Posts
By a passionate observer
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With the admission of Jonathan Edwards' adultery in 2006, many are speaking as if he is a completely useless man. Edwards did more damage to himself than to anyone else. Certainly he hurt his wife, and he deserves blame for this; he also let down his loyal followers.
But his error does nothing to neutralize the great vision-- the eradication of poverty-- that he shared with the country. It also does nothing to erase his victories in legal battles against greedy, fat corporations.
His error was immense; but let not this one mistake blind us to the rich and deep good that still remains within the man. Instead, we can work to practice the highest ideal of Christianity and other faiths-- forgiveness. We can forgive the horror of the error and invite this man back into the "fold" of decision-makers. For he reminds us that people, even with all our many weaknesses, can do great good.
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Showing posts with label forgiveness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label forgiveness. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Love and Teen-age Boys
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When a boy is in his teen years, often starting between twelve and sixteen years old, his brain-chemistry changes radically. He is upset easily, confused, and might wonder whether he is losing his mind. His actions and words are erratic and hyperimpulsive.
For the first time in his life, his brain is being soaked in extremely powerful chemicals such as testosterone; these chemicals are made by his body and brain. His body responds, and he is going through a hurricane emotionally.
He is extremely confused and needs our help and forgiveness. The drugs produced by his brain-body are powerfully "psychotropic" (mind-changing), and so, he is not "fully responsible" for all of his behaviors. This is nature's way of transforming a boy into a man, and it is never easy on a boy.
During this time, he needs good, sound guidance and discipline (but not
harsh) to do the right thing-- the kind of guidance that I know that you would like to give him. But please try to be very patient and very forgiving. Please remember that his brain, his control-center, is in the midst of a real storm. He has little to no peace in his life. As he gets a little older, and as he is educated by an older man about these matters, he will once again become a calm and loving person. This kind of change happens in many species, but we notice it among young boys.
Please keep in mind that he cannot be fully responsible for all his actions for a couple of years, until his body passes through this storm and heals itself. For, during this time, the body is "sick" relative to a healthy brainbody system. In the meantime, please practice forgiveness for the sake of your own peace.:)
*******
When a boy is in his teen years, often starting between twelve and sixteen years old, his brain-chemistry changes radically. He is upset easily, confused, and might wonder whether he is losing his mind. His actions and words are erratic and hyperimpulsive.
For the first time in his life, his brain is being soaked in extremely powerful chemicals such as testosterone; these chemicals are made by his body and brain. His body responds, and he is going through a hurricane emotionally.
He is extremely confused and needs our help and forgiveness. The drugs produced by his brain-body are powerfully "psychotropic" (mind-changing), and so, he is not "fully responsible" for all of his behaviors. This is nature's way of transforming a boy into a man, and it is never easy on a boy.
During this time, he needs good, sound guidance and discipline (but not
harsh) to do the right thing-- the kind of guidance that I know that you would like to give him. But please try to be very patient and very forgiving. Please remember that his brain, his control-center, is in the midst of a real storm. He has little to no peace in his life. As he gets a little older, and as he is educated by an older man about these matters, he will once again become a calm and loving person. This kind of change happens in many species, but we notice it among young boys.
Please keep in mind that he cannot be fully responsible for all his actions for a couple of years, until his body passes through this storm and heals itself. For, during this time, the body is "sick" relative to a healthy brainbody system. In the meantime, please practice forgiveness for the sake of your own peace.:)
*******
Friday, June 06, 2008
Friendship and Selfesteem
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What are the connections between friendship and selfesteem? They are many and important. It requires a certain minimum or modicum of selfesteem to maintain a lasting friendship. Even to form a healthy friendship requires at least some healthy selfesteem.
For if you believe, "I really do not deserve a friendship with this fine person, for I am unworthy," then, you begin a subconscious search for an "escape" from the friendship. You might, in borderline paranoia, examine emails for "hidden motives," or even for "attacks," where clearly, none is intended. You might, in an extension of illness, confuse mistakes with deliberate attacks against you.
Secretly, you might want to "attack before you are attacked." You are really seeking an "escape hatch" to permit you to exit the friendship before your "inadequacies" are discovered or revealed.
An astonishing number of even very "successful" people suffer from this absence of positive selfesteem. They often try to hide, or cover, it with professional success, but, deep down, the fires of selfloathing cannot be quenched. They sometimes try to remain "super-busy," so that they do not see this uncomfortable fact about themselves, but, again, deep down, they know the facts about their own selfrejection and selfcondemnation.
They are not "evil." They are not "inadequate" or "unworthy," but their internal programs that they are continue to run like a taped program that plays itself over and over again. They simply cannot "get comfortable" in a healthy relationship with a healthy person. In fact, they resent the mental, emotional, or spiritual health of those who are successful at interpersonal relationships (friendships). In time, subconsciously, they become "anti-friendship." They start to see friendship, a form of Love-- the human being's best friend-- as the "enemy." They begin to hate friendship (Love) because they are too dysfunctional to handle it.
Bonding in friendship with a selfloathing person is almost imppossible; and she herself guarantees that any bonds will never last very long. For she sabotages the friendship by continually expecting to be betrayed or abandoned. So, low selfesteem is made much worse by a terror of abandonment. (This often originates within the "interior child," the part of the mind that stopped growing at about age six.)
A person with healthy selfesteem will quickly forgive if her friend makes a mistake. But a person who is selfloathing will demand "perfection" from friends: No mistakes are allowed. (This is part of her pathology or illness.)
Human beings, because we are human beings, always make mistakes. The healthy person will not make a big deal about any mistake that her friends might make. She will not act in an alarmist fashion, as if a mistake means "the forever end of our friendship," or as if a mistake justifies an attitude of "war" with the former friend. The healthy person will kindly, warmly, and sincerely forgive any mistakes, and then, continue on with the friendship. For the mentally healthy, friendship is more important than mistakes; but for the mentally or emotionally ill, mistakes are more important, and powerful, than friendships. People of terrible selfesteem will hang on for dear life to any mistake, and will blow it up to immense proportions, never letting it "slide," and never forgetting, or forgiving.
For forgiveness is the response of a healthy mind; an unhealthy mind might well be too sick to practice forgiveness. Any mistake, in the unwell, unhealthy mind is the "end of the friendship," if not "of the world"! For inflating a mistake, and making it the center of the interaction with another, is a mark of mental illness.
*******
What are the connections between friendship and selfesteem? They are many and important. It requires a certain minimum or modicum of selfesteem to maintain a lasting friendship. Even to form a healthy friendship requires at least some healthy selfesteem.
For if you believe, "I really do not deserve a friendship with this fine person, for I am unworthy," then, you begin a subconscious search for an "escape" from the friendship. You might, in borderline paranoia, examine emails for "hidden motives," or even for "attacks," where clearly, none is intended. You might, in an extension of illness, confuse mistakes with deliberate attacks against you.
Secretly, you might want to "attack before you are attacked." You are really seeking an "escape hatch" to permit you to exit the friendship before your "inadequacies" are discovered or revealed.
An astonishing number of even very "successful" people suffer from this absence of positive selfesteem. They often try to hide, or cover, it with professional success, but, deep down, the fires of selfloathing cannot be quenched. They sometimes try to remain "super-busy," so that they do not see this uncomfortable fact about themselves, but, again, deep down, they know the facts about their own selfrejection and selfcondemnation.
They are not "evil." They are not "inadequate" or "unworthy," but their internal programs that they are continue to run like a taped program that plays itself over and over again. They simply cannot "get comfortable" in a healthy relationship with a healthy person. In fact, they resent the mental, emotional, or spiritual health of those who are successful at interpersonal relationships (friendships). In time, subconsciously, they become "anti-friendship." They start to see friendship, a form of Love-- the human being's best friend-- as the "enemy." They begin to hate friendship (Love) because they are too dysfunctional to handle it.
Bonding in friendship with a selfloathing person is almost imppossible; and she herself guarantees that any bonds will never last very long. For she sabotages the friendship by continually expecting to be betrayed or abandoned. So, low selfesteem is made much worse by a terror of abandonment. (This often originates within the "interior child," the part of the mind that stopped growing at about age six.)
A person with healthy selfesteem will quickly forgive if her friend makes a mistake. But a person who is selfloathing will demand "perfection" from friends: No mistakes are allowed. (This is part of her pathology or illness.)
