The World. Myths of the Divine, Realities, and Awareness. Freedom. Love. Life

Right, our past sins turned into a manipulatory tool. But the future is still ahead of us. There is Heaven you can get to upon the condition of your obedience. Isn’t it great? And what do you need to get to Heaven? I might add that it doesn’t necessarily exist… You should abide by something… By certain rules. But who came up with these rules? That is the question. Was it really God? You are supposed to do what you are told to do even if there is a more reasonable option. But who is telling you this? God or a man preaching God’s word? How can we distinguish between these two? How can we distinguish between the Almighty’s rules and those made by people?

And what’s the result? We shall behave in a certain way in the hope of pretty ephemeral welfare in the future, after our death… Communists also promised a sort of Heaven. Glorious future. Fortunately, on the face of the Earth, though in some distant future. For one thing, every Soviet family would have lived in a separate apartment by 2000. But Communism fell earlier. Actually, Communism did bring us plenty of good things that changed the lives of working people throughout the world for good! It is of great worth. I’m pinpointing such things here so that you recalled what I said earlier. There are no bad ideas. Sometimes it is the means of implementation that is far from good. And here is another important thing. Any movement, including any religious one, has something that was implemented quite poorly, something that was implemented pretty well, or on the average level, etc. Capitalism, just like many other political movements, is no exception. There are so many promises… It’s actually a common story: We need to be patient for a while but then we’ll begin a brand new life! That’s the whole point!

Our past doesn’t let us live in the present and neither do prospects of heavenly future. Neither our past nor our future let us be clear-eyed about the present reality and find effective solutions here and now. We are always lost in our thoughts about either past or future. Or both. As a result, there is no life in the present! But there is a see-saw of time. And we are always stuck. It sounds horrible! Today you are supposed to pay for the sins of your ancestors who probably never even existed. And if you succeed, you get a chance for happiness after death! So what is life in this case? Pure suffering, a trial of patience, an attempt to atone for someone else’s guilt. Humans are massively denied the right to joy and happiness. Including their descendants. This is one of the most violent myths! And if you start asking awkward questions, you will be accused of heresy with all that entails. You will be completely browbeaten, I’ll say this much. Although, upon reflection… Is God really behind all of this? The Almighty who is our past, present, and future… God, one of whose names is Eternity, Time, and Space… An eternal moment and an eternal journey through time. A point and infinity.

But it is not enough to be present in the moment, here and now. It is really important to be aware of this moment.

But let us get back to the topic of our discussion. Why is this myth so violent? Because it denies us our present life, deprives it of happiness and the ability to enjoy life. It holds us in shame and guilt for our past, in awe of our future. Shame, guilt, and awe are perfect tools of not only control but also of manipulation. They can easily transform a free and thinking person into a stupid and subordinate puppet. But it wasn’t why God made man and gave us the opportunity to think…

Tips

– Do you want some advice? Stop living in the past! Stop living in guilt that was forced upon you! Stop living in some bright and glorious future that was also forced upon you! Start living here and now. Start off with getting in contact with reality and becoming aware of it! People around you don’t necessarily need to know anything about it.

– If you feel guilty, find a way to apologize and also do something within the framework of this apology that would be on par with the action you apologize for. That is to say, if you stole a hundred dollars, you should give a hundred dollars back. If you offended someone, don’t do it again and say a few kind words. That’s pretty simple, huh? Yes. If it was a minor misdeed. But what should you do when it comes to something much more serious? That is how karma works if we are talking about that. Understanding that you need to do something of equal importance in the course of or after apologizing will stop you from wrongdoings. And yet there are plenty of people who view it differently. But karma never makes other people or the descendants responsible for someone’s offenses or good actions. And again, a lot of people never think about it this way. Think about it, try to analyze different points of views.

– So what do you think now about the phrase «Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift»?

– What, in your opinion, does it mean to be present in the moment, in the here and now? How can you practice being present? Do you have any ideas?

Key points

Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift.

And there may be endless number of points of view and versions!

You should abide by something… By certain rules. But who came up with these rules? That is the question. Was it really God? You are supposed to do what you are told to do even if there is a more reasonable option. But who is telling you this? God or a man preaching God’s word? How can we distinguish between these two?

Our past doesn’t let us live in the present and neither do prospects of heavenly future. Neither our past nor our future let us be clear-eyed about the present reality and find effective solutions here and now.

The Almighty who is our past, present, and future… God, one of whose names is Eternity, Time, and Space… An eternal moment and an eternal journey through time. A point and infinity.

But it is not enough to be present in the moment, here and now. It is really important to be aware of this moment.

Shame, guilt, and awe are perfect tools of not only control but also of manipulation. They can easily transform a free and thinking person into a stupid and subordinate puppet. But it wasn’t why God made man and gave us the opportunity to think…

The myth in a nutshell

There is always a cause and effect of your own choice. Each person creates their own Hell and Heaven, first of all inside themselves and then in the surrounding world. You should probably also remember that the point is not to ensure your future in Heaven but to create your Heaven here and now.

