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 54 Vezot Ha’berachah; 119.1.24
Torah
Devarim 33:1 – 34:2312
“This is the blessing that (Moshe), man of Adonai, gave to the
Israelites just before his death.
“(Moshe) said:
“Adonai came down from Mount Sinai
“And shone on us from Mount Seir;
“(Adonai) appeared from Mount Paran
“And came with numerous angels.” (v1-2).
“(Moshe) brought us the Torah;
“It is Israel’s eternal heritage.
“(Adonai) was Israel’s (Sovereign)
“when the people’s leaders gathered
“and the tribes of Israel were united into one.” (v4-5).
“Let (Reuven) live and not perish, though the tribe is few in
number.” (v6)
“(Moshe) said to (Yudah):
“May Adonai listen to (Yudah’s) voice and return him to his
people. Although he is powerful, help him against his enemies.”
(v7).
“To Levi (Moshe) said:
“Your Urim and Thumim belong to you. You tested Adonai at Massah,
and disputed (Adonai) at the waters of Meribah. He said of his
parent, ‘I do not consider them.’ He disagreed with his family. But
he kept teaching and guarded Your covenant. They shall teach Your law to
(Yaakov), and Your Torah to Israel. They shall place incense before You
and sacrifices on Your altar. I pray that Adonai will bless his effort
and prosper the work of his hands. May (Adonai) smash the bodies of those
who rebel against him, so that his enemies will never rise.” (v8-11).
“To (Benyamin) he said:
“You are Adonai’s beloved. You shall safely dwell beside
(Adonai). Adonai constantly protects him and dwells among their
hills.” (v12).
“To (Yosef) (Moshe) said:
“His land is blessed by Adonai, with precious dew from heaven, and
running waters that lie below, your crops will ripen in the sun, and sweeten in
the light of the moon, the best crops from the mountains and abundance from the
ancient hills. The gifts of the land and its riches and the blessing of
the One who dwells in the thornbush. May blessings encircle (Yosef’s)
head, crowning the prince among his brothers. (Yosef) has the strength of
a bull, and his horns are as powerful as a wild ox. With his horns he
shall wound nations at the far ends of the earth. They are the tens of
thousands of the tribe of Ephraim and the thousands of the tribe of
Manasseh.” (v13-17)
“(Zevulun) (Moshe) said:
“(Zevulun)! Be happy when you travel.
“Issachar! Rejoice in your homes. They invite nations to the
mountain, to offer righteous sacrifices, they will be fed by the bounty of the
sea and by the secret treasures of the sands.” (v18-19).
“To Gad (Moshe) said:
“Blessed is the One (Who) helps the territory of Gad expand. He is
like a fierce lion, waiting to bite the arm and the head. Gad chose the
best land for himself, he received a special leader’s share. When the
leaders came together, they followed Adonai’s decrees and judgments about
Israel.” (v20-21).
“To Dan (Moshe) said:
“Dan is a young lion, leaping out from the hills of Bashan.”
(v22).
“To Naphtali (Moshe) said:
“Napthali will be completely happy and filled with Adonai’s
blessings. (Adonai) shall possess the land to the south and west of Lake
Kinneret.
“To Asher (Moshe) said:
“Asher is the most blessed among the sons. He shall be accepted as
the favourite by his brothers, and may his land produce much olive oil.
Your defences are stronger than iron and copper, and you will become more
powerful each day. Israel! Remember, there is none like Adonai,
(Adonai) speeds through the heavens to save you, (Adonai) is majestic in the
skies.” (v24-26).
“Adonai is my refuge above, and underneath are (Adonai’s) everlasting
arms. (Adonai) will shatter the enemy before you, and shall shout,
‘Destroy!’
“As prophesied by (Yaakov),
“Israel will dwell in safety
“in a land bursting with grain and wine,
“Your heavens will also drip with dew.
“Happy are you, Israel”
“Who is like you?
“You are a nation sheltered by Adonai,
“(Adonai) is the Shield (Who) helps you.
“(Adonai) is your magnificent Sword.
“Your enemies will bow down to you,
“And you shall trample upon their backs.” (v27-29).
