T.N.G. SIGNS OF THE TIMES - N.M. March 14, 2002 2:03 GMT (#105)
Greetings from Russell's Remnant: www.oocities.org/dkone_us
The Golden Rule – Is It Really Golden?
The Golden Rules of some of the great religions:
“The true rule is to guard and do by the things of others as you do by your own.” (The Hindus from the Vedas, the Brahmanas, the Upanishads)
“One should seek for others the happiness one desires for oneself.” (The Buddhists from the Tripitaka)
“Do as you would be done by.” (The Zoroastrians from the Zend-Avests)
“Whatsoever you do not wish your neighbors to do to you, do not unto him.” (The Jews from the Torah)
“Let none of you treat your brother in a way he himself would dislike to be treated.” The Mohammedans from the Koran)
“What you do not wish done to yourself, do not to others.” (The Confusians from the Analects)
“All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.” (The Christians from the Bible)
One of Russell Whitesell’s young disciples recalls hearing businessmen and lawbreakers say, “Do unto others what you would have them do unto you, BUT do it first.” This play upon the Golden Rule made this disciple start to think about this famous dictum. He started to analyze it and found that it really does not work unless each party is equally spiritually minded. If party “A” is less evolved than party “B,” A can do things to B that A would accept from B, but would be something that B would never think of doing to A. Thus the more evolved B is open to worse treatment from A yet such acts by A on B would be okay under the Golden Rule.
This disciple used to get into heated discussions with good Christians about this rule, but only found an ally to his position when he read The Essential Unity of All Religions by Bhagavan Das. As long as the parties involved realize that we are all One, the Golden Rule works well, but Bhagavan Das discusses the “Difficulties Re’ The Golden Rule” (p. 307+) The author points out that the Golden Rule only can be followed fully and wisely by those who have risen beyond personality (where me, myself and I rule). Differences of circumstance makes difference of duty. (We discussed difference in duty in TNGNL #8 – May 1994) Difference of duty may also at times require the giving of pain to another.
Duty differs with different functioned men;
So means do vary with varying ends;
And outlooks upon Life, Views of the World,
Aspect of Truth, do vary with view-points.
***
Russell Whitesell reminds us that one must also remember that the scriptures of the world’s largest religions were basically written for those just beginning to aspire to the Path. They include those who love God, but do not know God. The lovers of God must go beyond loving God and get to knowing God – the Gnostics. The rules for those yet-to-be aspirants are the difference between second grade math, which does not include decimals and fractions and sixth grade math which does. The Teacher must give second grade answers to second graders i.e. to a second grader, 3 does not go into 13, but does to the sixth grader. The difference of duty and the higher rules depend on your level of consciousness. The Golden Rule is excellent for the sixth graders, but is suspect for second graders. Giants must be careful so as not to make the children to stumble and fall. There was a reason Jesus warned about casting pearls before swine. Unfortunately the swine often cast things that they believe to be pearls. We have been spending 18,000,000 years trying to learn the difference. When you find a Teacher who knows, empty your teacup and let the Teacher fill it up.
Russ’s young disciple’s original motto was – “All that is necessary for the forces of evil to win in the world is for enough good men to do nothing” by Edmund Burke. Later he adopted a new motto, “Tell the truth and run like hell!”