Human beings, because we are human beings, always make mistakes. The healthy person will not make a big deal about any mistake that her friends might make. She will not act in an alarmist fashion, as if a mistake means "the forever end of our friendship," or as if a mistake justifies an attitude of "war" with the former friend. The healthy person will kindly, warmly, and sincerely forgive any mistakes, and then, continue on with the friendship. For the mentally healthy, friendship is more important than mistakes; but for the mentally or emotionally ill, mistakes are more important, and powerful, than friendships. People of terrible selfesteem will hang on for dear life to any mistake, and will blow it up to immense proportions, never letting it "slide," and never forgetting, or forgiving.
For forgiveness is the response of a healthy mind; an unhealthy mind might well be too sick to practice forgiveness. Any mistake, in the unwell, unhealthy mind is the "end of the friendship," if not "of the world"! For inflating a mistake, and making it the center of the interaction with another, is a mark of mental illness.
*******
Sunday, April 06, 2008
The Work of Love
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The work of education here continues apace. The latest writing-project is a four-volume set called the "Enlightenment Tradition" series. The books are finished, and now, require only proofing and polishing.:)
Volume I is an intro called Hearts of Glowing Love. Volume II is Hearts of Passionfire, and is about mysticism in Judaism. Volume III is Hearts of Ecstasy, and concerns mystical Christianity (gnosticism). And Volume IV is Hearts of Moonlight and Roses, about the Sufi traditions.
It is highly recommended that you invest whatever is necessary in your education, for it will pay off very handsomely and richly in the long run. It will help you to create a happier and fuller life.
Time does seem to pass more quickly when you have something larger than the self to which you can devote it. Everybody needs, but few have, a passion for which to live, as the practical Center of their lives and heartminds.
Friendship is the treasure of this or any other life. Please always continue to appreciate and honor (respect) your friends. For, of all the riches that this life offers, none is more golden, none more irreplaceable, than friendship. Every hour that you "invest" in friendship will return to you multiplied and amplified. If you are very, very successful, you can build a whole life around, and of, your Love.
For friendliness is a form of Love.:) And so is courtesy.
She is wealthy indeed who cannot count her dear friends on the fingers of one hand. Friendship 101 is what this life is all about. It will teach you patience, forgiveness, tolerance, and a host of related and indispensable lifeskills. And an "investment" of time (the "gold" of the universe) in friendship will always pay off in the longterm.
But when any friendship becomes dangerous to your health, mental balance, or general wellbeing, you must, out of reasonable selflove, act to dissolve it. To do this, of course, you need not be hateful or cruel; a friendship is like a rose. If you do not cultivate, nourish, feed, and care for it, it will tend to wither on its own.
People often forget the sometimes challenging work of "maintenance" that any friendship deserves and demands. This includes emails, visits, phone-calls, other sharings, or even periodic and appropriate small gifts. It also includes the kindness of avoiding hurtful gossip.
That does not mean that we cannot share our deepest feelings, and even tragedies, with good friends. It simply implies the vow of the heart never to become bitter or vicious. We seek interior tranquility, in other words, and wish that also for all, including even former friends.
And we, as the people of Love, never waste timenergyon vengeance. For great and lovely karma takes care of all, bringing to each her own rewards. (There is no such thing as an "innocent victim.")
But you cannot, and must not try to, become the "mommy" or "daddy" of any other adult.
Any behavior that is rewarded will be repeated. This is most basic psychological law. Had you remained her friend, you would have been responsible for having rewarded these behaviors, and in this way, would have harmed her life. This goes against ahimsa, the principle of non-harm.
It is not wrong to celebrate the end of a destructive relationship! It is now time for laughter and relief, not moping and tears!:)
Always remember that, in a good friendship, you have very few, or no, expectations, and zero demands.
Never let go of this quest to cultivate a deep and spiritual mind. For this is the single diamond centerpiece of any life well-lived. People will always "tempt" you to become shallow, but the shallow life is like the "unexamined" life-- not worth living. In the future, your spirituality will bring you the interior strength and joy needed to survive the challenging earthlife with sanity and happiness.
Working with animals is great! We need as many compassionate human beings as possible on this poor little planet. Have you ever met a llama? They are very sweet hearts and tender souls, and a "relationship" with one is a jewel.:)
Working with the animals is a very real manifestation of the very best within you-- your Love-nature. One of the favorite historical beings, Brother St. Francis, showed how Love for other species could be the very backbone of a satisfying, creative, and deeply spiritual life.
It is also an indispensable aspect of selflove to make sure that we get as much fun out of life as possible-- provided that the "fun" does not harm ourselves or others.:)
A life of tranquility is worth a bushel of bucks, and more!:)
Love is a matter, not of words only, but of the rich and balanced blend of words and works, or action.
Friendship without forgiveness is like watermelon without water; it is only a dry husk, tasteless, a counterfeit of the real thing. It brings no satisfaction or peace to the heart, and never creates joy. It is very sad to see a person who has not mastered this very important lesson; she creates interior hells for herself, over and over.
The sweet Goddess of Love can reach into our hearts and lives in any way.
She is always "talking" in the deeper Mind, but we have largely forgotten how to listen.:)
May Love continue to bless and fill your heartmind, and may It fill the hearts and minds of all creatures everywhere!:)
*******
The work of education here continues apace. The latest writing-project is a four-volume set called the "Enlightenment Tradition" series. The books are finished, and now, require only proofing and polishing.:)
Volume I is an intro called Hearts of Glowing Love. Volume II is Hearts of Passionfire, and is about mysticism in Judaism. Volume III is Hearts of Ecstasy, and concerns mystical Christianity (gnosticism). And Volume IV is Hearts of Moonlight and Roses, about the Sufi traditions.
It is highly recommended that you invest whatever is necessary in your education, for it will pay off very handsomely and richly in the long run. It will help you to create a happier and fuller life.
Time does seem to pass more quickly when you have something larger than the self to which you can devote it. Everybody needs, but few have, a passion for which to live, as the practical Center of their lives and heartminds.
Friendship is the treasure of this or any other life. Please always continue to appreciate and honor (respect) your friends. For, of all the riches that this life offers, none is more golden, none more irreplaceable, than friendship. Every hour that you "invest" in friendship will return to you multiplied and amplified. If you are very, very successful, you can build a whole life around, and of, your Love.
For friendliness is a form of Love.:) And so is courtesy.
She is wealthy indeed who cannot count her dear friends on the fingers of one hand. Friendship 101 is what this life is all about. It will teach you patience, forgiveness, tolerance, and a host of related and indispensable lifeskills. And an "investment" of time (the "gold" of the universe) in friendship will always pay off in the longterm.
But when any friendship becomes dangerous to your health, mental balance, or general wellbeing, you must, out of reasonable selflove, act to dissolve it. To do this, of course, you need not be hateful or cruel; a friendship is like a rose. If you do not cultivate, nourish, feed, and care for it, it will tend to wither on its own.
People often forget the sometimes challenging work of "maintenance" that any friendship deserves and demands. This includes emails, visits, phone-calls, other sharings, or even periodic and appropriate small gifts. It also includes the kindness of avoiding hurtful gossip.
That does not mean that we cannot share our deepest feelings, and even tragedies, with good friends. It simply implies the vow of the heart never to become bitter or vicious. We seek interior tranquility, in other words, and wish that also for all, including even former friends.
And we, as the people of Love, never waste timenergyon vengeance. For great and lovely karma takes care of all, bringing to each her own rewards. (There is no such thing as an "innocent victim.")
But you cannot, and must not try to, become the "mommy" or "daddy" of any other adult.
Any behavior that is rewarded will be repeated. This is most basic psychological law. Had you remained her friend, you would have been responsible for having rewarded these behaviors, and in this way, would have harmed her life. This goes against ahimsa, the principle of non-harm.
It is not wrong to celebrate the end of a destructive relationship! It is now time for laughter and relief, not moping and tears!:)
Always remember that, in a good friendship, you have very few, or no, expectations, and zero demands.
Never let go of this quest to cultivate a deep and spiritual mind. For this is the single diamond centerpiece of any life well-lived. People will always "tempt" you to become shallow, but the shallow life is like the "unexamined" life-- not worth living. In the future, your spirituality will bring you the interior strength and joy needed to survive the challenging earthlife with sanity and happiness.
