Many Traditions, One Message

Case in point: take a look at Luke 6:31. In this verse, Jesus tells us to “do to others as you would have them do to you.” We call this the Golden Rule. And while most of us probably fail in applying this ethic in our daily lives, it was a point of emphasis for Jesus. Big time. The same goes for the Buddha. In Dhammapada 10.1, he says: “Consider others as yourself.” In other words, do to them what you would have them do to you. The Golden Rule.

This “golden rule” is fleshed out and even expanded upon in Luke 6, when Jesus tells us to love our enemies, to bless those who curse us, and pray for those who abuse us. In Dhammapada 1.5 and 17.3, the Buddha gives following advice, and it should sound strikingly familiar: “Hatreds do not ever cease in this world by hating, but by love; this is an eternal truth . . . Overcome anger by love, overcome evil by good. Overcome the miser by giving, overcome the liar by truth.”