Saturday, December 20, 2008

Do No Harm



Christianity – “All things whatsoever you would that man should do to you, do you so to them; for this is the law and the prophets.” Mathew 7, (12)
Buddhism – “Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.” (Udana-Varga 5, 8)
Confucianism – “Is there no maxim which ought to be acted upon throughout one’s whole life? Surely, it is the maxim of loving-kindness: Do not unto others what you would not have them do unto you.” (Analects 15, 23)
Hinduism – “This is the sum of duty: do naught unto others which would cause you pain if done to you.” (Mahabharata 5, 1517)
Islam – “No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself.” (Sunnah)
Judaism – “What is hateful to you; do not to your fellowman. That is the entire Law; all the rest is commentary.” (Talmud, Shabbat 3 id)
Taoism – “Regard your neighbor’s gain as your own gain, and your neighbor’s loss as your own loss.” (Tai Shang Kan Yin P’ien)
Zoroastrianism – “That nature alone is good which refrains from doing another whatsoever is not good itself.” (Dadisten-I-dink, 94, 5)

Treating others the way we want to be treated ensures that this can help our soul to reach spiritual maturity. We must teat the other sentient being as though we are that being. What treatment can you expect from a worm you are about to step on, or a tree that is about to be cut down? Instead, view that other being as though you are it, and then treat it the way you expect to be treated from that standpoint. We lay out the events along our own journey to spiritual completeness through the practice of our humanness.
More and more, especially in the Western world, people are becoming dependant on others for one or another thing. A person may blame his therapist for the lack of progress, another may blame his lawmakers for the way their decisions have affected his life directly or indirectly. Another may blame his childhood and his parents by seeing them as the contributors to the flaws in his character today. A criminal may blame the justice system for not providing enough comfort while in prison; the list goes on. In fact, we are responsible for all of our emotions, thoughts and behaviors.
Guru in Jeans: Inward Journey to Psychospiritual Awakening