“If you think you are too little to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.”
“Love is the absence of judgment.”
“Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others; to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others. I am going to benefit others as much as I can.” Dalai Lama
Many people appear so kind and wonderful. It makes one want to imitate them. They are self-assured, advance presumptuously forward, have their act together and of course possess all of the answers. They are so unlike the rest of us who doubt, fear, regret, worry, and constantly deal with guilt. I wondered why these few people were confident. The more I observed them, the less than perfect they became until they were beginning to annoy me so I stopped observing and started analyzing my thoughts about them.
The realization that these people were probably less aware of truth than all of us doubters was an enlightenment. When we experience guilt, it is at times because we understand the wrong that we committed. Those who think they are perfect spend little time reflecting because they assume they are always doing and saying the right thing.In-depth meditation or reflection brings one to the brink of truth and forces a person to face what is and what is not. At that point we begin to have a sense of our virtues and our faults. If we are so sure of our morality we never recognize the times we behave poorly and hurt others. So caught up in our dream world of how moral we are makes us begin to believe we are without fault.
Virtue is what we all seek but I am of the opinion that when we come to the realization of how imperfect we actually are, we are moving toward improving. To acknowledge our limitations and our finer qualities leads us to strive for a better self. As long as we pretend to be without iniquities the more our transgressions pile up.
When a person admits they need help to conquer any quest, they receive the support and improve. If we believe we can play basketball and can’t see our mistakes, we will continue to make them until we face the truth and seek help. I relate that fact to virtue and morality. By admitting our offenses we are on the way to becoming a better person.
I now understand why we laugh at some churchgoers who come home after a service and hurt their families or friends. They tout one thing but behave differently. I believe that any kind of prayer at any place is good for the soul. I attend church regularly to allot myself time to reflect on higher levels not to parade in front of priests ministers or the public.
We have so departmentalized our lives that we miss opportunities for prayer. What appears holy may not be so. What we see as rebellious might be truth in action. again our judgments are out of sync with genuineness. It is easy to misjudge situations and people.
Those who sometimes are living a confused life may actually be going through a metamorphosis of their soul. Just maybe they are grasping what empathy kindness and compassion is and what it demands. When we come to that comprehension we can’t go back. Life becomes harder to live by the veracity we have uncovered. Maybe what we thought was kindness takes on a whole new connotation. What we considered as thoughtlessness may be enlightenment as it shakes us out of our comfort zone.
I would venture to say that when life gets a bit confusing it just might be that we are encompassing more and attempting to assimilate the new information with the certainty we already have. For instance, people we trust and know may disappoint us at times. We don’t understand how they did what they did and our faith in our own authenticity about life is shaken. Others who we totally disregarded and never considered may suddenly enter our lives and make a positive impression on it.
It isn’t that we can’t ever have belief in our family again or a close friend. It is the truth that we all make mistakes and must be forgiven. There is the added awareness of expanding our horizons and trusting a larger circle of people. We gain more knowledge and comprehension of the world and ourselves. I would never suggest we toss our friends or family aside for something new even if it is better. I believe we must grasp our build-up of knowledge and experience a mindfulness of who we are and what we can become.
If life fills you with wonder and confusion attempt to filter through the facts from the fiction. Refuse to make quick rationalizations of what appears to be correct. Accommodate differing opinions, ideas and assessment so that a more solid picture emerges. Refuse to be boxed into a corner and made to state the ideas of others rather than your own. One can always state their own opinion with dignity and calmness. Think without fear, listen without judgment, speak with courage and accept where a person is coming from because we are not all on the same page regarding various situations.
Your life will be less confusing if you don’t expect everyone to have the same handle on life, or search for truth and meaning in the same way. Accept we are all travelers and learning as we go. Slow down if you must and support others when you can. Accept help if necessary and never have a closed mind or heart. By adding so much more to your life which this entails, you will discover your life is easier and less cluttered.
People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they’re not on your road doesn’t mean they’ve gotten lost.”― Dalai Lama
“The whole purpose of religion is to facilitate love and compassion, patience, tolerance, humility, and forgiveness.”― Dalai Lama
“Look at children. Of course they may quarrel, but generally speaking they do not harbor ill feelings as much or as long as adults do. Most adults have the advantage of education over children, but what is the use of an education if they show a big smile while hiding negative feelings deep inside? Children don’t usually act in such a manner. If they feel angry with someone, they express it, and then it is finished. They can still play with that person the following day.”― Dalai Lama –
