In this post I am simply sharing the "precious diamond" I have found in one of the books I read this year. I always highlight interesting phrases that I like, but I am lazy to copy them down... These sentences, however, might be very helpful. They can describe very well my feelings about certain aspects of my life.
Religious vs. Spiritual
I always tell people that I am a spiritual person, although, I think it is a little bit incorrect because everything comes from the same teaching, and it's weird to say that "I belong to this, not that", "I am this not that"...All these divisions cause wars and other sorts of negativity. How about "I am everything", "I belong to everything and everything belongs to me, and there are no borders"? Here is a good statement from The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle: There is and always has been only one spiritual teaching,
although it comes in many forms. Some of these forms, such as the ancient
religions, have become so overlaid with extraneous matter that their spiritual
essence has become almost completely obscured by it. To a large extent,
therefore, their deeper meaning is no longer recognized and their
transformative power lost.
(Taken from the Internet)
God vs. Being
The word God has become empty of meaning through thousands
of years of misuse. I use it sometimes, but I do so sparingly. By misuse, I
mean that people who have never even glimpsed the realm of the sacred, the
infinite vastness behind that word, use it with great conviction, as if they
knew what it is that they are denying. This misuse gives rise to absurd
beliefs, assertions, and egoic delusions, such as “My God is the only true God,
and your God is false”, or Nietzsche’s famous statement “God is dead”.
The word God has become a closed concept. The moment the
word is uttered, a mental image is created, no longer perhaps, of an old man
with a white beard, but still a mental representation of someone or something
outside you, and, yes, almost inevitably a male someone or something.
Neither God nor Being nor any other word can define or
explain the ineffable reality behind the word, so the only important question
is whether the word is a help or a hindrance in enabling you to experience that
toward which it points. Does it point beyond itself to that transcendental
reality, or does it lend itself too easily to becoming no more than an idea in
your head that you believe in, a mental idol?
The word Being explains
nothing, but nor does God. Being, however, has an advantage that it is an open
concept. It does not reduce the infinite invisible to a finite entity. It is
impossible to form a mental image of it. Nobody can claim exclusive possession
of Being. It is your very essence, and
it is immediately accessible to you as the feeling of your own presence, the
realization I am that is prior to I am this or I am that. So it is only a small
step from the word Being to the experience of Being.
If there isn't, then
time is covering up the present moment, and life is perceived as a burden or a
struggle.
(Taken from the Internet)
Wealth and mind
Everything that I have makes me happy and vibrantly alive!!!I don't need anything. And you?
I realized that nothing I ever did could possibly add
anything to what I already had.
Those who have not found their true wealth, which is the radiant
joy of Being and the deep, unshakable peace that comes with it, are beggars, even if they have great
material wealth. They are looking outside for scraps of pleasure or
fulfillment, for validation, security, or love, while they have a treasure
within that not only includes all those things but is infinitely greater than
anything the world can offer. The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.
Water lily. Picture taken by me at Arboretum Penn state
