Book of the Arc of Bon
Chapter XII
1. CAPILYA said (being inspired of Jehovih): Let thy life be thy preacher. The behavior of one good man, even in a sparse country, is of more avail than a thousand preachers.
2. The clamor of the tongue maketh speedy converts, but it changeth not the blood. They perform the rites and ceremonies, but their behavior is not of the twelve virtues.
3. One community (family) of a score of men and women, that dwell together in peace and love, doing good toward one
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another, is the manifestation of more wisdom than all the books in the world.
4. A man that hath learned sympathy is better learned than the philosopher that will kick a cat or a dog. Great learning is not only in books; he who hath learned to harmonize with Jehovih hath great learning.
5. The doctrine of the idolator is war; but My Sons and Daughters practice peace, resisting not any man with weapons of death, saith Jehovih.
6. My sermons are not in wordy professions, but in the souls of My people who practice My commandments.
7. Ye have witnessed that Sudga's followers said: Behold, Sudga is our Lamb of Peace! And they were nations of warriors; they built monuments to glorify their greatest slayers of men.
8. My people say little; profess little, as regardeth their virtues; but their practice is My Voice!
9. Capilya said: Whatever should be the character of one man, so should be the family (community); so should be the state. Harmony in a man's soul is his greatest blessing; and so of the family, and of the state.
10. Whoso will sacrifice self-gratification for good of the family is the greatest, best one in the family. Whoso triumphs in self-desire or in inflicting on others his opinions or doctrines, is the worst, bad man in the family.
11. My Father in heaven, is thy Father also; all men and women are my brothers and sisters. To magnify one's soul so as to realize this brotherhood, is a great virtue. No matter what name He hath, there is, nevertheless, but One Creator; and all peoples are His children. Call thou Him what name thou wilt, I will not quarrel with thee. I am a child of His love; by love will I prove it unto thee. No man can prove this by war.
12. At death the real life beginneth; mold thyself well whilst thy soul hath a good anchor (the body). The highest, best life in this world, findeth the highest best life in heaven. To love thy Father Who created thee; virtuous happiness is little more than this. The happiness of lust, is hate to thy Creator.
13. The man learning to swim had better go in with corks, till he find the
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stroke; like this, thy Creator gave thee a corporeal body. Be not in haste to enter the unseen world; make sure that thou hast learned the stroke of the resurrection erst thou puttest aside thy flesh and bones.
14. Religion is the learning of music (harmony) in a community, in which the rab'bah is the key-note. Music is of two kinds: sounds and assimilation. Dumb instruments may make sound-music; but assimilation cometh to the real matter of putting one's behavior in harmony with the community.
15. Good works! Who knoweth the meaning of these words? King Yokovrana judged the good works of a man by the number of bad men he had slain. When alms-houses promote laziness they are not good works. Preaching, and praying, and singing, are not works; they are the blossoms, and with enticing fragrance. Yet satan persuadeth man that these are good works. Nevertheless, all fruit is preceded by blossoms. The most learned man, the most pious man, and the greatest philosopher can not tell what is the meaning of the words, good works. But a mother, with a child one day old, can tell; a farmer, that hath sowed and reaped one harvest, and given half of it away to the less fortunate, can tell also.
16. To bring forth out of the earth food or clothing, these are good works only so far as they exceed one's own requirements and are given to others. To live on the earnings of others, save in time of helplessness, is evil. To preach and not produce substance for others; such a man is a vampire. He selleth sermons and opinions to the ignorant, making believe his words are Jehovih's concerns.
17. The preacher shall dwell with the poor, taking hold with his own hands; teaching and helping; he who giveth words only, and not labor, is a servant of hell. He findeth honied words, and drawleth his voice; he liveth in ease and plenty; he stretcheth out a long face seriously; he is a hypocrite and a blasphemer against his Creator.
18. With love and rejoicing, and with willing hearts, stand thou upright before Jehovih; for thy preaching shall bear evidence of joyful light; and thy presence give to the weary and disconsolate assurance that thou art the Creator's son, come in earnest to glorify Him by righteous works and a helping hand.
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19. Besides Capilya's book of maxims, the quarter of which is not here related, he also restored the Zarathustrian commandments and the songs of Vivanho. Nor since two thousand years were the children of Jehovih so well standing before the world. And peace and plenty came upon the land of Vind'yu, even greater than in the days of Brahma.
20. Thus closeth the history of Capilya, who was led in all things by Jehovih, through his angels, even to the words he uttered, though oft he knew it not. Such is it to walk with the Creator. Now whilst this was going on in Vind'yu, the Creator also labored through his angels in the land of Egupt, with Moses, of whom hear ye.
