Earliest sentiments(?) and Jaspers - long

[Operacast]

[from G. Riggs; not Eliz. H., my better half]

Some of the postings here concerning points of intersection among different beliefs and -- related to that -- the earliest formulations of those beliefs before the accumulation of additional cultural developments, as detected by modern scholarship (occasionally in disagreement), have all contributed to starting a train of thought in my mind.

Hannah Arendt (I believe?) assembled in a separate volume those four sections of Jaspers' exhaustive philosophers survey that dealt, specifically, with the four "founders" Jaspers felt were arguably the most pioneering, the most ethically rigorous and the most globally influential: Buddha, Confucius, Socrates, Jesus (in chronological order).

All I've done here, to stimulate thoughtful discussion hopefully, is assembled four primary texts that may come closest to representing each "philosopher"'s authentic voice, according to the latest findings of modern scholarship.

For Buddha, approximately half of the Pali Digha-Nikaya collection of longer sermons is now reckoned as the earliest stratum of Buddha material we have. In that earliest stratum of roughly fifteen Suttas (called Sutras in the less authentic Sanskrit), we have probably the earliest extant exposition of Buddha's fundamental concept of the Four Noble Truths: Digha Nikaya 22: Maha-satipatthana Sutta/The Great Frames of Reference. The Four Noble Truths concept is expounded in Section 5 of this Sutta, and I've extracted that below. Also central are concepts related to Brahma, expounded in XIII. Tevijja Sutta: On Knowledge Of The Vedas, from which I’ve extracted nos. 39 - 40, and nos. 76 - 81.

For Confucius, The Analects is now judged the earliest source of direct anecdotal material, and Chapters 3 through 9 have been generally judged the earliest stratum in The Analects. More recently, though, Chapters 4 through 8 have been isolated as particularly close to Confucius' own time, and I've extracted readouts below of Chapters 4, 7 and 8.

The general consensus appears to be that the older Plato was the more he used Socrates as a mere mouthpiece for his own ideas in his later Dialogues. But his earliest Dialogues are generally judged as reasonably honest attempts by a highly retentive mind to reproduce Socrates' own thoughts, particularly the Euthyphro, the Apology and the Crito. The Apology represents Socrates’ Defense at his trial before being executed. I have extracted, from that, nos. 20e - 23b on the Delphic Oracle, and nos. 28b - 32a dealing with Socrates' exposition of what he conceives to be his mission.

The most recent scholarly consensus on the Gospels concerning Jesus Christ is that the so-called Synoptic Gospels, Mark, Matthew and Luke, come from a slightly earlier stratum than the Gospel of John (this in spite of the rather startling finding of a scrap of John from early in the second century C.E., the earliest physical scrap of Gospel text now extant). Key parallel sayings in both Matthew and Luke are now taken as reflective of a very early "sayings" Gospel (labeled Q for "Quelle"/source and now lost -- some view this as more an oral tradition than a written Gospel?), while Mark is taken to be the earliest extant Gospel. I have extracted a couple of anecdotes from Mark, along with a few parallel sayings more or less reflective of those anecdotes from the presumed Q tradition in Matthew/Luke (using the Luke text, generally taken as the more careful transmission).

Admittedly, such extracts for any of these four figures are based on pure speculation as to general authenticity, but the scholarship they reflect has been rigorously sifted by many through a long gestation period of well over a century in one or two instances, and it may be unlikely we will get any closer than this in, admittedly, a mere approximation of what these figures ultimately said.

For "Equal Time"<G>, I have tried to make each set of extracts roughly the same in length, and I hope that each section is short enough to enable the reader to grasp the general gist of where each "founder" is "coming from" at one sitting (each of the four sections comes to approximately seven printed pages apiece).

Having all four ranged alongside each other in this way, are there any immediate reflections others here may care to share? Reading these varied thoughts from all four one after the other, do users here find them unduly simplistic? extremely profound? unclear and/or muddled?

There may be a myriad of responses. Who knows?

Anyway, it seemed an intriguing exercise, IMO, and so I offer these, FWIW.

I've simply used translations that are in the public domain, all copy/pasted from the Internet.

In the interests of basic courtesy, I have placed the separate extracts in separate postings.

Cheers,

Geoffrey Riggs

[Operacast]

Siddhartha Gautama Buddha

Digha Nikaya 22

Maha-satipatthana Sutta

The Great Frames of Reference

Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.

[5] "Furthermore, the monk remains focused on mental qualities in & of themselves with reference to the four noble truths. And how does he remain focused on mental qualities in & of themselves with reference to the four noble truths? There is the case where he discerns, as it is actually present, that 'This is stress... This is the origination of stress... This is the cessation of stress... This is the way leading to the cessation of stress.'

[a] "Now what is the noble truth of stress? Birth is stressful, aging is stressful, death is stressful; sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair are stressful; association with the unbeloved is stressful; separation from the loved is stressful; not getting what is wanted is stressful. In short, the five clinging-aggregates are stressful.

"And what is birth? Whatever birth, taking birth, descent, coming-to-be, coming-forth, appearance of aggregates, & acquisition of [sense] spheres of the various beings in this or that group of beings, that is called birth.

"And what is aging? Whatever aging, decrepitude, brokenness, graying, wrinkling, decline of life-force, weakening of the faculties of the various beings in this or that group of beings, that is called aging.

"And what is death? Whatever deceasing, passing away, breaking up, disappearance, dying, death, completion of time, break up of the aggregates, casting off of the body, interruption in the life faculty of the various beings in this or that group of beings, that is called death.

"And what is sorrow? Whatever sorrow, sorrowing, sadness, inward sorrow, inward sadness of anyone suffering from misfortune, touched by a painful thing, that is called sorrow.

"And what is lamentation? Whatever crying, grieving, lamenting, weeping, wailing, lamentation of anyone suffering from misfortune, touched by a painful thing, that is called lamentation.

"And what is pain? Whatever is experienced as bodily pain, bodily discomfort, pain or discomfort born of bodily contact, that is called pain.

"And what is distress? Whatever is experienced as mental pain, mental discomfort, pain or discomfort born of mental contact, that is called distress.

