4 thoughts on “Salvation

  1. Maybe there are times when it is legitimate and useful to recognise that our behaviour, attitudes, thoughts, beliefs or whatever have not been ‘good enough’ – not been skilful or in our own long-term best interest. Maybe, there are times when we should accept it is a good idea to move along and ‘sin no more’.

    Thanissaro Bhikkhu writes “The Buddha teaches that there are two sides to the path of practice: the side of developing and the side of letting go. And it’s important that you see the practice in both perspectives, that your practice contains both sides. If you practice just letting go, you’ll throw away the baby with the bath water. Everything good will get thrown out because you let go of everything and leave nothing left. On the other hand, if yours is just a practice of developing and working and doing, you miss the things that happen on their own, that happen when you do let go.” ~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu “The Grain of the Wood” (Meditations1)

    I feel that it is useful to recognise when it is skilful to try to develop certain qualities and when it is appropriate to ‘let go and let God’.

    “Salvation is discovering you don’t have to be”. Maybe to find salvation we have to be – and not to do: but on the path to letting go and being, we will need to do some doing!

  2. You are surely right, Tim. I always love your responses. Behind these words is the experience that ‘not good enough’ is an human construct very often imposed by parents, school, and a society that values economic growth and consumption above gratitude and kindness. It is surely good to develop compassion, equanimity, etc. But no one imposes this on us. We discover that this is the path that leads to happiness for all beings. the craft of spiritual practice is to discern between the voice the drives us to be good, and the invitation to life.

    Or something like that.

    Julian x

    1. Thanks for your kind reply! I hope you have a great Christmas, and I look forward to more Julian wisdom in the year ahead 🙂
      God bless,
      tim

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