|
THESE ARE A
FEW OF MY FAVORITE LISTS as of 5/29/19 NOTE: In most cases you will find these lists included in this document but some lists are simply too long and will require using the links provided. We start with the longest list and end with the shortest lists. + 112
techniques of meditation from the Ancient Indian text, Vigyan Bhairav Tantra + 37 Spiritual Practices offered by Spirituality and Practice + 30 Small Habits Leading to a More Peaceful Life by Charlene Decesare + 25 Reasons Why Twitter is Spiritual
by Frederic Brussat + The 14
Precepts of Thich Nhat Hanh Do not be idolatrous about
or bound to any doctrine, theory, or ideology, even Buddhist ones. All systems
of thought are guiding means; they are not absolute truth. Do not think that the
knowledge you presently possess is changeless, absolute truth. Avoid being
narrow-minded and bound to present views. Learn and practice non-attachment
from views in order to be open to receive others' viewpoints. Truth is found in
life and not merely in conceptual knowledge. Be ready to learn throughout our
entire life and to observe reality in yourself and in
the world at all times. Do not force others,
including children, by any means whatsoever, to adopt your views, whether by
authority, threat, money, propaganda, or even education. However, through
compassionate dialogue, help others renounce fanaticism and narrowness. Do not avoid contact with
suffering or close your eyes before suffering. Do not lose awareness of the
existence of suffering in the life of the world. find
ways to be with those who are suffering by all means, including personal
contact and visits, images, sound. By such means, awaken yourself and others to
the reality of suffering in the world. Do not accumulate wealth
while millions are hungry. Do not take as the aim of you
life fame, profit, wealth, or sensual pleasure. Live simply and share time,
energy, and material resources with those who are in need. Do not maintain anger or
hatred. As soon as anger and hatred arise, practice the meditation on
compassion in order to deeply understand the persons who have caused anger and
hatred. Learn to look at other beings with the eyes of compassion. Do not lose yourself in
dispersion and in your surroundings. Learn to practice breathing in order to
regain composure of body and mind, to practice mindfulness, and to develop
concentration and understanding. Do not utter words that
can create discord and cause the community to break. Make every effort to
reconcile and resolve all conflicts, however small. Do not say untruthful
things for the sake of personal interest of to impress people. Do not utter
words that cause diversion and hatred. Do not spread news that you do not know
to be certain. Do not criticize or condemn things you are not sure of. Always
speak truthfully and constructively. Have the courage to speak out about
situations of injustice, even when doing so may threaten your own safety. Do not use the Buddhist
community for personal gain or profit, or transform your community into a
political party. A religious community should, however, take a clear stand
against oppression and injustice, and should strive to change the situation
without engaging in partisan conflicts. Do not live with a
vocation that is harmful to humans and nature. Do not invest in companies that
deprive others of their chance to life. Select a vocation which helps realize
your ideal compassion. Do not kill. Do not let
others kill. Find whatever means possible to protect life and to prevent war. Possess nothing that
should belong to others. Respect the property of others but prevent others from
enriching themselves from human suffering or the suffering of other beings. Do not mistreat your body.