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Urantia Book, 44:0.11 - The Celestial Artisans
Never in your long ascendancy will you lose the power to recognize your associates of former existences. Always, as you ascend inward in the scale of life, will you retain the ability to recognize and fraternize with the fellow beings of your previous and lower levels of experience. Each new translation or resurrection will add one more group of spirit beings to your vision range without in the least depriving you of the ability to recognize your friends and fellows of former estates.
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Princess Bride 1987 Wallace Shawn (Vizzini) and Mandy Patinkin (Inigo Montoya)
Vizzini: HE DIDN'T FALL? INCONCEIVABLE.
Inigo Montoya: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. -
Urantia Book, 117:4.14 - The Finite God
And here is mystery: The more closely man approaches God through love, the greater the reality -- actuality -- of that man. The more man withdraws from God, the more nearly he approaches nonreality -- cessation of existence. When man consecrates his will to the doing of the Father's will, when man gives God all that he has, then does God make that man more than he is.
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Urantia Book, 167:7.4 - The Talk About Angels
"And do you not remember that I said to you once before that, if you had your spiritual eyes anointed, you would then see the heavens opened and behold the angels of God ascending and descending? It is by the ministry of the angels that one world may be kept in touch with other worlds, for have I not repeatedly told you that I have other sheep not of this fold?"
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Urantia Book, Foreword - 0:12.12 - The Trinities
But we know that there dwells within the human mind a fragment of God, and that there sojourns with the human soul the Spirit of Truth; and we further know that these spirit forces conspire to enable material man to grasp the reality of spiritual values and to comprehend the philosophy of universe meanings. But even more certainly we know that these spirits of the Divine Presence are able to assist man in the spiritual appropriation of all truth contributory to the enhancement of the ever-progressing reality of personal religious experience—God-consciousness.
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Urantia Book, 1:4.3 - The Mystery Of God
When you are through down here, when your course has been run in temporary form on earth, when your trial trip in the flesh is finished, when the dust that composes the mortal tabernacle "returns to the earth whence it came"; then, it is revealed, the indwelling "Spirit shall return to God who gave it." There sojourns within each moral being of this planet a fragment of God, a part and parcel of divinity. It is not yet yours by right of possession, but it is designedly intended to be one with you if you survive the mortal existence.
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Urantia Book, 1:4.1 - The Mystery Of God
And the greatest of all the unfathomable mysteries of God is the phenomenon of the divine indwelling of mortal minds. The manner in which the Universal Father sojourns with the creatures of time is the most profound of all universe mysteries; the divine presence in the mind of man is the mystery of mysteries.
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Urantia Book, 1:4.6 - The Mystery Of God
To every spirit being and to every mortal creature in every sphere and on every world of the universe of universes, the Universal Father reveals all of his gracious and divine self that can be discerned or comprehended by such spirit beings and by such mortal creatures. God is no respecter of persons, either spiritual or material. The divine presence which any child of the universe enjoys at any given moment is limited only by the capacity of such a creature to receive and to discern the spirit actualities of the supermaterial world.
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Urantia Book, 11:0.1 - The Eternal Isle Of Paradise
Paradise is the eternal center of the universe of universes and the abiding place of the Universal Father, the Eternal Son, the Infinite Spirit, and their divine co-ordinates and associates. This central Isle is the most gigantic organized body of cosmic reality in all the master universe. Paradise is a material sphere as well as a spiritual abode. All of the intelligent creation of the Universal Father is domiciled on material abodes; hence must the absolute controlling center also be material, literal. And again it should be reiterated that spirit things and spiritual beings are real.
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Urantia Book, 50:6.4 - Planetary Culture
Culture presupposes quality of mind; culture cannot be enhanced unless mind is elevated. Superior intellect will seek a noble culture and find some way to attain such a goal. Inferior minds will spurn the highest culture even when presented to them ready-made.
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Urantia Book, 54:1.6 - True And False Liberty
True liberty is the associate of genuine self-respect; false liberty is the consort of self-admiration. True liberty is the fruit of self-control; false liberty, the assumption of self-assertion. Self-control leads to altruistic service; self-admiration tends towards the exploitation of others for the selfish aggrandizement of such a mistaken individual as is willing to sacrifice righteous attainment for the sake of possessing unjust power over his fellow beings.
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Urantia Book, 54:1.9 - True And False Liberty
How dare the self-willed creature encroach upon the rights of his fellows in the name of personal liberty when the Supreme Rulers of the universe stand back in merciful respect for these prerogatives of will and potentials of personality! No being, in the exercise of his supposed personal liberty, has a right to deprive any other being of those privileges of existence conferred by the Creators and duly respected by all their loyal associates, subordinates, and subjects.
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Urantia Book, 54:1.8 - True And False Liberty
There is no error greater than that species of self-deception which leads intelligent beings to crave the exercise of power over other beings for the purpose of depriving these persons of their natural liberties. The golden rule of human fairness cries out against all such fraud, unfairness, selfishness, and unrighteousness.