Working with animals is great! We need as many compassionate human beings as possible on this poor little planet. Have you ever met a llama? They are very sweet hearts and tender souls, and a "relationship" with one is a jewel.:)
Working with the animals is a very real manifestation of the very best within you-- your Love-nature. One of the favorite historical beings, Brother St. Francis, showed how Love for other species could be the very backbone of a satisfying, creative, and deeply spiritual life.
It is also an indispensable aspect of selflove to make sure that we get as much fun out of life as possible-- provided that the "fun" does not harm ourselves or others.:)
A life of tranquility is worth a bushel of bucks, and more!:)
Love is a matter, not of words only, but of the rich and balanced blend of words and works, or action.
Friendship without forgiveness is like watermelon without water; it is only a dry husk, tasteless, a counterfeit of the real thing. It brings no satisfaction or peace to the heart, and never creates joy. It is very sad to see a person who has not mastered this very important lesson; she creates interior hells for herself, over and over.
The sweet Goddess of Love can reach into our hearts and lives in any way.
She is always "talking" in the deeper Mind, but we have largely forgotten how to listen.:)
May Love continue to bless and fill your heartmind, and may It fill the hearts and minds of all creatures everywhere!:)
*******
Monday, March 24, 2008
"Sin" and "Repentance"
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Our heavenly Father/Mother is Love, purest Love. She/He delights in forgiving us. Unlike the grumpy old Jehovah, the "Father of the All" is eager to forgive. He can hardly wait to forgive!
So, we need not grovel before Him, and we need not "repent" in sackcloth and ashes, as the ancients did with their god.
But, to keep our karmic record as clear and stainless as it is possible for a human being to do, "repentance" is a good idea.
Repentance is an attitude, a way of viewing your "sins." Most sins are indeliberate, but even though these create zero karma, we still want to feel sincerely sorry for any way in which we have ever hurt ourselves or anyone else. This takes an attitude of humility and realistic assessment.
We also must be completely honest. If we ignore, try to hide, our sins, or pretend that they simply do not exist, we are committing an even worse
error-- lying, to ourselves, and perhaps, to others.
Still, let us recognize that "sin" is not a commitment to "evil." It is more like a "processing error" in cybertech. The ancient Greek word used in the Christian Scriptures verifies this. It is a word from archery, and means "missing the target." Archers do not miss a target because they are "bad" or "evil," but because of imperfection; they are truly trying to hit the bull's eye. So, "sin" is error or mistake, not voluntary rebellion against the good. When a computer or other cyberdevice makes an error, we do not sledge-hammer it into bits and then toss it away! No, instead, we use reason and patience, and seek to repair it; computers are worth a lot!
You are worth a zillion times as much as any cyberdevice. God treasures you infinitely. That is why it is His pleasure and delight to forgive.
There is no sin greater than the Power of God's grace to forgive; to suggest that there is, is simple and sheer blasphemy! We see this unlimited forgiveness all the time in the ministry of Jesus. While the selfrighteous and religious people looked down snobbishly on "sinners," Jesus ate and drank with them on a regular enough basis that it became a scandal. And he often forgave a person on the spot! One woman whom he forgave instantly was even caught in the act of fornication! Now, as sins go, this is quite a serious one, and it has always received special attention and consideration from the old men who judged. (They needed to get lives!:)
Jesus' attitude was one of infinite and unlimited forgiveness. He told us to imitate God, and to forgive our brother "seventy times seven"-- a number that, numerologically, represents the unlimited state of infinity.
Our forgiveness should have no limits. For, he warned, we are forgiven only as we forgive others. (Mt. 6:12) He prophesied, in fact, that all sins, no matter how serious, would be forgiven. (Mk. 3:28).
So, if we are repentant, the Lord of Love joyfully releases us from the terrible bondage to sin. "Sin" is any action that deliberately harms any living creature, including yourself. The only attitude of a kind, good, just person is "repentance," or sorrowful regret and remorse for any sin.
Free and enlightened people do not believe in guilt, which is simple selftorment, a selfcreated hellstate. It is the service of fear, Love's conceptual opposite; so it is the service to the lower nature. But we do believe in the wisdom of repentance. (If the repentance is genuine, it will include not only remorse, but recompense; we must do all that we can to "undo" whatever damage that we have done.)
*******
Our heavenly Father/Mother is Love, purest Love. She/He delights in forgiving us. Unlike the grumpy old Jehovah, the "Father of the All" is eager to forgive. He can hardly wait to forgive!
So, we need not grovel before Him, and we need not "repent" in sackcloth and ashes, as the ancients did with their god.
But, to keep our karmic record as clear and stainless as it is possible for a human being to do, "repentance" is a good idea.
Repentance is an attitude, a way of viewing your "sins." Most sins are indeliberate, but even though these create zero karma, we still want to feel sincerely sorry for any way in which we have ever hurt ourselves or anyone else. This takes an attitude of humility and realistic assessment.
We also must be completely honest. If we ignore, try to hide, our sins, or pretend that they simply do not exist, we are committing an even worse
error-- lying, to ourselves, and perhaps, to others.
Still, let us recognize that "sin" is not a commitment to "evil." It is more like a "processing error" in cybertech. The ancient Greek word used in the Christian Scriptures verifies this. It is a word from archery, and means "missing the target." Archers do not miss a target because they are "bad" or "evil," but because of imperfection; they are truly trying to hit the bull's eye. So, "sin" is error or mistake, not voluntary rebellion against the good. When a computer or other cyberdevice makes an error, we do not sledge-hammer it into bits and then toss it away! No, instead, we use reason and patience, and seek to repair it; computers are worth a lot!
You are worth a zillion times as much as any cyberdevice. God treasures you infinitely. That is why it is His pleasure and delight to forgive.
There is no sin greater than the Power of God's grace to forgive; to suggest that there is, is simple and sheer blasphemy! We see this unlimited forgiveness all the time in the ministry of Jesus. While the selfrighteous and religious people looked down snobbishly on "sinners," Jesus ate and drank with them on a regular enough basis that it became a scandal. And he often forgave a person on the spot! One woman whom he forgave instantly was even caught in the act of fornication! Now, as sins go, this is quite a serious one, and it has always received special attention and consideration from the old men who judged. (They needed to get lives!:)
Jesus' attitude was one of infinite and unlimited forgiveness. He told us to imitate God, and to forgive our brother "seventy times seven"-- a number that, numerologically, represents the unlimited state of infinity.
Our forgiveness should have no limits. For, he warned, we are forgiven only as we forgive others. (Mt. 6:12) He prophesied, in fact, that all sins, no matter how serious, would be forgiven. (Mk. 3:28).
So, if we are repentant, the Lord of Love joyfully releases us from the terrible bondage to sin. "Sin" is any action that deliberately harms any living creature, including yourself. The only attitude of a kind, good, just person is "repentance," or sorrowful regret and remorse for any sin.
Free and enlightened people do not believe in guilt, which is simple selftorment, a selfcreated hellstate. It is the service of fear, Love's conceptual opposite; so it is the service to the lower nature. But we do believe in the wisdom of repentance. (If the repentance is genuine, it will include not only remorse, but recompense; we must do all that we can to "undo" whatever damage that we have done.)
*******
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Karma and Grace
*******
The dance between karma and grace is a complex one. Every sentient
(selfaware) creature that exists, on this and every other planet, already exists in perfect grace (forgiveness from God or Love). But creatures vary in their capacities to receive grace. Just as a man can starve within a few meters of food, if he does not know that it is there, so our ignorance of grace can serve as an effective block to its reception. The problem is not in the food, but in the mind. (It is ignorance.)
So, although everyone exists in one hundred percent grace (forgiveness, zero karma), karma teaches us how to grow into this realization. So, one might live as if she were only in twenty percent, another fifty percent, grace. They are so limited by only their minds, not by grace, for grace is unlimited. And, as Jesus said, God does not give the Spirit "by measure." God gives one hundred percent of the Spirit to everyone who requests It.
And karma is not a mindless boomerang. There is another kind of karma, called selective karma, which the Soulmind might choose voluntarily in order to accelerate natural growth. A plethora of saintmystics and even masterteachers have suffered various body-limitations, for example, in this kind of karma.
The "boomerang" karma (reflective of previous behaviors) is completely, totally, absolutely erased and deleted by grace. But the elective karma still remains, for it was voluntarily chosen by the Soulmind before incarnation. But this kind of karma is extremely rare, and most people are still suffering, in ignorance, from the "usual," reflective, karma.
God's perspective is grace. Early Christians used the phrase, "All our sins are forgiven," and this was the exact same phrase used by Jesus.
