All in Good Faith

Author(s): Jean Potter, Marcus Braybrooke
Publisher: World Congress of Faiths

Page 98

The Anthology
Relationships
You are my father, you are my mother. You are my relative, you are my brother. You are my saviour everywhere, So why and from whom shall I be afraid?
(Adi Granth)
O mankind: be conscious of your Lord and Sustainer, who has created you out of one living entity, and out of it created its mate, and out of the two spread abroad a multitude of men and women. And remain conscious of God, in whose name you demand your rights from one another, and of these ties of kinship.
(The Holy Qur'an)
I recognised Thee, O Mazda Ahura, as pure and holy when good thoughts entered my mind and asked me, Who art Thou; To which family do Thou belong? Which path would you choose when you are in doubt? The path which leads to the benefit of your brothers and relatives, or the one which is to your own benefit?
(Yasna)
In five ways a member of a family should minister to his friends and companions: by generosity; by courtesy; by benevolence; by equality, treating them as he treats himself; and by being true to his word. Thus ministered to, his friends and companions love him in these five ways: they protect him when he is in need of protection; they look after his property when he is unable to; they become a refuge in danger; they do not forsake him in his troubles; and they respect even others related to him.
(Digha-Nikaya)
A wise one shows proper courtesy towards the elderly and the learned ones. His mind is always as stable as the pole-star, his senses and feelings of attachment are always under control, and he is always equipped with the virtues of self-control and penance.
(Dasvaikalika Sutra)
Do not be satisfied until each one with whom you are concerned is to you like a member of your family. Regard each one either as a father, a brother, or as a sister, or as a mother, or as a child. If you can attain to this, your difficulties will vanish; you will know what to do.
(Abdu'l-Baha)
He who befriends you, befriends Allah, he who antagonises you, antagonises Allah, he who loves you, loves Allah, he who holds fast to you, holds fast to Allah.
(The Holy Qur'an) I will behold the Invisible in the visible forms of my father, mother and friends, sent here to love and help me. I will show my love for God by loving them all. In their human expressions of affection, I will recognise only the One Divine Love.
(Paramahansa Yogananda)
- 89