S a c r e dT e x t sHinduismHow to trade in .docx

S a c r e d
T e x t s
Hinduism
How to trade in rubies and diamonds,
My blessed guru has shown me the way.
Rubies lie scattered in the square –
Worldly people walk over them.
The unknowing cannot discern;
they leave them and walk away.
But those who understand pick them up –
My beloved has shown me the way.
The fly sits in the honey
Bound up in its sticky wings.
So hard to fly away, O Compassionate One,
From the terrible habit of always wanting more.
Devotional song
Song by Kabīr, XV c. Hindu Saint who hailed from a Muslim
weaver caste
Recorded by Nancy M. Martin
In this direction a blind man comes;
In the other a blind man is going.

Blind man meets blind man –
Who can show the way?
Everyone is crying, “Ruby, Ruby”;
They all put forward a cloth to receive.
But none unties the knot to see what lies within
And so they are bereft of all.
But no one has tried to see.
Servant Kabı¯r has looked,
and climbed up beyond birth and death.
I. Thousand-headed is the Cosmic Person, thousand-eyed,
thousand-footed. He pervaded the earth on all sides, and stood
beyond it by ten fingers.
II. This is the nature of the Cosmic Person—he is all that had
been and all that is to be. He is the lord of eternal life, and
grows by virtue of [ritual] food.
III. Such is his greatness, and yet he is more than even this.
One-quarter of him is separated into all beings; three-quarters
of him remain in heaven.
IV. Three-quarters of his essence went upward, while one-
quarter remained here. From this [smaller portion] he spread in
all directions, manifesting as that which eats and as that which
does not eat.
V. From him, the shining one (viraja) was born; and from the
shining one, he himself also comes. When he was born, he
extended beyond the earth, behind it as well as in front of it.

VI. When the gods performed a sacrifice by offering the Cosmic
Person himself, spring was used as clarified butter, summer
the firewood, autumn the libation.
VII. It was the Cosmic Person, born in the beginning, sacrificed
upon the sacred grass. By using him, the gods engaged in
sacrifice, as did the perfected beings and the sages of old.
VIII. From that sacrifice, once completed, the offered butter
was brought together. It created the beasts of the air, and
those of the forests and the villages.
Purusha-sukta
Purusha-sukta
The Rig Veda, 10.90
IX. From that sacrifice, completely offered, the mantras [Rig
Veda] and the songs [Sama Veda] were born. The associated
meters were born from it as well. The sacrificial formulae
[Yajur Veda] were born from it too.
X. From it came the horses as well as all that have sharp teeth
in both jaws. The cows were born from it, too, as were goats
and sheep.
XI. When they divided the Cosmic Person, in how many
portions did they do so? By what words did they refer to his
mouth? his arms? his thighs? his feet?
XII. His mouth was the Brahmin [priest], his arms were the
Rajanaya [Kshatriya, warrior], his thighs the Vaishya
[merchant];
his feet the Shudra [worker].

XIII. The moon was born from his mind; from his eye, the sun;
from his mouth, both Indra and Agni; from his breath, Vayu
was born.
XIV. From his navel arose the air; from his head the heaven
came into being; from his feet, the earth; the [four] directions
sprang from his ear. Thus, they built the worlds.
XV. Seven were his altar sticks, twenty-one pieces of kindling,
and then the gods, performing the sacrifice, bound the
Cosmic Person himself.
XVI. The gods sacrificed with the sacrifice to the sacrifice.
These were the first holy rites. These powers reached the
firmament,
Arjuna said:
1By the supremely profound words, on the discrimination of
Self, that have been spoken by Thee out of compassion towards
me,
this my delusion is gone. 2Of Thee, O lotus-eyed, I have heard
at length, of the origin and dissolution of beings, as also Thy
inexhaustible greatness. 3So it is, O Lord Supreme! as Thou
hast declared Thyself. (Still) I desire to see Thy Ishvara-Form,
O Purusha
Supreme. 4If, O Lord, Thou thinkest me capable of seeing it,
then, O Lord of Yogis, show me Thy immutable Self.
The Blessed Lord said:
5Behold, O son of Prithâ, by hundreds and thousands, My
different forms celestial, of various colours and shapes.
6Behold the
Adityas, the Vasus, the Rudras, the twin Ashvins, and the

Maruts; behold, O descendant of Bharata, many wonders never
seen
before. 7See now, O Gudâkesha, in this My body, the whole
universe centred in one—including the moving and the
unmoving—and
all else that thou desirest to see. 8But thou canst not see Me
with these eyes of thine; I give thee supersensuous sight; behold
My
Yoga Power Supreme.
Sanjaya said:
9Having thus spoken, O King, Hari, the Great Lord of Yoga,
showed unto the son of Prithâ, His Supreme Ishvara-Form—
10With
numerous mouths and eyes, with numerous wondrous sights,
with numerous celestial ornaments, with numerous celestial
weapons
uplifted; 11Wearing celestial garlands and apparel, anointed
with celestial-scented unguents, the All-wonderful,
Resplendent,
Boundless and All-formed. 12If the splendour of a thousand
suns were to rise up at once in the sky, that would be like the
splendour
of that Mighty Being. 13There in the body of the Kami of gods,
the son of Pându then saw the whole universe resting in one,
with its
manifold divisions. 14Then Dhananjaya, filled with wonder,
with his hair standing on end, bending down his head to the
Deva in
adoration, spoke with joined palms.
THE BHAGAVAD-GITA
Arjuna said:

15I see all the Devas, O Deva, in Thy body, and hosts of all
grades of beings; Brahma, the Lord, seated on the lotus, and all
the Rishis
and celestial serpents. 16I see Thee of boundless form on every
side with manifold arms, stomachs, mouths and eyes; neither the
end nor the middle, nor also the beginning of Thee do I see, O
Lord of the universe, O Universal Form. 17I see Thee with
diadem,
club, and discus; a mass of radiance shining everywhere, very
hard to look at, all around blazing like burning fire and sun, and
immeasurable. 18Thou art the Imperishable, the Supreme Being,
the one thing to be known. Thou art the great Refuge of this
universe. Thou art the undying Guardian of the Eternal Dharma,
Thou art the Ancient, Purusha, I ween. 19I see Thee without
beginning, middle or end, infinite in power, of manifold arms;
the sun and the moon Thine eyes, the burning fire Thy mouth;
heating
the whole universe with Thy radiance. 20The space betwixt
heaven and earth and all the quarters are filled by Thee alone;
having
seen this, Thy marvellous and awful Form, the three worlds are
trembling with fear, O Great-souled One. 21Verily, into Thee
enter
these hosts of Devas; some extol Thee in fear with joined
palms; "May it be well!" thus saying, bands of great Rishis and
Siddhas
praise Thee with splendid hymns. 22The Rudras, Adityas,
Vasus, Sâdhyas, Vishva-Devas, the two Ashvins, Maruts,
Ushmapâs, and
hosts of Gandharvas, Yakshas, Asuras, and Siddhas—allthese
are looking at Thee, all quite astounded. 23Having seen Thy
immeasurable Form—with many mouths and eyes, O mighty-
armed, with many arms, thighs and feet, with many stomachs,
and
fearful with many tusks—the worlds are terrified, and so am I.
24On seeing Thee touching the sky, shining in many a colour,

with
mouths wide open, with large fiery eyes, I am terrified at heart,
and find no courage nor peace, O Vishnu. 25Having seen Thy
mouths,
fearful with tusks, (blazing) like Pralaya-fires, I know not the
four quarters, nor do I find peace; have mercy, O Lord of the
Devas, O
Abode of the universe. 26All these sons of Dhritarâshtra, with
hosts of monarchs, Bhishma, Drona, and Sutaputra, with the
warrior
chiefs of ours, enter precipitately into Thy mouth, terrible with
tusks and fearful to behold. 27Some are found sticking in the
interstices of Thy teeth, with their heads crushed to powder.
28Verily, as the many torrents of rivers flow towards the ocean,
so do
these heroes in the world of men enter Thy fiercely flaming
mouths.29As moths precipitately rush into a blazing fire only to
perish,
even so do these creatures also precipitately rush into Thy
mouths only to perish. 30Swallowing all the worlds on every
side with Thy
flaming mouths, Thou are licking Thy lips. Thy fierce rays,
filling the whole world with radiance, are burning, O Vishnu!
31Tell me who
Thou art, fierce in form. Salutation to Thee, O Deva Supreme;
have mercy. I desire to know Thee, O Primeval One. I know not
indeed
Thy purpose.
32I am the mighty world-destroying Time, here made manifest
for the purpose of infolding the world. Even without thee, none
of the
warriors arrayed in the hostile armies shall live. 33Therefore do

thou arise and acquire fame. Conquer the enemies, and enjoy the
unrivalled dominion. Verily by Myself have they been already
slain; be thou merely an apparent cause, O Savyasâchin
(Arjuna).
34Drona, Bhishma, Jayadratha, Karna, as well as other brave
warriors—these already killed by Me, do thou kill. Be not
distressed with
fear; fight, and thou shalt conquer thy enemies in battle.
Sanjaya said:
35Having, heard that speech of Keshava, the diademed one
(Arjuna), with joined palms, trembling, prostrated himself, and
again
addressed Krishna in a choked voice, bowing down,
overwhelmed with fear.
Arjuna said:
36It is meet, O Hrishikesha, that the world is delighted and
rejoices in Thy praise, that Râkshasas fly in fear to all quarters
and all the
hosts of Siddhas bow down to Thee in adoration. 37And why
should they not, O Great-souled One, bow to Thee, greater than,
and
the Primal Cause of even Brahmâ, O Infinite Being, O Lord of
the Devas, O Abode of the universe? Thou art the Imperishable,
the
Being and the non-Being, (as well as) That which is Beyond
(them). 38Thou art the Primal Deva, the Ancient Purusha; Thou
art the
Supreme Refuge of this universe, Thou art the Knower, and the
One Thing to be known; Thou art the Supreme Goal. By Thee is
the
universe pervaded, O Boundless Form. 39Thou art Vâyu, Yama,
Agni, Varuna, the Moon, Prajâpati, and the Great-Grandfather.
Salutation, salutation to Thee, a thousand times, and again and
again salutation, salutation to Thee! 40Salutation to Thee before