"And what is despair? Whatever despair, despondency, desperation of anyone suffering from misfortune, touched by a painful thing, that is called despair.

"And what is the stress of association with the unbeloved? There is the case where undesirable, unpleasing, unattractive sights, sounds, aromas, flavors, or tactile sensations occur to one; or one has connection, contact, relationship, interaction with those who wish one ill, who wish for one's harm, who wish for one's discomfort, who wish one no security from the yoke. This is called the stress of association with the unbeloved.

"And what is the stress of separation from the loved? There is the case where desirable, pleasing, attractive sights, sounds, aromas, flavors, or tactile sensations do not occur to one; or one has no connection, no contact, no relationship, no interaction with those who wish one well, who wish for one's benefit, who wish for one's comfort, who wish one security from the yoke, nor with one's mother, father, brother, sister, friends, companions, or relatives. This is called the stress of separation from the loved.

"And what is the stress of not getting what is wanted? In beings subject to birth, the wish arises, 'O, may we not be subject to birth, and may birth not come to us.' But this is not to be achieved by wishing. This is the stress of not getting what one wants. In beings subject to aging... illness... death... sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair, the wish arises, 'O, may we not be subject to aging... illness... death... sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair, and may aging... illness... death... sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair not come to us.' But this is not to be achieved by wishing. This is the stress of not getting what is wanted.

"And what are the five clinging-aggregates that, in short, are stress? Form as a clinging-aggregate, feeling as a clinging-aggregate, perception as a clinging-aggregate, fabrications as a clinging-aggregate, consciousness as a clinging-aggregate: These are called the five clinging-aggregates that, in short, are stress.

"This is called the noble truth of stress.

[b] "And what is the noble truth of the origination of stress? The craving that makes for further becoming -- accompanied by passion & delight, relishing now here & now there -- i.e., craving for sensuality, craving for becoming, craving for non-becoming.

"And where does this craving, when arising, arise? And where, when dwelling, does it dwell? Whatever is endearing & alluring in terms of the world: that is where this craving, when arising, arises. That is where, when dwelling, it dwells.

"And what is endearing & alluring in terms of the world? The eye is endearing & alluring in terms of the world. That is where this craving, when arising, arises. That is where, when dwelling, it dwells.

"The ear... The nose... The tongue... The body... The intellect...

"Forms... Sounds... Smells... Tastes... Tactile sensations... Ideas...

"Eye-consciousness... Ear-consciousness... Nose-consciousness... Tongue-consciousness... Body-consciousness... Intellect-consciousness...

"Eye-contact... Ear-contact... Nose-contact... Tongue-contact... Body-contact... Intellect-contact...

"Feeling born of eye-contact... Feeling born of ear-contact... Feeling born of nose-contact... Feeling born of tongue-contact... Feeling born of body-contact... Feeling born of intellect-contact...

"Perception of forms... Perception of sounds... Perception of smells... Perception of tastes... Perception of tactile sensations... Perception of ideas...

"Intention for forms... Intention for sounds... Intention for smells... Intention for tastes... Intention for tactile sensations... Intention for ideas...

"Craving for forms... Craving for sounds... Craving for smells... Craving for tastes... Craving for tactile sensations... Craving for ideas...

"Thought directed at forms... Thought directed at sounds... Thought directed at smells... Thought directed at tastes... Thought directed at tactile sensations... Thought directed at ideas...

"Evaluation of forms... Evaluation of sounds... Evaluation of smells... Evaluation of tastes... Evaluation of tactile sensations... Evaluation of ideas is endearing & alluring in terms of the world. That is where this craving, when arising, arises. That is where, when dwelling, it dwells.

"This is called the noble truth of the origination of stress.

[c] "And what is the noble truth of the cessation of stress? The remainderless fading & cessation, renunciation, relinquishment, release, & letting go of that very craving.

"And where, when being abandoned, is this craving abandoned? And where, when ceasing, does it cease? Whatever is endearing & alluring in terms of the world: that is where, when being abandoned, this craving is abandoned. That is where, when ceasing, it ceases.

"And what is endearing & alluring in terms of the world? The eye is endearing & alluring in terms of the world. That is where, when being abandoned, this craving is abandoned. That is where, when ceasing, it ceases.

"The ear... The nose... The tongue... The body... The intellect...

"Forms... Sounds... Smells... Tastes... Tactile sensations... Ideas...

"Eye-consciousness... Ear-consciousness... Nose-consciousness... Tongue-consciousness... Body-consciousness... Intellect-consciousness...

"Eye-contact... Ear-contact... Nose-contact... Tongue-contact... Body-contact... Intellect-contact...

"Feeling born of eye-contact... Feeling born of ear-contact... Feeling born of nose-contact... Feeling born of tongue-contact... Feeling born of body-contact... Feeling born of intellect-contact...

"Perception of forms... Perception of sounds... Perception of smells... Perception of tastes... Perception of tactile sensations... Perception of ideas...

"Intention for forms... Intention for sounds... Intention for smells... Intention for tastes... Intention for tactile sensations... Intention for ideas...

"Craving for forms... Craving for sounds... Craving for smells... Craving for tastes... Craving for tactile sensations... Craving for ideas...

"Thought directed at forms... Thought directed at sounds... Thought directed at smells... Thought directed at tastes... Thought directed at tactile sensations... Thought directed at ideas...

"Evaluation of forms... Evaluation of sounds... Evaluation of smells... Evaluation of tastes... Evaluation of tactile sensations... Evaluation of ideas is endearing & alluring in terms of the world. That is where, when being abandoned, this craving is abandoned. That is where, when ceasing, it ceases.

"This is called the noble truth of the cessation of stress.

[d] "And what is the noble truth of the path of practice leading to the cessation of stress? Just this very noble eightfold path: right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.

"And what is right view? Knowledge with regard to stress, knowledge with regard to the origination of stress, knowledge with regard to the cessation of stress, knowledge with regard to the way of practice leading to the cessation of stress: This is called right view.

"And what is right resolve? Aspiring to renunciation, to freedom from ill will, to harmlessness: This is called right resolve.

"And what is right speech? Abstaining from lying, from divisive speech, from abusive speech, & from idle chatter: This is called right speech.

