Theres a GREAT animal lover and defender on the Big Island - Eric Sigmund - who also happens to be a wonderful cognitive therapist. Eric excerpted the following paragraphs from a book hes writing. Its central premise - reminding us how to be the most evolutionary version of ourselves - never loses its relevance. We are all the leaves of one tree; we are all the waves of one sea; the time has come for us to live as one. - Zen Buddhist Mantra All human wisdom systems contain some form of The Golden Rule: “ Do unto others as you would have others do unto you . The Golden Rule has been held to be the fundamental canon of morality – the “Royal Law.” We all want to be treated with compassion, empathy and understanding. We all wish to be forgiven when we make mistakes. As social animals, caring about one another allows us to live in family groups and in the expanded society of our communities and nations. Being willing to speak the truth in a thoughtful and caring manner sets us all free, and allows us to discover ways in which to cooperate with one another even at times when we may disagree. Being a self-directed consciousness means that I am determining my own thoughts, feelings, wants, needs and behaviors based on whom I have brought myself to be rather than basing myself on a reaction to other persons, the circumstances of a situation or even the nature of the environment. And here’s the method to being able to successfully live by this rule of ethical and moral behavior – we must first practice being compassionate, empathetic, understanding, loving, truthful and cooperative with ourselves . As Ayya Khema reminds us: “We need to be caring and considerate of our inner being…protect it like a precious jewel.. Only we can prevent the negative thoughts that scratch the jewel…” Then, we will be able to effectively and consistently extend these attributes to others. Studying and being thoughtful about these attributes as we move through our daily lives allows us to engage in an active practice of them. And, as we all know, we, as human beings, become what we practice most. Reciprocal is from the Latin reciprocs, literally meaning backwards and forwards. In the human context of The Golden Rule, reciprocal means an equivalent, interchangeable and complementary exchange of thoughts, feelings, wants, needs and behaviors that lead to a deepening intimacy and affectionate bonding in relationship. All human wisdom systems delineate an ethic of reciprocity. In Christianity, in the books of Matthew (7:12) and Luke (6:31), we find the same message: “Therefore, all things whatever ye would that men should do to you, do you even so to them…” This thought is expressed in the teachings of Mohammed in the Fourth Hadith of an-Nawawi: “Not one of you is a believer until he loves for his brother that which he loves for himself;” and in the Bukkhari (p. 52:112): “He is not a true Muslim who eats his fill when his next door neighbor is hungry.” The Hebrew teachings in Leviticus (19:18) tell us: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself;” and in the Book of Tobit (4:15): “And what is displeasing to thyself, that do not unto any other.” Brahmanism, the religious doctrines of the Hindu wisdom system, state in the Mahabharta (5:15-17): “This is the sum of Dharma: Do naught unto others which would cause pain if done to you.” As recorded in the Samyutta Nekaya (v.353), the Buddha taught: “…a state that is not pleasing or delightful to me, how could I inflict that upon another?” In the Udana-Varga (5:18), the Buddha is quoted as teaching: “Hurt not others in ways you yourself would find hurtful.” The Analects of Kung Fu Tzu (15:23) state: “Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you.” Kung Fu Tzu also instructed his followers to: “Try your best to treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself, and you will find this is the shortest way to benevolence” (Mencius VII.A.4). Jainism, a sixth-century Hindu wisdom system that resembles Buddhism and centers on a reverence for all living things, teaches in the Acarangasutra (5.101-102): “Therefore neither does he [a sage] cause violence to others, nor does he make others do so;” and from the teachings of Lord Mahavira in the 24 Th Tirankara: “In happiness and in suffering, in joy and grief, we should regard all creatures as our own self.” Lao Tzu in the T’ai Shang Kan King P’ien, instructed that we should: “Regard your neighbor’s gain as your own gain, and your neighbor’s loss as your loss.” In the Tao Te Ching (Chapter 49), Lao Tzu tells us: “…[the sage] is kind to the kind; he is also kind to the unkind...he is faithful to the faithful; he is faithful to the unfaithful…” These example from many of the world’s wisdom systems is not meant to be comprehensive. They are merely intended to reinforce the awareness that The Golden Rule – the fundamental canon of morality – is witnessed as a guide for our lives across ethnicities, cultures and time. It as relevant to the conduct of our lives today as it was when it was first delineated.
Posted on: Sun, 28 Dec 2014 22:38:24 +0000
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