Confucius & the power of morality

Once when Confucius and his students were in the State of Chen, they ran out of food and the students fell ill. One of the students, Zi-lu, also a famous scholar, complained, "So, it is possible for a righteous person to become destitute!"

Confucius replied, "A righteous person can guard his morality and virtue even when he is destitute; whereas a wicked person will resort to all sorts of vices when he is destitute."  

What kinds of rationalisations do you make based on changing conditions? How does your view of right and wrong change, based on your health, financial situation, relationships and self-view? 

According to Confucious, our moral standard shouldn't change just because our life situation changes. He believes we are regularly tested to see whether we retain our principles in tough situations.  Many people will compromise their core selves based on their changing situation.  Ask yourself whether you gradually move away from original values and how you justify that to yourself and others.

Confucius sermised that the standard of being human is grounded in one's view of morality. Modern people tend to adapt their opinions to suit their behavior. Some people would say that present-day moral standards have changed tremendously from the past.  It is up to each person to decide whether this is good or acceptable. Confucious might say people selectively forget the basic standard of being human.

Confucius says….

To be able to practice five things everywhere under heaven constitutes perfect virtue … gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness, and kindness.

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

To know what is right and not to do it is the worst cowardice.

Find a Holy man where you least expect

Word spread across the countryside about the wise Holy Man who lived in a small house atop the mountain. A man from the village decided to make the long and difficult journey to visit him.  He had questions and sought the teachings of a greeat scholar.

When he arrived at the house, he saw an old servant inside who greeting him at the door.

"I would like to see the wise Holy Man," he said to the servant.

The servant smiled and led him in. As they walked through the house, the man from the village looked eagerly around the house, anticipating his encounter with the Holy Man.  Before he knew it, he had been led to the back door and escorted outside. He stopped and turned to the servant,

"But I want to see the Holy Man!"

"You already have," said the old man. "Everyone you may meet in life, even if they appear plain and insignificant... see each of them as a wise Holy Man. If you do this, then whatever problem you brought here today will be solved."

Truly wise people don't seek prominance, but rather, choose to remain simple, ordinary and subtle.  Wisdom is hidden and nameless.  Its not characterized by your ego-inspired assumptions.  What would it take to separate yourself from superior-inferior labels?  As you examine your attachments to beliefs, realize you gain by letting these go. 

Begin to look beyond what your limited views tell you is the truth.  As you examine your own thoughts, you will realize you overlook sources of true wisdom around you. He may be your neighbour, a friend or a stranger on the street.  You will gain all that you need by recognizing wisdom presents itself in ways that make the ordinary extraordinary.

Without the mockery of those who believe themselve wise, the truly wise wouldn't be found. You're only one thought removed from sensing real wisdom.   Learn to see the world differently, step back from illusions you have created.  You can learn, retain and practice  insights.  Set aside your conditioned inclinations.   Reclaim your authentic self.

5 Ways to decondition yourself

Each of us is conditioned to think and behave in certain ways.  Not all of our habits are good for us.  Not all of our thoughts are healthy, and uplifting.  Why is that? Why do human beings evolve to make their lives complicated when life is truly simple? 

This is a defense measure.  When we create difficulty, we don't have to do that.  We don't have to feel as though life is a vicious circle.  You can be decisive and choose to decondition yourself.  You may be unclear about where to begin.  Consider these 5 ideas:

1) Give up your urge to control.  Invite what evolves to go forward without your criticism or control.  Whenever you exert control or use force, resentment and hatred evolve outside yourself as counterforces.  This draws you further away from inner balance.  As you give up control,  you will discover benefits in learning to surrender.  

2) Accept there is a time for everything.  To decide you don't need a quick fix or antidote for discomfort may initially shock your system. Understanding how the world operates enables you to function more peacefully.  Many people need to understand what it feels like to "be behind" in order to recognize what it truly means to "be ahead."   

3) Surrender to your nature.  Discovering your nature happens one step at a time.  Each of us takes our own 'rest stops.' We dawdle or become periodically distracted by opportunities and experiences that are not compatible with who we are.  The more you struggle, the further you distance yourself from your authentic self. The things you love, you need to learn not to cling to them.  As you learn to let go, you become aware of the natural inclinations inside yourself.  Your energy flows in a humble way to its Source. 

4) Recognize your mind-body connections.  Your physical body isn't persuaded to do anything unless your mind is ready.  If an illness enters your body, it penetrates through the mind.  Anything that ever happens, emerges through your mind, even as you accept or reject things.  Ask yourself whether your instinctive reactions are compatible with who you are.  Forget the goal of getting somewhere.  Truth is uncovered where you are.

5) Believe the journey is your ultimate goal.  No matter which choices you make in this lifetime, what you assume you achieve or hope for, your journey is endless.  The path you are on is infinite.  Each departure, each new chapter that unfolds, is helping you to step back from previous experiences.  Its all about learning what love and forgiveness are, and what they're not.  Each experience is itself a milestone.  How you react is another.

Siva Baba & 4 steps to learning selflessness

Siva Baba explores and inspires the spiritual progress of human beings.  He is a teacher who encourages people to rethink their approaches to and motivations behind manifesting.  Reflect on reasons you think you exist.  How do your dreams help others? 

Selfless service comes from a deeply-held attitude and outlook you have about yourself, your life and your place in the world reflected in your thoughts, feelings and actions. It is about the choices you consciously make throughout the day to prompt you to enrich the lives of others rather than just for yourself.  Learning selflessness comes wth practice:

1) Follow a structured meditation program with support .  This will develop practical and consistent rituals.  Use them on a regular basis.  Meditation is the path to empty your negative karma that's blocking your manifestation.

2) Use the creative energy you have been given.  You need to learn to move the energy from the sexual area (sex chakra region) and move it to the level of your eyes (behind your third eye chakra).  Focus your thoughts and feelings in specific, productive ways. You need to visualize what you would like to manifest. Its a question of recognizing the Source of your inner energy, managing this energy and choosing to channel joy.

3) Harmonize with the intention of the Divine.  This isn't ego-centric intention.  Its a question of learning to use every moment to become centered in your being.  To perceive progress outside yourself requires aggression, ambition, and extrovert concentration.  To move toward your centre, you need to be more feminine, less active, non-focused on self, non-interfering and meditative.  Finding yourself means forgetting what you learned.

4) Let it happen.  As you discover what its like to give , you sense a different quality of experience.  You learn to detect and work through Maya (attraction to the world of the senses), Karma (result of past life in your present) and Ego.  This means that through unlearning, you will come to know your true self, messages from beyond.

Hitting the target

Lieh Tzu was studying archery and he hit the target.  He sought advice from Kuan-Yin who asked him,

"Do you know why you hit the target?"

"No."

"It won't do yet."

Lieh Tzu went away to practice and after three years, he reported to Kuan-Yin.

"Do you know why you hit the target?" [asked Kuan-Yin].

"I know."

"It will do.  Hold onto this awareness and do not lose it."

This applies not only to archery, but also to ruling oneself.  Therefore, the sage scrutinizes not the fact of survival  or ruin, but its [underlying] reasons.

The above value tale is taken from Tao: its history & teachings by Osho