Wednesday
30-second Wonder...
Wonder with me, if you wish ...
Imagining that all your regrets were washed away ...
and
All your worries about tomorrow have vanished...
and
All your hurts and heartaches were healed...
Now...
in this present moment...
how are you feeling?
Tuesday
It’s a Matter of Choice
Recently,
I was talking with a young woman regarding matters of spirituality and our life
choices. She had a lot of questions.
As
I consider choice, sometimes it seems quite simple. We are a part of the One
mysterious manifestation we call Life. In essence we are one with Being…. With the
one life energy. And we are also Actors
and Doers who make decisions in the scenes in which we find ourselves. Choices
are made. And the question comes up, “By whom are these choices being made?”
We
may think we are making reasonable or logical choices.
We
may be satisfied with going with our “gut” or intuitive sensing.
We
may not take any action or avoid taking action …and this is also a choice.
We
do the best we can and make the choices we make.
Who
is the real choice-maker? Is the decision coming from conscious awareness in the
moment? Does it come from thoughts that are actually being guided by feelings,
desires, wants, and unspoken values? Are our actions driven and controlled by
unconscious aspects and repressed shadowy parts or sub-personality elements or
complexes of which we are unaware?
Of
course, the unconscious motives or drivers of decisions are unknown by
definition… they are unconscious to our waking present consciousness. It is
only after making the same decision over and over again that we may “wake up”
and “learn a lesson” that is often painful and disappointing. Yet all part of
the mysterious path and journey toward awakening.
Carl
Jung, along with other students of the psyche, suggests that the aspects of
which we are unaware and unconscious tend to control our
behavior. This is the perfect definition of the unexamined life. It can be like
we are addicted to deep seated programs and thought patterns… or aspects of our
unconscious mind which we might call sub-personalities or complexes.
So,
choice is always shaded by our particular stained-glass experience. We make a
choice with as much insight as we can muster at the time.
Conscious
living calls for vigilance… a watching and an awareness based of love, caring,
and the best light we can bring to the situation in which we find ourselves. Yet
we choose with confidence that our choice is the best we can do at the time…
and there is always room to learn and grow as we go forward… this is what we
often hear referred to as personal and spiritual growth and development.
Mistakes
are often interpretations based on societal rules… cultural and family values…
that we have gone against. Mistakes may also be interpreted as such when our
decision has left us in pain or disappointment from the decisions' outcome. In
really, there probably aren’t really mistakes as such, just more lessons to
learn and more unconscious drivers of which to become aware as we go forward.
Conscious
living begins with finding that deep sense of “Being” which is the essence of
Life Energy. It is the essence of consciousness and and being aware in this
moment, beyond the thoughts and contents of our egoic mind.
I
received a question from an online acquaintance who asked, “Do you ever think
about anything that is not esoteric?” I took it to mean a humorous poke that
was saying she had no clue what I was taking about. Well, I hope this rambling about choices is
more than meaningless gibberish. And ,if it makes no sense, then just leave it
behind.
In
fact, the freedom to choose is what can keep our spirit free. And… we need to
be aware of which part of “me” is choosing… and why… Caution does not mean we
live in paralysis caused by fear, but rather that we examine the choices that
lead to action. Our choices create our lives and the next moment. My hope is
that I can help create a better world through the choices I make that are based
on kindness and the clearest awareness possible in this moment.
It
is a matter of choice… from the purest awareness of being we can bring to the
present moment.
And
the question then arises: “What guidance shall we provide for ourselves, our
children, our world for the choices we make?”
The
answer that came was to be guided by “kindness”… and how shall we define “kindness”?
… Compassion?... Consideration? I recalled that in essence most spiritual
traditions further define this in some form of has become known as the “Golden Rule” which simply and positively
states: “Do unto others as you would have them do onto you.” …"Treat others as
you would like to be treated"…. “Love thy neighbor as thyself.”
The following is a
lovely video with soothing music that shares this guidance from various
traditions:
Here are some actual
texts from various traditions:
Bahá'í Faith: "Ascribe not to any soul that which thou
wouldst not have ascribed to thee, and say not that which thou doest not."
"Blessed is he who preferreth his brother before himself."
Baha'u'llah … "And if thine eyes be turned towards justice, choose thou
for thy neighbour that which thou choosest for thyself." Epistle to the
Son of the Wolf. 1
Brahmanism: "This is the
sum of Dharma [duty]: Do naught unto others which would cause you pain if done
to you". Mahabharata, 5:1517 "
Buddhism: "...a state that is not pleasing or
delightful to me, how could I inflict that upon another?" Samyutta NIkaya
v. 353 … “Hurt not others in ways that
you yourself would find hurtful." Udana-Varga 5:18
Christianity: "Therefore all things whatsoever ye
would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and
the prophets." Matthew 7:12, King James Version… "And as ye would
that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise." Luke 6:31, King
James Version… "...and don't do what you hate...", Gospel of Thomas
6. The Gospel of Thomas is one of about 40 gospels that circulated among the
early Christian movement, but which never made it into the Christian Scriptures
(New Testament).
Confucianism: "Do not do to
others what you do not want them to do to you" Analects 15:23 …"Tse-kung
asked, 'Is there one word that can serve as a principle of conduct for life?'
Confucius replied, 'It is the word 'shu' -- reciprocity. Do not impose on
others what you yourself do not desire.'" Doctrine of the Mean 13.3 …"Try
your best to treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself, and you
will find that this is the shortest way to benevolence." Mencius VII.A.4
Ancient Egyptian: "Do for one
who may do for you, that you may cause him thus to do." The Tale of the
Eloquent Peasant, 109 - 110 Translated by R.B. Parkinson. The original dates to
circa 1800 BCE and may be the earliest version of the Epic of Reciprocity ever
written. 2
Hinduism: “This is the sum of duty: do not do to others
what would cause pain if done to you.” Mahabharata 5:1517
Islam: "None of you
[truly] believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for
himself." Number 13 of Imam "Al-Nawawi's Forty Hadiths." 3
Jainism: "Therefore, neither does he [a sage]
cause violence to others nor does he make others do so." Acarangasutra
5.101-2… "In happiness and suffering, in joy and grief, we should regard
all creatures as we regard our own self." Lord Mahavira, 24th Tirthankara …
"A man should wander about treating all creatures as he himself would be
treated. "Sutrakritanga 1.11.33
Judaism: "...thou shalt love thy neighbor as
thyself.", Leviticus 19:18 …"What
is hateful to you, do not to your fellow man. This is the law: all the rest is
commentary." Talmud, Shabbat 31a… "And what you hate, do not do to
any one." Tobit 4:15 4
Taoism: "“Regard your neighbor’s gain as your
gain, and your neighbor’s loss as your own loss.” Tai Shang Kan Yin P’ien … "To
those who are good to me, I am good; to those who are not good to me, I am also
good. Thus all get to be good."
Zoroastrianism: "That nature alone is good which
refrains from doing to another whatsoever is not good for itself."
Dadisten-I-dinik, 94,5 … "Whatever is disagreeable to yourself do not do
unto others." Shayast-na-Shayast 13:29 5
Blessings
and Love to All,
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