“Love the whole world as a mother loves her only child.”

– The Buddha

Source: https://www.purelovequotes.com/author/buddha/love-the-whole-world-as-a-mother/

     I started … with the Gospel of Matthew.  I read about the birth of Jesus, the preaching of John the Baptist in the wilderness, Jesus’ temptation in the desert, and then I came to the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) … What I read there changed my life forever.

     I was only fifteen, but somehow I knew that within those handful of paragraphs was the way life was supposed to be.  What Jesus described made so much sense to me.  The kind of love he talked about, I knew, was the kind of love everyone should have.  And from that moment forward, it was the kind of love I knew I wanted to have.

— Excerpted from The Truth as I See It: A Collection of Spiritual Writings by Adam Soto (p. 31-32)

 

Copyright 2018 Golden Rule Independent Publications

     “There is no greater trouble for thee than thine own self, for when thou art occupied with thyself, thou remainest away from God.”

– Abu Sa’id

Source: https://www.bmcm.org/inspiration/thought-day/there-is-no-greater-trouble-for-thee-tha/

     In seeking God in your life, be true to yourself and never be afraid to seek the truth wherever you may find it.  Always follow the leadings of your own spirit and let God’s love light the way.  If something doesn’t make sense to you, pray to God to help show you the truth.  Share your joy and your experiences of God with others.  Build them up as they will build you up, so that together, with God, we all can experience a true heaven of love and unity.

— Excerpted from The Truth as I See It: A Collection of Spiritual Writings by Adam Soto (p. 52)

 

Copyright 2018 Golden Rule Independent Publications

     Living the spiritual life is more than just proclaiming a set of beliefs; it is a declaration of commitment to live as God lives.  It takes great effort and hard work—a very transformation in the way we live and think, our philosophies and attitudes, in all things that keep us separated from God and those around us.

     Like from a caterpillar to a butterfly, we too can break away from our selfish ways of living and learn to spread our wings and fly.

     Love is the air that will keep us afloat.

— Excerpted from The Truth as I See It: A Collection of Spiritual Writings by Adam Soto (p. 52)

 

Copyright 2018 Golden Rule Independent Publications

     “The soul is made of love and must ever strive to return to love. Therefore, it can never find rest nor happiness in other things. It must lose itself in love. By its very nature it must seek God, who is love.”

– Mechthild of Magdeburg

Source: https://www.bmcm.org/inspiration/thought-day/the-soul-is-made-of-love-and-must-ever-s/

     In planning for the future, remember that there’s nothing wrong with asking God to help guide and lead you along the way.  In any situation, anything you do, invite God to be with you.  You don’t have to go alone.

— Excerpted from The Truth as I See It: A Collection of Spiritual Writings by Adam Soto (p. 52)

 

Copyright 2018 Golden Rule Independent Publications

Question: What is prayer?  Can you describe different forms of prayer?  What power does prayer have, if any?  How can prayer help the world and all of its inhabitants, today, here and now?

Answer: I see prayer as a way of aligning our soul/mind with the spirit/mind of God.  It’s a way for us to center our energy on God (and others).

     I’m not sure that I can describe different forms of prayer.  For me personally, I have a running dialogue with God throughout the day.  I mostly offer short gratitudes for whatever good things I feel blessed with in my daily life.  I also have a time once a day where I go through a list of things that I’m thankful for.  I don’t think that God needs this from us, to satisfy some sort of egotistical God-complex …  but I like to practice it as a way of always keeping my energy aligned with God’s.

     I think that there could be more to prayer, though I don’t have any concrete ideas or experiences in any ways other than personal.  I believe that the energy of a group prayer could help in healing … I acknowledge the possibility of it, for sure.  But I don’t have much to say about it, being that it’s outside of my experience.

     I don’t believe that any souls need our prayers.  My experience of God is that God loves us completely and unconditionally.  “God is not a torturer.”  “All is mercy.”  (These two lines are from a move entitled, “Diary of a Country Priest,” and I believe them wholeheartedly.)  But to remember people in our prayers I think is a good practice.  And since God’s love (in my opinion) is unconditional, our intercession isn’t necessary or required.

Maybe I’m right, maybe I’m wrong, but that’s The Truth as I See It.

     One Buddhist monk leaned over to another and quietly asked, “Are you not thinking what I’m not thinking?”

Source: http://www.enlightened-spirituality.org/Spiritual_Humor.html

     To a disciple who was forever complaining about others, the Master said, “If it is peace you want, seek to change yourself, not other people. It is easier to protect your feet with slippers than to carpet the whole of the earth.”

– Anthony de Mello, One Minute Wisdom

Source: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Anthony_de_Mello