Learn to handle it with respect. Do not look on your body as only and
instrument. Preserve vital energies (sexual, breath, spirit) for the
realization of the Way. Sexual expression should not happen without love and
commitment. In sexual relationships be aware of future suffering that may be
caused. To preserve the happiness of others, respect the rights and commitments
of others. Be fully aware of the responsibility of bringing new lives into the
world. Meditate on the world into which you are bringing new beings. Do not believe that I feel
that I follow each and every of these precepts perfectly. I know I fail in many
ways. None of us can fully fulfill any of these. However, I must work toward a
goal. These are my goal. No words can replace practice, only practice can make
the words. The finger pointing at the
moon is not the moon. + Twelve Practices leading to our
Realization that We are a Heavenly Being by John A
Wilde
+ THE 12 STYLES OF SPIRITUAL PRACTICE at SpiritualPaths.net by Ed Bastian
ARTS (The Artist)
BODY (The Mover)
CONTEMPLATION & MEDITATION (The Contemplative)
DEVOTION (The Devotee)
IMAGINATION (The Dreamer)
LOVE (The Lover)
MYSTIC (The Mystic)
NATURE (The Naturalist)
PRAYER (The Prayer)
REASON (The Thinker)
RELATIONSHIPS (The Mensch)
WISDOM (The Sage)
+ The Twelve
Pathways to Higher Consciousness by Kenneth Keyes 1. I am freeing myself
from security, sensation and power addictions that make me try to forcefully
control situations in my life and thus destroy my serenity and keep me from
loving myself and others. 2. I am discovering how my
consciousness dominating addictions create my illusory version of the changing
world of people and situations around me.. 3. I welcome the
opportunity, even if painful, that my minute to minute experience offers me to
become aware of the addictions I must reprogram to be liberated from my robotlike emotional patterns. 4. I always remember I
have everything I need to enjoy my here and now unless I am letting my
consciousness be dominated by demands and expectations based on the dead past
or imagined future. 5. I take full
responsibility here and now for everything I experience for it is my own
programming that creates my actions and also influences the reactions of those
around me. 6. I accept myself
completely here and now and consciously experience everthing
I feel, think, say and do (including my emotion-backed addictions) as a
necessary part of my growth into higher consciousness. 7. I open myself genuinely
to all people by being willing to communicate my deepest feelings, since hiding
in any degree keeps me stuck in my illusion of separateness from others. 8. I feel with loving
compassion the problems of others without getting caught up emotionally in
their predicaments that are offering them messages they need for their growth. 9. I act freely when I am
tuned in, centered and loving and if possible I avoid acting when I am
emotionally upset and depriving myself of the wisdom that flows from love and
expanded consciousness. 10. I am continually
calming the restless scanning of my rational mind in order to perceive the
finer energies that enable me to unitively merge with
everything around me. 11. I am constantly aware
of which of the seven centers of consciousness I am using and I feel my energy,
perceptiveness, love and inner peace growing as I open all of the centers of
consciousness. 12. I am
perceiving everyone, including myself, as an awakening being who is here
to claim his or her birthright to the higher consciousness planes of
unconditional love and oneness. + The Ten Commandments (Go to Exodus 20:1-17) + Ten Sufi Thoughts from The Way of
Illumination by Hazrat Inayat Khan There are ten principal
Sufi thoughts which comprise all the important subjects with which the inner
life of man is concerned: 1) There is one God, the
Eternal, the Only Being; none else exists save God. + Ten Reasons
Gandhi is my Hero by Frederic Brussat 1. He was aflame with
love. "Gandhi was a pioneer in these new realms of consciousness.
Everything he did was an experiment in expanding the human being's capacity to
love, and as his capacity grew, the demands on his love grew more and more
severe, as if to test what limits a human being can bear. But Gandhi had
learned to find a fierce joy in these storms and trials. . . . By the end of
his life he was aflame with love." Eknath Easwaran in Gandhi the Man 2. He expended all his
energy in service of others. "Late in Gandhi's life a Western journalist
asked, 'Mr. Gandhi, you've been working fifteen hours a day for fifty years.
Don't you ever feel like taking a few weeks off and going for a vacation?'
Gandhi laughed and said, 'Why? I am always on vacation.' Because he had no
personal irons in the fire, no selfish concerns involved in his work, there was
no conflict in his mind to drain his energy." Eknath
Easwaran in The Compassionate Universe 3. He gave his mission his
best shot. " 'Full effort is full victory,' said
Gandhi. You need not be troubled if you have made mistakes, or if your ideal has slipped away. Just continue to give your
best. If you fall, pick yourself up and march on. If you cannot run, walk. If
you cannot walk, crawl. Nothing in life is more joyful or more thrilling. The
effort alone brings a continuing wave of joy in which every personal problem,
every suffering and humiliation, is forgotten." Eknath
Easwaran in The Compassionate Universe 4. He reframed greed.
"There is a story told about Mahatma Gandhi. On his train trips he used to
get off at every stop and collect money for the poor. A friend said of him, 'If
you want to see somebody consumed by greed, look no further.' Of course,
instead of being greedy for himself, he was greedy for the poor."