This is an intrinsic or inherent aspect of reality ("truth").
But each Soul (deep part of the Unconscious) must go through spacetime often enough, and long enough, to allow the realization of this grace fully to flower within the heart of Light.
*******
The dance between karma and grace is a complex one. Every sentient
(selfaware) creature that exists, on this and every other planet, already exists in perfect grace (forgiveness from God or Love). But creatures vary in their capacities to receive grace. Just as a man can starve within a few meters of food, if he does not know that it is there, so our ignorance of grace can serve as an effective block to its reception. The problem is not in the food, but in the mind. (It is ignorance.)
So, although everyone exists in one hundred percent grace (forgiveness, zero karma), karma teaches us how to grow into this realization. So, one might live as if she were only in twenty percent, another fifty percent, grace. They are so limited by only their minds, not by grace, for grace is unlimited. And, as Jesus said, God does not give the Spirit "by measure." God gives one hundred percent of the Spirit to everyone who requests It.
And karma is not a mindless boomerang. There is another kind of karma, called selective karma, which the Soulmind might choose voluntarily in order to accelerate natural growth. A plethora of saintmystics and even masterteachers have suffered various body-limitations, for example, in this kind of karma.
The "boomerang" karma (reflective of previous behaviors) is completely, totally, absolutely erased and deleted by grace. But the elective karma still remains, for it was voluntarily chosen by the Soulmind before incarnation. But this kind of karma is extremely rare, and most people are still suffering, in ignorance, from the "usual," reflective, karma.
God's perspective is grace. Early Christians used the phrase, "All our sins are forgiven," and this was the exact same phrase used by Jesus.
This is an intrinsic or inherent aspect of reality ("truth").
But each Soul (deep part of the Unconscious) must go through spacetime often enough, and long enough, to allow the realization of this grace fully to flower within the heart of Light.
*******
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
The Sermon on the Mount, Part XXII and XXIII of XL
The Sermon on the Mount, Part XXII of XL
*******
TEXT: Continuing with Matthew 6:
COMMENTARY: As in the previous commentary, Jesus tells us what is acceptable to the deepest spiritual Mind of God, deep within our own minds (Unconscious). He shows that prayer should never be about what you want. Instead, a good prayer should be about God (Love): "Our Father… hallowed be Thy name." In ancient writings, "name" often meant identity.
Since to "hallow" is to "make holy," we should begin our prayers with the wish that God (Love) be the holy Center of our thoughts, actions, and words. His identity is more important than yours or mine; and the way that we can best "hallow" the divine identity is by joining it, in mystical Union: We want to become the very incarnations of Love, so that we can say, with Jesus, as his younger siblings, "The Father and I are one." (Jn. 10:30).
The Sermon on the Mount, Part XXIII of XL
***
TEXT:
COMMENTARY: The symmetry of the Law of karma is here clearly stated. Why does this symmetricity even exist? Because it is the same mind that forgives both the self and others. So, if you forgive others, the same "interior Judge" will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive, you cannot and will not receive forgiveness. This is another one of those "scary" warnings about karma: You cannot escape it! You can only work to transform bad or painful karma into good and rewarding karma! This is a key to liberation.
*******
*******
TEXT: Continuing with Matthew 6:
9. Pray then like this: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread; 12 And forgive us our debts, As we also have forgiven our debtors; 13 And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil.
COMMENTARY: As in the previous commentary, Jesus tells us what is acceptable to the deepest spiritual Mind of God, deep within our own minds (Unconscious). He shows that prayer should never be about what you want. Instead, a good prayer should be about God (Love): "Our Father… hallowed be Thy name." In ancient writings, "name" often meant identity.
Since to "hallow" is to "make holy," we should begin our prayers with the wish that God (Love) be the holy Center of our thoughts, actions, and words. His identity is more important than yours or mine; and the way that we can best "hallow" the divine identity is by joining it, in mystical Union: We want to become the very incarnations of Love, so that we can say, with Jesus, as his younger siblings, "The Father and I are one." (Jn. 10:30).
The Sermon on the Mount, Part XXIII of XL
***
TEXT:
14. For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; 15 but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
COMMENTARY: The symmetry of the Law of karma is here clearly stated. Why does this symmetricity even exist? Because it is the same mind that forgives both the self and others. So, if you forgive others, the same "interior Judge" will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive, you cannot and will not receive forgiveness. This is another one of those "scary" warnings about karma: You cannot escape it! You can only work to transform bad or painful karma into good and rewarding karma! This is a key to liberation.
*******
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Selforgiveness
*******
All genuine selforgiveness begins with the deep realization that we, as individual egos, are not "important" enough, in this vast universe, for our "sins" to matter tremendously, except to the design of our future karma. If the ego is not "that important," neither can any of its errors be.
This is why God, through Jesus, comes across as eager to forgive, and He does so quite easily. He forgives, on the spot, even "very serious" sins. It is, in fact, blasphemy even to suggest that there can exist any "sin" greater than God's Love, Her ability to forgive. Realizing that God forgives us universally, and wanting to imitate God in our poor humanway, demands selforgiveness.
*******
All genuine selforgiveness begins with the deep realization that we, as individual egos, are not "important" enough, in this vast universe, for our "sins" to matter tremendously, except to the design of our future karma. If the ego is not "that important," neither can any of its errors be.
This is why God, through Jesus, comes across as eager to forgive, and He does so quite easily. He forgives, on the spot, even "very serious" sins. It is, in fact, blasphemy even to suggest that there can exist any "sin" greater than God's Love, Her ability to forgive. Realizing that God forgives us universally, and wanting to imitate God in our poor humanway, demands selforgiveness.
*******
Sunday, February 03, 2008
The Sermon on the Mount, Part VIII of XL
*******
TEXT: Continuing with Matthew 5: 21.
COMMENTARY: This is yet another, rather dramatic, reference to
karma-- this time, in its more hellish forms. Insulting others, creating personal scandal or libel, is a very serious error ("sin"). It leads to some heavy-duty karma. Jesus says that it is analogous to even murder!
Instead, we are supposed to forgive each other of errors and mistakes.
This means to behave as if they never happened! This frees us from some scary karma!
TEXT:
COMMENTARY: Worship ("altar") is ineffective if we are not at peace with other human beings. Performing ceremonies of worship is unacceptable as long as we do not have peace with other human beings.
Worship is sullied, contaminated, and polluted by this absence of peace.
*****
TEXT: Continuing with Matthew 5: 21.
"You have heard that it was said to the men of old, 'You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.' 22 But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be liable to the hell of fire.
COMMENTARY: This is yet another, rather dramatic, reference to
karma-- this time, in its more hellish forms. Insulting others, creating personal scandal or libel, is a very serious error ("sin"). It leads to some heavy-duty karma. Jesus says that it is analogous to even murder!
Instead, we are supposed to forgive each other of errors and mistakes.
This means to behave as if they never happened! This frees us from some scary karma!
TEXT:
23. So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
COMMENTARY: Worship ("altar") is ineffective if we are not at peace with other human beings. Performing ceremonies of worship is unacceptable as long as we do not have peace with other human beings.
Worship is sullied, contaminated, and polluted by this absence of peace.
*****
Sunday, October 21, 2007
When Life is "No Fun"
*******
Many activities, people, events, and even things can contribute to joy. But nothing can "make us happy" if we are subconsciously "refusing delivery" on joy, if we reject it. Psychologists have even described a very serious condition called "anhedonia." This is the catastrophic, tragic inability to enjoy anything.
There can be several contributing factors to the inability to enjoy events, things, and people. If we seriously ignore our spiritual needs-- never read anything spiritual, never meditate, never practice Love or compassion, that can and will lead to anhedonia. So, continually be reaching out to others, multiplying friends and acquaintances! The only way to "love God" is by loving people!
But there is another, related, cause of which people rarely think. This is the absence of forgiveness. For forgiveness is the interior "door to joy" in our hearts. Forgiveness is the factor that allows joy to be planted within the heartmind, and to grow, and to thrive.
So, if we are failing, or refusing (out of pride) to forgive anyone, we are cutting way back on our internal joy. In fact, we are helping to create depression-- in its most serious case, anhedonia.
This is an act of ignorance and real selfhatred. So, the heartmind punishes itself by creating interior "hellstates"-- conditions of agony, suffering, and pain-- when we refuse to forgive ourselves or others.
