Tagged: judgment
The issues of judgment
Judgment separates. Judgment uses the mind to categorize people, actions, situations, etc.
When we judge, we take sides. When we take sides, we move in duality: Reject or Accept. We create feelings, as these feelings become stronger, we close ourselves to perceive other views, other ways which are valid in Life.
Perception is a keyword in Life. “My” perception is only a small tube, like a periscope, which will only allow me to see a limited part of Life.
Thus, judging based on a perception is incomplete. There are facts which are used to judge, but again; those facts cannot perceive the other elements which make the clock tick: We only see a hand of a clock moving to the right, that is the fact; but if we want to know how or why it moves; there is much more to it which does not appear in front of our senses.
When we are dealing with living things, there is way more complexity than what an object such as a clock could offer.
Observe a situation. Observe how the mind automatically selects sides with a small critique based on some previous conditioning, which we call knowledge or morality. Observe how we close and reject the side which does not fit our expectation or training. Observe how we protect that which we think is “right.”
Observe how our feelings could enter the picture. That is a dangerous situation! That intensity will manifest in some action even beyond reason. We are closed to anything new.
Living things, circumstances, cannot be dealt with based on some static never changing “code of conduct,” which only hides who we truly ARE. What is living needs to be dealt with in the moment that is occurring, then what we truly ARE will come out. We arrived at the kernel of BEING.
That observation is needed by those who are interested in self knowledge.
Misinterpreting spiritual teachings or knowledge
Carl, a spiritual man; was relating a story to his friends. Carl was able to “forgive” an ex business partner from his wrongdoings.
Richard stole from Carl in a business transaction. Moreover, Richard reacted in a violent way towards Carl when he claimed his money back. Richard threatened Carl and drove away in his pick up truck.
Carl said to his friends: “ I forgave him for what he has done to me, because I know the Universe will take care of him for what he has done. There is no way he is going to get away from it. It is his karma. When I went to the police to report this incident, the officer asked me if I wanted for Richard to go to jail. I said No! I want for him to complete an anger management class. The officer said to me: “That is great of you.” He needs to take care of his anger before he does the same to someone else. Now, whenever I see a red pick up truck, I remember that incident and him, but I have forgiven him.”
Carl’s friends perceived his anger while he was relating his story.
Carl’s mind believes that he has “forgiven” Richard, although anger is hiding between his words.
Many times, we can use our “knowledge” of karma or some other mental teaching to hide our true feelings. That is the danger of knowledge. We could be ready to give the “other cheek” to someone as Jesus has taught; but that action which could be perceived as “great” by outsiders, it is truly “show business,” for the feelings underneath, what we truly ARE is not considered.
Yes, we could hear “great job. That is how Jesus would have done it” and our ego is caressed in such a way as to believe that we are closer to sainthood.
Because of lack of AWARENESS we cannot see our inner dishonesty.
Carl, what are you going to do with that energy of anger that you have in you?
“Anger? I am not angry. I have forgiven him!”
The ego knows “I have given the other cheek. I have been a good Samaritan. I have gotten the law’s approval confirming my greatness.”
The mind could create wonderful excuses. The mind could create “Godly words to live by,” however; what we FEEL will remain stuck with us. Knowledge cannot take that away, for knowledge is only mental.
Everything happening to us is an experience that is worth for us to go through. The labeling to judge our experience such as “good luck or bad luck” is of no consequence. We may need to act according to the law, but hopefully that action is not another cover up to build self-righteousness around us.
The mind could use any “knowledge” to protect the ego. When this happens, we cannot acknowledge our feelings.
Spiritual knowledge is a tool to help us become aware of ourselves. If we do not use it to see ourselves, we use it to judge others; in light of the information we “know.”
Looking for the “truth.”
Mary was outside her home when someone approached her. He was an older fellow, dressed in a scruffy way, “hippie” looking…
Mary’s mind started judging him. The guy turned out to be a very friendly person. He was new in the neighborhood.
For an outsider of that scene, the “reality” was just a meeting of strangers.
