There was an older Christian pastor who, every morning, would start his day off by reading his bible and then taking a walk down this long country road as part of his devotion. A little ways off of this particular road was a temple where Buddhist monks lived. At the same time of day each morning, the pastor would always see the monks sitting together in silence, peacefully meditating. The pastor thought that the monks' souls were surely lost and he wanted to see them go to his church and find salvation.
One Sunday, after church, the pastor walked to the temple to speak to the head monk, the Abbot, and ask him about their "pagan" practices. The pastor eagerly wanted to tell the monks about Jesus. The Abbot of the temple, promptly greeted the pastor and invited him in for tea. The pastor sat down with the Abbot and asked the Abbot why he meditated. The Abbot replied, "To tame the mind."
The pastor then explained his beliefs and how Jesus was the only way to salvation. He was primed and ready for a debate with the head monk. The Abbot, unfazed at the explosion of biblical information, simply sat two tea cups between them, smiled, and said, "Buddhism does not need your religion to be wrong for it to be right." The pastor, frustrated, continued preaching to the Abbot. The pastor gave a thunderous sermon of hell, fire, and brimstone that would be worthy of a revival.
The Abbot took his tea pot and began pouring tea into his cup and then he poured the pastor a cup. The pastor continued to go on and on about damnation and salvation. The Abbot continued to pour tea into the pastor's cup. And he kept pouring. And pouring. Tea started overflowing the cup and spilling everywhere onto the table. The pastor, stunned, finally jumped up and shouted, "Stop! The cup is full!" The Abbot stopped pouring the tea, looked up at the pastor, smiled, and said, "This cup is an illustration of your mind. Your mind is full and will not hold anymore knowledge. You will never be able to taste the knowledge of others without first empting your cup..."
Everyone has questions about life; from who are we to what is our purpose. When we look at conventional places for answers, we usually end up regurgitating quotes from a book, a pastor, or reciting some obscure bible verse. None of which seems to really fully answer our more deeper psychological and philosophical questions. The major religions all say that their religion is the one true religion and everyone else is wrong and or going to hell. Yikes!!! We may never find all of the answers we seek but what other ways can we begin to find them?
Give yourself space
Even in a civilized society we can feel ostracized for doubting and seeking answers outside of conventional teachings. Don't feel bad about challenging things. It's okay to ask questions. EVERYONE does! Not everyone will admit it, but they do. News flash- we are suppose to ask questions! That's a part of learning! Seeking truth is the first step in acquiring truth. Trying to understand your life's purpose is your individual right as a human. Allow yourself some room to grow and process information and never apologize for trying to better yourself.
Take a break from organized religious groups
Perception can change your individual life experience, either for the good or the bad. What I mean is who you are now is not who you used to be and is ultimately not who you will become. It's important to change your perception and look at things through different angles. To do that you have to step back and see things as they are, without other people's input. It's hard to get a fresh look at things when you are surrounded by a people who have only one view.
Realize that no one knows it all
Whether people want to admit it or not, we are using a tremendous amount of guess work about the essence of life and death. I don't think anyone alive knows what happens when we die, spiritually speaking. We can understand and prove what happens to our physical bodies because we have a pretty clear grasp of medicine and the biology of physical death but no one is coming back in a metaphysical way to enlighten us about the here after. Since that's the case, give yourself permission to find your own faith and your own ideas about it, and at the same time, give others their space to find their truth. It may or may not be in line with others or the mainstream. Either is fine.
Walk in nature
We live in a structured and mechanical society. We ride in cars, breathing exhaust. We sit in front of computer screens for hours. We sit in front of TVs when we are off. Many of us lead sedentary lives. We weren't made to do that. We are hunters and gathers by design. We need sunlight. We need the oxygen from the plants. Plants and vitamin D are both proven to have stress reliving affects on humans. Go outside. Take a walk in your local park. Even if it's on your lunch break, take 15 minutes and walk outside. Take mindful breathes. Observe the green shades of the trees, grass, and flower stems. Hear the birds. Feel the sun on your face. Be there and be present.
