Recognizing the Sacred in Our World – Part Two

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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

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.

21 Core Ideas of the World’s Spiritual Traditions – 6 – 12

  1. RECOGNIZING THE PURPOSE OF SACRIFICE AND PAIN~ The journey of souls in this world is not easy.As long as we are motivated by anger, desire, pride or fear we will be challenged by life, and find ourselves experiencing struggles, anger, loss and pain. This is part of growth, a necessary condition for our spiritual development and learning. Fortunately, all pain and sacrifice are temporary.

“God turns you from one feeling to another and teaches by means of opposites, so that you will have two wings to fly, not one.” ~Rumi

  1. ETERNAL SAFETY~  Since we are divine eternal beings there is nothing for us to fear, not even death.Everything that happens to us is a learning experience and even the most terrible things can be transformed into expressions of divine grace. Death is a natural part of this experience, and should not be feared.

“Know the Spirit, Unborn, Undying, Never ceasing, Never beginning, Deathless, Birthless, Unchanging forever, How can it die the death of the body?” ~The Bhagavad Gita

  1. ALL LIFE IS SACRED~  While we may be eternal beings, to harm or kill another from malice, anger or indifference is to ignore their sacred nature and intrinsic value as sentient living creatures. Even when animals are killed we have the responsibility to do so compassionately and consciously, with respect for their lives and gratitude for their sacrifice. For the spirit that gave birth to us all lives in each and every one of us, each and every creation. All of us, no matter how foolish, insignificant or evil we may seem, are cosmic works of art, molded and inhabited by the divine light of God.

“You have heard that it was said, “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” But I say to you, if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also… Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you so that you may be children of your Father in heaven.”       ~Jesus

  1. THE FUTILITY OF HATE~  Since we are all brothers and sisters to one another, all our hate, anger and fear are futile. Hate is based on the feeling that someone is trying to hurt you. But we are divine beings, who can never really be hurt in the end. Therefore, those we struggle with are actually teachers for us. They are challenging us to let go of our fears and illusions and open to love.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”              ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Hatred ever kills, love never dies. Such is the vast difference between the two… The duty of a human being is to diminish hatred and to promote love.”    ~Mahatma Gandhi

  1. MeditationMasters.comTHE REALITY OF LOVE~  Love is the way Spirit touches us, as souls here in this world. Love is the underlying reality and essence of the Universe. It is the force that holds all things together. Love is always there, although we may not always feel it or see it. Love takes care of everyone, forsakes no one. This is the great teaching common to all saints, prophets and spiritual traditions. We are all children of God, children of Love. No one should be ignored or pushed away.

“Love courses through everything. How can you say there is no love, when nothing but love exists? All that you see has appeared because of love. All shines from love, All pulses from love, All flows from love– All is love!”        ~Fakhruddin ‘Iraqi, Sufi poet

  1. SHARING AND SERVICE~  Out of our understanding of the reality of love comes the motivation to commit ourselves to be of service to others. Selfishness arises out of a belief in the scarcity of resources, so that each is compelled to grab whatever one can to ensure one’s survival. Cooperation, compassion and service are the actions that arise when we feel no lack, for they have the potential to fill our hearts with peace, gratitude and love.

“What actions are most excellent? To gladden the heart of a human being, to feed the hungry, to help the afflicted, to lighten the sorrow of the sorrowful, and to remove the wrongs of the injured.”   ~Mohammed

  1. THE RECONCILIATION OF GOOD AND EVIL~  The idea that some people are all good and others are all bad is one of the illusions spun by fear-based human reasoning. It is the central idea that gives birth to all wars and violence between people. From the perspective of higher consciousness everything and everybody in the Universe is a part of God. All good things have some “bad” within them, and all bad things have some “good.” To recognize the negative qualities of ourselves and the goodness within our enemies allows us to understand how we are all similar to one another.

“In this world, hate never dispelled hate. Only love dispels hate.
This is the law, ancient and inexhaustible.”  ~The Buddha

 

*Watch for Part Three, 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.