wisdom

Living a Virtuous Life According to the Jesus Sutras

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What is done in this life will shape the next life. – The Jesus Sutras: Rediscovering the Lost Scrolls of Taoist Christianity, by Martin Palmer

In the new year and beyond, we can choose to live our best lives. Never give up on your goodness. Find the keys to open your heart – to open your treasure chest. In The Jesus Sutras, written by Martin Palmer, the Stone Sutra reveals how we can live a good life.

The Jesus Sutras, in the second sutra (the sutra of cause, effect, and salvation), states the following about living a virtuous life:

  • Virtue can only be practiced in this world.
  • The One Sacred Spirit controls everything, and you should do as the Spirit demands: good deeds in this life.
  • This is the only world in which you can perform good karma.
  • All acts of merit and benevolence must be performed in this world, not the next.
  • Become open-handed and not tight-fisted and narrow.
  • You can only be charitable and generous in this world, not the next.
  • Rid yourself of the evil and poison in your heart and abandon all your bad thoughts and jealousy.
  • With peace of mind, worship God in this world, for it won’t be possible in the next.
  • You will reap the consequences of this life in the next world.
  • If people wish to be virtuous, they should follow the commands of the One and Only Sacred Spirit.
  • Understand that the One Sacred Spirit presides overall existence to be venerated; strive to do what is right and be grateful for the grace you have received.
  • In order to see the One Sacred Spirit, people must keep themselves pure in heart, and as an act of grace, all will become clear.

Just as the sun tirelessly rises each day, we, too, get another day to try our best. The world presents challenges to us. We have the pandemic situation, job issues, relationship problems, etc. Sometimes it is easy to feel tired and defeated in life. However, the Taoist Stone Sutras encourages us to strive for goodness in every situation. We need to have self-compassion – it’s a lot of work living in this world!

Take time to rest and reflect. Look back on the last year and see how you want to change things in your life. How can you become more “open-handed” and generous? How can you create peace in your mind? How can you bring grace into your life and the lives of the people around you?

“The Jesus Sutras are translated and interpreted throughout the text. Four of the Sutras date from ca. 640-660 and remain primarily in private collections in Japan,” says Martin Palmer. The Chinese Character for Sutra actually means, “sacred literature.” The Chinese Taoists preserved this “sacred literature” in a substance that would last forever: stone.

May you be well, happy, skillful, and peaceful.

Namaste.

Soul Star Chakra

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Whoever departs from this world without having realized his own inner world, to him life has been of no service: it remains unlived, like an undone deed. - Brhad-aranyaka Upanishad

When you reach your arms and hands straight above your head, you will touch your Soul Star Chakra. This chakra connects you to the heavens. The Earth Star Chakra connects you to Mother Earth.

When we connect with our Soul Star Chakra, we see our potential to ascend into higher consciousness. When we walk on the Earth (Middleworld), we are presented with a psychological “Hall of Mirrors.” It is maze-like and confusing at times. However, we can learn to master the mind and have order instead of chaos. It is a fact that Mother Earth prefers order. We can also be the Master of Mirrors.

To master the mind, we need to touch the eternal part of who we are. Do not get trapped in the Hall of Mirrors. See yourself clearly, and have compassion for yourself. Look into the mirror and see your greatness.

Caitlin Matthews, in her book, Singing the Soul Back Home, says, “Each part of our soul needs to be with us, to enable us to pay proper attention to the different dimensions of our lives: to be emotionally aware, to give love, to appreciate what is true and beautiful, to respect boundaries of others and ourselves, to discern danger. If one or more soul-part is missing, we begin to find some of these things difficult or impossible.”

To heal ourselves, we need to go inward. The outside world is only a distraction – to pull us away from our true work. We can heal ourselves by looking straight into the eyes of fear. Matthews continues in her book, Singing the Soul Back Home, “Dealing with fear requires courage. Many people feel it is easier to live with the self-imposed controls of fear than to experience the liberation of the power that lies beneath the fear.”

To work with fear, you must realize your power. It is time to polish your mirror. Who are you?

You can ascend into higher consciousness with grace and gratitude. Meditate every day, practice mindfulness, and learn to balance all of your chakras.

Namaste world.

Treasure Chest

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There will be a worldwide disclosure coming soon. I can feel it. What can we do to prepare? First of all, we must not be afraid. Go inward to find strength and courage. The ancient texts tell us that we have a powerful mind, so we need to find ways to train our minds to tap into that power.

We also have a treasure within us – The Chakras. Why is it called “Treasure Chest?” Inside the human chest is the heart.

Our Treasure – The Heart Chakra

You are a powerful being. Nothing can take that away. Use your time wisely – train your mind through meditation, work with your chakras, and help other people.

We are ready to face anything! We are born in this lifetime to see the “Great Awakening.” Let’s count our blessings!

