Judaism
Ecclesiastes 11
Text
Cast thy bread upon the waters, For thou shalt find it after many days.
Divide a portion into seven, yea, even into eight; For thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.
If the clouds be full of rain, They empty themselves upon the earth; And if a tree fall in the south, or in the north, In the place where the tree falleth, there shall it be.
He that observeth the wind shall not sow; And he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.
As thou knowest not what is the way of the wind, Nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child; Even so thou knowest not the work of God Who doeth all things.
In the morning sow thy seed, And in the evening withhold not thy hand; For thou knowest not which shall prosper, whether this or that, Or whether they both shall be alike good.
And the light is sweet, And a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun.
For if a man live many years, Let him rejoice in them all, And remember the days of darkness, For they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity.
Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; And let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, And walk in the ways of thy heart, And in the sight of thine eyes; But know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.
Therefore remove vexation from thy heart, And put away evil from thy flesh; For childhood and youth are vanity.
Text: The Holy Scriptures, Jewish Publication Society (1917), public domain, via Sefaria.
✦ Connected Across Traditions
Humility & Surrender
Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 18 (trans. Edwin Arnold)
“And let go those, Rites and writ duties! Fly to Me alone! Make Me thy single refuge! I will free Thy soul from all its sins! Be of good cheer!”
Matthew 5:5
“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.”
Tao Te Ching 22 (trans. James Legge)
“The partial becomes complete; the crooked, straight; the empty, full; the worn out, new. He whose (desires) are few gets them; he whose (desires) are many goes astray.”
Quran 2:45
“Seek help in patience and prayer; and truly it is hard save for the humble-minded.”
Good vs Evil / Light vs Darkness
Yasna 30:3
“Now the two primal Spirits, who reveal themselves as Twins, are the Better and the Bad, in thought and word and action.”
John 1:5
“And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”
Dhammapada 2 (trans. Bhikkhu Sujato)
“Intention is the leader of things; intention is first, they’re made by intention. If with pure intent you speak or act, happiness follows you like a shadow that never leaves.”
Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 16 (trans. Edwin Arnold)
“The Doors of Hell Are threefold, whereby men to ruin pass, The door of Lust, the door of Wrath, the door Of Avarice. Let a man shun those three!”