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EXCERPTS FROM CHAPTER 10:
THE PATH OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH
Excerpt 1: "The
decision to take responsibility for discovering your inner
'truth' requires that you embark on a quest to develop your
own spiritual philosophy. This does not automatically mean
you must completely discard your traditional religious beliefs,
but it does require that you be willing to question literally
every aspect of what you have been taught. It also means
that you learn to challenge everything you hear and read
as you move along this path, including the contents of this
book."
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| Excerpt 2: "Many
traditional religionists might argue that having 'faith'
means we may not question established religious doctrine,
for the sheer act of doubting what we have been taught to
believe is to be considered blasphemous behavior. As this
quotation from Fr. Anthony DeMello illustrates, however,
that is really not what faith is all about: |
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An openness to the truth,
no matter what the consequences, no matter where it leads
you and when you don't even know where it's going to lead
you. That's faith. Not belief, but faith. Your beliefs give
you a lot of security, but faith is insecurity. You don't
know. You're ready to follow and you're open, you're wide
open! You're ready to listen.114 |
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This doesn't mean that
you become gullible and immediately accept new information
to replace the old, but instead you learn to question everything
- new and old - with an open mind."
[ 114 Anthony DeMello, Awareness,
(New York, NY: Image Books/Doubleday, 1992)p. 18]
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Excerpt 3: "In
addition to building your own spiritual philosophy, it is
equally important for you to develop a spiritual practice
as well. To clarify, practice in this sense means
more than just participation in conventional religious services,
it means making spiritual growth work an integral part of
your daily routine."
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| Excerpt 4: "Like
many people in the West, for years I equated meditation with
the visual image of monks in saffron robes sitting rigid
with their legs crossed in the classic Lotus position. While
this image is reality in some cultures, as this passage from
Stuart Wilde attests, effective meditative practice does
not require that one assume an uncomfortable physical posture,
or behave in some prescribed, ritualistic way: |
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Meditation need not be complicated.
Some will tell you that nothing less than sitting cross-legged
in the lotus position, ohm'ing yer ohms in the temple, will
do. In fact, any meditation which is painful or uncomfortable
to perform is distracting in my view. Okay, so you've got
your robes on and you can stick your toe in your ear, big
deal. . . . Excuse me! What's it for? . . . Any ol' meditation
style is just fine; it doesn't have to be a great performance
unless you want it that way. 117 |
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[117 Stuart
Wilde, Infinite Self, (Carlsbad, California: Hay House,
Inc., 1996) p. 100]
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| Excerpt 5: "Feelings
of spiritual pride are very dangerous because they only serve
to reinforce the feeling of separateness between others and
yourself. As we learned in Chapter 6: Oneness, whenever
you judge another you are seeing that person as you are
rather than how they are. Therefore, always make your
best effort to remember that your way is not the way,
and as such, you have no right to feel spiritually superior
to anyone. Additionally, remind yourself that what they have
chosen to accept as their inner 'truth' is exactly what they
need at this point in their spiritual evolution." |
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