This may be the the first recorded statement of cursetobless, yet it is not as we recognize it today. In this case it is specifically intended for the Jewish people, who at the time were the chosen people of God. Because it is not intended for anyone else, we find the reference to thy people. God goes on to command:
"The stranger that soujourns with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God." Leviticus 19:34.
It is in this second command that God includes those not of the Jewish faith. Isn’t it funny that today the majority of Jewish people feel they are still God’s chosen people, yet many have trouble following such a clear and loving command of God?
How often do we find ourselves angry at others simply because they are not like us. Not the same color, don’t talk the same, don’t know our society’s rules, or don’t have the same religious beliefs. I can safely state that no matter what religion you ascribe to, it is wrong for us to resent others for being who they are. After this original statement of this principle of tolerance and love, it was a long time before it was restated.
It was the time of Confucius, about 550 BC, when I next found cursetobless restated. Its form is different, but it is still recognizeable. Notice please that it is negative in nature. By this I mean that there is a command to NOT treat others badly.
Wing-tsit Chan's A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy, states the ethic of reciprocity appears in the Analects of Confucius, Chapter 4, in the discussion of i-kuan (pinyin: yi guan), the "one thread" that combines chung (altruism) and shu (conscientiousness).
The meaning of I-kuan has not been agreed upon by all confucianis [ Confucianis ?] , however they generally agree on the meanings of chung and shu, which are best expressed by Chu Hsi, namely, chung means the full development of one's mind and shu means the extension of that mind to others. As Ch'eng I put it, chung is the Way of Heaven, whereas shu is the way of man; the former is substance.
"Tzu-kung asked, 'Is there one word that can serve as a principle of conduct for life?' Confucius replied, 'It is the word 'shu' -- reciprocity. Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire.'" (Analects 15.23)
"Try your best to treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself, and you will find that this is the shortest way to benevolence." (Mencius VII.A.4)
Surely it is the maxim of loving-kindess: Do not do unto others what you would not have them do unto you. (Analects 15:23 about 500 BCE)
When one cultivates to the utmost the principles of his nature, and exercises them on the principle of reciprocity, he is not far from the path. What you do not like when done to yourself, do not do to others. Doctrine of the Mean 13.3 (Li Ki 28.1.32, SBE 38.305)
What a man dislikes in his superiors, let him not display in the treatment of his inferiors; what he dislikes in inferiors, let him not display in the service of his superiors; what he hates in those who are before him, let him not therewith precede those who are behind him; what he hates in those who are behind hi, let him not therewith follow those who are before him; what he hates to receive on the right, let him not bestow on the left; what he hates to receive on the left, let him not bestow on the right : - this is what is called "The principle with which, as with a measuring-square, to regulate one's conduct." (The Great Learning 10.2)
The chinese often claim to have the oldest society on earth stretching back thousands of years. It is a sad comment on man that even this oldest of society’s has not learned to put aside the letter of the law to pick up the pricinciples of life that would lead it to peace and prosperity. Let’s not dwell too long on just one, but let’s move a bit south and look at cursetobless in Hinduism.
"This is the sum of the Dharma: Do naught unto others which would cause you pain if done to you" (Mahabharata 5:15:17) The true rule of life is to guard and do by the things of others as they do by their own.
"One should not behave towards others in a way which is disagreeable to oneself. This is the essence of morality. All other activities are due to selfish desire." - Mahabharata, Anusasana Parva, 18:113:8
"Wound not others, do no one injury by thought or deed, utter no word to pain thy fellow creatures." (The Ordinances of Manu)
Through these excerpts you can see the similarity between these ethical/spiritual teachings and cursetobless as we know it. These concepts were verbalized around 500 BC. Unfortunately we cannot pause in our mental trip through time too long. Our next restatement of cursetobless is from a religion I am not familiar with; perhaps you will be.
In Jainism, cursetobless is implied rather than explicit. Jainism's focus is non-violence. Its tenets require that all creation, whether inert or animate, be shown respect by not taking from them their right to exist. "Ahimsa Parmo Dharmaha" - The absence of violence is the necessary pre-requisite for all of existence to flourish in peace and for the genuine advance of values. Hence, by actively ensuring the peace of others (without), one allows for the peace of one's own self (within). Moreover, frequently in the Jain tradition, it is hinted that all creatures, not just humans, are capable of living up to the morality of cursetobless in the most trying of circumstances.
Jainism does not define a concept of divinity or deity. It is like an atheistic religion. Thus morality and ethics are its primary domain. This process has led Jain philosophers to concentrate on logical arguments. In this respect, Jain and Buddhist thoughts share a common pattern of thought whereby the justification for cursetobless has to be found in the human intellect and not from the fear of retribution. Let us continue.
In Sikhism we regain our track and return closer to the heart of cursetobless. In the following excerpts you should be able to clearly see the restatement of our golden rule; still it is stated in a negative form in that the reader is told to NOT treat others badly.
