Divine Wealth: "Fearlessness (Abhayam):Among the Divine qualities, Fearlessness stands foremost. Fear is an effect of ignorance. Identification with the body causes fear. Blind attachment to the body, wife, children, house, property etc. is the cause of fear.The sage who has realised the Self is absolutely fearless.
'He who knows the Bliss of Brahman (God) from which words as well as mind turn powerless, fears nothing.' -Taittiriya Upanishad
Fear can be removed by constant thinking of the immortal and all-blissful nature of the Self. If you lead a life of honesty and truthfulness, if you devoutly observe the precepts of the scriptures without doubting, if you lead a life of right conduct, and if you remember God always, you will become fearless."
It is through worship that the mind is focused on good that results from such devotion.
One becomes open-minded and one's heart is softened until a tiny raw edge of fearlessness appears to devour any fears you have. Fearlessness is ravenous in its pursuit of fear, because fear pollutes the stillness of the mind, and prevents the mind from hearing the voice of God.
Once fear is no more, fearlessness moderates bravery by leading one to be hypervigilant against even one thought of cowardice, which is the fear that wants you to retreat from a challenge because you feel unworthy of meeting it.
In having met your challenges, you uncover divine wealth which is worth more than gold itself. For the diamond mind which arises spontaneously due to meditation shines brilliantly and is the result of facing all challenges in life fearlessly.
Even if you are not a Buddhist or a Hindu, then the wealth uncovered by the diamond mind will never fade away as long as you practice meditation.
Such is divine wealth, lasting longer than all riches and material possession. She who realizes its true value early in life shall live a long life!
Originally written February 29, 2004 8:17 PM
Showing posts with label honesty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label honesty. Show all posts
20131225
20131212
Political Correctness As Perversion of Human Nature (satire)
Political correctness is both obscene and perverted. It is obscene because of self censure. It is perverted because freedom is suspect, and license censured.
If we live each day such that we think before we speak, but display honesty behind closed doors, then it is a mockery of our lives.
For almost anyone who cannot freely speak their mind may learn to be aggressive behind closed doors while remaining passive in public.
Perhaps this explains the shocking candidness on-line today.
Thus is political correctness both obscene and perverted.
Originally posted: June 6, 2007 at 7:48 PM
If we live each day such that we think before we speak, but display honesty behind closed doors, then it is a mockery of our lives.
For almost anyone who cannot freely speak their mind may learn to be aggressive behind closed doors while remaining passive in public.
Perhaps this explains the shocking candidness on-line today.
Thus is political correctness both obscene and perverted.
Originally posted: June 6, 2007 at 7:48 PM
20131204
Wake up Sheeple!! (satire)
Attention Sheeple: wake up from the dangers of the status quo!
I feel that society is antisocial when it lies about itself via mass media e.g. promotes a heteronormative and sexist status quo at the expense of homosexuals and women.
As well, youth culture that promotes ageism is also antisocial.
Thus it is society that promotes antisocial behavior when it deems anything the minority thinks is cool to be uncool and counter to the status quo of conformity.
Social norms only promote what is supposed to be normal within a cultural group.
Such norms become antisocial when they promote group harmony at the expense of honesty between members of that group.
When society promotes sincerity by promoting falsehoods to maintain status quo while calling it truth and penalizes anyone who exposes it, the seeds of antisocial behaviour are sown.
Are you still willing to remain sheeple?
Originally written October 26, 2013 at 3:38 AM
I feel that society is antisocial when it lies about itself via mass media e.g. promotes a heteronormative and sexist status quo at the expense of homosexuals and women.
As well, youth culture that promotes ageism is also antisocial.
Thus it is society that promotes antisocial behavior when it deems anything the minority thinks is cool to be uncool and counter to the status quo of conformity.
Social norms only promote what is supposed to be normal within a cultural group.
Such norms become antisocial when they promote group harmony at the expense of honesty between members of that group.
When society promotes sincerity by promoting falsehoods to maintain status quo while calling it truth and penalizes anyone who exposes it, the seeds of antisocial behaviour are sown.
Are you still willing to remain sheeple?
Originally written October 26, 2013 at 3:38 AM
20131128
Mental Illness as Society's Reaction to Inappropriate Honesty (satire)
In order to deal with reality, we sometimes develop elaborate fictions to cover the past or a defect of character.
Apart from the ravages of drug abuse, including the psychosis resulting from B-vitamins deficiency, which is prevalent amongst chronic alcoholics and may be part of other forms of abuse - though never acknowledged, few people would consider their fictions as the cumulative effect of the clever white lies they daily say over the course of a lifetime.
