Enlightenment.net: Dictionary of Enlightenment

DICTIONARY & ANECDOTES

ALIGNED BELIEF: An aligned belief is a belief which is in harmony and agreement with truth. An aligned belief in congruent with the one true core belief in God. A belief aligned in God is a belief aligned in love and justice.

ALONE, IS ONE EVER REALLY? No. The feeling of being alone is a belief created in ones ignorant selfishness which perceives the world from the perspective of the body. Everyone may be a part of God though many choose to be apart from God. Such a decision may have eternal consequences. Many people just refuse to see that they are not alone. If a person feels lonely it is because they have made a decision to feel that way. Loneliness is an emotion of self-pity.

AMEN: The word "amen" is similar and comes from the same Hebrew root word for "believe". Thus, the translation of "amen" might best be expressed as "let it be so," or "I believe."

AMBITION: There is a good reason why ambition is said to be blind. After all, who knows what the future holds but God alone? Ambition is desire for worldly achievements. One will not find enlightenment longing for fame and fortune. Though ones servant becomes ones master, continue to try and remain free of ambition. Ambition is one cause of the emotion of anxiousness. It is important to understand that all one may really accomplish in this world is but the building of a castle of sand. This does not mean not to build sand castles, but to see that the fruits of ambition are often fruitless.

ANGELS, WHAT ARE? Angels are soldiers of goodness or evil. They are messengers of God and the Devil. In fact, the Devil itself is said to be a "fallen" angel who was banished from Heaven when iniquity was found in him. Once the greatest angel, Lucifer, or the Devil, wanted to be God, and so fell, or was cast out, of Heaven taking as many as 1/3 of the angels of Heaven with him. Angels are creatures of God who, like humans, possess free will.

Many believe that angels are only spiritual, but this may not always be so. There may well be angels here on earth manifested in human form. How can this be? Well, for starters, this world is the world of the Devil, it only makes sense that the Devil's emissaries would be right here on Earth. Our jails are filled with criminals who claim to be or have been demon possessed. Also, since it is this world from which people may be saved, it only makes sense that God would also have emissaries here as well, doing God's work. How many times has someone appeared seemingly "out of nowhere" to lend you a hand in your time of need? Is it possible that it was an angel? Angels of God have been known to have taken human form in order to deliver the righteous from peril.

Angels of evil are often referred to as "black angels" or "dark angels". The color reference is a metaphor for being either lost in darkness, having turned away from the guiding light, or a metaphor for something burnt, as in a blackened heart. The devil itself has been depicted in art as a blue angel amongst the other good red angels, signifying that it has cut itself off from the oxygen giving life source.

Angels of evil often pass themselves off as angels of goodness and light which may account for why so many churches have become corrupt. What better place for a hungry wolf than within the sheep fold? Evil angels are obsessed by power, greed, longevity, and selfishness, - all desires of this world. Because they live in a world of deception, they may even be deceived themselves.

When angels appear, they may not always appear in the flesh, nor must they only appear to a single individual. It may be that angels appear only to those who are "tuned in" to see them. A truly good angel would appear not only as an angel of love, but of justice as well. An evil angel loves everything but justice, and finds no fault in anything, including inequity.

The wings of angels which are often depicted in art, literature, and media are symbols used to demonstrate angels as being "other worldly", and with supernatural abilities, such as the ability to fly.

ANGER: Anger is an emotion based on pain and resentment. Free oneself of any pain that one may be holding onto from ones past. Forgive and understand the circumstances surrounding how one acquired such pain. One becomes angry as a result of internalized pain. Such pain is the result of feeling a loss of control. Pain is internalized when trust is broken. Learn to overcome the shortcomings of others. Revenge is selfish. Two wrongs don't make a right. Let go of all angry thoughts and pain that one feels. Do not associate oneself with painful observations. Keep ones mind on the eternal and don't get angry over the temporary. Love conquers all. Fill ones mind with one thought, that being the love of God. When one has overcome worldly anger, one finds no pain in oneself.

Anger is like a viper one finds and takes inside ones house to keep as a pet. However, the viper does nothing but bite and feed off of its owner, for the viper's true master is the Devil itself. It is wise to avoid taking such vipers home, to set any such vipers free, and to keep ones windows and doors sealed in ones house to keep such vipers from creeping in.

