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1 Say to yourself first thing in the morning: today I shall meet
people who are meddling, ungrateful, aggressive, treacherous,
malicious, unsocial. All this has afflicted them through their
ignorance of true good and evil. But I have seen that the nature
of good is what is right, and the nature of evil what is wrong;
and I have reflected that the nature of the offender himself is
akin to my own - not a kinship of blood or seed, but a sharing
in the same mind, the same fragment of divinity. Therefore I
cannot be harmed by any of them, as none will infect me with
their wrong. Nor can I be angry with my kinsman or hate him.
We were born for cooperation, like feet, like hands, like eyelids,
like the rows of upper and lower teeth. So to work in opposition
to one another is against nature: and anger or rejection is opposition.
Devoid of purity, good conduct and truth, and having no faith in God or a higher Reality
beyond this visible world, man degenerates into a two-legged beast of ugly character and cruel
actions, and sinks into darkness. Such a person becomes his own enemy and the destroyer of the
happiness of others as well as his own. Caught in countless desires and cravings, a slave of sensual
enjoyments and beset by a thousand cares, his life ultimately ends in misery and degradation.
Haughtiness, arrogance and egoism lead to this dire fate. Therefore, a wise person, desiring success,
must eradicate vice and cultivate virtue.
The James Allen Free Library aspires to make all the works of inspirational writer James Allen (1864-1912) available online, to anyone, for free, in both English and Dutch.
From vol. one of Master Hsuan Hua Talks on Dharma:
Quote:
Since everything is impermanent, we should quickly find a refuge. All of you can count yourselves lucky, for you have searched around and finally come to believe in the Buddha. Faith in the Buddha enables us to attain the ultimate happiness of permanence, joy. true self, and purity. Therefore we should believe in the Buddha.
But it’s not enough to say that we believe. We also have to cultivate according to the Dharma. If you believe but don't cultivate, its like talking about food without eating it, or counting the wealth of others — it doesn’t benefit you in the least.
So the ancients said
The Way must he practiced. If it is not
practiced, what use is the Way?
Virtue must he cultivated. If it is not cultivated.
from where does virtue come?
We should personally practice, always hanging the words “birth ” and “death” on our brows, and putting
the words “Way” and “virtue” beneath our feet. Maybe that’s hard to understand—why should we put the
words “Way” and “virtue” under our feet? Because the Way and virtue are a person’s foundation. They
are to us what roots are to a tree. Once we have the Way and virtue, we can stand on our own feet. But
with no base under our feet, we have no place to stand. We are in a fix, unable to advance or retreat, and
we cannot accomplish anything. If we can actually practice these two things, then we can establish a good
character and naturally be successful in whatever we do. So it’s said, “The Way and virtue are the
foundation of being a person.” The Analects of Confucius also say, “The superior person attends to the
root. When the root is established, the Way comes forth.” Only when the fundamentals are tended to can
the Way come forth. This is wise advice from the ancients.
The Buddha’s four measureless attitudes of kindness, compassion, joy, and even-mindedness are totally advantageous to all creatures. When we base ourselves in thoughts such as these, then we can go ahead and put technology to work for us.
Don’t get scared when you hear me call television, radios, and computers “man-eating goblins.” No need to be afraid. My hope is that you will clearly recognize these things for what they are. Once you recognize them, those electric gadgets lose their power to confuse you. But if you’re confused by them, then they can gobble you down.
Truth does not pay any homage to any society, ancient and modern. Society has to pay homage to Truth or die. That society is the greatest, where the highest truths become practical. That is my opinion; and if society is not fit for the highest truths, make it so; and the sooner, the better.
As God is simple goodness, inner knowledge and light, he is at the same time also our will, love, righteousness and truth, the innermost of all virtues.
Lovely. Our Self is God/Divinity. No distance. Isn't it amazing that this same message is repeated in so many texts, in all religions, in all times?
Quote:
Theologia Germanica, also known as Theologia Deutsch or Teutsch, or as Der Franckforter, is a mystical treatise believed to have been written in the later 14th century[1] by an anonymous author. According to the introduction of the Theologia the author was a priest and a member of the Teutonic Order living in Frankfurt, Germany.[2]
The Theologia was written during the disruptive reign of the Avignon Papacy (1309–78), when many clerics were forbidden to perform Catholic rites because of the power struggle between the Pope and Holy Roman Emperor. Lay groups of pious individuals, like the Friends of God, became prominent during this time, and the author is usually associated with the Friends of God.[citation needed]
The Theologia Germanica survives today in only eight manuscripts, all from the second half of the fifteenth century, suggesting that it was not widely disseminated before it came to the attention of Martin Luther.[citation needed]
Our world is not divided by race, color, gender, or religion. Our world is divided into wise people and fools. And fools divide themselves by race, color, gender, or religion.
I like the saying, but there's one problem: in reality our world IS divided by race, color, gender, and religion.
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