and
behind, salutation to Thee on every side, O All! Thou, infinite
in power and infinite in prowess, pervadest all; wherefore Thou
art All.
41Whatever I have presumptuously said from carelessness or
love, addressing Thee as, "O Krishna, O Yâdava, O friend,"
regarding
Thee merely as a friend, unconscious of this Thy greatness—
42in whatever way I may have been disrespectful to Thee in
fun, while
walking, reposing, sitting, or at meals, when alone (with Thee),
O Achyuta, or in company—I implore Thee, Immeasurable One,
to
forgive all this. 43Thou art the Father of the world, moving and
unmoving; the object of its worship; greater than the great.
None
there exists who is equal to Thee in the three worlds; who then
can excel Thee, O, Thou of power incomparable? 44So
prostrating my
body in adoration, I crave Thy forgiveness, Lord adorable! As a
father forgiveth his son, friend a dear friend, a beloved one his
love,
even so shouldst Thou forgive me, O Deva. 45Overjoyed am I to
have seen what I saw never before; yet my mind is distracted
with
terror. Show me, O Deva, only that Form of Thine. Have mercy,
O Lord of Devas, O Abode of the universe. 46Diademed,
bearing a
mace and a discus, Thee I desire to see as before. Assume that
same four-armed Form, O Thou of thousand arms, of universal
Form.

47Graciously have I shown to thee, O Arjuna, this Form
supreme, by My own Yoga power, this resplendent, primeval,
infinite,
universal Form of Mine, which hath not been seen before by
anyone else. 48Neither by the study of the Veda and Yajna, nor
by gifts,
nor by rituals, nor by severe austerities, am I in such Form seen,
in the world of men, by any other than thee, O great hero of the
Kurus. 49Be not afraid nor bewildered, having beheld this Form
of Mine, so terrific. With thy fears dispelled and with gladdened
heart, now see again this (former) form of Mine.
Sanjaya said:
50So Vâsudeva, having thus spoken to Arjuna, showed again
His own Form and the Great-souled One, assuming His gentle
Form,
pacified him who was terrified.
Arjuna said:
51Having seen this Thy gentle human Form, O Janârdana, my
thoughts are now composed and I am restored to my nature.
52Very hard indeed it is to see this Form of Mine which thou
hast seen. Even the Devas ever long to behold this Form.
53Neither by
the Vedas, nor by austerity, nor by gifts, nor by sacrifice can I
be seen as thou hast seen Me. 54But by the single-minded
devotion I
may in this Form, be known, O Arjuna, and seen in reality, and
also entered into, O scorcher of foes. 55He who does work for
Me
alone and has Me for his goal, is devoted to Me, is freed from
attachment, and bears enmity towards no creature—he entereth
into
Me, O Pândava.

The Mahabarata, Book VI, Chapter XI
BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION (For Chicago Manual of
Style citations and bibliography)
FIRST READING
Devotional Song
By Kabīr
SECOND READING
Purusha-sukta
The Rig Veda, 10.90
THIRD READING
The Bhagavad-Gita
The Mahabarata, Book VI, Chapter X
Title: Blackwell's Companion to
Hinduism;
Author: Gavin Flood;
Translator: Nancy M. Martin;
Publisher: Blackwell;
Location: London;
Year: 2003;
Page(s): 182.
Title: Essential Hinduism;
Translator: Steven J. Rosen;
Publisher: Praeger;
Location: Westport;

Year: 2006;
Page(s): 55-56.
Title: Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita;
Translator: Swami Swarupananda;
Publisher: Advaita Ashrama;
Location: Kolkata;
Year: 1967;
Page(s): 241-274.
The Blessed One then addressed the monks, saying, ‘‘Monks.’’
‘‘Yes, lord,’’ the monks responded.
The Blessed One said, ‘‘I will teach and interpret for you the
Noble Eightfold Path. Listen and pay attention as I speak.’’
‘‘We will do as you say, lord,’’ the monks replied.
The Blessed One said, ‘‘What, monks, is the Noble Eightfold
Path? Right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right
livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right
concentration.
‘‘What is right view? It is knowledge with regard to suffering,
knowledge with regard to the origination of suffering,
knowledge with
regard to the stopping of suffering, knowledge with regard to
the way of practice leading to the stopping of suffering.
‘‘What is right resolve? It is being resolved to practice
renunciation, to be free from ill will, to be harmless.
‘‘What is right speech? It is refraining from lying, refraining
from divisive speech, refraining from abusive speech, and
refraining from

idle talk.
‘‘What is right action? It is not taking life, not stealing, and
being chaste.
‘‘What is right livelihood? This is when a disciple of the noble
ones, having abandoned a dishonest livelihood, sustains his life
with
right livelihood.
‘‘What is right effort? This is when a monk desires, endeavors,
persists, upholds, and exerts his intent so that evil, unhelpful
qualities
do not arise [in him]. He abandons unhelpful qualities that have
arisen...[He] brings about helpful qualities that have not yet
arisen...[He brings about] helpful qualities that have arisen.
‘‘What is right mindfulness? This is when a monk remains
focused on the body in and of itself—he is fervent, aware, and
mindful—
putting away the greed and distress of the world. He remains
focused on feelings in and of themselves—he is fervent, aware,
and
mindful—putting away the greed and distress of the world. He
remains focused on the mind in and of itself—he is fervent,
aware,
and mindful—putting away the greed and distress of the world.
He remains focused on mental qualities in and of themselves—
he is
fervent, aware, and mindful—putting away the greed and
distress of the world.
‘‘What is right concentration? This is when a monk—quite
withdrawn from sensuality, withdrawn from unskillful (mental)

qualities—
enters and remains in the first stage of concentration: rapture
and pleasure born from withdrawal, accompanied by directed
thought
and evaluation. With the stilling of his directed thought and
evaluation, he enters and remains in the second stage of
concentration:
rapture and pleasure born of concentration, unification of
awareness free from directed thought and evaluation. This
brings internal
assurance. With the fading of rapture, he remains calm, mindful
and alert, and physically sensitive of pleasure. He enters and
remains in the third stage of concentration: calm and mindful,
he has a pleasurable abiding. With the abandoning of pleasure
and
pain, as with the earlier disappearance of rapture and distress,
he enters and remains in the fourth stage of concentration: pure
calmness and mindfulness, having neither pleasure nor pain.
This is what the Blessed One said.
Dhammacakkapparattana Sutta, 9–20
There is an old story about a man who came to see the Buddha
because he had heard that the Buddha was a great teacher.
Like all of us, he had some problems in his life, and he thought
the Buddha might be able to help him straighten them out.
He told the Buddha that he was a farmer. "I like farming,“ he
said, "but sometimes it doesn't rain enough, and my crops fail.
Last year we nearly starved. And sometimes it rains too much,
so my yields aren't what I'd like them to be."
The Buddha patiently listened to the man.
"I'm married, too," said the man. "She's a good wife...I love her,

in fact. But sometimes she nags me too much. And sometimes
I get tired of her. "
The Buddha listened quietly.
"I have kids," said the man. "Good kids, too...but sometimes
they don't show me enough respect. And sometimes..."
The man went on like this, laying out all his difficulties and
worries. Finally he wound down and waited for the Buddha to
say
the words that would put everything right for him.
Instead the Buddha said, "I can't help you."
"What do you mean?" said the astonished man.
"Everybody's got problems," said the Buddha. "In fact, we've all
got eighty-three problems, each one of us. Eighty-three
problems, and there's nothing you can do about it. If you work
really hard on one of them, maybe you can fix it. But if you do,
another one will pop right into its place. For example, you're
going to lose your loved ones eventually. And you're going to
die some
day. Now there's a problem, and there's nothing you, or I, or
anyone else can do about it."
The man became furious. "I thought you were a great teacher!"
he shouted. "I thought you could help me! What good is your
teaching, then?"
The Buddha said, "Well, maybe it will help you with the eighty-
fourth problem."
"The eighty-fourth problem?" said the man. "What’s the eighty-
fourth problem?"
Said the Buddha, "You want to not have any problems."
A Buddhist Tale

If resentment arises towards any person, then one should
cultivate:
loving-kindness...
or compassion...
or equanimity...
In this way he may get rid of resentment that has arisen towards
any person.
Or one should cultivate lack of asati (awareness) of him and not
give amanasikara (attention) to
that person. In this way, he may get rid of resentment that has
arisen towards any person.
Or one should fix in one’s mind the fact of his ownership of
kamma:
‘This venerable sir is the owner of his deeds, the heir to his
deeds: his deeds are his progenitor,
his kinsmen and his refuge. Whatever he does, good or bad, he
will be the heir of that.’
In this way, he may get rid of resentment that has arisen
towards any person.
By these five ways of getting rid of resentment,
a monk can get rid of all resentment that arises within him.
Ajguttaranikaya, III: 185

FIRST READING
The Eightfold Path
SECOND READING
The 84th Problem
A Buddhist Tale
THIRD READING
Five Ways of Getting Rid of Resentment
Title: Buddhist Suttas;
Translator: Thomas W. R. Davids;
Publisher: Oxford University Press;
Location: Oxford;
Year: 2007;
Page(s): 149-152.
Title: Buddhism Plain and Simple;
Translator: Steve Hagan;
Publisher: Broadway;
Location: New York City;
Year: 1999;
Page(s): 16-17.
Title: Buddhist Meditation;
Translator: Sarah Shah
Publisher: Routledge;
Location: London;
Year: 2006;
Page(s): 167-168.

