Bare Essentials

[withinsilence]

If we can think of thoughts that divide us, why can we not think of thoughts that unite us?
Who is stopping us?

If we have no fear of being united, together as one humanity, accepting all the unique individual expressions of life as integral parts of one whole being, then what is it that's the cause of our dividedness?

[withinsilence]

How arrogant is humanity, that it sees itself as above or more important than the air it breathes, the water it drinks and the food it consumes, which without it is dead? So which is dependent upon the other? Does air beg to be breathed, water fight with itself to be drank, or will fruit and vegetables become extinct if humans stop eating them? What existed first; that which nourishes humans or humans? So then, can man be greater than that which he's dependent upon for his own continuation?

If humanity makes that which it's dependent upon contaminated, how does it avoid its own contamination? Is it separate from that which it contaminates?

"But we will invent filters, and ways of removing these contaminates because we are intelligent creatures" says the fool!

"If one is intelligent as you say, would it contaminate that which it consumes in the first place? Is not man what he eats, drinks and breathes? Is then, this necessity to invent filters and various ways to remove our own contaminates not rather the proof of ignorance? And then to continue to contaminate in the name of profit and notoriety; for this I have no words to describe it, other than being ignorant of being ignorant, or, the highest state of stupidity." Replied the wise man.

"But then, how do we stop these big corporations from selling us things that contaminate the water, such as pesticides and fertilizers? Seeker

"True power rests in the hands of the people, the consumer, not the corporations. For how does the corporation exist without the support of the people? Did not the people create the corporation? So then, how could the corporation be more powerful than that which created and supports it. This principle is the same for all organizations and religions. In other words, what the people support they get. If you don't want pesticides and fertilizers to contaminate the water, then simply stop buying them. Then when the greedy stop making profits on these due to lack of sales, they will stop producing them. Such is the great law of cause and effect." Mystic

"But what about the laws, rules and regulations, fiduciary responsibility to stock holders and investors? Man is obligated to follow these, some sworn too." Seeker

"What stupidity to think man's laws can supersede those of nature. Did not man create his laws, his rules and regulations? Then how can he not be more powerful than that which he created? What great principle are mans laws based upon? In other words, if the laws man has created are not wholly beneficial to himself and all others, thus causing himself and others separation, dividedness, great sickness, starvation and homelessness, is not his fiduciary responsibility to do what best for his fellow man, for all, to change these laws? When did we forget this great principle of nature, that all is one, connected and interdependent? Mystic

"So the fault for all of this is the lawmakers?" Seeker

"No, that is to place blame outside yourself and the continuation of separation. Did you not vote for the lawmakers? And by you, I mean humanity, as you are a part of this humanity are you not? Are you not reaping the rewards of the choices of humanity? Then you must be an integral part of it, no? Thus, the fault is all of ours, as we are all one whole, there is no separation, never has been and can never be any. The sooner we remember this the sooner we can end our dividedness and come together in our original nature. Thus, pointing blame is not going to change the cause, but rather speaking and acting, living as the change we wish to create is all that is necessary. If its love you want, then be it, if its kindness then be it, if its the ending of contamination then stop contaminating, if its the end of hatred then stop being hateful! Can you not see my friend how simple life is, how great the natural law of cause and effect is? Can you not see that everyone reaps what everyone sows, that if you poison the water that everyone is dependent upon then you have contributed to poisoning everyone, including yourself as you are also dependent upon water. Should you be punished for poisoning the water? Is not your own illness and seeing the illness of others, knowing you contributed to this illness punishment enough to cause you to stop acting a fool? What's it going to take? How much suffering is necessary to act as the catalyst for change? Is not how you feel inside; the misery, the separateness, the longing to be loved, the desire to belong, the longing in your heart to be united with your fellow human beings, is this not enough to cause you to go and be one with the world, to live in such a way as to bring this change about, thus ending all of this suffering? Mystic

[withinsilence]

[withinsilence]

About Salvation

"No one saves us but ourselves." Mystic

"The Bible says only belief in Jesus saves us from our sins." Seeker

"In Galatians 6:7 it says; "you reap what you sow," it does not say Jesus reaps what you sow. Thus, no one can attain salvation for you, only you can walk the path." Mystic

