The Ten Commandments are considered by
many old-fashioned and out-dated; even some theologians support this view.
There is a fundamental flaw in this sort of thinking as it can only lead to a
lawless society. Perhaps, this is the reason the world is in the state of
chaos, as we experience it today.
Can we in our current era have freedom
without rules, joy without living responsibly?
All major religions tell us of the need
for rules as a foundation of a sound society, and the discovering of our
spiritual nature.
The Ten Commandments might have been
more correctly named the Ten Eternal Rules of Happiness.
The Ten Commandments
I am the Lord, your God.
Thou shall bring no false idols before me.
Do not take the name of the Lord in vain.
Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.
Honor thy father and thy mother.
Thou shall not kill/murder†.
Thou shall not commit adultery.
Thou shall not steal††.
Thou shall not bear false witness against
your neighbor.
Thou
shall not covet‡ your neighbor's wife (or anything that belongs to your neighbor).
Commandments of Jesus
Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy
mind and with all thy strength.
Love thy neighbour as thyself.
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in and my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love just as I have kept my
Father's commandments and abide in His love.
These things I have spoken to you that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may
be full.
This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
John 15: 9-12
"The Golden Rule"
So in everything, do unto others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up
the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12)
Yama and Niyama is the first and second
limb of the eightfold path of yoga as outlined in the Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.
Yama: Precepts of Social
Discipline
Ahimsa -
Non-violence
Not
harming other people or other sentient beings.
Not
harming one-self.
Not
harming the environment.
Tolerance
even for that which we dislike.
Not
speaking that which, even though truthful, would injure others.
Satya --
Truthfulness. Note that sometimes we may know our words are literally
true, but do not convey what we know to be truthful.
Satya
means not intending to deceive others in our thoughts, as well as our words and
actions.
Asteya --
Non-stealing - Not taking that which is not given.
Brahmacarya --
Sexual responsibility regarding others as human beings rather than as male
and female bodies.
The
spirit of this precept is conservation of vital energy for the purpose of
spiritual practice. This includes not only sexual restraint, but
conserving our energy by avoiding endless chattering with no clear purpose.
Aparigraha --
Abstention from greed.
Not
coveting that which is not one’s own.
Avoidance
of acquisition of objects not essential to maintaining life or spiritual study.
Niyama:
Precepts of Individual Discipline
Sauca -
Cleanliness. Not only external cleanliness of the body, but attending to
internal cleanliness such as avoiding the impurities of the mind, such as
anger, lust, greed and egoism.
Moderation
in diet
Santosa --
Contentment. Not spiritual complacency, but acceptance of the external
situation we are allotted in this life.
Tapas –
Austerity, with deep commitment to spiritual yoga practice.
Svadhyaya --Study.
Spiritual
self-education.
Contemplation
and application of the scriptures or sacred texts of our chosen path
Isvara
pranidhana --
Surrender of the self or ego to God. Acknowledgement that there is a
higher principle in the universe than one's own small self.
Modesty
and Humility.
The Ten Commandments
of Buddhism
Do not destroy life.
Do not take what is not given you.
Do not commit adultery.
Tell no lies and deceive no one.
Do not become intoxicated.
Eat temperately and not at all in the
afternoons.
Accept no gold or silver.
Do not watch dancing, nor listen to
singing or plays.
Wear no garlands, perfumes or any
adornments.
Sleep not in luxurious beds.
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