"And what is right action? Abstaining from taking life, from stealing, & from illicit sex. This is called right action.

"And what is right livelihood? There is the case where a disciple of the noble ones, having abandoned dishonest livelihood, keeps his life going with right livelihood: This is called right livelihood.

"And what is right effort? There is the case where a monk generates desire, endeavors, arouses persistence, upholds & exerts his intent for the sake of the non-arising of evil, unskillful qualities that have not yet arisen... for the sake of the abandoning of evil, unskillful qualities that have arisen... for the sake of the arising of skillful qualities that have not yet arisen... (and) for the maintenance, non-confusion, increase, plenitude, development, & culmination of skillful qualities that have arisen: This is called right effort.

"And what is right mindfulness? There is the case where a monk remains focused on the body in & of itself -- ardent, alert, & mindful -- putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world. He remains focused on feelings in & of themselves... the mind in & of itself... mental qualities in & of themselves -- ardent, alert, & mindful -- putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world. This is called right mindfulness.

"And what is right concentration? There is the case where a monk -- quite withdrawn from sensuality, withdrawn from unskillful (mental) qualities -- enters & remains in the first jhana: rapture & pleasure born from withdrawal, accompanied by directed thought & evaluation. With the stilling of directed thought & evaluation, he enters & remains in the second jhana: rapture & pleasure born of composure, unification of awareness free from directed thought & evaluation -- internal assurance. With the fading of rapture he remains in equanimity, mindful & alert, physically sensitive of pleasure. He enters & remains in the third jhana, of which the Noble Ones declare, 'Equanimous & mindful, he has a pleasurable abiding.' With the abandoning of pleasure & pain -- as with the earlier disappearance of elation & distress -- he enters & remains in the fourth jhana: purity of equanimity & mindfulness, neither pleasure nor pain. This is called right concentration.

"This is called the noble truth of the path of practice leading to the cessation of stress.

"In this way he remains focused internally on mental qualities in & of themselves, or externally on mental qualities in & of themselves, or both internally & externally on mental qualities in & of themselves. Or he remains focused on the phenomenon of origination with regard to mental qualities, on the phenomenon of passing away with regard to mental qualities, or on the phenomenon of origination & passing away with regard to mental qualities. Or his mindfulness that 'There are mental qualities' is maintained to the extent of knowledge & remembrance. And he remains independent, unsustained by (not clinging to) anything in the world. This is how a monk remains focused on mental qualities in & of themselves with reference to the four noble truths...

[Operacast]

Dialogues of the Buddha
Part I

Translated from the Pali
by
T.W. Rhys Davids

XIII. Tevijja Sutta

On Knowledge Of The Vedas[4]

39. When he had thus spoken, V¤seÂÂha, the young Brahman, said to the Blessed One:

'Just so has it been told me, Gotama, even that the Sama¼a Gotama knows the way to a state of union with Brahm¤. It is well! Let the venerable Gotama be pleased to show us the way to a state of union with Brahm¤, let the venerable Gotama save the Brahman race'[26]!

'Listen then, V¤seÂÂha, and give ear attentively, and I will speak!'

'So be it, Lord!' said the young Brahman V¤seÂÂha, in assent, to the Blessed One.

40. Then the Blessed One spake, and said:

Know, V¤seÂÂha, that (from time to time) a Tath¤gata is born into the world, an Arahat, a fully awakened one, abounding, in wisdom and goodness, happy, with knowledge of the worlds, unsurpassed as a guide to mortals willing to be led, a teacher of gods and men, a Blessed One, a Buddha. He, by himself, thoroughly understands, and sees, as it were, face to face this universe -- including the worlds above with the gods, the M¤ras, and the Brahm¤s; and the world below with its Sama¼as and Brahmans, its princes and peoples; -- and he then makes his knowledge known to others. The truth doth he proclaim both in the letter and in the spirit, lovely in its origin, lovely in its progress, lovely in its consummation: the higher life doth he make known, in all its purity and in all its perfectness.

76.[28]'And he lets his mind pervade one quarter of the world with thoughts of Love, and so the second, and so the third, and so the fourth. And thus the whole wide world, above, below, around, and everywhere, does he continue to pervade with heart of Love, far-reaching, grown great, and beyond measure.

77. 'Just, V¤seÂÂha, as a mighty trumpeter makes himself heard-and that without difficulty-in all the four directions; even so of all things that have shape or life, there is not one that he passes by or leaves aside, but regards them all with mind set free, and deep-felt love.

'Verily this, V¤seÂÂha, is the way to a state of union with Brahm¤.

78. 'And he lets his mind pervade one quarter of the world with thoughts of pity[29], ... sympathy[30], equanimity[31], and so the second, and so the third, and so the fourth. And thus the whole wide world, above, below, around, and everywhere, does he continue to pervade with heart of pity. . . . sympathy, . . . equanimity, far-reaching, grown great, and beyond measure.

79. 'Just, V¤seÂÂha, as a mighty trumpeter makes himself heard -- and that without difficulty -- in all the four directions ; even so of all things that have shape or life, there is not one that he passes by or leaves aside, but regards them all with mind set free, and deep-felt pity, ... sympathy, ... equanimity.

'Verily this, V¤seÂÂha, is the way to a state of union with Brahm¤.'

80. 'Now what think you, V¤seÂÂha, will the Bhikkhu who lives thus be in possession of women and of wealth, or will he not?'

'He will not, Gotama!'

'Will he be full of anger, or free from anger?'

'He will be free from anger, Gotama!'

'Will his mind be full of malice, or free from malice?'

'Free from malice, Gotama!'

'Will his mind be tarnished, or pure?'

'It will be pure, Gotama!'

'Will he have self-mastery, or will he not?'

'Surely he will, Gotama!'

81 'Then you say, V¤seÂÂha, that the Bhikkhu is free from household and worldly cares, and that Brahm¤ is free from household and worldly cares. Is therethen agreement and likeness between the Bhikkhu and Brahm¤?'

'There is, Gotama!

Very good, V¤seÂÂha. Then in sooth, V¤seÂÂha, that the Bhikkhu who is free from household cares should after death, when the body is dissolved, become united with Brahm¤, who is the same -- such a condition of things is every way possible!