“From the plains of Moab (Moshe) climbed up to Mount Nebo, to the top of
Mount Pisgah, facing Jericho. Adonai showed him all the land of the
Gilead as far as Dan, all of the land of Naphtali, all of the land of Ephraim
and Manasseh, all of the land of (Yudah) as far as the Mediterranean sea, as
far Zoar.
“This is Adonai said to him, ‘This is the land that I swore to give to (Avraham),
(Yitzak), and (Yaakov), saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ Now
I have let you see it with your own eye, but I will not allow you to cross the
river and enter it.” (v1-4).
“So (Moshe), Adonai’s servant, at (Adonai’s) command, died in the land
of Moab. Adonai buried him the the valley in the land fo Moab, near Beth
Peor. No one, even to this day, know the place where he was
buried.” (v5-6).
“(Moshe) was 120 years old when he died, but his eyes were sharp and he
was still strong and healthy.” (v7).
“(Yoshua) son of Nun acquired the spirit of wisdom, because (Moshe) had
laid his hands on him. The Israelites listened to him and obeyed him
exactly as they had obeyed (Moshe).” (v9).
“There never was another (Prophet) in Israel like (Moshe), whom Adonai
knew face-to-face. No one else could have performed all the wonders and
miracles that Adonai allowed (Moshe) to perform before (Paraoh) in the land of
Egypt, or any of the powerful miracles and awesome deeds that (Moshe) performed
before the eyes of all the Israelites.” (v10-12).
--
How do the berachot for each tribe compare and contrast with each
other? How does each berachoh exist within the context of the respective
narrative of each respective son of Israel, and the respective descendants of
each of the sons of Israel?
Is there any tendency of the berachot establishing any form of implicit
or explicit segregation (or even caste distinctions) amidst the different
tribes of Israel?
How does Moshe’s final address compare with Muhammad’s (PBUH) final
sermon, with Jesus’s address to his disciples at the “last supper,” and with
the Buddha’s sermon before his attainment of Nirvana, and with additional
“final addresses” from additional Prophets?
Why is there an absence of any berachah for Shimon (Simeon)? What
does this imply regarding the righteousness (or lack thereof) of Shimon?
How does this compare and contrast to the berachot that Yosef (Israel) provides
to his sons? Why does any apparent transgression (committed by Shimon
and/or his descendants) abstain from explicitly addressed (compared to addition
transgressions) within Yosef’s berachot, and additionally within the Torah?
What are the implications regarding Asher being proclaimed as “Adonai’s”
favourite son of Israel? How does the comparative, previous obscurity of
Asher compare with the additional berachot towards all children of Israel, as
well as to all sentient beings?
What is the “metaphysical” significance within “climbing a mountain”?
Why does Adonai abstain from simply provided an uninhabited land to
B’nai Israel?
--
Bhagavad Gita
Chapter 18
“O Krishna, destroyer of evil, please explain to me
sannyasa and tyaga and how one kind of renunciation differs from another.” (v1).
“To refrain from selfish acts is one king of
renunciation, called sannyasa; to
renounce the fruit of action is another, called tyaga.
“Among the wise, some say that all action should be
renounced as evil. Others say that
certain kinds of action—self-sacrifice, giving, and self-discipline—should be
continued.
“Listen, Arjuna, and I will explain three kinds of
tyaga and (My) conclusions concerning them.”
(v2-4).
“Self-sacrifice, giving, and self-discipline should
not be renounced, for they purify the thoughtful.
“Yet even these, Arjuna, should be performed
without desire for selfish rewards. This
is essential.” (v5-6).
“To renounce one’s responsibilities is not
fitting. The wise call such deluded
renunciation tamasic.
“To avoid action from fear of difficulty or
physical discomfort is rajasic. There is
no reward in such renunciation.
“But to fulfil your responsibilities knowing that
they are obligatory, while at the same time desiring nothing for yourself—this
is sattvic renunciation.
“Those endowed with sattva clearly understand the
meaning of renunciation and do not waver.
They are not intimidated by unpleasant work, nor do they seek a job
because it is pleasant.
“As long as one has a body, one cannot renounce
action altogether. True renunciation is giving
up all desire for personal reward.
“Those who are attached to personal reward will
reap the consequences of their actions:
some pleasant, some unpleasant, some mixed. But those who renounce every desire for personal
reward go beyond the reach of karma.”
