Core Tenet #2 and Practicing all of the Virtues

-

 Topic: Core Tenet #2 and Practicing all of the Virtues

Today we are taking a quote I found online and applying it to the practice of all the Virtues:

“One doesn’t have to operate with great malice to do great harm. The absence of empathy and understanding is sufficient.  In fact, a man convinced of his virtue even in the midst of his vice is the worst kind of man.”

This quote comes to us from Mr. Charles M. Blow, a journalist who writes opinion pieces for the New York Times. While Mr. Blow is probably not familiar with the Path, his words can still inspire us to be more Mindful of all the Virtues and how practicing them has a direct impact on the world.

So how do we use the Virtues to avoid doing harm? As always, we begin with Self-Control, exercising our free will and choosing to develop greater empathy and understanding, no matter where we started. These things are mental and spiritual muscles; they must be used in order to be developed. Another aspect of Self-Control, that also involves Integrity, Patience, and Compassion, involves controlling the way you react when somebody acts in a way you dislike, such as offering you disrespect. It is your responsibility to remain calm and in control of yourself no matter what others do.

Empathy and understanding is also about Balancing between the needs of Self and the Universe. If you are too focused on your own wants and needs, and you do not see or acknowledge the needs of others and the greater Universe, your Balance will be off. A healthy, well-rounded mind keeps active and engaged with the world, and such a person is less likely to do harm. We must remember that others are just as important as we are in the cosmic scheme of things; we are all souls.

In this case, the application of Effort is fairly obvious. But where we expend that Effort matters. There are topics of study that help expand our understanding of the Universe and develop a greater sense of empathy, but there are also things that can send you on an inward-trending spiral, centering so much on congratulating yourself for being “woke” that you ignore the suffering you see all around you. So when you are on a journey of self-improvement, it is important to be Mindful of what lessons somebody is trying to teach you.

It is also important to be Mindful of our own understanding, or lack thereof. New information is available every day, and a lot of it can be useful. Sometimes it will contradict what you currently think, and in those cases it is important to learn more about it, so that you can determine the truth and, if necessary, adjust your view. Being rigid in your thinking just means you are no longer relevant when new information comes to light, and you get left behind.  The dramatic “Everything I have ever been told is a lie!” does not work in real life any better than it does on television; new information does not necessarily make old information a “lie.” Lying involves deliberate, knowing deception, where the truth is known but withheld. So, while we may be able to say that everything the Catholic church has ever said is a lie, the same cannot be said for former scientific ideas that changed when we learned more. Doctors used to advise small-boned pregnant women to smoke so they would have smaller babies. We used to put heroin in children’s teething medicine and prescribed cocaine as a ”safe” stimulant and pain reliever. But the more we learn, the better we get.

Finally, Serenity is both the ultimate goal and the natural consequence of doing no harm. When you know that you are actively working to be a better person and putting in the Effort to make life better for others, when you learn something new every day and you can evolve as a human being, then you will be Serene. And practicing being Serene will help you with all the other Virtues. Just remember that Serenity is not smugness; you should never consider yourself above others just because they are not as “Enlightened” as you, because that is the least Enlightened thing you can do.

In the end, our objective as followers of the Path should be to minimize the harm we do and strive to be better people. There are plenty of inspirational quotes on the internet that can be applied to the practice of the Path. Have you ever found a quote online that you felt expressed some value of the Path?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

On Sacrifice and the Path

-
  On Sacrifice and the Path   Sacrifice is a prevailing theme of many world religions, whether you are giving up life, time, or money. The idea is that you have to pay for salvation somehow; nothing is free, after all. Some religions have an entire laundry list of things you cannot do, things you must give up entirely in order to practice their faith. Some ask for money, either through tithes or “charitable donations.” The entire Christian faith is based on what is an objectively barbaric form of human sacrifice. The message is clear: to be saved, you must offer up something in return, or forgo something you once indulged in. A sacrifice must be made. Pagan spiritual traditions incorporate energetic reciprocity: to invoke the favors of the gods, certain offerings are made. These offerings can be physical or energetic in nature, either cream and honey to please the Fae folk, or personal psychic energy expended during a healing rite. These sacrifices are more personal (as ...
Read more

Beware the False Dichotomy

-
  The appeal of the dichotomy is understandable. It’s psychologically soothing to have two clear options, so we can act accordingly. Unfortunately, life is messy and complicated, and many of the dichotomies we embrace as a society are not only false, they are actively damaging. Consider the false dichotomy of “fight or flight,” of which I’ve written before. If you believe you only have two possible responses to perceived threat of trauma, you won’t realize that freeze, flop, and friend may be more appropriate to the situation. You could end up punching your boss, because running away is for cowards. Even worse, however, are the dichotomies we apply to sex, sexuality, and gender: you’re either gay or straight, male or female. What we are finally beginning to acknowledge is that these things exist on a spectrum, and the old labels just don’t work anymore. But there are still those who cling to these false dichotomies and refuse to recognize anyone’s identity if it doesn’t fit in ...
Read more

Path Doctrine on the Seven Deadly Sins

-
  Topic: Path Doctrine on the Seven Deadly Sins Today’s sermon is about the Christian list of seven “deadly sins” and how they relate to Path teachings. Some of these so-called sins are of the body, some are of the mind. But they must be subject to rational dissection so we can extract whatever value they may have. Lust is a body sin, and an easy one. The sex lives of others are none of our business, as long as everyone involved is a consenting adult and no harm is being done. If you are not hurting anyone or treating other people as things, feel free to lust after and even have sex with as many people as you want. Greed is one of the sins that you only commit in your head; the only problem with greed is that it can turn you into a power-hungry asshole. But there are wealthy people who still try to make the world a better place, so there is nothing wrong with greed itself. Gluttony is a body sin, and is contrary to the Virtue of Balance. If you find yourself overindulging, ...
Read more