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat in Spiritual Rx 5. He practiced compassion
in creative ways. "One day Gandhi stepped aboard a train as it started to
move, and one of his shoes slipped off and dropped on the tracks. Unable to
retrieve it, he calmly took off his other shoe and threw it back along the
track to land close to the first. When an amazed passenger asked why he had
done that, Gandhi smiled and said, 'The poor man who finds the shoe lying on
the track will now have a pair he can use.' With the eyes of his imagination,
Gandhi saw a man with bare feet, saw him coming across a lone shoe and
desperately searching for the other, and saw the disappointment on his face when
he didn't find it; seeing these things, Gandhi did what he could to help."
Donald McCullough in Say Please, Say Thank You 6. He redefined success.
"Without realizing it, Gandhi had found the secret of success. He began to
look on every difficulty as an opportunity for service, a challenge which could
draw out of him greater resources of intelligence and imagination." Eknath Easwaran in Gandhi the Man 7. He emphasized the
privilege of giving. "Gandhi reminded us that it was everyone's privilege
to give. We should thank the poor for giving us the opportunity to undo some of
our karma." Ekanath Easwaran
in The Bhagavad Gita for Daily Living, Volume
3 8. He showed us how a
mantra could be one's staff of life. "Rama, Gandhi's mantram, is a formula for abiding joy. Gandhi used to walk
for miles every day repeating it to himself until the
rhythm of the mantram and his footsteps began to
stabilize the rhythm of his breathing, which is closely connected with the
rhythm of the mind. When fear or anger threatened him, clinging to Rama
used the power of these emotions to drive this formula for joy deep into
Gandhi's mind. "Gandhi said: 'The mantram
becomes one's staff of life and carries one through every ordeal.' " Eknath Easwaran in Gandhi the Man 9. He was the essential
pioneer of nonviolence. "In its positive form, nonviolence means the
largest love, the greatest charity. If I am a follower of nonviolence, I must
love my enemy. I must apply the same rules to the wrong-doer who is my enemy or
a stranger to me, as I would to my wrong-doing father or son. This active
nonviolence necessarily includes truth and fearlessness. The practice of
nonviolence calls forth the greatest courage." Mohandas Gandhi in Mohandas Gandhi: Essential Writings edited by John Dear 10. He passed on his
spiritual legacy to all of us. " 'I have not the
shadow of a doubt that any man or woman can achieve what I have, if he or she
would make the same effort, and cultivate the same hope and faith.' Gandhi, who
always claimed he had no more than ordinary capacities, is proof that these
spiritual laws do work, and that by obeying them we can transform our character
and consciousness. Gandhi belongs to our own century and faced many of the
problems we ourselves are facing today, and even though physically dead, he
still continues to give new direction to our civilization." Eknath Easwaran in The Bhagavad Gita for Daily Living, Volume
1: The End of Sorrow + Ten Simple Rules
for Daily Living: The daily decalogue
of Pope John XXIII I will not be afraid to enjoy what is beautiful and to believe in goodness. 1) Only for today, I will seek to live the livelong day positively without wishing to solve the problems of my life all at once. 2) Only for today, I will take the greatest care of my appearance: I will dress modestly; I will not raise my voice; I will be courteous in my behaviour; I will not criticize anyone; I will not claim to improve or to discipline anyone except myself. 3) Only for today, I will be happy in the certainty that I was created to be happy, not only in the other world but also in this one. 4) Only for today, I will adapt to circumstances, without requiring all circumstances to be adapted to my own wishes. 5) Only for today, I will devote 10 minutes of my time to some good reading, remembering that just as food is necessary to the life of the body, so good reading is necessary to the life of the soul. 6) Only for today, I will do one good deed and not tell anyone about it. 7) Only for today, I will do at least one thing I do not like doing; and if my feelings are hurt, I will make sure that no one notices. 8) Only for today, I will make a plan for myself: I may not follow it to the letter, but I will make it. And I will be on guard against two evils: hastiness and indecision. 9) Only for today, I will firmly believe, despite appearances, that the good Providence of God cares for me as no one else who exists in this world. 10) Only for today, I will have no fears. In particular, I will not be afraid to enjoy what is beautiful and to believe in goodness. Indeed, for 12 hours I can certainly do what might cause me consternation were I to believe I had to do it all my life. + The 9 Attributes of Heaven by John A.