The “truth” was in the way both of them felt. Mary’s truth was to be judgmental, regardless of the external behavior. Whether she is AWARE of it or not is a different story.
Why is that important?
Because Mary cannot possibly know herself without concepts, unless she is aware. Without knowing herself, there is no way of BEING happy. Isn’t that important enough?
Our society and religious teachings will condemn judging others.
It goes something like this: “ You shall never judge another.”
Why?
Because it is “bad.” It is impure. Sinful. God does not like that. There is bad “karma” associated with it. You’ll get punished.
If Mary caught herself judging others and she strongly believed in that “commandment,” she will feel bad, sinful, shameful… guilty. She “failed” her “test” with the stranger.
She will promise God never to judge again… but her mind will do it… over and over, increasing her idea of being sinful, a failure in need of “salvation.”
The above is an example on how religions and societies thrive in “changing” others through concepts, by using fear of not accomplishing that concept.
Awareness is not mentioned. Openness and acceptance of “what is,” is not part of the teachings… You must repress your mind before it throws up its judgment upon others… before you get “bad karma” and punishment.
Because Mary was aware of what was going on in her mind, she caught herself. She realized that her thoughts were not “real.” She learned about her mind.
Mary didn’t need to know all the “morality.” Those things arising in her mind are labeled as “judgment,” and those things are “bad, sinful and impure.”
Her AWARENESS was all it was needed when she remained observant of her “truth,” her inner world.
Because she was conscious, aware through that episode of Life, her mind was free from judgments.
What did she do to get rid of judgments?
Nothing. She did not practice anything.
But if you are to call that “practice” with some label, call it Tantra.
Oneness: The “new” consciousness
Every individual will have different experiences in Life.
Experiences are not meant to be “interpreted” they are meant to be “experienced.” Out of the internal assimilation of those experiences, a new consciousness will emerge. Not through understanding of words.
For example; we hear that “judgments” are “bad” or “good.”
The word “judgment” is interpreted in many ways according to the person’s experience.
“To judge is good, because it is to discern. By judging a person I can discern if the person is good or bad according to standard human moral values. Because I have judgment, I am liable for my actions.”
“To judge a person is “bad” because with that label we are defining his destiny in our minds.”
“You know, that Carl is a bad person…” That judgment does not give the opportunity for Carl to change in our minds.
“God is the ultimate judge. We shouldn’t judge anyone. We are brothers and sisters of the same Father.”
Every single “reason” above is merely an interpretation of the word “Judgment.” Lost in thinking we could be open for many useless intellectual debates. Why useless? Because we are only lost in words and meanings of those words. We are lost in thinking …and thinking means automatic separation.
Is separation “bad”?
NO. It will just give us a state of consciousness.
Thinking is not “bad.” It has its place. If we want to enjoy Life and the different scenes, we may not want to use our “thinking” for that. We need to feel. Become intuitive.
When we live in the moment for instance, I may not feel right being close to a dog nearby. I may go away. End of report. The issue is when I “think”: “That dog is bad. I better go away.”
That judgment is through thinking. That thinking conveys labeling and separation. Once a label is placed, it is a very sticky one 🙂
Let me put this in another way.
When we are lost in the consciousness of “I,” then the separation is already there. “I am different than anyone else.”
If already my consciousness perceives that separation as a “fact,” how is it possible to live together as One or to love each other as religions try to teach?
In the consciousness of “I,” a higher moral figure is needed. A God.
“God is the father and we are brothers and sisters.”
This set up works marvelously in the consciousness of “I.”
“I” am still an individual but at the same time, “I” can relate to the idea of brotherhood, because for most individuals that is part of their Life experience. “I” can interpret that experience in a Godly setting.
God being the “father” means to obey him. The world is a family. “We are the world, we are the children.” How can I judge my brother? How can I judge my sister? God is the only one who can do that accurately.
Nice talk.
From that point on, every experience will be interpreted under that paradigm.