"Then why is the Bible so contradictory?" Seeker

"Do you believe in the way I live my life?" Mystic

"Yes master, you are simple in thought, honest in actions and help anyone who asks. I have never heard an unkind word uttered from your lips." Seeker

"So do you believe in me, this form of flesh, or the way it expresses the truth within, through kind words and actions?" Mystic

"Oh, I see now. Jesus was a reflection of the truth of life, expressed through the way he lived, revealed by his words and actions." Seeker

"Yes, what we say and do are but reflections of what is on the inside of us. One who speaks or acts unkindly should have no fear of going to hell, for they are already in that state psychologically, as revealed by their words and actions." Mystic

[withinsilence]

"But how do I learn to not say unkind words? When someone calls me names and makes fun of me, I have the right to protect myself don't I?" Seeker

"Are you those names they're calling you in that you need to protect yourself from them? Mystic

"No, the names they're calling me are not true they're lies." Seeker

""Then what's to be mad about, what's the need of protection, from what? By reacting to falsity you submit your will over to those who speak it. Shall you allow others to determine how you feel inside?" Mystic

"Oh I see now. Those who speak such things are only revealing how they feel inside. Because they themselves are miserable inside they try to bring others into their misery. So what shall I do then?" Seeker

"React with words which reflect exactly how you would like to feel inside all the time." Mystic

"I want to feel good inside." Seeker

"Then say good things. One might say; "Thank you for revealing how you feel inside, have a good day."

[withinsilence]

"Master, my friend tells me I do not dress right, and that my shoes are not in style. He says that I don't fit in with everyone else, and if I don't change that he will no longer be my friend. What do I do?"

"Ask him why he believes you need his approval. Oh, and do not call me master, ever again, please." Mystic

"Ok, sorry about that. But what if he's right? Maybe I should dress differently to fit in with everyone else, otherwise I might lose his friendship." Seeker

"There is nothing to apologize for, just see why I told you not to call me master, that is all I ask. Anyway, I see no friendship. I see one who is controlled by the desire to control others through manipulation and fear, and one who is about to submit to it. Friends accept each other as they are, without the need to control the other or force them to conform to their beliefs. If one is dependent upon the approval or acceptance of another for their own sense of security, how does this one ever stop from being their prisoner? Mystic

"But if I stay true to myself, I may lose the friendship."

"You cannot lose that which you've never had. Stop deluding yourself and accept yourself as you are. True friends come when they're not sought after." Mystic

[withinsilence]

"What happens after we die? Some believe if we have not lived a good life that we go to hell and our bodies are tortured repeatedly." Seeker

"If we were to open a few graves, what would we find?" Mystic

"We would find rotting corpses." Seeker

"Then how can the body be tortured in hell when it never gets there?" Mystic

"So then, what's all this talk about an after life?" Seeker

"Did you cause yourself to be here?" Mystic

"No, at least I do not remember causing it." Seeker

"So why worry about where you may be going? Will your worry change what happens after this life, if anything does in fact happen?" Mystic

"But some say that our soul goes to heaven or hell dependent upon how we've lived." Seeker

"So, if YOUR soul goes to hell what have you to worry about? This would be like worrying that your big toe went to hell, thank God your psyche didn't. I think that would be far worse, if psychologically one was in hell. In fact, I think that to worry about hell is to cause hell upon yourself. What is hell anyway but your own fear projected." Mystic

"But what about the fact that we're all evil sinners?" Seeker

"Who was it that first told you you were evil and why did you believe them? Does not the book that tells you such things also say you were created in the likeness of the creator? So then, is the creator evil? Mystic

"Oh no, SHe is only goodness, truth and light." Seeker

"So then how can you not be that which you are created in the likeness of? Be careful what you believe, for you become it. Thus, do not believe you're a sinner and then set out to prove it correct." Mystic

"But I do make mistakes and am not perfect." Seeker

"Show me a man who never makes mistakes and I'll show you a man who never gets our of bed. Perfection is attained through the realization that no one is perfect. When you realize this, and admit your own imperfections, you stop judging and condemning others for their imperfections. If we all did this we could learn much from each other and help each other correct some of our imperfections, or at the very least just accept people as they are." Mystic