Confucianism
RULERS
The Duke Ting asked whether there was a single sentence which
could make
a country prosperous. Confucius replied, 'Such an effect cannot
be expected
from one sentence.
'There is a saying, however, which people have—"To be a
prince is difficult;
to be a minister is not easy."
'If a ruler knows this,—the difficulty of being a prince,--may
there not be
expected from this one sentence the prosperity of his country?’
The duke then said, 'Is there a single sentence which can ruin a
country?'
Confucius replied, 'Such an effect as that cannot be expected
from one
sentence. There is, however, the saying which people have—"I
have no
pleasure in being a prince, but only in that no one can offer any
opposition
to what I say!"
'If a ruler's words be good, is it not also good that no one
oppose them? But
if they are not good, and no one opposes them, may there not be

expected
from this one sentence the ruin of his country?’
The Analects XIII. XV 1-5
Newborns
So he bears a son,
And puts him to sleep upon a bed,
Clothes him in robes,
Gives him a jade scepter to play with.
The child’s howling is very lusty;
In red greaves (leg armor) shall he flare,
Be lord and king of house and home.
Then he bears a daughter,
And puts her upon the ground,
Clothes her in swaddling rags,
Gives her a loom-whorl to play with.
For her no decorations, no emblems;
Her only care the wine and food,
And how to give no trouble to father and mother.
Book of Songs
The Shijing, The Beck: 189
WEAVER-MAIDEN
Her august father, the Sun, would have the accomplished Chih
Nü turn her footsteps towards his bright gardens
or appear in his celestial halls. But Chih Nü would not leave her
loom. All day and every day the maiden sat by the

River of Heaven weaving webs that were endless.
The Sun thought in his august mind that if the maiden were
wedded she would not permit herself to be a slave to
the loom. He thought that if she had a husband she would depart
a little from her exceptional diligence.
Therefore, he let it be known that he would favourably consider
a proposal involving the marriage of the
accomplished Chih Nü. Then one whose dwelling was at the
other side of the heavenly river drew his august
regard. This was Niu Lang: he herded oxen, and he was a youth
who was exceedingly amiable and who had
accomplishments that matched the accomplishments of Chih Nü.
They were united, the Weaver Maiden and the Herdsman Youth;
they were united in the palace of the august
Sun. The omens were favourable, and the heavens made
themselves as beautiful as a flying pheasant for the
ceremony. The guests drank of that sweet heavenly dew which
makes those who drink of it more quick-witted
and intelligent than they were before. The Sun, the Weaver
Maiden, the Herdsman Youth, and all the guests who
were present sang in mutual harmony the song that says "The
Sun and Moon are constant; the stars and other
heavenly bodies have their courses; the four seasons observe
their rule! How responsive are all things to the
harmony that has been established in the heavens!" The august
Sun expected that after this auspicious marriage
his daughter would moderate her diligence and be more often at
leisure.
and THE HERDSMAN
THE

But Chih Nü was as immoderate in her play as she was in her
industry. No more did she work at her loom; no more
did she attend to her inescapable duties; with her husband she
played all day, and for him she danced and made
music all night. The heavens went out of harmony because of
this failure in right performance, and the earth was
greatly troubled. Her august father came before Chih Nü and
pointed out to her the dire consequences of her
engaging in endless pastimes. But in spite of all he said to her
the Weaver Maiden would not return to her loom.
Then the august Sun determined to make a separation between
the pair whose union had such dire results. He
commanded the blameless Niu Lang to go to the other bank of
the River of Heaven, and to continue there his
herdsman's duties. He commanded the accomplished Chih Nü to
remain on her own side of the river. But the
august Sun showed a spirit of kindliness to his daughter and his
son-in-law. They could meet and be together for
one day and one night of the year. On the seventh day of the
seventh month of every year they could cross the
River of Heaven and be with each other. And to make a bridge
by which they might cross the river a myriad of
magpies would come together, and each by catching the head-
feathers of the bird next him would make a bridge
with their backs and wings. And over that bridge the Weaver
Maiden would cross over to where the Herdsman
Youth waited for her.
All day the Weaver Maiden sat at her loom and worked with
becoming diligence. Her father rejoiced that she
fulfilled her duties. But no being in the heavens or on the earth
was as lonely as she was, and all day the Herdsman
Youth tended his oxen, but with a heart that was filled with
loneliness and grief. The days and the nights went

slowly by, and time when they might cross the River of Heaven
and be together drew near. Then a great fear
entered the hearts of the young wife and the young husband.
They feared lest rain should fall; for the River of
Heaven is always filled to its brim, and one drop would cause it
to flood its banks. And if there was a flood the
magpies could not bridge the space between the Weaver Maiden
and the Herdsman Youth.
For many years after their separation no rain fell. The magpies
came in their myriad. The one behind held the head-
feathers of the one before, and with their backs and wings they
made a bridge for the young wife to cross over to
where the young husband waited for her.
With hearts that were shaken like the wings of the magpies she
would cross the Bridge of Wings. They would hold
each other in their arms and make over again their vows of love.
Then Chih Nü would go back to her loom, and the
magpies would fly away to come together in another year.
And the people of earth pray that no drop of rain may fall to
flood the River of Heaven; they make such prayer
when it comes near the seventh day of the seventh month. But
they rejoice when no rain falls and they can see
with their own eyes the magpies gathering in their myriad.
Sometimes the inauspicious forces are in the
ascendant; rain falls and the river is flooded. No magpies then
go to form a bridge, and Chih Nü weeps beside her
loom and Niu Lang laments as he drives his ox beside the flood
of the River of Heaven.
A Chinese Myth

FIRST READING
Rulers
Analects, 4.1–6
SECOND READING
Newborns
THIRD READING
The Weaver-Maiden & the Herdsman
A Chinese Myth
Title: The Chinese Classics;
Translator: James Legge;
Publisher: Alden;
Year: 1891;
Page(s): 71.
Title: The Book of Songs;
Author: Arthur Waley;
Publisher: Grove;
Location: New York;
Year: 1996;
Page(s): 162-163.
Title: Great Myths of the World;
Translator: Padraic Colum;

Publisher: Dover Publications;
Location: Mineola;
Year: 2012;
Page(s): 215-218.
Shinto
Birth of the Eight Islands
Hereupon the two Deities took counsel, saying: "The children to
whom we have now given birth are not
good. It will be best to announce this in the august place of the
Heavenly Deities." They ascended
forthwith to Heaven and enquired of Their Augustnesses the
Heavenly Deities. Then the Heavenly Deities
commanded and found out by grand divination, and ordered
them, saying:
"They were not good because the woman spoke first. Descend
back again and amend your words." So
thereupon descending back, they again went round the heavenly
august pillar as before.
thereupon his Augustness the Male-Who-Invites spoke first:
"Ah! what a fair and lovely maiden!
Afterwards his younger sister Her Augustness the Female-Who-
Invites spoke: "Ah! what a fair
and lovely youth!" Tali modo quun orationi finem fecerant,
auguste coierunt et pepererunt a
child the Island of Ahaji, Ho-no-sa-wake. Next they gave birth
to the Island of Futa-no in Iyo.
This island has one body and four faces, and each face has a

name.
So the Land of Iyo is called Lovely-Princess; the Land of
Sanuki is called Prince-
Good-Boiled-Rice; the Land of Aha is called the Princess-of-
Great-Food; the
Land of Tosa is called Brave-Good-Youth.
Next they gave birth to the Island of Iki, another name for
which is Heaven's One-Pillar. Next they gave
birth to the Island of Tsu, another name for which is Heavenly-
Hand-net-Good-Princess. Next they gave
birth to the Island of Sado. Next they gave birth to Great-
Yamato-the-Luxuriant-Island-of-the-Dragon-
Fly, another name for which is Heavenly-August-Sky-
Luxuriant-Dragon-fly-Lord-Youth. The name of
"Land-of-the-Eight-Great-Islands" therefore originated in these
eight islands having been born first.
After that, when they had returned, they gave birth to the Island
of Ko[-shima] in Kibi, another name
for which [island] is Brave-Sun Direction-Youth. Next they
gave birth to the Island of Adzuki, another
name for which is Oho-Nu-De-Hime.
Next they gave birth to the Island of Oho [-shima], another
name for which is Oho-Tamaru-
Wake. Next they gave birth to the Island of Hime, another name
for which is Heaven's-One-
Root. Next they gave birth to the Island of Chika, another name
for which is Heavenly-
Great-Male. Next they gave birth to the Island[s] of Futa-go,
another name for which is
Heaven's-Two-Houses, (Six islands in all from the Island of Ko,

in Kibi to the Island of
Heaven's-Two-Houses).
Kojiki, V
The Beginning of Heaven and Earth
Of old, Heaven and Earth were not yet separated, and the
In and Yo not yet divided. They formed a chaotic mass like
an egg which was of obscurely defined limits and contained
germs.
The purer and clearer part was thinly drawn out, and
formed Heaven, while the heavier and grosser element
settled down and became Earth.
The finer element easily became a united body, but the
consolidation of the heavy and gross element was
accomplished with difficulty.
Heaven was therefore formed first, and Earth was
established subsequently.
Thereafter divine beings were produced between them.
Hence it is said that when the world began to be created,
the soil of which lands were composed floated about in a
manner which might be compared to the floating of a fish
sporting on the surface of the water.
At this time a certain thing was produced between
Heaven and Earth. It was in form like a reed-shoot. Now this
became transformed into a Kami, and was called Kuni-toko-
tachi no Mikoto.

