Of commandments and precepts
As humans we are held together though our systems of belief. The
manner in which we understand and follow them, often shape our ways as
individuals and our collective ethos as social groups leading to the
forming of civilisations, cultures and subcultures therein.
The other day, when in my own mind, I was thinking of the basic
premises on which we as collectives of humans, base our value systems,
among other things I stumbled on the thought, that I needed to take a
re-look at the commandments or the basic guiding principles and ways of
conduct that religious, social and/or ancient tribal community leaders
had prescribed to ensure the wellbeing and sustenance of people living
together as communities.
I then realised what a difficult and irrational task it would be for
me to take on an analysis of even a few of the most well-known of them.
For one, I am ill-qualified to take on such a task and secondly, they
were designed and presented within different social and cultural
backgrounds, in and at different times, with different intents and
challenges that societies and civilisations faced. In other words, most
of them are time, culture and civilisation biased, and need to be
understood within the context of those biases.
Without comment
What I therefore ventured to do within the constraints of space
allowed for my column is to present the most well-known among these
commandments, guiding principles or precepts without any comment or
analysis of my own. I also beg your indulgence, if there are any
interpretational shortcomings in their presentation and stand corrected.
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Strengthening religious amity |
The important consideration here is that they are all presented
within the realm of one document which is not often the case, and I urge
readers to examine them rationally in coming to your own conclusions on
how these commandments, guiding principles and /or precepts have
impacted or will impact on the future of our existence within the
context of what we know today as the ‘web of life’ within the ‘global
village’ and the ‘most challenging times’ in which we live.
Words of God through Moses
Of the Commandments, ‘The Ten Commandments’, also known as the
‘Decalogue’ in Greek, a set of biblical principles relating to ethics
and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of
Christianity are the most famous. In its preamble it is said …And God
spoke all these words, saying: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you
out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage” and The Ten
Commandments are presented as:
1. Thou shall have no other gods before me. 2. Thou shall not make
for yourself any carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in
heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water
under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I,
the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the
fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who
hate me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep
My commandments. 3. Thou shall not take the name of the Lord your God in
vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in
vain. 4. Thou shall remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days
you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is the
Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work; you, nor your
son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor
your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates.
For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and
all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord
blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. 5. Thou shall honour thou
father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which
the Lord your God is giving you. 6. Thou shall not murder. 7. Thou shall
not commit adultery. 8. Thou shall not steal. 9. Thou shall not bear
false witness against your neighbour and 10. Thou shall not covet your
neighbour’s house or covet your neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant,
his maidservant, his ox, his donkey, nor anything that is your
neighbour’s.”
Islamic commandments
According to Islamic scholars “There are in the Qur’an certain aayaat
(verses) which may be called the verses of the Ten Commandments, because
they include ten important commandments given by Allaah to mankind.
These ‘aayaat’ are to be found in two passages of the Qur’an”.
1. Your Lord has prohibited you from joining anything that is not in
worship with him. 2. Be good and dutiful to your parents. 3. Kill not
your children because of poverty – we provide sustenance for you and for
them. 4. Come not near to al-fawaahish (shameful sins, illegal sexual
intercourse, etc.), whether committed openly or secretly. 5. Kill not
anyone whom Allaah has forbidden, except for a just cause (according to
Islamic law). 6. Come not near to an orphan’s property, except to
improve it, until he (or she) attains the age of full strength. 7. Give
full measure when you weigh and full weight with justice. 8. Burden not
any person, but that which he can bear. 9. Whenever you give your word
(i.e., judge between men or give evidence, etc.), say the truth even if
a near relative is concerned, and fulfil the Covenant of Allaah and 10.
Give to the kindred his due and to the poor and to the wayfarer. But
spend not wastefully (your wealth) in the manner of a spendthrift.
Hindu principles and disciplines
In Hinduism, there are Five Principles and Ten Disciplines that guide
the human way, as presented by several scholars. The five principles
are:
1. God Exists as one absolute OM and in one trinity: Brahma, Vishnu,
Maheshwara (Shiva) and in several divine forms. 2. All human beings are
divine. 3. Unity of existence through love. 4. Religious harmony and 5.
Knowledge of 3 Gs: Ganga (sacred river), Gita (sacred script) and
Gayatri (sacred mantra) and the ten disciplines to seek and practice
are: 1. Truth. 2. Non-violence. 3. Celibacy, non-adultery. 4. No desire
to possess or steal. 5. Non-corrupt livelihood. 6. Cleanliness. 7.
Contentment. 8. Reading of scriptures. 9. Austerity, perseverance,
penance and 10. Indulge in regular prayer.
Buddhist thought and precepts
In the Buddhist thought, the ‘Four Noble Truths’ of:
1. Life means suffering 2. The origin of suffering is attachment. 3.
The cessation of suffering is attainable and 4. The path to the
cessation of suffering is to be practiced through self-awareness, is at
the core. That is to be achieved as elaborated in the ‘Eightfold Path’,
as actions of the: 1. Right view. 2. Right intention. 3. Right speech.
4. Right action. 5. Right livelihood. 6. Right effort. 7. Right
mindfulness, and 8. Right concentration. Such practice will eventually
lead to the achievement of a state, where greed that leads to suffering
is completely eliminated. The Ten Precepts or ‘Dasa-Sila’ act more as
commandments prescribed for novice monks. They have been thus adopted
and presented as suitable practice for the lay individual as well. They
are to: 1. Refrain from taking life. 2. Refrain from stealing. 3.
Refrain from sexual misconduct. 4. Refrain from lying. 5. Refrain from
using intoxicants. 6. Refrain from gossiping. 7. Refrain from praising
oneself. 8. Refrain from being mean. 9. Refrain from aggression and 10.
Refrain from slandering the Buddha, Dhamma and the Sangha.
Native Indian way
In conclusion, I present the ‘Ten Commandments’ said to have been
promulgated by the ancient wise men of the Native American Indians. They
are:
1. The Earth is our Mother, care for her. 2. Honour all your
relations. 3. Open your heart and soul to the Great Spirit. 4. All life
is sacred, treat all beings with respect. 5. Take from the Earth what is
needed and nothing more. 6. Do what needs to be done for the good of
all. 7. Give constant thanks to the Great Spirit for each new day. 8.
Speak the truth, but only of the good in others. 9. Follow the rhythms
of the nature, rise and retire with the sun. 10. Enjoy life’s journey
but leave no tracks.
Within this domain of influence, in 1854, Indian Chief Seattle is
said to have stated that “Humankind has not woven the web of life. We
are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to
ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect”.
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