Knowledge comes from the mind wisdom belongs to the spiritual heart. My mind teaches me about duality and separation, my heart allows me to experience integration. This happens when I love myself unconditionally, which means learning how to love my thoughts without judgement.
Because my mind creates duality it is important that I accept all of my thoughts with love. As Ram Dass encourages us to do, "love your thoughts to death". I believe that until I love everything about me, including my errant thoughts, I do not love myself unconditionally, and then can not love others unconditionally. Unconditional love really does begin with self.
It is interesting how thoughts take on judgement and social conditioning, but the spiritual heart moves beyond duality.
I feel my spiritual heart exists beyond right or wrong, and in its acceptance allows me to discern mindfulness in all things. Learning to lead with this heart, rather than with my head, helps me move away from my right and wrong thinking and into a place of understanding. I understand even if I don't condone others thoughts or actions.
Understanding why others behave in ways that I don't agree with becomes my practice of accepting what I cannot change without my being responsible for others actions. Acceptance does not mean condoning, it only means I allow others their beliefs as long as they respect my boundaries and beliefs. In doing this I can defend myself without taking others behavior personally, and without falling into rage.
I believe that rage exhibits a sense of powerlessness and that then drives anger turning it into rage. Watching people or groups who display rage it seems they are driven by strong reactions against that which they feel they can't control and by what they do not understand. In these situations people do not listen to understand; they listen to respond and to react which often leads to rage.
When I confront this in another person or group I must remember to approach them from my spiritual heart. In this way I give each space for their beliefs but I do not tolerate their behavior if it infringes into my space. I respect their space and expect the same of them. Heart wisdom teaches me the importance of listening to understand rather than to react.
Knowledge teaches right and wrong; wisdom grants me acceptance, even of that with which I don't agree. It allows me to walk the path of tolerance which helps me not to be deceived but also keeps me from my own righteousness. When I walk in balance between these things I find I am more discerning of others actions and more able to make good choices for me. Knowing and knowledge are important but wisdom is impeccable.
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