Inner  Frontier
Fourth Way Spiritual Practice

 

Inner Work


For the weeks of July 23 & 30, 2018

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One Responsibility

(Living in Oneness: 5)

The one who sees is the one who is, or at least could be, responsible. The one who sees is the one who can choose to respond appropriately. In the previous part of this series on Living in Oneness, we worked at being the one who sees. Being ourselves in that way, being the true person at the core of our being, we may find that person who not only sees but is responsible.

This notion of responsibility goes very deep. Who is responsible for the universe? Who looks after the welfare of the universe? Is the universe just a clockwork mechanism, blindly following the laws of physics? Or is there a force, a benign and loving force, behind this amazing creation? If that force created the universe, did it subsequently sit back and take no further action?

After considering such questions and consulting our intuition, we realize that, at the very least, part of the responsibility for the universe has devolved to us personally, on behalf of the creating force. In that way, being responsible for our own corner of the universe aligns us with and serves the Sacred. We focus, not only on our human rights, but even more on our human obligations.

The more responsible we are, in a kind and loving way, the stronger our inherent connection with the Sacred. The One Will flows through us all. To the extent we live responsibly, we live with the Sacred. Spirituality can live in our home, at our job, in the marketplace, not just on the meditation cushion or in the house of worship; it lives through responsible action with heart. What that means in actual practice depends on each specific circumstance, our judgment, and our conscience. We know intuitively what the responsible choice is, the kind and loving responsible choice.

To be fully human means to be, among other things, responsible, for ourselves, our family, our society, our planet, and to the Sacred. At each level, our share of the responsibility is necessarily smaller, yet still consequential. When we do the right thing, or refrain from the wrong thing, it has an effect beyond the immediate result. It helps entrain and shift the collective will toward the light. Aligning with and sharing in the massive responsibility of the Sacred, imparts a core of true meaning to our life. A satisfying and well-lived life assuredly includes being responsible.

Responsibility to the Sacred is not a matter of attempting to impose our beliefs on others. Rather it is a matter of diving into heartfelt worship, of non-harming and kindness, of presence in and to our life. If we realize or even suspect that everyone we meet bears a shard of the Divine, just as we ourselves do, then our attitude toward everyone is naturally grounded in respect. Those shards of the Sacred Will all come from the same Source and serve as our direct connection to the Source and to each other.

Who is responsible? All outward responsible actions have their origin in the inward action of taking responsibility, of being the one who is responsible. This "I am responsible" itself includes the unqualified "I am." By being responsible we create ourselves, we become real, we become a node in the network of responsibility, and we strengthen our connection with the One Who is responsible for all.

For this week, please practice being the one who is responsible.


     

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