Non-duality for Everyday Life
Don’t kill. Don’t destruct forms. Don’t perform actions which result in physical pain, unless you are willing to undergo the ordeal and were explicitly asked to do so by the target of the intended action. And then, rather double-check just to be safe and sure that there is no misunderstanding. On the other hand, human is of this world and cannot survive without biting a piece off of it.
It’s obvious that there is no point in beating yourself up for what you eat from the cake — the world lives by feeding of itself; but the question is how much unilateral pain are you willing to inflict in order to survive? How many betrayals and broken vows can you justify by lying to others as well as yourself? Where do you draw the arbitrary lines between theft, opportunism, and common sense? And is an authentic bigot better than a polite hypocrite?
If you want to have neither guilt nor remorse, don’t envy. Don’t entertain hatred. Don’t obsess about your desires and wants. And that includes obsessions with altruism, God, samadhi, Buddha nature, and the like. These are the motivators that result in lying, stealing, cheating, and, eventually, end in violence.
Obviously it’s easier said than done, but if you respect yourself and acknowledge everything that shaped you along the way, you will be content with what you have and who you are, thus, have no reasons for jealousy. On top of it, if you always remember to be mindful and present, seeing everything for what it is and respecting yourself becomes a breeze.
After all, if you hold no grudges, if you are thankful even for the painful stuff you survived and are able to be grateful for the beauty that met you, if you see the “thank to”s and “despite of”s, you see your weaknesses, you see your strengths, and you also see your uniqueness. What’s there to be envious of? All is forgiven and there’s only hope that those you have wronged in the past share similar attitude of forgiveness and don’t harbor thoughts of revenge.
At this point, everything is how it should be — perfect.
And finally, if you don’t conceptualize the perfection into some special entity, be it yourself or some incorporeal product of your imagination, you will also eventually realize why the previous paragraphs describe the inevitable case. You will know that which is without other, you will know yourself, and, essentially, you will know all.
This is salvation. This is the actual start of life. This is the liberation of will that becomes free at last.
This is It.
