Today I was thinking about the idea that, in order to solve a problem you have to "own" it first. For example, many say that in order to forgive abusive parents, we have to claim the abuse.
I'm not so sure. It is possible that claiming or owning or dwelling in the anger, abuse, frustration, resentment, or other negative emotion justifies more and more self-absorption. Ernest Holmes said it it is simply not necessary to define and resolve the source of our mistaken thinking; what is necessary is to begin to think differently. So if someone has resentment toward his or her parents, it is necessary to pour in thoughts of love and forgiveness. It is not necessary to dwell on the source of the resentment.
If a person is in lack, it is, I think, a mistake to dwell on why the lack exists. Instead, it is important to develop gratitude for all the person does have and to open the mind to the possibility -- the certainty of more. Holmes also reminds us that we don't get what we say we want, we get what we think about all the time. So thinking about the problem, in the guise of "claiming" or "owning" it just perpetuates it.
Instead, think about what you want. Focus your mind's eye on the good result you are bringing into your life. Affirm that it is yours, that you deserve it, and that it is on its way right now.
Have a positive day!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
What's Virtue Anyway?
In a recent article, Sakyong Mipham discussed courage from the standpoint of vision. Having a vision for your life that incorporates our Basic Goodness, our Inner Divinity, creates bravery of a certain kind. The bravery he refers to is the bravery that lets us engage always in virtue.
Some people think being present to life means doing whatever comes up in front of you. That is not enough. We must address whatever comes up in front of us, moment by moment, with virtue. The virtue I am speaking of is not a simple thing; it involves being clear enough to judge quickly what the situation of that moment requires and then doing it. It involves knowing ourselves well enough to be able to see through any deception we might throw onto the "screen" in an attempt to justify something less than virtuous behavior. It involves the strength to act with virtue, to do the right thing, regardless of that deception.
"Deception" is often synonymous with "justification." We justify things like overspending, gluttony, selfishness and self-centeredness all the time, without even knowing it. In fact, we often simply do not even see that we are justifying. That is what we can throw up in front of what is presented. If we act according to our justification, we often take away from ourselves and others. That is not virtue; virtue means looking at the situation with clarity and wisdom.
"Virtue" is not something we can glean from a list of terms, although such lists can help us in the beginning to identify certain virtuous actions. Virtue means being true to our inner nature -- the Divine that each of us truly is. It means acting as if we truly ARE the Presence of Spirit on earth.
While the Divine is unknowable, there are certain things we can be sure of: God/Spirit/Universal Intelligence is rooted in Life and Love; therefore any action that takes away Life from another, or from ourselves, is not Divine in nature. Any action that is unloving is not Divine in nature. This all gets complicated in situations where we have to quickly balance the consequences: for example, if we see a bus heading for an elderly person and a child, and we can only push one out of the way, which do we choose?
This kind of decision making is always an individual matter -- based upon our knowledge of our self and our Self and the clarity we gain from our spiritual practice. Any time we act from our Inner Goodness, our True Self, we will act with virtue and wisdom.
This is why spiritual practice is so important -- it is what lets us know ourselves thoroughly and be able to anticipate the justifications and deceptions we carry around with us. It is what lets us experience our Basic Goodness. And once we get a taste of that inner truth, virtue becomes our very nature.
Blessings!
Some people think being present to life means doing whatever comes up in front of you. That is not enough. We must address whatever comes up in front of us, moment by moment, with virtue. The virtue I am speaking of is not a simple thing; it involves being clear enough to judge quickly what the situation of that moment requires and then doing it. It involves knowing ourselves well enough to be able to see through any deception we might throw onto the "screen" in an attempt to justify something less than virtuous behavior. It involves the strength to act with virtue, to do the right thing, regardless of that deception.
"Deception" is often synonymous with "justification." We justify things like overspending, gluttony, selfishness and self-centeredness all the time, without even knowing it. In fact, we often simply do not even see that we are justifying. That is what we can throw up in front of what is presented. If we act according to our justification, we often take away from ourselves and others. That is not virtue; virtue means looking at the situation with clarity and wisdom.
"Virtue" is not something we can glean from a list of terms, although such lists can help us in the beginning to identify certain virtuous actions. Virtue means being true to our inner nature -- the Divine that each of us truly is. It means acting as if we truly ARE the Presence of Spirit on earth.
While the Divine is unknowable, there are certain things we can be sure of: God/Spirit/Universal Intelligence is rooted in Life and Love; therefore any action that takes away Life from another, or from ourselves, is not Divine in nature. Any action that is unloving is not Divine in nature. This all gets complicated in situations where we have to quickly balance the consequences: for example, if we see a bus heading for an elderly person and a child, and we can only push one out of the way, which do we choose?
This kind of decision making is always an individual matter -- based upon our knowledge of our self and our Self and the clarity we gain from our spiritual practice. Any time we act from our Inner Goodness, our True Self, we will act with virtue and wisdom.
This is why spiritual practice is so important -- it is what lets us know ourselves thoroughly and be able to anticipate the justifications and deceptions we carry around with us. It is what lets us experience our Basic Goodness. And once we get a taste of that inner truth, virtue becomes our very nature.
Blessings!
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