similarly described phenomena; yet, whilst the
perception of “global warming” may be substantially attributable to the
biological dissonance of emigration to climate that is naturally warmer than
what manner people are intergenerationally, culturally, and biologically
accustomed, there is the consideration of how certain human behaviour
corresponds with such traditional religious teachings; for example, how
does the phenomenon of city lights obscuring the Stars compare with the opening
described within Sura Al Mursalat? And how does the practise of levelling
mountains, to extract coal, also compare within the opening within this
Sura? How does the practise of extracting stem cells from foeti, embryos,
placentae, women’s menstruation, and additionally (even the phenomenon of
“snowflake babies” being stored as fertilised embryos in laboratories), compare
with the teachings (within the Torah) regarding the curse of eating one’s own
children? How does Jesus’s teachings (as well as those within Judaism)
regarding “hardness of heart” compare with the prevalence of heart disease
within industrialised society; as well as “passing through the eye of the
needle” and obesity within industrialised society?
What is the nature and legitimacy within the notion of the intrinsic
nurturing quality of women and mors, considering how the life of an individual
begins within the womb of the mor? How can this quality of nurturing be
increasingly valued, honoured, championed, respected, and cultivated, amidst
the competitiveness of industrial and post-industrial society, as well as
within the egocentric (and isolating) individualism within the intellect that
often coincides with such competitiveness? Does the contemporary ideology
of feminism simply imitate the transgressions of masculine competitiveness, in
denouncing the traditional, biological, and natural qualities of femininity
(including that of nurturing children)? How can the historic and
continuing transgressions of men be appropriately remedied without women simply
imitating such transgressions? How can men be encouraged to behave
without such violent and transgressive competition, and with increased
alTruism, compassion, sharing, humility, piety, and righteousness, without
being perceived as being feminine, and whilst respectively maintaining
masculine identities and economic, political, social, religious, and additional
viability, to materially support families and maintain proficient livelihoods
within a post-industrialised society?
What is the inspiration and the logical processing that goes into the
determination of the sequences of the Suras of the Koran; and how does
such determination of sequence (outside of chronological order) abstain from
delving into the criticised practises of “biddah” and creating human inventions
of the Divine?
The notion of a Muslim living simply as a warning seems to have a very
strong relevance within the consideration of contemporary globalisation and
pluralism? How does this notion of “simply being a warner” compare with
the respective teachings of the Buddha and Jesus, as well as with the
respective, contemporary (and perhaps rather distinct) practises of the
respective followers of the Buddha and Jesus; as well as with those of
Moshe and Hinduism? How can this principle of “simply being a warner”
(and perhaps, “carrying only 1 pair of shoes”) be appropriately enhanced,
emphasised, and cultivated within a contemporary, conventional, and continual
manner?
--
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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