Here are seven quotes about treasure:

Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will be also be. - Luke 12:34

If your profits are in heaven, your heart will be there too. - Matthew 6:21

The cave you enter holds the treasure you seek. - Joseph Campbell

Knowledge is a treasure, but practice is the key to it. - Lao Tzu

If you come here, you will find a hidden treasure. - Paulo Coelho

The greatest treasures are those invisible to the eye but found by the heart. - Judy Garland

Your heart will challenge you, but also reward you beyond your wildest dreams. - Stefan Emunds


Namaste, world.

Fantasy World

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Understanding is a kind of ecstasy. – Carl Sagan

It is no longer about outside appearances. The journey is within. How can I create the world that I want?

It starts with my mind – using imagination and creativity. I see my world expanding to understand the secrets of humanity and obtaining self-realization in this lifetime. I want to travel – physically and astrologically. I want to surround myself with books, pets, loved ones, nature, and music.

The fantasy world starts within me. If I believe that I can create my world, the wheel of possibility starts to spin. The world can open up to where I am right now.

When I was in India in 2015, my colleagues and I visited a Tibetan temple. Inside the temple was a large prayer wheel (see the photo below). The wheel has mantras inscribed on the inside and the outside. Turning a prayer wheel with millions of mantras inside is the equivalent of saying those millions of mantras but within a few seconds. The action of spinning the wheel sends out the prayers.

Large Prayer Wheel, Tibetan Refugee Camp, Delhi, India

Sometimes the mind is referred to as a wheel. What you think (the spinning) is put into action. Intention can get energy moving too.

God is within you.

Remember to be gentle with yourself. Relax into the wheel of life. Trust the Universe. Be who you are, where ever you are.

Namaste, world.

May Peace Be With You

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Telluride Mountains, Colorado

What do you need when there’s uncertainty, chaos, relationship problems, or stress? Find within yourself deep peace. There are many ways to get peace. You can rest, listen to music, take a walk in nature, be mindful of your environment, pray, meditate, go on a retreat, or take a vacation.

I decided to go to Colorado to take a break from my daily life. Going somewhere far away gives me new perspectives. Several times I’ve told myself I just need peace. I need to rejuvenate so I can continue to give to others. Peace creates sacred space and increased awareness.

I work in hospice – caring for the dying. After someone dies, I tell the family, “May peace be with you.” When we have peace, we create the space to heal. Deep peace helps us feel connected to God.

It’s no secret that the world is changing before our eyes. Deep peace creates “right thinking.” Everyone has their own beliefs and thinking. For me, right thinking is spiritual wisdom. This wisdom has to transcend the problems of daily reality. It must go deeper into understanding the spiritual realm.

For the past two mornings, during my sun meditation, I received a vision of a key and a lock. There are a lot of secrets about humanity and the world. And if we want to open the door to these secrets, we need to create deep peace.

May peace be with you.

Namaste, world.

Make Me a Channel of Your Peace, by Susan Boyle

Make me a channel of Your peace
Where there is hatred, let me bring Your love
Where there is injury, Your pardon Lord
And where there’s doubt, true faith in You

Make me a channel of Your peace
Where there’s despair in life, let me bring hope
Where there is darkness, only light
And where there’s sadness, ever joy

Oh Master, grant that I may never seek
So much to be consoled as to console
To be understood as to understand
To be loved as to love with all my soul

Make me a channel of Your peace
It is pardoning that we are pardoned
In giving to all men that we receive
And in dying that we’re born to eternal life

Oh Master, grant that I may never seek
So much to be consoled as to console
To be understood as to understand
To be loved as to love with all my soul

Make me a channel of Your peace
Where there’s despair in life, let me bring hope
Where there is darkness, only light
And where there’s sadness, ever joy

Two Sides of a Coin

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Old Coins from India

Lately, I feel more comfortable in my own skin. I don’t know if it’s a side effect of getting older or if I am learning to accept things the way they are. I feel more grounded and content. One of the reasons why I think I’m content is because of my awareness and wisdom about life. I am learning to look at life objectively.

I recall one of my blog posts, “Being Anonymous.” In that post, it says, “I exist, and I do not exist. I am anonymous. Knowing that I am a transient being helps me to see that I am a visitor on this planet. Most human beings on this earth do not even know that I exist! And this is okay with me. Being anonymous creates freedom in my mind and spirit.”

I have thought deeper about the fact that I exist and I do not exist. If I do not exist, then my problems to do not exist either. It is difficult to explain this concept, but I will try. It is like two sides of a coin: one side you exist and the other side you do not exist. And you need two sides to make a coin. If you can tap into the “you do not exist” side – that is where you find freedom.

If you can expand your mind – that’s great! Most of people live in their HEAD. Pema Chodron says it’s important to have a sense of spaciousness. She says, “One way to do this is to imagine that you’re breathing into a space as vast as the sky.” She continues to say in her book, Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change, “There’s lots of room, unlimited room, enough room to accommodate anything – misery, delight, the whole gamut of human emotions.”

We are limitless, and anything is possible. If you can turn your coin around and look at your life objectively, you will see that you are as spacious as the sky.

Namaste, world.