What can we do? One thing that can be done immediately: Take an honest and thorough interior inventory. Scan and search through the "records" of your memory. If you have found that there is someone from your past that you have never forgiven, immediately email or phone that person, and make sincere, honest peace with her/him.
This will have an immediate and palpable healing effect on both your body and your mind. It will make you feel renewed, refreshed, and rejuvenated! So, don't think about it too long, and do not put it on a "back shelf" in your head! Do it now! You will be very glad that you did!
*******
Many activities, people, events, and even things can contribute to joy. But nothing can "make us happy" if we are subconsciously "refusing delivery" on joy, if we reject it. Psychologists have even described a very serious condition called "anhedonia." This is the catastrophic, tragic inability to enjoy anything.
There can be several contributing factors to the inability to enjoy events, things, and people. If we seriously ignore our spiritual needs-- never read anything spiritual, never meditate, never practice Love or compassion, that can and will lead to anhedonia. So, continually be reaching out to others, multiplying friends and acquaintances! The only way to "love God" is by loving people!
But there is another, related, cause of which people rarely think. This is the absence of forgiveness. For forgiveness is the interior "door to joy" in our hearts. Forgiveness is the factor that allows joy to be planted within the heartmind, and to grow, and to thrive.
So, if we are failing, or refusing (out of pride) to forgive anyone, we are cutting way back on our internal joy. In fact, we are helping to create depression-- in its most serious case, anhedonia.
This is an act of ignorance and real selfhatred. So, the heartmind punishes itself by creating interior "hellstates"-- conditions of agony, suffering, and pain-- when we refuse to forgive ourselves or others.
What can we do? One thing that can be done immediately: Take an honest and thorough interior inventory. Scan and search through the "records" of your memory. If you have found that there is someone from your past that you have never forgiven, immediately email or phone that person, and make sincere, honest peace with her/him.
This will have an immediate and palpable healing effect on both your body and your mind. It will make you feel renewed, refreshed, and rejuvenated! So, don't think about it too long, and do not put it on a "back shelf" in your head! Do it now! You will be very glad that you did!
*******
Sunday, September 09, 2007
"Sin" and Forgiveness
*******
"Sin" is the Greek word amartyrian in the ancient writings of the Christian Scriptures. This is a word borrowed from archery, and means "missing a target."
When an archer misses a target, she does not do this out of evil or rebellion. She does it because she is imperfect. She is truly trying to hit the "target" (in this case, obedience to Love), but misses because of human limitations.
The ancient Christians chose this word very carefully, for it was their intent to show that "sin" is not deliberate, voluntary evil. It is not rebellion against God. Instead, it is clearly inability that manifests itself when one is trying, with all one's mind, heart, and power, to do the right thing, but fails-- often seriously, or miserably.
Jesus very easily and readily forgave sins "on the spot." He did not hesitate, for he knew that "sin"-- including some very serious sins of a sexual nature-- were the results, not of evil, but of universal human imperfections. He also commanded us to forgive each other "seventy times seven" times-- a number that, symbolically, represents an infinite, unlimited forgiveness.
He also said, "As you forgive others,your Father will forgive you. But as you refuse to forgive others, your Father will refuse to forgive you." (Mt. 6:12) Why? Because the very same mind is forgiving both the self and others. This is your own deep Unconscious.
We obtain forgiveness, not by being "perfect," flawless, or stainless, but by forgiving others. Each of us needs this, for, no matter how carefully and wisely we live, we are all "sinners." This need for forgiveness is a lesson in humility.
Jewish mystics taught that a person forgiven was more deeply spiritual (loving) than a person who felt that she did not "need" forgiveness.
Jesus might have agreed.
Bottomline: We all need forgiveness of sins; and the only way to get it is to give it to others: As we judge, we are judged. (Mt. 7:1)
Let us, then, follow Jesus and give abundantly a limitless ocean of forgiveness. For each act of forgiveness is also an act of being forgiven-- erasing old karma.
Sin is error, mistake, processing error, and not evil. If we keep this principle in mind and heart, this will make forgiveness the easy and natural response to our imperfect, ignorant, limited sisters and brothers. For forgiveness is Love.
*******
"Sin" is the Greek word amartyrian in the ancient writings of the Christian Scriptures. This is a word borrowed from archery, and means "missing a target."
When an archer misses a target, she does not do this out of evil or rebellion. She does it because she is imperfect. She is truly trying to hit the "target" (in this case, obedience to Love), but misses because of human limitations.
The ancient Christians chose this word very carefully, for it was their intent to show that "sin" is not deliberate, voluntary evil. It is not rebellion against God. Instead, it is clearly inability that manifests itself when one is trying, with all one's mind, heart, and power, to do the right thing, but fails-- often seriously, or miserably.
Jesus very easily and readily forgave sins "on the spot." He did not hesitate, for he knew that "sin"-- including some very serious sins of a sexual nature-- were the results, not of evil, but of universal human imperfections. He also commanded us to forgive each other "seventy times seven" times-- a number that, symbolically, represents an infinite, unlimited forgiveness.
He also said, "As you forgive others,your Father will forgive you. But as you refuse to forgive others, your Father will refuse to forgive you." (Mt. 6:12) Why? Because the very same mind is forgiving both the self and others. This is your own deep Unconscious.
We obtain forgiveness, not by being "perfect," flawless, or stainless, but by forgiving others. Each of us needs this, for, no matter how carefully and wisely we live, we are all "sinners." This need for forgiveness is a lesson in humility.
Jewish mystics taught that a person forgiven was more deeply spiritual (loving) than a person who felt that she did not "need" forgiveness.
Jesus might have agreed.
Bottomline: We all need forgiveness of sins; and the only way to get it is to give it to others: As we judge, we are judged. (Mt. 7:1)
Let us, then, follow Jesus and give abundantly a limitless ocean of forgiveness. For each act of forgiveness is also an act of being forgiven-- erasing old karma.
Sin is error, mistake, processing error, and not evil. If we keep this principle in mind and heart, this will make forgiveness the easy and natural response to our imperfect, ignorant, limited sisters and brothers. For forgiveness is Love.
*******
Sunday, July 15, 2007
The "Moral Code" of Love
*******
When it comes to a "moral code," people often forget that "moral" simply means "good." So, a moral code is a set of guidelines or regulations that increase the goodness in our lives.
The very highest moral code in history is to follow the Way of Love.
For example, in sexual matters-- which are the ones that people think of first when considering "morality"-- the Way offers several valid guidelines:
It supports ahimsa. This means that we are prohibited absolutely from voluntarily harming any person at any time, for any reason. We must not harm others emotionally. So, we must stand behind fidelity and faithfulness in marriage, for this is a commitment to God and to human beings. Since sexual promiscuity harms many people-- whole families, if not communities, in many ways-- it is not allowed under the guidelines of the highest morality. Also, since it might produce unwanted kids, which would seriously harm and damage them, careless or promiscuous sexual intercourse is flatly prohibited. So are "recreational" or "casual" sex, because sexual interaction must remain a manifestation of true Love with commitment. Any attitude but the sacred cheapens sexuality. It must remain a high form of worship. Thus, it must be Love.
In other life-matters, the Way of Love recommends that every day, we do something real to help or aid others. This might be teaching, if that is our calling or gift. But it must also express in giving economic aid to the poor, aiding the sick or challenged, and generally, extending a helping hand. In a world such as ours, there are millions of opportunities each and every day.
The Way recommends kindness towards all, and goodness, honesty, generosity, fairness, compassion, and the expressions of tenderness, mercy, and forgiveness. We must be gentle towards all. A being of Love will never use offensive violence. That is, she will never attack; but she might have to use defensive violence if attacked.
To sum up the Way: Love everyone, serve everyone, and forgive everyone.
*******
When it comes to a "moral code," people often forget that "moral" simply means "good." So, a moral code is a set of guidelines or regulations that increase the goodness in our lives.
The very highest moral code in history is to follow the Way of Love.
For example, in sexual matters-- which are the ones that people think of first when considering "morality"-- the Way offers several valid guidelines:
It supports ahimsa. This means that we are prohibited absolutely from voluntarily harming any person at any time, for any reason. We must not harm others emotionally. So, we must stand behind fidelity and faithfulness in marriage, for this is a commitment to God and to human beings. Since sexual promiscuity harms many people-- whole families, if not communities, in many ways-- it is not allowed under the guidelines of the highest morality. Also, since it might produce unwanted kids, which would seriously harm and damage them, careless or promiscuous sexual intercourse is flatly prohibited. So are "recreational" or "casual" sex, because sexual interaction must remain a manifestation of true Love with commitment. Any attitude but the sacred cheapens sexuality. It must remain a high form of worship. Thus, it must be Love.