(v7-12).
“Listen, Arjuna, and I will explain the five
elements necessary for the accomplishment of every action, as taught by the
wisdom of Sankhya.
“The body, the means, the ego, the performance of
the act, and the divine will:
“these are the five factors in all actions, right
or wrong, in thought, word, or deed.”
(v13-15).
“Knowledge, the thing to be known, and the
knower: these three promote action. The means, the act itself, and the doer: these three are the totality of action.
“Knowledge, action, and the doer can be described
according to the gunas. Listen, and I
will explain their distinctions to you.”
(v18-19).
“Sattvic knowledge sees the one indestructible
Being in all beings, the unity underlying the multiplicity of creation.
“Rajasic knowledge sees all things and creatures as
separate and distinct.
“Tamasic knowledge, lacking any sense of
perspective, sees one small part and mistakes it for the whole.” (v20-22).
Distinctions are described regarding work, workers,
intellect, and personal will.
“Now listen, Arjuna: there are also three kinds of happiness. By sustained effort, one comes to the end of
sorrow.
“That which seems like poison at first, but tastes
like nectar in the end—this is the joy of sattva, born of a mind at peace with itself.
“Pleasure from the senses seems like nectar at
first, but it is bitter as poison in the end.
This is the kind of happiness that comes to the rajasic.
“Those who are tamasic draw their pleasures from
sleep, indolence, and intoxication. Both
in the beginning and in the end, this happiness is a delusion.” (v36-39).
“The different responsibilities found in the social
order—distinguishing Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Shudra—have their roots
in this conditioning.
“The responsibilities to which a Brahmin is born,
based on his nature, are self-control, tranquillity, purity of heart, patience,
humility, learning, austerity, wisdom, and faith.
“The qualities of a Kshatriya, based on his nature,
are courage, strength, fortitude, dexterity, generosity, leadership, and the
firm resolve never to retreat from battle.
“The occupations suitable for a vaishya are
agriculture, dairying, and trade. The
proper work of a shudra is service.”
(v40-44).
“By devotion to one’s own particular duty, everyone
can attain perfection. Let (Me) tell you
how.
“By performing his own work, one worships the
Creator (Who) dwells in every creature.
Such worship brings that person to fulfilment.
“It is better to perform one’s own duties
imperfectly than to master the duties of another. By fulfilling the obligations he is born
with, a person never comes to grief.
“No one should abandon duties because he sees
defects in them. Every action, every
activity, is surrounded by defects as a fire is surrounded by smoke.” (v45-48).
“He who is free from selfish attachments, who has
mastered himself and his passions, attains the supreme perfection of freedom
from action.
“Listen and I shall explain now, Arjuna, how one
who has attained perfection also attains Brahman, the supreme consummation of
wisdom.
“Unerring in his discrimination, sovereign of his
senses and passions, free from the clamor of likes and dislikes,
“he leads a simple, self-reliant life based on
meditation, controlling his speech, body, and mind.
“Free from self-will, aggressiveness, arrogance,
anger, and the lust to possess people or things, he is at peace with himself
and others and enters into the unitive state.
“United with Brahman, ever joyful, beyond the reach
of desire and sorrow, he has equal regard for every living creature and attains
supreme devotion to (Me).
“By loving (Me) he comes to know (Me) (Truly); then he knows my glory and enters into (My)
boundless being.
“All his acts are performed in (My) service, and
through (My) grace he wins eternal life.”
(v49-56).
“Make every act an offering to (Me); regard (Me) as your only protector. Relying on interior discipline, meditate on
(Me) always.” (v57).
“The Lord dwells in the hearts of all creatures and
whirls them round upon the wheel of maya.
“Run to (Brahman) for refuge with all your
strength, and peace profound will be yours through (Brahman’s) grace.” (v61-62).
Krishna and Arjuna conclude the dialogue, and
Sanjaya concludes the dialogue with Dhritarashtra.
--
Bhagavad Gita
Chapter 18
“O Krishna, destroyer of evil, please explain to me sannyasa and tyaga
and how one kind od renunciation differs from another.” (v1).
“To refrain from selfish acts is one king of renunciation, called
sannyasa; to renounce the fruit of action is another, called tyaga.