Next there was Kuni no sa-tsuchi no Mikoto, and next
Toyo-kumu-nu no Mikoto, in all three deities
These were pure males spontaneously developed by the
operation of the principle of Heaven.
In one writing it is said: '"When Heaven and Earth began,
a thing existed in the midst of the Void. Its shape may not
be described. Within it a deity was spontaneously
produced, whose name was Kuni-toko-tachi no Mikoto, also
called Kuni-soko-tachi no Mikoto. Next there was Kuni no
sa-tsuchi no Mikoto, also called Kuni no sa-tachi no Mikoto.
Next there was Toyo-kuni-nushi no Mikoto, also called Toyo-
kumu-nu no Mikoto, Toyo-ka-fushi-no no Mikoto, Uki-fu-no-
toyo-kahi no Mikoto, Toyo-kuni-no no Mikoto, Toyo-kuhi-no
no Mikoto, Ha-ko-kuni-no no Mikoto, or Mi-no no Mikoto."
In one writing it is said: "Of old, when the land was Young
and the earth young, it floated about, as it were floating oil.
At this time a thing was produced within the land, in shape
like a reed-shoot when it sprouts forth. From this there was
a deity developed, whose name was Umashi-ashi-kabi-hiko-
ji no Mikoto. Next there was Kuni no toko-tachi no Mikoto,
and next Kuni no sa-tsuchi no Mikoto.“
Excerpt from the Nihon Shoki
Misogi No Õ Harai: A Norito
In the Expanse of High Heaven dwell the exalted kami.
By command of our divine ancestral kami,
The noble male kami and the august female kami of Heaven,

Our great ancestral kami Izanagi-no-Mikoto performed misogi
At Ahagihara of Odo, Tachibana of Himuka, in Tsukushi of the
Ancient Land,
Where his very being was cleansed of all impurities by many
Great Kami of Purification.
I humbly beseech the kami to cleanse me of all impurities
Within myself and in my relationships with others, and
Between myself and the way of Great Nature.
FIRST READING
Kojiki
SECOND READING
Nihon Shoki
THIRD READING
Misogi No Õ Harai
A Norito
Title: The Kojiki;
Translator: Basil Hall Chamberlain;
Publisher: Cosimo Classics;
Year: 2019;
Page(s): 12-13.

Title: Nihongi: Chronicles of Japan from
the Earliest Times to AD 697;
Year: 2008;
Page(s): 2-3.
Title: Shinto Norito;
Author: Ann Llewellynn Evans;
Publisher: Tenchi;
Location: Victoria;
Year: 2001;
Page(s): 3.
Judaism
THE TEN COMMANDMENTSAseret ha-Dibrot
20 And God spake all these words, saying,
2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the
land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any
likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the
earth
beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for
I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of
the
fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of
them that hate me;

6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and
keep my commandments.
7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain;
for the LORDwill not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in
vain.
8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in
it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy
daughter, thy
manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger
that is within thy gates:
11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea,
and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore
the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long
upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
13 Thou shalt not kill.
14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Exodus 20: 1-14
1. Yahweh alone is the Creator.
2. Yahweh is absolutely One.
3. Yahweh has no body or bodily shape.
4. Yahweh is the fi rst and the last.
5. Only to Yahweh may we pray and to no other.
6. The words of the prophets are true.

7. The prophecy of Moses is true, and he is the father of all
prophets.
8. The Torah, now found in our hands, was given to Moses.
9. This Torah is not subject to change, and there will never be
another Torah from the Creator.
10. The Creator knows all the thoughts and deeds of humans.
11. Yahweh rewards and punishes according to the deed.
12. The Messiah will come; though He tarry, I will expect Him
daily.
13. The dead will be resurrected.
MAIMONEDESThe 13 Principles
The high-priest may judge and be a witness; be judged and
witnessed against. A king must not judge,
and is not judged; must not be a witness, nor witnessed against.
There are cases from which one may withdraw himself, and
there are others from which he may not.
How so? A king must not be a member of the Sanhedrin; nor he
and a high-priest engage in discussion
about a leap year. The legends of three pasturers who had a
discussion about the month Adar, which
the rabbis took as a support to establish a leap year. When he
(the high-priest) goes in the row to
condole with others, his vice and the ex-high-priest are placed
at his right, etc.

Formerly the custom was for the mourners to stand, and the
people to pass by, etc. A row is not less
than ten persons, not counting the mourners. All agree that if a
king has relinquished his honor, it is
not relinquished. How could David marry two sisters while they
were both living?
The strength of Joseph was moderation on the part of Boas, and
the strength of the latter was
moderation on the part of Palti, etc., etc. If a death occurs in the
house of the king, he must notleave
the gate of the palace,
The Babylonian Talmud, VIII: II, 43-52
MISHNAS II & IIITRACT SANHEDRIN
FIRST READING
The Ten Commandments
Exodus 20: 1-14
SECOND READING
The 13 Principles
Maimonides
THIRD READING
Tract Sanhedrin

Title: The Holy Bible, The King James
Version;
Author: �;
Publisher: Thomas Nelson Publishers;
Location: Nashville;
Year: 1984;
Page(s): 44.
Title: Judaism;
Authors: Martha A. Morrison &
Stephen F. Brown;
Publisher: Chelsea House;
Location: New York;
Year: 2009;
Page(s): 86.
Title: The Babylonian Talmud;
Translator: Michael L. Rodkinson;
Publisher: New Talmud;
Location: Boston;
Year: 1903;
Page(s): xii.
CHRISTIANITY
65
7
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT
1And seeing the multitudes, He went up into a

mountain: and when He was set, His disciples
came unto Him: 2And He opened His mouth, and
taught them, saying, 3Blessed are the poor in
spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be
comforted. 5Blessed are the meek: for they shall
inherit the earth. 6Blessed are they which do
hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they
shall be filled. 7Blessed are the merciful: for they
shall obtain mercy. 8Blessed are the pure in heart:
for they shall see God. 9Blessed are the
peacemakers: for they shall be called the children
of God. 10Blessed are they which are persecuted
for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven. 11Blessed are ye, when men shall revile
you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner
of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
9After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which
art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10Thy kingdom
come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11Give
us this day our daily bread. 12And forgive us our debts, as
we forgive our debtors. 13And lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the
kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
7Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find;
knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8For every one
that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and
to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
...
28And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these
sayings, the people were astonished at His doctrine:
29For He taught them as one having authority, and not
as the scribes.

The New Testament: The Gospel According to St. Matthew,
Chapters V-VII
A TREATISE ON LOVE
1Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels,
and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a
tinkling cymbal.
2And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand
all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all
faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not
love, I am nothing.
3And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and
though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it
profiteth me nothing.
4Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love
vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own,
is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things,
endureth all things.
The New Testament: St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians,
Chapter 13
8Love never faileth: but whether there be prophecies,
they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall
cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
9For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

10But when that which is perfect is come, then that
which is in part shall be done away.
11When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a
child, I thought as a child: but when I became an adult, I
put away childish things.
12For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then Face
to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as
also I am known.
13And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but
the greatest of these is love.
THE ANIMA CHRISTI
Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from Christ’s side, cleanse me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
O good Jesus, hear me.
Within Thy wounds hide me.
Suffer me not to be separated from Thee.
From the malicious enemy defend me.
In the hour of my death call me.
And bid me come unto Thee.
That I may praise Thee with Thy saints and angels

Forever and ever.
Amen
Anonymous prayer of Sacred Tradition, c. XIV century
FIRST READING
The Sermon on the Mount
The Gospel According to Matthew, 5-7
SECOND READING
A Treatise on Love
First Letter to the Corinthians, 13
THIRD READING
Anima Christi
A Traditional Prayer
Version;
Author: �;
Year: 1984;
Page(s): 563-565.
Version;

Author: �;
Year: 1984;
Page(s): 676-677.
Title: Finding God in All Things;
Authors: Robert Anthony Wild and
Stephanie Russell;
Publisher: Marquette University Press;
Location: Milwaukee;
Year: 2009;
Page(s): 8.
ISLAM
OMNIPOTENCE OF ALLAH
41Do you not see that Allah is exalted by whomever is within
the heavens and the earth and [by] the birds with wings
spread [in flight]? Each [of them] has known his [means of]
prayer and exalting [Him], and Allah is Knowing of what
they do.
42And to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the
earth, and to Allah is the destination.
43Do you not see that Allah drives clouds? Then He brings
them together, then He makes them into a mass, and you
see the rain emerge from within it. And He sends down from the
sky, mountains [of clouds] within which is hail, and
He strikes with it whom He wills and averts it from whom He
wills. The flash of its lightening almost takes away the
eyesight.
44Allah alternates the night and the day. Indeed in that is a

lesson for those who have vision.
45Allah has created every [living] creature from water. And of
them are those that move on their bellies, and of them
are those that walk on two legs, and of them are those that walk
on four. Allah creates what He wills. Indeed, Allah is
over all things competent.
46We have certainly sent down distinct verses. And Allah
guides whom He wills to a straight path.
Surah An-Nur [Qur’an 24], 41-46
HADITH
‘‘On a certain night when he was reading, and his horse was
tethered near him, behold! the horse wheeled
round. Then he became silent, and it also became steady. Then
he read (again), and it wheeled round. Then
he became silent, and it ceased wheeling round. He again read,
and the horse wheeled round as before. Then
he turned away, and his son Yahya was near it, and he feared
that it would injure him. And when he moved
the child away he raised his head to the heavens, and behold!
something like a cloud and in it objects
resembling lamps. And when the morning came he informed the
Prophet...
‘I feared, O Apostle of God, that it would tread on Yahya who
was near it, and I moved near to him, and
raised my head to the heavens, and behold! something
resembling a cloud, in which were objects like lamps,
and I went out in order that I should not see them.’
He replied, ‘And do you know what that was?’

He said, ‘No.’
He said, ‘Those were angels which came near at the sound of
thy voice, and if you had continued to read,
they would have remained until the morning, and men would
have seen them.
ON THE POWER OF READING THE QUR’AN
Related from Abu Sa’idu’l-Khudri as recounted by Usaid bin
Hudair
UNTITLED
Dance when you’re broken open.
Dance, if you’ve torn the bandage off.
Dance in the middle of the fighting.
Dance in your blood.
Dance, when you’re perfectly free.
֎
In Your Light I learn how to love.
In Your Beauty, how to make poems.
You dance inside my chest,
Where no one sees You,
But sometimes I do,
And that glimpse becomes this art.
The Masnavi, Spiritual Couplets

FIRST READING
Omnipotence of Allah
SECOND READING
Hadith
On the Power of Reading the Qur’an
THIRD READING
Untitled
Title: The Glorious Qur’an;
Translator: Mohammed Marmaduke
Pickthall;
Publisher: Adam Publishers &
Distributors;
Location: New Delhi;
Year: 1930;
Page(s): 22-24.
Title: Anthology of World Scriptures;
Translator: Robert E. Van Voorst;
Publisher: Thomson Wadsworth;
Location: Belmont;
Year: 2008;
Page(s): 324.

