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Chapter 5 Huge amounts of energy can be lost in the act of judging. So much energy can be lost in judging that there can be no material left with which to build the spiritual body. We must learn to watch for judgment and the identities that practice judgment, and we must learn to judge only when it is appropriate and use only as much energy in the judgment as is necessary. To appreciate the impact judgment has on our lives we must clearly understand the impact thought has on our lives. We must clearly understand that the thoughts that are generated by our multitude of identities and their identifications determine the quality of our life experience. Quite simply, we are what we think. The qualities of our thoughts become the qualities of our life experience. To appreciate the impact judgment has on our lives we must understand the oneness we share with all things that exist in this universe. This oneness and our consciousness regarding this oneness is the foundation on which our happiness depends. Since the beginning of time people have been aware of the oneness and the interdependence that exists between all things. Religions, rituals and symbols were designed to remind us of the oneness we share with all things. The American Indian, the Taoist and the Buddhist way all celebrate oneness. It is understood that this oneness exists at the heart of our being and yet is not evident through the senses. It is therefore necessary to look beyond the sense evidence and cultivate a spiritual consciousness regarding the inseparable nature of our existence. Today, many cultures neglect the connection to the universe. This neglect is proving itself extremely dangerous. The environment on which our lives depend is being destroyed because of the lack of understanding regarding oneness. Greed is the dominant emotion driving business. All our material wealth and technological advancements have drawn us away from the necessity of thinking about our oneness. Our neglect does not change the reality of our oneness; it merely prevents us from experiencing the freedom and happiness that comes from full appreciation of our situation. Science is proving oneness. Modern physics is recognizing the inseparable nature of all that exists. “The basic oneness of the universe is not only the central characteristic of the mystical experience, but is also one of the most important revelations of modern physics. It becomes apparent at the atomic level and manifests itself more and more as one penetrates deeper into matter, down into the realm of subatomic particles.” “THE TAO OF PHYSICS” Fritjof Capra Christ was conscious regarding oneness. “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved me.” From the profound oneness we come; to this oneness we are connected. Our lack of consciousness regarding our connection is the only thing that separates us, and this lack of consciousness acts as a filter preventing the spiritual substance of life from getting through to us; however, it does not negate the reality. Our lives are lived from a point of view that does not recognize oneness, and this blindness causes us to stumble about in the illusionary world of duality. Judgment reinforces the dualistic illusion. We must remember that our thoughts determine our experience. We must accept the reality of mind into matter. We must remember that many of our thoughts are habitual. We must remember that in most instances subjective consciousness is generating our thoughts. How we think about a situation or how we feel about an event must set in motion a wide range of actions and consequences that fall like dominos in a mind that is managed by subjective consciousness. Spirituality begins at the level of self consciousness. Self consciousness or consciousness relating to the true self stops the falling chain of dominos and allows thoughtfulness to manage our experience. When we begin to understand the profound nature of mind and the impact self consciousness can have on the thoughts of this mind, we begin to understand the consequences of judgment. “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” St. Matthew 7: 1-2 The act of judging when carried out using subjective thinking causes a fracture in our world, and this fracture negates the well being afforded us as an attribute of our oneness. Subjective judgment requires that there are two. If there are two then one must be better than the other. If I am right and you disagree with me, then you are wrong. The firm opinion that there is good or bad, right or wrong, sinner or saint, sick or well, rich or poor, white or black, hot or cold, weak or strong, friend or foe, places us in a position where we are experiencing one or the other. We find ourselves needing to protect and defend our rightness. We find ourselves experiencing lack. Even the weather becomes too hot or too cold for us to be happy. The world becomes a place where one person has more and another person has less. And the questions become; “How do I get more?” “How do I protect myself from those who want to take from me?” In a dualistic world, if ‘I’ am to get more it must come at the expense of another. If another is to have more it must come at ‘my’ expense. The lack of self consciousness regarding our oneness causes us to disregard the welfare of others. It causes us to disrespect our oneness and justify the breaking down of one in order to build up the other. We can never find lasting happiness in a world where duality dominates. There will always be something that we lack that prevents us from being happy. “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.” St. Matthew 6: 19-22 We must learn to see that good and bad, right and wrong, rich and poor, sick and well, friend and foe are simply opposite ends of the same stick. We must understand that we receive nothing at the expense of another. If we take away from another we are taking away from ourselves. Our dualistic thinking robs us of the energy we need to build our spiritual body. We must understand that in a universe where oneness is the reality, there is plenty to go around. Inappropriate judgment perpetuates inappropriate thought, and inappropriate thought manifests as greed, jealousy, hate, slander and pride. Appropriate judgment results in decisions that promote self consciousness. Appropriate judgment is judgment that is used to make decisions that affect the well being of the spiritual body. Appropriate judgment is judgment that is used to make decisions regarding proper use of energy, decisions regarding identities and their identifications, decisions regarding proper use of centers and decisions concerning our present level of consciousness.
“Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. Compassion is a positive emotion that is born of righteous judgment. Compassion is a positive emotion that reflects our understanding regarding the connection that exists between all things. Compassion demonstrates our recognition of the fact that all living things are inexplicably linked and that the well being of one is dependent on the well being of all. We must always remember to ask ourselves; “Are you acting compassionately?” “Are you using right thinking?” If the answer is yes, we will know that we are judging righteously.
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