In other life-matters, the Way of Love recommends that every day, we do something real to help or aid others. This might be teaching, if that is our calling or gift. But it must also express in giving economic aid to the poor, aiding the sick or challenged, and generally, extending a helping hand. In a world such as ours, there are millions of opportunities each and every day.
The Way recommends kindness towards all, and goodness, honesty, generosity, fairness, compassion, and the expressions of tenderness, mercy, and forgiveness. We must be gentle towards all. A being of Love will never use offensive violence. That is, she will never attack; but she might have to use defensive violence if attacked.
To sum up the Way: Love everyone, serve everyone, and forgive everyone.
*******
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Repentance
*******
Repentance-- remorse and recompense for errors-- is a part of the whole "package" of Love. Love includes repentance, and so, it is not a separate pursuit.
We have all made many mistakes. Earth is a place designed to make errors. That is one of the most effective ways to grow and to learn. Just as when you are teaching a person math or a foreign language, she makes many mistakes. But we do not become outraged, we do not beat her over the head with a ballbat. Instead, we gently correct her, and patiently remind her of the correct answers.
God is a billion times more loving, patient, and reasonable than any of us. So, God does not murder people, or torture people, for having made mistakes. Jesus' attitude towards sin was scandalous to the "righteous" and "religious" leaders of his day, because he was so tender, so kind, so loving. He lived and acted as if souls were more important than errors. He forgave instantly, on the spot. He even dared say, "All your sins are forgiven.".
He was right: The Soul is more important than any mistake a person might make. Very religious people often get this wrong, and the mistake, the "sin," becomes more important than compassion. They want punishment for the sinner, not learning or growth for her. This is an evil and unloving attitude.
Why do we here equate "sin" with error? Is not "sin" a deliberate rebellion against God? No, it is not. The Greek word used for "sin" in the Christian Scriptures was a term borrowed from archery, and meant "missing the mark." When an archer aims at a target, and misses, she does not do this deliberately. She is honestly doing her best to hit the bull's eye, but she misses because she is imperfect. This is error, not deliberate evil.
That is why this term was chosen by the ancient Christians. They wanted to give the message that sin was not deliberate evil, but error. Is there really any such thing as deliberate sinfulness? Yes,there is; but most "sin" is simply error: You honestly try to do your best, like the archer, but you miss the target.
Because we all screw up in many ways, many times, the universal Mind of Love (God) is pervaded by an infinite (endless) supply of forgiveness. For it is God's will that everyone find life and happiness, and a person bound to a practice of "sin" has become its slave; she knows no freedom. To be a slave is to be unfree, and Jesus said, "The truth [Reality] will make you free." (Jn.8:32)
Because we all sin, when we begin to love God, self, and other creatures, naturally we encounter sorrow due to these imperfections. This is not pathological, but completely normal and natural. It is natural repentance, and Love and repentance always come as a set, like salt and pepper, or two bookends. For one is incomplete without the other.
A healthy person is not always berating herself for her sins. For, once she has carefully studied them, and learned everything that she can from them, she then practices selforgiveness. It is then time to be gentle, merciful, and compassionate with the self as you try to be with others.
Jesus said to forgive "seventy times seven," a number that, in numerological symbolism, represents infinity. For in the healthy mind, there are no limits to the quantity or quality of genuine forgiveness. God has an unending supply; as we grow closer to Her Mind, we also become infinite in our forgiveness-capacity. When a person does not forgive, the only one who suffers is the one who refuses to forgive.
In summary, repentance is a great quality of the enlightened person. It is a genuine reflection of humility-- the very opposite of pretending to be "perfect" or "flawless"-- a stupid game played by only the foolish and unwise.
*******
Repentance-- remorse and recompense for errors-- is a part of the whole "package" of Love. Love includes repentance, and so, it is not a separate pursuit.
We have all made many mistakes. Earth is a place designed to make errors. That is one of the most effective ways to grow and to learn. Just as when you are teaching a person math or a foreign language, she makes many mistakes. But we do not become outraged, we do not beat her over the head with a ballbat. Instead, we gently correct her, and patiently remind her of the correct answers.
God is a billion times more loving, patient, and reasonable than any of us. So, God does not murder people, or torture people, for having made mistakes. Jesus' attitude towards sin was scandalous to the "righteous" and "religious" leaders of his day, because he was so tender, so kind, so loving. He lived and acted as if souls were more important than errors. He forgave instantly, on the spot. He even dared say, "All your sins are forgiven.".
He was right: The Soul is more important than any mistake a person might make. Very religious people often get this wrong, and the mistake, the "sin," becomes more important than compassion. They want punishment for the sinner, not learning or growth for her. This is an evil and unloving attitude.
Why do we here equate "sin" with error? Is not "sin" a deliberate rebellion against God? No, it is not. The Greek word used for "sin" in the Christian Scriptures was a term borrowed from archery, and meant "missing the mark." When an archer aims at a target, and misses, she does not do this deliberately. She is honestly doing her best to hit the bull's eye, but she misses because she is imperfect. This is error, not deliberate evil.
That is why this term was chosen by the ancient Christians. They wanted to give the message that sin was not deliberate evil, but error. Is there really any such thing as deliberate sinfulness? Yes,there is; but most "sin" is simply error: You honestly try to do your best, like the archer, but you miss the target.
Because we all screw up in many ways, many times, the universal Mind of Love (God) is pervaded by an infinite (endless) supply of forgiveness. For it is God's will that everyone find life and happiness, and a person bound to a practice of "sin" has become its slave; she knows no freedom. To be a slave is to be unfree, and Jesus said, "The truth [Reality] will make you free." (Jn.8:32)
Because we all sin, when we begin to love God, self, and other creatures, naturally we encounter sorrow due to these imperfections. This is not pathological, but completely normal and natural. It is natural repentance, and Love and repentance always come as a set, like salt and pepper, or two bookends. For one is incomplete without the other.
A healthy person is not always berating herself for her sins. For, once she has carefully studied them, and learned everything that she can from them, she then practices selforgiveness. It is then time to be gentle, merciful, and compassionate with the self as you try to be with others.
Jesus said to forgive "seventy times seven," a number that, in numerological symbolism, represents infinity. For in the healthy mind, there are no limits to the quantity or quality of genuine forgiveness. God has an unending supply; as we grow closer to Her Mind, we also become infinite in our forgiveness-capacity. When a person does not forgive, the only one who suffers is the one who refuses to forgive.
In summary, repentance is a great quality of the enlightened person. It is a genuine reflection of humility-- the very opposite of pretending to be "perfect" or "flawless"-- a stupid game played by only the foolish and unwise.
*******
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Salvation and Love
*******
We all always need to be "saved"-- from ignorance and arrogance, as early gnostic Christians pointed out, and from the falsehoods and dangers of the lower nature (the humanimal mind and the animal mind).
The "quickest and easiest" Way to salvation is through Love-- through Love-immersion. This means that we think almost continuously about Love and its many flowers or "fruits," such as kindness, reason, goodness, generosity, and wisdom. We must never forget the poor and the disadvantaged among us. When we can afford it, we even give money to those who need it. We can do this through recognized charities, but, since a high percentage of their funds often goes for administration, often, we are better off just giving to a person whom we know to be in need.
Love is also expressed as tolerance and patience. Recognizing that we do have forever, the humanitarian Lover is not always rushing around, or rushing others. She is a being of patience. Because of her Love, she tolerates diversity-- in lifestyle, sexual preferences, politics, and religion. This does not imply that the person of Love must be indecisive, a wishy-washy type who says that nothing really matters. That is not deep spirituality, but one of its opposites-- apathy or complacency.
The spiritual being might know with solid and total firmness what she believes, and might even share it. But she will do so only educationally; the spiritual being does not make "converts." For God is continually "converting" the heart from within, and conversion is Her job, not that of the human being.
