“If a person responds to evil in anger or self-defense, he/she not only feeds that evil, but also becomes attached to it — where the anger of his/her attacker is transmuted into his/her own anger at being a “victim”. When this occurs, he/she loses both inner balance and spiritual strength. On the other hand, by […]
“All sacred scriptures advocate a large-hearted attitude of forgiveness of others’ erroneous ways, even when the same cause offense or injury. Forgiveness is far preferable to holding a grudge, which would only fester and poison the spirit of both the offender and the one offended. Furthermore, we are advised by sacred texts to take personal […]
“Sacred texts caution us not to be harsh and judgmental of others’ faults, even where they are blatantly evident to the point of causing pain. The admonition not to regard the speck in your neighbor’s eye before removing the log from your own finds parallels in many scriptures. Rather than justify ourselves and blame others, […]
“Humility is an essential attitude for success in spiritual living. Any self-conceit, whether nurtured by intelligence, wealth, high social status, or the praise of others, is an obstacle on the path to true Contentment. Genuine humility is not posturing. It requires a constant willingness to deny one’s convictions and to be open to guidance from […]
There is quite a bit of focus these days on the differences between the world’s current major religions — how they contradict one another in dogma and how they differ in practice; how each of them is “wrong” … or “right” … or “true” … or false”. And of course such a focus leads inevitably […]
sunny day in Chicago; sitting on the back porch with 5-year old Oliver sitting on my lap … Oliver looks up at me and asks, “Scaughdt, where does God live?” “No none knows for sure, but to me it feels like God is inside everything around us.” “How does God get inside of houses?” “I’m […]
“The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. The Tao is infinite, eternal & always present. The Buddha is in the palm of your hand … In truth, there is no distance between you & God. The distance, all separation, is just a dream.” ~ John Joseph Having Love in your heart opens Heaven’s Gate, … […]
“If you want your prayers to be powerful, then you’ve got to pray in harmony with God’s gentle will … and you’ve got to pray with moving feet.” ~ anonymous Dear God, I sometimes feel deep sorrow and mourn … In such moments, please inspire me to be thankful for my glorious life. Dear God, […]
There are many things this Note might be saying, and each of you will have to decide for yourselves where its Wisdom leads … That having been said, it is important to state that these quotes are not meant to show that Jesus was a Buddhist or that Jesus learned from Buddhists during the “missing […]
It is impossible to worship our version of God until we recognize, release & replace all the ways we worship the things, people & behaviors that are not God. Once we awaken to this simple Truth — once we set aside, even for just one moment, all our fear & our lust & our condemnation […]
There is a quote, commonly attribute to Buddha, that is still popular in “New Age” circles, and it goes something like this: “Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it — even if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense” … On […]
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