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Power vs. Force: The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior.
by changing ourselves, we change the world. As we become more loving on the inside, healing occurs on the outside.
that attachments are the primary cause of suffering.
It is the accumulated pressure of feelings that causes thoughts.
When we repress a feeling, it is because there is so much guilt and fear over the feeling that it is not even consciously felt at all.
Denial results in major emotional and maturational blocks. It is usually accompanied by the mechanism of projection.
Instead of feeling it, we project it onto the world and those around us.
The expression of a feeling, first, tends to propagate that feeling and give it greater energy.
the expression of negativity results in the deterioration and destruction of relationships.
The basic rule is that we focus on what we have repressed.
so external events only trigger what we have been holding down,
A negative feeling instantly causes a loss of 50% of the body’s muscle strength and also narrows our vision both physically and mentally.
Letting go involves being aware of a feeling, letting it come up, staying with it, and letting it run its course without wanting to make it different or do anything about it. It means simply to let the feeling be there and to focus on letting out the energy behind it.
It is resistance that keeps the feeling going.
When you give up resisting or trying to modify the feeling, it will shift to the next feeling and be accompanied by a lighter sensation.
self-awareness is increased much more rapidly by observing feelings rather than thoughts.
understanding of the underlying emotion and its correct handling is, therefore, more rewarding and less time-consuming than dealing with one’s thoughts.
Handling a crisis from the emotional rather than the intellectual level will shorten its duration dramatically.
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way” (Frankl, [1959] 2006).
One benefit of a crisis is that it often brings us into familiarity with our shadow.
The world can only see us as we see ourselves.
Apathy and depression are the prices we pay for having settled for and bought into our smallness.
We are only subject to a negative thought or belief if we consciously say that it applies to us.
To what degree are we really using the other person to exploit them for our own gain?
“If their happiness were best served by leaving me, how would I feel about it?”
Love is automatically attracted to the person who is loving.
any thought which we consistently hold in mind and consistently give energy to will tend to come into our life according to the very form in which our mind has held it.
“What we hold in mind tends to manifest.”
Having—Doing—Being
The general progression of the levels of consciousness, as we go from the lowest to the highest, is to move from havingness to doingness to beingness.
true. If our mind, by its decision, has the power to make negative things happen in our life, then it has equal power in the opposite, positive direction.
Which is more important: to feel guilty or to change for the better?
declaration of our intention, by acceptance, by decision, and by the act of consciously choosing.
In anger, there is the energy for action. This results in doingness in the world.
The intention behind anger is negative, and it will have similar consequences even if it is not expressed.
If our relationships with others are associated with our small self in the form of sacrifice, then we are setting ourselves up for later anger, because the other person is usually unaware of our “sacrifice” and is, therefore, unlikely to fulfill our expectations.
The behavior of others toward us always includes a hidden gift. Even if that behavior appears negative, there is something in it for us.
We get what we want when we stop insisting on it!
If we look at moralistic indignation, we will see that it is propped up by vanity and pride.
We never know whom, in a later chapter of the book of life, we are going to need as a friend.
Anger is binding, not freeing.
genuine self-esteem does not actually arise until pride is relinquished.
Simplicity does not mean poverty of possessions; rather, it is a state of mind.
Attachment is, therefore, a potential cause for suffering, because attachment brings about
fear of loss and, with loss, we go back into apathy, depression, and grief.
It is a comical curiosity of the human mind to watch how it attaches pride to anything that is prefixed by the word “
If we look back on our life, we will see that every mistake we ever made was based on an opinion.
We become much less vulnerable if we put our thoughts, ideas, and beliefs, which are all opinions, into a different context. We can view them as ideas that we like or dislike. Some thoughts give us pleasure, and so we like them.
The source of love is seen to be within ourselves, emanating from our own nature and reaching out to include others. In the state of desire, by contrast, we speak of being “in love,” as the source of happiness and love is thought to be outside of ourselves.
There is a strong commitment to health and wellness, and bettering ourselves on all levels. Health issues are often considered to be problems at the psychological, emotional, or mental levels, and resources are sought and found which help to resolve the issues at all of those levels. The power of self-healing is now available.
