DW's Blog

The Crucible of Doubt: Forging Authentic Faith

by DW Green — September 25, 2024

Once we’ve pursued our doubts to their conclusion, we forge a stronger, not weaker, belief system.

Doubt is what leaves us open to truth, wherever it lies, however difficult it may be to accept. Above all, doubt compels us to reexamine everything we’ve been led to believe is unassailable. Without doubt, life would be a series of untested, uncertain assumptions, none truly ours, but borrowed from others whose truth we’ve adopted as our own.The problem with accepting received truth rather than discovering it for ourselves is that it’s not worth dying for—and we don’t. It becomes a veneer of ideas beneath which we live our lives without passion or care. This kind of faith happens around us but not within us—we merely go through the motions. At the first crack in the edifice, we’re gone; at the first chink in the castle wall, we flee to less demanding pastures.Doubt, conversely, is the mother of conviction. Once we’ve pursued our doubts to their conclusion, we forge a stronger, not weaker, belief system. These truths are genuine because they’re now true for us, not just for someone else. To suppress doubt, to discourage thinking, to try to stop someone from questioning the unquestionable is to make them more susceptible to cynicism and less accep...

by DW Green — September 18, 2024

By embracing these paradoxes – of life and death, being and knowing, thinking and awareness – we open ourselves to a more profound understanding of existence.

In the dance of existence, life and death are merely two sides of the same coin. Life expresses beauty in its myriad forms, while death, far from being a loss, is simply a transition within the greater continuum of being. This paradox points to a deeper truth about the nature of reality and our place within it.

At the core of our experience lies the eternal “I am,” a state of being that transcends time and space. This “I am” exists in a perpetual here and now, not bound by physical location or temporal moment, but in a dimensionless presence where the finite and infinite intersect. It is in this placeless place that we find our true essence, where our individual consciousness meets the divine.

While our minds often get caught up in the stream of thoughts, true awareness lies beyond thinking. Awareness acts as a container for our thoughts, allowing us to observe them without being consumed by them. This capacity fo...

by DW Green — September 11, 2024

“We must also embrace a fundamental truth about existence: everything is in a constant state of flux.”

In the early 20th century, Frederick Lewis Donaldson articulated seven social sins that Mahatma Gandhi later popularized. A century later, these principles resonate with even greater urgency in our rapidly evolving society:

Wealth without work
Pleasure without conscience
Knowledge without character
Commerce without morality
Science without humanity
Religion without sacrifice
Politics without principle

These pairings highlight the critical importance of balance in various aspects of human endeavor. When we pursue one element without its ethical counterpart, we create imbalances that ultimately exact a cost on individuals and society as a whole.However, as we grapple with these enduring ethical challenges, we must also embrace a fundamental truth about existence: everything is in a constant state of flux. All that comes into being will eventually pass away. This principle of impermanence applies not only to material things but also to ideas, systems, and societies.Recognizing and accepting this truth of perpetual change can be profoundly liberating. It reminds us that...

by DW Green — September 4, 2024

“Cultivating discernment requires the courage to sit with discomfort until truth emerges.”

Discernment is the ability to perceive the world and others from an objective standpoint, free from emotional entanglements. It allows one to interpret life’s symbols and patterns with clarity and empathy, rather than falling victim to desire and aversion. This skill helps distinguish between the heart’s wisdom and the mind’s chatter.

Cultivating discernment requires the courage to sit with discomfort until truth emerges. It involves looking beyond surface-level appearances and delving deeper into the essence of situations and people. By developing this capacity, individuals can make more informed decisions and navigate complex interpersonal dynamics with greater ease.

True discernment fosters a growing sense of optimism and hope for humanity. As one becomes more adept at seeing things as they truly are, it becomes easier to recognize the inherent goodness in people and the potential for positive change in challenging situations.

by DW Green — August 28, 2024

It’s about getting in touch with the Being part of human.

