Today’s reading asks, “Do you disagree with your brother?”
Whenever you find that you disagree with anyone, it is a good time to practice inquiry. Look to see if you are attached to self-will. Look to see if you need to practice root cause inquiry to discover a hidden motive or belief.
Inner harmony is the sign of an empty shell. Disagreement doesn’t arise out of pure emptiness. That doesn’t mean that emptiness agrees with everyone. Agreement is just another position. Instead of agreeing or disagreeing, emptiness accepts everyone, allows them to be as they are, trusts all things as they unfold and acts intuitively.
Today’s reading also asks, “Do you have thoughts of temptation in your mind?”
A temptation is a desire, craving or impulse to do something wrong or unwise. For our purposes, we can say that a temptation is a desire, craving or impulse that arises from ego conditioning.
It’s helpful to notice how each of us is a slave to ego conditioning. I used to parent by yelling. That’s the first adverse conditioning I chose to transcend. Other examples of conditioning that I actively chose to transcend are the desire for control, poor eating habits and too much TV.
How does one transcend adverse ego conditioning?
- Recognize that the habit is contrary to your spiritual aspiration.
- Inquire to see if there are false ideas driving the habit. For example, I yelled at Jasmine because of a mind-made law that daughters are supposed to respect (always happily obey) their mothers.
- Notice when the temptation arises, and practice rest-accept-trust instead of giving in to it.
- Do not judge yourself when you do give in to the temptation, but continue to gently realize your desire to transcend that conditioning. If you do judge yourself, rest-accept-trust with the feelings that arise from judgment.
- Be patient and remain lovingly motivated to transcend the ego conditioning you’ve identified.
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Thoughts of Awakening # 165
Peace is quiet,
so peace can hear
the quiet Voice of the flow.
Peace can sense love
and follow its trail effortlessly.
Peace knows where to go,
because peace can hear the calling
in the wind.
Peace is gentle and formless.
Judgments are hard and solid.
Judgments say “no” to all things.
Peace only says “yes.”
~From our Holy Spirit