ANIMALS, HOW ARE WE DIFFERENT FROM THE? The main difference between us and the other animals is that we were created in the image of God. We have an additional nature that enables us to know God. We have the ability to choose between doing good or evil for we have knowledge of the difference between right and wrong. This gift, has sadly, however, led to the fall of mankind. We have the ability to deny that God exists. We have the ability to think that we know better than God. We have the ability to think that we ourselves are God. We have the ability to do evil. We have the ability to pollute and destroy the world. As is illustrated in the Book of Genesis, we are largely embarrassed by our nakedness, so we wear clothes. We also have the ability to laugh, which I have not seen in the animal kingdom.

On most importance, we may have faith, animals can only have expectation. It is said that we are rational, and animals are instinctive. We also may know the temporality of our flesh. We can overcome our fear of death. We have the ability to become enlightened, and know God. We have the opportunity to be saved and educated in truth.

ANTHROPOMORPHISM: Anthropomorphism is the assigning of human attributes to God in order to describe God. You may have heard phrases such as "the breath of God", "God hears", etc. This does not mean that God actually has lungs and ears, it is just a figure of speech. Describing God with human characteristics may make it easier to communicate the incomprehensible. Make no mistake, God is not flesh, but spirit.

ANTICHRIST: Some people talk about the coming of the Antichrist prophesied in the Book of Revelations located in the back of the Bible. Truly, however, anything that is not Christ is Antichrist. This world itself is Antichrist. Our flesh is Antichrist. Atheists and agnostics are Antichrist. Self-interest is Antichrist. Christ and his followers, called the body, or bride, of Christ, are the only things that aren't Antichrist. This is why it is so important to have identity in Christ. What's worse, and must be known, is that each one of us has been given complete free will in its entirety. All of us are sinners and many of us know it, but almost all of us do not do evil all of the time.

Each of us has been given complete free will to be as evil, and completely wrong, as one chooses. Even those who practice evil have an idea of absolute evil. This alone proves absolutes exist. If one can have ones identity in truth, one can surely also have ones identity in evil. All have the ability to spit on the gift of free will and go their own way and prostitute themselves to false gods. The so called "anti-Christ" is one who has chosen to be completely evil, perhaps simply for the sake of being completely evil, for evil's sake, and has become a false shepherd whose sheep are as lost as the one they follow.

ARC OF THE COVENANT: The Arc of the Covenant was the container of the Law of God, or Ten Commandments, given to Moses. The Ten Commandments were the Law of God given to the Jews so that there might be life, but subsequently damned everyone who tried to live by them for no one could keep the entire spirit of the law. The Ten Commandments is one precursor for the need of God to come in the flesh. In fact, the entire Old Testament points towards the need for, and coming of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, is this same law made flesh. His flesh is the Arc of the New Covenant and the giving up of his life as a sacrifice enables the death of one to save the many. Jesus himself said that no greater thing can a man do than to give up his life to save others. His sacrifice extends to save the Jew and Gentile alike- that whosoever believes in him and accepts his sacrifice as atonement for their sins, shall not perish, but have eternal life.

ARMOR OF GOD: A suit of steel will not protect one from the evil in the world. It was St. Paul who said that if one is to protect oneself from evil, one has to wear the whole armor of God. With the belt of truth around ones waist, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the boots of the gospel of peace, and the sword of the holy spirit, no evil can claim one. (See Ephesians 6:13-17)

Why does this armor work? Evil is afraid of truth. When evil attacks truth it only hurts itself like a cow kicking against a cattle prod. The whole armor of God is truth, and if one gets inside of it, how can evil get to one without hurting itself?

ARTIST, THE TROUBLED: In theory, anything could be called art, but people usually think of art as creations based on ideas rooted in imagination. Art is the result of acting on such ideas in order to manifest them. Artists are not usually happy with reality the way it is; if they were then why would they want to change it by adding their art to it? They are not usually happy until they have manifested their ideas. However, ones art is only a shadow of oneself. Thus it is, that the hardest idea to manifest for the artist is usually the idea of his or herself. This is why so many artists are troubled.

Artistic ideas which are based on observations and imagination can be either about adding to truth or subtracting from truth. Art might even be considered to be war with God. Often, the artist can be found hiding from God behind his or her art. After all, art is an attempt at permanence in an impermanent world.