“Among the wise, some say that all action should be renounced as
evil. Others say that certain kinds of action—self-sacrifice, giving, and
self-discipline—should be continued.
“Listen, Arjuna, and I will explain three kinds of tyaga and (My) conclusions
them.
“Self-sacrifice, giving, and self-discipline should not be renounced,
for they purify the thoughtful.
“Yet even these, Arjuna, should be performed without desire for selfish
rewards. This is essential.” (v2-6).
“Self-sacrifice, giving, and self-discipline should not be renounced,
for they purify the thoughtful.
“Yet even these, Arjuna, should be performed without desire for selfish
rewards. This is essential.” (v5-6).
Distinctions (amidst the gunas) are described for: renunciation.
“As long as one has a body, one cannot renounce action altogether.
True renunciation is giving up all desire for personal reward.” (v11).
“Listen, Arjuna, and I will explain the five elements necessary for the
accomplishment of every action, as taught by the wisdom of Sankhya.
“The body, the means, the ego, the performance of the act, and the
divine will:
“these are the five factors in all actions, right or wrong, in thought,
word, or deed.”
“Those who do not understand this think of themselves as separate
agents. With their crude intellects they fail to see the (Truth).
“The person who is free from ego, who has attained purity of heart,
though he slays these people, he does not slay and is not bound by his
action.” (v13-17).
“Knowledge, the thing to be known, and the knower: these three
promote action. The means, the act itself, and the doer: these
three are the totality of action.
“Knowledge, action, and the doer can be described according to the
gunas. Listen, and I will explain their distinctions to you.”
(v18-19).
Differences are described regarding: knowledge, work, workers,
intellect, personal will, and happiness.
“The different responsibilities found in the social order—distinguishing
Brahmin, Kshatriya, vaishya, and shudra—have their roots in this
conditioning.” (v41).
Responsibilities of each caste are described.
“He who is free from selfish attachments, who has mastered himself and
his passions, attains the supreme perfection of freedom from action.”
(v49).
“Unerring in his discrimination, sovereign of his senses and passions,
free from the clamor of likes and dislikes,
“he leads a simple, self-reliant life based on meditation, controlling
his speech, body, and mind.
“Free from self-will, aggressiveness, arrogance, anger, and the lust to
possess people or things, he is at peace with himself and others and enters
into the unitive state.
“United with Brahman, ever joyful, beyond the reach of desire and
sorrow, he has equal regard for every living creature and attains supreme
devotion to (Me).” (v51-54).
Arjuna is warned against rebelling against his duties.
--
Discussion Questions From Chapters 17 – 18
What is the distinction between a person’s “Faith”
and a person’s “nature”? Is each person
destined to a certain “Faith” based upon each person’s own respective
nature? How are these distinctions
reconciled amidst the spiritual understanding that perceives all beings with
equal regard?
Amidst the consideration of material possessions
being acquired through transgressive behaviour, how “beneficial” can a gift be
if that gift is predicated upon the previous, perceived “ownership” of the
person giving the gift (compared to the “giver” simply relinquishing
“ownership” of any possession, which necessarily deprives others of
experiencing such material possessions)?
Are there any perceivable “elements” within an act
that exist beyond the 5 that are specifically listed; what is the intersection between these 5
elements and the 3 “components” of knowledge, and the 3 “components” of action?
Does each religious tradition have a susceptibility
of being tamasic in presuming to maintain a “Universal” knowledge of all
phenomena (even upon Earth, and amidst humanity) whilst simultaneously being
effectively and essentially “confined” within a specific and subjective
language, culture, and temporal narrative?
What is the nature of the simultaneous experience of the revelation of
“Universal Truth” and the temporal existence of one who maintains an
understanding of such a “Universal Truth”?
How might a person initially distinguish between
that which provides “sattvic happiness” and that which simply provides pain,
without necessarily recognising the phenomenon as eventually providing sattvic
happiness, and thus, in some intrinsic manner, initially experiencing such
happiness at the very beginning of the phenomenon?
How do the described varnas, and the coinciding
natures, facilitate the Realisation of Universal Truth, and how does such a
caste system necessarily inhibit such a Realisation of Universal Truth? Does the entire caste system, in and of
itself, exhibit sattvic, rajasic, or tamasic social order?
