To Doubt or Not to Doubt?

To Doubt or Not to Doubt

                                         "Cherish Your Doubts"

   "Cherish your doubts, for doubt is the attendant truth.

Doubt is the key to the door of knowledge; it is the servant of discovery.

   "A belief which may not be questioned binds us to error, for there is incompleteness and imperfection.

   "To doubt is the touchstone of truth.  It is an acid which eats away the false.

   "Let no one fear the truth that doubt may consume it; for doubt is a testing of belief.

   "The truth stands boldly and unafraid; it is not shaken by the testing for truth, if it be truth arises from those that would silence doubt are filled with fear; their houses are built on shifting sands.

   "But those who fear not doubt, and know its use, are founded on rock.

   "They shall walk in the light of growing knowledge; the work of their hands shall endure.  Therefore let us not fear doubt, but let us rejoice in its help.

   "It is not the wise as a staff to the blind; doubt is the attendant of truth."

By

Robert T. Nelson

Unitarian Universalist Hymnal Responsive Reading

John Potts(Arriving Home at the Source) Additional Comments:

   I am very thankful that "doubt" about religious texts entered my life at various times and prompted me to question my present spiritual journey and to explore other possibilities.       Quotes from particularly ancient religious texts taught to be the inerrant Word of God or other authors, make us particularly vulnerable and closed minded. Even when a fundamentalist Christian who believes every sentence in the Old and New Testaments is inspired by the Spirit of God and is without error, learns how the scriptures were translated, re-translated and put together by leaders like in the Catholic Church to control the population with fear, many times the news falls on ears filled with messages from the ego that every word in the various scriptures are true and if you give it up, God will send you to Hell for eternity.

   Thankfully we live in an age rich in many sources of Spiritual experiences and easy access to freedom to search, experiment, compare and apply.  Doubt about our present beliefs comes in very handy in letting go of rigidity in ancient written doctrines interpreted for us to be inerrant and THE ONLY source of Spiritual truth.  

   And of course there are fresh spiritual beliefs/experiences which we are free to doubt, interpret and explore, as well as combine with other doctrines as seems right to us.

   As an example, I will use what some of my beliefs/practices have evolved into over seven and a half decades. I started out as a fundamentalist Christian believing that the Bible was the inerrant literal Word of God and without belief in the saving power of Jesus Christ and forgivness of sins, I was doomed to eternal torment in Hell.  I now lean heavily toward the following beliefs/practices:

1.  Anyone is free to establish their own belief system without being concerned that they will wind up in a Hell of torment.

2.  There is no Hell to which God condemns millions.

3.  The Spiritual Supreme Being, Christ, Holy Spirit, Creator, Father-God, Mother-God (name not important) is a Being of true LOVE and COMPASSION and desires that each of us is the same as He or She, Father, Mother Being.  Supreme Being is all-knowing and caring.

4.  LOVE and COMPASSION are the true Spiritual forces which live within each of us and is available, if allowed by our ego, to flow out through our desires and actions into the world, including positively affecting peace, humans, animals, plants, Earth's ecology including pollution - all in positive ways.

5.  Reincarnation is a reality for each of us.  The "real" us lives forever while our physical body turns to dust soon after each death.

6.  Much can be gained by each person who applies principles of meditation in order to live peacefully "in the moment" not fearing about the past or future.

   


The below summary of "my" evolved beliefs are very general and brief:  

   *NO one has to believe as I do to have eternal life. 

    *NO one will wind up in hell for being an atheist or agnostic or a criminal or a member of a "wrong" religion.            

*Supreme Being is one of Love and Compassion.  

   *The vastness of physical universe and individual spiritual possibilities are unfathomable by us average folk... but,

   *each of us has the Spiritual presence within us to develop our understanding and ability to exude love, peace and compassion.

   Thank you for reading the above and hopefully you will (if you haven't already) exercise the freedom to doubt what your beliefs are; the process may lead through some rough spots until you wade through the numerous possibilities that await each human being living on this earth.  I encourage you to explore the numerous books on Spirituality on Amazon.com as well as exploring the internet for the various forms of Spiritual practices and revelations which are being received by individuals open to more and more love truth.

   Don't forget the comment section in this blog; you may want to ask some questions.

 In Christ Love,

Arriving Home at the Source

(John Potts)

(If you want to know how I got the additional name of

Arriving Home at the Source,

scroll on the link you are on to another blog or two which explains it.)

