Have you Leaned to Think for Yourself: By Isidro Sid Martinez
To many of us a spiritual path requires obedience and following religious rules and rituals in order to gain some favor with God or the Universe of maybe some great reward here or in the afterlife. Maybe some reward here in now time or maybe some future reward or maybe even Heaven! So now we are attached to some reward, to some technique, to some ritual, to some belief, to some path. Think on this because if we really are honest and sincere with our thoughts and motives we will find some attachment. Are we worshiping because of the fear of retribution, or some attachment to rewards. It might be as overt as a rigid thought that my way or religion is best, or subtle as an attachment to daily ritual. It is not the ritual or that thoughts that are the concern. It is the attachment to something we have not truly evaluated for what it really is. Doing what is right because it is right to do, not because of some desire for gain or some fear of retribution is also part of thinking for yourself. You know what is right, from down in your depths, you have a built in compass we just have to learn to connect with it a let it guide us. Thinking and acting are intimately related to freedom.
We can go to a teacher or minister and he will say, I have a technique for freedom. We say, I want freedom, I must know this technique. So he says do all these things and freedom will come. I say to you, think, what is freedom? Define freedom. Are you attached to the idea and quest for freedom. Does that whole concept somehow contradict itself. How can you be attached and free at the same time? Think on this. Circular thinking is going in circles. Dogs chasing tails. Do you need a teacher or minister or guru to tell you what to do? Do you need a book to direct your life. Think! Who wrote this book? The teacher or minister or guru is a person like you. The author is a person like you. Think! What gives them the authority to tell you how to get to heaven. Has anyone been there who knows the way and has come to show you the way.
I am not against technique and ritual and/or religion. I am concerned how so many blindly do it with no real thinking. They think that for their much doing there is some reward. They are acting for the reward! Ok, so what is wrong with that. I say to you again, attachment to the reward conflicts with freedom. If we really look we see that attachment brings with it jealousy, being superior, fear, isolation, arrogance, insecurity and many other conflicts to freedom. I propose to you that spirituality in its purest form is freedom! Think about it. Let me know what you think.
posted by Sid Martinez @ 8:13 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Hi Sid,
I think you are right. ‘Attachment’ does seem to be a problem, for attached to us (like the tails on a kite) is a string of outcomes be it behaviors, emotions, actions, whatever... that we cannot seem to free ourselves from. We anticipate what we want or the way that something will turn out specifically, and that idea becomes our "ruler". It keeps us "enslaved", driven to accomplish the end or goal that we desire. The only trouble is, that the ‘end’ (or rather, what we end up with) is seldom a perfect replica of the idea that we originally conceived because we remained attached to it. We did not let it go and in as much, it was not “free” enough to sufficiently materialize, but I digress.
…Back on the original subject, when walking on the “spiritual path”, awareness is the key. If we constantly look inward to evaluate ourselves with respect to our motivations, what we fear, what we love, what annoys us, what we a re jealous of, what we desirous of, what we are proud of, etc., etc., in essence, what outcomes we are attached to, then we have a much clearer picture of ourselves. In that knowing, we are able to walk in greater freedom and allowance to manifest our hearts desire, no matter what that is. Whether our hearts desire be enlightenment or a shiny, new car, it doesn’t matter. They operate along the same principles. : )
It’s true; rituals in and of themselves are devoid of any real meaning other than the ones that we attach to them. When we blindly follow a ritual, or a doctrine, or unconsciously recite a prayer, without the power of our own awareness and the intent behind it, we are utterly in the dark. We do not progress. We are left uninspired. There is no movement forward. It goes nowhere. Not because there is anything wrong with the ritual, or doctrine, or prayer, but because we are operating from a place of ignorance (unconsciousness, unawareness) rather than knowing.
I agree with you Sid, that spirituality in its purest form is complete freedom. There is nothing else that can compare with our relationship and connection to our Creator. It is the TRUTH. It is REAL and it is our destiny to KNOW it!
We, as human beings, were not meant to be kept in the darkness of ignorance, aimlessly and blindly wandering around following any guru or teacher, or doctrine, or ritual that promised that connection to us. We came to this earth with our connection to our Creator in tact and we will leave with it intact. The trick, it would seem, is to grasp that! Once we do, there is not a teacher, or doctrine or ritual that will ever own us again! We are free!
… However, there is not one of us who can accomplish that for another or give that understanding to another. We must do it for ourselves, and in its discovery there is great joy! The journey becomes the destiny, and the destiny begins yet another journey more refined upon itself. : )
Jesus lived and died and ressurected to show us the way. That is all there is to it. If you can't believe read your Bible. I know, you new age types don't believe the Bible. The Bible is the word of GOD. Have faith, believe in the unseen. Remember, Is is so, becuase the Bible tell me so! The author of the Bible is GOD. How can you be so stupid. You have to be attached to GOD and the Bible. You are probably going to hell.
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