Massa Jesus My Foot

• Jesus Goes for Slavery and Robbery and no Money in the Bank
  • Ali Baba and his Slave Woman
  • Standards of Robbery
  • Bible Drudgery and Slavery
• Buddhist Teachings

Jesus Goes for Slavery and Robbery and no Money in the Bank

THE TIDINGS: "Jesus goes for slavery!"

"Ali Baba and the Forty Robbers" takes slavery for granted, like Jesus. And Jesus goes for other ignoble doings besides, says the gospels (quotations and sources are below). They include robbery, which consists of violence and theft, suppressions of others and inflicting harm and sufferings on them as well, as permitted by the Law of Moses, which was given by God, the Bible tells. Jesus did not bring slavery to a stop, and Paul advocated it, and God the father instituted it, says the Bible.

Don't freak out in this, but lend your ears to good tidings. They are: Those who are not morally inferior, do not need Jesus and slavery at all. [Cf. Mark 2:17 and Matthew 9:12-13].

It is good to be informed. Now for the better part of a slave tale from Arabian Nights.

Koan and slapstick: Can you have Jesus and not slavery and bullying when he demands follower obedience to his sayings that were for Jews alone, according to him?

Ali Baba and His Slave Woman

LONG AGO there lived two brothers in a certain town in Persia. One was called Kasim and the other Ali Baba. After their father died, they divided the little wealth he left and lost no time in wasting and spending it.

Then the elder got himself a wife who was the daughter of a wealthy merchant. When his father-in-law died, he became owner of a large shop of rare goods and costly wares, and of a storehouse stocked with precious stuffs. He also inherited much gold that was buried underground ground. From now on he was known in the city as a man of worth and influence.

But the woman that Ali Baba wed, was poor and needy. Therefore Ali Baba eked out a scanty livelihood by selling fuel that he collected in the forest every day and carried to the bazaar in town on his three donkeys.

One day that Ali Baba had cut enough dead branches and dry fuel for his need, and had placed the load on his donkeys, he suddenly he became aware of a dust cloud. It rose high into the air to his right and moved rapidly toward him. He saw it stemmed from many horsemen that came towards the area where he was. The sight made him much alarmed, for he feared they were robbers. If they were, they were likely to kill him and take his donkeys. He was so scared he began to run. But they were too near now, he could not get out of the forest for them. So he drove his animals with the fuel on their backs into bushes a little off from there, and found a good, stout tree to climb for himself. There he hid like a man. He sat on a branch whence he could see nearly everything beneath him, but he himself would not be seen. The branch he sat on, loomed over a giant rock wall.

Now all the forty men came close up to the rock face. He could see all were young, active, and doughty riders, and they were forty. All dismounted, so Ali Baba got a chance to take a good look at them. He was soon convinced by how they looked and behaved that they were a troop of bandits that had attacked a caravan and carried off the booty to this place. They had in mind to hide it safely somewhere around, he could guess. Ali Baba saw each robber unbridle his horse and hobble it. He also saw their saddlebags proved to he full of gold and silver.

The leader of the flock pushed forward through thorns and thickets with a load on shoulder till he came up to the giant rock. There he spoke:

"Open, Sesame."

All of a sudden a doorway opened in the face of the rock. The robbers went in. Then the portal shut of itself. They were in there for a long time, while Ali Baba had to perch on the tree as best he could. He thought about it; if he came down, he could be seized and slayed by the band of bandits if they came out at that moment. At last he decided to mount one of their horses and drive his donkeys homewards but then the rock portal suddenly flew open. The robber chief was first to come out through it. Standing at the entrance he counted his men as they came out, and lastly he said the magical words,

"Shut, Sesame."

At this the door closed of itself. The robbers saddled and bridled their horse and rode off, led by the leader, in the direction they came from. Ali Baba remained still and watched them ride away. He did not want to get down till the gang was out of sight, in case one of them turned around return so that Ali Baba was detected.

As soon has he had found his way down, Ali Baba thought to himself:

"I too will try the magical trick." He called out aloud, "Open, Sesame." At once the portal flew open and he entered it. He saw a large cave. Inside it was lighted up with light from air holes and bull's-eyes in the upper surface of the rock - its roof. He had expected to find nothing but gloom in the robbers' den, so he was surprised when he found the whole room was filled with bales of all sort of stuffs. It was heaped up from floor to ceiling with camel-loads of silks and brocades and embroidered cloths and mounds on mounds of varicolored carpetings.

