PARACULTURE PAGE 2 - It might interest members to consider some moral principles that have been presented to humans by wise men. I want to be careful about plagiarism in posting material here, but I see no reason under the "fair use act" to put some excerpts here and then direct you to the complete sites on line. After all the people translating and presenting these great works seem to have idealistic reasons for bringing them to peoples attention, If you compare the Ten Commandments with the commandments or precepts of other religions you will find your awareness will be increased. Having guiding rules to live by gives a person a "moral compass" which when modified by your personal moral considerations may make life more pleasant. Living without moral considerations can lead to a an unpleasant life. I recommend members compare the Ten Commandments with the precepts of Buddhism. The precepts do not contradict the ten commandments and in fact they parallel These non-religious precepts have been wonderfully translated and interpreted by a Vietnamese Monk who has become quite famous and influential. He is Thich Nhat Hanh. A example of his translation follows, and the web site where all his translations can be found is: htp://dharma.ncf.ca/introduction/precepts.html CUT AND PASTE INTO YOUR BROWSER. If you have a problem finding that site just do a search on (hahn precepts) you will find several sites where his works are available. There are five mindfulness trainings. The Fifth Mindfulness Training translated by Hahn is placed here with good will and under the "fair use act": source http://dharma.ncf.ca/introduction/precepts.html "Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful consumption, I vow to cultivate good health, both physical and mental, for myself, my family, and my society by practicing mindful eating, drinking and consuming. I vow to ingest only items that preserve peace, well-being and joy in my body, in my consciousness, and in the collective body and consciousness of my family and society. I am determined not to use alcohol or any other intoxicant or to ingest foods or other items that contain toxins, such as certain TV programs, magazines, books, films and conversations. I am aware that to damage my body or my consciousness with these poisons is to betray my ancestors, my parents, my society and future generations. I will work to transform violence, fear, anger and confusion in myself and in society by practicing a diet for myself and for society. I understand that a proper diet is crucial for self-transformation and for the transformation of society." Thich Nhat Hanh has a commentary on the 5th Precept and it very inspiring. -Excerpted from "For a Future to Be Possible: Commentaries on the Five Wonderful Precepts" (1993) by Thich Nhat Hanh, with permission of Parallax Press, Berkeley, California Speaking of great moral directives I often think of the boy scout motto and promise which I learned many years ago. I will put them here from memory so f"forgive me my trespasses." "A scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent." This is Well worth taking as a guide to a good life. And if I remember the Scout promise was "On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the scout laws.'' Not bad as a guide. I wish police academies would run this by trainees. I get the feeling that many police are too quick to use force even when they are not greatly threatened, I know they put their lives on line every day and have to deal with people who have lost their common sense, but a little consideration of a suspects humanity is worth a thought. I believe there is another little bit from the bible that says, "Even as you do to the least of them, you do unto me." With the collapse of society. that is occurring. and the everyday possibility that we may fail in health and wealth we never know when we may be among the least of them. Other moral precepts I have seen and will present soon on this site would be "The Seven Deadly Sins" They are: lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride. -----Thich Nhat Hanh precepts as well as "The Seven deadly Sins" are all worth a search by using Wikipedia. I truly recommend you select anything you find interesting on my site and put it into the search box in Wikipedia. The faults of Wikipedia are greatly exaggerated and anyone putting their trust in any information is making a mistake if they don't check sources by using common sense and standard verification methods. I hope to make a small guide on internet research on this site or e-mail me and I'll tell you as much as I can. The little blurb at the top left "The moving finger writes" is just a little thought that occurs to me as my life goes by. It is from: "The Rubaiyat Of Omar Khayyam" which can be found free on line in several translations. My favorite is the Fitzgerald translation. It is online. I will soon have a page giving people access to other great works of the past. That bibliography page will give sites preceded by a small commentary followed by an excerpt or two. From my memory the line states: "The moving finger (of god or fate) writes on, nor all your piety nor wit can return to cancel half a line" Khayyams' poem is beautiful and a bit sad, but it expresses feelings many of us have and should make us appreciate the little time we really have with those we love. So love your family and try to love others. Forgive them their trespasses as we hope they and the power will forgive ours. There are lines from a song "I believe in angels, I believe there is something good in everyone I meet" Probably a bit naive but why not give it a try. Go to next page.