SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 347

WE ARE EXPLORING THE HEAVENLY ATTRIBUTE OF TRUTH

+ We are called to create and enjoy a realm of compassion, peace, justice and sustainable abundance for all.

+ Therefore, Ananda, be as a lamp unto yourselves, be as a refuge to yourselves. Take no external refuge. Hold fast to the Truth as a lamp; hold fast to the Truth as a refuge. Look not for a refuge in anyone besides yourselves.
-- The Buddha

+ To be nobody-but-yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else -- means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.
-- E. E. Cummings

+ While it is important, indeed essential, to participate as faithfully as we can in our communities of faith, we must never allow others to dominate us, control us, oppress us or mislead us.  Within us is the Truth.  It has been there all the time.  We can trust that no one knows what we need better than our selves.  We are connected to the source, the guide, the goal of creation in miraculous, mysterious and marvelous ways.  Our communities of faith can and do and should offer plenty of encouragement, support and knowledge, but they cannot match that inner guide, that ultimate truth, we all have within ourselves. 

There are times when we do need correction from others.  It is important to have faithful friends who will listen sensitively and sometimes point out errors in our thinking.  But it is also important to realize we do not have to accept what they are telling us.  It takes maturity and courage to know when we need correction from others and when we need to follow our own inner guide.

+ The meme for this post is the first one in the 12s Gallery on You offered by Spirituality & Practice.

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post.  And, I have work to do on the Abundancetrek Truth page. Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Truth” or “Heavenly Attributes” or “Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com.

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 194

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF DELIGHT

+ You have no cause for anything but gratitude and joy.

-- The Buddha

+ We are on an amazing journey here on earth and even more in the miraculous, mysterious and marvelous heavenly realms our heavenly self always inhabits.  Wise teachers teach this truth.  We can delight in this wisdom.  We can live joyfully in the abundance of love and beauty surrounding and enfolding us.  Let us immerse ourselves in these heavenly realms which we can feel so intimately, intricately and infinitely as we continue to practice, practice, practice in the Journey of the Mind, the Journey of the Heart, the Journey of the Body and the Journey of the Soul.  

Namaste.

+ Delight is not one of the 37 Spirituality & Practice practices BUT put Delight in their Search Engine and you come up with 85 items including 67 quotes, 16 books, 1 practice, and 1 film as of 6/14/16.  Go to http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/search/?q=Delight.  However, it is clear that Mary Ann & Frederic Brussat are big fans of Joy. Therefore, put Joy in their Search Engine and you come up with 2057 items including 867 quotes, 835 books, 160 practices, 11 teachers, 24 arts links, 29 e-courses, 98 films, 26 blogs and 4 traditions as of 6/14/16. Oh, and Joy IS one of the 37 spiritual practices. You can also be inspired by their Twelves Gallery on Joy. 

+ Joy will come up again very soon in these explorations since it is the second of 9 heavenly attributes we will be exploring.

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Delight page.  Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Delight” or “Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com.

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS -- 50

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HUMILITY

He has told you, O mortal, what is good;

and what does the Lord require of you

but to do justice, and to love kindness,

and to walk humbly with your God?

-- Micah 6:8 NRSV

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

-- Matthew 5:5 NRSV

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
-- James 4:10 NRSV

… lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called,

 with all humility and gentleness,

 with patience, bearing with one another in love,

 making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

-- Ephesians 4:1b-3 NRSV

As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,

clothe yourselves with 
compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.

-- Colossians 3:12 NRSV

My religion is kindness.

-- The Dalai Lama

The (true) servants of (God) the Most Gracious

are those who walk on the earth in humility,

and when the ignorant address them, reply with (words of) peace.

-- The Holy Quran, 25:63.

Found at http://theislamicworkplace.com/positive-quotes/

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said

“(God) has revealed to me that you should adopt humility so that no one oppresses another."

-- Riyadh-us-Salaheen, Hadith 1589.

Found at http://theislamicworkplace.com/positive-quotes/

+ Humility is more than an essential spiritual practice.  It is an essential attribute of holiness, of  heavenliness.  The teachers of the great wisdom traditions emphasize being humble over and over again.  It is an attitude which makes it likely that you will see every person including yourself, indeed every creature, as divine and absolutely neither inferior nor superior.  When we are humble, we can see clearly.    

The essential spiritual practices of stillness and detachment lay the foundation for the practice of humility which makes it possible to live according to the Golden Rule: “Treat others the way you want to be treated.”

+ Spirituality and Practice offers a wonderful 12s gallery of images and quotes on Humility.

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS -- 39

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF STILLNESS

+

Like a broken gong

Be still, be silent.

Know the stillness of freedom

Where there is no more striving.

- Buddha in the Dhammapada offered at DailyZen on 6/13/14

+ There are some who seek to enjoy this refuge of total freedom 24/7 but most of us seek to find this refuge from time to time because we often need to detach from our many addictions, distractions, and even our worthy strivings. 

How often you decide that you need this refuge is, of course, completely up to you.  I know I seek it often and feel strongly that I need it often.  I also believe that many if not all humans would benefit immensely from regular periods of stillness, silence and solitude.  I believe it leads to more and more compassion, peace, justice and sustainable abundance, not to mention more health and happiness. 

When we get to post 41, we will explore the next “Journey of the Mind“ practice, detachment.

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html