Location: Belmont;
Year: 2008;
Page(s): 122.
S a c r e d
T e x t s
Hinduism
How to trade in rubies and diamonds,
My blessed guru has shown me the way.
Rubies lie scattered in the square –
Worldly people walk over them.
The unknowing cannot discern;
they leave them and walk away.
But those who understand pick them up –
My beloved has shown me the way.
The fly sits in the honey
Bound up in its sticky wings.
So hard to fly away, O Compassionate One,
From the terrible habit of always wanting more.
Devotional song

Song by Kabīr, XV c. Hindu Saint who hailed from a Muslim
weaver caste
Recorded by Nancy M. Martin
In this direction a blind man comes;
In the other a blind man is going.
Blind man meets blind man –
Who can show the way?
They all put forward a cloth to receive.
But none unties the knot to see what lies within
And so they are bereft of all.
But no one has tried to see.
Servant Kabı¯r has looked,
and climbed up beyond birth and death.
I. Thousand-headed is the Cosmic Person, thousand-eyed,
thousand-footed. He pervaded the earth on all sides, and stood
beyond it by ten fingers.
II. This is the nature of the Cosmic Person—he is all that had
been and all that is to be. He is the lord of eternal life, and
grows by virtue of [ritual] food.
III. Such is his greatness, and yet he is more than even this.
One-quarter of him is separated into all beings; three-quarters
of him remain in heaven.
IV. Three-quarters of his essence went upward, while one-
quarter remained here. From this [smaller portion] he spread in

all directions, manifesting as that which eats and as that which
does not eat.
V. From him, the shining one (viraja) was born; and from the
shining one, he himself also comes. When he was born, he
extended beyond the earth, behind it as well as in front of it.
VI. When the gods performed a sacrifice by offering the Cosmic
Person himself, spring was used as clarified butter, summer
the firewood, autumn the libation.
VII. It was the Cosmic Person, born in the beginning, sacrificed
upon the sacred grass. By using him, the gods engaged in
sacrifice, as did the perfected beings and the sages of old.
VIII. From that sacrifice, once completed, the offered butter
was brought together. It created the beasts of the air, and
those of the forests and the villages.
Purusha-sukta
Purusha-sukta
The Rig Veda, 10.90
IX. From that sacrifice, completely offered, the mantras [Rig
Veda] and the songs [Sama Veda] were born. The associated
meters were born from it as well. The sacrificial formulae
[Yajur Veda] were born from it too.
X. From it came the horses as well as all that have sharp teeth
in both jaws. The cows were born from it, too, as were goats
and sheep.
XI. When they divided the Cosmic Person, in how many

portions did they do so? By what words did they refer to his
mouth? his arms? his thighs? his feet?
XII. His mouth was the Brahmin [priest], his arms were the
Rajanaya [Kshatriya, warrior], his thighs the Vaishya
[merchant];
his feet the Shudra [worker].
XIII. The moon was born from his mind; from his eye, the sun;
from his mouth, both Indra and Agni; from his breath, Vayu
was born.
XIV. From his navel arose the air; from his head the heaven
came into being; from his feet, the earth; the [four] directions
sprang from his ear. Thus, they built the worlds.
XV. Seven were his altar sticks, twenty-one pieces of kindling,
and then the gods, performing the sacrifice, bound the
Cosmic Person himself.
XVI. The gods sacrificed with the sacrifice to the sacrifice.
These were the first holy rites. These powers reached the
firmament,
Arjuna said:
1By the supremely profound words, on the discrimination of
Self, that have been spoken by Thee out of compassion towards
me,
this my delusion is gone. 2Of Thee, O lotus-eyed, I have heard
at length, of the origin and dissolution of beings, as also Thy
inexhaustible greatness. 3So it is, O Lord Supreme! as Thou
hast declared Thyself. (Still) I desire to see Thy Ishvara-Form,
O Purusha
Supreme. 4If, O Lord, Thou thinkest me capable of seeing it,

then, O Lord of Yogis, show me Thy immutable Self.
5Behold, O son of Prithâ, by hundreds and thousands, My
different forms celestial, of various colours and shapes.
6Behold the
Adityas, the Vasus, the Rudras, the twin Ashvins, and the
Maruts; behold, O descendant of Bharata, many wonders never
seen
before. 7See now, O Gudâkesha, in this My body, the whole
universe centred in one—including the moving and the
unmoving—and
all else that thou desirest to see. 8But thou canst not see Me
with these eyes of thine; I give thee supersensuous sight; behold
My
Yoga Power Supreme.
Sanjaya said:
9Having thus spoken, O King, Hari, the Great Lord of Yoga,
showed unto the son of Prithâ, His Supreme Ishvara-Form—
10With
numerous mouths and eyes, with numerous wondrous sights,
with numerous celestial ornaments, with numerous celestial
weapons
uplifted; 11Wearing celestial garlands and apparel, anointed
with celestial-scented unguents, the All-wonderful,
Resplendent,
Boundless and All-formed. 12If the splendour of a thousand
suns were to rise up at once in the sky, that would be like the
splendour
of that Mighty Being. 13There in the body of the Kami of gods,
the son of Pându then saw the whole universe resting in one,
with its
manifold divisions. 14Then Dhananjaya, filled with wonder,
with his hair standing on end, bending down his head to the
Deva in

adoration, spoke with joined palms.
THE BHAGAVAD-GITA
Arjuna said:
15I see all the Devas, O Deva, in Thy body, and hosts of all
grades of beings; Brahma, the Lord, seated on the lotus, and all
the Rishis
and celestial serpents. 16I see Thee of boundless form on every
side with manifold arms, stomachs, mouths and eyes; neither the
end nor the middle, nor also the beginning of Thee do I see, O
Lord of the universe, O Universal Form. 17I see Thee with
diadem,
club, and discus; a mass of radiance shining everywhere, very
hard to look at, all around blazing like burning fire and sun, and
immeasurable. 18Thou art the Imperishable, the Supreme Being,
the one thing to be known. Thou art the great Refuge of this
universe. Thou art the undying Guardian of the Eternal Dharma,
Thou art the Ancient, Purusha, I ween. 19I see Thee without
beginning, middle or end, infinite in power, of manifold arms;
the sun and the moon Thine eyes, the burning fire Thy mouth;
heating
the whole universe with Thy radiance. 20The space betwixt
heaven and earth and all the quarters are filled by Thee alone;
having
seen this, Thy marvellous and awful Form, the three worlds are
trembling with fear, O Great-souled One. 21Verily, into Thee
enter
these hosts of Devas; some extol Thee in fear with joined
palms; "May it be well!" thus saying, bands of great Rishis and
Siddhas
praise Thee with splendid hymns. 22The Rudras, Adityas,
Vasus, Sâdhyas, Vishva-Devas, the two Ashvins, Maruts,
Ushmapâs, and

hosts of Gandharvas, Yakshas, Asuras, and Siddhas—allthese
are looking at Thee, all quite astounded. 23Having seen Thy
immeasurable Form—with many mouths and eyes, O mighty-
armed, with many arms, thighs and feet, with many stomachs,
and
fearful with many tusks—the worlds are terrified, and so am I.
24On seeing Thee touching the sky, shining in many a colour,
with
mouths wide open, with large fiery eyes, I am terrified at heart,
and find no courage nor peace, O Vishnu. 25Having seen Thy
mouths,
fearful with tusks, (blazing) like Pralaya-fires, I know not the
four quarters, nor do I find peace; have mercy, O Lord of the
Devas, O
Abode of the universe. 26All these sons of Dhritarâshtra, with
hosts of monarchs, Bhishma, Drona, and Sutaputra, with the
warrior
chiefs of ours, enter precipitately into Thy mouth, terrible with
tusks and fearful to behold. 27Some are found sticking in the
interstices of Thy teeth, with their heads crushed to powder.
28Verily, as the many torrents of rivers flow towards the ocean,
so do
these heroes in the world of men enter Thy fiercely flaming
mouths.29As moths precipitately rush into a blazing fire only to
perish,
even so do these creatures also precipitately rush into Thy
mouths only to perish. 30Swallowing all the worlds on every
side with Thy
flaming mouths, Thou are licking Thy lips. Thy fierce rays,
filling the whole world with radiance, are burning, O Vishnu!
31Tell me who
Thou art, fierce in form. Salutation to Thee, O Deva Supreme;
have mercy. I desire to know Thee, O Primeval One. I know not
indeed
Thy purpose.