Love, in this kind of world, must be not only relentless, but continuous. We must often try to love the being (Soul) beneath the person (mask). The person might be ignorant, arrogant, and even repulsive. But it is up to the enlightened to see beneath the surface, to see that tiny "spark" of the "sun of God" that dwells within every person. Thus, we can never "damn" anyone, which is the "judgment" prohibited by the Master. (Mt. 7:1)
To love endlessly, tirelessly, universally, consistently, and unconditionally is the Way to salvation. This includes the three subpaths of real spirituality: 1) love everyone, 2) serve everyone, and 3) forgive everyone.
No amount of "Bible-study," no giving of sermons, no Bible-thumping, no "gift of the Spirit" is worth anything without accompanying Love. So, if you had all of these, without Love, they would all be worthless. Joining any particular church or religion is also useless, if it does not create or stimulate Love in the heart. Joining any group that damns others is sin. But if you have Love alone, without any of these, you are blessed beyond imagining. (Compare the "Canticle of Love," in First Corinthians,
chapter 13.)
Some preachers and ministers do not know this, and so, they emphasize the wrong things-- actions that eclipse Love in the heart. We must be careful never to become followers of incompetent and ignorant human beings. Why should we? For we have the Master of Love, living entirely in each and every heart.
*******
We all always need to be "saved"-- from ignorance and arrogance, as early gnostic Christians pointed out, and from the falsehoods and dangers of the lower nature (the humanimal mind and the animal mind).
The "quickest and easiest" Way to salvation is through Love-- through Love-immersion. This means that we think almost continuously about Love and its many flowers or "fruits," such as kindness, reason, goodness, generosity, and wisdom. We must never forget the poor and the disadvantaged among us. When we can afford it, we even give money to those who need it. We can do this through recognized charities, but, since a high percentage of their funds often goes for administration, often, we are better off just giving to a person whom we know to be in need.
Love is also expressed as tolerance and patience. Recognizing that we do have forever, the humanitarian Lover is not always rushing around, or rushing others. She is a being of patience. Because of her Love, she tolerates diversity-- in lifestyle, sexual preferences, politics, and religion. This does not imply that the person of Love must be indecisive, a wishy-washy type who says that nothing really matters. That is not deep spirituality, but one of its opposites-- apathy or complacency.
The spiritual being might know with solid and total firmness what she believes, and might even share it. But she will do so only educationally; the spiritual being does not make "converts." For God is continually "converting" the heart from within, and conversion is Her job, not that of the human being.
Love, in this kind of world, must be not only relentless, but continuous. We must often try to love the being (Soul) beneath the person (mask). The person might be ignorant, arrogant, and even repulsive. But it is up to the enlightened to see beneath the surface, to see that tiny "spark" of the "sun of God" that dwells within every person. Thus, we can never "damn" anyone, which is the "judgment" prohibited by the Master. (Mt. 7:1)
To love endlessly, tirelessly, universally, consistently, and unconditionally is the Way to salvation. This includes the three subpaths of real spirituality: 1) love everyone, 2) serve everyone, and 3) forgive everyone.
No amount of "Bible-study," no giving of sermons, no Bible-thumping, no "gift of the Spirit" is worth anything without accompanying Love. So, if you had all of these, without Love, they would all be worthless. Joining any particular church or religion is also useless, if it does not create or stimulate Love in the heart. Joining any group that damns others is sin. But if you have Love alone, without any of these, you are blessed beyond imagining. (Compare the "Canticle of Love," in First Corinthians,
chapter 13.)
Some preachers and ministers do not know this, and so, they emphasize the wrong things-- actions that eclipse Love in the heart. We must be careful never to become followers of incompetent and ignorant human beings. Why should we? For we have the Master of Love, living entirely in each and every heart.
*******
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Cults, Learning About, and Knowing, God
*******
This poor world contains a delicious, and very rich, potpourri, or smorgasbord, of spirituality. Members of certain cults or guru-groups are not the only people who have struggled valiantly and honestly to live lives of honor, peace, joy, and Love. Indeed, for many, the laws of human leaders and gurus (often in cults) are more important than even the immeasurable Love and grace of God. Through the centuries, many people have honestly striven to know God personally and directly, and they had not been cult-members. (Indeed, there were thousands if not millions of God-loving men and women before these cults came along.) The facile and shallow argument that Biblical characters were "really" cult-members in their hearts does not at all stand up to historical scrutiny. The older writers of the Scriptures were Jews, and the more recent ones Christians, but the name of a cult is not found a single time in the entire Bible.
Neither is the word "organization" found anywhere in the actual Scriptures. For it was simply not important enough ever to be mentioned.
I believe that God is Love, and that learning to love yourself and others is the only Way to please God and to find true fulfillment and satisfaction. I believe that God does not really care exactly what micro-doctrines you believe (since no one knows everything), but God, as living Love, does care how you behave and treat others. Orthodox Christians somehow came up with the odd idea that what you believe, rather than how you live, can "make" you a Christian, but Jesus denied this, saying that Love alone would mark his true followers. (Compare Jn. 13:35) So, in history, we have many people who "believed the right things" about Jesus, God, and the Bible, but were murderers, rapists, thieves, and liars.
So now, the personal spiritual path is "Love plus nothing." This reflects the simplicity and compassion (including non-judgment and forgiveness) taught by Jesus. And it is very easy, reflecting again his declaration that his "load is easy and My burden light."
All the religions in the world, so often filled with anti-spiritual pride, probably do not know a thimble-full about the infinite God of the cosmos, who is vaster and more beautiful than the galaxies. So, their pride in doctrine actually reflects a kind of foolishness or intellectual limitation. And nowhere do the Scriptures command us to understand God, but only to love Him, in the same manner that we learn to love human beings and other creatures.
God can be known, but not by the jigsaw piecing together of separate data. He can be known only by the moving, touching experience of Love.
Knowing that "God is Love," it is only reasonable that the ancient texts are implying the "radical" but enjoyable idea that we should worship Love in its most universal form. This has nothing to do with sexual activity (the way a fundycult-member would likely interpret it), but has everything to do with selfesteem, selfrespect, and compassion, respect, and tolerance for, and goodness and kindness towards, other people and other creatures. For God lives in and through them all.
*******
This poor world contains a delicious, and very rich, potpourri, or smorgasbord, of spirituality. Members of certain cults or guru-groups are not the only people who have struggled valiantly and honestly to live lives of honor, peace, joy, and Love. Indeed, for many, the laws of human leaders and gurus (often in cults) are more important than even the immeasurable Love and grace of God. Through the centuries, many people have honestly striven to know God personally and directly, and they had not been cult-members. (Indeed, there were thousands if not millions of God-loving men and women before these cults came along.) The facile and shallow argument that Biblical characters were "really" cult-members in their hearts does not at all stand up to historical scrutiny. The older writers of the Scriptures were Jews, and the more recent ones Christians, but the name of a cult is not found a single time in the entire Bible.
Neither is the word "organization" found anywhere in the actual Scriptures. For it was simply not important enough ever to be mentioned.
I believe that God is Love, and that learning to love yourself and others is the only Way to please God and to find true fulfillment and satisfaction. I believe that God does not really care exactly what micro-doctrines you believe (since no one knows everything), but God, as living Love, does care how you behave and treat others. Orthodox Christians somehow came up with the odd idea that what you believe, rather than how you live, can "make" you a Christian, but Jesus denied this, saying that Love alone would mark his true followers. (Compare Jn. 13:35) So, in history, we have many people who "believed the right things" about Jesus, God, and the Bible, but were murderers, rapists, thieves, and liars.
So now, the personal spiritual path is "Love plus nothing." This reflects the simplicity and compassion (including non-judgment and forgiveness) taught by Jesus. And it is very easy, reflecting again his declaration that his "load is easy and My burden light."
All the religions in the world, so often filled with anti-spiritual pride, probably do not know a thimble-full about the infinite God of the cosmos, who is vaster and more beautiful than the galaxies. So, their pride in doctrine actually reflects a kind of foolishness or intellectual limitation. And nowhere do the Scriptures command us to understand God, but only to love Him, in the same manner that we learn to love human beings and other creatures.
God can be known, but not by the jigsaw piecing together of separate data. He can be known only by the moving, touching experience of Love.
Knowing that "God is Love," it is only reasonable that the ancient texts are implying the "radical" but enjoyable idea that we should worship Love in its most universal form. This has nothing to do with sexual activity (the way a fundycult-member would likely interpret it), but has everything to do with selfesteem, selfrespect, and compassion, respect, and tolerance for, and goodness and kindness towards, other people and other creatures. For God lives in and through them all.