[withinsilence]

"How is that the thought of death doesn't bother you?" Seeker

"Shall I waste the precious moments of life worrying about that which I have no control over? Do you think you're not going to die? That man is going to find a magical elixir to immortality and you're going to drink it so as to never face death? What stupidity!" Mystic

"No, everyone must face death at some point." Seeker

"Then why are you resisting this fact of life? Is it not only those things we resist, our un-acceptance of them that causes us to suffer? I suffer not because I accept life as it is and do not get caught in the trap of trying to change it into something it cannot be. I die to every moment, thus when death comes I have nothing to lose, for attached I am not to anything. And what we fear about death is losing that which we are attached to, as death severs all attachments wholly." Mystic

"Wow, that sounds so negative, not caring about anything?" Seeker

"I did not say I didn't care, do not delude yourself by putting words into my mouth. I said I was not attached to anything. Non-attachment is the ending of the illusion of control, of possessiveness. In other words, we want to control our lives, the future, others. We want to hang onto and possess people, material items, our jobs and the like. Then when we lose them unexpectedly, prior to our releasing them by our will, and we are devastated, pouting around as if life is unfair, like God intentionally caused us to suffer by taking away those things we were attached to. Is it not our attachment which is the cause of our suffering? And what is attachment but non-acceptance, which is resistance to the way of life. Shall we try and force the river of life backwards, to go up stream? Is this not self delusion and bondage? What are we really in control of? What do we truly possess? Nothing! What we came into this world with we shall leave with, everything else in-between is but rental equipment, which we should be grateful for and take care of as if it belongs so someone else whose loaned it to us. Which at first sounds terrible but in truth this is the greatest freedom in the world. When you realize that you possess nothing then there is nothing to lose, and you are free to live life to the fullest without worry of losing it. And because you have accepted the fact that you will lose it, in seeing this clearly, you begin to relish every moment and are free to love without limitation, without hesitation. For what do we regret at the ends of our lives but not giving away the love we've kept inside for fear of losing it. Yet, to give love away freely is also to receive it, as in giving so does one receive. It is not said; "you reap what you sow" because it's not an eternal truth." Mystic

[withinsilence]

"But, aren't our ups and downs just part of life. When I'm upset that I've lost something, my job or girlfriend or whatever it is, do I not have the right to be upset about it?" Seeker

"Yes, ups and downs are part of life, and so long as you remain their effect they will cause you to be moved from one emotional extreme to the other. Thus, life is not so much what you make it, but rather more important is how you take it. As, the greater your resistance to life as it is, the greater you will be thrown about emotionally, like a ship on a stormy sea. So how to leave this emotional hell; climb up the pendulums arm which swings between emotional extremes and reside at its fulcrum, watching the whole play of this drama called life from a wiser vantage point. Then you will not be moved to and fro like the little lost ship. But to answer your question, of course you are free to accept non-acceptance, you have the right to make yourself as miserable as you wish, and for as long as you want too. In fact, some people spend their whole life in misery, they never learn to accept life as it is. What's ironic I think, is the fact that they say they cannot just accept life as it is, that they will not accept, yet they're accepting nonacceptance, so its not that they cannot accept as they're already doing it and have been doing it the whole time. Seems ridiculous to me, but yes you have the right to exercise your right of accepting un-acceptance and with its exercising you also enact the law of cause and effect which is to suffer the consequences of exercising this right. Hence the law of cause and effect works perfectly, and it is not two separate events." Mystic

"But I can't help it, I want what I want and when I can't have it I do not accept it!" Seeker

"Then so be it! Then suffer you shall! Oh, how long shall man remain deaf and blind to the simplicity of sound reason? Why do you so readily accept your un-acceptance of life? Which makes you miserable and unpleasant to be around, if you don't mind me saying so! Can you not see that you can't force what is, to be what is not? Friend, remove the blinders of selfishness and free yourself from its prison. Are these temporal things that you are so desirous of, so greedy for, are they worth the imprisonment of a miserable life? Shall you submit your original peace of mind, happiness and equanimity to the God of arrogance and pride? Is a life of misery not the revealing of ignorance? For what is the price of your misery? Have you not asked yourself any of these questions?" Mystic

[withinsilence]