Ich habe Pläne des Friedens und nicht des Unheils. Ich will euch Zukunft und Hoffnung schenken.

Abraham lebt uns hier vor, dass es doch durchaus möglich ist. Ein Miedrasch fragt, warum Abraham überhaupt seine Heimat verlassen musste. Er hätte ja auch dort bleiben können und den Bund dort mit Gott errichten können.

Der Muslim, der weiß, was ihn an dauerhaftem Genuss im Paradies erwartet, wird über den Verlust dieser Dinge ausharren, wenn er sie nicht auf dem Weg der Erlaubtheit erlangen kann, sondern sie auf dem Weg des Verbotenen begehrt.

Es gibt einen Aspekt des Charakters Gottes, der dazu bestimmt ist, darauf zu reagieren. Und kein Wunder, dass Mose eine Begegnung mit Gott hatte und Gott ihm sagte: Ich will dich senden, um vor den Kindern Israels für mich einzustehen.

Ich war erstaunt, wie viele Menschen, mehr als wir denken, diesen Weg gehen müssen, um ihre Familien zu gründen. Genauso wie Noah sich wahrscheinlich über 150 Tage lang auf dem Meer treibend fühlte, fühlt man sich, als säße man in seiner eigenen Arche und beobachte, wie die Welt, die man kannte, um einen herum zerstört wird

na abhikrama naśo nāsti pratya-vayo 'pi dosha

Physically, it was one of the most painful experiences of my life. But on the level of consciousness, it was one of the most peaceful and even joyful experiences, as I felt the wisdom of the Gita lifting me above the agony of my body.

Each of us needs a Tevas Noach, a Tevah that Noach had, that Moshe had, a Tevah that preserves the Torah, a Tevah of words, a place that secures us, a place that protects us, to protect our spiritual life.

Perhaps faith is not knowing where every door leads. Perhaps faith is trusting the One who holds the keys.

Mary is all eye, all ear, and all heart for people. She gives the counsel: 'Do whatever he tells you!' She does not put herself at the center, she does not keep other people on a leash, and she does not want to make a name for herself either.

a theology that is based on fear, based on anxiety, that really keeps us bound. It keeps us in line.

The difference between ordinary people and prophets is, however, that the concern of the prophets, in contrast to that of the general public, is never accompanied by despair. They feel no hopelessness. They harbour the unshakable certainty that God will never let them perish.

We have, of course, had plenty of climate-related catastrophes, probably starting with Katrina. But these will be different, because they are the first in a period in which an alternative to fossil fuels is now easily imaginable and cheaply available.

So all sentient beings, especially human beings, have Buddha nature. When this truth is not known, then wrong thinking, speech and actions are resorted to.

Life too is the life of the Myōhō, and death too is the death of the Myōhō.

Authoritarian forces exploit the distorted image of a “dark future” to cast themselves as figures of light. That they do so by drawing on the biblical “Apocalypse” (“Revelation of John”), as US billionaire Peter Thiel does, underscores the religious character of this strategy.

Even if the branches of a tree touch the sky, if you tear it out of the ground in which its roots are planted, the branches wither. That is why one must go there and draw sustenance from the place where one spent one's childhood.

And in Kali Yuga Patkaliya says that Guru Nanak is this incarnation of Ikhwankar and the virtues of Ikhwankar. And this is really quite clear and remarkable, since Kali Yuga, as I said, is an age defined by darkness and ignorance.

The essence of dharma practice is, for me, that it is not so much about what is happening out there, but about how my relationship is to what is happening out there.

Wir wissen nicht – aber wir sind nicht orientierungslos. Wir sind schwach – aber wir sind nicht allein.

The Torah reading for Schemini Azeret, the feast without a symbol, teaches: the transition is the true content. A blank space has shown us that.

Whoever builds a mosque for Allah, even if it is no larger than the prints of a cat's claws, Allah will build for him a house in Paradise in return.

Even in our crazy time and world, Jesus is still the best alternative. No matter what role in our life, but especially as our Saviour, as our friend.

The angel who was sent ahead of the Jewish people was simply the knowledge that we would survive. The message is for us. Today.