Day 30 Harmlessness, Harmony, and Humility (My Sacred Life)

A COURSE IN MIRACLES teaches (among many other lessons) that

"giving and receiving are the same"
"love is letting go of fear"
and
"our safety lies
in our defenselessness"

... three powerful and humbling ideas when allowed to settle into our psyches and guide our decisions. These teachings bring to mind the idea of "Do onto others what you would have them do unto you" that comes from my Christian roots. Of course, today's Zen Cards present the following three ideas for consideration:

"HARMLESSNESS
ALL beings fear violence.
All beings fear pain.
When you see YOURSELF in all
your brothers and sisters,
then how can you
bring harm to them?"

How indeed? Sometimes we create harm out of thoughtlessness ... failing to pay attention to the effects of our actions and/or the chaos we leave in our wake. Sometimes it's through selfishness ... believing there's not enough for everyone, so the need to "get our share" (no matter what) drives us to make foolish choices. Sometimes we believe we deserve to be "punished" for our "sins" ... whether consciously or buried deep in that place of embarrassed self-loathing we've locked away in the depths of darkness (and, all too often, thrown away the key). And sometimes our "defensive behaviors" (designed to protect ourselves from real and/or perceived dangers) are seen as "attacks" by others ... who then respond in kind, causing situations to escalate and spin out of control. If what we think about expands in ours lives, then "harmlessness" seems worth some mindful meditation. How to be harmless ... good question to consider ... for sometimes it's hard to predict outcomes ahead of time.

"HARMONY
Restore harmony.
Create PEACE in all situations.
Rather than
pushing the river,
FLOW with it."
Daniel Levin

Smiling with recognition here because for me, the choice for peace in all situations remains an on-going challenge. I learned from ACIM (or perhaps from the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh in PEACE IS IN EVERY STEP?) ... to stop and say to myself (in moments of anger, frustration, pain, irritation, fear, self-doubt, confusion, etc.)
"I could have peace instead of this" ... and the thought would stop in in my tracks. I'd realize I'd been holding my breath ... so I'd exhale ... allow myself to take a few deep, relaxing breaths ... realize we all make choices all the time (some better & some worse than others) ... consider my options along with lessons from the past ... and choose my next step more mindfully ... at least for the moment. This practice taught me about ...

HUMILITY
The way of the EARTH
is to empty
that which is full,
and fill that which is empty.
True HUMILITY
brings great fortune."
Daniel Levin

The Universe brings us many opportunities to learn and to teach what we need to know. In the early 70s I happened upon a book by Jerry Jampolsky entitled TEACH ONLY LOVE. I've been working on that lesson ever since. Simple ... not always easy ... but certainly worth the effort required, and I'm grateful.

Blessed be ... and so it is.