We began Gentle Healing Year 2 by looking at Michael Langford’s Five Steps for the Majority. These five steps emphasize kindness with others—with all others. Michael recommends these five steps for anyone who wants to experience more light and less darkness in their lives, even if they are not interested in awakening. However, he emphasizes that these five steps are critical if awakening is your goal.
Here’s a review of the Five Steps for the Majority:
1. Every time you speak to a human being either in person or over the phone, make sure the content of what you are saying and the tone of your voice are loving, caring, and kind.
2. Every time you write something to a human being, make sure that what you are writing is loving and kind. Pause before you send someone an email or a text message and make sure that your email or text message is loving, caring and kind.
3. Never do any harm of any kind to any human being or animal.
4. Treat even the people who you think do not deserve your kindness with kindness.
5. Treat even people you only see briefly with great caring and kindness.
When Peace Pilgrim began her spiritual investigation, she noticed that nearly every spiritual culture had a rule similar to “the golden rule.” Jesus taught the golden rule in the Bible when he said:
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. ~ Matthew 7:12
In Jesus’ final teaching to the apostles, just prior to his arrest and crucifixion, he said:
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. ~ John 13: 34, 35
What these spiritual teachings point out is that kindness with one another and with all living things is a way of being that needs to be mastered by the genuine spiritual aspirant.
Here’s our reason for mastering kindness:
Not to be kind is to be a slave to the ego.
It is good to act kind even if you do not feel kind. Restraint from acting based on mental chatter is the first step toward disengaging from mental chatter, just like restraining one’s self from smoking a cigarette is the first step toward quitting smoking. However, restraint on its own isn’t enough.
The second step toward disengaging from mental chatter is rest-accept-trust. Allow the emotions that are covering natural love-peace-joy to rise and pass.
When you have some distance from ego emotion, practice self-inquiry to discover what you believed—what idea(s) you attached to as me thinking. Question that idea(s) until you achieve clarity with inner wisdom.
Finally, practice Self-inquiry to complete the process; turn attention toward awareness. Recognize your Self, and abide there. (The mantra may help you make this transition.)
Note: The next tip will be available tomorrow morning after 3:50am ET at this link
