Notes on Indian History: the Ruler Ashoka

It is awesome that the Indus Valley civilization can be traced all the way back to c. 2900 BC, while ancient Hebrew tradition, by contrast, goes back to only about 2000 BC. I learned a little about the cities of Mohenjo-Daro and Patina. I also learned about the ruler Chandra-Gupta.

I was very positively impressed by the historical records of Ashoka, a later ruler, a man from whom our current American government could learn several invaluable lessons in compassion. He was a very brilliant supporter and defender of nonviolence; he had learned very much from the terrible and bloody war of Kalinga. He established an entire beautiful political order founded on nonviolence and compassion. He wrote a famous document which became the fore-runner to the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights. All human beings, he wisely said, were one family.

He established the first Animal Rights legislation in history, cared for the poor and elderly, and the sick and ill. (India still has one of the oldest animal hospitals in the world.) For the sake of animal-compassion, he officially promoted vegetarianism. He realized that people reveal their true selves with animals, who cannot report them, and cannot seek vengeance. His reign united the known world in
peace, like Solomon the great mystic had done in his own time (c. 1000 BC). He also worked to create peace among many religions. His goal, he said, was to pursue and manifest dharma, the law of all life. (The "Wheel of Ashoka" is the symbol on the modern Indian flag.) He managed to allow to survive the rhino and the porpoise, among many other species.

Tragically, later, in the Middle Ages in India, Buddhism was allowed to die, in the land of its birth.
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Loving All God's "children"

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Within a couple of weeks, you will be receiving a gift from Love Ministries USA [for the work of Love Ministries of Uganda]. This is a gift of $100 (one hundred U.S. dollars). When you receive this, I would like to request that you buy (purchase) for the poor and orphans, the following: milk, rice, other grains, eggs, many fruits and many vegetables, and fruit-juices and vegetable-juices.

As you know, I think, Jesus gave me the most beautiful revelation possible in the entire universe! He showed me that God is Love. This means, of course, that God is Love for all his "children." God loves all his human children, whether they are light brown, dark brown, old, young, male, or female. God loves even those who are not very intelligent. God loves even the ignorant, and those who have brain-damage, who are not able to think like normal human beings.

But the revelation went much further: It revealed that God's "children" included not just human beings, but all creatures who could think, or feel-- all creatures who could love. We think of ourselves, as human beings, as being "so much higher" than the animals. But horses, llamas, elephants, and many other creatures do have feelings, and some even love their families or mothers. But there might be other life-forms as far above us human beings as we are above cows and pigs, for example. (You might call these very superior life-forms "angels.")

But no matter how much smarter they are, no matter how "far above" us they are, we would hate it if they used us for food or meat.

To exercise the best and most complete Love of God possible, we must extend this Love, in compassion and kindness, to creatures who are lower than ourselves.

In the Garden of Eden, God gave Adam and Eve "all green vegetation" for food. He did not give permission to kill the animals.

To be most at peace, we must love all; we must love even those whom we know might not be "equal" to us. This was the sweet message of Francis, the famous lover of animals. So, out of my Love for animals, I would like to enjoin you not to use any of the money in our gift to harm or to kill any animals. Please do not use it to kill pigs or cows, for these creatures have large brains and can feel much pain. They love their children, and can feel sadness and even Love. Remember, God is Love, so God is inside them too, as His Holy Spirit indwells you and me.

Please take these ideas to God in prayer. Keep your heart open, and He will give you an answer. Please consider these ideas carefully, and do not turn away from them.

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