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Hate
“Hating” something does not have to be the emotional “hate” like you hate an enemy who has just destroyed your home.
One would certainly hate a hurricane tearing their house down, wouldn't they? That doesn't mean we go around fuming against hurricanes.
I don't mean hate that way. I mean having an aversion toward something, like poverty, war, disease. I don't go around fuming and attacking people I don't like.
“Hating” in the heart I just as well as could use the word aversion.
The heart is very important because the heart rules in a sense, because it is the fountain of desires and ultimately desires are what manifest in the world of the kingdom.
If we all hate poverty, disease, war, destruction eventually it will go away.
When Jesus said: feed the poor that was also saying: Hate poverty, because people suffer in poverty.
Should we not hate suffering. Are we too involved with semantics. If you would prefer I will use the word or words “have an aversion towards.
Is that better?
Certainly, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, Moses, All taught to have an aversion towards these horrible things. They didn't teach absolute stoicism. They taught active practice and ridding the world of negativity, oppression, injustice, ignorance, poverty, war, etc..
I never attacked one group in my essay, in fact I was clear that we shouldn't blame anyone particular group. We don't need recrimination and blame, we need the reshuffling of our priorities, in putting the caring for people first. Then we will stop these problems, and then deal with getting to the root of them at the same time.
Post Now what we need to examine is the fact that every time I post this, I get flack. Thats all right people are entitled to thier opinions, but I think
That is the interesting phenomena, and it is that that needs to be examined.
Why do people object to this post:
They think it is pie in the sky thinking. I should concentrate on my own self Evil like poverty, disease, war, has always been here
These are the kind of objections people raise when I post this, and don't you see that is part of the problem!
On a Buddhist forum, they wanted to shoot me, when I posted this. Those Buddhist were so cynical, and use to the world being the way it is that they couldn't conceive of any change, or the attempt to change the world.
But they were wrong. It has to start somewhere.
I understand that as we do this we should simultaneously have an inward transformation, in other words this should go hand in hand, based on the Buddhist principle. Don't only do good, become good.
People always try to put me on the chopping block, to examine me, NOT THE ISSUES I RAISE. Is that not a cop out?
Another excuse for human beings to neglect their duty.
If one can't see the devil before our eyes then it may be that
They have a problem seeing.
Higher Law
The higher law is the law that goes beyond appearances and deals with the essence, and spirit of reality.
For example, this issue ultimately is not about good and evil, it is about suffering, and what leads to it.
“Good” as well as “evil” can cause suffering. The higher law understands the relativity of good and evil, for example:
The torrential rain in the south has brought destruction to the Indians. But on the other hand has brought prosperity to the settlers in the north.
Now how do we define good and evil by this example? We can't, because good and evil are not absolute, they are relative to time and place, and other variables.
Suffering is what we want to eliminate, and we can't do that by eliminating rain. But what we can do is have institutions and the desire to assist the Indians in the south that got devastated by the rain. We could in fact correlate my parable to Katrina.
The contractors are getting rich of Katrina, but the people have suffered immensely, and if we had a system that really helped poor people we could have eliminated much of their suffering.
But no. We had our resources in Iraq. Bush didn't have the government ready to help poor black people in Katrina, because he had hired his campaign contributors to run FEMA rather than qualified people.
So that is what is meant by the higher law. The higher law aims at what the relative laws want to get at but sometimes cant, for whatever reason. That law deals with roots, and essences, the things behind the relative law. Now that shouldn't and can't be dealt with but by the most wise.
To get an excellent example of what the higher law is as opposed to the relative lower law read in the Koran the allegory of Moses and Khidr. Chap 18 v60 to 82
Khidr is some kind of Angel. Moses asked to hang out with him so he could see and learn. Khidr said he couldn't handle what he does. Moses said please let me hang out.
Khidr said okay. But don't question what I do.
Basically Khidr started doing all kinds of what the world would consider negative stuff. Putting holes in boats, killing people. Doing work and not accepting money for it. Moses went crazy, and said ” what in the world are you doing” Khidr said ” see I told you, you couldn't handle what I do. Moses Apologized and they went on. Finally Khidr explained to Moses that everything that superficially appeared to be a negative act, was in fact a positive act that started all kinds of positive stuff in the long run.
Read it for yourself, I really can't give proper justice to the allegory. Koran chapter 18 verses 60 to 82
Remember this is an allegory, don't take it literally. Look for the meaning behind the story.
018.060 Behold, Moses said to his attendant, “I will not give up until I reach the junction of the two seas or (until) I spend years and years in travel.”
018.061 But when they reached the Junction, they forgot (about) their Fish, which took its course through the sea (straight) as in a tunnel.
018.062 : When they had passed on (some distance), Moses said to his attendant: “Bring us our early meal; truly we have suffered much fatigue at this (stage of) our journey.”
018.063 He replied: “Sawest thou (what happened) when we betook ourselves to the rock? I did indeed forget (about) the Fish: none but Satan made me forget to tell (you) about it: it took its course through the sea in a marvellous way!”
018.064 Moses said: “That was what we were seeking after:” So they went back on their footsteps, following (the path they had come).
018.065 So they found one of Our servants, on whom We had bestowed Mercy from Ourselves and whom We had taught knowledge from Our own Presence.
018.066 Moses said to him: “May I follow thee, on the footing that thou teach me something of the (Higher) Truth which thou hast been taught?” ? 018.067 (The other) said: “Verily thou wilt not be able to have patience with me!”
018.068 “And how canst thou have patience about things about which thy understanding is not complete?” 018.069 : Moses said: “Thou wilt find me, if Allah so will, (truly) patient: nor shall I disobey thee in aught.” .
018.070 The other said: “If then thou wouldst follow me, ask me no questions about anything until I myself speak to thee concerning it.”
018.071 So they both proceeded: until, when they were in the boat, he scuttled it. Said Moses: “Hast thou scuttled it in order to drown those in it? Truly a strange thing hast thou done!”
018.072 He answered: “Did I not tell thee that thou canst have no patience with me?”
018.073 Moses said: “Rebuke me not for forgetting, nor grieve me by raising difficulties in my case.” 018.074 Then they proceeded: until, when they met a young man, he slew him. Moses said: “Hast thou slain an innocent person who had slain none? Truly a foul (unheard of) thing hast thou done!”
018.075 He answered: “Did I not tell thee that thou canst have no patience with me?”
018.076 (Moses) said: “If ever I ask thee about anything after this, keep me not in thy company: then wouldst thou have received (full) excuse from my side.”
018.077 Then they proceeded: until, when they came to the inhabitants of a town, they asked them for food, but they refused them hospitality. They found there a wall on the point of falling down, but he set it up straight. (Moses) said: “If thou hadst wished, surely thou couldst have exacted some recompense for it!” 018.078 He answered: “This is the parting between me and thee: now will I tell thee the interpretation of (those things) over which thou wast unable to hold patience.
018.079 “As for the boat, it belonged to certain men in dire want: they plied on the water: I but wished to render it unserviceable, for there was after them a certain king who seized on every boat by force.
018.080 As for the youth, his parents were people of Faith, and we feared that he would grieve them by obstinate rebellion and ingratitude (to Allah and man).
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