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Bahai
From the Persian
Bayan of Sayyid `Ali Muhammad Shirazi:
"There is no-one
but that, should he mention the letter of paradise,
the spirits of the angels connected to them shall at that moment, gaze
upon him and bless him on behalf of God. But when someone mentions the
letters of hell, should he do so out of love for them, the spirits of
the Satans of hell shall gaze upon him. If he does not seek refuge with
God, they shall bring upon him whatever they are capable of, even if it
be only a perturbation of the heart. But if he should seek refuge with
God, and invoke his anger against them, they shall be unable to find any
faith into him, nor shall they be able to have his faith even to the
extent of nine ninths of ten tenths of a grain of mustard-seed."
From the writings of
Bahá'u'lláh:
"Be vigilant,
that ye may not do injustice to anyone, be it to the extent of a grain
of mustard seed. Tread ye the path of justice, for this, verily, is the
straight path . . . Decide justly between men, and be ye the emblems of
justice amongst them . . . Beware not to deal unjustly with any one that
appealeth to you, and entereth beneath your shadow . . . "
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Buddhism
The Woman and the
Mustard Seed
The story of the
woman and the mustard seed is a popular one. In the story, a woman whose
child had died came to the Buddha and asked that he return the child to
life. After listening to the woman and feeling her despair, he asked her
to go out into the community and bring back to him a mustard seed from a
house where no person had died.
Hopeful of being able
to meet the Buddha’s request, she went from house to house in the
village seeking just one home where no one had died. Unsuccessful, she
left the village and searched from town to town. After days, exhausted
and worn, she returned to where the Buddha was staying and received
another audience. At that moment she realized that death and suffering
fall on all houses, and decided to become a disciple of the Buddha.
The Dhammapada
At the time of the
Buddha’s death, it’s said that 500 of his followers met to recall
and preserve the many teachings they had heard from the Buddha in his
lifetime. These teachings, passed down verbally at first, then
transcribed in writing later, have become beloved readings of many
followers.
In Canto XXVI of the
Dhammapada, Buddha answers the question: "Who is a Brahman
(enlightened one)?" Among his answers is the following:
"He who, like
water on a lotus leaf, or a mustard seed on the point of an awl, does
not cling to sensuous pleasures, him I call Brahman."
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Christianity
Parable of the
Mustard Seed
Three of Jesus’
disciples - Matthew, Mark, and Luke - all documented a parable from
Jesus’ teachings. Jesus likened the growth of the church from humble
beginnings to the growth of a tiny mustard seed that develops into a
large and strong plant that provides shelter and shade.
From the King James
Version:
Matt.13:31-32 -
Another parable put he (Jesus) forth unto them saying, The kingdom of
heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed
his field: (32) Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is
grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the
birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.
Mark 4:30-32 - And he
(Jesus) said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what
comparison shall we compare it? (31) [It is] like a grain of mustard
seed, which when sown, in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be
in the earth: (32) But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh
greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the
fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.
Luke 13:18-19 - Then
said he (Jesus), Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto
shall I resemble it? (19) It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a
man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree;
and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.
Faith as a Mustard
Seed
Matthew also recorded
this metaphor Jesus told his disciples:
Matthew.17:20 - And
Jesus said unto them, (his disciples,) Because of your unbelief: for
verily I (Jesus) say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard
seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and
it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
You can find
commentaries on these parables through a search such as:
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You will also find
many Christian organizations that have named themselves after the
mustard seed in the parable.
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Hinduism
The Upanishads, a
collection of reflections on reality and the soul, date to 600 BCE. In
the following, the soul is simultaneously described as smaller than a
mustard seed, yet greater than the sky:
He who consists of
mind, whose body is life-breath, whose form is light, whose conception
is truth, whose soul is space, containing all works, containing all
desires, containing all odors, containing all tastes, encompassing this
whole world . . . this Soul of mine within the heart is smaller than a
grain of rice, or a barley-corn, or a mustard-seed, or a grain of
millet, or the kernel of a grain of millet. This Soul of mine is greater
than the earth, greater than the atmosphere, greater than the sky,
greater than these worlds. [Chandogya 3.14.2-3]
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Islam
The Koran (Qur’an)
Luqmān is a wise
man who rejects worldly desires and seeks inner perfection. The Qur’ān
uses the mythical Luqmān as a means of expressing lessons directing
human behavior. Luqmān is attributed with the following (Luqmān
16): “O my dear son, verily though there be aught of the weight of a
mustard-seed, and though it be [hidden] in a rock, or in the skies, or
in the earth, God will bring it to light: for, behold, god is
unfathomable [in His wisdom], all-aware."
Mustard Seed, Faith,
and Pride
The sayings of
Muhammed also include this admonition extolling the power of faith and
the danger of pride:
"He will not
enter hell, who hath faith equal to a single grain of mustard seed in
his heart; and he will not enter Paradise, who hath pride equal to a
single grain of mustard seed in his heart."
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Judaism
In Parshas Vayeira,
Abraham was sent three angels, whom he served tongue with mustard.
"The way of the
righteous and men of good deeds is to love peace and take pleasure in
the welfare of their fellow man and draw them closer to the Torah. They
would not wantonly destroy even a mustard seed. They are grieved and
oppressed at the sight of waste and destruction. If they could save
anything from being destroyed they would do so with all their power. The
wicked are not so. They are the brethren of all despoilers. They are
happy in destroying themselves". (Sefer HaChinuch, 529). 13th
Century
In the 13th century,
the scholar Nahmanides (also known as Ramban) said that at the instant
following creation, all the matter of the universe was concentrated in a
very small space, no larger than a grain of mustard.
"Mustard seed is
food for doves": Shabbat 128a
For more information,
try a search such as: http://google.yahoo.com/bin/query?p=mustard+judaism
Or
http://google.yahoo.com/bin/query?p=mustard+torah
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Taoism
From The Chuang-Tzu:
"If there is not sufficient depth, water will not float large
ships. Upset a cupful into a hole in the yard, and a mustard-seed will
be your boat. Try to float the cup, and it will be grounded, due to the
disproportion between water and vessel."
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