 to the index SACRED
READINGS ARCHIVE
Answering
the Cry of Humanity
Cheraga Zaynab FitzPatrick A Karma-yogi gets freedom from both vice and virtue in this life itself. Therefore, strive for Karma-yoga. Working to the best of one's abilities without getting attached to the fruits of work is called (Nishkaama) Karma-yoga. (2.50) Buddhist: Bodhisattva Vow May I be a guard for those who are protectorless, A guide for those who journey on the road; For those who wish to go across the water, May I be a boat, a raft, a bridge. May I be an isle for those who yearn for landfall, And a lamp for those who long for light; For those who need a resting place, a bed, For all who need a servant, may I be a slave. May I be the wishing jewel, the vase of plenty, A word of power, and the supreme remedy. May I be the trees of miracles, And for every being, the abundant cow. Like the great earth and the other elements, Enduring as the sky itself endures, For the boundless multitude of living beings, May I be the ground and vessel of their life. Thus, for every single thing that lives, In number like the boundless reaches of the sky, May I be their sustenance and nourishment Until they pass beyond the bounds of suffering Zoroastrianism: Ahunwar (most sacred manthra of Zoroastrianism) ----------------------------------------------- The will of the Lord is the law of righteousness. The gifts of Vohu-mano to the deeds done in this world for Mazda. He who relieves the poor makes Ahura king. Judaism: Torah: Exodus Now Moses, tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, drove the flock into the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire out of a bush. He gazed, and there was a bush all aflame, yet the bush was not consumed. 3 Moses said, "I must turn aside to look at this marvelous sight; why doesn't the bush burn up?" 4 When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to look, God called to him out of the bush: "Moses! Moses!" He answered, "Here I am." 5 And He said, "Do not come closer. Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground. 6 I am," He said, "the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. 7 And the Lord continued, "I have marked well the plight of My people in Egypt and have heeded their outcry because of their taskmasters; yes, I am mindful of their sufferings. 8 I have come down to rescue them from the Egyptians and to bring them out of that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey, the region of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 Now the cry of the Israelites has reached Me; moreover, I have seen how the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come, therefore, I will send you to Pharaoh, and you shall free My people, the Israelites, from Egypt." Christian (Matthew 22:36-40) "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments". Islam: Surah 107. Small Kindnesses, Almsgiving, Have You Seen? 1. Seest thou one who denies the Judgment (to come)? 2. Then such is the (man) who repulses the orphan (with harshness), 3. And encourages not the feeding of the indigent. 4. So woe to the worshippers 5. Who are neglectful of their prayers, 6. Those who (want but) to be seen (of men), 7. But refuse (to supply) (even) neighbourly needs. Gayan Reading Send on humanity, Lord, the shower of Thy mercy and compassion. |