Modern psychiatric manuals provide an interesting study of the character traits of people with this “antisocial personality disorder”. They never recognize the rights of others and see their self-serving behaviors as permissible. They appear to be charming, yet are covertly hostile and domineering, seeing their victim as merely an instrument to be used. They like to dominate and humiliate their victims. They have no problem lying coolly and easily and it is almost impossible for them to be truthful on a consistent basis.
They believe that they are all-powerful, all-knowing, entitled to every wish and have no sense of personal boundaries, or concern about wrecking others’ lives and dreams. They do not see others around them as people, but only as targets and opportunities. Instead of friends, they have victims and accomplices who end up as victims. The end always justifies the means and they let nothing stand in their way. When they show what seems to be warmth, joy, love and compassion it is more feigned than experienced and serves an ulterior motive. Outraged by insignificant matters, yet remaining unmoved and cold by what would upset a normal person. Since they are not genuine, neither are their promises. Sociopaths are unable to empathize with the pain of their victims, having only contempt for others’ feelings of distress and readily taking advantage of them. They are oblivious or indifferent to the devastation they cause. They do not accept blame themselves, but blame others, even for acts they obviously committed.
Buddhist tradition describes this type of people as “hungry ghosts”. They are depicted as creatures always craving food, with bloated stomachs and mouths too small to swallow any substantial amounts of nutrients – so that even attempts to eat cause incredible pain. Seemingly there is no end to their limitless hunger – they always want more and more, never being satisfied with what they have already. They can’t comprehend why they are always unhappy, even though their wishes, whims and desires are satisfied almost as quickly as they come. As a result they carry deep within an unconscious, repressed rage at the world. That rage is projected onto others and often manifests as abuse. Ill-treatment of others, alternating with small expressions of love and approval produce an addictive cycle for abuser and abused, creating hopelessness in the victim and perpetuating suffering for both. Not surprisingly sociopaths also suffer horribly – their very lives clearly demonstrate what kind of unhappy existence they lead, in spite of all the superficial trappings of worldly success. In the era of television, internet and tabloid newspapers it is painfully obvious that these poor people live in self-created hell. Extremely high rates of depression, suicide, divorce, promiscuity as well as drug and alcohol abuse in these self-described “elites” speak for themselves. Those are the people who have been ruling our world for millennia. It is time to kick-out these poor cripples from the power seats they have occupied for so long! No wonder that our biosphere is on the verge of destruction and that most of Humanity is enslaved – what else would you expect if you allow criminally insane to rule the world?
These extreme examples show plainly that neither exclusive service to the “own self” or single-minded devotion to serving “other selves” is likely to bring happiness. For that reason the ancient sages taught the Middle Way: balance and moderation in everything we do is the only way to achieve lasting happiness and joy. Many of people discovered that profound truth on their own and learned how to dance the eternal Waltz of Love: giving love to ourselves and to others, always trying to reach a middle, but preferring to err on the side of giving rather than taking. Is the perfect balance 50/50 or perhaps it is better to err on the side of giving to others, with 49% of our effort going to ourselves and 51% to others? One of the amazing secret laws underlying this Reality is this: “what you give to others, you give to yourself”. Whatever you gave or did to others, will return back to you multiplied. That’s why A Course in Miracles tells us that “giving and receiving are the same”.
The next important question is “What is Love?” There is no easy answer to that question. We know that God is Love. Since what we call God is by definition beyond our comprehension, so is Love.
Yet when we are on the receiving end of actions of other people, we can easily tell what feels loving and what doesn’t. This experience is reflected in various permutations of the “Golden Rule” such as “that which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow” (Jewish Rabbi Hillel, Talmud, Shabbat 31a). Jesus did not attempt to tell his disciples what love is, but he taught by example, telling his disciples “as I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34). In loving one another, we love the Creator, for the Creator is present in each and every one of us .
Apostle Paul gets more specific:
Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, and it is not easily angered,
It keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres.
Love never fails .
(First Corinthians, 13:4-8)
This type of instruction is a good starting lesson for beginners, though it doesn’t answer the question of what love is, either. As we grow in Spirit, we discover more and more what does it actually mean to Love. There is no simple prescription for Love. We learn what Love is by doing whatever it takes to help others to awaken and doing it in a way that speeds up our own Awakening.
In Buddhist tradition the fastest route to Awakening is the Bodhisattva path. Bodhisattva is a person who is consciously striving for awakening. One of the most famous versions of the bodhisattva vow spells it out this way (from Shantideva’s
The Way Of The Bodhisattva) :
May I be a guard for those who are protectorless,
A guide for those who journey on the road;
For those who wish to go across the water,
May I be a boat, a raft, a bridge.
May I be an isle for those who yearn for landfall,
And a lamp for those who long for light;
For those who need a resting place, a bed,
For all who need a servant, may I be a slave.
May I be the wishing jewel, the vase of plenty,
A word of power, and the supreme remedy.
May I be the trees of miracles,
And for every being, the abundant cow.
Like the great earth and the other elements,
Enduring as the sky itself endures,
For the boundless multitude of living beings,
May I be the ground and vessel of their life.
Thus, for every single thing that lives,
In number like the boundless reaches of the sky,
May I be their sustenance and nourishment
Until they pass beyond the bounds of suffering .
May I attain Buddhahood!
Teachers, Buddhas, Boddhisatvas, listen!
Just as you, who in the past have gone to bliss,
Conceived the awakened attitude of mind,
Likewise, for the benefit of beings
I will generate this self-same attitude.
Jesus lived and taught the same message: “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave — just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve”. (Matthew 20: 26-28) “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in Heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5: 43-48)
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and
tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.
If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” (Matthew 5: 38-42)
If you want to be happy strive for balance: love yourself and everyone else the same way: with all your heart, all you mind and all your soul. If you give more Love to others than you take from them, Love will return back to you multiplied. This is the most important Law of this Universe.
Since there is nothing outside of God and thus EVERYTHING is God, we have been living in a perfectly loving world all along. Thus we are Love, too and everyone can experience Divine love flowing from within. Jesus taught us:“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7,7). Remember that you are that door, don’t forget to knock on yourself! When the door opens, you will KNOW that God exists and that He loves you more than you can possibly imagine.
You will KNOW that YOU are God. Unlike faith, that knowledge cannot be lost .
From now on,
God has a new name:
ALL OF US
Recommended reading:
A Course In Miracles
Alan Watts The Book: On The Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are
Neale Donald Walsch Conversations With God
Gary Renard The Disappearance Of The Universe
Brian Swimme The Universe Is A Green Dragon
Zecharia Sitchin Genesis Revisited
William Bramley The Gods Of Eden
John Mack Passport To The Cosmos
William Cooper Behold A Pale Horse
Rick Strassman, et al Inner Paths To Outer Space
Ervin Laszlo Science And The Akashic Field:
An Integral Theory Of Everything
Marshall B. Rosenberg Non-violent Communication:
A Language Of Life.
Jane Roberts Seth Speaks: The Eternal Validity Of The Soul
James D. Tabor The Jesus Dynasty: The Hidden History of Jesus,
His Royal Family, AndThe Birth Of Christianity
Nicolas Notovitch The Unknown Life Of Jesus Christ
Elisabeth Haich Initiation
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