Belief Systems (BS)
(EM is short for Ego Mind or who one thinks one is.)
WAYNE: The only things that show up for you are the things that are consistent with your beliefs. Your BS (belief system) is like a giant pot. The pot has a certain depth, width, dimension, etc., and it holds a certain amount and when it is full it can accept no more. Unfortunately for us, our pots are filled up before we reach the age of 20 or so (the age of “values formation” for the technically inclined) and from then on, anything that gets thrown into the pot, displaces something else. Nothing ever gets totally displaced; the only thing that happens is the original contents get modified. Total displacement is called insanity.
So we go through the years selecting things that agree with our predetermined beliefs, and reject those that don't. We may think that dropping Christianity and becoming an atheist, is a change, but it is only a modification, because for someone to become an atheist a religious belief has to exist or else what would the atheist rebel against? :)) Atheism is only a new religious belief. Most of us have had the experience of something challenging our belief system, maybe it is this List, and when this happens we get so uncomfortable at times that we want to kill the challenger(s), as we've seen throughout history.
Well this morning I am going to suggest a novel consideration, and begin with a question: “What is a belief system?”
Most people would say that it is “the things I believe in,” and we would understand that. Belief systems, when examined, seem to resemble the pot we spoke of: a collection of beliefs that form a whole, which structures reality so that we can exist in it. When asked for our opinion we generally say, “Well, I believe...” and what follows is everything from individual rights to your countries position on something. What seldom gets looked at is the “system” of beliefs itself.
In order to begin to break up a belief system (BS) that is obscuring Truth, you must acknowledge that you don't know anything or, to put it another way, we are phony. :)
It's actually kind of fun to sit in a restaurant or church or any place people gather and listen in on the conversations. We tend to speak with such authority. When we think we're an authority, we get all puffed up. Give us a little lead and we'll take the bit between our teeth and run with it. You can always tell when someone is blindly letting the BS speak through the voice box because whenever the person is questioned or challenged the voice rises a few decibels. If you have an opportunity to look at the person, you may see the jaw begin to tense, the face darken as the body gets ready to defend the mind. Actually, more correct, is to say that the mind calls upon the body to back it up and the poor body, not having a mind of its own, just does the tyrant’s bidding. (That’s another reason to be nice to the body now and then.) :))
But if you've already begun to suspect that maybe you're a jerk, you can then look around and enjoy all the other jerks. Of course you don't want to tell them that you think they're jerks, because they'll get to maiming and killing, just to prove you wrong.
Have a good day and happy jerk watching. (Begin by looking in the mirror.) :))
Wayne, C.J.I.C. (Chief Jerk in Charge)
EM: Have you ever noticed two people arguing where each person is trying with everything they’ve got to logically and rationally explain to the other person why they are right and the other person is wrong? And, then one person gets mad and gets a little insulting, throws a punch below the belt and then the other person retaliates and throws another punch below the belt, the first person recuperates a bit and tries again to come back with a rational and logical response to the original disagreement. Each person wants to “win.” Each person sees himself as “right.”
WAYNE: Yes, of course, that’s the way the world (illusion) works. And in the world there are certain ways that are right and certain ways that are wrong but only in the world. For instance, there is a right way to fly and airplane, a right way to do surgery, a right way to do a lot of things, but in the domain of Truth there is only the Truth and there is not a right or wrong way to “find” that which is not missing, there is only a Realization, which is beyond right and wrong.
“Give unto Caesar (the world) the things that are Caesar’s and unto God (Truth) that which is God’s.”
Let’s continue our theme from yesterday that clinging to BS (belief systems) at all costs makes us jerks. Belief systems keep us stuck. When one believes in something (be it secular or spiritual) as the “last word” on the subject, one has unwittingly put on a blindfold. For instance, let us say that Christianity is your “path.” You pray to Jesus/God, partake in rituals, follow rules/commandments (or at least try to or at least say you try to), and go forth to bring others “into the fold.” This is spiritual practice for millions, and the hundreds of thousands that follow Christian offshoots such as, “A Course in Miracles,” “Urbanite,” and dozens more, all of which, have Jesus as a central character.