Besides he saw so many gold coins and silver coins that he could not count them at all. Some were piled on the ground and others were inside leather bags and sacks. When he saw this, Ali Baba concluded that thieves must have stored their gains and spoils for many generations in this place.

He decided to take as many sacks as he his donkeys could carry. He loaded the sacks of his choice on his animals and covered them with sticks and fuel, so none was likely to see the bags but would think he was carrying home such fuel as he usually did.

Lastly he called out, "Shut, Sesame." and the door closed. Now Ali Baba hurried home with his burdened donkeys. There he drove them into the yard and closed the outer door. He first took down the sticks and fuel and after that the bags of gold, which he carried in to his wife. She felt them, and suspected that Ali Baba had become a thief. She blamed him for doing such a bad thing.

Ali Baba calmed her down.

"I'm no robber, and here's our good fortune."

Saved by a Killing Slave Woman

The story could have ended well right here, but Ali Baba had a wife that messed things up.

Ali Baba managed to get rich anyhow, but it was his clever, dancing slave woman Morgiana that saw to it, not he himself or his wife. The couple did not mount up to things when things got really rough, frankly. But Morgiana did. She served her master by killing off 39 robbers in boiling oil, and stabbing the last. Thereby she ensured Ali Baba's gold, silver and future well-being by enjoying unrighteously had riches, robber riches with blood on them.

♦ A black hen (slave) may lay a white egg (secure her owner's wealth by killing off dozens), but at a price, such as friendship gone, it may be supposed.

Standards of Robbery

AWAKENING: "The apostle Paul vouches for slavery!"

Jesus talks in one place of binding the strong one and taking his things. The hard, slave-taking God of the Old Testament got a son through an angel against the Mosaic Law, his own Law. It says unmarried women with illegitimate children must be stoned, or similar. The illegitimate child grew up to advocate robbery, which is violence and theft. Not all of it is against the Law of Moses, which Jesus vouches for by "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them [Matthew 5:17]." And that Law says such as, "Keep the Canaanite slave forever Jesus said: "How can anyone enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house . . . [Matthew 12;29-30, 33].

Note that Jesus does not tell it is wrong to use force to steal and grab and enrich oneself. Hope that normal guys tell it to you instead. After all stealing is bad and goes against that Law he said he would fulfill, a Law where slavery (bullying) is instituted and regulated [Exodus 21 ff etc].

Slavery was instituted by the Old Testament's God. But there are better options today. By the way, Jesus told someone who called him good, "Why do you call me good?" Considering him good was a miss, then.

"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. [Mark 10;17-8].

Earlier, proficiency in marauding with slave-taking brought Israelites a long way into the Promised Land. Holocausts were demanded by Jehovah at that time, as seen in the book of Joshua and others.

Joshua subdued the whole region, including the hill country, the Negev, the western foothills and the mountain slopes, together with all their kings. He left no survivors. He totally destroyed all who breathed, just as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded . . . All these kings and their lands Joshua conquered in one campaign, because the Lord, the God of Israel, fought for Israel. [Josh 10:40,42].

What an opus of holocausts. But God dropped fighting for cunning Israelites many times later, and decided to have them killed too. Various passages in the Old Testament say so. How successful was he? That is indeed the question.

Holocausts were admired at that time, and after all the commandment "You shall not kill" was not to benefit non-Jews. The Israelites of holocausts killed minor children and cattle, and destroyed many trees — Yes, there are some we do not like to encounter.

Bible Drudgery and Slavery

Slavery is not banned by Jesus and is okayed by the apostle Paul. Slavery in the Old Testament was instituted by Jehovah [Exodus 21 ff]. Example:

The Law: "If a man beats his male or female slave with a rod . . . he is not to be punished if the slave gets up after a day or two, since the slave is his property. [Exodus 21:20-21]

Jesus: "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave - [Matt 20:26-27]

The apostle Paul: "Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything." [Titus 2:9]

As for the "Keep the Canaanite slave forever [Lev 25:46]," it is listen among the "613 good things to do" for Jews. There is slavery in the Bible before the Law of Moses as well. And the church at large did not ban slavery till into the 1800s - and thereby going against some laws and words of God . . .