5. The Myth of the Good and the Evil

Your experience

– Have you ever experienced an event that you saw as a good one while other people considered it bad? Or vice versa?

– So how would you describe this event? Is it good or bad?

– Have you ever experienced an event that you saw differently at the time and later? Perhaps, you even totally changed your mind about it?

– So how would you describe this event? Is it good or bad?

– Is snake venom good or bad? What or who makes it good or bad? What about an axe, a knife, a bow with arrows, porridge, or milk? Are these things good or bad? What or who makes them good or bad? Perhaps, the one who controls them? What will it be? Destruction or creation? Can a knife decide that? Can porridge determine that? Or is it done by the one who holds the knife or cooks the porridge?

About the myth

What is good and what is evil? We have some very specific tenets. This is right and that is wrong. From whose perspective? To whom? In what context?

What is good and what is evil from the point of view of time? From the point of view of the past, present, and future?

What is good and what is evil from the point of view of emptiness of things themselves, phenomena, or events?

What is good and what is bad? Is it our judgment? Are they the same as good and evil? Or are they independent concepts? Or are they all interrelated?

What is the difference between good and evil? Between good and bad? Is there any difference at all?

In this context, the Buddhist idea of emptiness is pretty much interesting and seems more reasonable (or maybe not?). But let’s discuss something else. Why do the talks of good and evil, of good and bad sidetrack us? What do they prevent us from seeing? What are we missing as a result? What if the good and the evil are just a blindfold? What does it prevent you from seeing?

That there are no such things as the good and the evil? That something that is good for one person can be evil for another? That these concepts rather add to confusion instead of explaining things? And if we add the concept of time here, the notion gets even more complicated. How can we get to the bottom of things? What can help us do it?

But let’s now talk about the most important thing. About life! It is the greatest gift! Was it the mercy of God, Allah, nature, the Universe, or some spirits? It doesn’t matter… What matters is that life exists on our planet! Perhaps it exists somewhere else. But we don’t know for sure. At least it seems we don’t have neighbors. Or is it that we choose to believe so? Perhaps we are also wrong about nature, perhaps we are prejudiced against all forms of life. We are just looking for something similar to us, aren’t we? But life is life, it can be so different… It can have so many forms. But then, what is life?

Alright, we are surrounded by outer space. We have to take into consideration so many factors – space-like in their scale! And yet we live. If we assume that Earth is the only planet in the Universe where life exists… Aren’t we fooling it away? Killing each other for a reason or with no reason at all? Due to some farfetched myths? Even if life does exist somewhere else, it isn’t the same, it is unique! And again I’d like to ask you the question: Aren’t we fooling life away, killing each other over trifles? Life! In so many forms! That is what’s most important! That is what we need to protect! That is what we need to cherish! What we need to take care of! And what we need to respect! And if someone is willing to destroy life for the sake of some rules (life that was created by entirely someone else) … They shouldn’t do it. Our life is of the greatest value. And this is a way to put your gurus to test! If they choose religion, if they choose rules, or if they choose the good, and then go and destroy life (meaning other people and living beings), all their pleas are worth nothing! Because they failed to see the main thing! Our life is what counts most! If we choose to believe the stories of God/Allah or other deities/spirits, then we should accept that they created not just a planet. They created Life in all the diversity of its forms! What an incredible and wonderful phenomenon! It is a sin, an evil to destroy life! And it is easily done. But it is good to create, to produce life. And this is a much more difficult task. It takes efforts!

But so many other things take our efforts too. Our entire life is about making efforts. The entire path of our soul is about making efforts. In order to go up, you should make efforts. To go down, you should make efforts too though it is much easier. It takes more efforts to rise. It takes efforts to stay human. It takes enormous efforts to deal with fears, attachments, and sins. It takes efforts to develop spiritual qualities and values. It takes efforts to cultivate awareness and love. Sometimes it takes efforts to make an effort.

But no one tells you about it. Because in this case, you won’t kill. Because in this case, you won’t plunder. Because in this case, you won’t rape. Because in this case, you won’t find excuses for doing it! Because in this case, you won’t be manipulated! Because in this case, you will see what is valuable and start making efforts in that direction.

Start noticing life! Start noticing how it flows, rolls, and streams. Realize that you are alive! The energy of life is constantly flowing through you! Realize that there are millions, billions of living creatures around you – in all kinds and forms! You don’t even see most of them. You don’t know most of them and will never learn about them! Even the Universe is alive, planets are alive. It’s just that their lives are different. The scale is completely different! Just like when we talk about germs and bacteria living in the human body. For them, even a human body is a whole different scale. Try to comprehend how many factors had to coincide to give birth to Life. The Life that we have. We, among other people and living beings, were born. And all of them want one and the same thing. To live!

Cherish life! Your life and the lives of others! Turn it into Heaven here and now. For the sake of yourself and lots of other people (and, perhaps, other species), not for the sake of a tiny group!

But how can we do that? What do we need for that? What can help us do it?

