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Part Two: Teachings from World Traditions
Lord Krishna / Hinduism
In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna guides Arjuna—and all of humanity—through confusion and despair toward transformation. The journey begins on a battlefield but leads to inner liberation, breaking free from the ego and allowing the soul to experience true freedom.
Krishna teaches that rising above the modes of material nature—goodness, passion, and ignorance—is essential for freedom. A liberated mind is unaffected by the dualities of joy and sorrow, praise and insult, success and failure, thus enabling inner peace.
Krishna instructs Arjuna to abandon attachment to the fruits of action. Freedom arises from surrendering to Divine Will, not from stubborn willfulness. This surrender is not defeat, but a willingness to let go and trust a higher order.
This transcendence—known as True Freedom or Moksha—enables action without expectation, love without demands, and giving without pride. It is the release of the need to control outcomes.
Practicing this mindfulness leads to equanimity, contentment, inner peace, joy, and fulfillment.
Buddhism / The Buddha
The Buddha’s teachings offer a path to liberation and enlightenment through The Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold Path.
By following these teachings, we avoid being trapped in the dualities of the world. We are encouraged to help where we can, while remembering these core truths:
- 1. Life means suffering.
- 2. The origin of suffering is attachment.
- 3. The cessation of suffering is attainable.
- 4. There is a path to the cessation of suffering.
In other words, suffering in the material world is inevitable, but we cause much of our own suffering through attachment to people, commitments, and personal agendas. Insight into what is real and what is not brings the possibility of ending suffering—a goal accessible through the Eightfold Path and wisdom from other sacred texts.
The Eightfold Path:
Right understanding, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.
Recognizing the limits of what we can control, doing our best, and letting go of the rest sets us on the right path. By treating others with respect and understanding that everyone is doing the best they can, we move beyond the entanglements of duality.
Jesus, The Christ / Christianity
The season of Lent and all that leads up to and including Holy Week, is the summit of Jesus of Nazareth’s teachings. See last month’s newsletter. Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, reminding us, “Remember, thou art dust, and to dust thou shall return.” And “We are not our bodies or of the temporal world, but part of the Eternal Light.”
Jesus teaches us to turn away from sin—which means redirecting our focus away from the material world and its dualities—and to be faithful to the Gospel, which represents sacred scripture and not worldly influences…news, social media, etc.
True freedom, Jesus enlightens us, comes from within. He told us, His kingdom is not of this world, but within each of us. When He refused to liberate the people from Roman rule, many turned away, misunderstanding the nature of true liberation.
John the Baptist’s call to “Repent” was a call to look inward, to act from the world of Spirit, rather than the material one.
Turning inward means letting go of fear, greed, ego, and unchecked self-will. This journey, symbolized by Christ’s suffering on Good Friday, shows that our deepest fears have no power compared to the eternal reality of Spirit.
True Freedom is Unity Consciousness—seeing all beings as equal souls and transcending the pull of attraction and aversion.
At The Last Supper, Jesus’s words, “This is my body, this is my blood,” point to the unity of form and essence, teaching that all forms and all essence are one in Christ.
“When you see it all as Him, you stimulate the Him in all you see.” Jerry Thomas
This is how The Christ, Krishna, and The Buddha experienced the world—and how we can, too, when we earnestly follow their teachings, not just those that suit our preferences.
Be true to the Gospel and sacred scriptures.
Only Love,
Michael
All of the above might sound daunting, but that's just the mind unable to understand the unlimited possibilities of Divinity. The value of Spirituality in the world today is needed, which is Love Itself, Being One Spirit, Unity Consciousness. This results in Peace. Make time to be The Peace you want to see in the world.
You can start by joining the weekly retreats, which last only one hour. See below for more information.
Please join the StillPoint community (see below) for our weekly retreat. Until then, be the peace you want to see in the world.
Only Love
Michael John
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