What religions teach that everything is fine?
- Thread starter Fry
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Some schools of Buddhism might get very close to what you describe, Zen for example.
However, you write, "... teach that there is nothing to worry about ...", which sounds a bit like denial. In Buddhism, fear like any other experience is acknowledged, not denied.
I think Taoism may apply, but am not very familiar. @RJM Corbett has more insight into Taoism.
Ancient Greek Stoicism may also go in the direction you outline.
The Epicureans, now that I think of it, too, check out the "Letter to Menoeceus" for a tantalizing fragment of Epicurus' own thoughts on fear, among other things. http://classics.mit.edu/Epicurus/menoec.html
Edit: link to Epicurean scripture.
However, you write, "... teach that there is nothing to worry about ...", which sounds a bit like denial. In Buddhism, fear like any other experience is acknowledged, not denied.
I think Taoism may apply, but am not very familiar. @RJM Corbett has more insight into Taoism.
Ancient Greek Stoicism may also go in the direction you outline.
The Epicureans, now that I think of it, too, check out the "Letter to Menoeceus" for a tantalizing fragment of Epicurus' own thoughts on fear, among other things. http://classics.mit.edu/Epicurus/menoec.html
Edit: link to Epicurean scripture.
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I believe 'core' Taoism was an exacting yoga of immortality requiring total commitment.
https://terebess.hu/zen/mesterek/Taoist-Yoga-Alchemy-and-Immortality.pdf
I do not think the Tao Te Ching is the definitive Taoist 'scripture, but it seems to be able to be used to suit the modern 'it's all about me' idea of boutique religion?
https://www.hermetica.info/Laozi.pdf
I believe the I Ching is probably the oldest Taoist 'scripture'
https://www.labirintoermetico.com/09IChing/Wilhelm_R_The_I_Ching_or_Book_of_Changes_(abriged).pdf
In all cases detachment and humility (as in humility before Heaven) are probably the core message. Imo
interfaith.org tao forums:
https://www.interfaith.org/community/forums/tao/
Thelema?
Aleister Crowley
'Do What Thou Wilt Shall be the Whole of the Law'
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thelema#:~:text=Thelema (/θəˈl,, mystic, and ceremonial magician.
But there are some rituals, I believe?
The central text of Thelema, "Liber Al", is dripping with threats of destruction.
Also, the oaths associated with some of the rituals, are also rather gruesome in their wording.
Maybe not what @Fry was looking for. But definitely interesting in its own right.
Miken
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In Thelema, 'Do What Thou Wilt' does not mean 'do whatever you fell like'. It means to find your True Will, your purpose in the universe and live according to that. Finding your True Will might be thought of as a kind of enlightenment. Love is an important element in this.
"IT IS WRITTEN that "Love is the law, love under will." Herein is an Arcanum concealed, for in the Greek Language Agaph, Love, is of the same numerical value as Velhma, Will. By this we understand that the Universal Will is of the nature of Love."
De Lege Libellum
http://www.scarletwoman.org/docs/docs_lege.html
Got that?
"IT IS WRITTEN that "Love is the law, love under will." Herein is an Arcanum concealed, for in the Greek Language Agaph, Love, is of the same numerical value as Velhma, Will. By this we understand that the Universal Will is of the nature of Love."
De Lege Libellum
http://www.scarletwoman.org/docs/docs_lege.html
Got that?
I do get that. Before he could lose the rules and paint like a child, first Picasso had to master the rules of painting. Somewhere St Paul said that although with full understanding all things were permitted to him, yet he did not want to mislead/tempt others who did not yet have that understanding?
Miken
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I am not aware of Paul saying that. Did you means these?
1 Corinthians 5
11 And such were some of you. [sinners] But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
12 “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything.
1 Corinthians 10
21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22 Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he? 23 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up.
Yes.
Also 1 Corinthians 10:31-33
"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved."
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Hmm .. unfortunately, there is a hell. People often ask why God allows us to suffer in this life?
The answer to that question is complex .. the bottom line is that we DO suffer.
