Theos-Talk Archives (August 2004 Message tt00584)

Aug 27 

Dear S 1

I agree with what you say.

1	Essential Unity is of the Spiritual nature -- Atma-Buddhi -- the
Monad.

2	Universal Unity is simply put: the ONE SPIRIT -- and that is ALL,
and indivisible.

3	If we all share in this One Spirit [Every faith in the world says we
do, and yet they seem in the next breath to try and divide us -- at least
the priests, teach that, and add: do not question, trust me!] then we are
brothers in fact and that is not wishful thinking nor a myth. 

4	Ironing out difficulties and misunderstandings does not entail
violence or war. The curious and unanswerable question is: Why should I or
anyone else, try to kill a perfectly unknown person or persons? Who
benefits by death or the maiming of others? 

5	On the face of it, war is inexcusable, as also tyranny, terrorism,
and every kind of selfishness.

6	"Mine own shall return to me." Is a teaching of fairness and justice
-- something that Nature (employing the universal Law of KARMA) enforces it.
It says, briefly, that everything good or bad we do to others eventually
returns to us and assists or makes our lives more painful. Who wants to
encourage future pain for themselves?  

I also find more valuable verses -- 

Here is an excerpt from the DHAMMAPADA that may prove helpful to us:

-----------------------

THE TWIN VERSES


1.    ALL that we are is the result of what we have thought: all thatwe are
is  founded on our thoughts and formed of our thoughts. If a man speaks or
acts with an evil thought, pain pursues him, as the wheel of the wagon
follows the hoof of the ox that draws it.(1) * 
 
 2.   All that we are is the result of what we have thought: all thatwe are
is founded on our thoughts and formed of our thoughts. If a man speaks or
acts with a pure thought happiness pursue him like his own shadow that never
leaves him. (2)* 

3.    “He reviled me, he beat me and conquered  and then plundered me,” who
express such thoughts tie their mind with the intention of retaliation. In
them hatred will not cease. (3) 

4.    “He reviled me, he beat me and conquered and then plundered me,” who
do not express such thoughts, in them hatred will cease. (4) 

5.     In this world never is enmity appeased by hatred; enmity is ever
appeased by Love. This is the Law Eternal.* (5) 

6.     The many who know not this also forget that in this world weshall
one day die. They do not restrain themselves. But those who recognize the
Law end their quarrels soon. (6) 

7.     Whoso lives pursuing pleasures, his senses unrestrained, immoderate
in eating, indolent, devitalized—him verily doth Mara uproot as a gale a
weak tree. (7) 

8.    Who so lives disciplining himself, unmindful of pleasures, his senses
restrained, moderate in eating, full of faith and dauntless energy
(Virya)—him verily Mara doth not overturn as a gale doth not overturn a
rocky mountain. (8) * 
9.    He may display it on himself but he has not merited the yellow robe
who is not free from depravities, who disregards temperance and truth. (9) 

 10.   He indeed has merited the yellow robe who has purged away depravities
and is well grounded in virtues, who is regardful of temperance and truth.
(10) 

11.    Those who live in the pleasure-ground of fancy see truth in the
unreal and untruth in the real. They never arrive at truth.(11) 

12.     Those who abide in the world of right thought see truth in the real
and untruth in the unreal. They arrive at truth.(12) 

13.     Rains pour into an ill-thatched house; desires pour into an
ill-trained mind.  (13) 

 14.   Rains wet not a well-thatched house; desires enter not the
disciplined mind. (14) 
15.    The evil doer suffers in this world and he grieves in the next; he
mourns in both. Afflicted he grieves in the visualization of his sinful
deeds. (15) 

16.    The virtuous rejoices in this world and he rejoices in the next; he
rejoices in both. He rejoices, rejoices exceedingly in the visualization of
his pure deeds.(16) 

17.    The evil doer laments here, he laments hereafter. “Evil haveI done,”
he soliloquizes. Greater his torment when he is in the place of evil. (17) 
18.    The righteous man is happy here, he is happy hereafter. “I have done
well,” he soliloquizes. Greater is his delight in the blissful place. (18) 

19.    He who quotes the Sacred texts but is lazy and will not apply,he is
like a cowherd counting the cows of others. He shares not the blessings of
the Good Life. (19)

20.    He who forsakes lust, hatred and folly is possessed of true knowledge
and a serene mind, craves nought of this world or of any other, applies to
himself the teachings of the Sacred texts he recites, even though a few in
number—such a one shares in the blessings of the Good Life.(20) 