Now for these followers, Christianity is the last word - they look for nothing else. They believe that they will be rewarded in the future for practicing its tenets. Clearly they would not be practicing, if the reward were already upon them. So rather than question the practice they question themselves. The practice is held as inviolate, perfect, not to be questioned. Followers must “bend” themselves to fit the practice. This is called “freedom of choice.” :)
That is why all paths are so authoritarian and hold out a “perfect proclaimed” (Jesus, Buddha) as the supreme drill instructor. The true believer does not question the practice or the drill instructor, but rather sees himself as a “soldier of god” (Onward Christian Soldiers), who marches to his reward and attempts to recruit others into this army. Not only is questioning of the path forbidden, it is held out as a threat to one’s soul. To question is to fail.
All organizations, whether secular or spiritual, hew to a set of rules, which are the “glue” that keeps the organization together. In secular life, if someone questions the organization’s goals, they are told that they can “take a hike” and find a job elsewhere. In spiritual circles one’s questioning leads to prayer for the “lost” soul. God forbid if anyone should question the path itself, because the investment in the path in terms of money, prestige, position and power is so vast and deep that the mortar of the foundation is weakened by the corruption of questions. Questioners are told to pray for answers. (Young boys are told to quit playing with themselves.)
If you have had the experience of questioning sacred cows you know whereof I speak. Once one gets over the shock of the cruelty and suffering that “god’s children” habitually inflict on another as they try to shoo him back into the corral, one can actually begin to enjoy all the nonsense and this leads one to begin to look at one’s own beliefs. If you are lucky you begin to jettison these beliefs, one by one, until such time that you are no longer weighed down by your BS but are flying free and having fun. One of the enjoyable moments will be that as you fly, you may occasionally need to relieve yourself. Guess whom it falls on? Perhaps this is the meaning of the expression, “Holy Shit!” :))
Good morning,
Wayne, CFI (Chief Flight Instructor) :))
EM: I understand. I am sometimes amazed at the amount of energy I am willing to expend in defense of some of my “positions,” and the sight of my brothers engaged in this same activity touches that part of my heart which grieves the unnecessary waste.
WAYNE: Yes, it does produce sadness, doesn't it? But what can we gain from all of this? How can we use this situation to help us Realize the Peace that has not gone anywhere? For me to just sit here and lament about “those guys” only puts me in the same “blame game” as them. So I (we) can sit around lamenting the “ACIM Wars,” pick sides and be “holier than thou,” or we can just kind of “rise above it.” Not with a sense of superiority, but just above it. There is so much energy in this war and so much shouting, that everyone is running around in circles. So where does this leave me, (us)?
I observe, not from a position of judgment, but pure observation - like I'm watching an ant farm. Occasionally, I go, “WOW!”
I look on in horror as one ant eats another, yet I still just observe. Why do I just observe and not try and save ants? Because I (you), Know that this is a drama, it is a soap opera. And it’s a good one! All the actors think it’s real and they are playing their parts to the hilt. So watch, observe it, feel your own emotions rising just as you do at a good movie or entertainment event. Watch but don't be sucked in.
You will not be sucked in if you will continually remind yourself that this too shall pass. But if you want to be sucked in, if you want to join the war, do not lie to yourself that you can't help yourself or that you don't know what you're doing. Let the actors in the war believe that way. Perhaps some of them will look at you and even attempt to recruit you into the war effort, and when you say, “No thanks,” they may even think of deserting themselves. :))
Sgt. Austin, USMC :)
EM: The “good” times of my life have not spurred me to release my grip on this world or its attachments.
WAYNE: We are not focused on this world except that we live in it. What we have been speaking of is Peace, and the world has nothing to do with this. The physical world is concerned with relative peace, and this is not what we speak of. One need not release one’s grip on the world, all one need do is be willing to not know; and in this willingness, Peace is Realized, and with this Realization, one Sees that it never had anything to do with the world. I say enjoy the world, romp, stomp, and raise birds, swim, live like a hermit, whatever. It is all enjoyed the more by knowing its transience, its mortality.
EM: I understand the idea of not resting until all are saved (or released from the delusion of needing to be saved).
WAYNE: That has been the “mission” of every religious group. Some have carried it so far that their battle cry has become “We're going to make them believers, even if we have to kill them.” No one or thing needs to be saved. Nothing is missing or present that anyone needs to be saved from, or for. If you See, anyone else that wants to See, will find you. They may not know why they are in your company (and you might not know either), but no meeting is accidental. :)
EM: When I notice and begin to recognize how mean, fearful, and downright “evil” the deluded mind (ego) can be, I do understand the idea of the seriousness the participants spoke of.