Even when we are threatened by a mortal illness which is in part due to the idiosyncratic varieties of personality and their attendant mental habits, few of us are willing to admit that it is due to lying to ourselves about reality.
Might mental illness be due to a history of white lies used to handle reality?
Maybe so, maybe not. Consider the white lies the State feeds us daily both through law enforcement (e.g. cannabis drug laws) and the media, be it news and edutainment (talk shows, reality TV, movies and advertisement).
Indeed, propaganda might be both cause and effect of the human ability to conceal the truth by not mentioning the obvious.
Schizophrenia might just be an effect of a society that cannot handle honesty and truth 24/7.
Some civilizations fell because a few revolutionaries became too honest about their current situation and caused doubt amongst the representatives of the ruling body for a specific monarchy, only to have a civil war fuelled by differences in ideology (monarchy versus nationalism and later, socialism versus free-market capitalism).
Russia's descent into communism was a post-modern example of this.
Most recently, examples of ideological warfare include the political damage control occurring in America due to Wikileaks, the recent protests in the Maghreb (north Africa from Morocco to Egypt) and in the Middle East (especially Libya, Egypt and Syria), and the hype and propaganda on cable news.
With regard to society, the honest people tend to get penalized for their honesty.
If you are honest about your taxes, you pay more taxes; if you are honest about your sexual exploits, then you tend to either get cock-blocked or end up alone in your old age; if you are honest about your emotions, then you get misunderstood. If you keep being honest, then sensitive friends and loved ones might get annoyed and either threaten to end the relationship or find someone who will tell them the white lies they want to hear.
Although I'm exaggerating about honesty to prove a point, I'd like to emphasize that total honesty entails full disclosure.
On the prospect of full disclosure, most people are adverse to expose their indiscretions to the public due to the public scrutiny which may arise as a result of such disclosures. When faced with the prospect of honesty, we'd rather baulk and wonder, "What would the neighbours think?" In the end, such honesty might lead critics to ignore the Biblical adage that "he who has no sin may cast the first stone".
If mental illness is due to society's reaction to inappropriate honesty, then mental health is the result of the individual's pro-active use of appropriate honesty.
With honesty and in the face of total disclosure, perhaps there is an appropriate outlet for it, both through journal writing and especially on-line blogging.
Originally posted: February 3, 2011 at 9:24 AM
Previous update: 8/28/11 1:01 PM
Current update: 11/28/13 03:28 AM
Apart from the ravages of drug abuse, including the psychosis resulting from B-vitamins deficiency, which is prevalent amongst chronic alcoholics and may be part of other forms of abuse - though never acknowledged, few people would consider their fictions as the cumulative effect of the clever white lies they daily say over the course of a lifetime.
Even when we are threatened by a mortal illness which is in part due to the idiosyncratic varieties of personality and their attendant mental habits, few of us are willing to admit that it is due to lying to ourselves about reality.
Might mental illness be due to a history of white lies used to handle reality?
Maybe so, maybe not. Consider the white lies the State feeds us daily both through law enforcement (e.g. cannabis drug laws) and the media, be it news and edutainment (talk shows, reality TV, movies and advertisement).
Indeed, propaganda might be both cause and effect of the human ability to conceal the truth by not mentioning the obvious.
Schizophrenia might just be an effect of a society that cannot handle honesty and truth 24/7.
Some civilizations fell because a few revolutionaries became too honest about their current situation and caused doubt amongst the representatives of the ruling body for a specific monarchy, only to have a civil war fuelled by differences in ideology (monarchy versus nationalism and later, socialism versus free-market capitalism).
Russia's descent into communism was a post-modern example of this.
Most recently, examples of ideological warfare include the political damage control occurring in America due to Wikileaks, the recent protests in the Maghreb (north Africa from Morocco to Egypt) and in the Middle East (especially Libya, Egypt and Syria), and the hype and propaganda on cable news.
With regard to society, the honest people tend to get penalized for their honesty.
If you are honest about your taxes, you pay more taxes; if you are honest about your sexual exploits, then you tend to either get cock-blocked or end up alone in your old age; if you are honest about your emotions, then you get misunderstood. If you keep being honest, then sensitive friends and loved ones might get annoyed and either threaten to end the relationship or find someone who will tell them the white lies they want to hear.
Although I'm exaggerating about honesty to prove a point, I'd like to emphasize that total honesty entails full disclosure.
On the prospect of full disclosure, most people are adverse to expose their indiscretions to the public due to the public scrutiny which may arise as a result of such disclosures. When faced with the prospect of honesty, we'd rather baulk and wonder, "What would the neighbours think?" In the end, such honesty might lead critics to ignore the Biblical adage that "he who has no sin may cast the first stone".