Wilde | ABUNDANCE | JOY
| WISDOM | + The Beatitudes (Go to Matthew 5: 1-12) + The Eight Points of Progressive
Christianity By calling ourselves
progressive, we mean we are Christians who 1. Believe that following the path and teachings
of Jesus can lead to an awareness and experience of the Sacred and the Oneness
and Unity of all life; 2. Affirm that the teachings of Jesus provide
but one of many ways to experience the Sacredness and Oneness of life, and that
we can draw from diverse sources of wisdom in our spiritual journey; 3. Seek community that is inclusive of ALL
people, including but not limited to: Conventional Christians and questioning
skeptics, Believers and agnostics, Women and men, Those of all sexual orientations and gender
identities, Those of all classes and abilities; 4. Know that the way we behave towards one
another is the fullest expression of what we believe; 5. Find grace in the search for understanding
and believe there is more value in questioning than in absolutes; 6. Strive for peace and justice among all
people; 7. Strive to protect and restore the integrity
of our Earth; 8. Commit to a path of life-long learning,
compassion, and selfless love. + The Noble
Eightfold Path of Buddhism Right Understanding
The Right
Understanding is crucial to understanding the Buddhist belief system,
particularly the identification, causes, consequences of, and through these
eight steps, the elimination of suffering. The Right Understanding also conveys
an understanding of the Buddhist philosophy of the non-permanence of the self. Right Thought
To have the Right
Thought, a follower should fully understand his purpose in following the
teachings of the Buddha, as well as his outlook on the world and world issues. Right Speech
The focus of the
Right Speech is to avoid harmful language, such as lying or unkind words. It is
far better to use gentle, friendly and meaningful words, even when a situation
calls for a truth that may be hurtful, despite the follower's best intentions. Right Action
The Right Action forms a list of fundamental
ethical behaviors all practicing Buddhists should follow. These are the Five
Precepts: 1. To refrain
from destroying living beings 2. To refrain
from stealing 3. To refrain
from sexual misconduct (adultery, rape, etc.) 4. To refrain
from false speech (lying) 5. To refrain
from intoxicants which lead to heedlessness Right Livelihood
Those seeking
enlightenment should pick the Right Livelihood to support the other
fundamentals of Buddhism. Followers should avoid employment in positions where
their actions may cause harm to others, be it directly or indirectly. Right Effort
Buddhists recognize
that human nature limits the mind at times and causes ill thoughts. Unlike
Right Thought, the Right Effort focuses on working to remove the bad thoughts
and replace them with positive, more pleasant thoughts. Right Mindfulness
The Right
Mindfulness, along with Right Concentration, is the foundation behind Buddhist
meditation. Monks, or other followers, should focus their minds on their body,
emotions, mental workings, and mental qualities, but not on worldly desire and
aversion while meditating. Right Concentration
Coupled
with Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration lays the framework for proper
meditation. Rather than focusing on the mental aspects, the Right Concentration
gives instructions as to how to work through the steps of focus in effective
meditation. + Seven Step
Process of InterSpiritual Meditation (1) Motivation (May I be
Healthy and Happy) (2) Gratitude (May I be
Grateful) (3) Transformation (May I
be Transformed in my Highest Ideals) (4) Intention (May I be
Loving and Compassionate) (5) Mindfulness (May I be
Mindful through my Breathing) (6) Meditation (May I
become Wise through my Meditation) (7) Dedication (May I be
in Service to All Beings) + Seven
Centers of Consciousness by Kenneth Keyes 1) THE SECURITY CENTER:
This Center makes you preoccupied with food, shelter, or whatever you equate whith your personal security. This programming forces your
consciousness to be dominated by your continuous battle to get
"enough" from the world in order to feel secure. 2) THE SENSATION CENTER:
This Center is concerned with finding happiness in llfe
by providing yourself with more and better pleasurable sensations and
activities. For many people, sex is the most appealing of all sensations. Other
addictive sensations may include the sound of music ,
the taste of food, etc. 3) THE POWER CENTER: When your
consciousness is focused on this Center, you are concerned with dominating
people and situations and increasing your prestige, wealth, and pride--in
addition to thousands of more subtle forms of hierarchy, manipulation, and
control. 4) THE LOVE CENTER: In
this Center you are going beyond subject-object relationships and are learning
to experience the world with increasing understanding, patience and emotional
acceptance. You see yourself in everyone- and everyone in yourself. You feel
compassion for the suffering of those caught in the dramas of security,
sensation and power. You may not like what people say or do- but you no longer
throw them out of your heart. You are beginning to love and emotionally accept
everyone unconditinally - including yourself. 5) THE CORNUCOPIA CENTER:
When your consciousness is illuminated by this Center, you experience the
friendliness of the world you are creating. You begin to realize that you 've always lived in a perfect world. To the degree that
you still have addictions, the perefction lies in
giving you the experience you need to get free of your emotion-backed demands.
