Daily Prompt: Un/Faithful
Tell us about the role that faith plays in your life — or doesn’t.
As a Buddhist, faith is something that has to be supported before it’s given. Spiritual practices have to align with the scientific world, not suspend believe in what our senses tell us. I wake each morning, and practice a period of meditation. This allows me to focus on the day ahead, meeting the challenges and opportunities that come along with the right frame of mind. Reminding myself that nothing is permanent, allows me to weather the bad, while not getting caught living on past glory. At the end of most days, I will meditate on the day’s events, reviewing how I accepted what life offered. Did I do my best to consider what is best for other beings, not just myself? Have I left the world in the same or an improved condition, then when I started. It is not that everyday, I succeed, as we all will fail at times, but rather have I gained wisdom from my thoughts, speech and actions, allowing me to improve my response the next time. For regardless of what faith, or religion we follow, they all share the goal of encouraging us to become better, to reduce the causes of suffering, and to be a better person.
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2012/12/29/daily-prompt-unfaithful/
I have nominated you for the Blog of the Year 2012 award. You can check it out here: http://klling.wordpress.com/2012/12/29/blog-of-the-year-2012/
Kim
Thank you very much for the honor Kim. I have enjoyed reading your posts, and find they make me think, about life and daily situations.
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I love that. Everything we read see or hear encourages us to become better! Wonderful post!!
I was hoping you’d do this prompt.
This is exactly what drew me to spiritual practice in the first place; I came up in a traditional Christian church, and while one can find a lot of good there, and I certainly think people can be too hard on the whole because of some highly vocal bigots claiming to follow a guy who advocated loving even one’s bitterest enemies, it’s hard to get past that it’s based somewhat arbitrarily on a book. One wonders if it was always so dogmatic.
Buddha, on the other hand, straight up said that you shouldn’t even take HIS word for it, but only accept a thing on its own merits. Can’t pull up a parallel quote from any of the schools of yoga, but it’s something I bring to my yogic practice regardless.
The messgae Christ preached, said that one kind deed was worth more than all the religious words. Look at the beginnings of all the major paths, they preach love, kndness to all, and compassion. I grew up with a Buddhist-Baptist mix.
I agree with that. The power of words comes from what they can inspire, for sure. And early Christianity really is interesting, it had a more “spiritual” bent to it, to put it crudely. There’s a great book called The Spiritual Guide that’s basically a Christian guide to meditation, even. Change the terminology a bit, and it could almost pass as a book on Buddhism. All the paths really do seem to be saying the same things in different ways.
There were Buddhidt monk from India in Jerussalem before Christ was born. Along with Zoroastrian practioners. So it is only a question if he was exposed to these as a child.
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Your practise is just as strong as the faith I know. Namaste.
Thank you, however I have to admit I have to work at it. I hope your faith helps you achieve happiness, develop compassion and give love to all beings.
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