32I am the mighty world-destroying Time, here made manifest
for the purpose of infolding the world. Even without thee, none
of the
warriors arrayed in the hostile armies shall live. 33Therefore do
thou arise and acquire fame. Conquer the enemies, and enjoy the
unrivalled dominion. Verily by Myself have they been already
slain; be thou merely an apparent cause, O Savyasâchin
(Arjuna).
34Drona, Bhishma, Jayadratha, Karna, as well as other brave
warriors—these already killed by Me, do thou kill. Be not
distressed with
fear; fight, and thou shalt conquer thy enemies in battle.
Sanjaya said:
35Having, heard that speech of Keshava, the diademed one
(Arjuna), with joined palms, trembling, prostrated himself, and
again
addressed Krishna in a choked voice, bowing down,
overwhelmed with fear.
Arjuna said:
36It is meet, O Hrishikesha, that the world is delighted and
rejoices in Thy praise, that Râkshasas fly in fear to all quarters
and all the
hosts of Siddhas bow down to Thee in adoration. 37And why
should they not, O Great-souled One, bow to Thee, greater than,
and
the Primal Cause of even Brahmâ, O Infinite Being, O Lord of
the Devas, O Abode of the universe? Thou art the Imperishable,
the
Being and the non-Being, (as well as) That which is Beyond
(them). 38Thou art the Primal Deva, the Ancient Purusha; Thou
art the

Supreme Refuge of this universe, Thou art the Knower, and the
One Thing to be known; Thou art the Supreme Goal. By Thee is
the
universe pervaded, O Boundless Form. 39Thou art Vâyu, Yama,
Agni, Varuna, the Moon, Prajâpati, and the Great-Grandfather.
Salutation, salutation to Thee, a thousand times, and again and
again salutation, salutation to Thee! 40Salutation to Thee before
and
behind, salutation to Thee on every side, O All! Thou, infinite
in power and infinite in prowess, pervadest all; wherefore Thou
art All.
41Whatever I have presumptuously said from carelessness or
love, addressing Thee as, "O Krishna, O Yâdava, O friend,"
regarding
Thee merely as a friend, unconscious of this Thy greatness—
42in whatever way I may have been disrespectful to Thee in
fun, while
walking, reposing, sitting, or at meals, when alone (with Thee),
O Achyuta, or in company—I implore Thee, Immeasurable One,
to
forgive all this. 43Thou art the Father of the world, moving and
unmoving; the object of its worship; greater than the great.
None
there exists who is equal to Thee in the three worlds; who then
can excel Thee, O, Thou of power incomparable? 44So
prostrating my
body in adoration, I crave Thy forgiveness, Lord adorable! As a
father forgiveth his son, friend a dear friend, a beloved one his
love,
even so shouldst Thou forgive me, O Deva. 45Overjoyed am I to
have seen what I saw never before; yet my mind is distracted
with
terror. Show me, O Deva, only that Form of Thine. Have mercy,

O Lord of Devas, O Abode of the universe. 46Diademed,
bearing a
mace and a discus, Thee I desire to see as before. Assume that
same four-armed Form, O Thou of thousand arms, of universal
Form.
47Graciously have I shown to thee, O Arjuna, this Form
supreme, by My own Yoga power, this resplendent, primeval,
infinite,
universal Form of Mine, which hath not been seen before by
anyone else. 48Neither by the study of the Veda and Yajna, nor
by gifts,
nor by rituals, nor by severe austerities, am I in such Form seen,
in the world of men, by any other than thee, O great hero of the
Kurus. 49Be not afraid nor bewildered, having beheld this Form
of Mine, so terrific. With thy fears dispelled and with gladdened
heart, now see again this (former) form of Mine.
Sanjaya said:
50So Vâsudeva, having thus spoken to Arjuna, showed again
His own Form and the Great-souled One, assuming His gentle
Form,
pacified him who was terrified.
Arjuna said:
51Having seen this Thy gentle human Form, O Janârdana, my
thoughts are now composed and I am restored to my nature.
52Very hard indeed it is to see this Form of Mine which thou
hast seen. Even the Devas ever long to behold this Form.
53Neither by
the Vedas, nor by austerity, nor by gifts, nor by sacrifice can I
be seen as thou hast seen Me. 54But by the single-minded
devotion I

may in this Form, be known, O Arjuna, and seen in reality, and
also entered into, O scorcher of foes. 55He who does work for
Me
alone and has Me for his goal, is devoted to Me, is freed from
attachment, and bears enmity towards no creature—he entereth
into
Me, O Pândava.
The Mahabarata, Book VI, Chapter XI
FIRST READING
Devotional Song
By Kabīr
SECOND READING
Purusha-sukta
The Rig Veda, 10.90
THIRD READING
The Bhagavad-Gita
The Mahabarata, Book VI, Chapter X
Title: Blackwell's Companion to
Hinduism;
Author: Gavin Flood;
Translator: Nancy M. Martin;
Publisher: Blackwell;
Location: London;

Year: 2003;
Page(s): 182.
Title: Essential Hinduism;
Translator: Steven J. Rosen;
Publisher: Praeger;
Location: Westport;
Year: 2006;
Page(s): 55-56.
Title: Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita;
Translator: Swami Swarupananda;
Publisher: Advaita Ashrama;
Location: Kolkata;
Year: 1967;
Page(s): 241-274.
The Blessed One then addressed the monks, saying, ‘‘Monks.’’
‘‘Yes, lord,’’ the monks responded.
The Blessed One said, ‘‘I will teach and interpret for you the
Noble Eightfold Path. Listen and pay attention as I speak.’’
‘‘We will do as you say, lord,’’ the monks replied.
The Blessed One said, ‘‘What, monks, is the Noble Eightfold
Path? Right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right
livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right
concentration.
‘‘What is right view? It is knowledge with regard to suffering,
knowledge with regard to the origination of suffering,
knowledge with
regard to the stopping of suffering, knowledge with regard to
the way of practice leading to the stopping of suffering.

‘‘What is right resolve? It is being resolved to practice
renunciation, to be free from ill will, to be harmless.
‘‘What is right speech? It is refraining from lying, refraining
from divisive speech, refraining from abusive speech, and
refraining from
idle talk.
‘‘What is right action? It is not taking life, not stealing, and
being chaste.
‘‘What is right livelihood? This is when a disciple of the noble
ones, having abandoned a dishonest livelihood, sustains his life
with
right livelihood.
‘‘What is right effort? This is when a monk desires, endeavors,
persists, upholds, and exerts his intent so that evil, unhelpful
qualities
do not arise [in him]. He abandons unhelpful qualities that have
arisen...[He] brings about helpful qualities that have not yet
arisen...[He brings about] helpful qualities that have arisen.
‘‘What is right mindfulness? This is when a monk remains
focused on the body in and of itself—he is fervent, aware, and
mindful—
putting away the greed and distress of the world. He remains
focused on feelings in and of themselves—he is fervent, aware,
and
mindful—putting away the greed and distress of the world. He
remains focused on the mind in and of itself—he is fervent,
aware,
and mindful—putting away the greed and distress of the world.

He remains focused on mental qualities in and of themselves—
he is
fervent, aware, and mindful—putting away the greed and
distress of the world.
‘‘What is right concentration? This is when a monk—quite
withdrawn from sensuality, withdrawn from unskillful (mental)
qualities—
enters and remains in the first stage of concentration: rapture
and pleasure born from withdrawal, accompanied by directed
thought
and evaluation. With the stilling of his directed thought and
evaluation, he enters and remains in the second stage of
concentration:
rapture and pleasure born of concentration, unification of
awareness free from directed thought and evaluation. This
brings internal
assurance. With the fading of rapture, he remains calm, mindful
and alert, and physically sensitive of pleasure. He enters and
remains in the third stage of concentration: calm and mindful,
he has a pleasurable abiding. With the abandoning of pleasure
and
pain, as with the earlier disappearance of rapture and distress,
he enters and remains in the fourth stage of concentration: pure
calmness and mindfulness, having neither pleasure nor pain.
This is what the Blessed One said.
There is an old story about a man who came to see the Buddha
because he had heard that the Buddha was a great teacher.
Like all of us, he had some problems in his life, and he thought
the Buddha might be able to help him straighten them out.

He told the Buddha that he was a farmer. "I like farming,“ he
said, "but sometimes it doesn't rain enough, and my crops fail.
Last year we nearly starved. And sometimes it rains too much,
so my yields aren't what I'd like them to be."
The Buddha patiently listened to the man.
"I'm married, too," said the man. "She's a good wife...I love her,
in fact. But sometimes she nags me too much. And sometimes
I get tired of her. "
The Buddha listened quietly.
"I have kids," said the man. "Good kids, too...but sometimes
they don't show me enough respect. And sometimes..."
The man went on like this, laying out all his difficulties and
worries. Finally he wound down and waited for the Buddha to
say
the words that would put everything right for him.
Instead the Buddha said, "I can't help you."
"What do you mean?" said the astonished man.
"Everybody's got problems," said the Buddha. "In fact, we've all
got eighty-three problems, each one of us. Eighty-three
problems, and there's nothing you can do about it. If you work
really hard on one of them, maybe you can fix it. But if you do,
another one will pop right into its place. For example, you're
going to lose your loved ones eventually. And you're going to
die some
day. Now there's a problem, and there's nothing you, or I, or
anyone else can do about it."
The man became furious. "I thought you were a great teacher!"
he shouted. "I thought you could help me! What good is your
teaching, then?"
The Buddha said, "Well, maybe it will help you with the eighty-

fourth problem."
"The eighty-fourth problem?" said the man. "What’s the eighty-
fourth problem?"
Said the Buddha, "You want to not have any problems."
A Buddhist Tale
If resentment arises towards any person, then one should
cultivate:
loving-kindness...
or compassion...
or equanimity...
In this way he may get rid of resentment that has arisen towards
any person.
Or one should cultivate lack of asati (awareness) of him and not
give amanasikara (attention) to
that person. In this way, he may get rid of resentment that has
arisen towards any person.
Or one should fix in one’s mind the fact of his ownership of
kamma:
‘This venerable sir is the owner of his deeds, the heir to his
deeds: his deeds are his progenitor,
his kinsmen and his refuge. Whatever he does, good or bad, he
will be the heir of that.’
In this way, he may get rid of resentment that has arisen
towards any person.
By these five ways of getting rid of resentment,
a monk can get rid of all resentment that arises within him.

FIRST READING
The Eightfold Path
SECOND READING
The 84th Problem
A Buddhist Tale
THIRD READING
Five Ways of Getting Rid of Resentment
Title: Buddhist Suttas;
Translator: Thomas W. R. Davids;
Publisher: Oxford University Press;
Location: Oxford;
Year: 2007;
Page(s): 149-152.
Title: Buddhism Plain and Simple;
Translator: Steve Hagan;
Publisher: Broadway;
Year: 1999;
Page(s): 16-17.

