The idea of acceptance is central to the idea of 'interfaith'. As a concept acceptance might be regarded as difficult to some. This might be because truly accepting the idea of interfaith, as the Dalai Lama would suggest, calls upon one to evaluate their relationship with one's own religion. But what is religion? http://www.dictionary.com/ says that religion is:
"a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion."So religion is about beliefs and practices then? I found this course of enquiry interesting. As someone who is preparing to enter into Ministerial studies I am clear about my beliefs in this moment and look to my spiritual practices as a key foundation of my life. And yet as was pointed out by a participant last night even attachment to our beliefs has the potential to lead to suffering. What if the Dalai Lama is indeed correct in saying that no one religion can meet all of humanity's needs? Or more interestingly, what if the point of religion is to help us find and then embody our own spiritual yearning? And what might I mean by this?
More and more each day I am reminded that the spiritual path is a truly individual one. Spirituality for me is about becoming love in action. And I am not talking about romantic love. I am talking about deep spiritual love. The kind of love that sits and has tea with other words like kindness. The kind of love that inspires me to get up in the morning, do my yoga, and as my forehead is touched to the ground to say, "may I be allowed to serve this day."
In my relatively short life I have also come to realize that my unique journey has brought me to where I am today. I would have it no other way, nor do I practice regret. I celebrate that I am continually evolving my ideas of understanding my Belief System (or BS for short). All of the challenges I have encountered have deepened and stretched me. I have never been given more than I can handle. And as I look to my life I am filled with gratitude for who I am today. I spend as many moments focusing on love and acceptance as I can. Compassion and a sense of overflowing love for all that I see fills my days. If I took any any experiences of the past would I be where I am now? Would I benefit from Divine subtraction? I cannot know. Perhaps only the Infinite consciousness of the Divine can know that.
A belief I have then is that any effort to convince another of what they should, or should not, believe in is flawed. No individual person, or organization has an infinite consciousness. No one person, Minister, Rabbi, or Guru can know what is best for you. Only you can discover what your truth is to you.
Another question that was asked centered around the idea of having the urge to convince others about the Belief System (or BS) that you have that has you so excited. But to this I urge you seek silence before words. So what if others are asleep? What does it matter to you? I once read that the urge to convince another about why your BS is so amazing is really a projection of your own insecurities about the beliefs you live and carry. Certainly, I am here blogging about my beliefs, but I have no expectations of you regarding what I write. In fact, I wholeheartedly invite you, as Don Miguel Ruiz would suggest, to not believe a word that I say. Every night when I start the meditation circle with an affirmative prayer I encourage participants to accept what resonates as truth and let all other words pass them by.
Acceptance is tied very closely to compassion. And it might be debated that the spirit of compassion forms the ethical heart of all religions. I think that the starting point for those who follow a set of beliefs and practices, and prescribe to religion, is to respect the right of others to hold their own beliefs. And in turn, I think a more refined level of awareness is to celebrate that others have come to where they are, and are striving to live the spirit of compassion in their lives. As I prepare for Ministerial studies you can bet that this will be a core element of the platform upon which I stand.
I really would have it no other way. I am seeing less bad in the world, mainly because there is less bad in me. More and more each day I come to recognize the changable nature of this world we live in and the eternal nature of the Infinite Consciousness I like to call God. What if all the stuff you've been labelling as bad is actually God expanding an awareness of itself? What if the challenges, trials, and objectionable content of life that you label as bad is actually the fuel of an expanding awareness? If anything, the clearer I become about my spirituality the more I celebrate that I had to make some really interesting choices while sleepwalking to be who I am today.
Or put more simply, has anyone ever really managed to change your belief system because of something they said, or did to you? I would suggest that if you looked back on your life that you might come to conclude, as I have, that the true shifts in my BS came because I came to a realization for myself. Certainly, I may have heard an intellectual idea, or have been inspired by the feeling an event or person evoked. But in the end, my choice to change who I am was always my choice. And my choices have always been made upon the foundation of who I was at that point. Why would I want to take that from you as you live your life?
No, I would have it no other way. And if anything, should an individual, organization, religion, or event, trigger discomfort and the reaction to resist (not accept) within me, then I see that as an opportunity for contemplation. What part of my BS is offending my Divine self?
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