Do not believe what you have heard.
Do not believe in tradition because it is handed down many generations.
Do not believe in anything that has been spoken of many times.
Do not believe because the written statements come from some old sage.
Do not believe in conjecture.
Do not believe in authority or teachers or elders.
But after careful observation and analysis, when it agrees with reason and it will benefit one and all, then accept it and live by it.
~ Buddha
(563 B.C. – 483 B.C.)
That’s powerful stuff. It’s an exercise in self-assessment, with the intention of rooting out your true influences and beliefs in life. Do you ever question why you think about something in a certain way? Do you hear the echoes of a parent, teacher, or someone else who came along your path, offering guidance in only the way they knew how? Have you lived a life based on such concepts, and if so, do you ever feel something underneath that just doesn’t sit right?
Saying “Do not believe” for all these things is not to say that one should disrespect or ignore the wisdom or experience of what has been understood before. The idea is to fully ground yourself in what resonates with you most deeply, now. Life, by definition, is ever-evolving. Nature constantly adapts and shifts, modifying and manipulating plant and animal life to function ideally in every environment. It is eternally patient and methodical. One might say there’s a constant of observation and analysis that provides ongoing evaluation that creates the dynamic we don’t completely understand or grasp the scope of.
We can apply the essence of this to our own lives. Lore and academia are useful, absolutely. But what’s written in textbooks or spiritual texts, in the stars or in the palm of your hand, does not define all of what is now and may soon be. When you come to a place of inner alignment and knowing, it’s easier to discern what information is “true” for you, and would benefit your life, and that of everyone else.
This applies on a societal and global scale, as well. Consider the world’s religious, medicinal, economical and racial issues, to start. We currently live in a time where the profit of multinational corporations is considered before the welfare of millions, if not billions of lives. We see constant struggle between the values of neighbouring countries, based on archaic, outdated spiritual ideas. We see wealthy nations pitting less-privileged nations against each other for political and material gain. We still see how the colour of your skin can place you in a certain class of a society or culture. These and many other trivial and superficial issues still exist, but consider where and how they were just 100 years ago. Humanity is waking up, now more quickly than ever. Some find this terrifying. I’d wager the vast majority are finding it quite liberating…
So you don’t have to worry about saving the world. Everything begins from within. Once you make the shift, and discard an old idea that no longer serves you, it’ll resonate out and affect and benefit one and all. Slowly, a tide shifts and the world continues along a positive upswing.
But if you believe only what the media, movies, preachers, politicians, pundits, your parents, friends and priests say, you are already lost, and it’s time to wake up.
Source (Buddha Quote): Wisdom of the Ages / Wayne W. Dyer
Image: “Leshan Sights” by Chi King