Title: Buddhist Meditation;
Translator: Sarah Shah
Publisher: Routledge;
Location: London;
Year: 2006;
Page(s): 167-168.
Confucianism
RULERS
The Duke Ting asked whether there was a single sentence which
could make
a country prosperous. Confucius replied, 'Such an effect cannot
be expected
from one sentence.
'There is a saying, however, which people have—"To be a
prince is difficult;
to be a minister is not easy."
'If a ruler knows this,—the difficulty of being a prince,--may
there not be
expected from this one sentence the prosperity of his country?’
The duke then said, 'Is there a single sentence which can ruin a
country?'
Confucius replied, 'Such an effect as that cannot be expected
from one
sentence. There is, however, the saying which people have—"I
have no

pleasure in being a prince, but only in that no one can offer any
opposition
to what I say!"
'If a ruler's words be good, is it not also good that no one
oppose them? But
if they are not good, and no one opposes them, may there not be
expected
from this one sentence the ruin of his country?’
The Analects XIII. XV 1-5
Newborns
So he bears a son,
And puts him to sleep upon a bed,
Clothes him in robes,
Gives him a jade scepter to play with.
The child’s howling is very lusty;
In red greaves (leg armor) shall he flare,
Be lord and king of house and home.
Then he bears a daughter,
And puts her upon the ground,
Clothes her in swaddling rags,
Gives her a loom-whorl to play with.
For her no decorations, no emblems;
Her only care the wine and food,
And how to give no trouble to father and mother.
Book of Songs

WEAVER-MAIDEN
Her august father, the Sun, would have the accomplished Chih
Nü turn her footsteps towards his bright gardens
or appear in his celestial halls. But Chih Nü would not leave her
loom. All day and every day the maiden sat by the
River of Heaven weaving webs that were endless.
The Sun thought in his august mind that if the maiden were
wedded she would not permit herself to be a slave to
the loom. He thought that if she had a husband she would depart
a little from her exceptional diligence.
Therefore, he let it be known that he would favourably consider
a proposal involving the marriage of the
accomplished Chih Nü. Then one whose dwelling was at the
other side of the heavenly river drew his august
regard. This was Niu Lang: he herded oxen, and he was a youth
who was exceedingly amiable and who had
accomplishments that matched the accomplishments of Chih Nü.
They were united, the Weaver Maiden and the Herdsman Youth;
they were united in the palace of the august
Sun. The omens were favourable, and the heavens made
themselves as beautiful as a flying pheasant for the
ceremony. The guests drank of that sweet heavenly dew which
makes those who drink of it more quick-witted
and intelligent than they were before. The Sun, the Weaver
Maiden, the Herdsman Youth, and all the guests who
were present sang in mutual harmony the song that says "The
Sun and Moon are constant; the stars and other
heavenly bodies have their courses; the four seasons observe
their rule! How responsive are all things to the
harmony that has been established in the heavens!" The august
Sun expected that after this auspicious marriage
his daughter would moderate her diligence and be more often at

leisure.
and THE HERDSMAN
THE
But Chih Nü was as immoderate in her play as she was in her
industry. No more did she work at her loom; no more
did she attend to her inescapable duties; with her husband she
played all day, and for him she danced and made
music all night. The heavens went out of harmony because of
this failure in right performance, and the earth was
greatly troubled. Her august father came before Chih Nü and
pointed out to her the dire consequences of her
engaging in endless pastimes. But in spite of all he said to her
the Weaver Maiden would not return to her loom.
Then the august Sun determined to make a separation between
the pair whose union had such dire results. He
commanded the blameless Niu Lang to go to the other bank of
the River of Heaven, and to continue there his
herdsman's duties. He commanded the accomplished Chih Nü to
remain on her own side of the river. But the
august Sun showed a spirit of kindliness to his daughter and his
son-in-law. They could meet and be together for
one day and one night of the year. On the seventh day of the
seventh month of every year they could cross the
River of Heaven and be with each other. And to make a bridge
by which they might cross the river a myriad of
magpies would come together, and each by catching the head-
feathers of the bird next him would make a bridge
with their backs and wings. And over that bridge the Weaver
Maiden would cross over to where the Herdsman
Youth waited for her.

All day the Weaver Maiden sat at her loom and worked with
becoming diligence. Her father rejoiced that she
fulfilled her duties. But no being in the heavens or on the earth
was as lonely as she was, and all day the Herdsman
Youth tended his oxen, but with a heart that was filled with
loneliness and grief. The days and the nights went
slowly by, and time when they might cross the River of Heaven
and be together drew near. Then a great fear
entered the hearts of the young wife and the young husband.
They feared lest rain should fall; for the River of
Heaven is always filled to its brim, and one drop would cause it
to flood its banks. And if there was a flood the
magpies could not bridge the space between the Weaver Maiden
and the Herdsman Youth.
For many years after their separation no rain fell. The magpies
came in their myriad. The one behind held the head-
feathers of the one before, and with their backs and wings they
made a bridge for the young wife to cross over to
where the young husband waited for her.
With hearts that were shaken like the wings of the magpies she
would cross the Bridge of Wings. They would hold
each other in their arms and make over again their vows of love.
Then Chih Nü would go back to her loom, and the
magpies would fly away to come together in another year.
And the people of earth pray that no drop of rain may fall to
flood the River of Heaven; they make such prayer
when it comes near the seventh day of the seventh month. But
they rejoice when no rain falls and they can see
with their own eyes the magpies gathering in their myriad.
Sometimes the inauspicious forces are in the

ascendant; rain falls and the river is flooded. No magpies then
go to form a bridge, and Chih Nü weeps beside her
loom and Niu Lang laments as he drives his ox beside the flood
of the River of Heaven.
A Chinese Myth
FIRST READING
Rulers
Analects, 4.1–6
SECOND READING
Newborns
THIRD READING
The Weaver-Maiden & the Herdsman
A Chinese Myth
Title: The Chinese Classics;
Translator: James Legge;
Publisher: Alden;
Year: 1891;
Page(s): 71.
Title: The Book of Songs;
Author: Arthur Waley;

Publisher: Grove;
Location: New York;
Year: 1996;
Page(s): 162-163.
Title: Great Myths of the World;
Translator: Padraic Colum;
Publisher: Dover Publications;
Location: Mineola;
Year: 2012;
Page(s): 215-218.
Shinto
Hereupon the two Deities took counsel, saying: "The children to
whom we have now given birth are not
good. It will be best to announce this in the august place of the
Heavenly Deities." They ascended
forthwith to Heaven and enquired of Their Augustnesses the
Heavenly Deities. Then the Heavenly Deities
commanded and found out by grand divination, and ordered
them, saying:
"They were not good because the woman spoke first. Descend
back again and amend your words." So
thereupon descending back, they again went round the heavenly
august pillar as before.
thereupon his Augustness the Male-Who-Invites spoke first:
"Ah! what a fair and lovely maiden!

Afterwards his younger sister Her Augustness the Female-Who-
Invites spoke: "Ah! what a fair
and lovely youth!" Tali modo quun orationi finem fecerant,
auguste coierunt et pepererunt a
child the Island of Ahaji, Ho-no-sa-wake. Next they gave birth
to the Island of Futa-no in Iyo.
This island has one body and four faces, and each face has a
name.
So the Land of Iyo is called Lovely-Princess; the Land of
Sanuki is called Prince-
Good-Boiled-Rice; the Land of Aha is called the Princess-of-
Great-Food; the
Land of Tosa is called Brave-Good-Youth.
Next they gave birth to the Island of Iki, another name for
which is Heaven's One-Pillar. Next they gave
birth to the Island of Tsu, another name for which is Heavenly-
Hand-net-Good-Princess. Next they gave
birth to the Island of Sado. Next they gave birth to Great-
Yamato-the-Luxuriant-Island-of-the-Dragon-
Fly, another name for which is Heavenly-August-Sky-
Luxuriant-Dragon-fly-Lord-Youth. The name of
"Land-of-the-Eight-Great-Islands" therefore originated in these
eight islands having been born first.
After that, when they had returned, they gave birth to the Island
of Ko[-shima] in Kibi, another name
for which [island] is Brave-Sun Direction-Youth. Next they
gave birth to the Island of Adzuki, another
name for which is Oho-Nu-De-Hime.
Next they gave birth to the Island of Oho [-shima], another
name for which is Oho-Tamaru-

Wake. Next they gave birth to the Island of Hime, another name
for which is Heaven's-One-
Root. Next they gave birth to the Island of Chika, another name
for which is Heavenly-
Great-Male. Next they gave birth to the Island[s] of Futa-go,
another name for which is
Heaven's-Two-Houses, (Six islands in all from the Island of Ko,
in Kibi to the Island of
Heaven's-Two-Houses).
Kojiki, V
Of old, Heaven and Earth were not yet separated, and the
In and Yo not yet divided. They formed a chaotic mass like
an egg which was of obscurely defined limits and contained
germs.
The purer and clearer part was thinly drawn out, and
formed Heaven, while the heavier and grosser element
settled down and became Earth.
The finer element easily became a united body, but the
consolidation of the heavy and gross element was
accomplished with difficulty.
Heaven was therefore formed first, and Earth was
established subsequently.
Thereafter divine beings were produced between them.
Hence it is said that when the world began to be created,
the soil of which lands were composed floated about in a

manner which might be compared to the floating of a fish
sporting on the surface of the water.
At this time a certain thing was produced between
Heaven and Earth. It was in form like a reed-shoot. Now this
became transformed into a Kami, and was called Kuni-toko-
tachi no Mikoto.
Next there was Kuni no sa-tsuchi no Mikoto, and next
Toyo-kumu-nu no Mikoto, in all three deities
These were pure males spontaneously developed by the
operation of the principle of Heaven.
In one writing it is said: '"When Heaven and Earth began,
a thing existed in the midst of the Void. Its shape may not
be described. Within it a deity was spontaneously
produced, whose name was Kuni-toko-tachi no Mikoto, also
called Kuni-soko-tachi no Mikoto. Next there was Kuni no
sa-tsuchi no Mikoto, also called Kuni no sa-tachi no Mikoto.
Next there was Toyo-kuni-nushi no Mikoto, also called Toyo-
kumu-nu no Mikoto, Toyo-ka-fushi-no no Mikoto, Uki-fu-no-
toyo-kahi no Mikoto, Toyo-kuni-no no Mikoto, Toyo-kuhi-no
no Mikoto, Ha-ko-kuni-no no Mikoto, or Mi-no no Mikoto."
In one writing it is said: "Of old, when the land was Young
and the earth young, it floated about, as it were floating oil.
At this time a thing was produced within the land, in shape
like a reed-shoot when it sprouts forth. From this there was
a deity developed, whose name was Umashi-ashi-kabi-hiko-
ji no Mikoto. Next there was Kuni no toko-tachi no Mikoto,
and next Kuni no sa-tsuchi no Mikoto.“
Excerpt from the Nihon Shoki