What are the implications of people who are
respectively born within “mixed-caste” marriages? Is this a sacrilege towards the caste system
and/or evidence of a certain deficiency within such a caste system?
What is the balance between being “sovereign” of
one’s senses, and yet continuing to experience the senses?
How does the “refuge” described within Verse 62
compare with the “3 Refuges” practised within Buddhism?
--
Discussion Questions From Chapters 17 – 18
Is there any absolute, finite, and/or mutually exclusive tendencies
amidst the 3 gunas of sattva, rajas, and tamas? Is it possible to
maintain a combination of either of the 2, or all 3, simultaneously within a
specific endeavour?
Amidst the consideration of the simply sustaining 1’s life intrinsically
deprives the further sustaining of another (and/or additional life), what is
the appropriate balance of action and consumption within the Universe? Is
it possible for an individual to contribute to a larger extent than 1
consumes? How can the principle of living beyond a “0 sum game” be appropriately
understood and implemented (in detail, tangibly, pragmatically,
comprehensively, and systemically)?
Does overcoming the gunas involve overcoming the varnas?
Is it possible to have equal regard for all beings, and simultaneously
recognise the distinctions between beings?
--
Dhammapada
Chapters 21 - 26
“If by forsaking a small pleasure one finds a great joy, he who is wise
will look to the greater and leave what is less.
“He who (searches for) happiness for himself by making others unhappy is
bound in the chains of hate and from those he cannot be free.”
(v290-291).
“And a saint, a Brahmin, is pure from past sins; even if he had
killed his father and mother, had murdered two noble kings, and had ravaged a
whole kingdom and its people.” (v294).
The “awakeness” of the followers of the Buddha is described.
“The followers of the Buddha Gotama are awake and for ever watch;
and ever by night and by day they find joy in supreme contemplation.”
(v301).
“It is painful to leave the world; it is painful to be in the
world; and it is painful to be alone amongst the many. The long
road of transmigration is a road of pain for the traveller: let him rest
by the road and be free.” (v302).
“If a man has faith and has virtue, then he has (True) glory and treasure.
Wherever that man may go, there he will be held in honour.
“The (benevolent) shine from far away, like the Himalaya
mountains; but the wicked are in darkness, like arrows thrown in
the night.
“He who can be alone and rest alone and is never weary of his great
work, he can live in joy, when master of himself, by the edge of the forest of
desires.” (v303-305).
“He who says what is not goes down the path of hell; and he who
says he has not done what he knows well he has done. Both in the end have
to suffer, because both sinned against Truth.” (v1).
“Many wear the yellow robe whose life is not pure, who have not
self-control. Those evil men through their evil deeds are reborn in a
hell of evil.” (v2).
“For it were better for an evil man to swallow a ball of red-hot iron
rather than he should eat offerings of food give to him by (benevolent)
people.” (v308).
Adultery is shunned.
“For when acts of devotion are carelessly performed, when sacred vows
are broken, and when the holy life is not pure, not great fruit can come from
such a life.” (v312).
“When a man has something to do, let him do it with all his might.
A thoughtless pilgrim only raises dust on the road—the dust of dangerous
desires.” (v313).
“Better to do nothing than to do what is wrong, for wrongdoing brings
burning sorrow. Do therefore what is right, for (benevolent) deeds never
bring pain.” (v314).
Misguided is shunned.
“I will endure words that hurt in silent peace as the strong elephant
endures in battle arrows sent by the bow, for many people lack
self-control.” (v1).
“They take trained elephants to battle, and kings ride on royal trained
elephants. The best of men are self-trained men, those who can endure
abuse in peace.
“Mules when trained are (benevolent), and so are noble horses of
Sindh. Strong elephants when trained are (benevolent); but the best
is the man who trains himself.” (v321-322).
“The man who is lazy and a glutton, who eats large meals and rolls in
sleep, who is like a pig which is fed in the sty, this fool is reborn to a life
of death.” (v325).
“In days gone by this mind of mine used to stray wherever selfish desire
or lust or pleasure would lead it. To-day this mind does not stray and is
under the harmony of control, even as a wild elephant is controlled by the
trainer.” (v326).
