God Loves All Beings

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Preface

We are living in an era that is heavily influenced by a pervasive scientific mind-set and a devaluation of religion. For example, I myself did not have a religious upbringing. Indeed, in my youth, I had no urge to associate myself with any faith, and thought of religion as just ancient superstition. Fortunately, when I was in my mid-twenties, Professor Fang Dongmei, a great philosopher of profound insight who was to completely change how I saw religion began to teach me. It was Professor Fang who opened the door for me to the world of faith, and for this I am eternally grateful. He generously tutored me personally in his home. My course constituted a comprehensive introduction to philosophy beginning with the western tradition ranging from Plato to Kant, and concluding with all the great philosophical traditions of the East.

I was 26 when I first met Professor Fang and became his student. Now, in the blink of an eye, I am 92! Inspired and encouraged by Professor Fang, I have been studying Buddhist scriptures for more than six decades and also have been studying the classical scriptures of the world's religions for around twenty years, and all these have brought me to an ever-deeper realisation of the truth first taught to me so many years ago. The founders of all the world's faiths were enlightened social educators. Not only were they the greatest teachers of their time, but we can still benefit from their profound and compassionate teachings today.

True religious education is fundamental, and may even be essential to the very survival of humanity. The British historian, Arnold Toynbee, reflecting upon his lifelong study of the rise and fall of human civilisations, warns us that when we review human history, we will realise that the higher religions have had a longer hold on a greater number of minds and hearts than any other institutions known to us to date, and that when people lose the traditional faith embodied in religion, human civilisation will be on the path to destruction.

For many years, we have enjoyed continual dialogue with representatives of the great faiths of the world and studied their scriptures. As a result of this, we have come to an ever-deepening realisation that all the traditions share one divine origin. The core of all religious teachings is love. The essence of all true religious education is to guide us to love sincerely, selflessly, and unconditionally and to extend this love to all people, all living beings, and ultimately to the whole of creation. Love is the principal virtue of our true nature.

Today, in a world of constant turmoil, the One God, Heaven will appear on earth. I believe that all of us have a responsibility to help bring heavenly order to the suffering world.

In recent years, we have devoted our efforts to the revival of religious education and the active promotion of religious harmony through word and action. From our first efforts it has become clear that the establishment of harmony between various faith communities has a significant impact on the harmony and prosperity of the broader society. If we can show how religious harmony can be established between the faith communities of even a small town, we may then see how this can be extended to a city, a nation, or, ultimately to the whole world, progressively realizing the ideal of harmonious co-existence and unity amongst all peoples of the world.

Our years of practice and experience have shown us how a deepening of religious harmony can be fostered through a respectful study of each other's scriptures. Through such a study, teachers and adherents of all faiths may come to recognise all that they have in common: that they share the same divine origin in unconditional and universal love, and that they are all children of the same God.

This same God manifested in different forms to different nations which were once so geographically distant, but now form part of one global village. However, behind all of these apparent differences is the same message: that we should love one another; abandon wrongdoing; live a wholesome and moral life, and work for the benefit of all humankind. Only this deeper understanding of the common divine origin of all religions can provide a true basis for lasting religious harmony.

In view of the vital importance of studying and learning from the sacred texts of all faiths, we have humbly selected some core excerpts from the scriptures of eleven of the world's religions for this book. We hope that by reading this small selection it will become clear that all religions have their origin in the universal love of the One God. Furthermore, we hope that through studying these texts readers will come to understand that the whole of creation is in fact One; that the divine love of the One God dwells within the true mind and true self of all beings, and that all existence in the universe are interconnected, mutually inclusive and inseparable within God's divine love - which is, in fact , our true heart and true soul.

To demonstrate the common divine wisdom expounded in the sacred texts of all faiths, the excerpts in God Loves All Beings mainly focus on four aspects: 1) how all faiths demonstrate universal love; 2) how all faiths, by the means of religious education, hoped to guide humankind to abandon wrongdoing and perform wholesome deeds, to respect and love each other, and to live in harmony; 3) that the existence of the true divinity pervades the whole universe and transcends time and space; and 4) that the true self, or true mind, of all humankind and the True God are One, sharing one Being out of which flows all virtues and good actions.