Love and compassion. To yourself and to your surroundings. What is love? What is compassion? These questions are so simple and yet so complicated. It is not enough to say that you love and show compassion. These are the states that give birth to an action or actions. These are the states that provide us with power and inspiration. With determination and clarity. But what else do we need them for? They are the basis of harmony between individualities and diversity of forms. They are the key. To have unity among all individualities and diversity of forms, we need harmony between ourselves and the life around us. And for that, we need love and compassion. For ourselves and all other forms of life. For life itself.

In this context, we should pose the following question: How much love does our God have? And what about Allah? The Almighty? Krishna? Buddha? Zarathustra? How much love do deities or spirits have? How much love do they have for this world? How much love and compassion do they have while seeing everything that is going on here? Try to comprehend the volume of their love and compassion. Can you imagine it? Can you guess it? How much love and compassion one would need to provide us with the right of choice, with a free will while seeing everything that is going on in this world? I’m going to say a horrible thing. Evil, pain, and suffering are mostly created by us, people… by our choice, by our refusal to make yet another effort, by our desire to choose a simpler way even if it leads us down.

Let us peek into the dark side of the force. Does it need a soul? No, it doesn’t. A soul is always free. But there is always energy, there are always choices that can be directed to the side of evil and destruction. We will get back to it later. And right now… We should admit that in most cases, everything that exists in our life and in our world is the consequence of our choices and minimal efforts, just as it is the consequence of the choices and minimal efforts of other people. The Universe or God Almighty (or whatever we name him) has a lot of love and compassion.

And love and compassion for ourselves and for other beings are those things that help us find a balance between ourselves and those who surround us. A balance, equilibrium, conformity, cooperation! In other words, find harmony. An amazing phenomenon.

So let us find a metaphor for our planet, for our world.

What if it’s just a lifelong school? Where we all are lifelong learners? In this case, how should we treat it? Being diligent students? How should we treat our teachers and other students? How should we treat other school workers?

What will happen to the school if students don’t respect each other, their teachers, and other people? What will happen if students constantly destroy the building itself and pick up fights? Each time finding new excuses?

And what will happen to the school if students do respect each other, their teachers, and other people? What if they take care of the school building and each other? Each time doing it out of love and compassion? What will happen to the school and its students if they choose harmony and understand their role in serving life?

Choose any type of conflict and then refer to the picture in the section: «The myth in a nutshell». Try to analyze which of the elements slackened or was missed to a greater or lesser degree. In order to prevent conflicts, you should balance all the elements. This is the balance, the harmony. It is no coincidence that it is located right in front of the unity. The positioning of the elements is not coincidental.

Tips

– Think of the value of life, of how many individualities and various forms it embraces.

– How do you understand the good and the evil?

– How do you understand what is good and what is bad?

– How can you extend care and caution to your life? To the lives of your friends and relatives? To the lives of other people and beings? To life in general?

– What do love and compassion mean to you? In what actions can they be manifested, in your opinion?

– If our world is just a lifelong school, what should you do about it?

– What is harmony to you? How and in what actions can you manifest it?

Key points

Why do the talks of good and evil, of good and bad sidetrack us? What do they prevent us from seeing? What are we missing as a result? What if the good and the evil are just a blindfold? What does it prevent you from seeing?

Alright, we are surrounded by outer space. We have to take into consideration so many factors – space-like in their scale! And yet we live!

It is a sin, an evil to destroy life! And it is easily done. But it is good to create, to produce life. And this is a much more difficult task. It takes efforts!

Start noticing life! Start noticing how it flows, rolls, and streams. Realize that you are alive! The energy of life is constantly flowing through you! Realize that there are millions, billions of living creatures around you – in all kinds and forms!

To have unity among all individualities and diversity of forms, we need harmony between ourselves and the life around us. And for that, we need love and compassion. For ourselves and all other forms of life. For life itself. Love and compassion help us find a balance between ourselves and those who surround us. A balance, equilibrium, conformity, cooperation! In other words, find harmony.

And what will happen to the school (our planet, our world) if students do respect each other, their teachers, and other people? What if they take care of the school building and each other? Each time doing it out of love and compassion?

The myth in a nutshell

The good is life. It is the preservation and development of your own life and of the lives of others in their unity and diversity of forms and individualities that is based on harmony, love, and compassion for yourself and for others.

A Master Who ReflectsThe beauty of a spirit in a paintingThe greatness of talent in a songThe grandeur of thought in a buildingThe wisdom of power in a pathThe harmony of relations in danceThe dawn of knowledge in a discoveryThe humble kindness in a templeThe diversity of life in a creationThe communion with the world in the transparency of selfThe balance of movement and silence in energyThe wheel of time in a space pointThe ending in the eternity of life.The Song of LifeGentle, blessed by the UniverseSo sweet and abundant and niceThe Master’s music flowsIn an Elysian song to a new Paradise.Sadness and pain, love are for the heartyA moment of joy, a moment of timeA glance and conscience for the mightyA point in space where your thoughts gently chime.Life as a gift from the depths of the skyIts way lies in the shade of wise viewsAnd saving the innocent with thyMaster of new and glorious news.

6. The Myth of God/Allah/

the Almighty Punishing

Unbelievers/ the Infidel

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