Except for that "art" which is in fact, truth, art might be said to be that which is "unbalanced". Whatever mankind creates, God eventually destroys. There is a saying which goes, "man proposes, and God disposes." Nevertheless, art attempts communication in order to transfer some message, and is only as good as its message. A great artist is bigger than his or her canvas. Similarly, God, the Greatest Artist, is greater than and not confined to its own creation.

There is "art" which is so disgusting that it makes victims of all who see it. This is what society calls obscene. Avoid allowing the seeds of evil to be sown through ones eyes. Truly, all painful art perpetuates pain. Even if one thinks one has kept all pain from ones art, one may not have illuminated all the pain from oneself and it may reveal itself elsewhere in ones life. If one is truly enlightened, ones art would be free from pain as well.

Art is the conceptualizing of ones observations. For example, one may conceptualize ones observations into words or "give meaning" to a pile of clay by shaping it into a pot. Such is done to communicate or create utility. Just looking around, one can see that the Earth is covered by "meaningful" shapes, objects, paintings, and other things, which are conceptualized observations in tangible form.

ASSOCIATION: An association is equating one piece of knowledge with another piece of knowledge. In actuality, an association is equating one observation with another observation. An association then, is a premise. To say "Fish swim" is to associate the concept of "fish" with the concept of "swimming". Observations themselves are associations as one associates meaning when one discriminates ones sensory receptions during the discrimination process. Thus, conceptualization of observations itself is an association. When one makes associations utilizing ones imagination, such resulting association may be either truth or error depending on the validity of the association.

When one associates emotion into ones concepts, one is making biased observations. Avoid making emotional associations.

ATONEMENT, WHAT IS? Reconciliation with God. Atonement can be thought of as "at-one-ment". Being "at one" with God. Atonement is possible by believing in Jesus Christ as paying the price, by dying on the cross, for ones sins. Identity in Jesus, the perfect sacrifice, allows one to be forgiven for ones sins, and through Christ, allows one to be reconciled to God.

ATTACHMENT, WHAT IS? Attachment is the desire for temporary things. Attachment, to anything other than God is evil and a cause of pain. Because our flesh and life in this world is temporary, it is fruitless to become attached to things which are temporary such as wealth, sex, and youth. In ones ignorance, one associates oneself with feelings and sensory receptions of pleasure. Attachment creates anxiety and suffering out of the impermanence of the things one is attached to. In ones ignorance, one has a tendency to "cling" and associate oneself entirely with ones flesh embodiment. However, it does not take much thought to realize that the flesh body which you might consider is "you" is temporary, changing, growing old, and certain to die. Therefore any type of behavior which seeks to cling and perpetuate the "self" should be corrected by illuminating its corresponding belief. One has "desires" at an early age and the habitual fulfillment of desires perpetuates desire and creates an addiction to desire and pleasure. Such an addiction manifests itself eventually as pain because all pleasure ends in desire, which is pain. Like a hungry child, one often selfishly cries out for more until one gets what one wants.

ATTENTION: Attention is observation, usually of the present. Whatever one knows in the present, one is giving ones attention to. If one is not just reading this sentence, but is paying attention to it, one is observing meaning in the groups of letters, which are concepts. Attention is observation regardless of degree of concentration. If one gives ones attention to memory, one remembers the past. If one gives ones attention to nonliving things, one has observations regarding nonliving things. If one gives ones attention to plants, one has observations regarding plants. If one gives ones attention to animals, one will have observations regarding animals. If one gives ones attention to people, one will have observations regarding people. If one gives ones attention to life, one will have observations regarding life. If one gives ones attention to death, one will have observations regarding death. If one gives ones attention to God, one will have observations regarding God. This is because whatever one pays attention to, is what one is observing. Groups of observations when combined with logic create conclusions which are decisions and beliefs. The object of ones sensory reception imprints itself in ones mind in the form of memory. Paying attention to attention itself, or turning ones attention inwardly rather than outwardly, allows one to illuminate attention itself.