We hope that this book will help people to foster within themselves that same unconditional love manifested by all faiths: to love one another and to live in harmony. We pray that the world will attain everlasting peace and stability and that all people in the world will lead happy lives. We also pray that we may put into practice the sacred teachings of the scriptures, elevate ourselves spiritually, and use this spiritual inspiration to work for the benefit of all humankind. This undertaking is to restore religion as an education, to help people lead truly happy and peaceful lives through the sacred wisdom of religion, and nourish the whole world with the true love of God.

In September 2017, the Association of Master Chin Kung's Friends at UNESCO was established at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris and I was invited to be the association's permanent honorary chairman. I am very pleased that many UNESCO ambassadors wish to use the Association as a platform for positively contributing to the revival of religious education, for fostering religious cohesion in the world and for realising everlasting peace of human society. God Loves All Beings is the first publication by the Association. We hope that this little book will serve as a catalyst, drawing people's attention to the wisdom of sacred scriptures of all faiths. We look forward to exchanging ideas with the ambassadors and guests over a cup of tea, and studying the excerpts in the book together. We pray that from the sacred texts we may obtain profound inspiration and true wisdom, and learn to practise their teachings in our daily lives. Also, in the office of the Association, we look forward to more practical discussions as to how we might implement religious education to lead today's world to everlasting peace and stability.

During the process of working with and learning from the world faiths in the past decades, we have come to appreciate how much every faith has its own rich religious heritage accumulated over countless generations and embedded in the long history of its native culture. With regard to this vast cultural history, we can only have a very limited understanding. What we know is only a drop in the ocean. Therefore, we pray that in the following years we may earnestly learn from the teachers and followers of all faiths, recognize more precious wisdom, obtain more spiritual inspiration, and learn to see, ever more clearly, the same loving and compassionate God working through them all.

Chin Kung
President of the Pure Land Learning College, Australia
Hon. Professor of the University of Queensland and of Griffith University, Australia
Hon. Doctorate of Syarif Hidayatullah Islamic State University, Indonesia



T he wise Lord gives to his beloved mankind — to my people, O Lord — the gift of joy which comes from truth and strength. All men will unite in defence of your teaching and in defence of those who are mindful of your hymns.


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L et all those who do good deeds come together to foster Mother Earth. God and Truth speak the language of revelation that comes from the highest mind — from the beginning have you been the teacher.


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T o them, the Pure Mind, who is united in God, through his power replied: associate closely with Truth. Be good and unite with Right-Mindedness. Hold fast unto them.


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U nfold Yourself within me, O Lord. Grant me strength of character through Right-Mindedness. Through the holiest spirit, O Lord, grant me goodness as a reward for prayer. Grant me a life full of vigour through Truth, and may the pure Mind look after me.


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T herefore, O Zarathushtra! . . .
Make thy own self pure, O righteous man! any one in the world here below can win purity for his own self, namely, when he cleanses his own self with good thoughts, words, and deeds.


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T hen Zarathushtra said: ‘Reveal unto me that name of thine, O Ahura Mazda! that is the greatest, the best, the fairest, the most effective, the most fiend-smiting, the best-healing, that destroyeth best the malice of Daevas and Men . . .
’ Ahura Mazda replied unto him: ‘My name is the One of whom questions are asked, O holy Zarathushtra! . . .
My fourth name is Perfect Holiness. . . .
My seventh name is the One with understanding. . . .
My eleventh name is He who produces weal. My twelfth name is AHURA (the Lord). My thirteenth name is the most Beneficent. My fourteenth name is He in whom there is no harm. . . .
My seventeenth name is the All-seeing One. My eighteenth name is the healing One. My nineteenth name is the Creator. My twentieth name is MAZDA (the All-knowing One). . . .
I am the Keeper; I am the Creator and the Maintainer; I am the Discerner; I am the most beneficent Spirit. . . . ’


