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Chapter XXVII

1. PURIFICATION is the first law I give unto you, and is the same as with the ancients, in which:

2. Ye shall not eat the flesh of any creature that breathed the breath of life; nor of fish that lived in the water nor under the water.

3. Ye shall bathe once every day from the crown of the head to the sole p. 689 of the feet. And before bathing, ye shall say: Before Thee, O Jehovih (Ormazd) I will put away the filth of my body and the evil of my spirit. And after bathing, ye shall say: As I have with water washed clean the outer man, O Thou Jehovih, help me to make clean my spirit.

4. In the morning, when thou wakest, thou shalt say: Help me, O Jehovih, to keep my thoughts pure this day; and my soul full of love and tenderness.

5. In the evening, before sleeping, thous shalt say: Whilst my corporeal body sleepeth, O Jehovih, help my less encumbered spirit to see the ways of Thy righteous judgment.

6. Without purity, no man can see the Creator; with purity, all men can see Him, and hear Him.

7. It is easier to purify the corporeal body than the spiritual. For diet and baths can accomplish the former, but pure thoughts are required for the soul.

8. A man may be clean as to the flesh; but if he have impure thoughts, he is impure in spirit. Whoso speaketh cruelly or unjustly of his neighbor, is foul in spirit. If he speak of the short-comings and deceptions of his neighbors, he is foul in spirit.

9. Whereas, first of all, purification is the first law of man's own self.

10. The second law is, after being purified, to strive constantly to do good unto others.

11. Some of the multitude asked: What meanest thou, by doing good unto others?

12. Sakaya said: To inspire others unto purity first; and then to attain individuality. It hath been said, from time without end, that to help the poor, to give to them, to serve them, is good works done unto others. But I say unto you, this is but half-way to that which is good. For ye shall not only help them, but shall go and teach them, how to help themselves. This is doing good unto others.

13. It hath been said: Whoso saith the ordinances of the priest, repeating a certain number of prayers daily, doeth a good work. But I say unto you, whoso teacheth a man to invent prayers of his own, hath done a greater good.

14. To put a man in the way, to be his own salvation, this is the best good work. As ye have depended on the priests to pray for you, I come to teach you, to pray for yourselves.

15. The third law is: To abnegate one's own self; being willing in heart, to sacrifice one's own desires, possessions and opinions for sake of peace and the good of the family. This is the most difficult law. For the selfishness of man causeth him to say: I have such a love of liberty. Let me be the dictator, and do thou my decrees.

16. But for this evil amongst men, they could dwell together in peace, the world over.

17. The fourth law is: To love all men, women and children, as brothers and sisters.

18. The fifth law is: To return good for evil; to give pleasure to those, that give pain.

19. To practice those things, holding all things in common, is sufficient unto the redemption of the world from darkness, war and evil, unto peace and light and happiness to all the living.


Next: Chapter XXVIII