Universal Principles of Faith
We shall only praise the one True God.
We shall only utilise the Name of God in Truth.
We shall abstain from making any graven image of that which is in Heaven, on Earth, or in the Sea beneath the Earth.
We remember Shabbat; we keep it Holy.
We honour our fars and our mors; so that we may have length of life.
We shall abstain from killing.
We shall abstain from committing adultery.
We shall abstain from stealing.
We shall abstain from proclaiming false witness against our kinsman.
We shall abstain from coveting the house of our kinsman, the wife of our kinsman, the manservant of our kinsman, the maidservant of our kinsman, the ox or ass of our kinsman.
We progress Right Belief, Right Aspiration, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Thought, Right Meditation.
We do unto others as we would have them do unto us.
We abstain from the consumption of animals.
We abstain from intoxicants.
We abstain from games of chance.
Peace
Dittoistic Cosmic Guidance
There is one God; and there are celestial beings and sentient beings that manifest the Will of God.
Each individual is born with an equal amount of wealth.
There are rules ordained by God that govern the behaviour of all individuals.
The whole of Justice and Karma visits each individual before death.
Upon death, each individual attains Nirâna and joins God in Heaven.
A Sermon
From the Respective Prophets of
Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam
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May Peace And Blessings Of God Be Upon The Rishis.
May Peace And Blessings Of God Be Upon Moses.
May Peace And Blessings Of God Be Upon The Buddha.
May Peace And Blessings Of God Be Upon Jesus.
May Peace And Blessings Of God Be Upon Muhammad.
May Peace And Blessings Of God Be Upon The Universe.
Amen
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Sâmañña Phala Sutta 35 – 36 (in part)
‘Now what do you think, o king. Suppose amongst the people of your household there were a slave who does work for you, rises up in the matin before you do and retires later to rest, who is keen to carry out your pleasure, anxious to make himself agreeable in what he does and says, a man who watches your every look. Suppose he should think, ‘Strange is it and wonderful, this issue of meritorious deeds, this result of merit! Here is the king of Magadha, Agâtasattu, the sen of the Videha princess- he is a man, and so am I. But the king lives in the full enjoyment and possession of the five pleasures of sênse- a very angel, methinks- and here am I a slave, working for him, rising before him and retiring later to rest, keen to carry out his pleasure, anxious to make myself agreeable in deed and word, watching his very looks. Would that I were like him, that I too might earn merit. Why should not I have my hair and beard shaved off, and don the yellow robes, and going forth from the household state, renounce the World?’ And suppose, after a time, he should do so. And having been admitted into a Sangha, should dwell restrained in act and word and thought, content with mere food and shelter, delighting in solitude. And suppose your people should tell you of this, saying: ‘If it pleases your majesty, do you know that such a one, formerly your slave, who worked for you…has now donned the yellow robes, and has been admitted into a Sangha, and dwells restrained, content with mere food and shelter, delighting in solitude?’ Would you then say: ‘Let the man come back; let him become a slave again, and work for me.’?
‘Nay, Leader, rather should we greet him with reverence and rise up from our seat out of deference towards him, and press him to be seated. And we should have robes and a bowl, and a lodging place, and medicine for the sick,- all the requisites of a recluse- made ready and beg him to accept of them. And we should order watch and ward and guard to be kept for him according to the law.’
‘But what do you think, o king. That being so, is there, or is there not, some fruit, visible in this World, of the life of a recluse.’
‘Certainly, Leader, that is so.’
‘This then, o king, is the first kind of the fruit, visible in this World, which I maintain to arise from the life of a recluse.’
Brahma Gâla Sutta 1:5 – 7
‘Fellows, if outsiders should speak against me, or against the Dharma, or against the Sangha, you should not on that account either bear malice, or suffer heart burning, or feel ill will. If you, on that account, should be angry and hurt, that would stand in the way of your own self conquest. If, when others speak against us, you feel angry at that, and displeased, would you then be able to judge how much that speech of theirs is well said or ill?’
‘That would not be so, sir.’
‘But when outsiders speak in dishonour of me, or of the Dharma, or of the Sangha, you should unravel what is false and point it out as wrong, saying: ‘For this or that reason this is not the fact, that is not so, such a thing is not found amongst us, is not in us.
‘But also, fellows, if outsiders should speak in honour of me, in honour of the Dharma, in honour of the Sangha, you should not, on that account, be filled with pleasure or gladness, or be lifted up in heart. Were you to be so that also would stand in the way of your self conquest. When outsiders speak in honour of me, or of the Dharma, or of the Sangha, you should acknowledge what is right to be the fact, saying: ‘For this or that reason this is the fact, that is so, such a thing is found amongst us, is in us.’
Brahma Gâla Sutta 1:36 – 37
‘Now of these, fellows, the Tathâgata knows that these speculations thus arrived at, thus insisted on, will have such and such a result, such and such an effect on the future condition of those who trust in them. That does he know, and he knows also other things much beyond (much better than those speculations); and having that knowledge he is not puffed up, and thus untarnished he has, in his own heart, realised the way of escape from them, has understood, as they really are, the rising up and passing away of sênsations, their sweet taste, their danger, how they cannot be relied on; and not grasping after any of those things men are eager for, he, the Tathâgata, is quite set free.
‘These, fellows, are those other things, profound, difficult to realise, hard to understand, tranquilising, sweet, not to be grasped by mere logic, subtle, comprehensible only by the wise, which the Tathâgata, having himself realised and seen face to face, hath set forth; and it is concerning these that they who would rightly honour the Tathâgata in accordance with the Truth, should speak.’
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From Hinduism:
Bhagavad Gita 2:12, 14 – 21, 23 – 25
There has never been a time when you and I and the kings gathered here have not existed, nor will there be a time when we will cease to exist.
When the sênses contact sênse objects, a person experiences cold or heat, pleasure or pain. These experiences are fleeting; they come and go. Bear them patiently, Arjuna.
Those who are not affected by these changes, who are the same in pleasure and pain, are Truly wise and fir for immórtality. Assert your strength and realise this!
The impermanent has no reality; reality lies in the eternal. Those who have seen the boundary between these two have attained the end of all knowledge.
Realise that which pervades the Universe and is indestructible; no power can affect this unchanging, imperishable reality.
The body is mórtal, but the Self who dwells in the body is immórtal and immeasurable. Therefore, Arjuna, fight in this battle.
One man believes he is the slayer, another believes he is the slain. Both are ignorant; there is neither slayer nor slain.
Your were never born; you will never die. You have never changed; you can never change. Unborn, eternal, immutable, immemorial, you do not die when the body dies.
Realising that which is indestructible, eternal, unborn, and unchanging, how can you slay or cause another to slay?
The Self cannot be pierced by weapons or burned by fire; water cannot wet it, nor can the wind dry it.
The Self cannot be pierced or burned, made wet or dry. It is everlasting and infinite, standing on the motionless foundations of eternity.
The Self is unmanifested, beyond all thought, beyond all change. Knowing this, you should not grieve.
Bhagavad Gita 13:13
‘It dwells in all, in every hand and foot and head, in every mouth and eye and ear in the Universe.’
Bhagavad Gita 13:15
‘It is both near and distant, both within and without every creature; it moves and is unmoving.’
Bhagavad Gita 13:16
‘In its subtlety, it is beyond comprehension. It is indivisible yet appears divided in separate creatures. Know it to be the creator, the preserver, and the destroyer.’
Bhagavad Gita 14:6 – 9
Sattva- pure, luminous, and free from sorrow- binds us with attachment to happiness and wisdom.
Rajas is passion, arising from selfish desire and attachment. These bind the Self with compulsive action.
Tamas, born of ignorance, deludes all creatures through heedlessness, indolence, and sleep.
Sattva binds us to happiness; rajas binds us to action. Tamas, distorting our understanding, binds us to delusion.
Bhagavad Gita 18:20 – 22
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 sênse of perspective, sees one small part and mistakes it for the whole.
Bhagavad Gita 17:11 – 13
‘The sattvic perform sacrifices with their entire mind fixed on the purpose of the sacrifice. Without thought of reward, they follow the teachings of the scriptures.
‘The rajasic perform sacrifices for the sake of show and the good it will bring them.
‘The tamasic perform sacrifices ignoring both the letter and the spirit. They omit the proper prayers, the proper offerings, the proper food, and the proper Faith.’
Bhagavad Gita 18:37 – 39
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 sênses 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.
Bhagavad Gita 18:3 – 6
‘Amongst 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
‘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.’
Bhagavad Gita 18:11
‘As long as one has a body, one cannot renounce action altogether. True renunciation is giving up all desire for personal reward.’
Bhagavad Gita 17:14 – 16
‘To offer service to the angels, to the good, to the wise, and to your spiritual teacher; purity, honest, continence, and ahimsa: these are the disciplines of the body.
‘To offer soothing words, to speak Truly, kindly, and helpfully, and to study the scriptures: these are the disciplines of speech.
‘Calmness, gentleness, silence, self restraint, and purity: these are the disciplines of the mind.’
Bhagavad Gita 6:11 – 18
Select a clean spot, neither too high nor too low, and seat yourself firmly on a cloth, a deerskin, and kusha grass.
Then, once seated, strive to still your thoughts. Make your mind one pointed in meditation, and your heart will be purified.
Hold your body, head, and neck firmly in a straight line, and keep your eyes from wandering.
With all fears dissolved in the Peace of the Self and all desires dedicated to God, controlling the mind and fixing it on Me, sit in meditation with Me as your only goal.
With sênses and mind constantly controlled through meditation, united with the Self within, an aspirant attains Nirvâna, the state of abiding joy and Peace in Me.
Arjuna, those who eat too much or eat too little, who sleep too much or sleep too little, will not succeed in meditation.
But those who are temperate in eating and sleeping, work and recreation, will come to the end of sorrow through meditation.
Through constant effort they learn to withdraw the mind from selfish cravings and absorb it in the Self. Thus they attain the state of union.
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From Judaism:
Deuteronomy 6:4 – 9
Hear, O Israel: God our God is one God; and you shall love God your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. And you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Leviticus 24:22
You shall have one law for the sojourner and for the native; for I am God your God.
Leviticus 19:33 - 34
‘When the stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. The stranger who sojourns with you shall be to you as the native amongst you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am God your God.’
Exodus 23:9
You shall not oppress a stranger; you know the heart of a stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
Exodus 22:21 - 22 (in part)
You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. You shall not afflict any widow or orphan.
Deuteronomy 24:17 – 18
You shall not pervert the justice due to the sojourner or to the farless, or take a widow’s garment in pledge; but you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt and God your God redeemed you from there; therefore I command you to do this.
Leviticus 19:13 – 17
‘You shall not oppress your neighbour or rob him. The wages of a hired servant shall not remain with you all night until the matin. You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am God.
‘You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbour. You shall not go up and down as a slanderer amongst your people, and you shall not stand forth against the life of your neighbour: I am God.
‘You shall not hate your fellow in your heart, but you shall reason with your neighbour, lest you bear sin because of him.’
Deuteronomy 24:14 – 15
You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your fellows or one of the sojourners who are in your land within your towns; you shall give him his hire on the day he earns it, before the Sun goes down (for he is poor, and sets his heart upon it); lest he cry against you to God, and it be sin in you.’
Exodus 22:25
If you lend money to any of My people with you who is poor, you shall not be to him as a creditor, and you shall not exact interest from him. If ever you take your neighbour’s garment in pledge, you shall restore it to him before the Sun goes down; for that is his only covering, it is his mantle for his body; in what else shall he sleep? And if he cries to Me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.
Deuteronomy 24:10 – 13
When you make your neighbour a loan of any sort, you shall not go into his house to fetch his pledge. You shall stand outside, and the man to whom you make the loan shall bring the pledge out to you. And if he is a poor man, you shall not sleep in his pledge; when the Sun goes down, you shall restore to him the pledge that he may sleep in his cloak and bless you; and it shall be righteousness to you before God your God.
Leviticus 25:35
And if your fellow becomes poor, and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall maintain him; as a stranger and a sojourner he shall live with you. Take no interest from him or increase, but fear your God; that your fellow may live beside you. You shall not lend him your money at interest, nor give him you food for (gain). I am God your God, Who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God.
Deuteronomy 15:12
If your fellow, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you, he shall serve you six years ,and in the seventh year, you shall le him go free from you. And when you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty handed; you shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, out of your threshing floor, and out of your wine press; as God your God has blessed you, you shall give to him. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and God your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this today.
Deuteronomy 15:1 – 2
At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release. And this is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release what he has lent to his neighbour; he shall not exact it of his neighbour, his fellow, because God’s release has been proclaimed.
Deuteronomy 15:7 – 11
If there is amongst you a poor man, one of your fellows, in any of your towns within your land which God your God gives you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor fellow, but you shall open your hand to him, and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be. Take heed lest there be a base thought in your heart, and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye be hostile to your poor fellow, and you give him nothing, and he cry to God against you, and it be sin in you. You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him; because for this God your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. For the poor will never cease out of the land; therefore I command you, You shall open wide your hand to your fellow, to the needy and to the poor, in the land.
Leviticus 25:10
And you shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants; it shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his family.
Leviticus 19: 9 – 10
When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field to its very border, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am God your God.
Deuteronomy 24:19 – 22
‘When you reap your harvest in your field, and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be for the sojourner, the farless, and the widow. When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not glean it afterwards; it shall be for the sojourner, the farless, and the widow. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I command you to do this.’
Deuteronomy 23:24 – 25
‘When you go into your neighbour’s vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes, as many as you wish, but you shall not put any in your vessel. When you go into your neighbour’s standing grain, you may pluck the ears with your hand, but you shall not put a sickle to you neighbour’s standing grain.’
Deuteronomy 22:1
‘You shall not see your fellow’s ox or his sheep go astray, and withhold your help from them; you shall take them back to your fellow.’
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From Christianity:
Mark 12:28 – 34
And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, ‘Which commandment is the first of all?’ Jesus answered, ‘The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: God our God, God is one; and you shall love God your God with all your heart, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.’ And the scribe said to him, ‘You are right, Teacher; you have Truly said that God is one, and there is not other but God; and to love God with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbour as oneself, is much mas than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.’ And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, ‘You are not distant from the Kingdom of God.’ And after that no one dared to ask him any question.
Luke 10:25 – 28
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, ‘Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? How do you read?’ And he answered, ‘You shall love God your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.’ And he said to him, ‘You have answered right; do this, and you will live.’
Matthew 22:34 – 40
But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they came together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, to test him. ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?’ And he said to him, ‘You shall love God your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall lover your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.’
Matthew 5:38 – 52 (approximate)
‘You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sens of your God who is in Heaven; for God makes the Sun of God rise on the evil and on the good, and sênds rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you salute only your fellows, what mas are you doing than others? Do not even Gentiles do the same? You, therefore, must be perfect, as your Heavenly God is perfect.’
Matthew 18:21 – 22
Then Peter came up and said to him, ‘Leader, how often shall my fellow sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.’
Matthew 7:1 -5
‘Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck that is in your fellow’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your fellow, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your fellow’s eye.’
Luke 6:34 – 38 (approximate)
‘Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put unto your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back.’
Luke 9:46 – 48
And an argument arose amongst them as to which of them was the greatest. But when Jesus perceived the thought of their hearts, he took a child and put him by his side, and said to them, ‘Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives God Who sênt me; for he who is least amongst you all is the one who is great.’
Mark 10:13 – 16
And they were bringing children to him, that he might touch them; and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it he was indignant, and said to them, ‘Let the children come to me, do not hinder them; for to such belongs the Kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.’ And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands upon them.
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From Islam:
Sura 2:256
Let there be no compulsion in religion; Truth stands out clear from error; whoever rejects evil and believes in God hath grasped the most trustworthy handhold, that never breaks. And God heareth and knoweth all things.
Sura 2:186
When My servants ask thee concerning Me, I am indeed close to them; I listen to the prayer of every supplicant when he calleth on Me; let them also, with a will, listen to My call, and believe in Me; that they may walk in the right way.
Sura 2:245
Who is he that will loan to God a beautiful loan, which God will double unto his credit and multiply many times? It is God that giveth you want or plenty. And to God shall be your return.
Sura 57:18
For those who give in charity, men and women, and loan to God a beautiful loan, it shall be increased manifold to their credit, and they shall have besides a liberal reward.
Sura 64:16 – 17
So fear God as much as ye can. Listen and obey; and spend in charity for the benefit of your souls. And those saved from the covetousness of their own souls,- they are the ones that achieve prosperity
If ye loan to God a beautiful loan, God will double it to your credit, and God will grant you forgiveness: for God is most ready to appreciate service, Most Forbearing,-
Sura 2:177
It is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards East or West; but it is righteousness- to believe in God and the Last Day, and the angels, and the Book, and the messengers; to spend of your substance, out of love for God, for your kin, for orphans; for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer, and practise regular charity; to fulfil the contracts which ye have made; and to be firm and patient, in pain or suffering and adversity, and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of Truth, the God fearing.
Sura 9:60
Alms are for the poor and the needy, and those employed to administer the funds; for those whose hearts have been recently reconciled to Truth; for those in bondage and in the debt; in the Cause of God; and for the wayfarer; thus is it ordained by God, and God is full of knowledge and wisdom.
Sura 2:43
And be steadfast in prayer; practise regular charity; and bow down your heads with those who bow down in worship.
Sura 2:110
And be steadfast in prayer and regular charity; and whatever good ye sênd forth for your souls before you, ye shall find it with God, for God sees well all that ye do.
Sura 2:263
Kind words and the covering of faults are better than charity followed by injury. God is Free of all wants, and God is Most Forbearing.
Sura 2:264 – 265 (in part)
O ye who believe! Cancel not your charity by reminders of your generosity or by injury,- like those who spend their substance to be seen of men, but believe neither in God nor in the Last Day…
And the likeness of those who spend their substance, speaking to please God and to strengthen their souls, is a garden, high and fertile; heavy rains fall on it but makes it yield a double increase of harvest, and if it receives not heavy rain, light moisture sufficeth it. God seeth well whatever ye do.
Sura 2:271
If ye disclose acts of charity, even so it is well; but if ye conceal them, and make them reach those really in need, that is best for you. It will remove from you some of your stains of evil. And God is well acquainted with what ye do.
Sura 2:274 – 281
Those who in charity spend of their good by night and by day, in secret and in public, have their reward with their God; on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.
Those who devour usury will not stand except as stands one whom evil by its touch hath driven to madness. That is because they say: ‘Trade is like usury,’ but God hath permitted trade and forbidden usury. Those who, after receiving direction from their God, desist, shall be pardoned for the past; their case is for God to judge. But those who repeat the offence are companions of the fire: they will abide therein for ever.
