Recognizing the Sacred in Our World – Part Three

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A great read from off the web …. Please take the time.

SPIRITUAL WISDOM: Recognizing the Sacred in Our World by Christopher Chase

 “Wherever you turn, there is the face of God.”     ~The Quran

Every religion, at its core, is based on the idea that our world is a sacred and mystical place, and that each of us is on a spiritual journey, that all life is sacred, and that our entire Universe is a mystical creation.

Below is some of the wisdom common to most of the world’s mystical schools and spiritual traditions. Mystical teachings are at the core of all the great religions. They provide an alternative to hate and fear, to our illusions of separateness, reminding us instead of the beauty, interdependence and sacredness of all life.

Core Ideas of the World’s Spiritual Traditions – 13 – 17beyondthefields

  1. THE DANGER OF PASSING JUDGMENTS~ Related to this idea of good and evil is the human tendency to judge people, to call some things right and others wrong. While it is essential to make judgments about human behavior, this process of judging people frequently puts others out of our hearts, and since everyone is a part of God, it separates us from a part of our spiritual selves. We then start to create mental judgments, expectations and opinions of others (and ourselves) in our minds that are illusions, which do not recognize each soul’s fundamental spiritual wholeness, innocence, interconnectedness, beauty and potential.

Jesus said, “… If one is [whole], one will be filled with light, but if one is divided, one will be filled with darkness.” ~The Gospel of Thomas

  1. THE IMPORTANCE OF ATONEMENT~ As individuals and as nations, human beings often do things that hurt others, causing suffering or pain. All great spiritual traditions emphasize the need for atonement, for recognizing how we have hurt others and taking action to change our ways. Guilt plays a role in helping us to recognize the negative effects of our behavior. Healing occurs as we take responsibility for our “sins” and seek reconciliation with those whom have hurt us, and whom we have harmed. Cycles of pain are ended as we forgive others and recognize our own mistakes.

“Not to mend one’s ways when one has erred is to err indeed.” ~Confucius

  1. DESIRE AND FEAR ARE THE ROOTS OF SUFFERING~ Our human pride, negative emotions and desires are like hooks that keep us trapped in the webs of material reality. The world’s great spiritual paths provide techniques for transcending our desires, releasing anger and conquering our fears. Until we are able to do so, we can never be truly free.

“There is no fire like greed, no crime like hatred, no sorrow like separation, no sickness like hunger of the heart, and no joy like the joy of freedom. Health, contentment and trust are your greatest possessions, and freedom your greatest joy. Look within, be still. Free from fear and attachment, know the sweet joy of living in the way.”     ~The Buddha

  1. THE HEALING POWER OF FAITH AND PRAYER~ There is a healing power that faith and prayer seem to have. Whether it works through unseen spiritual forces, an attitude shift or a boost to the immune system we are becoming aware that what we think, hope and believe has the power to influence the way surrounding events unfold in our lives, and how stress and fear impact upon our bodies and minds. Spiritual faith cultivates a serenity and joy that transforms our hearts, peacefully impacting on the varied spheres of our lives.

“If you do not know the difference between pleasure and spiritual joy, you have not yet begun to live.”    ~Thomas Merton

  1. THE CULTIVATION OF MORAL ETHICS, SELF-DISCIPLINE AND INTEGRITY~ As spiritual beings there are certain codes of behavior and self discipline that help to keep harmony on the earth and in our relations with one another. In order to live in peace we must learn to treat other people with respect and caring, to be truthful and honest, reliable and self-disciplined. We take responsibility for our actions, forgive ourselves (and others) for our mistakes, and seek to develop our selves (both morally and spiritually) as we learn.

“To master ourselves is to arrive Home – at the Center of Being – the Universal Mandala. What we seek we already are.” ~Lama Surya Das

*Stay tuned for part Four, coming soon!

 

Putting FEAR in its place

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Worth reading from off the web –

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“Let me tell you about fear. It’s poison. It’s poison for your mind. It makes you lose control, it makes you freeze, it makes you take the wrong decision. When you let fear take over, you’re just an echo of your former self. An empty shadow and nothing more.

But we’re all afraid, aren’t we? Even the brave are afraid. There’s no such thing as fearless. There’s always something to be afraid of. What will happen, what might happen, what we might lose, what we might never gain.

So… what is there to be had on the other side of fear?

The awful truth about life is that what doesn’t kill often makes you wish it did. There’s great sadness and pain in this world, and we all get our fair share. But, you see, eventually all those things that don’t kill us either make us stronger or weaker. After a while, when pain becomes but a memory, we have a choice.

We can either decide to become stronger or weaker. We can harden ourselves up or not. The choice is always ours.

But we’re afraid… even when the pain goes away, we’re afraid it might return. Even after heartbreaks heal, we’re afraid someone else will break our hearts again. We might never want to fall in love again. We might want to spend a lifetime behind closed doors, just to be sure.

That’s when we need to fight fear, we need to see what is it that we can find on the other side of fear.

All our dreams and expectations. All our ambitions. All the power and the courage and the determination and the discipline we could ever need. All that lies just on the other side of fear.

I’ve always wanted to go to the United States and forge a better future there. Ever since I was six, actually. I never even traveled there, mostly because I was afraid of the visa requirements. Or the fact that I’d fail. I just wanted to fight a sure battle, but no one could ever guarantee me that. No one ever will.

And I’ve filled the ocean that lies between Romania and the US with excuses, endless scenarios, and fear. I’ve thought about it, over and over again, and decided that it would be best to wait. Living in a foreign country, all by myself, seemed like too much. Just the thought that I’d need to go through a lot of trouble just to arrive at my destination seemed impossible.

I’ve never even been on a plane.

But…

There’s one thing about me that I never lost, one thing that I didn’t learn or mimic from others. I want things so badly that I’d be willing to do anything to get them. When I decide that it’s time to do so, I don’t let anything stand in my way.

I did the same for writing. I wrote on and off for 8 years before finally deciding that I’d better man up and write more and more stuff. And finish stuff. And get stuff published.

There are no impossible journeys in life. Only journeys we’re too afraid to even start.

Now I know that life’s all about being afraid and doing it anyways. In fact, fear should motivate me. It should drive me to act, to try my best, to try to solve problems.

I don’t want to spend a lifetime dreaming about an ideal future. I don’t want to wish for it to happen. I want to make it happen. Because no one else will do it for me.

And that makes all the difference.

The world is never against you. The world does not hate you.

You’re just alone. You and your dreams. And it’s entirely up to you to make them happen, one at a time, before it’s too late.

Because the most tragic thing that could ever happen to you is to realize that it’s too late.”

 

by Cristian Mihai

via The other side of fear.