ATTENTION, PAYING: A teacher removed a penny from his wallet and put it into his student's hand. "What are you doing?" asked the student. "I'm paying attention." replied the teacher. "Attention is work, and work is rewarded." said the teacher. One sacrifices ones evil ways and pays attention to God to find the answers one seeks. However, because God is free, many people refuse to pay attention to God. Nevertheless, if God's truth had a price, any king seeking truth would gladly give all his treasures to know this truth. When you pay attention to God, God pays attention to you. Penny for your thoughts?

AUTHORITY: God is the only true authority. When ones beliefs are aligned with the controller of the Universe, one is at peace. However, in the hierarchy of our society, one is often asked to submit to the will of others who may not be aligned with God themselves. When our governments, parents, friends, law enforcement agencies, etc. fall out of line with God and become eccentric, and then ask us to submit to their authority, they are really asking us to sin! This, of course, is unacceptable. All of the great sins of mankind are the result of putting the will of others before the will of God. It is the original sin. Eve put the will of Satan before the will of God and ate from the forbidden fruit. Adam, put the will of Eve before the will of God when he took the forbidden fruit from Eve and ate from it. Ranks and authority can only be recognized as long as such are in alignment with God.

AUTOPILOT: The ignorant person is like a pilot in a plane who has been at the controls too long. The pilot has been nervously watching his or her instrument panels and adjusting the control stick based on his or her hunches and meager observations alone. The pilot should be more like Luke Skywalker in Star Wars and learn to "use the force". When one puts ones life on "autopilot", or trusts in God, one frees oneself to enjoy the ride of life. In God's hand, ones life is sure, direct, and joyful.

AVERSION, WHAT IS? Aversion is a cause of pain. Aversion is when one tries to escape from pain and suffering by avoiding it and seeking pleasure. When one lets pain into ones observations and associates oneself with it, one learns to avoid what was perceived to have caused the pain from then on. One should never have associated oneself to pain in the first place. You've heard the expression, "You can run but you can't hide". This is even more apparent when one is running from oneself. It is not pain that one is running from, but truth which would actually set one free from pain. It is the avoidance of truth that is pain. Avoidance of the truth creates pain. Aversion manifests itself in all types of aberrant beliefs and eccentric behavior. If the energy used on aversion and attachment was used instead to become illuminated, one would free oneself once and for all of fear and pain.

