--------------“Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it.
Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many.
Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books.
Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders.
Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations.
But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.”
Buddha quotes (Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta, the founder of Buddhism, 563-483 B.C.)
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Those lines there tug at familiar strings in the hearts of many, honestly. I know that in any one of these some of us have become slaves to, at some point or another. But just because we have been doing it for ages or because we got it from highly esteemed authorities and cultural or social tradition, it does not mean that it's always right or true or useful or wise... or foolproof. Sometimes these same things serve as barriers or stumbling blocks to genuine understanding and communication. It has to be put to the test. If it be found to stand solidly on the foundation of authentic good ... fine... but it must also be understood that it's not entirely or only for our own personal consumption but rather meant to be shared outward in the spirit of service, truth, enlightenment, progress and change.
We all stand connected, in one popular or odd way. And whatever lessons, knowledge, wisdom, or learning in life we get from it is meant to be passed on and on and on.... to the generations after us or out there to do some service to a greater number you can manage. To help make our world a better place. Ambitious plan? No. But a mission, I believe, designed by Someone up there.
Like life is a gift from God, and that what we make of it is our gift back to HIM. And so why we should learn and strive to be responsible with ourselves, with our fellow human beings, and with what we want our world to be. Everything that is -- is as good or bad as we make it to be. We alone must make that decision. Nobody will make it for us. And it's done day by day, with every task coming our way, with every thought passing through our minds, with every soul crossing our path, in the way we regard Mother Nature and all of creation.
Have a blessed weekend, everyone. May God's light and blessings pour out upon you and your loved ones.
