[Dialogue] 10 commitments resend

[mhampton@att.net]

Dick

I have not studied the Commitments in depth yet, but they make inspiring, challenging reading.  For my "worth saving" file.

Thank you!

mary

-------------- Original message from KroegerD at 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 
> 
> 
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