“Find joy in watchfulness; guard well your mind. Uplift
yourself from your lower self, even as an elephant draws himself out of a muddy
swamp.” (v327).
“It is sweet to have friends in need; and to share enjoyment is
sweet. It is sweet to have done (benevolence) before death; and to
surrender all pain is sweet.
“It is sweet in this world to be a mother; and to be a father is
sweet. It is sweet in this world to be a monk; and to be a saintly
Brahmin is sweet.
“It is sweet to enjoy a lifelong virtue; and a pure firm faith is
sweet. It is sweet to attain wisdom; and to be free from sin is
sweet.” (v331-333).
“If a man watches not for NIRVANA, his cravings grow like a creeper and
he jumps from death to death like a monkey in the forest from one tree without
fruit to another.
“And when his cravings overcome him, his sorrows increase more and more,
like the entangling creeper called birana.
“But whoever is this world overcomes his selfish cravings, his sorrows
fall away from him, like drops of water from a lotus flower.” (v334-336).
“There in love I tell you, to you all who have come here: Cut off
the bonds of desires, as the surface grass creeper birana is cut for its
fragrant foot called usira. Be not like a reed by a stream which Mara,
the devil of temptation, crushes again and again.” (v337).
“Just as a tree, though cut down, can grow again and again if its roots
are undamaged and strong, in the same way if the roots of craving are not
wholly uprooted sorrows will come again and again.” (v338).
Temptations of pleasure are described.
“He who enjoys peaceful thoughts, who considers the sorrows of pleasure,
and who ever remembers the light of his life—he will see the end of his
cravings, he will break the chains of death.
“He has reached the end of his journey, he trembles not, his cravings
are gone, he is free from sin, he has burtn the thorns of life: this is
his last mortal body.
“He is free from lust, he is free from greed, he knows the meaning of
words, and the meaning of their combinations, he is a great man, a great man
who sees the Light: this is his last mortal body.
“I have conquered all; I know all, and my life is pure; I
have left all, and I am free from craving. I myself found the way.
Whom shall I call Teacher? Whom shall I teach?” (v350-353).
“The gift of Truth conquers all gifts. The taste of Truth conquers
all sweetness. The Joy of Truth conquers all pleasures. The loss of
desires conquers all sorrows.” (v354).
“(Beneficial) is the control of the eye, and (beneficial) is the control
of the ear; (beneficial) is the control of smell, and (beneficial) is the
control of taste.
“(Beneficial) is the control of the body, and (beneficial) is the
control of words; (beneficial) is the control of the mind, and
(beneficial) is the control of our whole inner life. When a monk has
achieved perfect self-control, he leaves all sorrows behind.” (v360-361).
“For whom ‘name and form’ are not (Real), who never feels ‘this is
mine,’ and who sorrows not for things that are not, he in (Truth) can be called
a monk.” (v367).
“Cut off the five—selfishness, doubt, wrong austerities and rites, lust,
hate; throw off the five—desire to be born with a body, or without a
body, self-will, restlessness, ignorance; but cherish five—faith,
watchfulness, energy, contemplation, vision. He who has broken the five
fetters—lust, hate, delusion, pride, false views—is one who has crossed to the other
shore.” (v370).
“Arise! Rouse thyself by thy Self; train thyself by thy
Self. Under the shelter of thy Self, and ever watchful, thou shalt live
in supreme joy.
“For thy Self is the master of thyself, and thy Self is thy
refuge. Train therefore thyself well, even as a merchant trains a fine
horse.” (v379-380).
“In a fullness of delight and of faith in the teaching of Buddha, the
mendicant monk finds peace supreme and, beyond the transience of time, he will
find the joy of Eternity, the joy supreme of NIRVANA.” (v381).
“Go beyond the stream, Brahmin, go with all your soul: leave
desires behind. When you have crossed the stream of Samsara, you will
reach the land of NIRVANA.” (v383).
“When beyond meditation and contemplation a Brahmin has reached the
other shore, then he attains the supreme vision and all his fetters are
broken.” (v384).
“He who lives in contemplation, who is pure and is in peace, who has
done what was to be done, who is free from passions, who has reached the
Supreme end—him I call a Brahmin.” (v386).