'And so you say, V¤seÂÂha, that the Bhikkhu is free from anger, and free from malice, pure in mind, and master of himself; and that Brahm¤ is free from anger, and free from malice, pure in mind, and master of himself. Then in sooth, V¤seÂÂha, that the Bhikkhu who is free from anger, free from malice, pure in mind, and master of himself should after death, when the body is dissolved, become united with Brahm¤, who is the same-such a condition of things is every way possible!'

[Operacast]

Confucius [Kung-fut-ze]

The Analects

Extracts translated by Charles Muller

First translated during the summer of 1990.

4:1 Confucius said: "As for a neighborhood, it is its humaneness that makes it beautiful. If you choose to live in a place that lacks humaneness, how can you grow in wisdom?"

4:2 Confucius said: "If you lack humaneness you can't handle long periods of difficulty or long periods of comfortability. humane men are comfortable in humaneness. The wise take advantage of humaneness."

4:3 Confucius said: "Only the humane person is able to really like others or to really dislike them."

4:4 Confucius said: "If you are really committed to humaneness, you will have no evil in you."

4:5 Confucius said, "Riches and honors are what all men desire. But if they cannot be attained in accordance with the Tao they should not be kept. Poverty and low status are what all men hate. But if they cannot be avoided while staying in accordance with the Tao, you should not avoid them. If a Superior Man departs from humaneness, how can he be worthy of that name? A Superior Man never leaves humaneness for even the time of a single meal. In moments of haste he acts according to it. In times of difficulty or confusion he acts according to it."

4:6 Confucius said: "I have never seen one who really loves humaneness or really hates non-humaneness. If you really loved humaneness you would not place anything above it. If you really hated the non-humaneness, you would not let it near you. Is there anyone who has devoted his strength to humaneness for a single day? I have not seen anyone who has lacked the strength to do so. Perhaps there has been such a case, but I have never seen it."

4:7 Confucius said: "People err according to their own level. It is by observing a person's mistakes that you can know his/her goodness."

[Comment] No one is perfect, free from error. But when someone makes a mistake in a human relationship, we can tell by the type of mistake, and by the person's way of dealing with it, what her/his true character is like.

4:8 Confucius said: "If I can hear the Tao in the morning, in the evening I can die content."

4:9 "A shih who is set on the way, but is ashamed of old clothes and coarse food, is not worth consulting."

[Comment] The title shih is usually translated into English as either "knight" or "scholar." While the shih of later Chinese history is more definitely a scholar than a knight, in the Analects, what Confucius is referring to is a level of spiritual/moral development, as well as academic and martial cultivation which is clearly above that of the average person. Thus, we can understand the shih to be a person who is well on the way toward becoming a "Superior Man, " but is not quite there yet. I am reluctant to render shih, as either "scholar" or "knight" because of the limitations in meaning that occur with these English words.

4:10 Confucius said: "When the Superior Man deals with the world he is not prejudiced for or against anything. He does what is Right."

4:11 Confucius said: "The Superior Man cares about virtue; the inferior man cares about material things. The Superior Man seeks discipline; the inferior man seeks favors."

4:12 Confucius said: "If you do everything with a concern for your own advantage, you will be resented by many people."

4:13 Confucius said: "If you can govern the country by putting propriety first, what else will you need to do? If you can't govern your country by putting propriety first, how could you even call it propriety?"

4:14 Confucius said: "I don't worry abut not having a good position; I worry about the means I use to gain position. I don't worry about being unknown; I seek to be known in the right way."

4:15 Confucius said: "Shan, my Tao is penetrated by a single thread." Tseng Tzu said, "Yes." When the Master left, some disciples asked what he meant. Tseng Tzu said, "Our master's Tao is to be sincere and fair, and that's it."

4:16 Confucius said: "The Superior Man is aware of Righteousness, the inferior man is aware of advantage."

4:17 Confucius said: "When you see a good person, think of becoming like her/him. When you see someone not so good, reflect on your own weak points."

4:18 Confucius said: "When you serve your mother and father it is okay to try to correct them once in a while. But if you see that they are not going to listen to you, keep your respect for them and don't distance yourself from them. Work without complaining."

4:19 Confucius said: "While your parents are alive, it is better not to travel far away. If you do travel, you should have a precise destination."

4:20 Confucius said: "If, for three years (after your father's death) you don't alter his ways of doing things, you can certainly be called 'filial.'"

4:21 Confucius said: "Your parents' age should not be ignored. Sometimes it will be a source of joy, and sometimes it will be a source of apprehension."

4:22 Confucius said: "The ancients were hesitant to speak, fearing that their actions would not do justice to their words."

4:23 Confucius said: "If you are strict with yourself, your mistakes will be few."

4:24 Confucius said: "The Superior Man desires to be hesitant in speech, but sharp in action."

4:25 Confucius said: "If you are virtuous, you will not be lonely. You will always have friends."

4:26 Tzu Yu said: "In serving your prince, frequent remonstrance will lead to disgrace. With friends, frequent remonstrance will lead to separation."

[Operacast]

7:1 Confucius said: "I am a transmitter, rather than an original thinker. I trust and enjoy the teachings of the ancients. In my heart I compare myself to old P'eng."

7:2 Confucius said: "Keeping silent and thinking; studying without satiety, teaching others without weariness: these things come natural to me."

7:3 Confucius said: "Having virtue and not cultivating it; studying and not sifting; hearing what is just and not following; not being able to change wrongdoing: these are the things that make me uncomfortable."

7:4 During the Master's leisure time he was relaxed and enjoyed himself.

7:5 Confucius said: "I am really going down the drain. I have not dreamt of the Duke of Chou for a long time now."

7:6 Confucius said: "Set your aspirations on the Tao, hold to virtue, rely on your humaneness, and relax in the study of the arts."

7:7 Confucius said: "From the one who brought a bundle of dried meat (the poorest person) upwards, I have never denied a person my instruction."

7:8 Confucius said: "If a student is not eager, I won't teach him; if he is not struggling with the truth, I won't reveal it to him. If I lift up one corner and he can't come back with the other three, I won't do it again."

7:9 If the Master sat beside a person in mourning, he would not eat to the full. If he had wept on a certain day, he would not sing.