God will deprive usury of all blessing, but will give increase for deeds of charity; for God loveth not creatures ungrateful and wicked.
Those who believe, and do deeds of righteousness, and establish regular prayers and regular charity, will have their reward with their God; on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.
O ye who believe! Fear God, and give up what remains of your demand for usury, if ye are indeed believers.
If ye do it not, take notice of war from God and the Apostle of God. But if ye turn back, ye shall have your capital sums. Deal not unjustly, and ye shall not be dealt with unjustly.
If the debtor is in a difficulty, grant him time til it is easy for him to repay. But if ye remit it by way of charity, that is best for you, if ye only knew.
And fear the Day when ye shall be brought back to God. Then shall every soul be paid what it earned, and none shall be dealt with unjustly.
Sura 2:195
And spend of your substance in the Cause of God, and make not your own hands contribute to your destruction; but do good, for God loveth those who do good.
Sura 2:215
They ask thee what they should spend in charity. Say: ‘Whatever ye spend that is good, is for parents and kindred and orphans and those in want and for wayfarers. And whatever ye do that is good,- God knoweth it well.’
Sura 2:219 – 220
They ask thee concerning wine and gambling. Say: ‘In them is great sin, and some gain, for men; but the sin is greater than the gain.’ They ask thee how much they are to spend; say: ‘What is beyond your needs.’
Thus does God make clear to you the Signs of God; in order that ye may consider,-
Their bearings on this life and the Hereafter.
Sura 2:212
The life of this World is alluring to those who reject Faith, and they scoff at those who believe. But the righteous will be above them on the Day of Resurrection; for God bestows God’s abundance without measure on whom God wills.
Sura 14:23
But those who believe and work righteousness will be admitted to Gardens beneath which rivers flow,- to dwell therein for aye with the leave of their God. Their greeting therein will be: ‘Peace!’
Sura 2:25
But give glad tidings to those who believe and work righteousness, that their portion is Gardens, beneath which rivers flow. Every time they are fed with fruits therefrom, they say, ‘Why, this is what we were fed with before,’ for they are given things in similitude; and they have therein companions pure and Holy; and they abide therein for ever.
Sura 2:119
Verily We have sênt thee in Truth as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner;
Sura 2:272
It is not required of thee, O apostle, to set them on the right path, but God sets on the right path whom God pleaseth. Whatever of good ye give benefits your own souls, and ye shall only do so seeking the ‘Face’ of God. Whatever good ye give shall be rendered back to you, and ye shall not be dealt with unjustly.
Sura 48:8
We have Truly sênt thee as a witness, a bringer of glad tidings, and as a warner:
Sura 2:286
On no soul doth God place a burden greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns and it suffers every ill that it earns. Pray: ‘Our God! Condemn us not if we forget or fall into error. Our God! Lay not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Blot out our sins, and grant us forgiveness; have mercy on us. Thou art our Protector; help us against those who stand against Faith.’
Sura 4:17
God accepts the repentance of those who do evil in ignorance and repent soon afterwards; to them God will turn in mercy; for God is full of Knowledge and Wisdom.
Sura 25:63
‘And the servants of God Most Gracious are those who walk on the Earth in humility, and when the ignorant address them, they say, ‘Peace!’’
--
These respective Holy Scripture verses are respectively from the Torah of Judaism, the Bhagavad Gita of Hinduism, the Digha Nikâya of Buddhism, the Gospels of Christianity, and the Koran of Islam.
May Peace and blessings be upon the respective indigenous of the Universe.
Peace belôngs throughout the Universe.
Good Samadhi belôngs to'ards Nirvâna.
All Praise Belôngs To God.
Brief Descriptions of Religions, provided by the MultiFaith Centre at the University of Derby (England)
Bahai Faith Website
A SHORT INTRODUCTION TO THE BAHÁ'Í FAITH
ESTIMATED BAHÁ'Í POPULATIONS
Global: c. 7,106,000
UK: c. 6,000
(UK Estimates taken from P.Weller (ed.), Religions in the UK: Directory, 2001-3, The Multi-Faith Centre, Derby, 2001, pp.30-35; global estimates from D. Barrett, World Christian Enclyclopaedia: A Comparative Survey of Churches and Religions, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2000.)
ORIGINS OF THE BAHÁ'Í FAITH
Began on 23rd May 1844, in Persia, with Ali-Muhammad's (1819-1850) declaration of himself as the Messenger of God announcing the coming of a "Greater One" who would lead the way to world peace.
Ali-Muhammad became known as the Báb (the Gate or Door). He was executed in 1850, charged with heresy against Islam.
His early followers were known as Bábis. In 1863, Husayn Ali (1817-1892) claimed to be the Greater One and the bringer of divine revelation fulfilling the promises made by previous Messengers in other religions. Exiled to Palestine in 1868, he died in Akka in 1892.
There then followed a succession which is at the heart of the Bahá'í faith.
'Abdu'l-Bahá (1844-1921), or the Servant of the Glory, was appointed in Bahá'u'láh's Will as the authorised interpreter of Bahá'í teachings.
'Abdul Bahá's grandson, Shoghi Effendi (1897-1957), was appointed in 'Abdul Bahá's Will and became the Guardian of the Faith and Interpreter of Scripture.
From 1963, The Universal House of Justice, based at the Bahá'í World Centre in Haifa in Israel was established as the body which offers guidance to the contemporary Bahá'í community. It is elected every five years.
CENTRAL ASPECTS OF THE BAHÁ'Í FAITH
Bahá'í Scriptures
Bahá'ís believe all documents that are handwritten by the Báb, Bahá'u'lláh, and 'Abdu'l-Bahá; all documents signed by them; and all directly or indirectly authenticated records of their spoken words, to be revealed by God.
Bahá'u'lláh's Kitáb-i-Aqdas (Most Holy Book) is seen as the foundation of Bahá'í moral principles and institutions.
Doctrinal beliefs are contained in The Kitáb-i-Iqán (The Book of Certitude), whilst Bahá'u'lláh's Hidden Words is a collection of ethical sayings.
Summary of Bahá'í Beliefs
A summary of the main Bahá'í beliefs is set out in the collected talks which 'Abdu'l-Bahá gave in the USA. These beliefs are:
belief in one God;
the unity of humankind;
independent investigation of truth;
the common foundation of all religions;
the essential harmony of science and religion;
equality of opportunity for men and women;
elimination of prejudice of all kinds;
universal compulsory education;
a universal auxiliary language;
abolition of extremities of poverty and wealth through international legislation;
the establishment of universal peace by world government which will have international courts of justice and an international military force;
the concept of progressive revelation.
Unity and Progressive Revelation
Various Messengers, including Moses, Krishna, Zoroaster, Buddha, Christ and Muhammad, are seen as "Manifestations of God" and are believed to have promised the coming of Bahá'u'lláh.
Unity, based upon the oneness of God, is a central theme of the Bahá'í religion. It is seen as the basis upon which a new world order of peace and unity can be built and Bahá'í communities are seen as modelling this.
Education and Spirituality
Education is a central theme in Bahá'í teaching and spirituality, and education for women is a priority, as nurturers of the next generation.
Religion and science are not seen as contradictory: science is seen as leading to truth through investigation whilst religion brings truth through revelation.
There are three "obligatory" prayers and every Bahá'í over fifteen years old must pray one of these daily as well as reading scriptural extracts every morning and evening.
To pray, Bahá'ís turn in the direction of Bahji, the burial place of Bahá'u'lláh, which is near Akka in Israel.
The Consultative Principle
Bahá'ís work on the basis of a principle of consultation which aims at unanimity.
DIVERSITY IN THE BAHÁ'Í FAITH
Bahá'ís do not acknowledge the legitimacy of any distinct traditions within their religion, believing part of its uniqueness to be that it has maintained its unity.
Those who have disputed the succession and leadership set out in the Wills of Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá are referred to by Bahá'ís as Covenant-breakers and are expelled.
For more information on the Bahá'í Faith, its beliefs, practices, festivals, and forms of organisation in the United Kingdom, together with contact details for its local, regional and national organisations, see the chapter on "Introducing Bahá'ís in the UK", in P. Weller (ed), Religions in the UK: Directory, 2001-3, The Multi-Faith Centre, Derby, 2001.
© MultiFaithNet, 2004
An on-line service of the The Multi-Faith Centre at the University of Derby
Buddhism Faith Website
A SHORT INTRODUCTION TO BUDDHISM
ESTIMATED BUDDHIST POPULATIONS
Global: c. 359,982,000
UK: c. 30-130,000
(UK Estimates taken from P.Weller (ed.), Religions in the UK: Directory, 2001-3, The Multi-Faith Centre, Derby, 2001, pp.30-35; global estimates from D. Barrett, World Christian Enclyclopaedia: A Comparative Survey of Churches and Religions, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2000.)
BEGINNINGS OF BUDDHISM
Based on the inheritance of Siddhartha Gautama (Sanskrit form) /Siddhattha Gotama (Pali form).
Siddartha Gautama is believed by Buddhist tradition to have been born in the fifth century BCE.
He began a six year spiritual search at the age of 29, leading to his Enlightenment under what is now known as the Bodhi Tree, at Bodh Gaya in North India.
At the age of eighty he died and entered into his parinirvana/parinibbana (final entry to nirvana).
CENTRAL ASPECTS OF BUDDHISM
The Three Jewels
The idea and practice of the Three Jewels (triratna/tiratana) is central to Buddhists who affirm that:
I take refuge in the Buddha (the enlightened or awakened one)
I take refuge in the dharma (the teachings of the Buddha)
I take refuge in the samgha/sangha (the community of the Buddha)
The Four Noble Truths (Catur Aryasatya/Cattari Ariyasaccani)
The Four Noble Truths express the heart of the Buddhist dharma or teaching:
Dukkha (Unsatisfactoriness) Is seen as the experience of the transitoriness and imperfection of life. It is one of the Three Signs of Being, the others being anitya/anicca (impermanence), and anatman/anatta (no permanent self).
Samudaya (Origin of Unsatisfactoriness) Dukkha (unsatisfactoriness) is seen as originating in trishna/tanha, a craving which cannot be satisfied and results in attachment to transitory things and rebirth.
Nirodha (Cessation of dukkha) The overcoming of trishna (craving) is known as nirvana which includes the "quenching" or "extinction" of the thirst and craving that leads to dukkha.
Marga (The Way) The Arya Ashtangika Marga/Ariya Atthangika Magga (The Noble Eightfold Path – see below) is often known as the Middle Way of life.
The Noble Eightfold Path (Arya Astangika Marga):
The fourth of the Four Noble Truths is the way to overcome dukkha which is the Noble Eightfold Path:
Right Understanding;
Right Intention;
Right Speech;
Right Action;
Right Livelihood;
Right Effort;
Right Mindfulness;
Right Concentration
The Five Precepts
The Five Precepts (Panca Silani) are, for lay Buddhists (ordained Buddhists take additional vows), the basis of samyakkarmanta/samma kammanta (Right Action).
They include the intention to refrain from:
harming living beings;
taking what is not given;
sexual misconduct and misuse of the senses;
harmful speech;
drink or drugs which cloud the mind
Paramitas
In Mahayana Buddhist tradition, there is also a focus on practising the positive paramitas (Perfections), including especially the first six:
giving;
keeping the moral precepts;
patience;
strength to persevere;
meditation;
wisdom.
Meditation
Though practised through a wide variety of methods, meditation among Buddhists can be found in two basic forms: shamatha/samatha (tranquillity) and vipashyana/vipassana (insight) meditation.
DIVERSITY WITHIN BUDDHISM
There are two major traditions or "transmissions" of Buddhism: The Theravada (Way of the elders) and the Mahayana (Great Vehicle), the latter containing a range of schools with differing emphases and practices. There are also some contemporary attempts to evolve western forms of Buddhism.
Theravada
The Theravada (Way of the Elders) tradition is associated particularly with Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Burma and the southern part of Vietnam and, because of this, it is sometimes known as the Southern Transmission.
Theravada Buddhism focuses upon the historical Buddha and its ideal is that of the arahat, the individual who has achieved release from rebirth.
It is based upon the Pali canon of scriptures (known as the Tipitaka or the Three Baskets). Some of the earliest material attributed to the Buddha and his disciples is found in this canon which is generally acceptable among all Buddhists.
Rather than having distinctive schools as such, the variations within the Theravada tradition owe more to the influence of its varied cultural contexts.
Mahayana
The Mahayana (Great Vehicle) tradition is found in Central Asia, China, Tibet, Korea, Japan and the northern part of Vietnam and, because of this, it is sometimes known as the Northern Transmission.
Its special characteristics include belief in many Buddhas who can simultaneously be present and the concept of shunyata/sunnata (Voidness or Emptiness).
It also holds the ideal of the Bodhisattva-Mahasattva, a fully perfected being who embodies prajna/panna (wisdom) and karuna (compassion). Among humans, a Bodhisattva is dedicated to assist in the liberation of all sentient beings.
In the Mahayana tradition there are a number of canons of scripture including the Agama; the Chinese Canon (the Tas'ang-ching or Great Scripture Store); and the Tibetan canon.
The varied schools within Mahayana Buddhism reflect either different cultural influences or the role of particular texts or sutras.
Tibetan Buddhism began c755-797CE and contains four main lineages:
the Nyingmapa;
the Sakyapa;
the Kagyupa;
the Gelugpa.
Ch'an (Chinese) Buddhism Ch'an was introduced to China in the 6th century CE. Zen (Japanese) Buddhism has two main lineages:
Rinzai Zen, which began in the 9th century and reached Japan in the 12th century;
Soto Zen, taken to Japan in the 8th century.
Pure Land Buddhism has two main Japanese branches:
Jodo Shu (Pure Land School);
Jodo Shinshu (True Pure Land School, often simply known as Shin).
Nichiren Buddhism has its origins in the work of the Japanese teacher Nichiren (1222-282CE).
For more information on Buddhism, its beliefs, practices, festivals, and forms of organisation in the United Kingdom, together with contact details for its local, regional and national organisations, see the chapter on "Introducing Buddhists in the UK", in P. Weller (ed), Religions in the UK: Directory, 2001-3, The Multi-Faith Centre, Derby, 2001.
© MultiFaithNet, 2004
An on-line service of the The Multi-Faith Centre at the University of Derby
Christianity Faith Website
A SHORT INTRODUCTION TO CHRISTIANITY
CHRISTIAN POPULATIONS
Global: c. 1,999,564,000
UK: c. 38,100,000
(UK Estimates taken from P.Weller (ed.), Religions in the UK: Directory, 2001-3, The Multi-Faith Centre, Derby, 2001, pp.30-35; global estimates from D. Barrett, World Christian Enclyclopaedia: A Comparative Survey of Churches and Religions, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2000.)
BEGINNINGS OF CHRISTIANITY
Christianity has its roots in the life and teaching of Jesus of Nazareth within the context of the Jewish community.
As it developed and spread, it increasingly included those of a non-Jewish background and suffered persecution under a number of Roman Emperors, until the conversion of the Emperor Constantine, after which it became adopted as the official religion of the Empire.
From the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries onwards, Christianity developed missionary movements which, at their peak in the nineteenth century, led to Christian Churches being established throughout the world.
This, in turn, laid the basis for the modern ecumenical movement towards the unity of global Christianity in which the global profile of Christianity has shifted to Africa and Latin America.
CENTRAL ASPECTS OF CHRISTIANITY
Creation and Salvation
Christianity affirms that the creative intention of God is for a world characterised by peace and unity, and that the purpose of human life is to glorify and enjoy God and the creation.
However, Christianity also teaches the human beings and the world in which they live have gone fundamentally wrong. Without the intervention of the divine, Christianity sees human beings as being locked into a state of sin which is characterised by self-centredness.
Through the life and teaching of Jesus, Christians believe that the possibility of forgiveness and renewal of life has been opened up to human beings and to the creation as a whole.
Responding in faith to the grace of God is seen as the means of overcoming sin and achieving the wholeness of salvation, by means of the operation of the Holy Spirit of Jesus within the lives of believers.
The qualities of faith, hope and love are seen as of eternal value, and Christianity teaches that the fruits of the operation of the Spirit are:
love;
joy;
peace;
patience;
kindness;
goodness;
faithfulness;
humility;
self-control.
The Person of Jesus
Christians believe that the nature of the divine has been revealed most clearly through the life, death, resurrection and teaching of Jesus of Nazareth whom they believe to be the promised Messiah of Jewish expectation.
Jesus offered hope to the marginalised and called upon people to repent of their sins and receive God's forgiveness, warning against the dangers of religious self- righteousness.
Through Jesus, Christians see the nature of the divine as being characterised by "agape" or self-giving love.
Christians affirm the incarnation of one God in the person of Jesus, but also that God's activity is not restricted to the person of Jesus. This is a conviction that is expressed in the apparently paradoxical belief that the one God is a Trinitarian God, experienced as Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer of all things, often referred to in terms of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Scriptures, Creeds and Tradition
The Christian scriptures, known collectively as the Bible, are central to Christian belief and practice. Some believe them to be the literal words of God whilst others see them as human writings informed by the Spirit of God.
The creeds, the most important of which are the Apostle's Creed and the Nicene Creed, include summaries of orthodox beliefs which were formulated in the early years of Christianity.
For Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Anglican Christians, the teachings of the early Church Fathers are seen as another important source of authority.
The Church
The Church is the community of Christian believers, formed by those who look to God's grace for their acceptance by God and one another.
The Church is understood as having four distinctive marks that characterise it.
It is:
one, in terms of the basic unity of all who confess Jesus as Lord;
holy, in terms of its belonging to the Lord and its living accordingly;
Catholic, in terms of its universal inclusivity of people of all kinds;
Apostolic, in terms of the continuity of its inheritance from the first disciples.
Baptism marks entry into the Christian Church. Among Anglican, Roman Catholic, Reformed, and Orthodox Christians, baptism is usually offered to babies or infants. Among Baptists, Pentecostals and others, baptism is seen as being appropriate only for those who can personally confess a Christian faith.
In those traditions that baptise babies and infants, the rite of confirmation is seen as an opportunity personally to affirm an infant baptism, although some Churches administer instead what they describe as "reception into membership".
Mission and Discipleship
Christians have a commitment to spread the message of Christianity. They understand this to be commanded by Jesus and Good News to announce. For some Christians, this commitment is expressed in terms of organised forms of mission activity.
The teaching of Jesus, in his Sermon on the Mount, is central to the form of discipleship to which Christians are called, which involves them in trying to follow the example and pattern of Jesus in their own lives.
Christianity has a strong tradition of social concern. Service to the hungry, the sick and the imprisoned is seen as being the authentic expression of Christian commitment and believing.
DIVERSITIES IN CHRISTIANITY
Any beliefs and practices are shared by all Christians. However, there are also distinct teachings and organisational forms for various Christian traditions, the largest of which are the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant and Pentecostal traditions.
