General Conference weekend has passed. Mormons meet bi-annually to hear the words of church leaders. These talks will become the subjects of sacrament meetings until the next conference. I won't share my opinions on that, suffice it to say I liked the old system better where the members shared their individual gospel knowledge with each other through preparing their own talks from scratch instead of rehashing what had already been said. Ah well, I suppose I am an old fuddy duddy.
That's not the point though. Things are what they are and things move forward. If you are reading this blog , you know I write about my perspective on the whole thing through my understanding of Buddhist philosophy. From earlier posts you know my attitude towards missionary work , although I am softening. It really doesn't affect me after all, and it may be of real benefit to some even if it isn't to others. The other common subjects of course are obedience, scripture reading, priesthood power and tithing of course.
I won't go into it all. You can read the talks on lds.org if you so desire. As a Mormon who sees things through a Buddhist philosophy I would like to take my subject from a talk Dieter Uchtdorf gave in the priesthood session.
It should not be hidden that I do espouse most of the things Jesus taught. One of my favorite teachings is the concept of doing good things in secret and not for the purpose of showing off. The concept of self righteousness is very converselly related and the saduccees and pharisees took this to a new level, at least as it is recorded in the New Testament. Inner conversion I think is another area Buddhism and Christianity have some crossover in. Buddhism is by nature very internal This doctrine President Uchtdorf addressed is also very internally centered. We have right mindedness, right understanding, right thoughts, right meditation, and right intention in the eight fold path. It would seem half of it is centered on the internal development of a person. Christianity would say that this is also important for it's believers.
If all this is not to put in harmony the inner self, what is the point really? Whether you are a believer in God or not, there really is no point if our belief system does not in some way help us be a better, peaceful person ultimately. Any belief that does not replenish the believer in some fashion will eventually consume them and then what good are they to their fellow man, or God for that matter? It's kind of like the good parasite bad parasite thing. A bad parasite kills it's host and destroys it's own home. A good one allows the host to continue supplying it with life giving nutrients. In fact, we humans actually depend on the bacteria in our intestines to function efficiently and benefit from this relationship even though we are completely unaware of it most of the time. So too is the mark of a successful belief system for all involved. Inner peace is important and not necessarily a selfish goal.
How can one who does not have inner peace show another what it is like? It seems to me it is one of those things that requires example. So I take this away from conference, don't be afraid of not being acknowledged by other people, you don't need that validation. Truthfully, constantly seeking validation from others is a very unhealthy thing as you will always be pulled this way and that and never quite arriving at a firm footing. It's actually one of the more damaging things people with OCD struggle with. Jesus taught about this and President Uchtdorf reminded us of it. We should not be hollywood prop sets with grand looking fronts and nothing behind them. This helps no one. We are all pieces of a vast humanity, and the universe if you take it that far, working to make things a little tidier in our portion of it and by working on the inside we create more strength and harmony on the greater whole we are all connected to.
That's not the point though. Things are what they are and things move forward. If you are reading this blog , you know I write about my perspective on the whole thing through my understanding of Buddhist philosophy. From earlier posts you know my attitude towards missionary work , although I am softening. It really doesn't affect me after all, and it may be of real benefit to some even if it isn't to others. The other common subjects of course are obedience, scripture reading, priesthood power and tithing of course.
I won't go into it all. You can read the talks on lds.org if you so desire. As a Mormon who sees things through a Buddhist philosophy I would like to take my subject from a talk Dieter Uchtdorf gave in the priesthood session.
It should not be hidden that I do espouse most of the things Jesus taught. One of my favorite teachings is the concept of doing good things in secret and not for the purpose of showing off. The concept of self righteousness is very converselly related and the saduccees and pharisees took this to a new level, at least as it is recorded in the New Testament. Inner conversion I think is another area Buddhism and Christianity have some crossover in. Buddhism is by nature very internal This doctrine President Uchtdorf addressed is also very internally centered. We have right mindedness, right understanding, right thoughts, right meditation, and right intention in the eight fold path. It would seem half of it is centered on the internal development of a person. Christianity would say that this is also important for it's believers.
If all this is not to put in harmony the inner self, what is the point really? Whether you are a believer in God or not, there really is no point if our belief system does not in some way help us be a better, peaceful person ultimately. Any belief that does not replenish the believer in some fashion will eventually consume them and then what good are they to their fellow man, or God for that matter? It's kind of like the good parasite bad parasite thing. A bad parasite kills it's host and destroys it's own home. A good one allows the host to continue supplying it with life giving nutrients. In fact, we humans actually depend on the bacteria in our intestines to function efficiently and benefit from this relationship even though we are completely unaware of it most of the time. So too is the mark of a successful belief system for all involved. Inner peace is important and not necessarily a selfish goal.
How can one who does not have inner peace show another what it is like? It seems to me it is one of those things that requires example. So I take this away from conference, don't be afraid of not being acknowledged by other people, you don't need that validation. Truthfully, constantly seeking validation from others is a very unhealthy thing as you will always be pulled this way and that and never quite arriving at a firm footing. It's actually one of the more damaging things people with OCD struggle with. Jesus taught about this and President Uchtdorf reminded us of it. We should not be hollywood prop sets with grand looking fronts and nothing behind them. This helps no one. We are all pieces of a vast humanity, and the universe if you take it that far, working to make things a little tidier in our portion of it and by working on the inside we create more strength and harmony on the greater whole we are all connected to.
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