Living your faith

[M. T. Cross]

In a recent thread the subject of walking the walk rather than just being all talk came up. Personally I think that if one does not try to "live" their religion then they are just wasting their time even bothering with a religion at all.

So I am curious how each of us try to make our religion a part of who we are. Lets try to do this without any pointing out the faults of the others ways.

I'll start.

There are a couple tenents to my relion that I try very hard to incorporate into all I do.

1. Measure all things with the yardstick of oneness

I think this one is the easiest for me. The idea that all things are in the end equal. That amongst us no-one person is better than the other, some have just made better decisions than others and as a result have better consequences. But each of us are one good or bad decision away from turning our lives in a different direction. We all have our problems, issues, triumphs and failures. On a larger scale, all living things are dependent on each other in one way or another. No one thing is more important than another.

2.Wisdom, Self Honesty, Self Responsibility and Love (WSSL)

I try to make each decision and action in my life based on these things. Sometimes I even succeed This is an ever evolving thing however, as I have learned that very few actually understand the deeper meaning of the things that make up WSSL. When I first read about it I thought that I lived by that already. My first step in Self Honesty was to realize I had no clue really about wisdom and a very superficial knowledge of love. That The 2 s's are just plain painfull at times and how seldom people (including myself) actually use them to their fullest degree

3.

Quote:

Act instead of react

This is a brutal one for me. I tend to be a very emotionl thinker, and I tend to go with my first emotional thought in each moment of my life. Over the last few years however I have tamed that a bit and have learned to think things through a bit more. To take an action that will bring a better end rather than just react.

Your turn.

[CoAspen]

An excellent start! Will be interesting to hear the responses. I agree with your first 2....any more?

[M. T. Cross]

An excellent start! Will be interesting to hear the responses. I agree with your first 2....any more?

Well, #1 is a part of our main philosophy of the Concept of Oneness. Its a lot harder to explain

I break it down into the omlet theory.

An omlet is a singular dish. When you look at it on a plate its what you see - simply an omlet.

However break it down a little. Its got eggs, cheese, red peppers, green peppers, onions, maybe some meat etc. Whatever one likes but it is made up of very different parts.

So is the existance of all things. Its an omlet. The All is the omlet and all things in existance are those various ingredients. But every thing is part of the All and all things are One. Not the same, but still one. How we act within that oneness changes the flavour.

Now this is also one that is very hard for me. I want to be special. My ego tells me that I am unique and without my contribution the flavour may not be that great. But really I, you, everything that exists is a part of a greater picture. Each thing is important as it contributes, but no one thing is more important than another. So in our existance we have a choice. We can add somthing to the flavour, or we can sour the flavour. We can also just sit in the mix and do nothing. Kind of like tofu - just along for the ride.

So I look at that and think. What can I do each day that can make that omlet a little better?

First thing I can do is realize that I am part of that, get in tune with the nature of it.

Next I can try to live that WSSL bit and make sure my action is an addition, that it does not sour things, that it is not tofu.

After that I can do what I can to make sure the other parts are able to add their flavour. Part of that is to realize that each part is just as important as my part is. To treat all things with dignity, respect and love.

Its all about gaining control over the sense of self and of ego. Which goes against our conditioning. But I truly believe it can be done.

[Gail]

Great topic!

[JoeMo]

Awesome topic, MT!

I tried to address the "walk the talk" part just this morning in the "What can we Learn From Other Faiths/Denominations" thread. IMO, you are teaching us good things from another faith.

One mantra I would like to add to WSSL is that "we have very little control over the events and circumstances that we find ourselves in; but we have complete control over our response to those events and circumstances. So many people (myself included at times) let things that happen to them define who they are and alter their destiny. Their attitude is "this is the way I was raised" or "why do bad things always happen to me"? If we suffer an injustice or an adverse event (e.g., loss of job, death of spouse/child), sure - we have to grieve; but we don't have to get stuck there. We have choices to make. The choices we make will either set us on an altered course to that destiny, or totally derail us.

Since this is basically a religious blog site, I will use a religious example. Say one is raised in "Religion X"; and as they get older, they begin to perceive "cracks" in the logic of the doctrine of "Religion X"; or a an authority figure in that religion consistently treats them poorly. On the surface,they have 3 options:

1. Suck it up and put up with it (compromising your principles).

2. Forget about God, because obviously, religion is a man-made joke and an opiate of the masses.

3. Seek a faith that better suits your concept of who/what a Deity is, and "walk the talk" of that faith - both physically and spiritually.

For me, option 3 works best (it works so well, I've chosen it 3 or 4 times in my life!). I'm not saying that "Option 3 is right for everyone; but it sure works for me. I can still get up in the morning and smile at the guy in the mirror; and usually smile at others and smile at my God.

[phkrause]

Great points EC