Following Christianity's adoption as the official religion of the Roman Empire, the Empire began increasingly to become separated into Eastern and Western parts which was also mirrored in the development of differences between the Churches of the East and West.
A formal division opened up in 1054 leading to the development of the Western Catholic and Eastern Orthodox forms of Christianity.
With the Protestant Reformation, Western Christendom diversified further into national Churches closely aligned with local rulers and Free Churches that sought an independent congregational life separate from the structures of the state.
Catholic
The Catholic Church includes around half of all Christians in the world and sees itself as directly inheriting an apostolic line of succession from the earliest Christian leaders. It is led by the Pope.
Orthodox
The Orthodox Churches of Christianity see themselves as being in continuity with the undivided Church before its separation into Eastern and Western traditions.
Orthodox Churches are independently governed, each with their own leaders who are bound together by their recognition of an Ecumenical Patriatch, the Patriarch of Constantinople.
Protestants
Protestant Churches vary considerably, and especially concerning forms of Church organisation and government.
They emphasise the supremacy of scriptural authority and of faith in Jesus. They include the following denominational forms:
Baptist;
Brethren;
Congregationalist;
Lutheran;
Methodist;
Moravian;
Presbyterian;
Reformed;
Salvationist.
Churches of the Anglican tradition see themselves as both Reformed and Catholic. They are autonomous Churches that look for international leadership to the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Pentecostal
The Pentecostal tradition emerged within the broader Protestant tradition and additionally emphasises the possibility of contemporary sharing the spiritual gifts and experience of the earliest Christians.
Restorationist and House Church Movements have more recently emerged seeking what they believe to be more biblical forms of Church life.
In a number of parts of the world, but especially in Africa, indigenous forms of Christianity have developed and which are seen by many as more authentically inculturated expressions of the Christian faith than the traditions imparted by missionaries.
For more information on Christianity, its beliefs, practices, festivals, and forms of organisation in the United Kingdom, together with contact details for its local, regional and national organisations, see the chapter on "Introducing Christians in the UK", in P. Weller (ed), Religions in the UK: Directory, 2001-3, The Multi-Faith Centre, Derby, 2001.
© MultiFaithNet, 2004
An on-line service of the The Multi-Faith Centre at the University of Derby
Hinduism Faith Website
A SHORT INTRODUCTION TO HINDUISM
HINDU POPULATIONS
Global: c. 811,336,000 UK: c. 400,000-550,000
(Estimates taken from P.Weller (ed.), Religions in the UK: Directory 2001-03, The Multi-Faith Centre at the University of Derby, 2001, pp.33-35.)
BEGINNINGS OF HINDUISM
Hinduism has its origins in the Indian subcontinent, although the Hindu way of life is more often referred to by Hindus as the Sanatana Dharma (eternal way of life). Hinduism has no single founding figure or point of historical origin and Hindus perceive the Sanatana Dharma to be eternal. It has developed in very diverse schools of thought, religious practice and focii of devotion.
CENTRAL ASPECTS OF HINDUISM
The Divine
Hinduism includes both monotheists and monists. The Divine can be understood either as an impersonal Brahman (the Advaita position) or as a Supreme Person (the Dvaita position). Hinduism also has many devas and devis or gods and goddesses, which present aspects of the divine. Among these are:
Indra (god of rain)
Surya (sun god)
Chandra (moon god)
Ganesha (remover of obstacles)
Yama (god of death)
Sarasvati (goddess of learning)
Lakshmi (goddess of wealth)
Hanuman (the ardent devotee of Rama)
Murugan (who, with Ganesha, is one of the two sons of Shiva and Parvati).
Basic Concepts
Alongside the diversities of belief, philosophical orientation and practice which the Hindu tradition as a whole contains, it also shares a number of basic concepts.
Atman, the eternal principle which animaties all life and brings consciousness.
Moksha, the liberation which is the ultimate goal of all beings
Dharma, which can mean either "religion", "law", "duty" or "righteousness", depending on the context
Karma, which is that all actions have consequences that shape one's destiny
Maya, which is life in ignorance of the Sanatana Dharma (the eternal truth)
The Four Aims and Pathways
Hinduism sees human life in terms of four purusharthas or aims. These are:
dharma, which is concerned with religious life
artha, which is concerned with economic development
kama, which is an appropriate gratification of the senses
moksha, which is liberation from the cycle of birth and death
Hinduism also traditionally teaches that the spiritual life has four main pathways:
karma yoga, which is the way of action
jnana yoga, which is the way of knowledge
raja yoga, which is the way of self-control
bhakti yoga, which is the way of devotion
The Four Ashramas and Varnas
Hindu life is structured by what is known as Varnashrama Dharma, which is concerned with an understanding of one's personal and social roles within the totality of life. The four Ashramas are seen in ideal terms as the four stages through which a maturing human life should pass. Whilst in contemporary life it is not often lived precisely in these terms, its broad outlines remain a powerful influence upon the Hindu perception of life. The ashramas are those of the:
brahmacharin, or celibate student
grihastha/grihini, or householder
vanaprastha, or stage of retirement from society (traditionally into the forest)
sannyasin, or renunciant who breaks all social ties
The Four Varnas are traditionally seen as complementary in terms of both status and responsibility. Some Hindus see these in primarily hereditary terms, whilst others see them as more qualitative differences. The traditional varnas consist of:
Brahmins, comprising the intelligentsia and priests
Kshatriyas, comprising administrators and the military
Vaishyas, comprising the generators and distributors of material wealth
Sudras, comprising labourers and service workers.
Jatis
Associated with the broad, ideal classes of the four varnas, are many thousands of groups known as jatis, many of which are linked with traditional occupational groups. Examples include the following:
Patidars, which are traditionally, traders
Mochis, which are traditionally, shoemakers
Lohanas, which are traditionally, traders
Anavil Brahmins, which are traditionally, agriculturalists
Khattris, which are traditionally traders
Rarhi Brahmins, which are traditionally, priests
Baidyas, which are traditionally, doctors
Some jatis, officially known in India as the "scheduled castes" but now often preferring the self-description of Dalit (oppressed), were among those whom Mahatma Gandhi called Harijans, or children of God.
The Scriptures
There are two broad groupings of scriptures. The first group of sacred writings is known as the shruti (that which is heard) and the second is the smriti (that which is remembered). Some Hindus believe that the shruti and the smriti are on the same level, whilst the majority view is that the shruti are the more authoritative. The shruti include the four Vedas which are said, originally, to have been transmitted orally for many years before they were written down. The Four Vedas are the:
Rig Veda, containing mantras for use in worship
Sama Veda, containing sung mantras
Yajur Veda, also containing mantras, and instructions concerning worship the Atharva Veda, containing mantras to be used in various other ways
Each of the Vedas has four parts:
the Samhitas, concerned with recitation
the Brahmanas, concerned with ritual and sacrifice
the Aranyakas, concerned with the role of Vedic rituals in the cosmos
the Upanishads, concerned with the knowledge necessary for self-realisation
The smriti present Hindu teaching in widely accessible ways and have six parts:
Itihasa
Purana
Grihya Sutra
Vedanga
Dharma Shastra
Prasthana Vakya
The Itihasas, or stories, contain the two famous epics of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
The Ramayana tells the story of how King Rama fought against Ravana and the forces of evil. Rama and his wife Sita are, for many Hindus, models of right living.
The Mahabharata incorporates the Bhagavad Gita, or Song of the Blessed Lord, which is the record of a discourse between Krishna and Prince Arjuna and has become a centrally important scripture for many contemporary Hindus because of its teachings about dharma.
There are also, in addition, a range of other texts, including the Dharma Shastras, or law books and the Prasthana-vakyas, a range of literature which include, for example, the esoteric Tantras.
DIVERSITY WITHIN HINDUISM
Philosophical Systems
In classical Hinduism, there are six Darshanas or systems of Hindu philosophy, each of which focuses upon particular aspects of knowledge. These are the:
Mimamsa, which focuses upon action with responsibility
Nyaya, which focuses upon logic
Vaisheshika, which is concerned with analysing matter and its structure
Samkhya, which is concerned with how matter functions
Yoga, which offers training for the body and the mind
Vedanta, which is concerned with ultimate reality and spiritual knowledge
The Vedanta, literally meaning "the conclusion of all knowledge", is the most predominant among contemporary Hindus. It is, however, found in two main forms - the dvaita (dualist) and the advaita (monist).
Dvaita is a monotheistic understanding of the nature of the divine, seen in terms of an unlimited supreme personality, in which the divine and the human soul are seen as distinct even though they might enter into union.
Advaita is a monistic understanding in which there is no ultimate difference between the divine, understood as Brahman, and the human soul. Realisation of the identity between God and the soul that brings about liberation.
Brahman is seen to have been manifested in many different times and places.
Among its various schools of thought, the Vedanta encompasses a range of emphases, including:
Advaita Vedanta
Vishishta-Advaita
Navya Vishishta-Advaita
Shuddha-Dvaita
Dvaita-Advaita
Shuddha-Advaita
Achintya-Bhedha-Abheda
Shaiva Siddhanta
Sampradayas
In devotional practice, Hindus focus upon ishta-devata, their chosen deity. This focus of devotion is often associated with a particular sampradaya or movement.
Vaishnavas worship Vishnu in terms of the Dvaita understanding
Shaivas worship Shiva
Shaktas worship Shakti or Durga/Parvati/the Goddess
Swaminaryans build upon the teaching of Sahajananda Swami
Pushtimargis follow the teachings of Vallabha and worship Krishna
Krishna Consciousness follows the teachings of A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Arya Samajis devotees follow the teachings of Swami Dayananda Saraswati
There are many other groups and movements which have been informed by Hindu philosophy and practice, such as the Divine Life Society and the Transcendental Meditation movement.
For more information on the Hindu Faith, its beliefs, practices, festivals, and forms of organisation in the United Kingdom, together with contact details for its local, regional and national organisations, see the chapter on "Introducing Hindus in the UK", in P. Weller (ed), Religions in the UK: Directory, 2001-3, The Multi-Faith Centre, Derby, 2001.
© MultiFaithNet 2004An on-line service of The Multi-Faith Centre at the University of Derby
Islam Faith Website
A SHORT INTRODUCTION TO ISLAM
MUSLIM POPULATIONS:
Global: c.1,188,243,000. UK: c. 1,000,000-1,500,000
(Estimates taken from P.Weller (ed.), Religions in the UK: Directory 2001-03, The Multi-Faith Centre at the University of Derby, 2001, pp.33-35.)
BEGINNINGS OF ISLAM :
Over a period of twenty three years, from the age of forty, the Prophet Muhammad (570- 632CE) is believed by Muslims to have received a series of revelations from God through the Angel Jibreel (Gabriel).
The founding event of the Muslim community or 'Ummah, was Muhammad's 622CE five hundred kilometer migration, or Hijra, from Makka in Arabia to Madina. This marks the beginning of the Muslim dating system, "A.H." (after Hijra). From Arabia, Islam spread into the Indian sub-continent, Africa and Europe, growing especially strongly in India during the Moghul empire (1516-1707CE).
From India, Islam spread to Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and beyond.
CENTRAL ASPECTS OF ISLAM
Revelation
Islam is based on a belief in revealed truth. The revelations through Muhammad are not seen by Muslims as instituting a new faith. Muslims therefore affirm belief in the Torah of Moses and the Injil, or Gospel, of Jesus.
Muhammad is seen as the "seal" of the prophetic succession, bringing a revelation in the Arabic language which both called people back to the original teachings of the previous prophets and fulfilled them.
The core of Islam's revealed message is seen as "submission" to God. Islam has seven fundamental beliefs, as follows:
the oneness of God
the books revealed by God
the prophets
the angels
the Day of Judgement
life after death
the omnipotence of God
The Qur'an
The Qur'an is seen as a "miracle" and "sign" of God, containing the actual words of God. As the language in which it was revealed, Arabic is seen as very important for understanding its real meaning.
The opening "surah" or chapter of the Qur'an, called the Fatiha, is seen as providing a summary of Islam. It reads: "In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Praise to God, Lord of the Worlds, the Merciful, the Compassionate, King of the Day of Judgement. You alone we worship, you alone we beseech. Lead us in the straight path, the path of those upon whom is your grace, not of those upon whom is your wrath, nor of those who have gone astray."
Shari`ah
The Shari`ah (law) offers an integrated source of guidance for the daily life of Muslims. Together with the Qur'an, it has three other sources:
The Sunna as model example of the Prophet's life.
The Hadith, which are collections of recognised traditions recording Muhammad's words and actions, together with those of his companions.
Ijma, which is the process of attaining consensus in relation to the interpretation and application of Shari`ah where it might otherwise be unclear.
Ijtihad (the Sunni term) or `Aql (the Shi`a term) which refers to the use of reason. One form of this is Qiyas, or analogy. However, many Sunni Muslims argue that, in the tenth century CE, "the gates of ijtihad" became closed
The Five Pillars
The essentials of Muslim practice are set out in what are known as the "Five Pillars of Islam". These are:
Shahadah, the declaration that there is no god except God and that Muhammad is his messenger.
Salat, which is prescribed prayer conducted five times daily. These are:
Fajr, at dawn
Zuhr, at midday
Asr, in the afternoon
Maghrib, after sunset
Isha, in the night
Zakat, which is a contribution to the needy consisting of two and a half per cent of the total of an individual's annual income and savings (an additional contribution, known as Sadaqa al-Fitr, is expected during the month of Ramadan, once fasting is finished.
Ramadan, which is a month of spiritual dedication embodied in abstaining from food, drink and sexual intercourse from before dawn until after sunset.
Hajj, a pilgrimage to Makka, required once in a lifetime of those Muslims who can afford it. It includes a visit to the Ka`bah (the House of God) and involvement in a range of rituals in the neighbourhood of Makka.
DIVERSITY WITHIN ISLAM
Sunni
90% of the Muslims of world are Sunnis. The name Sunni relates to the "sunna" of Islamic law, and "Sunnis" therefore see themselves as ones who "adhere to the sunna".
The Caliphate (vice-regency) was established to lead the Muslim community following the death of Muhammad.
Sunni Muslims recognise Abu Bakr, `Umar, `Uthman and `Ali as al-khulafa ar-rashidun (the rightly guided Caliphs).
The Umayyad (661-750CE) dynasty (centred upon contemporary Syria) was followed by the Abbasid dynasty (centred upon Baghdad), but with a rival, second Umayyad dynasty being founded in Cordoba in Spain from 929CE.
This was followed by the Fatimid dynasty from 969CE, which was based in Cairo and survived into contemporary times with the Ottoman Empire.
Among Sunni Muslims four recognised madhahib or madhhabs (schools of law for applying the common usul al-fiqh or principles of Islamic jurisprudence) can be found. These recognise each another as authentically Islamic. They are:
The Hanafi predominates in India and the majority of the former Ottoman Empire, and can also be found in Egypt.
The Maliki predominates in West Africa and the Arab West, and can also be found in Egypt.
The Shafi`i predominates in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, and is also important in Egypt.
The Hanbali is found in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
There are also a number of groups and movements, each with their own particular emphases, although those who identify primarily with one or another tendency may also relate to others. Among Muslims with connection to South Asian origins these groups and movements include:
Barelwis
Deobandis
Tablighi Jamaat
Ahl-i-Hadith
Jamaat-i-Islami
Shi`a
The Shi`a tradition emerged from those early Muslims who argued against Abu Bakr and for `Ali ibn Abi Talib's appointment as the Prophet's successor. The word "Shi`ite" comes from "shiat `Ali", meaning "the follower of `Ali".
A series of disputes and wars developed until Husayn, who tried to lead a revolt to reinstate what he saw as the legitimacy of the Caliphate, was killed by the armies of the Caliph Yazid in the Battle of Karbala.
Husayn is seen as a model in the struggle against injustice and his death informed the distinctive motifs of suffering and persecution which can now be found in the Shi`a tradition.
The descendants of `Ali are seen as having special leadership roles. They are seen as Imams or Hujjah (Proofs of God), and are believed to be chosen by God to interpret the Qur`an and guide the community.
The Shi`a tradition also includes a number of schools, based on differences concerning the succession of Imams following Ali.
Twelvers (or `Ithna Asherites) are the majority grouping, who believe in a succession of twelve Imams. The last of these is believed to be still alive, although last seen in 873CE. He is thought to be waiting to appear as the Mahdi (Guided One).
The Seveners. The Ismailis are known as this because, following the first six Imams, they then affirm the Imamship of sixth Imam's eldest son. The Ismailis include Agha Khanis or Nizaris, who understand the Aga Khan to be their living Imam who will be succeeded by a member of his family.
Tasawwuf
Tasawwuf or Sufism is the mystical strand of Islam with which both some Sunni and Shi`ia Muslims identify. It is thought to derive from the Arabic word "suf", meaning wool.
Sufism emphasises the inner aspects of Islam as well as the external aspects based upon Shari`ah. It find organisational expression in a range of Sufi Orders, each of which are led by shaykhs or pirs and are linked by lines of spiritual initiation known as sisilahs. These Orders include the:
Naqshbandi
Chishti
Suhrawardi
For more information on Islam, its beliefs, practices, festivals, and forms of organisation in the United Kingdom, together with contact details for its local, regional and national organisations, see the chapter on "Introducing Muslims in the UK", in P. Weller (ed), Religions in the UK: Directory, 2001-3, The Multi-Faith Centre, Derby, 2001.
© MultiFaithNet, 2004An on-line service of The Multi-Faith Centre at the University of Derby
Jainism Faith Website
A SHORT INTRODUCTION TO JAINISM
JAIN POPULATIONS
Global: c. 4,218,000UK: c. 25,000-30,000
(Estimates taken from P.Weller (ed.), Religions in the UK: Directory 2001-03, The Multi-Faith Centre at the University of Derby, 2001, pp.33-35.)
THE BEGINNINGS OF JAINISM
Jainism originated in India, although its time of origin cannot be determined.
The word Jain derives from the title "Jina", meaning spiritual victor. This title, or that of Tirthankara (Ford-maker), was given to a succession of teachers who, through their own spiritual struggle, are believed attained kevalajnana or omniscience.
In the present cycle of the cosmos, Jains believe that there have been twenty-four Tirthankaras. Tirthankaras help others to cross over the floods of samsara (the cycle of birth and death).
Jains acknowledge Vardhamana (believed to have been born in 599BCE in contemporary Bihar, India), usually known by his title of Mahavira or Great Hero, as the twenty-fourth Tirthankara.
At the age of thirty Mahavira began a spiritual quest which, twelve years later, resulted in his attainment of kevalajnana and the founding of the fourfold order of sadhus (monks) and sadhvis (nuns), shravakas (laymen) and shravikas (laywomen).
