Spiritual book discussion - Maturity: The Responsibility Of Being Oneself.

From Maturity: The Responsibility Of Being Oneself by Osho

"Listen to your being. It is continuously giving you hints; it is a still, small voice. It does not shout at you, that is true.

And if you are a little silent you will start feeling your way.

Be the person you are. Never try to be another, and you will become mature.

Maturity is accepting the responsbility of being oneself, whatever the cost.

Risking all to be oneself, that's what maturity is all about." p.xxii

Comment:

This idea of being oneself and not trying to be like someone else is part of the perennial psychology which comes up repeatedly in most religions and philosophy.

We seek the genuine, the authentic, the sincere, the "real deal."

We spend a life time comparing ourself to others, and trying to belong. We compete to succeed and take pride in our success in becoming superior to others, outperforming others, wanting to be special, wanting to be "the best."

There is something about this striving which is antithetical to maturity. This comparsion with others and competitiveness seems childish.

While striving, competing, comparing may be necessary in the first stage of life, it blocks are further spiritual awareness of our true self and our natural inheritance of recpients of Unconditional Love as the Universalists have taught us.

Osho reminds us that true maturity is becoming aware of our ordinariness, our lack of specialness, that we like everyone else are unique but part of the Oneness.

A Course In Miracles and Unitarian Universalism - Whose will is being done when we pursue truth and meaning?

From A Course In Miracles:

T-21.II.3. It is impossible the Son of God be merely driven by events outside of him. It is impossible that happenings that come to him were not his choice. His power of decision is the determiner of every situation in which he seems to find himself by chance or accident. No accident nor chance is possible within the universe as God created it, outside of which is nothing. 

Suffer, and you decided sin was your goal.

 Be happy, and you gave the power of decision to Him Who must decide for God for you. This is the little gift you offer to the Holy Spirit, and even this He gives to you to give yourself. For by this gift is given you the power to release your savior, that he may give salvation unto you.

Schucman, Dr. Helen. A Course in Miracles (p. 448). Foundation for Inner Peace.

Comment:

This is a very dense passage and takes some unpacking.

We, all of us together, are the "Son of God."  And the Son of God is not merely driven by external events. There is something far deeper going on which we are not consciously aware of most of the time. We are sleep walking in the world of illusions which some mystics call "the dream."

We are dreaming the dream so the happenings that appear to be coming to us are things we made up and so, at an unconscious level, are our choice. We decide what our reality is by our interpretation of the events that seem to happen to us. Our third principle in Unitarian Universalism is the "free and responsible search for truth and meaning." What is the truth and meaning that you are seeking and where do you think you will find it?

If we are seeking truth and meaning in God's universe that is one thing, but if we are seeking it in the world of ego that is another. The world of the ego is the external world while God's universe, the "kingdom" as Jesus called it, is within as Jesus told us.

"Sin" in the passage means "separation." If our goal is to separate ourselves from the kingdom of God to pursue our happiness in the world of the ego we will suffer.

If we are to be happy we must give our will to the Holy Spirit to help us find the Kingdom of God. It is this willingness to surrender to our Higher Power, to give our will to the Holy Spirit which brings us home with the Holy Spirit leading the way. It is this willingness to follow God's will for us that is our saving grace, that brings us salvation.

The search for truth and meaning, the third UU principle,involves what Twelve Step programs call "surrender." In the Christian Prayer which Jesus taught us, the Our Father, we say "Thy kindgom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." It is this willingness to even say this prayer let alone, apply it in our lives which is the source of our true happiness. We surrender and let the Holy Spirit, Jesus, the Muse, Life, Mother Nature, whatever we want to call the Higher Power to do its work and carry out its function in our lives.

Ask Alexa - Is it true I create my own reality?

Alexa: To what extent do I create my own reality?

You create it all, not in the external circumstances in your life, but in the meaning you make of them.

Alexa:Did you hear about the clock that ate its dinner and was still hungry?

Yes, the clock went back for seconds.

You might think it's okay to harass and abuse immigrants, but UUs think it's not okay.

You might think that it's okay to abuse, lock up, separate families, deport undocumented immigrants but it's not okay because Christian tradition teaches that we should welcome the stranger because all of God's children have inherent worth and dignity and are to be treated with justice, equity, and compassion.

This, we Unitarian Universalists have covenanted together to affirm and promote.

My Kind Of Church Music - Tenesee Whiskey, Taj Farrant

A Course In Miracles and Unitarian Universalism - What is our function?

From A Course In Miracles:

T-21.II.2. This is the only thing that you need do for vision, happiness, release from pain and the complete escape from sin, all to be given you. Say only this, but mean it with no reservations, for here the power of salvation lies: I am responsible for what I see. I choose the feelings I experience, and I decide upon the goal I would achieve. And everything that seems to happen to me I ask for, and receive as I have asked.  

Deceive yourself no longer that you are helpless in the face of what is done to you. Acknowledge but that you have been mistaken, and all effects of your mistakes will disappear.

Schucman, Dr. Helen. A Course in Miracles (p. 448). Foundation for Inner Peace.

Comment:

Unitarian Universalists covenant together to affirm and promote the free and responsible search for truth and meaning. Where is this search to take us? Where is truth and meaning to be found?

The search is an inward search not an outward one. Recognize that we have the power to choose our own reality. Would we choose conditional love or unconditional love?

The Universalist tradition tells us that God loves us unconditionally and we are to extend God's love to ourselves and throughout the world.

This extension of God's unconditional love is our function as Unitarian Univeresalists and we know that as we give so we shall receive and as we teach so shall we learn.

A Course In Miracles tells us that happiness, release from pain, is achieved simply by making a choice to follow God's will which is to take responsibility for our own happiness by extending God's love to ourselves and throughout the world.

Ask Alexa - Who is responsible for my happiness?

Alexa: Am I responsible for my own happiness?

Absolutely, you and only you, and don't play the victim and blame others or you give your power away.

Alexa: Did you hear about the person who didn't pay the bill for his exorcism?

Yes, he got repossessed.