7:10 Confucius said to Yen Yü an:

When needed, acting

When not needed, concealing.

only you and I can do this."

Tzu Lu said, "If you had to handle a major army, who would you choose to assist you?"

Confucius said, "I would not select the kind of man who likes to wrestle with tigers or cross rivers on foot, who can die without a second thought (like Tzu Lu). It must be someone who approaches his business with caution, who likes to plan things well and see them to their completion."

7:11 Confucius said: "If the attainment of wealth was guaranteed in its seeking, even if I were to become a groom with a whip in hand to get it, I would do so. But since its attainment cannot be guaranteed, I will go with that which I love."

7:12 The things with which the Master was cautious, were fasting, war and sickness.

7:13 When Confucius was in Ch'i, he heard the Shao music, and for three months did not know the taste of meat. He said, "I never knew music could reach this level of excellence!"

7:14 Yen Yu said: "Is our Teacher in favor of the ruler of Wei?"

Tzu Kung said, "Well, I will go find out." He entered the Teacher's room and asked: "What kind of men were Po Yi and Shu Chi?"

Confucius said, "They were ancient worthies."

Tzu Kung asked: "Weren't they resented by anyone?"

Confucius said, "If you seek humaneness and attain it, what resentment can you incur?"

Tzu Kung came out and said, "He is not in favor of him"[Note: Legge says (p. 199): "[Po Yi and Shu Chi] having given up their throne, and finally their lives, rather than doing what was wrong, and Confucius, fully approving of their conduct, it was plain he could not approve of a son's holding by force what was the rightful inheritance of the father."]

7:15 Confucius said: "I can live with coarse rice to eat, water for drink and my arm as a pillow and still be happy. Wealth and honors that one possesses in the midst of injustice are like floating clouds."

7:16 Confucius said: "If I could add 50 years to my life, I would study the Changes and become free of error."

7:17 Topics which the Teacher regularly discussed were the Book of Odes, the Book of History, and the maintenance of propriety. These were the topics which he regularly discussed.

7:18 The Duke of Sheh asked Tzu Lu about Confucius. Tzu Lu didn't answer him. The Teacher said, "Why didn't you just tell him that I am a man who in eagerness for study forgets to eat, in his enjoyment of it, forgets his problems and who is unaware of old age setting in?"

7:19 Confucius said: "I was not born with wisdom. I love the ancient teachings and have worked hard to attain to their level."

7:20 The master never discussed strange phenomena, physical exploits, disorder or ghost stories.

7:22 Confucius said: "When three men are walking together, there is one who can be my teacher. I pick out people's good and follow it. When I see their bad points, I correct them in myself."

7:22 Confucius said: "Heaven gave birth to the virtue within me. What can Huan T'ui[Note: A high official of the Sung, who was trying to assassinate Confucius.] do to me?"

7:23 Confucius said to his disciples: "My boys, do you think I conceal things from you? There is nothing I conceal from you. There is nothing that I do that is not right out in front of you. That is the way I am."

7:24 The Master taught four things: Culture, correct action, loyalty and trust.

7:25 Confucius said: "I have not yet been able to meet a sage, but I would be satisfied to meet a Superior Man. I have not yet met a man of true goodness, but would be satisfied to meet a man of constancy. Lacking, yet possessing; empty, yet full; in difficulty yet at ease. How difficult it is to have constancy!"

7:26 When the Master went fishing, he did not use a net; when he hunted, he would not shoot at a perched bird.

7:27 Confucius said: "There may be those who can act creatively without knowledge. I am not at this level. I listen widely, select the good and follow their ways. I observe broadly and contemplate. This is the second level of knowledge. (For the levels of knowledge, see Analects 16:9)."

7:28 Since it was hard to have a worthwhile discussion with the people of Ho-hsiang, when one of their young men came to see the teacher, the disciples didn't know what to do with him. Confucius said, "Take people the way they come to you, not for the way they are after they leave. Why be so strict? If someone purifies his mind to approach you, accept him in his purity. Don't worry about what he does after he leaves."

7:29 Confucius said: "Is humaneness far away? If I aspire for humaneness it is right here!"

7:30 The Minister of Righteousness in Ch'an asked whether the Duke of Chao knew the rules of propriety.

Confucius said, "He did."

When Confucius left, the minister bowed to (his prince) Wu Ma Ch'i and went up to him, saying: "I have heard that the Superior Man is not partisan, but maybe he can be since Prince Wu took a wife with the same surname, saying that she came from 'the elder family of Wu.' If this prince knew the rules of propriety, then who doesn't know them?"

Wu Ma Ch'i told this to Confucius.

The Teacher said, "I am so lucky! When I make a mistake they always find it out."

7:31 When the Teacher was singing with someone, and he found out that they sang well, he would make them start over again, and he would sing the harmony.

7:32 Confucius said: "In literature, perhaps I am equal to others. But I cannot manifest the behavior of the Superior Man."

7:33 Confucius said: "I dare not claim to be a sage or a humane man. But I strive for these without being disappointed, and I teach without becoming weary. This is what can be said of me."

Kung Hsi Hua said, "It is exactly these qualities that cannot be learned by the disciples."

7:34 The Master was very sick, and Tzu Lu said that he would pray for him.

Confucius said, "is there such a thing?"

Tzu Lu said, "There is. The Eulogies say: 'I pray for you to the spirits of the upper and lower realm.'"

Confucius said, "Then I have been praying for a long time already."

7:35 Confucius said: "Luxury leads to laxity, frugality leads to firmness. It is better to be firm than to be lax."

7:36 Confucius said: "The Superior Man is always at ease with himself. The inferior man is always anxious."

7:37 The Master was mild yet strict, authoritative yet not mean, courteous, yet relaxed.

8:1 Confucius said: "T'ai Po can be said to have had a perfected level of virtue. He declined the rule of the kingdom three times, without the people knowing about it."

8:2 Confucius said: "Courtesy without propriety is wasted energy. Caution without propriety is timidity. Boldness without propriety is recklessness. Straightforwardness without propriety is rudeness. When the ruler is kind to those who are close to him, the people will be moved toward humaneness. If he does not forget his old friends, the people too, will not be fickle."

