Sin is no crime, righteousness no virtue

 


a.


Present in every man and

In every man the same,

Spirit is as much man’s birthright as flesh.


Their birthright being to both flesh and to spirit,

All men are justified at birth,

Born into the justice – the truth – that

The life of man is simply thus –

Lived on the balance between flesh and spirit.


From the day of his birth,

Man grows to the flesh –

To the body, to the heart, to the mind, and

To the Self arising therefrom.


Grown to flesh, grown to Self,

Man’s needs become desires –

Desires of the body,

Desires of the heart,

Desires of the mind, and

Of the Self arising therefrom.


Non-believers, estranged from spirit

By the dispositions of their lives,

Hear spirit’s voice but faintly, and

Mistaking its source as arising from the flesh,


Respond only to the flesh –

Respond only to the desires of the body,

Respond only to the desires of the heart,

Respond only to the desires of the mind, and

Of the Self arising therefrom.


Responding only to the flesh, non-believers

Are estranged to spirit, and

It is this estrangement that some call sin.


Non-believers living lives of sin are

Committing no crime, for


The truth is that

The life of man is simply thus –

Of both flesh and of spirit, and

Lived there on the balance.


Living lives estranged to spirit

Living lives of sin,

Non-believers suffer, yet


As the life of man is simply thus –

Of both flesh and of spirit, and

Lived there on the balance,


Sin is no crime, and

Neither is suffering punishment.


The life of man is simply thus –

Of both flesh and of spirit, and

Lived there on the balance.



b.


Present in every man and

In every man the same,

Spirit is as much man’s birthright as flesh.


Their birthright both to flesh and to spirit,

All men are justified at birth,

Born into the justice – the truth – that

The life of man is simply thus –

Lived on the balance between flesh and spirit.


From the day of his birth,

Man grows to the flesh –

To body, to heart, to mind, and

To the Self arising therefrom.


Grown to flesh, grown to Self,

Man’s needs become desires –

Desires of the body, of the heart, of the mind, and

Of the Self arising therefrom, yet


Amidst his desires, man fully human

Hears spirit’s whisperings and

Longs for a happiness

Beyond the flesh –

He longs for spirit, for union.


Hearing spirit’s voice,

Believers turn from the flesh and

Pursue this, man’s greatest happiness –

Nearness to spirit with

The hope of final union.


Growing to spirit,

Believers live lives in

Accord with justice, with the truth

That the life of man is simply thus –

Lived on the balance between flesh and spirit – and

That man’s freedom from suffering and

His greatest happiness, lies in

Growing closer to spirit.


Meditating on the writings of the prophets and

Living lives obedient to the teaching of their elders,

Devotees grow closer to spirit, and this pursuit,

This growth to man’s greatest happiness,

Is called by some, righteousness, yet


Just as sin is no crime, nor suffering punishment,

Righteousness is no virtue

Deserving of reward, but

Is – in and of itself – all happiness.


As man’s birthright is both to flesh and to spirit,

All men are justified at birth;


All men are born into the justice – the truth – that

The life of man is simply thus – lived there

On the balance between flesh and spirit,

On the balance between sin and righteousness,

On the balance between suffering and happiness.

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