If it
rains fire
you have to be as the water;
if it is a deluge of water
you have to be as the wind;
if it is the Great Flood,
you have to be as the sky;
and if it is the Very Last Flood of all the worlds,
you have to give up self
and become the Lord.
you have to be as the water;
if it is a deluge of water
you have to be as the wind;
if it is the Great Flood,
you have to be as the sky;
and if it is the Very Last Flood of all the worlds,
you have to give up self
and become the Lord.
Allama Prabhu ( 12th century )
trans. A K Ramanujan
....
i find this poem helpful
ReplyDeleteand hopeful
after awaking
in a mildly darkened state
this poem offers some suggestions
for how to counteract darkness
i don't know how to be
as the water
or the wind
or they sky
but the mere thought of that
engages my mind
on a different track
offering the possibility
that one need not
succumb to the darkness
and to lose one's self
and become the Lord
well ...
ReplyDeleteholy courage
perseverance
is it even possible?
prayer is possible
thanks for the light
in your darkness
ultreya
..
What is virtue ethics?
ReplyDeleteand modern virtue ethics?
virtue ethics
ReplyDeletein the modern sense derives from the
pattern of discussion primarily begun by aristotle
and his followers through the ages concerning
personal and social values
it was elizabeth anscombe who revived the
discussion in the 20th century
she posited the notion that
it is supra-ultitarian
and really makes good sense for people
to know what it means to strive to live virtuously
thomas aquinas referred to this prospect
as
transcendental good
so that the possibility of acting
in a good way
is determined by an intelligent comprehension
of what is required-
values which literally force the mind to ask
can i be patient can i be chaste can i be forgiving
can i be temperate can i be kind compassionate
i think much of the philosophical movement
in the 20th century around the ideal of peace was born in the
discussion wherein virtue ethics was revived
when the principle of virtue is included then
in moral discussions about
anything
there becomes an obvious personal engagement
an example elizabeth anscombe gives
is with the virtue of forgiveness (compassion)
she says the ultra or supra utilitarian aspect is
the recognition that things work out better for
everyone and injury and hurt are more likely
to be avoided if people learn the virtue
of forgiveness...it's really very useful
maybe in light of the poem
we would have to ask
can i in fact cling to my Lord?
you are great in my mind
jh