As you reprogram your addictions, the perfection will be experienced as a
continuous enjoyment of the here and now in your life. As you become more loving
and accecpting, the world becomes a "horn of
plenty" that gives you more than you need to be happy. 6) THE CONSCIOUS-AWARENESS
CENTER: It is liberating to have a Center from which your conscious-awareness
watches your body and mind perform on the first five centers. This is a
meta-center from which you nonjudgementally witness
the drama of your body and mind. From this Center of Centers, you learn to impartially observe
your social roles and life games from a place that is free from fear and
vulnerability. 7) THE COSMIC
CONSCIOUSNESS CENTER: When you live fully in the Sixth Center of Consciousness,
you are ready to transcend self-awareness and become pure awareness. At this
ultimate level, you are one with everything-you are love, peace, energy, beauty,
wisdom, clarity, effectiveness and oneness. The traditional Hindu
system of belief encompasses energy centers known as chakras, which serve to accumulate,
assimilate, and transmit psychological, physical, and spiritual energies. When
these areas of interconnection between body and spirit are purified or opened
up through the process of yoga (sometimes called raja yoga or kundalini yoga), the adept may experience an enormous
infusion of energy, and, in some cases, enlightenment. The chakras are often
pictured as lotus blossoms or spinning wheels (in Sanskrit, chakra means
"wheel"; the English words "cycle" and "cyclone"
are derived from the same root), and each chakra corresponds to a location in
the physical body. (A similar system, with different terminologies, is employed
by some schools of Buddhism and Taoism.) The chakras are aligned
along a central subtle energy channel called the sushumna,
which is connected to two crisscrossing channels called the ida and pingala in a
pattern that is strikingly similar to the double helix of DNA. Together they
carry the life force, or prana, to various places in
the body. Neither the chakras nor these channels (or nadis)
are visible but work in the sheathes of subtle energy
that surround and interpenetrate the body. The ida, or left channel, carries the breath from the
left nostril to the base of the spine and is associated with lunar, cooling,
feminine energy. The pingala, or right channel,
carries the breath from the right nostril to the base and is associated with
solar, fiery, masculine energy. The first, or muladhara, chakra lies at the base of the spine, where the kundalini energy is pictured as a serpent coiled between
the anus and the genitals (kundalin is Sanskrit for
"she who lies coiled," and kundalini yoga
is a process of raising the serpent power). The second, or svadhisthana,
chakra corresponds to the genitals; the third (manipura)
corresponds to the navel and solar plexus; the fourth (anahata)
is located near the heart (although usually placed either in the middle of the
chest or closer to the right side); the fifth (vishuddha)
corresponds to the throat region; the sixth (ajna) is
located slightly behind and above the space between the eyebrows, or cavernous
plexus (the so-called "third eye") and corresponds to the pineal
gland; and the seventh chakra is located just above the crown of the head,
although it corresponds to the pituitary gland. It is called the sahasrara chakra, from the Sanskrit word for
"thousand," referring to the "thousand-petaled
lotus of enlightenment." In addition, there are six minor chakras which
are rarely mentioned. Western teachers have
developed elaborate theories of the chakras and practices for cleansing them to
unblock the flow of vital energy within the body, and some teachers, including
Caroline Myss, posit an 8th chakra located an arm's
length above the head. + The Seven
Habits of Highly Effective People of Stephen Covey Wikipedia
summary: The First Three Habits
surround moving from dependence to independence (i.e., self-mastery): Habit 1: Be Proactive Take initiative in life by
realizing that your decisions (and how they align with life's principles) are
the primary determining factor for effectiveness in your life. Take
responsibility for your choices and the consequences that follow. Habit 2: Begin with the End
in Mind Self-discover and clarify
your deeply important character values and life goals. Envision the ideal
characteristics for each of your various roles and relationships in life.
