The Golden Rule
In this book we see that, in spite of many differences, all of the world’s major religions agree on a certain fundamental principle of conduct, namely the Golden Rule, the principle of treating others as we ourselves wish to be treated. In other words, amongst the many different cultures of people around our world, at their hearts people are not as different as we might first think. Following in alphabetical order by religion are quotations from their respective texts, as compiled from the online encyclopedia Wikipedia:
Buddhism:
“Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.”
Buddhist Text Reference: Udanavarga 5:18
Christianity:
“Do to others what you want them to do to you.”
Christian Text Reference: The Bible,
Matthew 7:12
Confucianism:
“Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself.”
Confucian Text Reference: Analects of
Confucius 15:23
Hinduism:
“One should never do that to another which one
regards as injurious to one’s own self.”
Hindu Text Reference: Anusasana Parva,
Section CXIII, Verse 8
Islam:
”None of you [truly] believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself.”
Islamic Text Reference:
An-Nawawi’s Forty Hadiths – # 13
Judaism:
“You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge
against your kinsfolk. Love your neighbor as
yourself.”
Jewish Text Reference: The Torah,
Leviticus 19:18
Sikhism:
“The truly enlightened ones are those who neither
incite fear in others nor fear anyone themselves.”
Sikh Religious Text Reference: p.1427,
Slok, Guru Granth Sahib,
tr. Patwant Singh
Taoism:
“Regard your neighbor’s gain as your own gain, and
your neighbor’s loss as your own loss.”
Taoist Religious Text Reference:
T’ai Shang Kan Ying P’ien
As a matter of interest, even agnostics and atheists would have a difficult time disagreeing with that listing of central religious beliefs.
Along these lines of common central beliefs that are at the heart of the world’s major religions, it is worth considering that principles of equal value exchanges with win-win outcomes as emphasized throughout this text coincide with those basic religious beliefs