I saw this quote by the Dalai Lama on a Facebook page and it immediately occurred to me how this simple quote strikes deep into the heart of all of us, our lives and all religions.
I am sorry, I am not trying to offend anyone - but think about it long and hard - you do not need temples, churches, shrines, mosques, synagogues, cathedrals, chapels or any place of worship to live a truly spiritual and kind life.
As we see today Shia and Sunni fighting for power - driven by power mad Imams, man inspired ideology, jihad, hatred and fundamentalist teachings that are totally man made in the name of a compassionate loving God - creating a true hell on this earth - and as history has shown us Catholics fighting Protestants - millions upon millions died for what? Cathars, Huguenots, Jewish pogroms etc hounded, killed - the misery and suffering of the Crusades - Tatar hordes, The hundred year wars, The Thirty Years war, The Napoleonic wars, Civil wars, the Boer War, Aborigines killed, The Native American Tribes destroyed, Armenians, Kurds, Lebanon - war after war after war and that's only mentioning a few of these wars! This year we are remembering the centenary of the First World War where millions of people died - a whole generation nearly wiped out - for what? Ego, Power? Thirty of so years later another World War - the Holocaust & Genocide (millions of Jews, Gypsies, Mentally ill people killed), - did the human race learn anything? - No of course not!
Since the Second World War (ended in 1945) there have been 250 major wars with an estimated 50 million deaths, tens of millions made homeless and countless millions wounded and bereaved.
And it continues on and on - Syria torn apart, Libya, Afghanistan, Somali, Central African Republic, Northern Mali, South Yemen, South Sudan, North Korea's leadership of hate and misery, Chinese killings in Tibet …..
The human race it seems never learns anything - lessons are soon forgotten - the misery & suffering rises again and again - power grabbing, ideology (we are right - you are wrong - you will do what we say…) ego, ignorance causing hatred, jealousy - the poisons that lead to all suffering. What's more its not only killing one another - we kill billions and billions of fish and animals each year - basically the human race is the greatest killer the world has every known.
However, despite the appalling picture there is HOPE
We don't need all this ideology and frankly false man made teachings - we only need our MIND and KINDNESS to live a fruitful, compassionate and fulfilled life. Your church, your mosque, your synagogue, your temple should be in your MIND. It is your mind that dictates everything you do. I have written many blogs on this subject - but it is so obvious isn't it? We are what our mind thinks and dictates? If you wake up each morning and practice compassion - saying to yourself "I pray for all living people and creatures that they may be happy and free from suffering" - you are making an important step to controlling your mind instead of it controlling you!
As the Dalai Lama states in his very simple but wonderfully truthful statement - "your brain or mind & heart is your temple and your philosophy is kindness" - you don't need anything else in this life - train your mind to think loving, kind, compassionate thoughts and your life will change beyond measure - make your spiritual path and philosophy in life one of "kindness". Don't cause suffering - don't make people miserable - don't harm others - bring happiness into peoples lives - bring compassion to people and animals alike - we all bleed - we all hurt - we all suffer - nobody is better than anyone else - its only ego, cruel ambition, jealousy, desire, hatred, ignorance that causes suffering - kindness, love, compassion and caring brings happiness. Its pretty damn simple isn't it?
Just because your next door neighbour has a bigger car - so what? Just because your Imam tells you to kill in the name of Allah - Just because the Priest tell you to hate someone from another religion does that make it right? THINK, USE YOUR MIND and realise that killing and hatred will only come back to cause you misery and suffering - its called cause and effect and it is very real. Killing anyone is a sin against God and against YOU - If you begin the process of developing your mind to think kind, loving thoughts - even about those you don't like - you begin to change the way you live your life and start to bring happiness to your families and everyone around you. Your life changes - your pattern of thinking changes - your state of inner happiness changes - this is absolutely TRUE - its proven time and again.
All those that are fighting in Syria, in Africa, Asia, Libya, Afghanistan, wherever - what are the aggressors fighting for? Land, Power, Religion what? How many people must die and suffer the most terrible harm, homelessness, bereavement before sanity and peace reigns? Unless the human race begins to rethink itself and its motives and its position on this planet - there won't be a human race!! FACT.
Its time to WAKE UP - there won't be any fish to eat because we will have emptied the oceans through mega fishing, pollution and poisoning - its estimated we already kill around 150 billion animals each year just to satisfy the taste buds of the rampant human race - 50 million humans killed in wars since 1945 - not to mention the hundreds of millions suffering, wounded or homeless! For God's sake or more important for YOUR SAKE - stop this now and begin the path of KINDNESS, COMPASSION and LOVE - is it really so difficult?
At the end of your life will you look back and say to yourself - I brought some happiness to people and animals in my life - or will you look back in horror at the misery and suffering you caused - it will be too late to undo that pain as you go into your last illness and prepare to die. Most people never think of dying and death - its something you don't talk about - something to put at the very back of your mind - I can hear you say "that won't happen yet"? Won't it? How do you know? How do any of us know?
Isn't it better to live a life of positivity, of compassion, of love, of caring - so at the end of your days you can say in all honesty to yourself - I am at peace now and (if you believe in God) I can meet my God in peace and with the knowledge that I tried my best to make people happy - if you don't believe in God - isn't it still good to end your life at peace and having brought happiness and love to those you met and lived with?
It all begins in your MIND - you have a brain - use it!
I will repeat again "There is no need for temples. No need for complicated philosophies. My brain and my heart are my temples; my philosophy is kindness" - the right way to live - a true spiritual path for the 21st Century - think about it - and live by it
Thank you
Peter
No comments:
Post a Comment