*******
Sunday, March 18, 2007
The "Dangerous" Teaching of Grace
*******
The text about which you ask is one of my favorites. It is John 12:32, where Jesus said, "If I be lifted up, I shall draw all unto myself."
In the ancient Greek, the phrase "all" is a rendition of pantou anthropou, and means literally "all men," or "all people." This is one of several Christian Greek Scriptural ("New Testament") texts that imply the universality of salvation. So, with some Christians, it is not very popular or beloved.
Salvation, the Scriptures make absolutely clear, does not come to us because we are "better" than others, because we work harder, or because we know more. No, all salvation has only one single Source, and that is the free gift of grace. This comes from the non-judgmental heart of God. Jesus said, "The Father judges no one."
We are saved from the lower nature, from pain, ignorance, hatred, and even death by this great and unlimited gift. Over and over, the Scriptural texts of the Christians use the Greek word charis ("grace") to refer to this enormous and immense gift. This gift originates, not with our behavior, or even our choice, but is rooted solidly, and exclusively, in the horizonless Love of God.
So, as with many deep questions, we are forced yet again into the great pleasure of examining the Love of God. First and foremost, we must ask whether this Love is limited or unlimited.
I think that you will be happy to agree with me, and with the Scriptures, that God's Love is unlimited. In fact, It is so illimitable that a "limit" on Love is a "limit" to God. This makes God a twisted, distorted limited thing; and It is no longer God, by simple definition. For, because "God is Love," this Love must be also unlimited, since a "limited God" is an oxymoron, a contradiction in terms. God must forever be
recognized as both unlimited and illimitable.
But can it ever be fair that Jesus draws unto Himself "all men"? Yes, it can be fair if not all people are drawn at the same time. Jesus himself illustrated the situation in a parable like this:
A rich man agreed to hire people to work in a field for one hundred dollars a day. People came to him all during the day-- some came at 9 am, others at noon, others not until three, and others not til the very end of the day, at 5 pm.
When he started to pay them, the ones who had come early were delighted and excited to see the "five-o'clockers" get a hundred bucks. For, they thought, we shall certainly get a lot more, since we began the day much earlier. But when they were paid, they grumbled and complained, since they received only a hundred dollars.
Early in the day, they were thrilled, because a hundred dollars was pretty good money; but they felt ripped off now, because the employer paid them now "only" a hundred dollars! But Jesus pointed out that the man had been fair and just: He had promised a hundred dollars, and he had given a hundred dollars.
So it is with the kingdom of heaven: God gives the same grace to everyone, whether she was enlightened a thousand years ago, or just this morning. God has promised grace (including total forgiveness) to all, and He gives it freely and equally to all. Some, especially super-religious types, do not have sufficient Love in their hearts. They grumble and complain, despite the wonderful fact that they also are receiving the abundance of God's free gift-- this very same grace.
They do not want God to "pay" all people the same salary; they feel that they deserve more, as they might work harder and longer. But, as Jesus said, the money belongs to the rich man; he can give it to whomever he chooses.
Often, religious types do not just bitch and complain that the later workers are being paid the same amount; they do not want God to "pay" the later workers at all. In fact, they teach that their "god"-- worse than any devil or demon-- wants to torture in horrible agony his own misled children.
For, as noted, perfect grace is also perfect forgiveness. Many do not come to God until very "late in the day," and some have not found a relationship with Him even yet. But God has forever to educate his children, and we also have forever to learn. So, no one is really in a big hurry.
Our challenge is to cultivate a grace-reflecting Love which is like the Love of God. (In fact, all real Love is God living within and through us.) Then, we will welcome with smiles and loving hearts those who turn to God (Love) and receive of his grace, exactly the same as we have received of it.
All salvation comes from grace. This is such a "dangerous" teaching that the cult to which I used to belong, Jehovah's Witnesses, have completely removed the word "grace" from their Bible. It does not appear a single time.
Many religious people want to ignore or even deny the Power of grace. They do not believe that it is fair; but Love goes far, far beyond fairness. The disciple James wrote, "Mercy exults triumphantly over justice."
God does indeed believe in justice, but Love can go much further than
mere justice or fairness. Grace is an undeserved or unearned gift. No
one really "deserves" it. It is the overflow of the galactic Love of the
Supreme heart. And, because it is from God (Love), It misses nothing and
no one.
*******
The text about which you ask is one of my favorites. It is John 12:32, where Jesus said, "If I be lifted up, I shall draw all unto myself."
In the ancient Greek, the phrase "all" is a rendition of pantou anthropou, and means literally "all men," or "all people." This is one of several Christian Greek Scriptural ("New Testament") texts that imply the universality of salvation. So, with some Christians, it is not very popular or beloved.
Salvation, the Scriptures make absolutely clear, does not come to us because we are "better" than others, because we work harder, or because we know more. No, all salvation has only one single Source, and that is the free gift of grace. This comes from the non-judgmental heart of God. Jesus said, "The Father judges no one."
We are saved from the lower nature, from pain, ignorance, hatred, and even death by this great and unlimited gift. Over and over, the Scriptural texts of the Christians use the Greek word charis ("grace") to refer to this enormous and immense gift. This gift originates, not with our behavior, or even our choice, but is rooted solidly, and exclusively, in the horizonless Love of God.
So, as with many deep questions, we are forced yet again into the great pleasure of examining the Love of God. First and foremost, we must ask whether this Love is limited or unlimited.
I think that you will be happy to agree with me, and with the Scriptures, that God's Love is unlimited. In fact, It is so illimitable that a "limit" on Love is a "limit" to God. This makes God a twisted, distorted limited thing; and It is no longer God, by simple definition. For, because "God is Love," this Love must be also unlimited, since a "limited God" is an oxymoron, a contradiction in terms. God must forever be
recognized as both unlimited and illimitable.
But can it ever be fair that Jesus draws unto Himself "all men"? Yes, it can be fair if not all people are drawn at the same time. Jesus himself illustrated the situation in a parable like this:
A rich man agreed to hire people to work in a field for one hundred dollars a day. People came to him all during the day-- some came at 9 am, others at noon, others not until three, and others not til the very end of the day, at 5 pm.
When he started to pay them, the ones who had come early were delighted and excited to see the "five-o'clockers" get a hundred bucks. For, they thought, we shall certainly get a lot more, since we began the day much earlier. But when they were paid, they grumbled and complained, since they received only a hundred dollars.
Early in the day, they were thrilled, because a hundred dollars was pretty good money; but they felt ripped off now, because the employer paid them now "only" a hundred dollars! But Jesus pointed out that the man had been fair and just: He had promised a hundred dollars, and he had given a hundred dollars.
So it is with the kingdom of heaven: God gives the same grace to everyone, whether she was enlightened a thousand years ago, or just this morning. God has promised grace (including total forgiveness) to all, and He gives it freely and equally to all. Some, especially super-religious types, do not have sufficient Love in their hearts. They grumble and complain, despite the wonderful fact that they also are receiving the abundance of God's free gift-- this very same grace.
They do not want God to "pay" all people the same salary; they feel that they deserve more, as they might work harder and longer. But, as Jesus said, the money belongs to the rich man; he can give it to whomever he chooses.
Often, religious types do not just bitch and complain that the later workers are being paid the same amount; they do not want God to "pay" the later workers at all. In fact, they teach that their "god"-- worse than any devil or demon-- wants to torture in horrible agony his own misled children.
For, as noted, perfect grace is also perfect forgiveness. Many do not come to God until very "late in the day," and some have not found a relationship with Him even yet. But God has forever to educate his children, and we also have forever to learn. So, no one is really in a big hurry.
Our challenge is to cultivate a grace-reflecting Love which is like the Love of God. (In fact, all real Love is God living within and through us.) Then, we will welcome with smiles and loving hearts those who turn to God (Love) and receive of his grace, exactly the same as we have received of it.
All salvation comes from grace. This is such a "dangerous" teaching that the cult to which I used to belong, Jehovah's Witnesses, have completely removed the word "grace" from their Bible. It does not appear a single time.
Many religious people want to ignore or even deny the Power of grace. They do not believe that it is fair; but Love goes far, far beyond fairness. The disciple James wrote, "Mercy exults triumphantly over justice."
God does indeed believe in justice, but Love can go much further than
mere justice or fairness. Grace is an undeserved or unearned gift. No
one really "deserves" it. It is the overflow of the galactic Love of the
Supreme heart. And, because it is from God (Love), It misses nothing and
no one.
*******
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