VIGILANCE *


1.     Vigilance is the path to Life Eternal. Thoughtlessness is the path to
death. The reflecting vigilant die not. The heedless are already dead.(21) 

2.     The wise distinctly understand this. Therefore they delight in
wakeful watching. They graze in the pastures of the Aryas, the Noble
Ones.(22) 

3.     Meditative, persevering, ever strenuous in endeavour, the tranquil
ones attain Nirvana, the highest freedom and happiness. (23) 

4.     Continually grows the glory of that man who is wakeful and mindful,
whose deeds are pure, whose acts are deliberate, who is self-controlled and
who lives according to Law.(24) 

5.     By endeavour, by vigilance, by discipline and self-control, let the
wise man make for himself an island which no flood can overwhelm.  (25) 
6.     Fools and witless persons give themselves to sloth. The wisevalue
vigilance as their best treasure. (26) 

7.     Be not a sluggard. Have no dalliance with lust and sense delights. He
who meditates with earnestness attains great joy. (27) 

8.     When the prudent man overcomes sloth by vigilance he ascendsto the
terrace of wisdom. Sorrowless he surveys the sorrowful crowd. This wise man
regards the foolish as the mountaineer from his high peak looks at those who
are dwelling on the plains.(28) 

9.     Vigilant among the heedless, awake among the sleepy, the wise one
forges ahead even as a charger outdistances a weak horse.   (29) 

10.     By vigilance did Indra rise to the lordship of the gods. Vigilance
is always praised, heedlessness ever deprecated.(30) 
11.     A Bhikkhu who delights in vigilance, who sees the danger of
heedlessness, advances like a lire consuming fetters, small or large.  (31) 

12.     A Bhikkhu who delights in vigilance, who sees the danger of
heedlessness, will not fall; he is close upon Nirvana. (32)


			
MIND* 


1.     Just as a fletcher makes straight his arrow, the wise man makes
straight his crooked thinking. This is difficult to guard. This is hard to
restrain. (33) 

2.     Like unto a fish snatched from its watery home and cast on land, the
mind trembles and quivers leaving the dominion of Mara.  (34) 

3.     Thinking is difficult to discipline. Mind is flighty, alighting where
it listeth. Good is to tame it. The tame mind is the bearer of happiness  
(35) 

4.     Let a wise man watch his thinking. The mind moves with extreme
subtlety and is not noticed. It seizes whatever it desires. To watch the
mind is conducive to happiness. (36) 

5.     He who controls his mind escapes the bondage of Mara. The mind is
incorporeal, moves alone, travels far and rests in the cave of the heart.
(37) 

6. Wisdom fills not the unsteady mind of the man of ruffled serenity; he is
ignorant of the true teaching. (38) 

7.      Fear there is not for him whose mind is not burning with desires,
and which, having risen above likes and dislikes, is serene. He is awakened.
(39) 

8.      Looking upon his body to be fragile as an earthen jar, valuing his
mind as a firm fortress, let a man fight Mara with the sword of wisdom. Let
him guard what he has gained, but let him fight on. (40) 

9.     Ere long, alas! will this body lie on earth, cast aside, bereft of
consciousness, useless as a burnt faggot. (41) 

10.     Whatever an enemy may do to an enemy, whatever a hater may do to a
hater, a wrongly directed mind will do to us greater harm. (42) 

11.     Not a mother, not a father, not any kindred can do much; a
well-directed mind does us greater service. (43)

================

Best wishes,

Dallas

=======================

-----Original Message-----
From: sallev1 
Sent: Friday, August 27, 2004 6:32 AM
To: 
Subject: Re: Buddha on WAR

Dallas

    The excerpt from the Buddha, is so beautifully put. 


For how could anyone advocate war if they were aware of the "Good Law," and
therefore knew that all returns to the cause of action, whether that cause
be unintentionally or intentionally, good or not?


    I propose that the war makers or even just the contentious, are only so
out of ignorance of (1) our inter-connectivity, and (2) the cyclic return of
all activity to its source, because of that "Radical" Unity.

    The Buddha also mentions "struggle must exist" and this "war" 
would seem to be within us. 

And perhaps there it should stay, while we fight for equilibrium during the
application of the highest truth we perceive. When this "struggle" "exits"
and tries to find perpetrators outside of ourselves, we ourselves have
broken the law of that "Radical Unity" through the lie of separatism. 

But, in all honesty, this is the most difficult war to fight, as we all must

admit. 

The "road" of it is littered with ourself and I am not sure that the pain of
it is the teacher some have said. The issue of keeping the struggle within,
from leaking, as it were, into the world would seem to be an interesting
conundrum. One that we often lose. 

Steve