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Author Topic:   Reflections on effort!!!!!
Solane Star
Knowflake

Posts: 4919
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Jun 2005

posted January 13, 2008 01:15 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Solane Star     Edit/Delete Message
Reflections on effort

The anxious student asked the Zen master how long to enlightenment. The Zen Master answered a long time, at least 10 years. The student said, "Well I will work twice as hard." The Zen master said, "Then it will take 20 years." "No!" said the committed student, "I will work three times as hard." "Well then," said the Zen master, "it will take 30 years."

Do you need to work at being spiritual? No. You already are spiritual. Do you need to work at being human? No. That’s just who you are.

The spiritual path doesn’t require us to get anything. It’s a process of opening to new dimensions of who we already are. It’s a process of awakening to our own truth. It’s a process of allowing ourselves to be authentic.

"It is not by your actions that you will be saved, but by your being."

-- Meister Eckhart

"People ask what must they become to be loving. The answer is ‘nothing.’ It is a process of letting go of what you thought you had become and allowing your true nature to float to the surface naturally."

-- Stephen Levine

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Kat
Knowflake

Posts: 911
From: Cleveland, Ohio
Registered: Jan 2003

posted January 20, 2008 04:45 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Kat     Edit/Delete Message
Thanks! I've been thinking about "doing" effort and "being" alot lately.

In Christian philosophy, one does not have to do anything to get to heaven only accept/believe in Jesus Christ. Unfortunately this concept taken literally excludes many people of different religions and I feel that many Christians have misinterpreted this concept.I feel that you have hit upon the truth of "not doing" /effort - it really is "being." Doing naturally flows from your state of "being" We are physical beings in addition to spiritual and our actions result simply by living in this physical world. If your angry, hateful,etc. violence, unkind words actions, etc. natural will come from you. If your state of being is loving, peaceful, joyous...loving deeds and kind favors will follow and touch other peoples lives in a positve manner. It's the adage "when you squeeze a lemon you get lemonade. What do you get if you're squeezed?"

"It's not by your actions that you will be saved,but by your being" Many will do deeds simply because they feel this is the right thing to do and that they are being a help to someone. Frequently obligation is their reason for being a good samaratin. Yet their state of being/consciousness is at a lower base level- maybe angry or coming from the ego. The actions that they are doing do not naturally stem from their being and are inauthentic. I think this type of doing is really referring to what the Christian philosophy of "not doing "should be about. I hope that one day fundamentalist Christians re-evaluate and consider merging it into their concept of "believing" in Jesus. If someone is truly a believer and follower of Christ, their state of being will be at a higher state of consciousness, They will be unconditional loving (like Christ) and positve actions will naturally flow from them. A non-Christian who follows "the way" the way which is present not only in Christianity, but Judaism, Buddahism, Taoism... can achieve the same level of spiritual being. Simply stating " I believe in Jesus" doesn't do it! Believing needs to be taken into the core of our being so deeply that we don't even think about our state of being, we just be... and incredible deed just flow from us because that is who we are.

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Mannu
Knowflake

Posts: 2026
From:
Registered: Mar 2006

posted January 20, 2008 04:59 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Mannu     Edit/Delete Message
Such a stupid example by Echert I thought.

I guess he wants to make a point but the words he chose is so poor. Perhaps reflects his own mental makeup.


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Solane Star
Knowflake

Posts: 4919
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Jun 2005

posted January 20, 2008 06:58 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Solane Star     Edit/Delete Message
"It is not by your actions that you will be saved, but by your being."

-- Meister Eckhart

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Solane Star
Knowflake

Posts: 4919
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Jun 2005

posted January 20, 2008 06:59 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Solane Star     Edit/Delete Message
Thanks Kat!!!

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