8:3 Tseng Tzu was ill. He summoned his disciples and said, "Uncover my feet and hands. The Book of Odes says:

He was cautious,

Apprehensive.

As if at the edge of a deep chasm;

As if treading on thin ice.

From now, I know that I have gotten past this (sickness)."

8:4 While Tseng Tzu was ill, Meng Cheng Tzu went to see him. Tseng Tzu said, "When a bird is about to die, its song is melancholy. When a man is about to die, his words are excellent. The Way prized by the Superior Man has three aspects:

In his behavior and deportment he avoids brashness and arrogance.

When paying attention to his facial expressions he is guided by honesty.

When speaking, he avoids vulgarity and slander. As far as attending to the sacrificial tables— there are specialists hired for these jobs."

8:5 Tseng Tzu said: "Having ability, yet learning from the clumsy. Having much knowledge, but learning from the unlearned; possessing, yet seeming to lack, being full yet seeming empty, able to accept wrong without retaliation: in the past I had a friend who could do this (Yen Hui?)."

8:6 Tseng Tzu said: "A man who can be entrusted with the care of the crown prince, who can take responsibility for a district of 100 li and who can handle a major crisis without losing touch with himself: Is he a Superior Man? He certainly is a Superior Man."

8:7 Tseng Tzu said: "To be called a shih you must be open-minded as well as resolute, since your burden is heavy and your course is long. If you take humaneness as your burden, is it not heavy? If you continue to death, is it not long?"

8:8 Confucius said: "Be aroused by poetry; structure yourself with propriety, refine yourself with music."

8:9 Confucius said: "You might force people to act according to a certain principle, but you won't be able to force them to understand it."

8:10 Confucius said: "A man who enjoys boldness and hates poverty will be rebellious. If a man lacks humaneness and his dissatisfaction reaches an extreme, he will rebel."

8:11 Confucius said: "Perhaps you could be as handsome and as talented as the Duke of Chou. But if you are arrogant or stingy, those good qualities will not be noticed."

8:12 Confucius said: "It is quite rare to see someone who applies himself to the study of something for three years without having a noticeable result."

8:13 Confucius said: "Be of unwavering good faith and love learning. Be steadfast unto death in pursuit of the good Tao. Do not enter a state which is in peril, nor reside in one which people have rebelled. When the Tao prevails in the world, then show yourself. When it does not, then hide. When the Tao prevails in your own state, to be poor and obscure is a disgrace. But when the Tao does not prevail in your own state, to be rich and honored is a disgrace."

8:14 Confucius said: "If you don't have the official position, you can't plan the affairs of government."

8:15 Confucius said: "After Music Master Chih took over, the finale of the Kuan Tsu was magnificent. How it filled my ears!"

8:16 Confucius said: "I really don't know what to do with those who are ardent but not upright, frank but not careful, and naive but not honest."

8:17 Confucius said: "Study as if you have not reached your goal— as if you were afraid of losing what you have."

8:18 Confucius said: "How sublime was the manner in which Shun and Yu handled the empire, without lifting a finger!"

[Comment] Here we can see evidence of Confucius' clear understanding of governance by wu-wei or "non-manipulation, " which is discussed at length in the Tao Te Ching and the Chuang Tzu.

8:19 Confucius said: "The rulership of Yao was so magnificent! He was so sublime that even though there is nothing as great as Heaven, he could accord with it. His greatness was so boundless it is beyond description. His efficacy was amazing, his writings were enlightening."

8:20 Shun, with five ministers, was able to successfully govern the empire. King Wu said, "Altogether I have ten ministers.

Confucius said, "Their ability is the issue. Don't you think so? When the T'ang and Wu dynasties combined, they had as many ministers as you, with a woman and nine men. King Wen (of the Chou) controlled two-thirds of the empire, and with this, served the Yin. Indeed, the virtue of Chou can be called the epitome of virtue!"

8:21 Confucius said: "Yu was flawless in character. Surviving on the simplest food and drink, yet perfect in his piety to the ancestral spirits. Normally wearing coarse clothing, he looked magnificent in his ceremonial cap and gown. Living in a humble abode, he exhausted himself in the excavation of drainage ways and canals. I cannot find a flaw in his character!"

[Operacast]

Socrates

Speech I

: Socrates' Defense

Copyright ©

Kent Anderson, Ph.D. and Norm Freund, Ph.D.

The Oracle of Delphi

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And here, O men of Athens, I must beg you not to interrupt me, even if I seem to say something extravagant. For the word which I will speak is not mine. I will refer you to a witness who is worthy of credit; that witness shall be the God of Delphi - he will tell you about my wisdom, if I have any, and of what sort it is. You must have known Chaerephon; he was early a friend of mine, and

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also a friend of yours, for he shared in the recent exile of the people, and returned with you. Well, Chaerephon, as you know, was very impetuous in all his doings, and he went to Delphi and boldly asked the oracle to tell him whether - as I was saying, I must beg you not to interrupt - he asked the

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oracle to tell him whether any one was wiser than I was, and the Pythian prophetess answered, that there was no man wiser. Chaerephon is dead himself; but his brother, who is in court, will confirm the truth of what I am saying.

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Why do I mention this? Because I am going to explain to you why I have such an evil name. When I heard the answer, I said to myself, What can the god mean? and what is the interpretation of his riddle? for I know that I have no wisdom, small or great. What then can he mean when he says that I am the wisest of men? And yet he is a god, and cannot lie; that would be against his nature. After long consideration, I thought of a method of trying the question. I reflected that if I could only find a man wiser than myself, then I might go to the god with a refutation in my hand. I should say to him, "Here is a man who is wiser than I am; but you said that I was the wisest."
Accordingly I went to one who had the reputation of wisdom, and observed him - his name I need not mention; he was a politician whom I selected for examination - and the result was as follows: When I began to talk with him, I could not help thinking, that he was not really wise, although he was thought wise by many, and still wiser by himself; and thereupon I tried