TABLE OF CONTENTMENT
GLOSSARY

	DICTIONARY & ANECDOTES
	ALIGNED BELIEF: An aligned belief is a belief which is in harmony and agreement with truth. An aligned belief in congruent with the one true core belief in God. A belief aligned in God is a belief aligned in love and justice. ALONE, IS ONE EVER REALLY? No. The feeling of being alone is a belief created in ones ignorant selfishness which perceives the world from the perspective of the body. Everyone may be a part of God though many choose to be apart from God. Such a decision may have eternal consequences. Many people just refuse to see that they are not alone. If a person feels lonely it is because they have made a decision to feel that way. Loneliness is an emotion of self-pity. AMEN: The word "amen" is similar and comes from the same Hebrew root word for "believe". Thus, the translation of "amen" might best be expressed as "let it be so," or "I believe." AMBITION: There is a good reason why ambition is said to be blind. After all, who knows what the future holds but God alone? Ambition is desire for worldly achievements. One will not find enlightenment longing for fame and fortune. Though ones servant becomes ones master, continue to try and remain free of ambition. Ambition is one cause of the emotion of anxiousness. It is important to understand that all one may really accomplish in this world is but the building of a castle of sand. This does not mean not to build sand castles, but to see that the fruits of ambition are often fruitless. ANGELS, WHAT ARE? Angels are soldiers of goodness or evil. They are messengers of God and the Devil. In fact, the Devil itself is said to be a "fallen" angel who was banished from Heaven when iniquity was found in him. Once the greatest angel, Lucifer, or the Devil, wanted to be God, and so fell, or was cast out, of Heaven taking as many as 1/3 of the angels of Heaven with him. Angels are creatures of God who, like humans, possess free will. Many believe that angels are only spiritual, but this may not always be so. There may well be angels here on earth manifested in human form. How can this be? Well, for starters, this world is the world of the Devil, it only makes sense that the Devil's emissaries would be right here on Earth. Our jails are filled with criminals who claim to be or have been demon possessed. Also, since it is this world from which people may be saved, it only makes sense that God would also have emissaries here as well, doing God's work. How many times has someone appeared seemingly "out of nowhere" to lend you a hand in your time of need? Is it possible that it was an angel? Angels of God have been known to have taken human form in order to deliver the righteous from peril. Angels of evil are often referred to as "black angels" or "dark angels". The color reference is a metaphor for being either lost in darkness, having turned away from the guiding light, or a metaphor for something burnt, as in a blackened heart. The devil itself has been depicted in art as a blue angel amongst the other good red angels, signifying that it has cut itself off from the oxygen giving life source. Angels of evil often pass themselves off as angels of goodness and light which may account for why so many churches have become corrupt. What better place for a hungry wolf than within the sheep fold? Evil angels are obsessed by power, greed, longevity, and selfishness, - all desires of this world. Because they live in a world of deception, they may even be deceived themselves. When angels appear, they may not always appear in the flesh, nor must they only appear to a single individual. It may be that angels appear only to those who are "tuned in" to see them. A truly good angel would appear not only as an angel of love, but of justice as well. An evil angel loves everything but justice, and finds no fault in anything, including inequity. The wings of angels which are often depicted in art, literature, and media are symbols used to demonstrate angels as being "other worldly", and with supernatural abilities, such as the ability to fly. ANGER: Anger is an emotion based on pain and resentment. Free oneself of any pain that one may be holding onto from ones past. Forgive and understand the circumstances surrounding how one acquired such pain. One becomes angry as a result of internalized pain. Such pain is the result of feeling a loss of control. Pain is internalized when trust is broken. Learn to overcome the shortcomings of others. Revenge is selfish. Two wrongs don't make a right. Let go of all angry thoughts and pain that one feels. Do not associate oneself with painful observations. Keep ones mind on the eternal and don't get angry over the temporary. Love conquers all. Fill ones mind with one thought, that being the love of God. When one has overcome worldly anger, one finds no pain in oneself. Anger is like a viper one finds and takes inside ones house to keep as a pet. However, the viper does nothing but bite and feed off of its owner, for the viper's true master is the Devil itself. It is wise to avoid taking such vipers home, to set any such vipers free, and to keep ones windows and doors sealed in ones house to keep such vipers from creeping in. ANIMALS, HOW ARE WE DIFFERENT FROM THE? The main difference between us and the other animals is that we were created in the image of God. We have an additional nature that enables us to know God. We have the ability to choose between doing good or evil for we have knowledge of the difference between right and wrong. This gift, has sadly, however, led to the fall of mankind. We have the ability to deny that God exists. We have the ability to think that we know better than God. We have the ability to think that we ourselves are God. We have the ability to do evil. We have the ability to pollute and destroy the world. As is illustrated in the Book of Genesis, we are largely embarrassed by our nakedness, so we wear clothes. We also have the ability to laugh, which I have not seen in the animal kingdom. On most importance, we may have faith, animals can only have expectation. It is said that we are rational, and animals are instinctive. We also may know the temporality of our flesh. We