CENTRAL ASPECTS OF JAINISM
Significance of Life
Jainism does not believe in a creator god, but views everything as eternal and beginningless, with change being only an appearance.
Jainism holds to the perspective of anekantavada or the multi-faceted nature of reality, in which the taking of an holistic view is advocated even when things are apparently in opposition to one another.
Life is seen as a hierarchy of being from plant life through to human beings, "hell beings" and "heavenly beings" and it is categorised according to the number of senses possessed by jivas or atmas (sentient beings or souls).
Jivas are distinguished from everything else that exists through their possession of consciousness.
Karma and Moksha
The principle of Karma teaches that the body inhibited by a soul in its next life is determined primarily by the soul's present actions and the volitions which inform them.
Jainism teaches that the human state is the only one from which moksha (release from the cycle of birth and death) is possible.
In Jain understanding, all actions that are chosen attract quantities of eight different forms of subtle karmic matter.
This accumulated matter is believed to diminish the soul's capacity for jnana (knowledge) and sukha (the experience of happiness).
The Three Jewels offer a graduated pathway towards moksha which both laypeople and mendicants can follow according to their vows. They are:
right faith
right knowledge
right conduct
Over many lifetimes, emancipation from destructive karmic matter can be achieved by one who then becomes known as an arhat (worthy of worship) or a kevalin (one who has attained omniscience), and on birth reaches the summit of the universe as a Siddha (Perfected Being).
Ethics
Ahimsa, or non-violence, is the central teaching of Jainism. It leads to avoiding all harm, including mental harm, to even the smallest being.
The anuvratas (five life-long minor vows) provide the framework for lay Jains who aspire to live according to this principle. These include:
ahimsa (non-harming)
satya (truthfulness)
asteya (not stealing)
brahmacharya (abstinence from sexual activity outside marriage)
aparigraha (keeping possessions within limits)
The path to true emancipation is believed to begin with renunciation of the household in order to become a sadhu (monk) or sadhvi (nun). This is marked by taking the mahavratas (the great vows) which are stricter applications of the principles of the anuvratas.
Jains offer puja (worship) at their home three times daily, before dawn, at sunset and, at night. The most important mantra used is the Panca-namaskara-mantra which states: "I pay homage to the Arhats (the living omniscient beings), Siddhas (the perfected beings), Acharyas (the Jain mendicant leaders), Upadhyayas (Jain mendicant teachers) and the Sadhus (all other Jain ascetics)".
Scriptures
Jain scriptures are composed of around sixty texts, known as the Shruta, Agamas or Siddhanta (doctrine) which incorporate the teachings of Mahavira and other Tirthankaras, with the majority of the texts being written in the ancient language of Ardhamagadhi:
The Purvas are believed to include oral traditions of the previous Tirthankaras. Digambara Jains see some of this material as the basis for the Shat Khanda-Agama (the Scripture in Six Parts), whilst Shvetambara Jains believe this material to have been lost.
The Angas are traditionally held by the Digambaras to have twelve books, based on the teachings of Mahavira, but which are no longer available in their original form.
The Angabahya is a collection of later, subsidiary texts, which mainly develop material found in the Angas.
There are also other texts, such as the Tattvartha Sutra, which is seen by contemporary Jains as summarising the key features of Jain teaching and as providing the basis for contemporary Jain education.
DIVERSITY IN JAINISM
The Shvetambara and the Digambara are the names of the two main monastic traditions in Jainism which are also used in respect of their lay followers. The distinction between these groups emerged in the third and fifth centuries CE.
Shvetambara
The majority of Jains, including around 2,500 monks and 5,000 nuns in India, are Shvetambara (white-robed). Monks and nuns in this tradition wear three pieces of white clothing and also have a set of begging bowls and a rajoharana (small woollen whisk-broom) used to avoid harming insects.
The Shvetambara include groups such as the Sthanakvasis, as well as the Terapanthis who are a sub-group of the Sthanakvasis, and are characterised by the wearing of a muhpatti (piece of cloth) over their mouths to avoid harming even with the tiniest living beings in the air. Digambara
Digambara (meaning "sky-clad") monks have no property, although they can carry a whisk-broom of peacock-feathers and a gourd for water to wash with. Digambara nuns wear a white sari.
There are only a few hundred Digambara monks and nuns in India and the practical leadership of the community draws upon the work of lay scholars and advanced laymen.
For more information on the Jain Faith, its beliefs, practices, festivals, and forms of organisation in the United Kingdom, together with contact details for its local, regional and national organisations, see the chapter on "Introducing Jains in the UK", in P. Weller (ed), Religions in the UK: Directory, 2001-3, The Multi-Faith Centre, Derby, 2001.
© MultiFaithNet, 2004An on-line service of The Multi-Faith Centre at the University of Derby.
Judaism Faith Website
A SHORT INTRODUCTION TO JUDAISM
JEWISH POPULATIONS
Global: c. 14,434,000 UK: c. 283,000.
(Estimates taken from P.Weller (ed.), Religions in the UK: Directory 2001-03, The Multi-Faith Centre at the University of Derby, 2001, pp.33-35.)
BEGINNINGS OF JUDAISM
The historical roots of Judaism are traced by Jews to a Brit, or covenant, through which God is believed to have formed a permanent relationship with the community.
This was first of all through Abraham, who is seen as the patriarch of the Jewish people, and then through the giving at Mount Sinai of the Torah, or law, to Moses.
The Exodus of the Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt is seen as constituitive of the Jewish people who, following this and the receipt of the Torah, conquered the land of Canaan which they believed was a land promised to them by God.
Following their establishment in the Promised Land and the building of a Temple as a focus of worship in Jerusalem, the Jewish experience became one of exile.
Initially, there was the 586BCE Babylonian conquest and exile and later, after the restoration of a Jewish kingdom and the rebuilding of the Temple, the destruction of the Temple by the Roman Empire in 70 CE, leading to a further diaspora or dispersion of the people.
By the twentieth century there were Jewish communities in many countries throughout the world. But in 1948, following the Holocaust of European Jewry, the modern State of Israel was founded and once more became a central focus of Jewish life.
CENTRAL ASPECTS OF JUDAISM
Torah and Halakah
Judaism is rooted in the Torah which contains 613 commandments or mitzvot which are seen as the revelation of God and the basis of the covenantal relationship between God and the people, leading to a community life centred upon the interpretation and practice of the Halakhah (Jewish law).
For male Jewish babies, this covenantal relationship is initially signified by the rite of circumcision. At the age of thirteen there is the Barmitzvah (son of commandment) ceremony in which a young adult becomes a fully responsible member of the community.
In Progressive Judaism this has been paralleled by the introduction of Batmitzvah (daughter of commandment ceremony) ceremony for females.
To remind Jews of the centrality of the Torah, Jewish homes have on their doorframes a mezuzah or parchment scroll in a small hollow box, which contains the first paragraphs of the Shema, or basic prayer of Jewish belief.
Scriptures
The Torah consists of the five books of Moses:
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
The Jewish scriptures also include the books, known as the Nevi'im, of the prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and others; historical books such as Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings; other texts like Ruth and Esther, known as the Ketuvim; and also the Psalms, Proverbs and Song of Songs.
Talmud
The tradition is seen as a living one, the interpretation and application of which is collected in the Talmud, which is organised into two parts, the Mishnah and the Gemara and Orthodox Jews believe this tradition which includes oral material originally also revealed at Sinai.
The Mishnah comprises six sedarim, or orders:
zera'im, which contains prayers and agricultural laws
mo'ed, which treats matters concerned with the Shabbat and festivals
nashim, which covers marital and divorce laws
nezikin, which is a book of civil and criminal law
kodashim, which contains the laws of sacrifice and Temple ritual
tohorot, which contains laws on personal and religious purity.
The Gemara comments on, and discusses, the Mishnah. The legal material in the Talmud is known as Halakhah, whilst the non-legal materials are known as the Aggadah.
Midrash
Following the destruction of the Temple in 70CE, a rabbinic form of Judaim developed. Midrash is rabbinic teaching on the Bible, some of which may date from 400-500CE, but which in later collections reflects considerable development of the tradition.
Ethical Monotheism
Judaism is a monotheistic religion in which the oneness and righteousness of God is proclaimed.
As a consequence, the tradition has a strong emphasis on peace and justice and Jews have looked forwards to the promise of God's kingdom being established on earth, a conviction that has traditionally been conneced with belief in a coming Mashiach or Messiah.
The Land
There has always been a strong connection between Judaism and the Land of Israel. Even when much of the physicality of that connection was broken by exile, it remained a focus of hope and longing.
For many Jewish people this is expressed today in some form of Zionism, which is understood within the Jewish community as a movement to end centuries of exile.
However, some Haredim (or Ultra-Orthodox) distinguish between the state of Israel and the Land on the basis that a secular state cannot be religiously significant.
Shabbat and Kashrut
The weekly Shabbat, or Sabbath, is at the heart of Jewish individual and corporate life. In its abstainance from work, it reflects the seventh day of creation in which God is said to have rested from creating the world.
The interpretation of what work entails varies within Judaism, but among all it is intended to be a time of shared joy. Another permeative dimension of Jewish life is its food regulations, in terms of what is kosher (permitted) or treif (forbidden).
DIVERSITES IN JUDAISM
Communal belonging is an important part of Jewish identity and anyone born of a Jewsh mother, or anyone who has converted to Judaism, is traditionally understood to be Jewish. Nevertheless, there are diversities within the religious traditions of the Jewish community.
Orthodox Judaism
The Orthodox see the Torah and the Talmud as containing God's literal words which must be applied equally in all times and place. Orthodoxy includes:
Hasidim, who originated with followers of the teachings of Israel ben Eliezer
Haredim, sometimes refered to by others as Ultra-Orthodox
Progressive
Progressive Jews believe in the divine inspiration of the Torah but also, since it was recorded by human beings in a particular time and space, that it is necessary to reinterpret it in changing times and conditions.
Progressive Judaism includes
Reform Judaism, established in early nineteenth century.
Liberal Judaism, originally an historical offshoot of the Reform movement
Conservative
Conservative Jews wish to remain strongly committed to the Halakhah whilst accepting the inevitability of its contextualised application.
For more information on the Jewish Faith, its beliefs, practices, festivals, and forms of organisation in the United Kingdom, together with contact details for its local, regional and national organisations, see the chapter on "Introducing Jews in the UK", in P. Weller (ed), Religions in the UK: Directory, 2001-3, The Multi-Faith Centre, Derby, 2001.
© MultiFaithNet, 2004An on-line service of The Multi-Faith Centre at the University of Derby
Sikhism Faith Website
A SHORT INTRODUCTION TO SIKHISM
SIKH POPULATIONS
Global: c.23,258,000 UK: c. 350,000-500,000
(Estimates taken from P.Weller (ed.), Religions in the UK: Directory 2001-03, The Multi-Faith Centre at the University of Derby, 2001, pp.33-35.)
BEGINNINGS OF SIKHISM
Sikhism is rooted in the teachings of the ten Gurus, the first of which was Guru Nanak Dev (1469-1539), who was born at Talwandi in the Punjab. At the age of around thirty, he received a call to preach the Word of God.
His message emphasised the oneness of God and the importance of honesty and integrity in the practice of any religion. The community which he founded became known as Sikhs, meaning disciples, or learners.
In 1699, the tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, instituted Amrit Pahul which initiates Sikhs into the Khalsa Panth, the community of initiated Sikhs.
CENTRAL ASPECTS OF SIKHISM
The Nature of Sikhism
The Rahit Maryada is the Sikh Code of Conduct published by the Amritsar-based Shromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee which organises and administers many gurdwaras, hospitals and other Sikh institutions within the Punjab.
The Rahit Maryada defines a Sikh as a believer in the following:
Akal Purakh (the one immortal God)
the ten Gurus
the Guru Granth Sahib
the Gurbani
Amrit Pahul and adheres to no other religion
The Divine
Sikhism is monotheistic and God is known among Sikhs by a variety of names including Ram, Mohan, Gobind, Hari, Nirankar, although Satnam (meaning "true name") and Waheguru (meaning "Wonderful Lord") are among the most used.
The Mul Mantar is seen as encapsulating the heart of Sikhism. It states: "There is but One God, the Eternal Truth, the Creator, without fear, without enmity, timeless, immanent, beyond birth and death, self-existent: by the grace of the Guru, made known."
The Gurus
The Ten Gurus and their teaching, known as the Gurbani or Gurshabad, is viewed as a unity. The Ten Gurus are:
Guru Nanak Dev (1469-1539)
Guru Angad Dev (1504-1552)
Guru Amar Das (1479-1574)
Guru Ram Das (1534-1581)
Guru Arjan Dev (1563-1606)
Guru Hargobind (1595-1644)
Guru Har Rai (1631-1661)
Guru Har Krishan (1656-1664)
Guru Tegh Bahadur (1622-1675)
Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708)
After the tenth Guru, the Guru Granth Sahib is seen as embodying the living and authoritative Word of God, whilst temporal authority is seen as vested in the Khalsa Panth, instituted with the initiation of the Panj Pyare (the five beloved ones) by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699.
Scriptures
The Guru Granth Sahib is a title of honour for scriptures which are otherwise known as the Adi Granth and are written in the Gurmurkhi script.
The Dasam Granth is also an important book which incorporates the work of a number of poets and also writings of Guru Gobind Singh.
Khalsa Panth
The Khalsa Panth is seen as a community of equality that recognises no distinction of caste or gender. One who has taken amrit is known as an Amritdhari Sikh.
Keshdhari is a term that can be used of Sikhs who adopt a beard, uncut hair and turban whether or not they have taken amrit.
Those who believe in Sikhism, but have not yet been initiated or who have lapsed in their practise are sometimes known as Sahajdhari (literally, "slow adopters").
Along with other personal and family names which they may use, all Sikh men have the religious name of Singh, which means "lion", whilst Sikh women have the religious name of Kaur, meaning princess.
Being a member of the Khalsa Panth is outwardly marked by the wearing of the 5 Ks of Sikhism, each of which is understood to be of spiritual and practical significance.
They are known as the 5Ks because the Punjabi for each word begins with the "k" sound. The 5 Ks are:
Kesh (uncut bodily hair - the hair on the head usually being tied up in the distinctive turban)
Kangha (a small comb worn in the hair)
Kara (a steel bracelet)
Kachhahera (also known as kachchha or kachha - a garnment of knee length and normally worn under other clothes)
Kirpan (a ceremonial sword)
Ethics
Sikhs are called upon to live according to the Rahit Nama, or Code of Discipline, which is believed to interpret the Gurbani and to be based upon the teachings of Guru Gobind Singh.
Human life is seen as the opportunity for achieving mukti, or freedom from the cycle of rebirth, based upon the karam (actions and their consequences) of this life.
The barriers to this are seen as:
kaumai (self-centredness)
kam (lust)
karodh (anger)
lobh (greed)
moh (worldly attachment)
hankar (pride)
To overcome these barriers, the following qualities are needed:
santokh (contentment)
dan (charity)
daya (kindness)
parsanta (happiness)
nimarta (humility)
Sikhism has identified five stages on the journey to the divine:
Dharam Khand (realisation of spiritual duty)
Gian Khand (divine knowledge)
Saram Khand (wisdom and effort)
Karam Khand (divine grace)
Sach Khand (truth)
Worship
Nam Japna, or meditation on God, is seen by Sikhs as both an important individual and congregational activity, with sadh sangat (congregational worship) being seen as particularly important.
The spiritual life is seen as being something to be lived fully within this world, including marriage, family and work.
The central principles of Sikh living are:
nam japna (reciting the name)
kirat karna (earning a living by honest means)
vand chhakna (sharing with the needy)
sewa (service to the wider community)
DIVERSITY WITHIN SIKHISM
Sikhism does not acknowledge the validity of traditions based on varying doctrines, although there are groupings whose roots are to be found in various revivalist movements founded by individuals known by such titles as Sant, Bhai or Baba.
Within the community, there are also social groupings, such as Ramgarhia and Bhatra, which are related to economic categories and family histories.
There are also a range of groups and movements which understand themselves as being within the Sikh community but whose self-understanding in this regard is disputed.
For more information on Sikhism, its beliefs, practices, festivals, and forms of organisation in the United Kingdom, together with contact details for its local, regional and national organisations, see the chapter on "Introducing Sikhs in the UK", in P. Weller (ed), Religions in the UK: Directory, 2001-3, The Multi-Faith Centre, Derby, 2001
© MultiFaithNet, 2004An on-line service of The Multi-Faith Centre at the University of Derby.
Zoroastrianism Faith Website
A SHORT INTRODUCTION TO ZOROASTRIANISM
ZOROASTRIAN POPULATIONS
Global: c. 2,544,000UK: c. 5,000-10,000 (Estimates taken from P.Weller (ed.), Religions in the UK: Directory 2001-03, The Multi-Faith Centre at the University of Derby, 2001, pp.33-35.)
THE BEGINNINGS OF ZOROASTRIANISM
The word Zoroastrianism is derived from the name of Zoroaster, the Greek form of the prophet Zarathushtra's name. Zoroastrianism is also known as Zarathushtrianism and as Mazdayasni Zarthushti/ Zartoshti.
The founder of Zoroastrianism was the prophet Zarathushtra who lived in North Eastern Iran, according to some in the community around 6,000BCE, whilst other Zoroastrians and many external academics argue for a period around 1,200BCE.
Zarathushtra was a zaotar, or priest, within his country's traditional religion. But at the age of thirty he received a vision which led to his proclamation of a prophetic message based on ethical imperatives and experiential religion.
Zoroastrianism became the religion of the Iranian empires of the Achaemenids (559-331BCE), the Parthians (mid second century BCE - 224CE) and the Sasanians (224-652CE).
CENTRAL ASPECTS OF ZOROASTRIANISM
The Divine
Zarathushtra proclaimed the worship of Ahura Mazda (the Wise Lord or the Lord of Wisdom) who is believed to have created a good world consisting of seven elements of creation: the sky, waters, earth, plants, cattle, humans, and fire.
Because fire (Atar or Adur/Adar) is used in many Zoroastrian ceremonies, some people have erroneously described Zoroastrians as "fire worshippers". However, fire is not worshipped, but is seen as sacred force which is the source of all energy and the symbol of truth and righteousness.
The Creation
Zoroastrians believe the elements of creation to be guarded by the Amesha Spentas (Bounteous Immortals), who are, as follows:
Vohu Manah or Bahman (Good Mind), the guardian of cattle
Asha Vahishta or Ardibehesht (Best Order/Truth and Righteousness), the guardian of fire
Kshathra Vairya or Shahrevar (Divine Kingdom/ Dominion), the guardian of sky
Spenta Armaiti or Aspandarmad (Bounteous Devotion), the guardian of earth
Haurvatat or Khordad (Wholeness), the guardian of water
Ameretat or Amardad (Immortality), the guardian of plants.
