Sixteen

"Most of the world's religions serve only to strengthen

attachments to false concepts such as self and other,

life and death, heaven and earth, and so on. 

Those who become entangled in these false ideas are

prevented from perceiving the Integral Oneness.

The highest virtue one can exercise is to accept the

responsibility of discovering and transmitting the

whole truth.

Some help others in order to receive blessings and

admiration.

This is simply meaningless.

Some cultivate themselves in part to serve others, in

part to serve their own pride.

They will understand, at best, half of the truth.

But those who improve themselves for the sake of the

world--to these, the whole truth of the universe

will be revealed.

So seek this whole truth, practice it in your daily life,

and humbly share it with others.

You will enter the realm of the divine."

An old friend of mine once became very angry with me during a discussion on the spiritual nature of human beings. I kept saying we had the potential to seek and find transcendence. "But human beings are limited!" he insisted. "We can't just transcend everything all the time."

I don't remember specifically what I said in response. But I knew then, as I believe I'm actualizing now, that we have a unique awareness of our limitations and can learn ways to cope with them, change them, and, barring that, maintain some kind of healthy and helpful perspective. Whatever our awareness, acceptance, or commitment level, we are all capable of more than we think, and each of us is capable of more than anyone else knows.