WAYNE: “Can seem to be evil.” I think you mean. ;)
EM: In “Amazing Grace,” I was blind, but now I see. As long as I seem to waffle between the blindness of time/space or cause/effect and reality, compassion is called for rather than partying in the streets.
WAYNE: Well, at least you are taking responsibility for yourself, in that, you know it’s your concern and cannot be assigned to someone else. You can See anytime you stop believing in the concept of “waffling.” :) But once again, I recognize that you did say, “Seem.” :))
WAYNE: Your BS is costing you a lot more than you think. By clinging to a particular belief at all costs you are giving up on discovering what the belief is hiding, and beliefs always hide something.
Hundreds of years ago, people were convinced that the Earth was the center of the universe. Educated as well as non-educated people did not even question this “truth.” To question the belief that the Earth is the center of the universe was to invite punishment and even death. It was a central tenant of the Catholic Church (the Dominant spiritual organization of the time, and the most powerful organization on earth) that God had placed the Earth in the center of the universe because of His love for us, and because of this love, all things would revolve around us, and since He had done this, no one was allowed to question the “fact.”
This is an example of a fact being wrong even though everyone believed it. But, some may ask, why did they believe it? The answer is very simple. There was proof that the Earth was at the center. This “proof” is available today to us if we want to see what the people of the early ages saw. The sun revolved around the Earth as did the moon and stars. It could be seen with the naked eye. They knew this to be true because the Earth was not moving - it was still. Everything moved around the non-revolving still Earth. They relied on their senses just as you do. :)
Then Copernicus proclaimed that everyone was wrong, including the church. By asserting that the Earth is not the center of the universe, he opened the possibility that we are pretty insignificant in the scheme of things. The Catholic Church condemned his theory and persecuted its supporters. It was not until Galileo came along with his telescope and proved scientifically that Copernicus was right that the “fact” began to get shaky. But the Church punished even Galileo. When he invited them to look through his telescope and prove it for themselves, they refused. They did not want mere evidence to interfere with their “facts!”
We are still stuck in the same place as the people of old. You may not believe that the Earth is the center of the universe any longer, but how many of you ever question the universe itself? :)
Wayne (Copernicus’ Austin. :)
To read more writings by Wayne that are in line with this Speaking, visit: www.ftiam.org
So we go through the years selecting things that agree with our predetermined beliefs, and reject those that don't. We may think that dropping Christianity and becoming an atheist, is a change, but it is only a modification, because for someone to become an atheist a religious belief has to exist or else what would the atheist rebel against? :)) Atheism is only a new religious belief. Most of us have had the experience of something challenging our belief system, maybe it is this List, and when this happens we get so uncomfortable at times that we want to kill the challenger(s), as we've seen throughout history.
Well this morning I am going to suggest a novel consideration, and begin with a question: “What is a belief system?”
Most people would say that it is “the things I believe in,” and we would understand that. Belief systems, when examined, seem to resemble the pot we spoke of: a collection of beliefs that form a whole, which structures reality so that we can exist in it. When asked for our opinion we generally say, “Well, I believe...” and what follows is everything from individual rights to your countries position on something. What seldom gets looked at is the “system” of beliefs itself.
In order to begin to break up a belief system (BS) that is obscuring Truth, you must acknowledge that you don't know anything or, to put it another way, we are phony. :)
It's actually kind of fun to sit in a restaurant or church or any place people gather and listen in on the conversations. We tend to speak with such authority. When we think we're an authority, we get all puffed up. Give us a little lead and we'll take the bit between our teeth and run with it. You can always tell when someone is blindly letting the BS speak through the voice box because whenever the person is questioned or challenged the voice rises a few decibels. If you have an opportunity to look at the person, you may see the jaw begin to tense, the face darken as the body gets ready to defend the mind. Actually, more correct, is to say that the mind calls upon the body to back it up and the poor body, not having a mind of its own, just does the tyrant’s bidding. (That’s another reason to be nice to the body now and then.) :))
But if you've already begun to suspect that maybe you're a jerk, you can then look around and enjoy all the other jerks. Of course you don't want to tell them that you think they're jerks, because they'll get to maiming and killing, just to prove you wrong.