ALSO, hopefully you will go to more of my links for Spiritual exploration:

SPIRIT SAILING

To see 700 of my photographs for sale:

PHOTO ART by JOHN POTTS

TOWARD BEING MINDFUL

Toward Being Mindful

By John Potts

   I want to share with you what I learned in my Mindfulness Trainings.  I completed this formal training on the 5th day of January 2013 in Oakton, Virginia along with several others from my Mindfulness Practice Group based in my home church, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis, Maryland.  We were sitting on floor cushions surrounded by many experienced robed followers closely resembling Zen Buddhist monks.  No, I am not suggesting that we all wear robes or take vows to become Zen Buddhists; mindfulness practices can be found in many Spiritual teachings going back centuries.  Individuals of any faith or little faith at all would become calmer, happier, whole and involved in peace-making wherever they dwell if they began practicing these Refuges and Mindfulness Trainings.

   Saying I "completed" the training may be mis-leading as "mindfulness" is really an on-going progressive daily practice we all would do well to follow.  In fact, the world would be a much better place of peace, harmony and ecology if all pursued a "mindfulness" lifestyle.

   The following wisdom is quoted from the small booklet I received designating my new unique Dharma, i.e. Buddhist doctrines, name on the day of my training in January 2013:

The Three Refuges

   1.  I take refuge in the seed of awakening that lies deep inside me.

   2.  I take refuge in the teachings of mindfulness, concentration and insight that lead to understanding and compassion.

   3.  I take refuge in the community that guides and supports me along the path of transformation and healing.

The Five Mindfulness Trainings

   The Five Mindfulness Trainings represent the vision of all our spiritual ancestors for a global spirituality and ethic.  They are a concrete expression of a path of wisdom and true love, leading to healing, transformation, and happiness for ourselves and for the world.  To practice the Five Mindfulness Trainings is to cultivate a way of life which can remove all discrimination, intolerance, anger, fear, and despair.  Following this way of life, we are not lost in confusion about our life in the present or in fears about the future.

First training: Reverence for life

   Aware of the suffering caused by the destruction of life, I am committed to cultivating compassion and learning ways to protect the lives of people, animals, plants, and minerals.  I am determined not to kill, not to let others kill, and not to support any act of killing in the world, in my thinking or in my way of life.  Seeing that harmful actions arise from anger, fear, greed, and intolerance, which in turn come from dualistic and discriminative thinking, I will cultivate openness, non-discrimination, and non-attachment to views in order to transform violence, fanaticism, and dogmatism in myself and in the world.

Second training: True Happiness

      Aware of the suffering caused by exploitation, social injustice, stealing, and oppression, I am committed to practicing generosity in my thinking, speaking, and acting.  I am determined not to steal and not to possess anything that should belong to others; and I will share my time, energy, and material resources with those who are in need.  I will practice looking deeply to see that the happiness and suffering of others are not separate from my own happiness and suffering; that true happiness is not possible without understanding and compassion; and that running after wealth, fame, power and sensual pleasures can bring much suffering and despair.  I am aware that happiness depends on my mental attitude and not on external conditions, and that I can live happily in the present moment simply by remembering that I already have more than enough conditions to be happy.  I am committed to working in a way that I can help reduce the suffering of living beings on Earth and reverse the process of global warming.

Third training: True Love

   Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful sexual behavior, I am committed to cultivating responsibility and learning ways to protect the safety and integrity of individuals, couples, families and society.  Knowing that sexual desire is not love, and that sexual activity motivated by craving always harms myself as well as others, I am determined not to engage in sexual relations without true love and a deep, long-term commitment made known to my family and friends.  I will do everything in my power to protect children from sexual abuse an

d to prevent couples and families from being broken by unmindful sexual behavior.  Seeing that body and mind are one, I am committed to learning appropriate ways to take care of my sexual energy.  I will cultivate loving kindness, compassion, joy and inclusiveness which are the four basic elements of true love for my greater happiness and the greater happiness of others.  Practicing true love, we know that we will continue beautifully into the future.