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to explain to him that he thought himself wise, but was not really wise; and the consequence was that he hated me, and his enmity was shared by several who were present and heard me. So I left him, saying to myself, as I went away: Well, although I do not suppose that either of us knows anything really beautiful and good, I am better off than he is for he knows nothing, and thinks that he knows; I neither know nor think that I know. In this latter particular then, I seem to have slightly the advantage of him. Then I went to another who had

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still higher pretensions to wisdom, and my conclusion was exactly the same. Whereupon I made another enemy of him, and of many others besides him.
Then I went to one man after another, being not unconscious of the enmity which I provoked, and I lamented and feared this: But necessity was laid upon me, - the word of God, I thought, ought to be considered first. And I said to myself, Go I must to all who appear to know, and find out the meaning of

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the oracle. And I swear to you, Athenians, by the dog I swear! - for I must tell you the truth - the result of my mission was just this: I found that the men most in repute were all but the most foolish; and that others less esteemed were really wiser and better. I will tell you the tale of my wanderings and of the "Herculean" labors, as I may call them, which I endured only to find at last the oracle irrefutable. After the politicians, I

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went to the poets; tragic, dithyrambic, and all sorts. And will there, I said to myself, you will be instantly detected, now you find out that you are more ignorant than they are. Accordingly, I took them some of the most elaborate passages in their own writings, and asked what was the meaning of them - thinking that they would teach me something. Will you believe me? I am almost ashamed to confess the truth, but I must say that there is hardly a person present who would not have talked better about their poetry than they did themselves. Then I

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knew that not by wisdom do poets write poetry, but by a sort of genius and inspiration; they are like diviners or soothsayers who also say many fine things, but do not understand the meaning of them. The poets appeared to me to be much in the same case; and I further observed that upon the strength of their poetry they believed themselves to be the wisest of men in other things in which they were not wise. So I departed, conceiving myself to be superior to them for the same reason that I was superior to the politicians.
At last I went to the artisans, for I was conscious that I knew

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nothing at all, as I may say, and I was sure that they knew many fine things; and here I was not mistaken, for they did know many things of which I was ignorant, and in this they certainly were wiser than I was. But I observed that even the good artisans fell into the same error as the poets; - because they were good workmen they thought that they also knew all sorts of high matters, and this deceit in them overshadowed their wisdom; and therefore I asked myself on behalf of the

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oracle, whether I would like to be as I was, neither having their knowledge nor their ignorance, or like them in both; and I made answer to myself and to the oracle that I was better off as I was.
This inquisition has led to my having many enemies of the

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worst and most dangerous kind, and has given occasion also to many calumnies. And I am called wise, for my hearers always imagine that I myself possess the wisdom which I find wanting in others: but the truth is, O men of Athens, that Jove only is wise; and by his answer he intends to show that the wisdom of men is worth little or nothing; he is not speaking of Socrates,

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he is only using my name by way of illustration, as if he said, He, O men, is the wisest, who, like Socrates, knows that his wisdom is in truth worth nothing.

[Operacast]

Socrates' Mission

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Strange, indeed, would be my conduct, O men of Athens, if I who, when I was ordered by the generals whom you chose to command me at Potidaea and Amphipolis and Delium, remained where they placed me, like any other man, facing death - if now, when, as I conceive and imagine, God orders me to fulfil the philosopher's mission of searching into myself and other men, I were to desert my post through fear of death, or any other fear; that would indeed be strange, and I might justly be arraigned in court for denying the existence of the

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gods, if I disobeyed the oracle because I was afraid of death, fancying that I was wise when I was not wise. For the fear of death is indeed the pretence of wisdom, and not real wisdom, being a pretence of knowing the unknown; and no one knows whether death, which men in their fear apprehend to be the

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greatest evil, may not be the greatest good. Is not this ignorance of a disgraceful sort, the ignorance which is the conceit that man knows what he does not know? And in this respect only I believe myself to differ from men in general, and may perhaps claim to be wiser than they are: - that whereas I know but little of the world below, I do not suppose that I know: but I do know that injustice and disobedience to a better, whether God or man, is evil and dishonorable, and I will never fear or avoid a possible good rather than a certain evil. And therefore if you let me go now, and are not

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convinced by Anytus, who said that since I had been prosecuted I must be put to death (or if not that I ought never to have been prosecuted at all); and that if I escape now, your sons will all be utterly ruined by listening to my words - if you say to me, Socrates, this time we will not mind Anytus, and you shall be let off, but upon one condition, that you are not to enquire and speculate in this way any more, and that if you are

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caught doing so again you shall die; - if this was the condition on which you let me go, I should reply: Athenians, I honor and love you; but I shall obey God rather than you, and while I have life and strength I shall never cease from the practice and teaching of philosophy, exhorting any one whom I meet and saying to him after my manner: You, my friend, - a citizen of the great and mighty and wise city of Athens, - are you not ashamed of heaping up the greatest amount of money

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and honor and reputation, and caring so little about wisdom and truth and the greatest improvement of the soul, which you never regard or heed at all? And if the person with whom I am arguing, says: Yes, but I do care; then I do not leave him or let him go at once; but I proceed to interrogate and examine and cross-examine him, and if I think that he has no virtue in him, but only says that he has, I reproach him with undervaluing

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the greater, and overvaluing the less. And I shall repeat the same words to every one whom I meet, young and old, citizen and alien, but especially to the citizens, inasmuch as they are my brethren. For know that this is the command of God; and I ` believe that no greater good has ever happened in the state than my service to the God. For I do nothing but go about persuading you all, old and young alike, not to take thought for your persons or your properties, but first and chiefly to

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care about the greatest improvement of the soul. I tell you that virtue is not given by money, but that from virtue comes money and every other good of man, public as well as private. This is my teaching, and if this is the doctrine which corrupts the youth, I am a mischievous person. But if any one says that this is not my teaching, he is speaking an untruth. Wherefore, O men of Athens, I say to you, do as Anytus bids or not as Anytus bids, and either acquit me or not; but whichever you do, understand that I shall never alter my ways, not even if I

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have to die many times.
Men of Athens, do not interrupt, but hear me; there was an understanding between us that you should hear me to the end: I have something more to say, at which you may be inclined to cry out; but I believe that to hear me will be good for you, and therefore I beg that you will not cry out. I would have you know, that if you kill such an one as I am, you will injure yourselves more than you will injure me. Nothing will injure me, not Meletus nor yet Anytus - they cannot, for a bad man

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is not permitted to injure a better than himself. I do not deny that Anytus may, perhaps, kill him, or drive him into exile, or deprive him of civil rights; and he may imagine, and others may imagine, that he is inflicting a great injury upon him: but there I do not agree. For the evil of doing as he is doing - the evil of unjustly taking away the life of another - is greater far.