We have forgotten what rocks, plants, and animals still know: how to simply be—to be still, to be ourselves, to exist in the Here and Now. To bring your attention to a stone, a tree, or an animal doesn’t mean to think about it, but to simply perceive it, hold it in your awareness. Something of its essence then transmits itself to you. You sense its stillness, and that same stillness arises within you. You recognize how deeply it rests in Being—completely at one with what and where it is. In realizing this, you too come to a place of deep inner rest.

We’ve always been there, here, but didn’t know! Who am I? It’s about getting in touch with the Being part of human. By focusing on the interdependence, unity, and connectedness that was always there from the beginning, the “problem” of self/other isn’t so much solved as dissolved and transcended. This discovery is often depicted as a journey, path, or pilgrimage, but it’s more like the fading of an image on a screen—an interesting trip deep within yourself.

There...

by DW Green — August 21, 2024

The self is the root of all fear.

Fear is both innate and learned; it is tied to our past experiences. To liberate our thoughts and feelings from fear, we must understand the past through the lens of the present. The past constantly seeks to shape the present, which then becomes the identifying memory of the “me,” the “mine,” the “I.” The self is the root of all fear. Fear exists only in relation to an idea, and an idea is the response of memory manifesting as thought.

Read More – Non-Verbal Communication

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by DW Green — August 7, 2024

Community life serves as a powerful mirror, reflecting back to us aspects of ourselves that we might otherwise overlook or avoid.

In the tapestry of human interaction, conflict often emerges as a thread we’d rather not see. Yet, it’s precisely these moments of tension and disagreement that can reveal the most about ourselves and offer the greatest opportunities for growth. When we encounter conflict, we’re presented with a choice: to entrench ourselves in our positions of “right” and “wrong,” or to yield to something larger and more profound.Community life serves as a powerful mirror, reflecting back to us aspects of ourselves that we might otherwise overlook or avoid. It’s within the crucible of communal living that we’re called to recognize our shadow side – those parts of ourselves that we may find uncomfortable or unpleasant. Through our interactions with others, we become aware of the ways in which we can be hard, distant, rigid, and unforgiving.This mirror of community doesn’t just show us our flaws; it reveals our patterns of behavior that impact others. We might notice how we sometimes place our needs before those of the group, show up distracted or late to commitments, or take others for granted. These realizations can be uncomfortable,...

by DW Green — July 31, 2024

Although the human mind likes to believe it is dedicated to truth, in reality, it often seeks confirmation of existing beliefs.

‘Presence’ could be understood as PRE-SENSE: Being preceding senses, prior to any sensation. For any content to appear, the capacity of being must come first. In it, thought or sensation (scene, sound, scent, etc.) is known.

In loving ourselves, we love the world. Just as fire, rock, and water are all made of molecules, everything, including you and me, is connected by a small piece of the beginning. The living proof of God’s love and will for you is the gift of your own existence.

Although the human mind likes to believe it is dedicated to truth, in reality, it often seeks confirmation of existing beliefs. The ego is innately prideful and resists the revelation that many of its beliefs are merely perceptual illusions.

For the mind, it is always about becoming, instead of being. It projects into some future time. Yet there is no future time to become in. The actuality is right...

by DW Green — July 24, 2024

When we’re free, we stop seeing the world as “us vs. them” or “right vs. wrong.”

Freedom is more than just doing whatever you want. It’s about freeing your mind from negative thoughts and seeing life in a new way. Imagine being stuck in traffic. Instead of getting angry, you could choose to use that time to listen to your favorite music or learn something new. That’s freedom – the power to find the good in any situation.When we’re free, we stop seeing the world as “us vs. them” or “right vs. wrong.” We don’t waste energy defending ourselves or trying to prove we’re better than others. Instead, we try to respond with kindness, even when others aren’t kind to us. It’s like choosing to smile at someone who frowns at you.This way of thinking can change not just our own lives, but the whole world. When more people choose freedom, it’s like a ripple effect. We start to see beyond the things that divide us, like anger, fear, or the need to control others. We begin to understand each other better and work together to solve problems.Freedom isn’t always easy. It takes practice to let go of old habits and negative feelings. But each time we choose to be free – to respond with love instead of anger, or to find opportunity in a challenge –...

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