The Amesha Spentas, in turn, brought forth the yazatas or Adorable Ones, three or four of which assist each of the Amesha Spentas in guarding the well-being of the seven good creations.
Evil is seen as the work of Angra Mainyu (the Destructive Spirit) which is characterised by the operation of anger, greed, jealousy and destruction in the world.
Classical Zoroastrian belief awaited the coming the Saoshyant (Saviour) to raise the dead ready for judgement, following which the world would return to its original perfection. This is known by Zoroastrians as the Frasho-keriti (Making Wonderful). Initiation
The initiation ceremony for the children of Zoroastrian parents is known as Navjote (Gujarati meaning "new birth") or Sedreh-Pushi (Farsi meaning "wearing sedreh") which usually takes place prior to puberty, between the age of seven and eleven.
Those who are initiated are given the sudreh, which is a sacred shirt, worn to symbolise purity and vohumanah or good purpose; and the kushti or koshti, a sacred cord which is worn over the sudreh. Both are seen as protection in the struggle against evil.
Ethics
Ahura Mazda is seen as the source of asha (truth, righteousness, order, justice) and vohu manah (good mind) and Zarathushtra called people to live by a tripartite ethic, consisting of:
humata (good thoughts)
hukhta (good words)
hvarshta (good deeds)
Human beings are called upon to participate in the life of the creation which is seen as fundamentally good. They are seen as having freedom in, and accountability for, their actions in this life, and thus as contributors to the cosmic struggle between good and evil.
Worship
The Fravarane is a key prayer of Zoroastrianism and commences with the words: "Come to my aid, O Mazda! I profess myself a worshipper of Mazda, I am a Zoroastrian worshipper of Mazda."
For regular devotions, the day is divided into five Gah or Geh (times), as follows:
Havan (from sunrise to noon)
Rapithwan (from noon till 3.00pm)
Uziren (from 3.00pm to sunset)
Aiwisruthrem (from sunset to midnight)
Ushahen (from midnight to sunrise).
Scriptures
The main Zoroastrian scriptures are known as the Avesta. This is based on an orally transmitted tradition eventually written down in the fifth or sixth century CE, which exists today exist as only about a quarter of their original material.
The Avesta has five parts:
The Yasna Includes seventeen Gathas, or hymns of Zarathushtra.
The Yashts Compositions addressed to the yazatas/yazads.
The Vendidad (or Videvdat) A book of rules and laws.
The Visperad Supplements the Yasna and is used in the gahanbar festivals of Zoroastrianism which celebrate the powers of creation.
The Khordeh Avesta An extract from the Avesta.
DIVERSITY IN ZOROASTRIANISM
The Parsis or Parsees settled in Gujarat, in India, from 936CE onwards, following the Arab conquest of parts of north-eastern Iran.
Whilst the basic tenets of Zoroastrianism are shared among both Iranian Zoroastrians and Parsis, some differences of both practice and interpretation have also developed as, for example, in respect of the Zoroastrian religious calendar and festivals.
For more information on Zoroastrianism, its beliefs, practices, festivals, and forms of organisation in the United Kingdom, together with contact details for its local, regional and national organisations, see the chapter on "Introducing Zoroastrians in the UK", in P. Weller (ed), Religions in the UK: Directory, 2001-3, The Multi-Faith Centre, Derby, 2001
© MultiFaithNet, 2004
An on-line service of the Multi-Faith Centre at the University of Derby
Interfaith Website
A SHORT INTRODUCTION TO INTER-FAITH ACTIVITY
Origins of Organised Inter-Faith Activity
As alternatives to the word "inter-faith", one can find the use of "multi-faith" or "inter-religious".
Whilst there are sometimes concerns that closer relationships between different religions will lead to a "syncretism" which blurs the distinctiveness of each religion, in the contemporary pluralist world, many see positive inter-faith relations as a necessity for global survival and for the integrity of each religion.
Modern, organised, inter-faith activity began with the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893.
Another early initiative was the Religions of the Empire Conference, organised by Sir Denison Ross in 1924
In 1936, Sir Francis Younghusband organised the World Congress of Faiths (which eventually became an inter-faith organisation that is currently still active)
Kinds of Inter-Faith Activity
Inter-faith activity can have a variety of motives, including:
a means towards social harmony and friendship
a means to secure greater social and religious acceptance
an obligation of one's own religion
a desire to share the riches of one's own tradition with others
the importance of better understanding of other religious traditions
a hope for closer growth together of the religions
Some inter-faith activity is primarily individual; some is "representative" of the traditions that are participating.
Some inter-faith activity is specificlly oriented towards social and political issues, some is focused more on prayer and meditation.
Some is bi-lateral (eg. Jewish-Christian); some is tri-lateral (eg. Jewish, Christian, Muslim); some is multi-lateral.
At local levels, there are a whole range and variety of organisations known as either "groups", "councils" or "fellowships", as appropriate to their membership and activities.
For more information on Inter-Faith in the United Kingdom, together with contact details for its local, regional and national organisations, see the chapter on "Inter-Faith Activity in the UK", in P. Weller (ed), Religions in the UK: Directory, 2001-3, The Multi-Faith Centre, Derby, 2001.
© MultiFaithNet, 2004An on-line service of The Multi-Faith Centre at the University of Derby
Other Religious Faiths
OTHER RELIGIOUS FAITHS
EXPLANATORY NOTE
The inclusion, at a later date, of materials on more religious communitites and groups is not precluded. However MultiFaithNet initially focuses on a range of generally acknowledged world religious traditions and communities, ie. Bahá'í, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jain, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh and Zoroastrian communities and traditions, as well as on inter-faith and multi-faith initiatives.
There are a number of religious communities and groups that have some, albeit often disputed, historical or doctrinal relationships with the above traditions and communities rooted in conflicting self-understandings.
There are movements and groups that see themselves as more universalistic spiritual traditions which can include members of different religious traditions. Also, there are traditions of indigenous religion and spirituality.
Finally, there are those forms of religious life often called "New Religious Movements." Given the amount and range of Internet materials on "New Religious Movements" the project will, in future, examine the possibility of including materials on these traditions and groups, both because of their social and religious significance and because Internet users might particularly benefit from MultiFaithNet's signposting function with respect to these materials.
For the moment, the scope of MultiFaithNet is restricted to those listed in the first paragraph above, building upon the project's current expertise and range of consultants. Those who are particularly interested in the so-called "New Religious Movements" are referred to: INFORM (Information Network on New Religious Movements) Houghton Street London WC2A 2AE Tel: 020-7955-7564
For more information on Other Faiths, its beliefs, practices, festivals, and forms of organisation in the United Kingdom, together with contact details for local, regional and national organisations, see the chapter on "Other Relgious Communities and Groups", in P. Weller (ed), Religions in the UK: Directory, 2001-3, The Multi-Faith Centre, Derby, 2001.
© MultiFaithNet, 2004An online service of the Multi-Faith Centre at the University of Derby
Dialogue Decalogue, provided by Dr Leonard Swidler of Temple University (Pennsylvania)
(It should be noted that the term, ‘Commandment,’ as originally utilised within this text, has been replaced within the term, ‘Protocol,’ so as to abstain from causing offence pertaining any confusion with the manner in which the term, ‘Commandment,’ has been utilised within certain religious traditions, specifically Christianity and Judaism).
The Dialogue Decalogue
GROUND RULES FOR INTERRELIGIOUS, INTERIDEOLOGICAL DIALOGUE
by Dr. Leonard Swidler, Editor of the 'Journal of Ecumenical Studies' and Professor of Catholic Thought and Interreligious Dialogue at Temple University
Dialogue is a conversation on a common subject between two or more persons with differing views, the primary purpose of which is for each participant to learn from the other so that he or she can change and grow. This very definition of dialogue embodies the first commandment of dialogue.
In the religious-ideological sphere in the past, we came together for discussion with those differing with us -- for example, Catholics with Protestants -- either to defeat an opponent, or to learn about an opponent so as to deal more effectively with him or her, or at best to negotiate with him or her. If we faced each other at all, it was in confrontation -- sometimes more openly polemically, sometimes more subtly so, but always with the ultimate goal of defeating the other, because we were convinced that we alone had the absolute truth.
But dialogue is not debate. In dialogue each partner must listen to the other as openly and sympathetically as he or she can in an attempt to understand the other's position as precisely and, as it were, as much from within, as possible. Such an attitude automatically includes the assumption that at any point we might find the partner's position so persuasive that, if we would act with integrity, we would have to change, and change can be disturbing.
We are here, of course, speaking of a specific kind of dialogue, an interreligious, interideological dialogue. To have such, it is not sufficient that the dialogue partners discuss a religious- ideological subject, that is, the meaning of life and how to live accordingly. Rather, they must come to the dialogue as persons somehow significantly identified with a religious or ideological community. If I were neither a Christian nor a Marxist, for example, I could not participate as a `partner' in Christian-Marxist dialogue, though I might listen in, ask some questions for information, and make some helpful comments.
It is obvious that interreligious, interideological dialogue is something new under the sun. We could not conceive of it, let alone do it in the past. How, then, can we effectively engage in this new thing? The following are some basic ground rules, or 'commandments,' of interreligious, interideological dialogue that must be observed if dialogue is actually to take place. These are not theoretical rules, or commandments given from 'on high,' but ones that have been learned from hard experience.
FIRST PROTOCOL: The primary purpose of dialogue is to learn, that is, to change and grow in the perception and understanding of reality, and then to act accordingly.
Minimally, the very fact that I learn that my dialogue partner believes 'this' rather than 'that' proportionally changes my attitude toward her; and a change in my attitude is a significant change in me. We enter into dialogue so that we can learn, change, and grow, not so we can force change on the other, as one hopes to do in debate ' a hope realized in inverse proportion to the frequency and ferocity with which debate is entered into. On the other hand, because in dialogue each partner comes with the intention of learning and changing herself, one's partner in fact will also change. Thus the goal of debate, and much more, is accomplished far more effectively by dialogue.
SECOND PROTOCOL: Interreligious, interideological dialogue must be a two-sided project within each religious or ideological community and between religious or ideological communities.
Because of the 'corporate' nature of interreligious dialogue, and since the primary goal of dialogue is that each partner learn and change himself, it is also necessary that each participant enter into dialogue not only with his partner across the faith line -- the Lutheran with the Anglican, for example -- but also with his co- religionists, with his fellow Lutherans, to share with them the fruits of the interreligious dialogue. Only thus can the whole community eventually learn and change, moving toward an ever more perceptive insight into reality.
THIRD PROTOCOL: Each participant must come to the dialogue with complete honesty and sincerity.
It should be made clear in what direction the major and minor thrusts of the tradition move, what the future shifts might be, and, if necessary, where the participant has difficulties with her own tradition. No false fronts have any place in dialogue.
Conversely each participant must assume a similar complete honesty and sincerity in the other partners. Not only will the absence of sincerity prevent dialogue from happening, but the absence of the assumption of the partner's sincerity will do so as well. In brief ' no trust, no dialogue.
FOURTH PROTOCOL: In interreligious, interideological dialogue, we must not compare our ideals with our partner's practice, but rather our ideals with our partner's ideals, our practice with our partner's practice.
FIFTH PROTOCOL: Each participant must define himself.
Only the Jew, for example, can define what it means to be a Jew. The rest can only describe what it looks like from the outside. Moreover, because dialogue is a dynamic medium, as each participant learns, he will change and hence continually deepen, expand, and modify his self-definition as a Jew ' being careful to remain in constant dialogue with fellow Jews. Thus it is mandatory that each dialogue partner define what it means to be an authentic member of his own tradition.
Conversely, the one interpreted must be able to recognize herself in the interpretation. This is the golden rule of interreligious hermeneutics, as has been often reiterated by the 'apostle of interreligious dialogue,' Raimundo Panikkar. For the sake of understanding, each dialogue participant will naturally attempt to express for herself what she thinks is the meaning of the partner's statement; the partner must be able to recognize herself in that expression. The advocate of 'a world theology,' Wilfred Cantwell Smith, would add that the expression must also be verifiable by critical observers who are not involved.
SIXTH PROTOCOL: Each participant must come to the dialogue with no hard-and-fast assumptions as to where the points of disagreement are.
Rather, each partner should not only listen to the other partner with openness and sympathy but also attempt to agree with the dialogue partner as far as is possible while still maintaining integrity with his own tradition; where he absolutely can agree no further without violating his own integrity, precisely there is the real point of disagreement -- which most often turns out to be different from the point of disagreement that was falsely assumed ahead of time.
SEVENTH PROTOCOL: Dialogue can take place only between equals, or 'par cum pari,' as Vatican II put it.
Both must come to learn from each other. Therefore, if, for example, the Muslim views Hinduism as inferior, or if the Hindu views Islam as inferior, there will be no dialogue. If authentic interreligious, interideological dialogue between Muslims and Hindus is to occur, then both the Muslim and the Hindu must come mainly to learn from each other; only then will it be 'equal with equal.' This rule also indicates that there can be no such thing as a one-way dialogue. For example, Jewish-Christian discussions begun in the 1960's were mainly only prolegomena to interreligious dialogue. Understandably and properly, the Jews came to these exchanges only to teach Christians, although the Christians came mainly to learn. But, if authentic interreligious dialogue between Christians and Jews is to occur, then the Jews must also come mainly to learn; only will it then too be 'par cum pari.'
EIGHTH PROTOCOL: Dialogue can take place only on the basis of mutual trust.
Although interreligious, interideological dialogue must occur with some kind of 'corporate' dimension, that is, the participants must be involved as members of a religious or ideological community -- for instance, as Marxists or Taoists -- it is also fundamentally true that it is only persons who can enter into dialogue. But a dialogue among persons can be built only on personal trust. Hence it is wise not to tackle the most difficult problems in the beginning, but rather to approach first those issues most likely to provide some common ground, thereby establishing the basis of human trust. Then, gradually, as this personal trust deepens and expands, the more thorny matters can be undertaken. Thus, as in learning we move from the known to the unknown, so in dialogue we proceed from commonly held matters -- which, given our mutual ignorance resulting from centuries of hostility, will take us quite some time to discover fully -- to discuss matters of disagreement.
NINTH PROTOCOL: Persons entering into interreligious, interideological dialogue must be at least minimally self-critical of both themselves and their own religious or ideological traditions.
A lack of such self-criticism implies that one's own tradition already has all the correct answers. Such an attitude makes dialogue not only unnecessary, but even impossible, since we enter into dialogue primarily so 'we' can learn -- which obviously is impossible if our tradition has never made a misstep, if it has all the right answers. To be sure, in interreligious, interideological dialogue one must stand within a religious or ideological tradition with integrity and conviction, but such integrity and conviction must include, not exclude, a healthy self-criticism. Without it there can be no dialogue -- and, indeed, no integrity.
TENTH PROTOCOL: Each participant eventually must attempt to experience the partner's religion or ideology 'from within;' for a religion or ideology is not merely something of the head, but also of the spirit, heart, and 'whole being,' individual and communal. John Dunne here speaks of 'passing over' into another's religious or ideological experience and then coming back enlightened, broadened, and deepened. As Raimundo Panikkar notes, 'To know what a religion says, we must understand what it says, but for this we must somehow believe in what it says:' for example, 'A Christian will never fully understand Hinduism if he is not, in one way or another, converted to Hinduism. Nor will a Hindu ever fully understand Christianity unless he, in one way or another, becomes Christian.'
Interreligious, interideological dialogue operates in three areas: the practical, where we collaborate to help humanity; the depth or 'spiritual' dimension, where we attempt to experience the partner's religion or ideology 'from within'; the cognitive, where we seek understanding and truth. Interreligious, interideological dialogue also has three phases. In the first phase we unlearn misinformation about each other and begin to know each other as we truly are. In phase two we begin to discern values in the partner's tradition and wish to appropriate them into our own tradition. For example, in the Buddhist-Christian dialogue Christians might learn a greater appreciation of the meditative tradition, and Buddhists might learn a greater appreciation of the prophetic, social justice tradition -- both values traditionally strongly, though not exclusively, associated with the other's community. If we are serious, persistent, and sensitive enough in the dialogue, we may at times enter into phase three. Here we together begin to explore new areas of reality, of meaning, and of truth, of which neither of us had even been aware before. We are brought face to face with this new, as-yet-unknown-to-us dimension of reality only because of questions, insights, probings produced in the dialogue. We may thus dare to say that patiently pursued dialogue can become an instrument of new 're-velation,' a further 'un-veiling' of reality ' on which we must then act.
There is something radically different about phase one on the one hand and phases two and three on the other. In the latter we do not simply add on quantitatively another 'truth' or value from the partner's tradition. Instead, as we assimilate it within our own religious self-understanding, it will proportionately transform our self-understanding. Since our dialogue partner will be in a similar position, we will then be able to witness authentically to those elements of deep value in our own tradition that our partner's tradition may well be able to assimilate with self-transforming profit. All this of course will have to be done with complete integrity on each side, each partner remaining authentically true to the vital core of his/her own religious tradition. However, in significant ways that vital core will be perceived and experienced differently under the influence of the dialogue, but, if the dialogue is carried on with both integrity and openness, the result will be that, for example, the Jew will be authentically Jewish and the Christian will be authentically Christian, not despite the fact that Judaism and/or Christianity have been profoundly 'Buddhized,' but because of it. And the same is true of a Judaized and/or Christianized Buddhism. There can be no talk of a syncretism here, for syncretism means amalgamating various elements of different religions into some kind of a (con)fused whole without concern for the integrity of the religions involved -- which is not the case with authentic dialogue.
Previously published in 'Journal of Ecumenical Studies,' Vol. 20:1, Winter 1983 (September, 1984, revision). The 'Journal of Ecumenical Studies' and copies of 'The Dialogue Decalogue' are available from J.E.S., Temple University (022-38), Philadelphia, PA 19122.
Published on the Internet at United Communities of Spirit, in The SourceBook for Earth's Community of Religions, Joel Beversluis, Editor, http://origin.org/ucs/doc.cfm?e=1&ps=2&edit=1&fg=3176&fi=1076
Provided by Bruce Schuman of CPWR GLOBAL NETWORK
A Correspondence Explaining Ewkahs and a Tranmonetary Valuation System
26.9.60
Greetings Friends,
May Peace Be With You.
Within the past few Moons (months), a correspondence is forwarded pertaining the transfer of Salt Fork Park from the custody of the state of Oyo (Ohio) and Xanterra (a comparatively private organisation) to this InterFaith Settlement. As previously communicated, this InterFaith Settlement abstains from holding or exchanging money. This InterFaith Settlement also appreciated the principle of a fair deal. So the consideration becomes what this InterFaith Settlement can provide for an equitable exchange in receiving custody of Salt Fork Park. This correspondence provides an increasingly tangible description of the suggestion of this exchange.