Fourth training: Loving Speech and Deep Listening

   Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful speech and the inability to listen

to others, I am committed to cultivating loving speech and compassionate listening in order to relieve suffering and to promote reconciliation and peace in myself and among other people, ethnic and religious groups, and nations.  Knowing that words can create happiness or suffering, I am committed to speaking truthfully using words that inspire confidence, joy, and hope.  When anger is manifesting in me, I am determined not to speak.  I will practice mindful breathing and walking in order to recognize and to look deeply into its roots, especially in my wrong perceptions and lack of understanding of the suffering in myself and in the other person.  I will speak and listen in a way that can help myself and the other person to release the suffering and see the way out of difficult situations.  I am determined not to spread news that I do not know to be certain and not to utter words that can cause division or discord.  I will make daily efforts, in my speaking and listening, to nourish my capacity for understanding, love, joy, and inclusiveness, and gradually transform anger, violence, and fear that lie deep in my consciousness.

Fifth training: Nourishment and Healing

   Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful consumption, I am committed to cultivating good health, both physical and mental, for myself, my family, and my society by practicing mindful eating, drinking, and consuming.  I will practice looking deeply into how I take in edible foods, sense impressions, volition, and consciousness. to consume in a way that preserves peace, joy, and well-being in my body and consciousness, and in the collective body and consciousness of my family, my society and our Earth.   I am determined not to use alcohol, drugs, gambling, or any other products which contain toxins, such as certain websites, electronic games, TV programs, films, magazines, books, and conversations.  I will practice coming back to the present moment to be in touch with the refreshing, healing and nourishing elements in me and around me, not letting regrets and sorrow drag me back into the past nor letting anxieties, fear, or craving pull me out of the present moment.  I am determined not to try to cover up loneliness, anxiety, or other suffering by losing myself in consumption.  I will make every effort to consume in a way that preserves, peace, joy, and well-being in my body and consciousness, and in the collective body and consciousness of my family, my society, and our Earth.

   Thus you have the Three Refuges and the Five Mindfulness Trainings, understanding that after receiving the Mindfulness trainings, the practitioner should recite them regularly so that the practice of the Mindfulness trainings will deepen day by day.

Allow the Spirit of Truth Consciousness to Awaken You

  You could possibly progress in this kind of living on your own while applying 

the many books on mindfulness meditation and living, however, it would likely be much better if you could locate a Mindfulness Practice Group near your home which you could be a part of.  If you are near a Unitarian Universalist Church, many of them have such a group meeting there led by an insightful person.  You will find that such a small group is friendly, loving and compassionate.  With a little on-line search on Google, you will find such a group in no time, as I did.

   If, perhaps, someday you receive a similar Mindfulness Training as I did, you might even be given a Dharma name chosen after meditation by the leaders.  The name given me is: "Arriving Home at the Source".  For several months, a definition of the name seemed a mystery to me but then it seemed to make a lot of sense.  You can read about how I view the name in the first posting of this blog site:  http://arrivehomeatsource.blogspot.com/  I feel that you have been brought to this article for a purpose -  to expand your quality of life on this planet.  

Remember - you can be a member of any church or religion or none at all and progress "Toward Being Mindful".

Slowly progressing,

With love,

John Potts

Arriving Home at the Source

More of my sites to explore:

http://arrivehomeatsource.blogspot.com/

http://spiritsailing.blogspot.com/

http://1-john-potts.artistwebsites.com/index.html

"A Little Child Shall Lead Them"

I would love to hear your comments or questions.  See comment section below.

Finding Your Way Home to the Source

  

 Finding Your Way Home to the Source

By 

John Potts (Arriving Home at the Source)