Have a good day and happy jerk watching. (Begin by looking in the mirror.) :))
Wayne, C.J.I.C. (Chief Jerk in Charge)
EM: Have you ever noticed two people arguing where each person is trying with everything they’ve got to logically and rationally explain to the other person why they are right and the other person is wrong? And, then one person gets mad and gets a little insulting, throws a punch below the belt and then the other person retaliates and throws another punch below the belt, the first person recuperates a bit and tries again to come back with a rational and logical response to the original disagreement. Each person wants to “win.” Each person sees himself as “right.”
WAYNE: Yes, of course, that’s the way the world (illusion) works. And in the world there are certain ways that are right and certain ways that are wrong but only in the world. For instance, there is a right way to fly and airplane, a right way to do surgery, a right way to do a lot of things, but in the domain of Truth there is only the Truth and there is not a right or wrong way to “find” that which is not missing, there is only a Realization, which is beyond right and wrong.
“Give unto Caesar (the world) the things that are Caesar’s and unto God (Truth) that which is God’s.”
Let’s continue our theme from yesterday that clinging to BS (belief systems) at all costs makes us jerks. Belief systems keep us stuck. When one believes in something (be it secular or spiritual) as the “last word” on the subject, one has unwittingly put on a blindfold. For instance, let us say that Christianity is your “path.” You pray to Jesus/God, partake in rituals, follow rules/commandments (or at least try to or at least say you try to), and go forth to bring others “into the fold.” This is spiritual practice for millions, and the hundreds of thousands that follow Christian offshoots such as, “A Course in Miracles,” “Urbanite,” and dozens more, all of which, have Jesus as a central character.
Now for these followers, Christianity is the last word - they look for nothing else. They believe that they will be rewarded in the future for practicing its tenets. Clearly they would not be practicing, if the reward were already upon them. So rather than question the practice they question themselves. The practice is held as inviolate, perfect, not to be questioned. Followers must “bend” themselves to fit the practice. This is called “freedom of choice.” :)
That is why all paths are so authoritarian and hold out a “perfect proclaimed” (Jesus, Buddha) as the supreme drill instructor. The true believer does not question the practice or the drill instructor, but rather sees himself as a “soldier of god” (Onward Christian Soldiers), who marches to his reward and attempts to recruit others into this army. Not only is questioning of the path forbidden, it is held out as a threat to one’s soul. To question is to fail.
All organizations, whether secular or spiritual, hew to a set of rules, which are the “glue” that keeps the organization together. In secular life, if someone questions the organization’s goals, they are told that they can “take a hike” and find a job elsewhere. In spiritual circles one’s questioning leads to prayer for the “lost” soul. God forbid if anyone should question the path itself, because the investment in the path in terms of money, prestige, position and power is so vast and deep that the mortar of the foundation is weakened by the corruption of questions. Questioners are told to pray for answers. (Young boys are told to quit playing with themselves.)
If you have had the experience of questioning sacred cows you know whereof I speak. Once one gets over the shock of the cruelty and suffering that “god’s children” habitually inflict on another as they try to shoo him back into the corral, one can actually begin to enjoy all the nonsense and this leads one to begin to look at one’s own beliefs. If you are lucky you begin to jettison these beliefs, one by one, until such time that you are no longer weighed down by your BS but are flying free and having fun. One of the enjoyable moments will be that as you fly, you may occasionally need to relieve yourself. Guess whom it falls on? Perhaps this is the meaning of the expression, “Holy Shit!” :))
Good morning,
Wayne, CFI (Chief Flight Instructor) :))
EM: I understand. I am sometimes amazed at the amount of energy I am willing to expend in defense of some of my “positions,” and the sight of my brothers engaged in this same activity touches that part of my heart which grieves the unnecessary waste.
WAYNE: Yes, it does produce sadness, doesn't it? But what can we gain from all of this? How can we use this situation to help us Realize the Peace that has not gone anywhere? For me to just sit here and lament about “those guys” only puts me in the same “blame game” as them. So I (we) can sit around lamenting the “ACIM Wars,” pick sides and be “holier than thou,” or we can just kind of “rise above it.” Not with a sense of superiority, but just above it. There is so much energy in this war and so much shouting, that everyone is running around in circles. So where does this leave me, (us)?