Create a mission statement. Habit 3: Put First Things
First Prioritize, plan, and execute
your week's tasks based on importance rather than urgency. Evaluate whether
your efforts exemplify your desired character values, propel you toward goals,
and enrich the roles and relationships that were elaborated in Habit 2. The next three have to do
with Interdependence (i.e., working with others): Habit 4: Think Win-Win Genuinely strive for
mutually beneficial solutions or agreements in your relationships. Value and
respect people by understanding a "win" for all is ultimately a
better long-term resolution than if only one person in the situation had gotten
his way. Habit 5: Seek First to
Understand, Then to be Understood Use empathic listening to
be genuinely influenced by a person, which compels them to reciprocate the
listening and take an open mind to being influenced by you. This creates an
atmosphere of caring, and positive problem solving. Habit 6: Synergize Combine the strengths of
people through positive teamwork, so as to achieve goals no one person could
have done alone. Change of attitude When one
works on attitude, nothing can be a hindrance to one's effectiveness in life. Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw Balance and renew your
resources, energy, and health to create a sustainable, long-term, effective
lifestyle. It primarily emphasizes exercise for physical renewal, prayer
(meditation, yoga, etc.) and good reading for mental renewal. It also mentions
service to society for spiritual renewal. + Seven Spiritual Laws of Deepak Chopra
The Law of Pure Potentiality: Take time
to be silent, to just BE. Meditate for 30 minutes twice a day. Silently witness
the intelligence within every living thing. Practice non-judgment.
The Law of Giving: Today, bring whoever you
encounter a gift: a compliment or flower. Gratefully receive gifts. Keep wealth circulating by giving and receiving care,
affection, appreciation and love.
The Law of Karma: Every action generates a
force of energy that returns to us in like kind. Choosing actions that bring
happiness and success to others ensures the flow of happiness and success to
you.
The Law of Least Effort: Accept people,
situations, and events as they occur. Take responsibility for your situation
and for all events seen as problems. Relinquish the need to defend your point
of view.
The Law of Intention and Desire: Inherent in
every intention and desire is the mechanics for its fulfillment. Make a list of
desires. Trust that when things don't seem to go your way, there is a reason.
The Law of Detachment: Allow yourself and
others the freedom to be who they are. Do not force solutionsallow solutions
to spontaneously emerge. Uncertainty is essential, and your path to freedom.
The Law of Dharma: Seek your higher Self.