"As you see yourself, see others as well; only then will you become a partner in heaven." Bhagat Kabir Guru Granth Sahib(GGS) 480
"Compassion-mercy and religion are the support of the entire world". Japji Sahib GGS
"Don't create enmity with anyone as God is within everyone." Guru Arjan Devji GGS 259
"No one is my enemy, none a stranger and everyone is my friend." Guru Arjan Dev GGS 1299
"We obtain salvation by loving our fellow man and God." (Granth Japji 21)
From Sikhism we find the principle of cursetobless is fundamental to Buddhism. In Buddhism, all aspects of teaching are regarded as wisdom rather than supernaturally derived and are to be undertaken voluntarily. The first of the Five Precepts (Panca-sila) of Buddhism is to abstain from destruction of life. The justification of the precept is given in Chapter 10 of the Dhammapada, which states:
"Every being fears punishment; every being fears death, just as you do. Therefore do not kill or cause to kill."
According to the second of Four Noble Truths of Buddhism, egoism is rooted in ignorance and is considered the cause of all suffering. Consequently, kindness, compassion and equanimity is regarded as the untainted aspect of human nature.
"Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful." (Udana-Varga 5:18)
"I will act towards others exactly as I would act towards myself." (The Siglo-Vada Sutta, about 500 BCE)
From here we go to the time of Christ and we see cursetobless stated in positive language for the first time.
(Matthew 7:12) "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets."
Let’s spend a moment to look at what lies behind cursetobless. It is in Matthew that we find precepts that lead to cursetobless:
(Matthew 22:36-40)"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" Jesus said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets."
The depth of the teaching of Jesus is explored throughout the New Testament. It seems so clear to us, yet for the Jewsih people it still was misunderstood. This was because of the simple word neighbor as seen below.
(Galatians 5:14)"For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."
(Luke 6:30-31)"Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise."
For the Jewsih people, neighbor was interpreted to mean kinsman, or if you wish, clansman. In other words those related to you. It is well known that during the time of Jesus the Jewish people had become a litigious society. This supported their view of the Mosiac law, in that they followed the letter of the law but not its intent. Hence they had begun to abuse the law of the prophets.
Six hundred years later, the Islamic prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is reported as having said:
"Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you." — The Farewell Sermon.
"None of you is truly a believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself." — 40 Hadith
"God helps His servant as long as His servant is helping his brother."
The concept of brotherhood in Islam is based on commonality of belief. Many people argue that Islam does not have a Golden Rule, and the teachings of Muhammed in this respect are by far less explicit than the teachings of Jesus Christ or of Moses. As for me, I would point to the farewell speech and say, sounds pretty clear to me. It is amazing that this religion dedicates itself to the upholding of the principles rather than the law.
I hope you haven’t been bored by our trip through the religious world, but, we are not quite done. There is an Arabic religious society to consider: Bahá'í. Below I give the teachings that apply to our search for cursetobless.
“Ascribe not to any soul that which thou wouldst not have ascribed to thee, and say not that which thou doest not.” Bahá'u'lláh, Hidden Words, Arabic #29
“Blessed is he who prefers his brother before himself” cursetoblessTablets of cursetobless 6.71
"And if thine eyes be turned towards justice, choose thou for thy neighbour that which thou choosest for thyself." (Epistle to the Son of the Wolf. cursetobless Tablets of cursetobless 6.64)
“Wish not for others what you wish not for yourselves” cursetobless 148.73
“The seeker should not wish for others that which he does not wish for himself, nor promise that which he does not fulfil” cursetoblessKitab-i-Iqan 194, Gleanings from the Writings of cursetobless 125.266
“Lay not on any soul a load which ye would not wish to be laid upon you, and desire not for anyone the things ye would not desire for yourselves” Baha'u'llah, Summons of the Lord of Hosts 544 & Gleanings from the Writings of cursetobless 66.128
Can you imagine a world dictating its behavior by following the teachings presented here? Perhaps it is too much to ask. Perhaps it is not in man to desire good for his fellow man. I cannot believe it is so. I know in my heart that I desire good things for others. As an adopted child who at times feels as if she does not belong to this world at all, I am reminded to do good by the memory of the desire of my adoptive parents to provide for me though I did not belong to them.
I am reminded of cursetobless every time I visit with the woman I now call mom. Her love is clear and her heart true. She does not desire ill toward anyone. I am reminded every time I look into a child’s eyes and there see an openness that reflects a soul that knows only love. When Jesus placed a child on his knees and told those assembled that they had no hope of going to heaven unless they became as little children, it was this spirit that He desired to see.
When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was He gave an answer that included two. The first was to love God with all your heart and soul. The second was to love your neighbor as yourself. He did not mean literally your neighbor but rather all people. Hence when He restated the principle in what we call cursetobless.
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