We live in a structured and mechanical society. We ride in cars, breathing exhaust. We sit in front of computer screens for hours. We sit in front of TVs when we are off. Many of us lead sedentary lives. We weren't made to do that. We are hunters and gathers by design. We need sunlight. We need the oxygen from the plants. Plants and vitamin D are both proven to have stress reliving affects on humans. Go outside. Take a walk in your local park. Even if it's on your lunch break, take 15 minutes and walk outside. Take mindful breathes. Observe the green shades of the trees, grass, and flower stems. Hear the birds. Feel the sun on your face. Be there and be present.
Pray your own way
If it is reading from a book, sitting in a half lotus and meditating, taking a walk and thinking about life, doing yoga, working in the garage, whatever... pray how and where you feel comfortable. Your time here is sacred and limited. The time you spend reflecting on your spirit and your god / universe / or your being is your own personal design. No one gets to define that. No one. Not your spouse, parents, teachers, pastors, friends, no one. The way you honor your being and your connection to the universe is yours. And it's okay. You get to define yourself and you get to define how you pray.
If it is reading from a book, sitting in a half lotus and meditating, taking a walk and thinking about life, doing yoga, working in the garage, whatever... pray how and where you feel comfortable. Your time here is sacred and limited. The time you spend reflecting on your spirit and your god / universe / or your being is your own personal design. No one gets to define that. No one. Not your spouse, parents, teachers, pastors, friends, no one. The way you honor your being and your connection to the universe is yours. And it's okay. You get to define yourself and you get to define how you pray.
Read all kinds of books
Knowledge is power. Self knowledge is essential for your growth in this lifetime. There is so much knowledge in so many different pieces of literature out there. Everything from the Dharma to the works of Socrates, Alan Watts, Carl Sagan down to the Bhagavad Gita. There is so much amazing material out there designed to wake you up and make you think. There is a reason that churches and governments restricted learning and even burned books that deviated from their ideology.
Knowledge is power. Self knowledge is essential for your growth in this lifetime. There is so much knowledge in so many different pieces of literature out there. Everything from the Dharma to the works of Socrates, Alan Watts, Carl Sagan down to the Bhagavad Gita. There is so much amazing material out there designed to wake you up and make you think. There is a reason that churches and governments restricted learning and even burned books that deviated from their ideology.
Keep an open your mind
When we speak, we are simply repeating what we know. There is no room for growth there. When we listen and take in the ideas of others, we grow. Life, ideas, and practice is not always about right and wrong; Often times, it is about what is better for us, the individual. We label so much and so many things in this life. Strive to be open in a way that doesn't compromise your integrity or morals but allows you to have space to learn and grow.
Live your philosophy
When we speak, we are simply repeating what we know. There is no room for growth there. When we listen and take in the ideas of others, we grow. Life, ideas, and practice is not always about right and wrong; Often times, it is about what is better for us, the individual. We label so much and so many things in this life. Strive to be open in a way that doesn't compromise your integrity or morals but allows you to have space to learn and grow.
Live your philosophy
One of the biggest fallacies in all organized religions is a collective fail of its followers to actually practice the beliefs of their system. We can examine the teachings of Christ, Abraham, Buddha and so forth and they all have a common message of love, forgiveness, and understanding. If we are to subscribe to their messages; it is essential that we live those messages, not just read about it or go to church. No matter what your faith, if any, your life is your testimony. It doesn't matter how much money you gave in the offering plate, or what car you drove, or your job, no... It is the impact you left on people, animals, and the planet throughout your life that will tell what you truly believed.
There will always be unanswered questions, my friends. I still have more questions than answers. However, you are free to ask, free to search, and free to mold your own being the way you see fit. Understanding life, God, the universe, people... all of it begins with asking and understanding your own being. Namaste.
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