Some people, particularly those who hold strong religious convictions, opine that those of us who don't follow or adhere to their beliefs are somehow less worthy of divine blessings. This type of condemnation is at the heart of the difficulties we have with understanding our relationships with others. It is also this type of cancerous theological premise that's preventing many of us from examining what we have been taught by others.
The vast numbers of us are born somewhat serendipitous into different cultures, countries, and societies that were already deeply attached to the various religions traditions in the world. So, as children, we don't have a choice --at least one we're aware of -- where we are born.
Similarly, it is where we are born that determines the degree of religious and secular dogma we are taught by our parents, teachers and others who are responsible for teaching us how to assimilate successfully into our various societies.
Nevertheless, after we're fully indoctrinated as Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, and so on, we claim these beliefs as our own without ever examining where they came from or the benefits we expect to get from them. All that most of know is they define who we believe we are in society.
And it is from this level of awareness that we begin to establish a hierarchical criterion regarding the utilitarian value of our beliefs vis a vis others' beliefs.
We firmly believe, regardless to our public pronouncements, that our beliefs are superior and more divinely supported than those with different beliefs.
And, unfortunately for us, we cling tightly to our beliefs and their righteousness, refusing to even try to understand or tolerate others' beliefs. We continue in this manner until we decide to seek unconditional enlightenment and begin the self-discovery process of clearing away the stale beliefs in our consciousness.
It's in the self-discovery process that we discover the cause of ego and its relationship with others. This is a difficult challenge for most of us. Whenever someone questions us about our beliefs, we become highly agitated and defensive. We raise our voices to high decibel levels to convey the importance of what we are saying. The more opposition we get, the greater our agitation, impatience, and the more defensive we become.
Similarly, whenever we hear someone express beliefs that awaken us, we initially distrust them, especially if they're not expressed by someone who holds the same beliefs that we hold. This inflexible attitude toward accepting or rejecting knowledge is responsible for the judgments we have about who is able to receive divine salvation, grace or afterlife rewards.
As enlightenment-seekers, one of the greatest challenges we face is beginning the self-discovery process, which requires us to examine our behavior and the information taught us by others. This examination does not mean we are required to change all of our beliefs instantaneously. It does, however, mean that we take the time to understand their origins. And it helps us to understand why the self-discovery process is a prerequisite for seeking enlightenment.
It's very challenging for us to explore other opportunities. This type of exploration requires a willingness to become vulnerable, unprotected by long held beliefs and to have the courage to move forward toward enlightenment with nothing more than faith and determination. Nevertheless, this is the vulnerability required of us if we want to grow in consciousness.
Meanwhile, when we begin to seek changes in our lives, we realize at different intervals on the journey that this requires a re-birthing, born-again process. And this re-birthing does not occur in the rituals associated with baptisms, ascetic vows, initiations, and so forth. To be born-again means to release ourselves from the teachings of others and claim the enlightenment within us as our own.
In a certain sense, being born again is similar to releasing the teachers and begin using enlightenment principles to teach ourselves. This is a difficult, even frightening, challenge for most of us. We find this such a challenge because we want to hold on to our current beliefs and not risk the punishment we attach to not upholding them.
Similarly, by releasing our attachment to our beliefs, we gain the freedom to travel in the vastness of our consciousness. It is in this vastness where we discover our inner power to free ourselves from our mother's womb and begin to live on our own. Being born-again or re-birthing is just that simple.
When we free our minds to think clearly, we know there's more to life than just me, me, and me. We become aware of the great potentiality present in others to achieve enlightenment as well as ourselves. This awareness frees us from self-righteousness, judgments, and inertia so that we're open enough to go beyond beliefs of right and wrong. And as the Sufi poet says, "I'll meet you there."
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