In another consciousness, we could perceive that thinking has brought that separation. We could perceive that a single individual is a partial fact for that individual exists in relationship with everything else, just as a tree exists because there is sun and water and sky and air, etc. The thinking mind however, has made that separation of individuality.
If we continue on with our inquiry, we may perceive that this “I” is part of everything there is, just like a drop of water is in the Ocean. The perception and awareness of being just the drop brings further separation from everything else.
Perhaps at one point, we could perceive Oneness.
Then, all the other concepts and words that separate items could be perceived as an illusion of language for that “new” consciousness, but yet understood as a “reality” for those still dwelling in thoughts and separation. The “I” consciousness.
In Oneness, there is no need to add the word God, to make the “I” separated from “him.” It is not a matter of a concept or a belief. In oneness we perceive oneness.
The “movie of life” is one movie. We cannot separate from it.
It is in that consciousness how the word “judgment” is meaningless.
Am I judging myself in Oneness? Isn’t that schizophrenic?
ONE.
Therefore “moral values” such as “to judge is bad or good” are unnecessary.
Change through fear is unnecessary: “God will punish you if you judge your little brother.”
Comparisons are illusions of the “I.”
“I” am better. “We” are better.
– Everyone is as they are.
“We should be better.”
– Change is already built is this movie of Life.
“but we could change to become “worse”…”
– Suffering is a great teacher. You may learn not to reject it. It is a sure way to change consciousness without using the “training wheels” of beliefs.
“but this is the only time that we have to be better…”
– This is the only time we have to enjoy “what is.”
The thing is not to “become better” (that is to compare) but through enjoyment of “what is,” through appreciation of “what is,” through being thankful of “what is” …. what could happen?
Being “better?” 🙂
May you be “better” without looking to be “better.”
Until March 16th. Enjoy, appreciate and be thankful! That is to be ONE with the common good.
Freeing yourself from yourself
This idea of self is truly detrimental once we believe in it. One thing is to relate with this “self” label as when “I” greet someone: “Hello John, how are you doing?” or when in my daily speech “I” need to use the words “I” and “my.”
A different thing is to believe that those words that we use to communicate are indeed “real.”
Note that Avyakt7 is not saying that the idea of “self” is “bad,” our “worst enemy,” or that we need to have “distaste of that idea.” That is childish.
Avyakt7 is using the word “detrimental” not as judgment but as a way to communicate and convey a close but not accurate meaning to Avyakt7’s inner discovery.
“Detrimental” is used as an obstacle, an obstruction to perceive something else.
As mentioned before, please do not take that as the “truth,” for it cannot be communicated with words.
Have you ever taken a stroll in a park or the bay early in the morning with a smiling face? 🙂
Do you know where that smile came from, without a particular reason to smile?
That is when YOU are not there. Notice that the harmonious perception of what is already there in Nature, without any thinking or additional ideas will bring that magic.
To be alive in appreciation means not to think, to have a quiet mind. Silence. Stillness. Emptiness.
Is thinking “bad”? Nope. Thinking has its own place. Thinking is not supposed to be an inner voice in our heads. Thinking is not supposed to bring that separation of the “thinker” and everything else. Unless we believe it.
There is no problem which is truly a problem when we realize that everything is temporary.
That is why that perception of “I” is a mental disease. That “I” needs to go away with his/her ideas. That “I” needs to go away with his/her expectations and illusions.
That “I” must go away… but through thinking, that “I” remains the “same.”
It wants to survive forever… 🙂
That is why any ideas about the afterlife are just ways for that “I” to remain. Those ideas will bring certainty through another thought, through another idea, another belief.
Living is not thinking about the “future” and what could happen next. We live “now.” As it is “now” when we are aware of it.
That is why it is important to be aware of our mind and its games. That is why, it is important to awaken to that “reality.”
God cannot help on this. To clear our minds from that on going “mental garbage” is our own task.
The outcome of that inner cleansing is a frank smile.
Observe your neighbor’s cat lazily stretching in the morning, say hello to “top cat.” Observe the birds chirping their tunes, appreciate that music with your awareness… Move slowly into the day by looking at the trees and perceiving their aroma, notice the sun caressing your skin and the wind massaging your face… as long as there is no YOU in it, “YOU” will appreciate that moment without words. Otherwise, it is just an empty thought.