Methodology of Valuation
Through our experience with the Standard Convention of Formal Friendship and the Standard Agreement for an Exchange of Resources within the Context of Formal Friendship, as well as through receiving consultation from our friends, including formals and conventional, we at this InterFaith Settlement arrive at a methodology of valuation through which proper compensation can be determined and provided within such an exchange.
This methodology of valuation can be effectively communicated through the proceeding formula for specifically valuating human labour:
Uc = TjFij x TtFit
Uc = Units of Cost
Tj = Time of Jôb: the actual amount of direct human labour of one individual to complete the agreed jôb
Fij = Factor of Intensity of Jôb: the degree of concentration involved within the actual amount of labour of the individual to complete the agreed jôb
Tt = Time of Training: the aggregate amount of previous training (academic and/or occupational) that prepares the individual to complete the agreed jôb
Fit = Factor of Intensity of Training: the degree of concentration involved within Tt, the previous training (academic and/or occupational) that prepares the individual to complete the agreed jôb
Standard Approach of Valuation
The Unit of Cost is informally referred to as an ‘ewkah.’ The ‘standard approach’ of this valuation methodology is thus:
Uc = Tj x Ta
Fij = 1
Fit = 1
Tt = Ta (the actual age of the individual)
Categories of Resources
This methodology of valuation is also utilised in regards to all resources (tangible and intangible) that have been designated with a monetary value. There are three primary categories of such resources, some with respective subcategories:
1.) Labour: this is the amount of human work provided by an individual.
2.) Land: this includes all elements that exist as a natural habitat within a specifically identified area (including forests, fields, deserts, quarries, waterfronts, and settled areas).
3.) Products: this includes all items that are extracted from the Earth, Seas, Atmosphere, and Universe, as well as human labour that is provided through the auspices of an organisation or within the premise of a formal profession.
a.) Service Products: these are comparatively intangible products that are provided directly by the labour of an individual through the auspices of an organisation or within the premise of a formal profession.
b.) Manufactured Products: these are tangible products that are derived from nature and that are processed in some manner involving human labour to provide a distinct product to the recipient.
c.) Natural Products: these are tangible and comparatively unprocessed products that are provided by another individual, through the auspices of an organisation, or within the premise of a formal profession to the recipient.
Within the subcategory of natural products, there are three further subcategories:
i.) Natural Life Resources: this includes trees, flowers, plants, and animals.
ii.) Natural Mineral Resources: this includes soil, rocks, minerals, fossil fuel, and water.
iii.) Natural Coveted Resources: this includes gold, silver, diamonds, and platinum.
Valuation of Resources
1. Labour Resources
The previously described formula is utilised to determine the value of a labour resource:
Uc labour = TjFij x TtFit
2. Land Resources
The proceeding formula is utilised to determine the value of a land resource:
Uc land = Fp x Σ Ta
Fp = the intrinsic, intangible value, to the World, of preserving the integrity of the natural habitat of the land resource
Ta = the actual age of a life residing within the natural habitat of the land resource
Σ Ta = the aggregate summation of the respective ages of all lives residing within the natural habitat of the land resource
3 a. and b. Product Resources (Service and Manufactured)
The proceeding formula is utilised to determine the value of service product resources and manufactured product resources:
Uc product = RUc labour + RUc product resources + RUc comprehensive
RUc labour = Relegated Units of Cost of Labour: total Units of Cost of Labour utilised to provide product to the recipient
RUc product resources = Relegated Units of Cost of Preceding Product Resources: total Units of Cost of preceding product resources utilised to provide product to recipient
RUc comprehensive = Relegated Units of Cost of Comprehensive Expenses: percentage of Units of Cost of comprehensive expenses attributed to providing product to the recipient
For both service product resources and manufactured product resources, there are two distinct approaches to determine the value of the respective product provided, and numerous adaptive approaches that respectively utilise different combinations of the intrinsic mechanics within each of these two distinct approaches:
Organisation Approach:
Uc product = Tj product/2000 ([ΣYUc labour]/z1 + ΣYUc product resource + ΣYUc comprehensive)
RUc labour = ΣYUc labour/(2000 x z) x Tj product
RUc product resource = (ΣYUc product resource)/2000 x Tj product
RUc comprehensive = (ΣYUc comprehensive)/2000 x Tj product
YUc labour = total Units of Cost of Labour within one Year for an employee labourer of an organisation
ΣYUc labour = aggregate summation of the respective total Units of Cost of Labour within one Year for all employee labourers of an organisation
YUc product resource = total Units of a specific product resource directly utilised by an organisation within one Year to provide all service products and/or manufactured products to all recipients
ΣYUc product resources (as 0 to z2) = aggregate summation of the respective total Units of Cost of all product resources utilised by an organisation within one Year to provide all service products and/or manufactured products to all recipients
ΣYUc comprehensive = aggregate sum of total Units of Cost of the comprehensive expenses that the organisation incurs with one Year, including administrative compensation costs and facilities costs
Tj product = Time to complete Jôb: total number of hours that are required to complete the jôb of providing the manufactured or service product to the recipient
z = number of employee labourers within the organisation
2000 = constant: standard number of labour hours within a year (based upon 50 weeks of 40 hours)
The annual, respective total Units of Cost of specific comprehensive expenses (including administrative expenses and similar expenses) and of labour and product resources are estimated projections for the proceeding year. The annual rate for total Units of Cost of additional comprehensive expenses (including facilities) are determined through an annual, linear amórtisation distribution predicated upon an established warrantee, guarantee, or similar provision describing the expected duration of the facility. The Units of Cost of land acquired to facilitate the operations of an organisation are linearly distributed amongst the duration of the number of years within the structure that is expected to be maintained for the longest period of time (otherwise the number of years within the expected duration of the natural product resource, being removed from the land, to remain within the land; and otherwise, one year); and included within a line item of the Units of Cost of comprehensive expenses. Losses and gains that occur through such estimations are also included within a line item of the Units of Cost of comprehensive expenses through the discretion of the organisation.
Itemised Approach:
Uc product = ΣDUc labour + ΣDUc product resource +
(ΣYUc comprehensive)/2000 x Tj product
RUc labour = ΣDUc labour
RUc product resource = ΣDUc product
RUc comprehensive = (ΣYU comprehensive)/2000 x Tj product
DUc labour = total Units of Cost of labour of an employee labourer, within an organisation, who directly labours in the provision of the manufactured product or service product to the recipient
ΣDUc labour = aggregate summation of respective total of Units of Cost of labour of each employee labourer, within an organisation, who directly labours in the provision of a service product or manufactured product to the recipient
DUc product resource = total Units of Cost of a specific product resource directly included within the provision of a service product or manufactured product to the recipient
ΣDUc product resource = aggregate summation of respective total Units of Cost of all product resources directly included within the provision of a service product or manufactured product to the recipient
The total Units of Cost of comprehensive expenses are similarly determined in the itemised approach as with the organisation approach. Appropriate adjustments resulting from lags and surpli are included within a line item of the Units of Cost of comprehensive expenses through the discretion of the organisation.
3 c. Product Resources (Natural)
i. Natural Life Product Resources
The proceeding formula is utilised to determine the value of a natural life product:
Uc natural life product = WFpΣTa + Uc product resource
Ta = Time: the age of a life contributing to a natural life product provided to the recipient
ΣTa = aggregate summation of the respective ages of all lives contributing to a natural life product provided to the recipient
W = Weight: total number of kilograms of the natural life product
Fp = Factor of Preservation: the intrinsic, intangible value, to the World, for preserving the integrity of the natural life within the respective natural habit
Uc product = total, preceding Units of Cost involved in providing natural life product to the recipient
ii. Natural Mineral Product Resources
There are two forms of natural mineral resource products: natural commodity mineral resource products and natural scarce mineral resource products. The proceeding formula is utilised to determine the value of a natural commodity mineral resource product:
Uc natural commodity mineral resource product = WFv + Uc product
Fv = Factor of Value: the intrinsic, intangible value of the natural commodity mineral resource product to the World
The proceeding formula is utilised to determine the value of a natural scarce mineral resource product:
Uc natural scarce mineral resource product = WFvFs + Uc product
Fs = Factor of Scarcity: the intrinsic, intangible value of the natural scarce mineral resource product to the World specifically resulting from the comparative unavailability of the natural scarce mineral resource product
iii. Natural Coveted Resource Product
The proceeding formula is utilised to determine the value of a natural coveted resource product:
Uc natural coveted resource product = WFc + Uc product
Fc = Factor of Covetousness: the extent to which the coveted natural resource product is sought by the World
Additional Concepts and Considerations
Monetary Transfer Costs
This is the process of transferring the perceived value of a resource from a monetary unit to ‘ewkahs’ (Units of Cost). There are two basic approaches and additional numerous adaptive approaches that respectively utilise different combinations of the respective mechanics of these two basic approaches.
Domestic GDP
In this approach, the domestic mean income of a nation is identified within the monetary units of that nation to determine the corresponding exchange rate of the monetary value of a resource into ewkahs (adjusted to the respective Factors of Intensity determined within the transfer).
Global GDP
In this approach, the global mean income of the World is identified within the effective global units of withdrawal rights within the International Monetary Fund to determine the corresponding exchange rate of the conventional value of a resource into ewkahs (adjusted to the respective Factors of Intensity determined within the transfer).
Factors of Intensity are utilised as a means of self determining distinctions of labour. Comparatively lower factors of intensity can be utilised in compensating comparatively distracted labour that involves additional activities such as listening to music or audio feeds, watching a video feed, communicating through the internet or telephone, socialising, and/or babysitting. Comparatively higher factors of intensity can be utilised in compensating labour that requires a significant amount of concentration and/or stress. Employers can also provide ‘overtime’ compensation of higher intensity during such circumstances for an organisation. An employee maintains the prerogative of determining the factor of intensity level that is applicable to that employee’s respective labour. An employer maintains the prerogative of only selecting or maintaining employees with previous and/or validated experience of labour at a certain factor of intensity level. Institutions of higher education can maintain the propensity of being respectively distinguished from each other through establishing standards and expectations for alumni to maintain an occupational performance at a minimum or maximum factor of intensity level. Within the ‘standard approach,’ all factors of intensity are ‘1.’
There is a similar process in determining the respective factors of additional resources as well, including the factor of preservation, the factor of value, the factor of scarcity, and the factor of covetousness. There is the propensity for each of these factors to be respectively determined on a continuing basis by respective groups of diverse interests respectively representing different organisations and institutions including religious, governmental, resource exchanging, advocacy, and civil society.
It is also appropriate to establish generally accepted accounting practices in calculation the specific occurrences of gains, losses, lags, and surpli that are included with the comprehensive expenses line item of the Units of Cost for a product resource.
To provide additional tangibility within this methodology of valuation, the proceeding examples are provided:
Uc = TjFij x TtFit
Standard Number of Labour Hours in a Day: 10 hours (based upon 40 hour week with four days rather than five)
Standard Number of Labour Hours in a Year: 2000 hours
Standard Compensation for a Day’s Labour of a 20 year old man:
Uc = (10)(1) x (20)(1)
= 200 ewkahs
Tj = 10 hours
Fij = 1
Tt = 20 years
Fit = 1
Standard Compensation for a Day’s Labour of a 40 year old man:
Uc = (10)(1) x (40)(1)
= 400 ewkahs
Tj = 10 hours
Fij = 1
Tt = 40 years
Fit = 1
Standard Compensation for a Year’s Labour of a 20 year old man:
Uc = (2000)(1) x (20)(1)
= 40,000 ewkahs
Tj = 2000 hours
Fij = 1
Tt = 20 years
Fit = 1
(800 ewkahs, weekly; approximately 3200 ewkahs, monthly)
Standard Compensation for Year’s Labour of a 40 year old man:
Uc = (2000)(1) x (40)(1)
= 80,000 ewkahs
Tj = 2000
Fij = 1
Tt = 40
Fit = 1
(1600 ewkahs, weekly; approximately 6400 ewkahs, monthly)
Transfer of Custody of Salt Fork Park to this InterFaith Settlement
Another example can be provided within the transfer of Salt Fork Park to the custody of this InterFaith Settlement. We at this InterFaith Settlement abstain from holding or exchanging money, so it is appropriate to consider this transfer within the terms of ewkahs.
We at this InterFaith Settlement make a rather general estimation of the present monetary value of Salt Fork Park to be approximately €40 million (approximately $50 million). We at this InterFaith Settlement also make a similarly general estimation of the domestic annual income of the United States of America Taínoterranea to be approximately €35,000 (approximately $40,000). Utilising a mean age of 40 years for labourers, it may be considered that the mean annual compensation of individuals involved within this InterFaith Settlement is 80,000 ewkahs. This results in a basic 7:16 rate of exchange between euros and ewkahs and a 1:2 rate of exchange between dollars and ewkahs. So to facilitate a fair exchange between the tri partied group of the United States of America Taínoterranea, the state of Oyo (Ohio), and Xanterra, and this InterFaith Settlement for the transfer of the custody of Salt Fork Park to this InterFaith Settlement, it is appropriate for this InterFaith Settlement to similarly provide 100 million ewkahs.
This InterFaith Settlement Pledge
To facilitate the provision of this 100 million ewkahs, this InterFaith Settlement solicits the establishment of a pledge from fifty men. The pledge is for each of these fifty me to provide 100 hours of service each year for fifty years, or until the respective passing of life, directly through the auspices of the United Nations; service that specifically pertains to the respective experiences and insight that each man maintains whilst living within this InterFaith Settlement. This pledge also includes the convening of a biannual interFaith conference, also through the auspices of the United Nations. And in exchange for this service, custody of Salt Fork Park is transferred to this InterFaith Settlement, and each of the fifty men making this pledge is respectively provided with the custody of one of the cottages that are already established within Salt Fork Park.
The solicitation from this InterFaith Settlement includes the provision that at least five men respectively adhering to the respective religious traditions of Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam, and at least one man adhering to an additional religious tradition, sign this pledge.
This equates to:
at least 5 men adhering to Judaism
at least 5 men adhering to Hinduism
at least 5 men adhering to Buddhism
at least 5 men adhering to Christianity
at least 5 men adhering to Islam
at least 1 man adhering to an additional religious tradition
The running calculation for this pledge is as proceeds:
50 men
100 hours/year
50 years
40 years old (for the sake of simplicity, this effectively presumes an initial mean age of us men at 15 when beginning this pledge, and a mean age of 65 when completing this pledge, Pursuing Nirvâna and God Willing).
Uc = 100 hours x 40 years old
= 4,000 ewkahs/year
x 50 men = 200,000 ewkahs
x 50 years = 10,000,000 ewkahs
Contribution from Respective Religious Communities
The running calculated value of this pledge equates to 10 million ewkahs. To account for the balance of the appropriate amount to facilitate this exchange, this InterFaith Settlement solicits the direct involvement of the respective, aggregate collectives of institutions, organisations, Sanghas, and congregations, respectively affiliated with, and adhering to, the respective religious traditions of Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam, to exactly match (without less and without mas) the contribution provided through this pledge of these fifty men.
This is includes:
African Hebrew Israelites
International Council of Jewish Women
Orthodox Union
Union for Reform Judaism
United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
United Synagogue Youth
World Jewish Congress
World Union for Progressive Judaism
World Zionist Organisation
Jewish Reconstructionist Federation
Tel Aviv University
Bar Ilan University
Open University of Israel
Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies
University of Haifa
Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School
Yeshivat HaKotel
Jewish Community Secondary School
Jewish Theological Seminary
Yeshiva University
Hebrew Union College
Leo Baeck College
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual Organisation
Hindu Student Council
International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres
Sri Aurobindo Society
Vishva Hindu Parishad
Hindu Global Electronics Network
Shamayita Math International Women's Religious Centre
Ramakrishna Math and Mission
Maharishi University of Management
Divine Life Society
Banares Hindu University
Chatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University
Guru Ghasidas University
Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University
Guru Nanak Dev University
Mahatma Ghandi University
Shivaji University
University of Delhi
University of Mumbai
Buddha Dharma Education Association
Buddhist Peace Fellowship
Friends of the Western Buddhist Order
Soka Gakkai International
World Fellowship of Buddhist Youth
World Fellowship of Buddhists
Sakyadhita: International Association of Buddhist Women
Rissho Kosei Kai
International Network of Engaged Buddhists
Centre for Buddhist Studies, National Taiwan University
Wat Pah Bahn Tahd
Amaravati Buddhist Monastery
Mahasi Sasana Yeiktha Meditation Centre, Buddha Sasana Nuggaha Organisation c/o Saddhamma Foundation
Wat Sampeou Meas Temple
Buddha Haus
International Meditation Centre, Splatts House
Son Ha Temple, Plum Village
Kwan Um School of Zen
Fo Guang Shan Monastery
Hwa Dzan Buddhist Library and Hwa Dzan Pureland Learning Centre
Dharma Realm Buddhist Association
Dharma Drum Mountain
Association Zen Internationale
Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey
Honolulu Diamond Sangha
Rochester Zen Centre
Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Lama Gangchen World Peace Foundation
Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition
Dechen Community
Rigpa
Shambala
Rokpa International
Gampo Abbey
Diamondway Buddhism
Graduate School of Buddhist Studies
National University of Singapore Buddhist Society
Visakha Vidyalaya
Kathmandu University Centre for Buddhist Studies
Karma Shri Nalanda Institute for Higher Buddhist Studies
Institute of Buddhist Studies
Stanford Centre for Buddhist Studies
UCLA Centre for Buddhist Studies
UK Association for Buddhist Studies
Centre for Buddhist Studies, University of Bristol
Friends World Committee for Consultation
Global Fellowship of Christian Youth
Pax Romana
Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue
U S Jesuit Conference
Unitarian Universalist Association
World Council of Churches
World Young Women's Christian Association
United Methodist Church
Evangelical Lutheran Church of America Taínoterranea
Order of Saint Benedict International
Sant Egidio
Yale Divinity School
Toronto School of Theology
University of Toronto Department and Centre for the Study of Religion
Theology Faculty Centre at Oxford University
Faculty of Divinity, University of Cambridge
University of California, Berkeley, Religious Studies Programme
Stanford University, Department of Religion
University of Chicago, Divinity School
Emory School of Theology
Howard University School of Divinity
Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences
Boston Theological Institute
Facultad Internacional de Educación Teológica
Graduate Theological Union
New College School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh
Princeton Theological Seminary
Augustana, Theologische Hochschule der Evangelisch Lutherischen Kirche in Bayern
Christian Theological Seminary
Presbyterian Theological Centre
Saint John's School of Theology and Seminary
Harvard University Divinity School
New York University, Programme in Religious Studies
Catholic University
Unification Theological Seminary
Islamic Cultural Centre and London Central Mosque
Islamic Development Bank
Motamar Al Alam Al Islami
Muslim Student Associaiton
Muslim World League
Organisation of the Islamic Conference
Wasat Alnaseej
Federation of Muslim Women
University of Karachi
Darululoom Deoband
Al Imam Al Ouzai University
Oxford University Centre for Islamic Studies
Umm Al Qura University
Arab Islamic Intitute in Tokyo
Centre of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law, University of London
College of Islamic Studies
Arab Open University
Darul Uloom, Karachi
Ibb University
International Islamic University, Islamabad
International University of Africa
Islamic University of Medinah
Islamic University of Gaza
King Abdul Aziz University
King Saud University
Mansoura University
Mogadishu University
Kuwait University, College of Islamic Studies
Council on American Taínoterranean Islamic Rapprochement
Threshold Society of the Order of Mevlevi
Subud
Susila Dharma
Baha'i
World Sikh Council
And this means:
exactly 10 million ewkahs from Judaism
exactly 10 million ewkahs from Hinduism
exactly 10 million ewkahs from Buddhism
exactly 10 million ewkahs from Christianity
exactly 10 million ewkahs from Islam
Dedication of Service: ‘2 Days in 2 Years’ Campaign
Yet rather than monetary donations or similar contributions, this InterFaith Settlement specifically solicits individuals to directly participate within a service programme, facilitated by the United Nations, that in some manner immediately promotes the well being of our international community. To facilitate this direct involvement, this InterFaith Settlement offers a ‘2 days in 2 years’ campaign. In this campaign, individuals respectively provide 2 days of service (20 hours), within the time frame of 2 years. Within the standard approach of valuation (with a mean age of 40 years), this generally equates to the direct participation of 1,250 individuals from each of the respective religious traditions specifically described. This InterFaith Settlement solicits the United Nations to facilitate or accommodate these service programmes and to maintain an appropriate record of the accumulating aggregate participation of this service. And this cumulates into a running calculation of 60 million ewkahs.