“One should never hurt a Brahmin; and a Brahmin should never
return evil for evil. Alas for the man who hurts a Brahmin! Alas
for the Brahmin who returns evil for evil!” (v389).
Characteristics of a genuine Brahmin are provided.
--
How is Verse 294 to be appropriately understood? How do the
phenomena of forgiveness, teshuvah, atonement, repentance, redemption, jihad,
Samadhi, prayer, and transcendence factor within this teaching? How might
these principles be evidences within the respective teachings and narratives of
the Torah, Bhagavad Gita, Gospels, and Koran, as well, and within the
respective teachings of additional religious traditions?
Why do English translations of the Dhammapada refer to the Buddha’s
Sangha (followers of the Buddha) in the 3rd person plural
(compared with the 1stperson plural)?
Does the Buddhist doctrine have any tendency of over-emphasising the
experience of pain (thus exhibiting a certain absence of indifference towards
such experience of pain)?
What is the nature of the criticism that the Dhammapada provides
regarding the transgressive practises of the religious leaders (ascetics) who
are contemporaries of the Buddha? How does this compare with similar
criticisms that are respectively shared by Moshe, Muhammad (PBUH), and Jesus
(and perhaps regarding the contemporaries of Arjuna), and within additional
religious traditions?
Many of the teachings of righteousness within the Dhammapada (as with
the many respective teachings from numerous traditions) are provided within
rather absolute terms; how can such teachings of righteousness be
appropriately practised within this temporal Realm, with its apparently
inevitable tendencies for compromise and necessities for material sustenance?
There is the consideration that both Judaism and Hinduism are
respectively predicated upon familial ties, and maintain social constructs
based upon familial lineage; whereas both Buddhism and Christianity fundamentally
challenge the spiritual significance of such familial lineages and social
constructs (and simultaneously [and arguably] teach doctrines of celibacy and
social cooperation beyond familial relations; and it may considered that
Islam emerges (geographically, culturally, and additionally) between these 2
respective strands of religious traditions, and that Islam provides the
emergence of a “new era” of religious traditions (with Sikhism, the Baha’i
Faith, and additional traditions) that both emphasise cooperation amidst
familial distinctions (similar to Buddhism and Christianity) as well as the
significance of marriage and familial relations and lineages (similar to
Judaism and Hinduism); is there any legitimacy within this observation,
and if so, what may be some additional consideration from this, as well?
--
Gospels
John 21
Jesus visits his disciples, again, as his disciples
are fishing.
“Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the
beach; yet the disciples did not know
that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them,
‘Children, have you any fish?’ They
answered him, ‘No.’ He said to them,
‘Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.’ So they cast it, and now they were not able
to haul it in, for the quantity of fish.”
(v4-6).
“When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to
Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, (Leader); you know that I love you.’ He said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ A second time he said to him, ‘Simon, son of
John, do you love me?’ He said to him,
‘Yes, (Leader); you know that I love
you.’ He said to him, ‘Tend my sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, son of
John, do you love me?’ Peter was grieved
because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ And he said to him, ‘(Leader), you know
everything; you know that I love
you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my
sheep.’” (v15-17).
“This is the disciple who is bearing witness to
these things, and who has written these things;
and we know that his testimony is (True).” (v24).
--
Gospels
John 21
“After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of
Tiberias; and he revealed himself in this way.” (v1).
Jesus appears on the beach whilst his disciples are fishing.
Jesus questions Peter’s Faith.
“When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon,
son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes,
(Leader); you know that I love you.’ He said to him, ‘Feed my
lambs.’” (v15).
“But there are also many other things which Jesus did; were every
one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain
the books that would be written.” (v25).
--
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 114: Al Nas: The Men
“Say: I (search for) refuge in the Lord of men,
“The (Sovereign) of men,
“The God of men,
“From the evil of the whisperings of the slinking devil,
“Who whispers into the hearts of men,
“From among the jinn and the men.” (v1-6).
--
How does the conclusion of the Koran compare and contrast with the
Fatihah (the “Opening” of the Koran)? How does this also compare and
contrast with the conclusion and opening of the Torah, as well as the
respective conclusions and openings of the Gospels, the Bhagavad Gita, the
Digha Nikaya, the Dhammapada, and the respective Holy Scriptures from
additional traditions?
--
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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