Buddhist Food for Thought

Here is an alternative - a resume of another text: [LINK]

1: Power can be built up

Masters and slaves. Stop being a confused idiot. The Bible is full of self-contradictions and inadequacies. See where the money goes; and expect power and prestige to build up there. Slaves were for such things mainly, and perhaps secondly as means to bad sexual gratifications.

Earlier, few found slavery to be indecent and immoral. And mistreated ones may end up licking the feet that kick them, and hail them in too deep servility too, at times seemingly unaware of severe injustice brought about and enforced by customs, restricting customs and attitudes, and authoritarian laws that favour top-dogs at the expense of lower-ranked ones.

Gautama Buddha does not advocate stealing and killing and robbery and pain and torture and groaning and suffering. (Nor does he advocate exploitation). He teaches attentiveness and contemplation as parts of the life-style instead, and that much good can be built up in a life by moral living where one abstains from lying; from tale-bearing; and from stealing (etc.). [Link]

• "As I reveal it to you, so act!" [Buddha, attr.]
• "Salvation is not obtained by harshness." [Paul Carus]

2. How to use one's assets and influence

Gautama Buddha says that dealing in male and female slaves means that true and benevolent Dharma is being extinguished.[The Sutta about "The Total Extinction of the Dharma" Find it here: [▾Link].

It is also a firm understanding of the Noble Eightfold Path (Gentle Middle Way) of Buddhism that right livelihoodREAD MORE]

However, in another discourse he evidently accepts slavery. He teaches that righteous wealth righteously gained provides the owner with pleasure and satisfaction, and maintains that pleasure rightly. "He provides his mother and father with pleasure and satisfaction, and maintains that pleasure rightly. He provides his children, his wife, his slaves, servants, and assistants with pleasure and satisfaction, and maintains that pleasure rightly," says Buddha. [Adiya Sutta, "Benefits to be Had From Wealth"]

Buddhist monks with honest and pure hearts are not to own male and female slaves. They are to avoid stealing, and abstain from taking what is not given to them, etc. They keep aloof from stabbing, beating, chaining, attacking, plundering and oppressing, says Buddha in early scriptures.

Lay members of Buddhism are to train their own minds and explore the better teachings and explain them in tune with Buddha's sensible advice. Laying up wealth and funds is OK, Buddha teaches, but such things should be used for better things than empty and vain boasts and shallow show-offs, but for a rewarding, fulfilling life. I should say it is rewarding - perhaps on a higher plane - to set slaves free and provide for their future thriving and satisfaction by such as a plot of land that sustains each former slave family. [Link]

How to conduct oneself wisely in matters of the heart and other matters? One is to be strictly honest and earnest in putting a wise teaching into practice. And this is for all followers of Gautama Buddha: the five fundamentals of fine behaviour:

1. Abstain from harming any sentient, breathing life;
2. Abstain from stealing;
3. Abstain from sexual misconduct (improper or illicit sexual relations);
4. Abstaining from false speech, including lying and deceiving;
5. Abstain from the use of intoxicating drinks and drugs and other causes of great heedlessness.

It is favourable and recommended to use things basically in their relation to enlightenment and the Dharma (fit teachings); and learn teachings that help happiness and success [c.f. e.g. Link A and Link B ]. There ought to be no room for a life of depraved ceremony-and-party-infested glamour and rigmarole in it.

"To read and not to understand is to pursue and not take (German)."

Literature  

Ay: Yogananda, Paramahansa. Autobiography of a Yogi. 1st ed. New York: Theosophical, 1946. On-line. [oaks.nvg.org/pv6bk12.html]

Ebu: Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica 2006 Ultimate Reference Suite DVD. London: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2006.

Pa: Yogananda, Paramahansa. Autobiography of a Yogi. 11th ed. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship, 1971.

NOTE. Parts on the material in part 1 of "Buddhist Food for Thought" is from Paul Carus. Amitabha. A Story of Buddhist Theology, ch. 8. Chicago: The Open Court Publishing Company, 1906.

And much material in part 2 above is based on Dwight Goddard. The Teaching of Buddha, the Buddhist Bible. (1934). Ch 2, "Lay members".



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