That is the mystery of being and non-being.
The theory of the Self
When we discover how a human being “works,” we could see that we interpret information according to a set of previously learned behavior and act accordingly.
For instance, if your child tells you that you are not as intelligent as he is; You may react in anger. You may even punish your child for being so disrespectful with you. On the other hand, if your boss at work tells you the same and he has the power to fire you on the spot, you may not react with anger. You may try to find out the reasons behind that statement.
Same situation, different people and circumstances. My reaction will be according to what I have learned, what I find as beneficial. That is the bottom line.
In theory, there are names for those components dictating my activities: The mind, the intellect and the sanskaras. The mind perceives information about what is going on. The intellect decides how to react on that information and the sanskaras are those learned behaviors from the past, which could determine my action unless the intellect interferes.
When there is such a division, religions and moral reforms will be made to voice a particular “component” as being more important than the others.
There are the ones who believe in the mind. The mind is the container of that perceived information. If that information is able to break the stability of the mind; that means that our mind is not strong enough. Thus, as long as our mind is fully stable, whatever enters into it, will not create havoc. In this position, welcoming perceptions without judgment is the “right” attitude. In this way there is an alignment with totality.
Then we have those who believe in the intellect. Here is where “moral codes” are necessary. The intellect will learn some rules and regulations on how to behave in life. The intellect will intercept any information coming from the mind and then will decide a course of action.
Is this “good or bad”? The aim is to follow as close as possible those rules and regulations which are deemed to be “right,” or “good.”
Finally, we have those who believe in the sanskaras as the thing to change. Sanskaras come from previous life experiences from another reincarnation. There are those who will work through those by using hypnosis or any other method to “submerge” the non desired sanskaras. Our predisposition to act now as we do, comes from the past. Thus, sanskaras are nothing else but stored actions of the past. Those activities came from the interaction of mind and intellect.
In self-observation, many will start their self-transformation by emphasizing one of the three components of the human psyche.
Nevertheless, when there is greater understanding on life, we could see that a human psyche is not separated from the totality of life.
When we realize that life is like a movie, then with this realization, we should see that it doesn’t matter how the movie is; for it is what it is.
Those sanskaras are just part of the movie. To “submerge” a sanskara will not do anything on the quality of my intellect and mind. Submerging is not changing a behavior.
If we concentrate on the “intellect,” and its ability to grasp a particular “code of good behavior,” we will find out that emotions will be in the way of things. Here there is a “law” which I need to obey even though my sanskaras (represented by emotions) are pushing me to do something else. This is the inner battle. It becomes a tiring inner fight.
That is why it is suggested to deal with both: The intellect and the sanskaras.
However, we create a dependency for a perceived change could be maintained as long as the intellect adheres to a specific set of rules and provided that the sanskaras are continually submerged.
For most individuals, “submerging” a non desired sankara means to deal with actions related with the first and second chakra. That is survival and pleasure. The way to submerge a sanskara from those first levels, is by activating higher chakras, such as the third one (will power) and the fourth one (heart.)
The heart is used as needed to transform the “lower” inclinations. Nevertheless, “real” change will not occur unless the heart is used on a regular basis, thus creating a new sanskara.
In my own experience, there is a need to strengthen the mind. That means that our complexes, hang-ups and learned behaviors need to be broken from our psyche in order for that change in the self to be permanent and lasting without the use of any ritual or practice to maintain that change.
In the “reality” of experience, names such as “mind,” “intellect,” and “sanskara,” are not important. Their function is not important either.
What is important is to realize that “my perceptions,” are colored by my previous learned behaviors. Thus, “my perceptions” are limited. Then, the mind is tuned into becoming aware, to observe itself without emitting judgment, for the perception of my own movie does not need any “critics,” but just to know that it is a movie. It is at that point that we could change the movie “channel” and watch and experience something else.
Exploring the Depth of Living 