Discover your unique talents. Ask yourself how you are best suited to serve
humanity. Using your unique talents and serving others brings unlimited bliss
and abundance. + 7 Key Concepts of CELEBRATE. CELEBRATE is a philosophy that encourages
an abundance way of thinking developed by renowned photographer and
motivational speaker Dewitt Jones: Believe it and you
will see it Recognize abundance Look for possibilities Harness your energy to
fix what is wrong Ride the changes Take yourself to the edge Be the best for the
world + Seven similar practices to awaken the heart and mind > excerpt from the Spirituality and Practice course on Becoming a Wise Elder led by Angeles Arrien > Roger Walsh found that the world religions share seven similar practices to awaken the heart and mind and increase receptivity to inner guidance and wisdom. In Essential Spirituality, he describes these practices as a universal spiritual map: 1. Transform your motivation: reduce craving and find your soul's desire. 2. Cultivate emotional wisdom: heal your heart and learn to love. 3. Live ethically: feel good by doing good. 4. Concentrate and calm your mind. 5. Awaken your spiritual vision: see clearly and recognize the sacred in all things. 6. Cultivate spiritual intelligence: develop wisdom and understand life. 7. Express spirit in action: embrace generosity and joy of service. The table of contents of Essential Spirituality offers significant details for these practices. Of course, the book is even better. | Buy the book
FIVE + The Five Categories of Prayer of J. Barrett Lee
Barrett wrote: "I wish I could claim credit for all of these, but I borrowed from others. I got Help, Thanks, and Wow from Anne Lamott and I got Oops from the blog By Common Consent. The only part that is unique to me (as far as I know) is the Yes part. FOUR + The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism To live means to suffer, because the human nature is not perfect and
neither is the world we live in. During our lifetime, we inevitably have to
endure physical suffering such as pain, sickness, injury, tiredness, old age,
and eventually death; and we have to endure psychological suffering like
sadness, fear, frustration, disappointment, and depression. Although there are
different degrees of suffering and there are also positive experiences in life
that we perceive as the opposite of suffering, such as ease, comfort and
happiness, life in its totality is imperfect and incomplete, because our world
is subject to impermanence. This means we are never able to keep permanently
what we strive for, and just as happy moments pass by,
we ourselves and our loved ones will pass away one day, too. 2. The origin of suffering is attachment. The origin of suffering is attachment to transient things and the ignorance
thereof. Transient things do not only include the physical objects that
surround us, but also ideas, and -in a greater sense- all objects of our
perception. Ignorance is the lack of understanding of how our mind is attached
to impermanent things. The reasons for suffering are desire, passion, ardour, pursuit of wealth and prestige, striving for fame
and popularity, or in short: craving
and clinging. Because the
objects of our attachment are transient, their loss is inevitable, thus suffering
will necessarily follow. Objects of attachment also include the idea of a
"self" which is a delusion, because there is no abiding self. What we
call "self" is just an imagined entity, and we are merely a part of
the ceaseless becoming of the universe. 3. The cessation of suffering is attainable. The cessation of suffering can be attained through nirodha. Nirodha means the unmaking of sensual craving and
conceptual attachment. The third noble truth expresses the idea that suffering
can be ended by attaining dispassion. Nirodha
extinguishes all forms of clinging and attachment. This means that suffering
can be overcome through human activity, simply by removing the cause of
suffering. Attaining and perfecting dispassion is a process of many levels that
ultimately results in the state of Nirvana.
Nirvana means freedom from all worries, troubles, complexes, fabrications and
ideas. Nirvana is not comprehensible for those who have not attained it. 4. The path to the cessation of suffering. There is a path to the end of suffering - a gradual path of
self-improvement, which is described more detailed in the Eightfold Path. It is the middle way
between the two extremes of excessive self-indulgence (hedonism) and excessive
self-mortification (asceticism); and it leads to the end of the cycle of
rebirth. The latter quality discerns it from other paths which are merely
"wandering on the wheel of becoming", because these do not have a
final object. The path to the end of suffering can extend over many lifetimes,
throughout which every individual rebirth is subject to karmic conditioning.
Craving, ignorance, delusions, and its effects will disappear gradually, as
progress is made on the path. THREE + The Trinity or the Triune God: Father, Son, Holy
Spirit + The objectives of the Sufi path by Hazrat Inayat Khan: 1) To realize and spread
the knowledge of unity, the religion of love and wisdom, so that the bias of
faiths and beliefs may of itself fall away, the human heart may overflow with
love, and all hatred caused by distinctions and differences may be rooted out. 2) To discover the light
and power latent in man, the secret of all religion, the power of mysticism,
and the essence of philosophy, without interfering with customs or belief. 3) To help to bring the
world's two opposite poles, East and West, closer together by the interchange
of thought and ideals, that the Universal Brotherhood may form of itself, and man may see with man beyond the narrow national
and racial boundaries. + What Ray heard The
Voice say in Field of Dreams:
If you build it,
he will come.
Ease his pain.
Go the distance. TWO + Two Natures of Christ: Divine & Human + The Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-40 and Luke 10:27)
Love God with all
your heart, mind, strength and soul.
Love your
neighbor as you love yourself + The Great Polarity of Taoism: Yin and Yang ONE + One God + One Universe + One Earth + One Sun + One Common Humanity + One Golden Rule: Treat others the way you want to be treated. +++++++ |