Many protestants have concluded that God would not allow anybody to suffer in the life hereafter.
..but that is not borne out by the teachings of Jesus in the scriptures. It is purely an emotional conclusion.
Faith is not complete without having a fear of falling into hell through sin.
Even WITH this knowledge, we still carry on sinning .. but hopefully, not serious sins like adultery or murder.
We can see in this world the results of "the reformation". Many Christians today are quite happy with secular values,
such as same-sex-marriage, and women taking responsibility for men..
Thanks.
Early philosophical Taoism was far from teaching fear and dread. Tao Te Ching, Chuang Tzu.
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Much appreciated!
dattaswami2
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The human being is reluctant to miseries and enjoys the happy situation. The human being can be compared to an ignorant child, who enjoys the sweets only and is reluctant to chillies. Hence, such a human being is ignorant. The grown up adult enjoys both sweets and chillies in the meals. Similarly, a realized soul enjoys both happy situation and miseries in the life. Therefore, it is only ignorance, which is the inability of art of enjoyment. God created this world with happiness and misery. People enjoy the cinema, which contains both pleasant scenes and tragic scenes.
Similarly, people enjoy both sweet dishes and hot dishes in the meals. People enjoy the day and night. People enjoy the hot summer and the cold winter. The whole life and creation is full of alternating happiness and misery. If a person can enjoy both happy times and miseries in the life, he is equal to God. You may say that God enjoys the creation from outside. God also enters the creation in the form of human incarnation and enjoys both pleasant times and miseries in the life span. We see this truth in the life history of Rama and Krishna. Therefore, if you always crave for happiness only and reject miseries, it is unnatural and also ignorance of a child. The knowledge of the Gita preaches that you should enjoy even a top most misery, which is the time of death.
If you enjoy both miseries and happy situations, you are in a continuous state of enjoyment. You think that continuous enjoyment comes only through continuous times of happiness in the life. It is not correct. You get bored if you are served only with sweet dishes in the meals. Boring is misery. Therefore, misery is inevitable like summer after winter and winter after summer. The Indians denote happiness through cooling. The foreigners represent happiness through warming, which is heat. Therefore, the happiness to one is misery to the other. What is the reason? The foreigner is mainly exposed to winter, which bores him. Therefore, for a foreigner, the heat is happiness.
The Indian is mainly exposed to summer and therefore, cool atmosphere is happiness to him. This is a practical proof that the enjoyment is not confined to happy scene or tragic scene only. This also proves that you can enjoy both happiness and misery. Therefore, it is ignorance to ask God for removal of misery and sanction of continuous happiness. Happiness should lie in the process of enjoyment. Whether it is misery or happiness, you will find real happiness in the process of enjoyment of both.
The happiness neither lies in the sweet dish nor in the hot dish. The happiness lies in the process of eating the dish, which may be hot or sweet. If this secret of life is known, you will never pray God for removal of problems and tensions. You will enjoy the problems and tensions and hence, there is nothing to pray God for something. Your prayer to God must be due to your attraction to Him for His excellent personality.
Your praise of God must be based on your love for His divine personality. But, today we find most of the people praying God for sanction of continuous sweet dishes. Therefore, the desire for something gets smashed if you know the secret of this concept. Hence, there is no meaning in wishing somebody for a happy new year because continuous happiness bores and leads to misery only. The aspiration for continuous happiness through out the year is based on foolishness and ignorance.
On the New Year, you must pray God thinking His divine personality and get attracted for His divine quality. You must at least achieve one of His basic qualities, which is enjoying both happy scenes and tragic scenes in the creation. On the Telugu New Year day, people generally take sweets and sour items mixed as offering of God (Prasadam), which shows the same concept of enjoyment of both happy and tragic movements in the life.
This is the divine knowledge in nutshell present in all the divine scriptures of all religions. This is essence of the Gita preached by Lord. He enjoyed continuously in His life and even in the last situation, when He was shot dead by a hunter. This is essence to be learnt and practiced by every human being in this world.
By Shri Datta Swami
Universal Spirituality for World Peace
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