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I had a conversation on Facebook not too long ago with a fundamentalist Christian who was praising her son for killing his first deer.  I took the position that the Bible commandment that says, “Thou shalt not kill,” includes animals. I was surprised by how many people disagreed with me. So I have been contemplating how to rewrite the Ten Commandments using ancient philosophies and wisdom I have learned from my teachers. I have come up with a new list for the “new age.”

(1)            SEE GOD IN EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING.  This is especially true for people that do not behave the way we want. If we can apply the teaching that there is nothing that is not God, perhaps we can begin to be more loving to these people.
This commandment applies to us too. We have to remember that God is in us as well as everything else. If we can focus on our divinity, we will be more likely to act Godlike.

(2)            SEE YOURSELF IN EVERYONE.  Everyone is a mirror for everyone else. The good we see in people is the good that we have in us. The evil we see in others is the evil that we have in us. By keeping this commandment, we can practice compassionate detachment. When we see ourselves in others, we can understand each other better and recognize the connection that exists between us all.

(3)            ACCEPT THAT ALL PERCEPTION IS PROJECTION.  Oftentimes we are quick to find fault or criticize what we are experiencing. We have to understand that what we experience is largely based on what we perceive about our life. If we are focusing on the negative, that is what we will experience. If we are focusing on the positive, that is what we will experience.

(4)            BE WITHOUT JUDGMENT.  It is our nature to judge. We are trained to judge, through our educational systems, by our employers, by Hollywood, by our religions. Judgment is a function of our ego and creates the illusions of right/wrong, good/bad, and pleasure/pain. Judgment compares us to others and prevents us from being truly happy. By practicing non-judgment we can experience happiness.

(5)            TAKE RESPONSIBILITY.  Whether we like it or not, we are the creator of our own reality. Whether we create the perception that colors our reality or we create the events that we perceive as good or bad, we create our reality with our actions, words and thoughts. There is nothing that we perceive that we did not create. When we take responsibility for what we get, we can seek to change what is creating it.

(6)            DO NO HARM.  Whether by our thoughts, words or deeds, oftentimes we create great harm without even knowing it. As we become more and more aware of what is happening in our lives, we can start to see the patterns and connections between our thoughts, words and actions to what we experience. If we think an unkind thought, whether about others, or ourselves we do harm. If we say an unkind word, whether about others, or ourselves we do harm. If we inflict harm either intentionally or unintentionally, we do harm. We cannot continue to ignore the harm we commit through our unkindness. Gossip is a prime example of doing harm with our thoughts and words. Gossip can hurt and harm just as quickly and surely as a rifle bullet. All living creatures deserve respect and support. When we harm any living thing, we harm ourselves.

(7)            GIVE AWAY WHAT WE WANT.   Most of us want happiness, abundance, safety and kindness. We have to give this away to receive it. When we take more than we need and hoard it, we prevent any further happiness, abundance, safety or kindness from coming to us.  When we open up and lead by example, the universe will respond. The illusion of separation is created by selfishness. When we can be unselfish, we begin to connect more deeply with each other and dissolve the illusion of separation.

(8)            BE GRATEFUL FOR EVERYTHING. It is easy to be grateful when we get what we want.  Being grateful when we don’t get what we want is a act of grace. When combined with non-judgment, we begin to recognize that what we want is just an illusion. It is easy to be grateful and graceful for everything that happens in our lives when we apply this teaching. When we are grateful of whatever we experience, we avoid the operation of Karma.

(9)            LOVE YOURSELF.   When we love ourselves, we do not criticize our past, we do not feel inadequate, and we do not allow negative feelings to dwell in our hearts. We do not experience fear of the future; we only experience excitement about all of the possibilities. When we are not distracted by self-criticism, we can focus on serving others.  We do not blame others and we can see the truth in every situation. All happiness lies in loving ourselves and is not dependant on getting our way.  Happiness will not be found in someone else, and whatever others think is none of our business.

(10)            MASTER OUR THOUGHTS.  We may not be able to control what thoughts go through our conscious and subconscious minds, but we can choose what we focus our minds on. We can focus on positive thoughts or negative thoughts. If we do not resist the thoughts that go through our minds and remember to focus on positive thoughts, we will perceive life as a positive experience. This requires effort and discipline. We cannot master our thoughts by ourselves, we need teachers to help us focus and train our minds. Seek out an appropriate teacher to guide and train our thoughts. How we live our lives matters.  We can seek happiness or misery. How we think in every moment determines which one we experience.

I am sure that others can come up with other ideals and principles to add to this list. It is a starting point to raise our consciousness to higher levels necessary for the future. It is my intention to rise above religious dogma and separation, and to find the spiritual principles that will carry us into the new age. You may wish to make up your own list for the future. Best wishes for enlightenment!

©2010

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