8 replies to this topic

[hiker]

just now emailed this to a friend i met here in 2002/2003, and in thanks for the fact my life is enriched by his unselfish sharing ... this is for all interested The Rule of St. Benedict - A Contemporary Interpretation: The First Rule: Attend to these instructions, Listen with the heart to the mind; they are provided in a spirit of goodwill. These words are addressed to anyone who is willing to renounce the delusion that the meaning of life can be learned; whoever is ready to take up the greater weapon of fidelity to a way of living that transcends understanding. The first rule is simply this: live this life and do whatever is done, in a spirit of Thanksgiving. Abandon attempts to achieve security, they are futile. give up the search for wealth, it is demeaning, quit the search for salvation, it is selfish, and come to comfortable rest in the certainty that those who participate in this life with an attitude of Thanksgiving will receive its full promise.

[Rogerdodger]

My life has taught me that there's a lot of truth in those words.

[mss]

"and come to comfortable rest in the certainty that those who participate in this life

with an attitude of Thanksgiving, will receive its full promise."

So few of us realize to be thankful for what we have .......... there are so many who have so little.
mss

[calmcookie]

Hiker,

Thank you for posting these wise words.

My life changed when I simply began to FEEL, at a very deep and sincere level, in every fiber of my body, mind and soul, incredible gratitude.

Some people don't believe in prayer. I can only speak from my own experience. When I express thanks, in prayer ... life is joyful, creative and literally overflowing with abundance. The challenge is how to give back, in a meaningful way.

Kind thoughts to you, Corinne

Edited by calmcookie, 30 May 2008 - 09:51 AM.

[hiker]

"Always We Begin Again" - "The Benedictine Way of Living" The Rule of St. Benedict - A Contemportary Interpretation: Paramount Goals: What is wanted is not that we should find ulimate truth, nor that we should become secure, nor that we should have ease, nor that we should be without hurt, but that we should live fully. Therefore we should not fear life, nor anything in life, we should not fear death, nor anything in death, we should live our lives in love with life. If is for us to train our hearts to live in grace, to sacrifice our self-centered desires, to find the peace without want without seeking it for ourselves, and when we fail, to begin again each day. If we adopt an outlook of confidence and trust and perfect our experience by care for others, if we live in the certainty that we are heirs in the providence of the outermost mystery, we will begin to change into the persons that we have the potential to be. --------- fwiw, the "Big Idea" show on CNBC which aired Monday consisted of a panel discussion how adults go about changing the habits of the brain in order to bring about attitudinal and behavioral change.

[hiker]

"Always We Begin Again" - "The Benedictine Way of Living" Silence Remember the great value of silence. Each day there must be time for silence, even in our prayers and meditation. There must be time within which we neither speak nor listen, but simply are. Consider the silence of a living tree; it neither speaks nor hears. Out of the uncounted aeons, inexorable, ever-changing forces have erected it, to purpose beyond our understanding. It needs no words, yet its presence is no less actual than ours. Consider the value of silence in community. Our ability to listen should be our gift to those around us. Too much talk is a sign of self-centeredness and insecurity. If you hear yourself talking excessively, take care.

[hiker]

"Always We Begin Again" - "The Benedictine Way of Living" Humility Cultivate humility. To be exalted is to be in danger. Pride is considered a sin because it warps our existence. It establishes our lives on a false foundation. No one can win all the time. Therefore, a life based on beating others will always be unfulfilled. The way to affiliation with the sublime is not to add, but is to take away more each day until we have been freed, even from a desire for perfection.

[maineman]

"Always We Begin Again" - "The Benedictine Way of Living"

Humility

Cultivate humility.
To be exalted is to be in danger.

Pride is considered a sin because it warps our existence.
It establishes our lives on a false foundation.

No one can win all the time.
Therefore, a life based on beating others
will always be unfulfilled.

The way to affiliation with the sublime
is not to add,
but is to take away more each day
until we have been freed,
even from a desire for perfection.