Misogi No Õ Harai: A Norito
In the Expanse of High Heaven dwell the exalted kami.
By command of our divine ancestral kami,
The noble male kami and the august female kami of Heaven,
Our great ancestral kami Izanagi-no-Mikoto performed misogi
At Ahagihara of Odo, Tachibana of Himuka, in Tsukushi of the
Ancient Land,
Where his very being was cleansed of all impurities by many
Great Kami of Purification.
I humbly beseech the kami to cleanse me of all impurities
Within myself and in my relationships with others, and
Between myself and the way of Great Nature.
FIRST READING
Kojiki
SECOND READING
Nihon Shoki
THIRD READING
Misogi No Õ Harai
A Norito

Title: The Kojiki;
Year: 2019;
Page(s): 12-13.
Title: Nihongi: Chronicles of Japan from
the Earliest Times to AD 697;
Year: 2008;
Page(s): 2-3.
Title: Shinto Norito;
Author: Ann Llewellynn Evans;
Publisher: Tenchi;
Location: Victoria;
Year: 2001;
Page(s): 3.
Judaism
THE TEN COMMANDMENTSAseret ha-Dibrot
20 And God spake all these words, saying,
2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the
land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any
likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the

earth
beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for
I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of
the
fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of
them that hate me;
6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and
keep my commandments.
7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain;
for the LORDwill not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in
vain.
8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in
it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy
daughter, thy
manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger
that is within thy gates:
11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea,
and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore
the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long
upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
13 Thou shalt not kill.
14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Exodus 20: 1-14
1. Yahweh alone is the Creator.
2. Yahweh is absolutely One.
3. Yahweh has no body or bodily shape.

4. Yahweh is the fi rst and the last.
5. Only to Yahweh may we pray and to no other.
6. The words of the prophets are true.
7. The prophecy of Moses is true, and he is the father of all
prophets.
8. The Torah, now found in our hands, was given to Moses.
9. This Torah is not subject to change, and there will never be
another Torah from the Creator.
10. The Creator knows all the thoughts and deeds of humans.
11. Yahweh rewards and punishes according to the deed.
12. The Messiah will come; though He tarry, I will expect Him
daily.
13. The dead will be resurrected.
MAIMONEDESThe 13 Principles
The high-priest may judge and be a witness; be judged and
witnessed against. A king must not judge,
and is not judged; must not be a witness, nor witnessed against.
There are cases from which one may withdraw himself, and
there are others from which he may not.
How so? A king must not be a member of the Sanhedrin; nor he
and a high-priest engage in discussion

about a leap year. The legends of three pasturers who had a
discussion about the month Adar, which
the rabbis took as a support to establish a leap year. When he
(the high-priest) goes in the row to
condole with others, his vice and the ex-high-priest are placed
at his right, etc.
Formerly the custom was for the mourners to stand, and the
people to pass by, etc. A row is not less
than ten persons, not counting the mourners. All agree that if a
king has relinquished his honor, it is
not relinquished. How could David marry two sisters while they
were both living?
The strength of Joseph was moderation on the part of Boas, and
the strength of the latter was
moderation on the part of Palti, etc., etc. If a death occurs in the
house of the king, he must notleave
the gate of the palace,
MISHNAS II & IIITRACT SANHEDRIN
FIRST READING
The Ten Commandments
Exodus 20: 1-14
SECOND READING

The 13 Principles
Maimonides
THIRD READING
Tract Sanhedrin
Version;
Author: �;
Year: 1984;
Page(s): 44.
Title: Judaism;
Authors: Martha A. Morrison &
Stephen F. Brown;
Publisher: Chelsea House;
Location: New York;
Year: 2009;
Page(s): 86.
Title: The Babylonian Talmud;
Translator: Michael L. Rodkinson;
Publisher: New Talmud;
Location: Boston;
Year: 1903;
Page(s): xii.
CHRISTIANITY

65
7
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT
1And seeing the multitudes, He went up into a
mountain: and when He was set, His disciples
came unto Him: 2And He opened His mouth, and
taught them, saying, 3Blessed are the poor in
spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be
comforted. 5Blessed are the meek: for they shall
inherit the earth. 6Blessed are they which do
hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they
shall be filled. 7Blessed are the merciful: for they
shall obtain mercy. 8Blessed are the pure in heart:
for they shall see God. 9Blessed are the
peacemakers: for they shall be called the children
of God. 10Blessed are they which are persecuted
for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven. 11Blessed are ye, when men shall revile
you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner
of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
9After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which
art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10Thy kingdom
come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11Give
us this day our daily bread. 12And forgive us our debts, as
we forgive our debtors. 13And lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the
kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
7Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find;
knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8For every one
that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and

to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
...
28And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these
sayings, the people were astonished at His doctrine:
29For He taught them as one having authority, and not
as the scribes.
The New Testament: The Gospel According to St. Matthew,
Chapters V-VII
A TREATISE ON LOVE
1Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels,
and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a
tinkling cymbal.
2And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand
all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all
faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not
love, I am nothing.
3And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and
though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it
profiteth me nothing.
4Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love
vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own,
is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things,
endureth all things.

The New Testament: St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians,
Chapter 13
8Love never faileth: but whether there be prophecies,
they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall
cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
9For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10But when that which is perfect is come, then that
which is in part shall be done away.
11When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a
child, I thought as a child: but when I became an adult, I
put away childish things.
12For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then Face
to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as
also I am known.
13And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but
the greatest of these is love.
THE ANIMA CHRISTI
Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from Christ’s side, cleanse me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
O good Jesus, hear me.
Within Thy wounds hide me.

Suffer me not to be separated from Thee.
From the malicious enemy defend me.
In the hour of my death call me.
And bid me come unto Thee.
That I may praise Thee with Thy saints and angels
Forever and ever.
Amen
Anonymous prayer of Sacred Tradition, c. XIV century
FIRST READING
The Sermon on the Mount
The Gospel According to Matthew, 5-7
SECOND READING
A Treatise on Love
First Letter to the Corinthians, 13
THIRD READING
Anima Christi
A Traditional Prayer
Version;
Author: �;

Year: 1984;
Page(s): 563-565.
Version;
Author: �;
Year: 1984;
Page(s): 676-677.
Title: Finding God in All Things;
Authors: Robert Anthony Wild and
Stephanie Russell;
Publisher: Marquette University Press;
Location: Milwaukee;
Year: 2009;
Page(s): 8.
ISLAM
OMNIPOTENCE OF ALLAH
41Do you not see that Allah is exalted by whomever is within
the heavens and the earth and [by] the birds with wings
spread [in flight]? Each [of them] has known his [means of]
prayer and exalting [Him], and Allah is Knowing of what
they do.
42And to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the
earth, and to Allah is the destination.
43Do you not see that Allah drives clouds? Then He brings

them together, then He makes them into a mass, and you
see the rain emerge from within it. And He sends down from the
sky, mountains [of clouds] within which is hail, and
He strikes with it whom He wills and averts it from whom He
wills. The flash of its lightening almost takes away the
eyesight.
44Allah alternates the night and the day. Indeed in that is a
lesson for those who have vision.
45Allah has created every [living] creature from water. And of
them are those that move on their bellies, and of them
are those that walk on two legs, and of them are those that walk
on four. Allah creates what He wills. Indeed, Allah is
over all things competent.
46We have certainly sent down distinct verses. And Allah
guides whom He wills to a straight path.
HADITH
‘‘On a certain night when he was reading, and his horse was
tethered near him, behold! the horse wheeled
round. Then he became silent, and it also became steady. Then
he read (again), and it wheeled round. Then
he became silent, and it ceased wheeling round. He again read,
and the horse wheeled round as before. Then
he turned away, and his son Yahya was near it, and he feared
that it would injure him. And when he moved
the child away he raised his head to the heavens, and behold!
something like a cloud and in it objects
resembling lamps. And when the morning came he informed the
Prophet...

‘I feared, O Apostle of God, that it would tread on Yahya who
was near it, and I moved near to him, and
raised my head to the heavens, and behold! something
resembling a cloud, in which were objects like lamps,
and I went out in order that I should not see them.’
He replied, ‘And do you know what that was?’
He said, ‘No.’
He said, ‘Those were angels which came near at the sound of
thy voice, and if you had continued to read,
they would have remained until the morning, and men would
have seen them.
ON THE POWER OF READING THE QUR’AN
Related from Abu Sa’idu’l-Khudri as recounted by Usaid bin
Hudair
UNTITLED
Dance when you’re broken open.
Dance, if you’ve torn the bandage off.
Dance in the middle of the fighting.
Dance in your blood.
Dance, when you’re perfectly free.
֎
In Your Light I learn how to love.
In Your Beauty, how to make poems.

You dance inside my chest,
Where no one sees You,
But sometimes I do,
And that glimpse becomes this art.
FIRST READING
Omnipotence of Allah
SECOND READING
Hadith
On the Power of Reading the Qur’an
THIRD READING
Untitled
Title: The Glorious Qur’an;
Translator: Mohammed Marmaduke
Pickthall;
Publisher: Adam Publishers &
Distributors;
Location: New Delhi;
Year: 1930;
Page(s): 22-24.

Location: Belmont;
Year: 2008;
Page(s): 324.
Location: Belmont;
Year: 2008;
Page(s): 122.

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