   I was and still am reading several books which have been the most intriguing ones on spirituality I have ever studied, and believe me, there have been a lot over my 75 years looking for deeper personal meaning of spiritual reality.  Since, up until 1989, most of my search involved Biblical writings as I was heavily into evangelical fundamentalist Christianity, which would take many blogs telling about all of that history.  Then, while working as an addictions counselor in a Maryland State inpatient addiction treatment program, I discovered that my boss was using philosophy from "A Course of Miracles" (without exposing his source) as we led a discussion group three times a week.  Reading that source immediately expanded my spiritual search away from Biblical fundamentalism leading to where I am today which is quite liberal and inclusive... but never more humbly spiritual than now. When I received my Buddha Dharma name at an induction ceremony in Virginia in January 2013, I was searching for a meaning of the name, "Arriving Home at the Source".  It took several months before it began to make sense.  
   One might think that since I have a Buddhist name that I am deeply entrenched in Buddhism as the path all should follow for fulfillment, but this is not the case.  I am actually a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis, Maryland which is probably the most all-inclusive liberal church there is.  In fact, my Zen Buddhist meditation meets at the church twice each week and our church has Christians, Jews, atheists, agnostics, gays, lesbians, etc on our church rolls. The UU denomination focuses on activism outside the church walls and raising the young people to make their own choices about religious/spiritual beliefs by freely telling them what is out there in the world.  Our church focuses on love, compassion and inclusion and there are no better sermons preached anywhere by our three ministers.
   So practicing Zen meditation helps me to look inside myself to where reality can be found in this very moment leading to a real connection to universal truths and relief of suffering in this world of ours.  You do not have to become a Buddhist to follow where I am going in this blog, not at all.  However, my Buddha Dharma name, "Arriving Home at the Source", does give us an intriguing phrase to wrap my storyline around.
   Now let me see if I can define the "Source" spoken of in the title/name above.  The Source is from whence your physical body comes from as it is conceived and begins growing inside the womb.  Some would name the Source as Christ Spirit, I AM, Universal Spirit, God, Light, Holy Spirit, All Knowing, etc.  At some point in time inside the mother's womb, the Source takes up residence inside the fetus/baby connecting him/her with the all-knowing Source in a Spiritual, non-physical way.  This is a very special event and the new-borne baby and young toddler/child perhaps senses this special presence.  Many very young children still have memories of past lives which their soul or spiritual connection remembers.
   This next information comes from many various avenues (I will elaborate on these in future blogs) which indicate that the Source (Christ Spirit, I AM, Universal Spirit, God, Light, Holy Spirit, All Knowing, etc) dwells within each of us during our entire lifetime readily available to impart love, knowledge, healing, compassion, understanding, love, love, love and more love... if our mind conditioning and ego don't block the path for our Source resident to impart the aforementioned positive traits.  The more each of us conditions our egos, thoughts, minds to remove road blocks conditioned over the years of our earthly existence, the more Source can affect our lives in positive loving ways and the lives of others whom we allow the Source to touch through us.

 

  If more and more individuals would allow the Light within to shine out into the world, Earth could be positively transformed!  We are all the SAME inside!  Even the hardened criminal, rapist, grouch, impaired, ill, haughty, hateful, pious, murderer, etc, etc all have the same Light within!  But they have built up a hardness on the outside which won't let the miraculous Source Light shine forth to heal.
   A good point to note here is that we are ALL the SAME inside... goodness, love, compassion, health, knowledge... we all came from the SAME Source and are returning to the SAME Source!  We have no justification to look down upon anyone else for their outward state of affairs; inside the hardened and downtrodden are all the same as you and I on the inside - the SAME Source!
   We came from the same Source and are heading toward the same Source which is Universal healing and rejuvenation.  NO one is going to hell... there is no hell after death... only the hell that an individual may create while residing on Earth.
   All of us are worthy of each other's love and compassion and NO one deserves to be looked down on.  Each one deserves whatever love and compassion a more enlightened person can emit from the wonderful Source within.
   So... the title of this post is "Finding Your Way Home to the Source".  The Source is within us all the time.  That in itself should be a great comfort.  When our bodies expire, we are released completely into the Source for a refreshing experience in the Universe with guides to refresh our memories of what spirituality un-tethered in the Universe is really like!  Then, after much planning and forethought with the Source, when the time is right and not a second before, most will have a part in choosing our next life and be reborn in a mother's womb.
   Thus, we will have come full-circle from being born in a womb with the Source inside of us, living a bodily existence hopefully releasing more of the Love Light within than before... and eventually leaving our earthly body behind to reunite with the Universal Source of total love for our life between lives... "Arriving Home at the Source".

   It is only normal if you come away from this post skeptical wondering "who is this 75 year old man whom I never heard of... how does he know all this?"  Well, it is my intention in future posts, to provide excerpts from the many books by authors who have been exposed to much knowledge of seemingly credible sources to justify my words given in this post.  During my 75 years in this lifetime, I have experienced many hints of the above summary and read many words expounding on the subject.  I am not recommending any particular religion or organization to justify my words... only Spirituality.  I am ok... You are ok... She is ok... He is ok... regardless of religion, belief, lack of belief, bad deeds, good deeds, no deeds... all have the Source within and deserve our love and compassion... not hate, nor disdain... love...

   More to follow... please return!

John Potts

Arriving Home at the Source

P.S.  You are invited to follow me on two other blogs, as well as Facebook (John Potts).

http://spiritsailing.blogspot.com/ 

http://photographic-art-by-johnpotts.blogspot.com/ 

Also, a head start on my next post can be obtained by exploring the following:

http://acourseoflovecommunity.com/welcome-3/about-acol/