SOME ARTICLES BY NON-BUDDHISTS

40 Ways to Determine Your Level of Inner Freedom

Want to know how free you really are? Good! You're about to be presented with a unique opportunity to learn all about your individual level of inner liberty.
As you review each of the inner liberties on the list, just note mentally whether or not that particular freedom belongs to you. Our intention is simply to learn what's true about ourselves, not to prove anything about ourselves. Allow these forty freedoms to awaken and stir that secret part of you that knows living in any kind of bondage is a lie. Then follow your own natural sensing all the way to the free life.

You're Well Along Freedom's Path When:
1. You have no desire to change places in life with anyone else.
2. You step over setbacks without stopping or looking back.
3. You accept and appreciate praise, but never take it to heart.
4. You don't overeat or feel driven to diet.
5. You don't think about your sex life.
6. You meet and do what's true without fear of the consequences.
7. You really don't want anything from anyone.
8. You stop thinking about how much money you may or may not have.
9. You don't carry any upset from the last moment into the present one.
10. You have no interest in old resentments.
11. You start spending more time alone and enjoying it more.
12. You stop dreaming of the perfect vacation.
13. You're neither frightened nor shocked by the evening news.
14. You stop making deals with yourself.
15. You dress for comfort, not for compliments.
16. You lose all interest in trying to win mental arguments.
17. You don't blame anyone else for the way you feel.
18. You forget what it was you didn't like about someone.
19. You're awake to and spontaneously considerate of the needs of others.
20. You see beauty in life where you never could see it before.
21. Your life gets progressively simpler.
22. You see where you're wrong sooner than later, and stop defending yourself faster.
23. You do what you need to do (but don't want to do) and you do it with a lighter spirit.
24. You're not afraid of having nothing to say or do, if that's your true condition.
25. You can take criticism without cringing away from the truth it may hold.
26. You have no concern for what others may think of you.
27. You stop trying to make others see life in your way.
28. You enjoy the sound of silence as much or more than the sound of your own voice.
29. You see the same unpleasant traits within yourself that have made you shun others.
30. You say what you want, and not what you think others may want to hear you say.
31. You actually enjoy hearing about the good fortune of someone else.
32. You see more and more just how unfree you and others really are.
33. You're moods are fewer, lighter, and move on much quicker.
34. You see that society is destroying itself and that the only solution is self change.
35. You can listen to others without the need to tell them what you know.
36. You don't find a thrill in any kind of fear.
37. You know that forgiveness of others is the kindest thing you can do for yourself.
38. You realize that the world is the way it is because you are the way you are.
39. You'd rather not think about yourself.
40. You can't come up with one good reason why you should ever be anxious or frightened.

There's one more important point to bring to our attention: never be discouraged over your present location!
Discouragement is a negative emotion with more than one trick up its dark sleeve. It tricks you into mentally or emotionally dwelling in the very place you want to leave. Drop all such sorrow permanently by daring to see through this deception of the unconscious mind.
Who you really are, your True Nature, is no more tied to the kind of person you've been than the wind is tied to the skies through which it moves. Your past is just that, the past, a place within your psyche with no more reality to it that the picture of a castle on a postcard is made from stone. You have a destination far beyond where you find yourself standing today. It may not seem so at first, but your new findings are a great start. Now keep going.
Use this list and your new discoveries to help you ignite your wish to be free. Then step back and welcome the spiritual firestorm. Watch as it burns away the ties that bind. This is what it means to let the Light fight for you.

From 'Freedom From the Ties That Bind' by Guy Finley ? 1999 Llewellyn Publications For information on books, tapes, and helpful on-going study groups call (541) 476-1200, write to the Life of Learning Foundation, P.O. Box 10, Merlin, OR 97532, or log onto www.guyfinley.com.

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What Is The Meaning Of Life?

The purpose of life is that which you give it. Its meaning is different for each and every one of us.
My definition of the meaning of life is very likely not the same as yours. You may agree with some parts of what I consider to be the intent of life, however it is unlikely you will agree with everything I propose concerning this matter. Some will define it as simply getting through each day with as little fuss as possible. Others define it as a process of acquiring as many possessions as possible before they die. Yet others are on a spiritual path leading where their hearts take them. There are those who think the main purpose of life is to help as many others as possible during their lifetime. There are as many possible definitions as there are people on the face of this earth.
What is your definition? That is the only one that will have any true meaning for you. There is no wrong answer. Neither I, nor anyone else, can give your life direction. We can tell you what has worked for us and you, and you alone, will decide if it is fitting for you. We are predisposed by our prior conditioning and beliefs to accept only that which basically agrees with us. In other words, you are more likely to accept those things which are in alignment with your own beliefs.
There are many ways to seek and find your definition of the purpose of life. Some of these are to follow your heart, find those things you really love doing, search within yourself, follow a certain occupation or spiritual path, and/or seek to do only those things at which you excel. The greatest teachers of all time are those who lead you to seek and find for yourself. They do not give you pat answers, they set up conditions and circumstances encouraging you to advance on your own merits. They influence you to think and act. There are certain basic elements taught by all the great teachers and masters.
Some of these are as follows: You must have faith (belief) in what you are trying to achieve. You must not be focused on what you desire. The Kingdom of Heaven, God, Cosmic Intelligence, Supreme Being, whatever name you have for it, is within each and every one of us. The universe is a friendly place. There are certain immutable laws controlling life and the universe. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Know thyself. There are other elements threaded throughout the teachings of the masters, however these are the basics. Apply them to your life as best you can and observe the way they work for you.

Copyright 2001 by Robert Taylor. Subscribe to the Key To Success And Wealth ezine and get motivational, inspirational, self-development and selected Internet marketing articles to help you achieve whatever you seek in life. Please include first name in body of email so your copies can be personalized. Subscribe by mailto: subscribe@KeyToSuccessAndWealth.com *Article may be used freely as long as the entire article appears together with this sig file.

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Jesus and Buddha:The Parallel Sayings

Jesus: "Do to others as you would have them do to you." Luke 6:31
Buddha: "Consider others as yourself." Dhammapada 10:1

Jesus: "If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also." Luke 6:29
Buddha: "If anyone should give you a blow with his hand, with a stick, or with a knife, you should abandon any desires and utter no evil words." Majjhima Nikaya 21:6

Jesus: "Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me." Matthew 25:45
Buddha: "If you do not tend to one another, then who is there to tend you? Whoever would tend me, he should tend the sick." Vinaya, Mahavagga 8:26.3

Jesus: "Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take the sword will perish by the sword." Matthew 26:52
Buddha: "Abandoning the taking of life, the ascetic Gautama dwells refraining from taking life, without stick or sword." Digha Nikaya 1:1.8

Jesus: "Those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it." Mark 8:35
Buddha: "With the relinquishing of all thought and egotism, the enlightened one is liberated through not clinging." Majjhima Nikaya 72:15

Jesus: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you." Matthew 28:19-20
Buddha: "Teach the dharma which is lovely at the beginning, lovely in the middle, lovely at the end. Explain with the spirit and the letter in the fashion of Brahma. In this way you will be completely fulfilled and wholly pure." Vinaya Mahavagga 1:11.1

From "Jesus and Buddha: The Parallel Sayings" edited by Marcus Borg, published by Ulysses Press

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