If mental illness is due to society's reaction to inappropriate honesty, then mental health is the result of the individual's pro-active use of appropriate honesty.
With honesty and in the face of total disclosure, perhaps there is an appropriate outlet for it, both through journal writing and especially on-line blogging.
Originally posted: February 3, 2011 at 9:24 AM
Previous update: 8/28/11 1:01 PM
Current update: 11/28/13 03:28 AM
20110828
Truth and Honesty (poem)
Never let knowledge stand
in the way of truth.
Never allow learning block you
from seeing the truth.
For truth and honesty should come
before all else.
Never bend the truth to
fit your beliefs.
Never suppress honesty to
justify your faith.
For beliefs and faith should be
supported by the truth.
Let truth be the foundation
of your knowledge.
Let truth help you learn
to be honest with the facts.
For truth and honesty serve us
best when applied wisely.
Let your beliefs be true,
straight to the core of wisdom.
Let your faith be embraced by
honesty and thus justified.
For beliefs and faith support
truth which is everlasting.
Originally written April 30, 2010 at 10:42 PM
in the way of truth.
Never allow learning block you
from seeing the truth.
For truth and honesty should come
before all else.
Never bend the truth to
fit your beliefs.
Never suppress honesty to
justify your faith.
For beliefs and faith should be
supported by the truth.
Let truth be the foundation
of your knowledge.
Let truth help you learn
to be honest with the facts.
For truth and honesty serve us
best when applied wisely.
Let your beliefs be true,
straight to the core of wisdom.
Let your faith be embraced by
honesty and thus justified.
For beliefs and faith support
truth which is everlasting.
Originally written April 30, 2010 at 10:42 PM
20100625
Tact and Trust on the Internet: Can We Be Honest on the 'net?
Tact consists of being able to say a white lie without regret once in a while, and mainly to not reply when honesty would ruin group harmony.
Indeed, tact proves that situation ethics (appropriateness depends on the situation) is consistently applied in real life practice while everyone pretends to practice a general moral code of appropriateness.
IMHO in private, tact is usually abandoned in the intimacy of friendship due to investment of trust.
In public, tact is practiced when the situation calls for it (most of the time).
For it would be inappropriate to be bluntly honest with people in public.
The Internet is different, in that there is no intimacy in cyberspace. So blunt honesty may only used between real life friends, and tact is a given because anonymity does not build trust. Rather, trust only occurs once each party builds a one-on-one relationship in real-life.
Anonymity is why we hate trolls, and treat helpful advice from others as overstepping boundaries on-line.
At the root of this is the concept of earning trust, which is a real life behavior that does not always work on-line.
Those courageous on-line users who buck the trend and offer trust now do so hoping that the other party will honor that trust. Anyone who violates this accord becomes untrustworthy, and revenge is dependent on the nature of the one whose trust is violated.
This explains banning of IP numbers, Facebook disabled accounts and other on-line account hijacks.
YMMV
Indeed, tact proves that situation ethics (appropriateness depends on the situation) is consistently applied in real life practice while everyone pretends to practice a general moral code of appropriateness.
IMHO in private, tact is usually abandoned in the intimacy of friendship due to investment of trust.
In public, tact is practiced when the situation calls for it (most of the time).
For it would be inappropriate to be bluntly honest with people in public.
The Internet is different, in that there is no intimacy in cyberspace. So blunt honesty may only used between real life friends, and tact is a given because anonymity does not build trust. Rather, trust only occurs once each party builds a one-on-one relationship in real-life.
Anonymity is why we hate trolls, and treat helpful advice from others as overstepping boundaries on-line.
At the root of this is the concept of earning trust, which is a real life behavior that does not always work on-line.
Those courageous on-line users who buck the trend and offer trust now do so hoping that the other party will honor that trust. Anyone who violates this accord becomes untrustworthy, and revenge is dependent on the nature of the one whose trust is violated.
This explains banning of IP numbers, Facebook disabled accounts and other on-line account hijacks.
YMMV
20100430
Getting On With Life (poem)
To learn and grow by
caring about others,
staying positive,
and getting on with life,
each one of us will be
able to be happy,
and endure life's trials,
through careful practice
with calm insight,
and wisdom cultivated
through honesty and truth.
caring about others,
staying positive,
and getting on with life,
each one of us will be
able to be happy,
and endure life's trials,
through careful practice
with calm insight,
and wisdom cultivated
through honesty and truth.
20051116
Secrecy The Mark of False Doctrine
The Buddha said:
I have taught the way without making any distinction between inner and outer teaching. For in respect of the truth there must be no such thing as the "closed fist" of the teacher, who hides some essential knowledge from the pupil. Secrecy is the mark of false doctrine.
— Digha Nikaya
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