To account for the balance of the appropriate amount to facilitate this exchange, this InterFaith Settlement solicits the direct involvement of the respective, aggregate collectives of institutions, organisations, and congregations respectively affiliated with, and adhering to, additional religious traditions, as well as individuals, group, organisations, and institutions respectively and conscientiously involved within our international community; to similarly and directly participate in a service programme, facilitated by the United Nations, that immediately promotes the well being of our international community. And this generally equates to the direct participation of an additional 6,000 people.
Within this ‘2 days in 2 years’ campaign, each individual maintains the prerogative of determining the respective value of each individual’s respective service (factors of intensity and respective age); the United States of Taínoterranea maintains the prerogative of accepting the service within the terms offered, or within the standard approach of valuation (with all factors of intensity equalling ‘1’); and the United Nations maintains the prerogative of determining what is appropriate service with respect to this campaign, this exchange, and the necessities of our international community. The United Nations also maintains the responsibility of keeping a continuing record of the aggregate of service provided.
When the sufficient amount of service is provided to and through the United Nations, the United Nations provides an equitable forgiveness to the United States of America Taínoterranea for the obligation that the United States of America Taínoterranea maintains in supporting the United Nations. When receiving this forgiveness from the United Nations, the United States of America Taínoterranea respectively provides equitable forgiveness to the state of Oyo (Ohio) and to Xanterra for transferring the custody of Salt Fork Park to this InterFaith Settlement.
This pledge and agreement become effective when there is direct communication from the United States of America Taínoterranea accepting the terms of this pledge and agreement, and the fifty men specifically making this pledge of offering 100 hours a year for 50 years, are permitted to, and effectively, establish respective residences within the cottages located within Salt Fork Park.
Each of these fifty men officially makes this pledge through completing the registration form provided by this InterFaith Settlement.
All this in Pursuing Nirvâna and by the Grace of God.
Your consideration pertaining this initiative is appreciated.
With humble and benevolent regards,
Peter F Womack (with this InterFaith Settlement)
Peace belôngs throughout the Universe.
Good Samadhi belôngs to'ards Nirvâna.
All Praise Belôngs To God.
3.9.60
Greetings Friends of the United Nations,
May Peace Be With You.
If there is a genuine intention within our international community to alleviate terrorism, and essentially fear, there must be an even greater, genuine intention to alleviate debt, particularly within the United States of America Taínoterranea.
It is important to understand how the past progress of industrialised nations, particularly the United States of America Taínoterranea, has directly relied upon the imposition of debt. One may be reminded of the seven years of indentured servitude that was imposed upon many of the initial immigrants to the colonies of, and eventually the formal nation of, the United States of America Taínoterranea. This debt has effectively maintained coercive, and even extortionist (when considering the recent conventional standard of interest rates for credit cards), tendencies. This coercion and extortion has merely been effectively hidden amidst the comparatively long terms of the arrangements of such debt.
This notion of the adversity of debt pertains to comparatively necessary provisions such as 1.) acquiring a house, 2.) acquiring a vehicle, and 3.) acquiring an education, as well as providing an education for a married couple’s children. This notion of the adversity of debt pertains to the comparatively discouraging pursuit of 4.) acquiring unnecessary material possessions such as excessive amounts of clothing or lavish furniture, dining, entertaining, and vacationing. One may be reminded of the practice of conspicuous consumption that immediately preceded the ‘Great Depression.’ And this notion of the adversity of debt pertains even to 5.) attending to immediate necessities and comparative emergencies including medical treatment, vehicle repair, house repair, and the dismal cycle of becoming indebted to account for previous debts. All of these activities have been means through which debt has been imposed upon individuals.
Rather than necessarily and specifically admonishing such activities, this is simply a matter of acknowledging the manner in which we, as an international community, have respectively lived beyond our respective means. This applies to those of us who have respectively accumulated debt through our respective acquisitions within life. This applies to those of us who have respectively arranged debt as a means for our respective livelihood and for facilitating the industrial progression of society. This applies to those of us who have respectively imposed debt as a means of providing appeasement that has prevented the overthrow of our respective hold of authority.
This imposition of debt has had adverse psychological effects upon us and our connexion with each other. And these adverse psychological effects have been imposed upon those of us who effectively abstain from such practices. Many of us who have accumulated a substantial amount of debt have been discouraged to entice others of us to similarly pursue the accumulation of material possessions and similarly incur debt so that those of us who previously accumulated debt, may benefit from the interest payment provided by those of us who comparatively recently become indebted. This has been commonly referred to as a ‘pyramid scheme’ (May Peace and blessings be with Egyptians). When many of us refuse to succumb to such temptation, much of the substantial response has been the imposition of direct conflict or the attempted imposition of complete isolation. Yet again, rather than admonishment, the consideration is to determine the means through which progression can be sustained throughout all of humanity with an effective absence of the previous, comparatively adverse, methodologies of facilitating progression.
Within this general notion of alleviating debt and helping people, it is appropriate to also be pragmatic and specific. The proceeding are some suggestions pertaining how progression can be sustained with greater honesty and with less of an imposition of debt:
1.) Pertaining Houses
It is acknowledged that the building and maintenance of houses requires a considerable amount of material and labour. The consideration is to a.) construct modest, efficient homes that are built to endure for longer periods of time, and b.) encourage people to continue to reside within our respective homes for longer periods of time and from generation to generation. This reduces housing prices because of the comparative reduction of transfer costs (real estate agencies, refinancing, maintaining mas than one house, and house payment, at a time). This also comparatively reduces the volatility of house prices, further reducing comparatively contrived transfer costs.
2.) Pertaining Vehicles
In a similar manner to house construction, vehicle manufacturers can produce vehicles that are increasingly modest and efficient and that maintain a prolonged duration of utility. Financing for vehicles can be regulated so that payments for a vehicle abstain from exceeding a fixed percentage of income and are structured for a comparatively brief duration of time. There can also be the regulation of sensationalism with regards to the marketing of vehicles: rather than offering a vehicle as a means of establishing our respective personal value and identity, marketing campaigns simply offer a vehicle as a means of transportation. Regulation can specifically limit campaigns to provide direct information about a vehicle rather than making existential references and philosophies. And when an organisation is interested in communicating a specific philosophy pertaining a respective method of operation or production, regulation can require that an organisation include all such communications of philosophy respectively made by the organisation within the past ten years. This also reduces the tendency of implementing advantageous, predatory philosophies that cater to the insecurity of individuals yet that merely have had a pretext of simply selling a vehicle; effectively having undermined the very philosophy that has meaning within the individual receiving the communication. Thus, this regulation establishes greater constancy of communication of, and adherence to, the respective philosophical approaches of such organisations. There can also be a comparative increase in public and private investment within additional forms of transportation, including rail systems, airways, and water ways.
3.) Pertaining material purchases with credit cards
In a similar manner to vehicle financing, credit cards can be regulated so that individuals can only accumulate debt up to a certain percentage of an individual’s income and so that such debt can only be established for a fixed, and immediate duration of time.
4.) Pertaining education
All higher education (within public and private institutions) can be subsidised by the government. Respective procedures for admission within public and private colleges and universities can be adjusted in response to this change in the intrinsic infrastructure of higher education. In a tangible sense, and within the comparative, short term, there may be a comparative decrease in the provision of advanced degrees and bachelor degrees; and there may be an increase in the provision of associate degrees. Yet this may be considered as strengthening the middle class with greater social efficiency (less welfare reliance; greater productivity and self sufficiency). This can also increase the horizontal breadth of the pragmatic utilisation of technological advancements amidst society, to balance the substantial vertical innovations within these technological advancements.
5.) Pertaining immediate necessities and comparative emergencies
With the reduction in the cost of medical education and an increase in the social efficiency and modesty within the behaviour of medical practitioners, there is a reduction in the cost of medical treatment. Also through the previously described suggestions, there is an increase in the self sufficiency amidst society: an increased mindfulness that avoids accidents, enhances immunity to ailments, and encourages adherence to preventative medical measures.
Some of us may have been rather sceptical about the alleviation of debt being offered as a panacea to social decay. Yet rather than simply a consideration of alleviating debt, this is a consideration of improving the very, pragmatic manner that we treat each other. There are lessons for us in the recent reconciliation of debt between Africa and Europe. And in a further respect, there is the consideration of specifically alleviating the imposition of interest.
The proceeding is a compilation of respective teachings and verses from the respective Holy Scriptures and religious traditions of Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam, that specifically pertain to the notion of debt, interest, and how we are supposed to treat each other.
--
From the Torah of Judaism
Deuteronomy 28:12
God will open to you God’s good treasury the Heavens, to give the rain of your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands; and you shall lent to many nations, but you shall not borrow.
--
Deuteronomy 28:43 – 44
The sojourner who is amongst you shall mount above you higher and higher; and you shall come down lower and lower. He shall lend to you, and you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head, and you shall be the tail.
--
Leviticus 25:10
And you shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants; it shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his family.
--
Leviticus 25:35
And if your fellow becomes poor, and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall maintain him; as a stranger and a sojourner he shall live with you. Take no interest from him or increase, but fear your God; that your fellow may live beside you. You shall not lend him your money at interest, nor give him you food for (gain). I am God your God, Who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God.
--
Exodus 22:25
If you lend money to any of My people with you who is poor, you shall not be to him as a creditor, and you shall not exact interest from him. If ever you take your neighbour’s garment in pledge, you shall restore it to him before the Sun goes down; for that is his only covering, it is his mantle for his body; in what else shall he sleep? And if he cries to Me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.
--
Leviticus 19:9
When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field to its very border, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am God your God.
--
Deuteronomy 15:1 – 2
At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release. And this is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release what he has lent to his neighbour; he shall not exact it of his neighbour, his fellow, because God’s release has been proclaimed.
--
Deuteronomy 15:6
For God your God will bless you, as God promised you, and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; and you shall rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over you.
--
Deuteronomy 15:7 – 11
If there is amongst you a poor man, one of your fellows, in any of your towns within your land which God your God gives you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor fellow, but you shall open your hand to him, and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be. Take heed lest there be a base thought in your heart, and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye be hostile to your poor fellow, and you give him nothing, and he cry to God against you, and it be sin in you. You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him; because for this God your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. For the poor will never cease out of the land; therefore I command you, You shall open wide your hand to your fellow, to the needy and to the poor, in the land.
--
Deuteronomy 15:12
If your fellow, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you, he shall serve you six years ,and in the seventh year, you shall le him go free from you. And when you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty handed; you shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, out of your threshing floor, and out of your wine press; as God your God has blessed you, you shall give to him. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and God your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this today.
--
Deuteronomy 23:24 – 25
When you go into your neighbour’s vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes, as many as you wish, but you shall not put any in your vessel. When you go into your neighbour’s standing grain, you may pluck the ears with your hand, but you shall not put a sickle to your neighbour’s standing grain.
--
Deuteronomy 24:10 – 13
When you make your neighbour a loan of any sort, you shall not go into his house to fetch his pledge. You shall stand outside, and the man to whom you make the loan shall bring the pledge out to you. And if he is a poor man, you shall not sleep in his pledge; when the Sun goes down, you shall restore to him the pledge that he may sleep in his cloak and bless you; and it shall be righteousness to you before God your God.
--
Numbers 9:14 (in part)
‘…you shall have one statute, both for the sojourner and for the native.’
--
Leviticus 19:33
When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. The stranger who sojourns with you shall be to you as the native amongst you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt; I am God your God.
--
Exodus 23:9
You shall not oppress a stranger; you know the heart of a stranger for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
--
From the Bhagavad Gita of Hinduism
Bhagavad Gita 16:7 – 18
The demonic do things they should avoid and avoid the things they should do. They have no sense of uprightness, purity, or Truth.
‘There is no God,’ they say, ‘no Truth, no spiritual law, no moral order. The basis of life is sex; what else can it be?’
Holding such distorted views, possessing scant discrimination, they become enemies of the World, causing suffering and destruction.
Hypocritical, proud, and arrogant, living in delusion and clinging to deluded ideas, insatiable in their desires, they pursue their unclean ends. Although burdened with fears that end only with death, they still maintain with complete assurance, ‘Gratification of lust is the highest that life can offer.’
Bound on all sides by scheming and anxiety, driven by anger and greed, they amass by any means they can a hoard of money for the satisfaction of their cravings.
‘I got this today,’ they say, ‘tomorrow I shall get that. This wealth is mine, and that will be mine too.’
‘I have destroyed my enemies. I shall destroy others too! Am I not like God? I enjoy what I want. I am successful. I am powerful.
‘I am happy. I am rich and well born. Who is equal to me? I will perform sacrifices and give gifts, and rejoice in my own generosity.’ This is how they go on, deluded by ignorance.
Bound by their greed and entangled in a web of delusion, whirled about by a fragmented mind, they fall into a dark hell.
Self important, obstinate, swept away by the pride of wealth, they ostentatiously perform sacrifices without any regard for their purpose.
Egotistical, violent, arrogant, lustful, angry, envious of everyone, they abuse My presence within their own bodies and in the bodies of others.
--
Bhagavad Gita 14:5 – 8
It is the three gunas born of prakriti- sattva, rajas, and tamas,’ that bind the immortal Self to the body.
Sattva- pure, luminous, and free from sorrow,- binds us with attachment to happiness and wisdom.
Rajas is passion, arising from selfish desire and attachment. These bins the Self with compulsive action.
Tamas, born of ignorance, deludes all creatures through heedlessness, indolence, and sleep.
--
Bhagavad Gita 14:12
When rajas predominates, a person runs about pursuing selfish and greedy ends, driven by restlessness and desire.
--
Bhagavad Gita 14:16 – 18
The fruit of good deeds is pure and sattvic. The fruit of rajas is suffering. The fruit of tamas is ignorance and suffering.
From sattva comes understanding; from rajas, greed. But the outcome of tamas is confusion, infatuation, and ignorance.
Those who live in sattva go upwards; those in rajas remain where they are. But those immersed in tamas sink downwards.
--
Bhagavad Gita 17:11 – 13
The sattvic perform sacrifices with their entire mind fixed on the purposes of the sacrifice. Without thought of reward, they follow the teachings of the scriptures.
The rajasic perform sacrifices for the sake of show and the good it will bring them.
The tamasic perform sacrifices ignoring both the letter and the spirit. They omit the proper prayers, the proper offerings, the proper food, and the proper Faith.
--
Bhagavad Gita 18:20 – 28
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.
Work performed to fulfil ones’s obligations, without thought of personal reward or of whether the job is pleasant or unpleasant, is sattvic.
Work prompted by selfish desire or self will, full of stress, is rajasic.
Work that is undertaken blindly, without any consideration of consequences, waste, injury to others, or one’s own capacities, is tamasic.
A sattvic worker is free from egotism and selfish attachments, full of enthusiasm and fortitude in success and failure alike.
A rajasic worker has strong personal desires and craves rewards for his actions. Covetous, impure, and destructive, he is easily swept away by fortune, good or bad.
The tamasic worker is undisciplined, vulgar, stubborn, deceitful, dishonest, and lazy. He is easily depressed and prone to procrastination.
--
Bhagavad Gita 18:30 – 39
To know when to act and when to refrain from action, what is right action and what is wrong, what brings security and what insecurity, what brings freedom and what bondage: these are the signs of a sattvic intellect.
The rajasic intellect confuses right and wrong actions, and cannot distinguish what is to be done from what should not be done.
The tamasic intellect is shrouded in darkness, utterly reversing right and wrong wherever it turns.
The sattvic will, developed through meditation, keeps prana, mind, and sense in vital harmony.
The rajasic will, conditioned by selfish desire, pursues wealth, pleasure, and respectability.
The tamasic will shows itself in obstinate ignorance, sloth, fear, grief, depression, and conceit.
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.
--
Bhagavad Gita 14:19
The wise see clearly that all action is the work of the gunas. Knowing that which is above the gunas, they enter into union with Me.
--
Bhagavad Gita 2:16 – 17, 23 – 25
The impermanent has no reality; reality lies in the eternal. Those who have seen the boundary between these two have attained the end of all knowledge.
Realise that which pervades the Universe and is indestructible; no power can affect this unchanging, imperishable reality.
The Self cannot be pierced by weapons or burned with fire; water cannot wet it, nor can the wind dry it.
The Self cannot be pierced or burned, made wet or dry. It is everlasting and infinite, standing on the motionless foundations of eternity.
The Self is unmanifested, beyond all thought, beyond all change. Knowing this, you should not grieve.
--
Bhagavad Gita 5:7
Those who follow the path of service, who have completely purified themselves and conquered their senses and self will, see the Self in all creatures and are untouched by any action they perform.
