1.
Free yourself from fleshly desires.
Empty yourself with the desires of
worldly things.
Wealth, fame, beauty… they are
perishable, and worse, can be destructible to your soul by being anxious of
them.
Never attach yourself too much of these
things, they are not a part of your body. Even though it seems to make you feel
happy and fulfilled, they do bring you pain through anxiety. Anxiety that would
destroy your inner peace.
As long as possible, free yourself from
over-wanting those things and be humble enough to be one with neighbors.
2.
Why should we always consider others? Because
it is a reality that we are not living alone in this world and we have others
to be compromised with.
3.
Keep your mind tranquil, keep your soul be
still whatever it may cost.
4.
Material desires can give you pain; worldly
pleasures destroy you souls. Indulging yourself from it can ruin your inner
tranquility. Material things are not part of you, it is delusional to think
that they are. Think of it, YOU CAN NEVER BRING THEM TO GRAVE!
5.
Material things are has no value in
themselves; it is just our impressions that gives them value.
6.
Anxiety and ambition are not the key to
self-fulfillment. For what? For aspiring material wealth? Then, should we have
to compromise your inner peace to be anxious of wealth? Sorry but for me, inner
tranquility is important than money. It is still better to live in simplicity
with peace than in luxury with so much anxiety.
7.
Only in death shall we know: THERE IS NOTHING
THAT WE HAVE. Even our beautiful bodies decompose, our intelligent brains rot,
our talents would never be used; and our wealth; hilariously but you have to
surrender everything to your sons.
8.
I saw my friend before, he was vain, he was
narcissistic, and he is anxious to gain power and acceptance. But when it turn
out that he was despised by everyone, he must had been anxious as all of his
desires were deprived from him. How miserable he had been. Only then did I
think, if he had just been humble enough not to be anxious of them, he would
never be in pain when this time comes. In that time I realized: I should keep
myself lowly and not be in vain, for when the time comes that I would be
despised, I would never be in that great pain.
9.
Worldly pleasures, though it may seem to give
happiness and fulfillment, can give you pain. Anxiety is its consequence. We
must have to deny ourselves from wanting those desires, for they destroy our
inner peace and would push us away from doing things according to the ways
ordained by God. That is why I advocate self-denial.
10. (Over)
indulgence to desires can entice ones ego to arise. Thus, we must deny
ourselves from pleasures that we may be free from the yoke of our ego that
would destroy our inner tranquility.
11. Never
destroy your inner peace, for one’s state of mind affects his own thoughts,
one’s own thoughts affects his own actions, his own actions affects others’
thoughts and action that, I fear, could possibly affect how they deal other
people too.
12. I do
not mean that we should deprive ourselves in order to deny our pleasures. It is
not basically bad to possess enough things to have secure and decent life. It
is also a part of our nature to have, but I think luxury is excessive. Luxury
can also entice us to desire, that is why it can be risky if not given enough prudence
and maturity. What I also mean here is MODERATION.
13. Perfection
of virtue is through the formula of MODERATION.
14. It
is not condemnable if a man seeks to improve his economic situation. It is
usual for him to seek for security for his life: that he may have enough food
to feed his hunger, that he may have safe and comfortable home to visit, and
that he may have insured his twilight years. It is actually good for us to be
like ants who embarks their foods to prepare for any possible rain. But
sometimes, we tend to go beyond that boundary. We tend to forget the basic
reason why we are doing all of them, and thus we became anxious for something
that is no need to be anxious.
15. Money is no evil; one's intention is...
16. Do
not be anxious of gaining wealth, it is not bad to improve your economic
situations but in the extent that we would be anxious for it that we tend to be
egotistical. If God gives you wealth, accept it. Maybe you are entitled for a
mission through it.
17. Nothing
is bad to be rich as long as no one is hungry because of you.
18. I do
not also mean to advocate passivity. We should all be active upon seeking
improvement to our own self. And if God gives you sign to where would you go, take
an active step in fulfilling it.
19. Even
if you do no bad, but if you do nothing (good), you also sin. Evil is merely
and purely the absence of good.
20. Love
is the root of all virtue and peace is its fruit.
21. What
is happening in the world around you is actually out of your control. The world
has its ways as ordained by the Reason of God. In fact, what you are in full
control of is YOUR VERY OWN SELF--your thoughts, your words, your actions, and
your will. If the world's ways is gladly with you, it is only a chance, a
coincidence perhaps. But if the world goes apart from your ways, be not angry
nor be anxious; it would be pointless if you do it and you may lose your inner
peace. Rather, just trust God and ask Him how you could drive that fate He
destined you (do not ask Him why).
22. You
have your ways…
The world has his ways too…
Sometimes, your ways would go as one, a
good chance indeed.
Yet in
times that your ways would conflict, who do you think is the bigger?
Your
ways are the product of your reason,
World’s
ways is governed be the reason of the Supreme God, in which you are a dust.
That
is why not all your will is destined not to be accomplished, or there are other
events that would happen in your life even if you don’t want it.
If yours
and the world’s ways collide, fate (world’s ways) is still more powerful to
you.
If that
comes, never be angry to the world and just trust God lest you’d cause yourself
a stress.
23. In
keeping your mind peaceful, let go of what you cannot control and submit to the
ways of the world as ordained by God. Never be anxious nor be angry if the
world goes not with you. But if you see that the ways is within your control
(means you can do something with it), do what you ought to do lest you would sin.
24. A friend
of mine, formerly a rival, quoted us these words: “Never ask God why, ask God how.” Never question God’s ways; if
something happened that is out of what you wish, just ask Him His guidance
instead.
25. Consider
suffering as a friend not a foe. Suffering is a friend for it helps you grow. As
the saying says: “No pain, no gain.” How
would you know strength if you don’t know pain? How would you know patience if
you don’t hear arrogance? How would you know courage if you don’t know fear?
How you would know chastity if you don’t know urge? How would you know faith if
you don’t know uncertainty? And how would you know goodness if you don’t know
evil? Suffering can be your teacher, your mentor to virtue.
26. A shallow
river flows with sound and vigorous current, while a deep river is quiet and
apparently still that you would not notice that it is quietly flowing.
27. He
who opens his mouth shuts his mind; he who opens his mind shuts his mouth. Wise
men do not easily speak for they think first before they speak. Foolish men
speak rapaciously that they first use their mouth before their heads. Foolish men
also speak voraciously to make them look wise and attentive; but if wise men
listen to them, they would just shake their heads. Don’t get it wrong, every
sacred text including our bible, every philosophers’ work, and every scientific
studies support this dictum.
28. The more
often you speak, the more senseless your words would be. But if you think
first, not just an immediate thinking, but a deliberate thinking, an analytical
thinking, before you speak, your listeners would lend you their ears with their
hearts.
29. What
is GENTLENESS all about?
It is all about “keeping on guard”.
Guarding your thoughts so that you would
not make hasty judgements,
Guarding your words so that you would
never inflict one’s heart, and
Guarding your actions so that you would
not harm others.
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