Universal Life Church Monastery of Massachusetts

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

LIFE: Questions

One of the questions most frequently asked us is what we want to do in our lives. From the time we begin to speak, this favorite query of all and sundry plagues us till we are fit into some stereotypical role that they have outlined for us already, irrespective of our wishes and desires.

Although, after a certain point, the world stops demanding an answer to it, this central concern of our being continues to haunt man from the inside, incessantly trying to figure out our purpose of being, the meaning of our existence, what role we have in this great play of the universe. The Bible gives a clear cut answer to this question, by defining explicitly what the purpose of man in this life should be when it says: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.” To achieve something bigger than the gratification of one’s own needs; to move beyond the mere Self, and enable one to contribute to the world and humanity.

Thursday, January 1, 2015

LIFE: Static mind

The greatest threat to life is a static mind. An uninspired individual, thoughtlessly following the dictates of society does not hold the power to add anything to the already existing pool of human knowledge and experience. When one willfully gives up his faculty to think and reason for himself, to make active decisions, bogged down by the mundane reality of everyday activities, he kills his propensity to give life to new ideas.

The Bible instructs us to break out of this induced insipidity when it says: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Our individuality and uniqueness, the faculty of our imaginations and our souls, when inspired and allowed to manifest themselves, are what create life, and reassert the being and message of God.

Thursday, December 25, 2014

LIFE: Be Thankful

Throughout life we are told to be grateful for all that we have, to look at those who have less than us, rather than to those who have infinite times more, in order to be able to appreciate the blessings we have been showered with.

Despite these constant reminders, we find it easier to look at all that has, in fact, been denied us, leading to the building up of frustration and anger towards the world, our family, God, ourselves-whichever force we hold responsible for having deprived us of what it was we wanted-leaving us bitter, and dissatisfied. However, as it has been said in the Bible, "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’.” so we will often find compensation if we think more of what life has given us and less about what life has taken away. Peace and satisfaction will be ours if we rejoice in the gifts the Lord has given us, and if we seek our happiness in what we have, as compared to what we could have had.

Thursday, December 11, 2014

LIFE: Patience

We spend our lives looking to others, trying to copy their success stories, while not understanding why the same could not work for us, or cursing their good luck: the bestselling Self-Help books are a no-go, your mum casting up the impeccable grades of the neighbor whom you hate, in a bid to motivate you doesn’t help-and you end up even more bitter, internalizing all the anger and frustration.

However, as Carl Jung says, ‘The shoe that fits one person pinches another; there is no recipe for living that suits all cases’, similarly, we each need to be allowed the freedom to make our mistakes, be given the courage to face our faults, yet not let them bring you down by needless and futile comparisons with vastly different Others, and as the Bible instructs us: “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed”, therefore teaching us an important lesson in patience, contentment and belief.

Thursday, December 4, 2014

LIFE: Searching

Many people spend their lives trying to achieve the magnificent, believing that the magic of living exists only if manifested through grandiose action. If an act is not grand and awe inspiring, there might as well be point of doing it.

However, in their search for the magnificent, they tend to over look the many, little, ordinary things they could do, which, when seen as a whole, create a magnificent picture. In the material race to fulfill our moral obligation, we often fail to realize how our biggest challenge in life is to be able to excel in our very ordinariness, which would enable us to become majestic. As the Bible remarks: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men”, thus do not seek glory in grand actions with which to gain the praise of your fellow beings: little deeds of kindness, done with the right intention and only to seek the pleasure of your Lord hold more importance.

Thursday, November 20, 2014

LIFE: Existentialism

Ralph Waldo Emerson’s saying ‘Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood’ is indeed a representation of one of the most important schools of thought operating in the twentieth century, which helped shape much of modern thought, and how people conducted their lives: existentialism. Existentialists believe in the importance of individual, subjective experiences: they believe that only through acting upon individual choices could a person arrive at the significant truths of this life.

Therefore, it allowed people to break out of the mould of convention and orthodox practices; it allowed them the room to deduce what meaning they chose out of the world around them, and engulfed them in a terrifying freedom, to interpret, live and experience life to its core, as they each saw fit respectively, which helped them to realize and make sense of the inexplicable workings of this world. This idea is presented in I Ching as “The sage, who is living outside the routine of the world, contemplates his own character, not as an isolated ego manifestation, but in relation to the laws of life.”

Thursday, November 13, 2014

LIFE: Fate

Man is a great believer in fate. Even those of us who scoff at such an idea and are great proponents of free will as compared to pre destination, find some comfort in knowing-when stuck in particularly tricky situations-that what will be, will be.

However, our lives are not dictated by the fates alone, and the aforementioned knowledge should not be such a comfort, knowing that the reason we’re stuck in that particular situation is not merely the play of fate alone-rather, it is the result of our own individual actions and choices which have led us to whatever point in life we are at: as Jawaharlal Nehru has said ‘Life is like a game of cards. The hand that is dealt you represents determinism; the way you play it is free will.’ Thus, we play a part in deciding our path in life as much as fate or pre-destination, and as the Bible states “Rise up; this matter is in your hands. We will support you, so take courage and do it.”

Thursday, November 6, 2014

LIFE: Judging people

Humans have a tendency to judge other people through their actions, their appearance, their behavior and manners. They think that all the above mention criterion describe them as people and their traits can be generalized and they can be put into specific categories of people. People do this to some extent; they can be judgmental to the extreme of being racists, sexists, or biased on the sexual orientation or creed, or just as small as claiming another person to be “hyper” or aloof.

The most appropriate way of dealing with the natural feelings of generalizing is to see every individual as a separate identity with various aspects to him or her. Not everyone is the same, and everyone is the not the same al the time. So, if you judge others, there is a good chance that you will be judged at some point in time as well. As it says in the Bible, “Judge not lest you be judged”.

Thursday, October 30, 2014

LIFE: Learning

A man is brought into this world, where he knows nothing, but he grows in a Society where he adapts and learns the culture and the norms. He is taught the difference between right and wrong, about the world, about his beliefs, about etiquettes and manners, his conduct.

However, during this process of learning and adaptation, one should not forget one’s own identity. One should not let other people take decisions for him and force their opinions on him. He should learn the way to discern the truth from falsehood and then choose the path for himself on his own. As it says “Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind” (Romans 14:5), God wants us to see the facts around us and use our logic to determine the way for us. It is a sign to not let other people coerce us into making decisions not beneficial for us, and if there have to be decisions that go wrong, they should be our mistakes, something we learn from and not repeat again.

Thursday, October 16, 2014

LIFE: Existential concern

The choice to take one’s own life is a very existential concern. It’s a question of one exercising his existential right, to live, or not to live, taking the core issue of one’s life being shaped by their own individual choices, owning up to the responsibility of one’s actions to the extreme; thus, very justifiable by our post modern morality and its emphasis on passionate individual experiences, as essential to reaching truths in this life, as this act pertains only to the Self, and no other.

However, viewing it in a more conventional light, the 6th commandment forbids man from committing murder: in essence, from taking life. That, is solely a privilege of God. By taking one’s own life, we are in complete discord with the teachings of the 6th Commandment. Thus, though the act seems to embody the ultimate existentialist right of man, it is a direct flouting of the teachings of God.