I went to a Quaker School where we had frequent silent meeting. Here's the sign outside the door to the meeting hall:

[hiker]

hey there maineman.

my great grandmother established the Quaker church near China Lake, Maine. The only reason my grandfather later became a practicing Methodist is Quakers were absent from the Dakotas when his mom brought them by covered wagon to the area following her missionary days in Maine.

the two bold highlights below are my choice.

"Always We Begin Again" - "The Benedictine Way of Living"

The Twelve Stages of Humility

These are the stages to freedom from self-centeredness.
to humility,
the centerpiece of the true life.

The first stage of humility
is to keep the sacred nature of consciousness
and the world in which it exists
always alive within us.

Everything we think,
everything we do,
everything we feel,
is cast in time forever.
Every moment that we live is irreplaceable,
therefore each moment is hallowed.

We must be on guard
against despair, against fear,
against bitterness, against self-seeking,
and have the tenacity and courage
to think optimistically and act affirmatively,
and to put the needs of others always before
our own.
-----------
The second stage of humility
is to distrust our own will.
Our wants are insatiable,
and our will is the product of those wants..
Our pleasure,
our needs,
our wishes --
all are mere self-interest,
and the demands of self-interest
are never ending.

Our desires are the path to disaster.
At every turn there is something more to
acquire,
something to distract our attention,
something to divert the unchangeable
footprints we leave behind.

Day and night we must return to humility,
and use it as a compass to guide us on the
true course.

Therefore the second stage of humility
is not to love our own will,
not to find pleasure in the satisfaction of our
own desires,
but to carry out the unfathomable purpose of
our being,
to fulfill the design that can only be
discovered
by overcoming our own cravings --
for the function of existence
and of our lives
is not ourselves.
------
The third stage of humility
is to accept our limitations,
even to death,
To accept that there are events
outside our control
which will control us,
and that have ultimate power over us,
and that our will
will not be done.
-------
The fourth stage of humility is to be patient
and to maintain a quiet mind,
even in the face of inequity, injury, and
contradiction,
preserving the certitude
that we are continuously shaped by
experience
and refined by fire,
and accordingly
to be thankful even for injuries.
------
The first stage of humility
is to not conceal our faults,
but to be ruthlessly honest
with ourselves
and about ourselves,
for to lie to ourselves or to others
is to falsify our relationship with true life.
-----------
The sixth stage of humility is to be content
with the work we are given to do
and with the circumstances of our lives
however unfair or demeaning,
consistently bearing in mind
that it is our outlook
that confers value on our experiences,
and that nothing that occurs to us
is intrinsically good or bad.
----------
The seventh stage of humility
is not only to declare ourselves to be humble
but to believe in our hearts that we of no
consequence
For alone we are of no moment--
in the vast reaches and endless memory of
the universe
our most profound idea is the merest fantasy;
our greatest triumphs
and our meanest actions
are as lasting as a mark in the sand.
-----
The eight stage of humility
is that we take no action except that which is
in accordance with the path established for
us, by work and by example, by those whom
we know to be true guides, both past and
present, always mistrusting our own ideas
and wills.
------
The ninth stage of humility
is that we refrain from judgment.
It is not for us to live the lives of others,
or to understand the infinite forces at work
at every instant in another's life.
We must restrain not only our criticism
but also our advice,
offering it only when requested,
and then only with sincere misgiving.
----
The tenth stage of humility
is to refrain from taking pleasure in the losses
of others,
If we have sincere empathy
we can never believe ourselves superior to
one another,
nor take pleasure in each other's
shortcomings and misfortunes.
----
The eleventh stage of humility
is to speak gently, and briefly.
Participation in community requires
that we speak, and also that we listen.
In speech we must be candid,
in listening we must be accessible.
----
The twelfth stage of humility
is to maintain not only humble thoughts,
but also a humble demeanor,
whether at work, or on the road or at the
market,
or in speaking or at rest.
We should continuously reinforce,
through appearance and demeanor, the
mien of humility.

By daily pursuing these intentions,
we will begin to observe these precepts
through habit rather than by discipline,
and in consequence,
after long practice,
we will sometimes accomplish these goals
as our natural manner.