And now, Athenians, I am not going to argue for my own

sake, as you may think, but for yours, that you may not sin against the God by condemning me, who am his gift to you. For if you kill me you will not easily find a successor to me,

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who, if I may use such a ludicrous figure of speech, am a sort of gadfly, given to the state by God; and the state is a great and noble steed who is tardy in his motions owing to his very size, and requires to be stirred into life. I am that gadfly which God has attached to the state, and all day long and in all places am always

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fastening upon you, arousing and persuading and reproaching you. You will not easily find another like me, and therefore I would advise you to spare me. I dare say that you may feel out of temper (like the person who is suddenly awakened from sleep), and you think that you might easily strike me dead as Anytus advises, and then you sleep on for the remainder of your lives,

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unless God in his care of you sent you another gadfly. When I say that I am given to you by God, the proof of my mission is this: - if I had been like other men, I should not have neglected all my own concerns or patiently seen the neglect of them during all these years, and have been doing yours, coming to you individually like a father or elder brother, exhorting you to regard virtue; such conduct, I say, would be unlike human nature. If I had gained anything, or if my exhortations had been paid, there would have been some sense in my doing so; but now, as you

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will perceive, not even the impudence of my accusers dares to say that I have ever exacted or sought pay of any one; of that they have no witness. And I have a sufficient witness to the truth of what I say - my poverty.

Some one may wonder why I go about in private giving

advice and busying myself with the concerns of others, but do not venture to come forward in public and advise the state. I will tell you why. You have heard me speak at sundry times

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and in divers places of an oracle or sign which comes to me, and is the divinity which Meletus ridicules in the indictment. This sign, which is a kind of voice, first began to come to me when I was a child; it always forbids but never commands me to do anything which I am going to do. This is what deters me from being a politician. And rightly, as I think. For I am certain, O men of Athens, that if I had engaged in politics, I should have perished long ago, and done no good either to you or

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to myself. And do not be offended at my telling you the truth: for the truth is, that no man who goes to war with you or any other multitude, honestly striving against the many lawless and unrighteous deeds which are done in a state, will save his life;

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he who will fight for the right, if he would live even for a brief space, must have a private station and not a public one.

[Operacast]

Jesus Christ

Assorted Sayings

King James revised


Mark 4

2 And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,
3 Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
4 And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
5 And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:
6 But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
8 And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.
9 And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
10 And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.

13 And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?
14 The sower soweth the word.
15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;
17 And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.
18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,
19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
20 And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.

Mark 6

28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?
29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:
33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.

Mark 10

20 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
21 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
22 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.
23 And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.
24 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
25 And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.
26 And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
27 And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it to enter into the kingdom of God!
28 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
29 And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved?
30 And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.

42 But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them.
43 But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister:
44 And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.
45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Mark 12

1 . . . A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country.
2 And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard.
3 And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty.
4 And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled.
5 And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some.
6 Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son.
7 But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be our's.
8 And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard.
9 What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others.
10 And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner:
11 This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?

Matthew 5, 7 / Luke 6

[Luke] 20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.
22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.
23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.

27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,
28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
29 And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also.
30 Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.
31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.
33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.

35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
39 And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?
40 The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.
41 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
42 Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye.
43 For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
44 For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.
45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

Luke 12

4 And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.
6 Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?
7 But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.
8 Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God:
9 But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.

22 And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.
23 The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.
24 Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?
25 And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?
26 If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?
27 Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
28 If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?
29 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.
30 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.
31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.

42 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?
43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.
45 But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken;
46 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

Luke 14

11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

16 . . . .A certain man made a great supper, and bade many:
17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.
18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.
19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.

21 So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.

23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
24 For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.

26 If any man come to me, and deny not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

Luke 17

33 Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.

[Vajradhara]

Namaste operacast,

thank you for the posts.

i would be very pleased to read the source for these postings as they appear to be, in some cases, cut and pasted from online websites. normally, one would include the source link with their posting so that interested individuals would be able to read for more information.

since you didn't include them with the post... could you do so now for interested readers like myself?

[Operacast]

[from Geoff Riggs; not Eliz. H., my better half]

Originally Posted by Vajradhara

Namaste operacast,

<SNIP>

i would be very pleased to read the source for these postings as they appear to be, in some cases, cut and pasted from online websites.

Sure. No problem. Actually, they all come from the Web and are all, SFAIK, in the public domain.

In the Buddha posts, Section 5 of The Great Frames of Reference Sutta is taken from

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon...igha/dn22.html

The verses taken from On Knowledge Of The Vedas can be found at

http://www.buddhadust.org/buddhistsuttas/rd_bs_3.htm

The two extracts from the Analects of Confucius are at

http://www.human.toyogakuen-u.ac.jp/...o/analects.htm

You'll find the online copy I used of the complete Plato Apology [of Socrates], called Socrates' Defense in this translation, at

http://socrates.clarke.edu/aplg0100.htm

Specific links for Socrates' remarks on the Oracle at Delphi and on Socrates' Mission are at

http://socrates.clarke.edu/aplg0102.htm

and

http://socrates.clarke.edu/aplg0105.htm

For the Gospel of Mark passages in the Jesus posting, I simply used an online version of the King James translation, and I have to concede I'm not entirely sure now which online source I used. I do know, though, that I checked it against a modern translation of my own simply to make sure that none of the passages I used inadvertently used readings from a post-Sinaiticus or a post-Vaticanus ms. (The earlier and more authoritative status of the Sinaiticus and Vaticanus ms. tradition of Mark was established considerably after the original King James translation was first published.)

The passages from Luke were taken from a conjectural assemblage of so-called "Q" passages available online at

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7842/jbcq002.htm

I hope all this proves helpful.

Best,

Geoffrey Riggs
www.operacast.com