can overcome our fear of death. We have the ability to become enlightened, and know God. We have the opportunity to be saved and educated in truth. ANTHROPOMORPHISM: Anthropomorphism is the assigning of human attributes to God in order to describe God. You may have heard phrases such as "the breath of God", "God hears", etc. This does not mean that God actually has lungs and ears, it is just a figure of speech. Describing God with human characteristics may make it easier to communicate the incomprehensible. Make no mistake, God is not flesh, but spirit. ANTICHRIST: Some people talk about the coming of the Antichrist prophesied in the Book of Revelations located in the back of the Bible. Truly, however, anything that is not Christ is Antichrist. This world itself is Antichrist. Our flesh is Antichrist. Atheists and agnostics are Antichrist. Self-interest is Antichrist. Christ and his followers, called the body, or bride, of Christ, are the only things that aren't Antichrist. This is why it is so important to have identity in Christ. What's worse, and must be known, is that each one of us has been given complete free will in its entirety. All of us are sinners and many of us know it, but almost all of us do not do evil all of the time. Each of us has been given complete free will to be as evil, and completely wrong, as one chooses. Even those who practice evil have an idea of absolute evil. This alone proves absolutes exist. If one can have ones identity in truth, one can surely also have ones identity in evil. All have the ability to spit on the gift of free will and go their own way and prostitute themselves to false gods. The so called "anti-Christ" is one who has chosen to be completely evil, perhaps simply for the sake of being completely evil, for evil's sake, and has become a false shepherd whose sheep are as lost as the one they follow. ARC OF THE COVENANT: The Arc of the Covenant was the container of the Law of God, or Ten Commandments, given to Moses. The Ten Commandments were the Law of God given to the Jews so that there might be life, but subsequently damned everyone who tried to live by them for no one could keep the entire spirit of the law. The Ten Commandments is one precursor for the need of God to come in the flesh. In fact, the entire Old Testament points towards the need for, and coming of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, is this same law made flesh. His flesh is the Arc of the New Covenant and the giving up of his life as a sacrifice enables the death of one to save the many. Jesus himself said that no greater thing can a man do than to give up his life to save others. His sacrifice extends to save the Jew and Gentile alike- that whosoever believes in him and accepts his sacrifice as atonement for their sins, shall not perish, but have eternal life. ARMOR OF GOD: A suit of steel will not protect one from the evil in the world. It was St. Paul who said that if one is to protect oneself from evil, one has to wear the whole armor of God. With the belt of truth around ones waist, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the boots of the gospel of peace, and the sword of the holy spirit, no evil can claim one. (See Ephesians 6:13-17) Why does this armor work? Evil is afraid of truth. When evil attacks truth it only hurts itself like a cow kicking against a cattle prod. The whole armor of God is truth, and if one gets inside of it, how can evil get to one without hurting itself? ARTIST, THE TROUBLED: In theory, anything could be called art, but people usually think of art as creations based on ideas rooted in imagination. Art is the result of acting on such ideas in order to manifest them. Artists are not usually happy with reality the way it is; if they were then why would they want to change it by adding their art to it? They are not usually happy until they have manifested their ideas. However, ones art is only a shadow of oneself. Thus it is, that the hardest idea to manifest for the artist is usually the idea of his or herself. This is why so many artists are troubled. Artistic ideas which are based on observations and imagination can be either about adding to truth or subtracting from truth. Art might even be considered to be war with God. Often, the artist can be found hiding from God behind his or her art. After all, art is an attempt at permanence in an impermanent world. Except for that "art" which is in fact, truth, art might be said to be that which is "unbalanced". Whatever mankind creates, God eventually destroys. There is a saying which goes, "man proposes, and God disposes." Nevertheless, art attempts communication in order to transfer some message, and is only as good as its message. A great artist is bigger than his or her canvas. Similarly, God, the Greatest Artist, is greater than and not confined to its own creation. There is "art" which is so disgusting that it makes victims of all who see it. This is what society calls obscene. Avoid allowing the seeds of evil to be sown through ones eyes. Truly, all painful art perpetuates pain. Even if one thinks one has kept all pain from ones art, one may not have illuminated all the pain from oneself and it may reveal itself elsewhere in ones life. If one is truly enlightened, ones art would be free from pain as well. Art is the conceptualizing of ones observations. For example, one may conceptualize ones observations into words or "give meaning" to a pile of clay by shaping it into a pot. Such is done to communicate or create utility. Just looking around, one can see that the Earth is covered by "meaningful" shapes, objects, paintings, and other things, which are conceptualized observations in tangible form. ASSOCIATION: An association is equating one piece of knowledge with another piece of knowledge. In actuality, an association is equating one observation with another observation. An association then, is a premise. To say "Fish swim" is to associate the concept of "fish" with the concept of "swimming". Observations themselves are associations as one associates meaning when one discriminates ones sensory receptions during the discrimination process. Thus, conceptualization of observations itself is