I observe, not from a position of judgment, but pure observation - like I'm watching an ant farm. Occasionally, I go, “WOW!”
I look on in horror as one ant eats another, yet I still just observe. Why do I just observe and not try and save ants? Because I (you), Know that this is a drama, it is a soap opera. And it’s a good one! All the actors think it’s real and they are playing their parts to the hilt. So watch, observe it, feel your own emotions rising just as you do at a good movie or entertainment event. Watch but don't be sucked in.
You will not be sucked in if you will continually remind yourself that this too shall pass. But if you want to be sucked in, if you want to join the war, do not lie to yourself that you can't help yourself or that you don't know what you're doing. Let the actors in the war believe that way. Perhaps some of them will look at you and even attempt to recruit you into the war effort, and when you say, “No thanks,” they may even think of deserting themselves. :))
Sgt. Austin, USMC :)
EM: The “good” times of my life have not spurred me to release my grip on this world or its attachments.
WAYNE: We are not focused on this world except that we live in it. What we have been speaking of is Peace, and the world has nothing to do with this. The physical world is concerned with relative peace, and this is not what we speak of. One need not release one’s grip on the world, all one need do is be willing to not know; and in this willingness, Peace is Realized, and with this Realization, one Sees that it never had anything to do with the world. I say enjoy the world, romp, stomp, and raise birds, swim, live like a hermit, whatever. It is all enjoyed the more by knowing its transience, its mortality.
EM: I understand the idea of not resting until all are saved (or released from the delusion of needing to be saved).
WAYNE: That has been the “mission” of every religious group. Some have carried it so far that their battle cry has become “We're going to make them believers, even if we have to kill them.” No one or thing needs to be saved. Nothing is missing or present that anyone needs to be saved from, or for. If you See, anyone else that wants to See, will find you. They may not know why they are in your company (and you might not know either), but no meeting is accidental. :)
EM: When I notice and begin to recognize how mean, fearful, and downright “evil” the deluded mind (ego) can be, I do understand the idea of the seriousness the participants spoke of.
WAYNE: “Can seem to be evil.” I think you mean. ;)
EM: In “Amazing Grace,” I was blind, but now I see. As long as I seem to waffle between the blindness of time/space or cause/effect and reality, compassion is called for rather than partying in the streets.
WAYNE: Well, at least you are taking responsibility for yourself, in that, you know it’s your concern and cannot be assigned to someone else. You can See anytime you stop believing in the concept of “waffling.” :) But once again, I recognize that you did say, “Seem.” :))
WAYNE: Your BS is costing you a lot more than you think. By clinging to a particular belief at all costs you are giving up on discovering what the belief is hiding, and beliefs always hide something.
Hundreds of years ago, people were convinced that the Earth was the center of the universe. Educated as well as non-educated people did not even question this “truth.” To question the belief that the Earth is the center of the universe was to invite punishment and even death. It was a central tenant of the Catholic Church (the Dominant spiritual organization of the time, and the most powerful organization on earth) that God had placed the Earth in the center of the universe because of His love for us, and because of this love, all things would revolve around us, and since He had done this, no one was allowed to question the “fact.”
This is an example of a fact being wrong even though everyone believed it. But, some may ask, why did they believe it? The answer is very simple. There was proof that the Earth was at the center. This “proof” is available today to us if we want to see what the people of the early ages saw. The sun revolved around the Earth as did the moon and stars. It could be seen with the naked eye. They knew this to be true because the Earth was not moving - it was still. Everything moved around the non-revolving still Earth. They relied on their senses just as you do. :)
Then Copernicus proclaimed that everyone was wrong, including the church. By asserting that the Earth is not the center of the universe, he opened the possibility that we are pretty insignificant in the scheme of things. The Catholic Church condemned his theory and persecuted its supporters. It was not until Galileo came along with his telescope and proved scientifically that Copernicus was right that the “fact” began to get shaky. But the Church punished even Galileo. When he invited them to look through his telescope and prove it for themselves, they refused. They did not want mere evidence to interfere with their “facts!”
We are still stuck in the same place as the people of old. You may not believe that the Earth is the center of the universe any longer, but how many of you ever question the universe itself? :)
Wayne (Copernicus’ Austin. :)
To read more writings by Wayne that are in line with this Speaking, visit: www.ftiam.org
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