--
From the Digha Nikâya of Buddhism
Lohikka Sutta 9 – 15
And the Exalted One went on to the dwelling place of Lohikka the Brahmin, and sat down on the seat prepared for him. And Lohikka the Brahmin satisfied the Sangha, with the Buddha at its head, with his own hand, with sweet food both hard and soft, until they refused any mas. And when the Exalted One had finished his meal, and had cleansed the bowl and his hands, Lohikka the Brahmin brought a low seat and sat down beside him. And to him, thus seated, the Exalted One spoke as follows:
‘Is it True, what they say, Lohikka, that the following wicked opinion has arisen in your mind:
‘Suppose that a Samana or a Brahmina have reached up to some good state of mind, then he should tell no one else about it. For what can one man do for another? To tell others would be like the man who, having broken through an old bond, should entangle himself in a new one. Like that, I say, is this desire to declare to others; it is a form of lust.’’
‘That is so, Gautama.’
‘Now what think you, Lohikka? Are you not established at Sâlavatikâ?’
‘Yes, that is so, Gautama.’
‘Then suppose, Lohikka, one were to speak thus: ‘Lohikka the Brahmin has a doman at Sâlavatikâ. Let him alone enjoy all the revenue and all the produce of Sâlavatikâ, allowing nothing to anybody else!’ Would the utterer of that speech be a danger maker as touching the men who live in dependence upon you, or not?’
‘He would be a danger maker, Gautama.’
‘And making that danger, would he be a person who sympathised with their welfare, or not?’
‘He would not be considering their welfare, Gautama.’
‘And not considering their welfare, would his heart stand fast in love towards them, or in enmity?’
‘In enmity, Gautama.’
‘But when one’s heart stands fast in enmity, is that unsound doctrine, or sound?’
‘It is unsound doctrine, Gautama.’
‘Now if a man hold unsound doctrine, Lohikka, I declare that one of two future births will be his lot, either purgatory or rebirth as an animal.’
‘Now what think you, Lohikka? Is not King Pasenadi of Kosala in possession of Kâsi and Kosala?’
‘Yes, that is so, Gautama.’
‘Then suppose, Lohikka, one were to speak thus: ‘King Pasenadi of Kosala is in possession of Kâsi and Kosala. Let him enjoy all the revenue and all the produce of Kâsi and Kosala, allowing nothing to anybody else.’ Would the utterer of that speech be a danger maker as touching the men who live in dependence on Kong Pasenadi of Kosala- both you yourself and others- or not?’
‘He would be a danger maker, Gautama.’
‘And making that danger, would he be a person who sympathised with their welfare, or not?’
‘He would not be considering their welfare, Gautama,’
‘And not considering their welfare, would his heart stand fast in love towards them, or in enmity?’
‘In enmity, Gautama.’
‘But when one’s heart stands fast in enmity, is that unsound doctrine, or sound?’
‘It is unsound doctrine, Gautama.’
‘Now if a man hold unsound doctrine, Lohikka, I declare that one of two future births will be his lot, either purgatory or rebirth as an animal.’
‘So then, Lohikka, you admit that he who should say that you, being in occupation of Sâlavatikâ, should therefore yourself enjoy all the revenue and produce thereof, bestowing nothing on any one else; and he who should say that King Pasenadi of Kosala, being in power over Kâsi and Kosala, should therefore himself enjoy all the revenue and produce thereof, bestowing nothing on any one else- would be making danger for those living in dependence on you; or for those, you and others, living in dependence upon the king. And that those who thus make danger for others, must be wanting in sympathy for them. And that the man wanting for sympathy has his heart set fast in enmity. And that to have one’s heart set fast in enmity is unsound doctrine:-
‘Then just so, Lohikka, he who should day: ‘Suppose a Samana or a Brahmina to have reached up to some good state of mind, then should he tell no one else about it. For what can one man do for another? To tell others would be like the man who, having broken through an old bond, should entangle himself in a new one. Like that, I say, is this desire to declare to others, it is a form of lust;’-
just so he, who should say thus, would be putting obstacles in the way of those clansman who, having taken upon themselves the Dharma and the Discipline set forth by him who has won the Truth, have attained to great distinction therein- to the fruit of conversion, for instance, or to the fruit of once returning, or to the fruit of never returning, or even to Arahatship- he would be putting obstacles in the way of those who are bringing to fruition the course of conduct that will lead to rebirth in states of Heaven. But putting obstacles in their way he would be out of sympathy for their welfare; being out of sympathy for their welfare his heart would become established in enmity; and when one’s heart is established in enmity, that is unsound doctrine. Now if a man hold unsound doctrine, Lohikka, I declare that one of two future births will be his lot, either purgatory or rebirth as an animal.’
--
Brahma Gâla Sutta 6 – 9 (in part) (similarly Sâmañña Phala Sutta 43 – 62 [in part]; Sonandanda Sutta 23 [in part]; Kûtadanta Sutta 27 [in part]; Mahâli Sutta 15 [in part]; Gâliya Sutta [in part]; Potthapâda Sutta 7 [in part]; Subha Sutta 7 [in part]; Kevaddha Sutta 8 [in part]; Lohikka Sutta 19 – 77 [in part])
‘But also, fellows, if outsiders should speak in honour of me, in honour of the Dharma (the Doctrine), in honour of the Sangha (the Order), you should not, on that account, be filled with pleasure or gladness, or be lifted up in heart. Were you to be so that also would stand in the way of your self conquest. When outsiders speak in honour of me, or of the Dharma, or of the Sangha, you should acknowledge what is right to be the fact, saying: ‘For this or that reason this is the fact, that is so, such a thing is found amongst us, is in us.’
‘It is in respect only of trifling things, of matters of little value, of mere morality, that an unconverted man, when honouring the Tathâgata (one of wisdom), would speak. And what are such trifling, minor details of mere morality that he would honour?
‘’Putting away the killing of living things, Gautama the recluse holds aloof from the destruction of life. He has laid the cudgel and the sword aside, and ashamed of roughness, and full of mercy, he dwells compassionate and kind to all creatures that have life.’ It is thus that the unconverted man, when speaking of the Tathâgata, might speak.
‘Or he might say: ‘Putting away the taking of what has not been given, Gautama the recluse lives aloof from grasping what is not his own. He takes only what is given, and expecting that gifts will come, he passes his life in honesty and purity of heart.’
--
From the Gospels of Christianity
Matthew 6:7 – 15
And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your God knows what you need before you ask God. Pray then like this:
‘Our God Who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come,
Thy Will be done,
On Earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors;
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.’
For if you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly God also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Heavenly God forgive your trespasses.
--
Matthew 6:19 – 34
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on Earth, where moth and dust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is not sound, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness.
No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat of what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life mas than food, and the body mas than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into bars, and yet your Heavenly God feeds them. Are you not of mas value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his pan of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will God not much mas clothe you, O men of little Faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For Gentiles seek all these things; and your Heavenly God knows that you need them all. But seek first God’s Kingdom and God’s righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.
Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day.
--
Matthew 18:21 – 22
Then Peter came up and said to him, ‘Leader, how often shall my fellow sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.’
--
Matthew 21:12 – 13
And Jesus entered the Temple of God and drove out all who sold and bought in the Temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, ‘It is written, ‘My House shall be called a house of prayer;’ but you make it a den of robbers.’
--
Matthew 22:15 – 22
Then the Pharisees went and took counsel how to entangle him in his talk. And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, ‘Teacher, we know that you are True, and teach the Way of God Truthfully, and care for no man; for you do not regard the position of men. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay tribute to Caesar, or not?’ But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the money for the tax.’ And they brought him a coin. And Jesus said to them, ‘Whose likeness and inscription is this?’ They said, ‘Caesar’s.’ Then he said to them, ‘Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ When they heard it, they marvelled; and they left him and went away.
--
Matthew 23:1 – 12
Then said Jesus to the crowds and to his disciples, ‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; so practise and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do; for they preach, but do not practise. They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by men; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honour at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues, and salutations in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men. But you are not to be called Rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all fellows. And call not man your far on Earth, for you have one God, Who is in Heaven. Neither be called masters, for you have one master, Jesus. He who is greatest amongst you shall be your servant; whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
--
Luke 6:27 – 31
But I say to you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To him who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and form him who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to every one who begs from you; and of him who takes away your goods do not ask them again. And as you wish that men would do to you, do so to them.
--
Luke 6:32 – 26
If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for God is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish. Be merciful, even as your God is merciful.
--
From the Koran of Islam
Sura 2:245
Who is he that will loan to God a beautiful loan, which God will double unto his credit and multiply many times? It is God that giveth you want or plenty. And to God shall be your return.
--
Sura 57:18
For those who give in charity, men and women, and loan to God a Beautiful loan, it shall be increased manifold to their credit, and they shall have besides a liberal reward.
--
Sura 64:16 – 17
So fear God as much as ye can; listen and obey; and spend in charity for the benefit of your own souls. And those saved from the covetousness of their own souls,- they are the ones that achieve prosperity.
If ye loan to God a beautiful loan, God will double it to your credit, and God will grant you forgiveness: for God is most ready to appreciate service, Most Forbearing,-
--
Sura 73:20
They God doth know that thou standest forth to prayer nigh two thirds of the night, or half the night or a third of the night, and so doth a party of those with thee. But God doth appoint night and day in due measure. God knoweth that ye are unable to keep count thereof. So God hath turned to you in mercy: read ye, therefore, of the Koran as much as may be easy for you. God knoweth that there may be some amongst you in ill health; other travelling through the land, seeking of God’s bounty; yet others fighting in God’s Cause. Read ye, therefore, as muc of the Koran as may be easy for you; and estbablish regular prayer and give regular charity; and loan to God a beautiful loan. And whatever good ye send forth for your souls, ye shall find it in God’s Presence,- yea, better and greater, in reward. And seek ye the Grace of God: for God is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful.
--
Sura 2:25
But give glad tidings to those who believe and work righteousness, that their portion is Gardens, beneath which rivers flow. Every time they are fed with fruits therefrom, they say: ‘Why, this is what we were fed with before,’ for they are given things in similitude; and they have therein companies pure and Holy; and they abide therein for ever.
--
Sura 48:8
We have Truly sent thee as a witness, a bringer of glad tidings, and as a warner:
--
Sura 2:110
And be steadfast in prayer and regular in charity: and whatever good ye sen forth for your souls before you, ye shall find it with God, for God sees well all that ye do.
--
Sura 2:177
It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces towards the East or West; but it is righteousness- to believe in God and the Last Day, and the angels, and the book, and the messengers; to spend of your substance, out of love for God, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer, and practise regular charity; to fulfil the contracts which ye have made; and to be firm and patient, in pain or suffering and adversity, and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of Truth, the God fearing.
--
Sura 2:195
And spend of your substance in the Cause of God, and make not your own hands contribute to your destruction; but do good: for God loveth those who do good.
--
Sura 2:254
O ye who believe! Spend out of the bounties We have provided for you, before the Day comes when no bargaining will avail, nor friendship nor intercession. Those who reject Faith- they are the wrongdoers.
--
Sura 2:261 – 282
The parable of those who spend their substance in the Way of God is that of a grain of corn: it growth seven ears, and each ear hath a hundred grains. God giveth manifold increase to whom God pleaseth; and God careth for all and God knoweth all things.
Those who spend their substance in the cause of God, and follow not up theiri gifst with reminders of their generosity or with inquiry,- for them their reward is with their God: on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.
Kind words and the covering of faults are better tan charity followed by injury. God is free of all wants, and God is Most Forbearing.
O ye who believe! cancel not your charity by reminders of your generosity or by injury,- like those who spend their substance to be seen of men, but believe neither in God nor in the Last Day. They are in parable like a hard, barren rock, on which is a little soil: on it falls heavy rain, which leaves it just a bare stone. They will be able to do nothing with aught they have earned. And God guideth not those who reject Faith.
And the likeness of those who spend their substance, seeking to please God and to strengthen their souls, is as a garden, high and fertile; heavy rain falls on it but makes it yield a double increase of harvest, and if it receives not heavy rain, light moisture sufficeth it. God seeth well whatever ye do.
Does any of you wish that he should have a garden with date palms and vines and streams flowing underneath, and all kinds of fruit, whilst he is stricken with old age, and his children are not strong enough to look after themselves- that it should be caught in a whirlwind, with fire therein and be burnt up? Thus doth God make clear to you the signs of God; that ye may consider.
O ye who believe! give of the good things which ye have honourably earned, and of the fruits of the Earth which We have produced for you, and do not aim at getting anything which is bad, in order that out of it ye may give something, when ye yourselves would not receive it except with closed eyes. And know that God is free of all wants, and worthy of all praise.
Evil threaten you with poverty and bids you to conduct unseemly. God promiseth you God’s forgiveness and bounties. And God careth for all and God knoweth all things.
God granteth wisdom to whom God pleaseth; and he to whom wisdom is granted receiveth indeed a benefit overflowing; but none will grasp the message but men of understanding.
And whatever ye spend in charity or devotion, be sure God knows it all. But the wrongdoers have no helpers.
If ye disclose acts of charity, even so it is well, but if ye conceal them, and make them reach those really in need, that is best for you; it will remove from you some of your stains of evil. And God is well acquainted with what ye do.
It is not required of thee, O Apostle, to set them on the right path, but God sets on the right path whom God pleaseth. Whatever of good ye give benefits your own souls, and ye shall only do so seeking the Face of God. Whatever good ye give shall be rendered back to you, and ye shall not be dealt with unjustly.
Charity is for those in need, whom in God’s cause, are restricted from travel, and cannot move about in the land, seeking for trade or work. The ignorant man thinks, because of their modesty, that they are free from want. Thou shalt know them by their unfailing mark: they beg not importunately from all and sundry. And whatever of good ye give, be assured God knoweth it well.
Those who in charity spend of their goods by night and by day, in secret and in public, have their reward with their God; on them shall be no fear, nor shall the grieve.
Those Who devour usury will not stand except as stands one whom evil by his touch hath driven to madness. That is because they say: ‘Trade is like usury,’ but God hath permitted trade and forbidden usury. Those who, after receiving direction from their God, desist, shall be pardoned for the past; their case is for God to judge; but those who repeat the offence are companions of the fire: they will abide therein for ever.
God will deprive usury of all blessing, but will give increase for deeds of charity; for God loveth not creatures ungrateful and wicked.
Those who believe, and do deeds of righteousness, and establish regular prayers and regular charity, will have their reward with their God; on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.
O ye who believe! fear God, and give up what remains of your demand for usury, if ye are indeed believers.
If ye do it not, take notice of war from God and the Apostle of God: but if ye turn back, ye shall have your capital sums; deal not unjustly, and ye shall not be dealt with unjustly.
If the debtor is in a difficulty, grant him time till it is easy for him to repay. But if ye remit it by way of charity, that is best for you if ye only knew.
And fear the Day when ye shall be brought back to God. Then shall every soul be paid what it earned, and none shall be dealt with unjustly.
O ye who believe! when ye deal with each other, in transactions involving future obligations in a fixed period of time, reduce them to writing. Let a scribe write down Faithfully as between the parties; let not the scribed refuse to write; as God as taught him, so let him write. Let him who incurs the liability dictate, but let him fear his God, and not diminish aught of what he owes. If the party liable is mentally deficient, or weak, or unable himself to dictate, let his guardian dictate Faithfully. And get two witnesses, out of your own men, and if there are not two men, then a man and two women such as ye choose, for witnesses so that if one of them errs, the other can remind her. The witness should not refuse when they are called on for evidence. Disdain not to reduce to writing your contract for a future period, whether it be small or big; it is juster in the sight of God, mas suitable as evidence, and mas convenient to prevent doubts amongst yourselves, but f it be a transaction which ye carry out on the spot amongst yourselves, there is no blame on you if you reduce it not to writing. But take witnesses whenever ye make a commercial contract; and let neither scribe nor witness suffer harm. If ye do such harm, it would be wickedness in you.
So fear God; for it is God that teaches you. And God is well acquainted with all things.
--
Sura 2:286
On no soul doth God place a burden greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns, and it suffers every ill that it earns. Pray: ‘Our God! Condemn us not if we forget or fall into error; our God! Lay not on us a burden like that Thou didst lay on those before us; our God! Lay not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Blot out our sins, and grant us forgiveness, have mercy on us. Thou art our Protector; help us against those who stand against Faith.
--
Sura 3:133 – 136
Be quick in the race for forgiveness from your God, and for a garden whose width is that of the whole of the Heavens and of the Earth, prepared for the righteous,-
Those who spend freely, whether in prosperity or in adversity; who restrain anger; and pardon all men; for God loves those who do good;-
And those who, having done something to be ashamed of, or wronged their own souls, earnestly bring God to mind, and ask forgiveness for their sins,- and who can forgive sins except God?- and are never obstinate in persisting knowingly in the wrong they have done.
For such the reward is forgiveness form their God, and gardens with rivers flowing underneath,- an eternal dwelling; how excellent a recompense for those who work and strive!
--
Sura 30:39
That which we lay out for increase through property of other people, will have no increase with God; but that which ye lay out for charity, seeking the countenance of God, will increase: it is these who will get a recompense multiplied.
--
Sura 63:10
And spend something in charity out of the substance which We have bestowed on you, before death should come to any of you and he should say: ‘O my God! Why didst Thou not give me a respite for a little while? I should then have given largely in charity, and I should have been one of the doers of good.’
--
Sura 9:60
Alms are for the poor and the needy, and those employed to administer the funds; for those whose hearts have been recently reconciled to Truth; for those in bondage and in the debt; in the Cause of God; and for the wayfarer; thus is it ordained by God, and God is full of knowledge and wisdom.
--
Sura 3:130
O ye who believe! devour not usury, doubled and multiplied; but fear God, that ye may really prosper.
--
Sura 102:1 – 4
The mutual rivalry for piling up the good things of this World diverts you from the mas serious things,
Until ye visit the graves.
But nay, ye soon shall know the reality.
Again, ye soon shall know!
--
Sura 4:29
O ye who believe! eat not up your property amongst yourselves in vanities, but let there be amongst you traffic and trade by mutual good will; nor kill or destroy yourselves; for verily God hath been to you Most Merciful!
--
May Peace And Blessings Of God Be Upon The Rishis.
May Peace And Blessings Of God Be Upon Moses.
May Peace And Blessings Of God Be Upon The Buddha.
May Peace And Blessings Of God Be Upon Jesus.
May Peace And Blessings Of God Be Upon Muhammad.
May Peace And Blessings Of God Be Upon The Universe.
Amen.
--
With humble and benevolent regards,
Peter F Womack (with this InterFaith Settlement)
Peace belongs throughout the Universe.
All Praise Belongs To God.
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