[Dialogue] 10 commitments resend

[KroegerD@aol.com]

The Ten Commitments


1. YHVH, God, the Power of Transformation and Healing, is the Ultimate
Reality of the Universe and the Source of Transcendent Unity


Aware of the suffering caused by not acknowledging the ultimate Unity of
All Being, I vow to recognize every human being as a manifestation of the
Divine and to spend more time each day in awe and wonder at the grandeur
of Creation.


Aware of the suffering that is caused when we unconsciously pass on to
others the pain, cruelty, depression and despair that has been inflicted
upon us, I vow to become conscious and then act upon all the possibilities
for healing and transforming my own life and being involved in healing and
transforming the larger world.


2. Idolatry


Aware of the suffering caused by taking existing social realities,
economic security, ideologies, religious beliefs, national commitments, or
the gratification of our current desires as the highest value, I vow to
recognize only God as the ultimate, and to look at the universe and each
part of my life as an evolving part of a larger Totality whose ultimate
worth is measured by how close it brings us to God and to love of each
other. To stay in touch with this reality, I vow to meditate each day for
at least ten minutes and to contemplate the totality of the universe and
my humble place in it.


3. Do not take God in Vain


Aware of the suffering caused by religious or spiritual fanaticism, I vow
to be respectful of all religious traditions which preach love and respect
for the Other, and to recognize that there are many possible paths to God.
I vow to acknowledge that we as Jews are not better than others and our
path is only one of the many ways that people have heard God's voice. I
vow to remain aware of the distortions in our own traditions, and the ways
that I myself necessarily bring my own limitations to every encounter with
the Divine. So I will practice spiritual humility. Yet I will
enthusiastically advocate for what I find compelling in the Jewish
tradition and encourage others to explore that which has moved me.


4. Observe the Sabbath


Aware of the suffering produced by excessive focus on "making it" and
obtaining material satisfactions, I vow to regularly observe Shabbat (one
25 hour period each week in which we stop all connection with work, money,
buying, dominating the world, and focus exclusively on celebration and joy
at the grandeur of the universe) as a day in which I focus on celebrating
the world rather than trying to control it or maximize my own advantage
within it. I will build Shabbat with a community and enjoy loving
connection with others. I will use some Shabbat time to renew my
commitment to social justice and healing. I will also set aside
significant amounts of time for inner spiritual development, personal
renewal, reflection, and pleasure.


5. Honor your mother and father


Aware of the suffering caused by aging, disease, and death, I vow to
provide care and support for my parents.


Aware that every parent has faults and has inflicted pain on their
children, I vow to forgive my parents and to allow myself to see them as
human beings with the same kinds of limitations as every other human being
on the planet. And I vow to remember the moments of kindness and
nurturance, and to let them play a larger role in my memory as I develop a
sense of compassion for them and for myself.


6. Do not murder


Aware of the suffering caused by wars, environmental irresponsibility, and
eruptions of violence, I vow to recognize the sanctify of life and not to
passively participate in social practices that are destructive of the
lives of others. I will resist the perpetrators of violence and oppression
of others, the poisoners of our environment, and those who demean others
or encourage acts of violence. Aware that much violence is the irrational
and often self-destructive response to the absence of love and caring, I
vow to show more loving and caring energy to everyone around me, to take
the time to know others more deeply, and to struggle for a world which
provides everyone with recognition and spiritual nourishment.


7. Do not engage in sexual exploitation


Aware of the suffering caused when people break their commitments of
sexual loyalty to each other, and the suffering caused by using other
people for our own sexual purposes, I vow to keep my commitments and to be
fully honest and open in my sexual dealings with others, avoiding deceit
or manipulation to obtain my own ends. I will rejoice in my body and the
bodies of others, will treat them as embodiments of Divine energy, and
will seek to enhance my own pleasure and the pleasure of others around me,
joyfully celebrating sex as an opportunity for encounter with the holy. I
will do all I can to prevent sexual abuse in adults and children, the
spreading of sexually transmitted diseases, and the misuse of sexuality to
further domination or control of others. I will respect the diversity of
non-expletive sexual expression and lifestyles and will not seek to impose
sexual orthodoxies on others.


8. Do not steal


Aware of the suffering caused by an unjust distribution of the world's
resources, exploitation, and theft, I vow to practice generosity, to share
what I have, and to not keep anything that should belong to others while
working for a wise use of the goods and services that are available. I
will not horde what I have, and especially will not horde love. I will
support a fairer redistribution of the wealth of the planet so that
everyone has adequate material well-being, recognizing that contemporary
global inequalities in wealth are often the resultant of colonialism,
genocide, slavery, theft and the imposition of monetary and trade policies
by the powerful on the powerless. In the meantime, I will do my best to
support the homeless and others who are in need.


Aware that others sometimes contribute much energy to keeping this
community functioning, I will give time and energy to the tasks of
building the Tikkun community or some other community of people dedicated
to healing and transforming the world, and, when possible, will donate
generously of my financial resources and my talents and time.


9. Do not lie


Aware of the suffering caused by wrongful speech, I vow to cultivate a
practice of holy speech in which my words are directed to increasing the
love and caring in the world. I vow to avoid words that are misleading or
manipulative, and avoid spreading stories that I do not know to be true,
or which might cause unnecessary divisiveness or harm, and instead will
use my speech to increase harmony, social justice, kindness, hopefulness,
trust and solidarity. I will be generous in praise and support for others.
To heighten my awareness of this commitment, I will dedicate one day a
week to full and total holiness of words, refraining from any speech that
day which does not hallow God's name or bring joy to others.


10. Do not covet


Aware of the suffering caused by excessive consumption of the world's
resources, I vow to rejoice in what I have and to live a life of ethical
consumption governed by a recognition that the world's resources are
already strained and by a desire to promote ecological sustainability and
material modesty. I vow to see the success of others as an inspiration
rather than as detracting from my own sufficiency and to cultivate in
myself and others the sense that I have enough and that I am enough and
that there is enough for everyone.


-- 
Dick Kroeger