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T he sage asked the spirit of wisdom thus: ‘How is it possible to seek the maintenance and prosperity of the body without injury of the soul, and the preservation of the soul without injury of the body?’ The spirit of wisdom answered thus: ‘Him who is less than thee consider as an equal, and an equal as a superior . . .
Form no covetous desire; so that the demon of greediness may not deceive thee and the treasure of the world may not be tasteless to thee, and that of the spirit unperceived. Indulge in no wrathfulness; for a man, when he indulges in wrath, becomes then forgetful of his duty and good works, of prayer and the service of the sacred beings, and sin and crime of every kind occur unto his mind . . .
Commit no lustfulness, so that harm and regret may not reach thee from thine own actions. . . .
Thou should be diligent and moderate . . .
Do not extort from the wealth of others . . .
With a malicious man carry on no conflict, and do not molest him in any way whatever. . . . ’


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T he sage asked the spirit of wisdom thus: ‘Which is that good work which is greater and better than all good works, and no trouble (anjinako) whatever is necessary for its performance?’ The spirit of wisdom answered thus: ‘To be grateful in the world, and to wish happiness for every one. This is greater and better than every good work, and no commotion (angejinako) whatever is necessary for its performance.'


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W hoso, out of his respect for Spitama Zarathushtra, rejoices in whole humankind, (that man) is worthy of high esteem. May Ahura Mazda grant him long life. May Conscience develop his realms. Rectitude regards him as a good friend. ()


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D edication to purity from birth onwards is best for mankind. For Mother Earth should we toil, leading all men to the realms of light.


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W e worship the souls of the holy men and women, born at any time, whose consciences struggle, or will struggle, or have struggled, for the good.


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G od bears in mind all prayers made to Him, past, present, and future; those made by ordinary people as well as the believers in many Gods.


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I n the name of God. I praise and invoke the creator Ormazd (Ahura Mazda), the radiant, glorious, omniscient, maker, Lord of lords, King over all kings, watchful, Creator of the universe, giver of daily bread, powerful, strong, eternal, forgiver, merciful, loving, mighty, wise, holy, and nourisher.


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*Editor’s note: Another section (Title: Stayishn) of this prayer book says, ‘Praise be to the name of Him Who always was, always is and always will be.’




T he Way, virtue, benevolence, righteousness and propriety are one. The Way is what we practise, and it perfects all beings without their knowledge. Virtue is attained from practising the Way; it enables all beings to be as they should. Benevolence arises from unconditional love, compassion and wisdom; it brings people closer. Righteousness is what we ought to do, for example, rewarding the kind and punishing the unkind. This accomplishes merit and honour. Propriety is what we should practise, for example, rising early and resting at a reasonable time. This accomplishes the orderliness of the human relations.


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C orrecting our thoughts, speech and behavior is the premise of accomplishment . . . With a success in self-cultivation, we can serve the world. To serve the world, we should focus on self-cultivation rather than focus on the world.


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R egard the gains of others as though they were your own. And regard the failings of others as your own failings.


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A ccumulate virtue and merits. Be compassionate towards all beings. Be loyal to your duties and always seek welfare and benefits not for yourself but for others. Be filial to your parents and kind to your brothers and sisters. Correct yourself and (then you can) reform others.


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F ollow the path of virtue, and avoid the path of vice and evil. Do not follow evil paths, nor sin in secret.


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H e who seeks power and position in order to serve all mankind well can be entrusted with the task of ruling the world. He who wishes to maintain his optimal physical condition for the welfare of all people in the world can be given the custody of the world.


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T hose of utmost faithfulness can transform their surroundings and touch heaven, earth and spirits. With utmost sincerity, they can overcome any obstacle throughout the universe . . .


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T he highest virtue is like water. Water nourishes all beings without competing with them, settles where none would like to be and thus approximates the Way. Wherever such a virtuous person exists, the place will be improved. Their mind is calm like a deep pool. They treat people with impartial love and their words can be trusted. They govern effectively with righteousness. They deal with matters appropriately, and are good at utilising their strengths and seizing opportunities. Only in the absence of competition will we all live in peace.


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T he Way of heaven nourishes without any harm. The Way of sages accomplishes without competing with anyone.


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A ll is sheltered by heaven and accommodated by earth, unconditionally.


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H eaven and earth coexist with me, and I am One with all beings.


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