an association. When one makes associations utilizing ones imagination, such resulting association may be either truth or error depending on the validity of the association. When one associates emotion into ones concepts, one is making biased observations. Avoid making emotional associations. ATONEMENT, WHAT IS? Reconciliation with God. Atonement can be thought of as "at-one-ment". Being "at one" with God. Atonement is possible by believing in Jesus Christ as paying the price, by dying on the cross, for ones sins. Identity in Jesus, the perfect sacrifice, allows one to be forgiven for ones sins, and through Christ, allows one to be reconciled to God. ATTACHMENT, WHAT IS? Attachment is the desire for temporary things. Attachment, to anything other than God is evil and a cause of pain. Because our flesh and life in this world is temporary, it is fruitless to become attached to things which are temporary such as wealth, sex, and youth. In ones ignorance, one associates oneself with feelings and sensory receptions of pleasure. Attachment creates anxiety and suffering out of the impermanence of the things one is attached to. In ones ignorance, one has a tendency to "cling" and associate oneself entirely with ones flesh embodiment. However, it does not take much thought to realize that the flesh body which you might consider is "you" is temporary, changing, growing old, and certain to die. Therefore any type of behavior which seeks to cling and perpetuate the "self" should be corrected by illuminating its corresponding belief. One has "desires" at an early age and the habitual fulfillment of desires perpetuates desire and creates an addiction to desire and pleasure. Such an addiction manifests itself eventually as pain because all pleasure ends in desire, which is pain. Like a hungry child, one often selfishly cries out for more until one gets what one wants. ATTENTION: Attention is observation, usually of the present. Whatever one knows in the present, one is giving ones attention to. If one is not just reading this sentence, but is paying attention to it, one is observing meaning in the groups of letters, which are concepts. Attention is observation regardless of degree of concentration. If one gives ones attention to memory, one remembers the past. If one gives ones attention to nonliving things, one has observations regarding nonliving things. If one gives ones attention to plants, one has observations regarding plants. If one gives ones attention to animals, one will have observations regarding animals. If one gives ones attention to people, one will have observations regarding people. If one gives ones attention to life, one will have observations regarding life. If one gives ones attention to death, one will have observations regarding death. If one gives ones attention to God, one will have observations regarding God. This is because whatever one pays attention to, is what one is observing. Groups of observations when combined with logic create conclusions which are decisions and beliefs. The object of ones sensory reception imprints itself in ones mind in the form of memory. Paying attention to attention itself, or turning ones attention inwardly rather than outwardly, allows one to illuminate attention itself. ATTENTION, PAYING: A teacher removed a penny from his wallet and put it into his student's hand. "What are you doing?" asked the student. "I'm paying attention." replied the teacher. "Attention is work, and work is rewarded." said the teacher. One sacrifices ones evil ways and pays attention to God to find the answers one seeks. However, because God is free, many people refuse to pay attention to God. Nevertheless, if God's truth had a price, any king seeking truth would gladly give all his treasures to know this truth. When you pay attention to God, God pays attention to you. Penny for your thoughts? AUTHORITY: God is the only true authority. When ones beliefs are aligned with the controller of the Universe, one is at peace. However, in the hierarchy of our society, one is often asked to submit to the will of others who may not be aligned with God themselves. When our governments, parents, friends, law enforcement agencies, etc. fall out of line with God and become eccentric, and then ask us to submit to their authority, they are really asking us to sin! This, of course, is unacceptable. All of the great sins of mankind are the result of putting the will of others before the will of God. It is the original sin. Eve put the will of Satan before the will of God and ate from the forbidden fruit. Adam, put the will of Eve before the will of God when he took the forbidden fruit from Eve and ate from it. Ranks and authority can only be recognized as long as such are in alignment with God. AUTOPILOT: The ignorant person is like a pilot in a plane who has been at the controls too long. The pilot has been nervously watching his or her instrument panels and adjusting the control stick based on his or her hunches and meager observations alone. The pilot should be more like Luke Skywalker in Star Wars and learn to "use the force". When one puts ones life on "autopilot", or trusts in God, one frees oneself to enjoy the ride of life. In God's hand, ones life is sure, direct, and joyful. AVERSION, WHAT IS? Aversion is a cause of pain. Aversion is when one tries to escape from pain and suffering by avoiding it and seeking pleasure. When one lets pain into ones observations and associates oneself with it, one learns to avoid what was perceived to have caused the pain from then on. One should never have associated oneself to pain in the first place. You've heard the expression, "You can run but you can't hide". This is even more apparent when one is running from oneself. It is not pain that one is running from, but truth which would actually set one free from pain. It is the avoidance of truth that is pain. Avoidance of the truth creates pain. Aversion manifests itself in all types of aberrant beliefs and eccentric behavior. If the energy used on aversion and attachment was used instead to become illuminated, one would free oneself once and for all of fear and pain.
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