#3 - We need clear rules
Spiritual growth is not possible without ethical behavior
The path of spiritual awakenig is not always fun—in fact in can be so hard that many of us quit along the way. It requires a lot from us, in particular faith in God, a loving heart, consistency and ethical bevavior. The latter one is extremely important in order to not harm ourselves and others, and it is the foundation of our development.
This is why clear rules are needed and can be found in the Bible as well as in Buddhism. Both concepts maybe old, but they still provide strong ethical foundations for our lives and our spiritual development.
The Ten Commandments of the Bible
“You shall have no other gods before Me.”—to me this means we need to devote our lives to God—the real God and not fake ones that we create. Western societies have abandoned Christianity to a large extent in recent years and instead worship money, fame, power, “science”, etc. which has led to emptiness and psyochological problems on a massive scale. WE NEED TO COURSE CORRECT IF WE WANT TO FIND TRUE HAPPINESS!
“You shall not make idols.”—this in closely interlinked with the first commandment, however, to me it adds another dimension: We cannot even comprehend the greatness of God as he has created the universe and us. We need to acknowledge this and our place in the world—GOD IS BIG AND WE ARE SMALL. THEREFORE WE ARE NOT IN A POSITION TO MAKE IMAGES OF HIM!
“You Shall Not Take God’s Name in Vain.”—this means to not take God’s holy name lightly and to never use it as a thoughtless, hateful curse. This is probably the most common sin today, as we find profanity all over our music, movies and speech. LET US BE MORE MINDFUL!
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”—it is important to provide for our families and overall create a good life on earth. However, we can easily become mindless and forget about God and our spiritual potential. WE NEED TO PRAY, MEDITATE, CONTEMPLATE AND CONNECT WITH OUR INNER REALITY REGULARLY!
“Honor Your Father and Your Mother.”—this is a difficult one for many of us, especially for those with childhood trauma caused by their parents. However, we need to understand that we can never find happiness in our lives if we do not honor our parents. IF WE DISRESPECT THEM, WE DISRESPECT OURSELVES, AS THEY ARE A PART OF US!
“You Shall Not Murder.”—this one should be straightforward as long as we get the definition of murder right. As much as I believe that we should not kill fellow human beings, this commandment speaks of “murder” not “killing”. So where is the distinction? In my view, murder is always hateful and planned, whereas for instance self-defense is different. HOWEVER, WE CAN NOT GO WRONG BY TRYING EVERYTHING TO NOT KILL AT ALL!
“You Shall Not Commit Adultery.”—this covers in principle all forms of sex outside of marriage and is designed to protect it. It is obvious to me that people, who do not live accorsing to this rule, will ultimately be unhappy. The question is, where adultery starts and what it means in our modern lives. IN MY VIEW, WE NEED TO AVOID ANY ACTIVITY THAT HARMS OR BETRAYS OUR PARTNER AND THAT DEGRADES OURSELF!
“You Shall Not Steal.”—stealing can take many forms, including cheating or even delaying paying someone. No society can function without this Commandment which is why it has made it into law in most places. And no individual, who has a mindset of stealing from others, will ever be happy and fulfilled. IF WE DO NOT ADHERE TO THIS, WE WILL FAIL AS HUMANS AND AS A SOCIETY!
“You Shall Not Bear False Witness.”—lying and dishonesty pervert and corrupt hearts and are abominations to God—thery are sinful. As a matter of fact, lies never work in the long run and they hurt the liar more than the one being lied to. They are an easy way out in the moment, but always diminish our self-respect and ultimately lead to a life lived below our true potential. DO NOT LIE TO YOURSELF AND OTHERS!
“You Shall Not Covet.”—you shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s. This again is a rule to keep our society working, but much more than that, a rule to help us grow inside: WE CAN ONLY FIND OUR OWN SPIRITUAL PURPOSE AND BUILD OUR OWN LIFE, IF WE STOP COVETING WHAT OTHERS HAVE!
The Ten Non-virtuous Actions in Buddhism
Interestingly, Buddhism has a simlar concept to the Ten Commandments. The Ten Unwholesome Deeds, sometimes also referred to as the Ten Non-virtuous Actions, are actions that are considered harmful to oneself and others, creating negative karma.
Taking life
Taking what is not given
Sexual misconduct
Lying
Sowing discord
Harsh speech
Idle gossip (or worthless chatter)
Covetousness
Ill will (or wishing harm on others)
Wrong view
Looking at the list, there are many similarities to the Ten Commandments but also some (subtle) differences. We do not find the word “God” in here and they seem to even put more emphasis on our personal development and the negative repercussions of unethical behavior on ourselves.
My conclusion
Both, the Bible and the teachings of Buddhism, know sets of rules that we have to obey. If we don’t, our societies will collapse.
But it goes deeper. We also need to be honestly convinced of the need to adhere to ethical standards if we want to awaken and ultimately reach enlightenment—to live in heaven on earth!
Living an ethical life is the foundation of our spiritual development. Prayer, meditation, yoga, breathwork and many other techniques will only help us transform ourselves, if the foundation is there.
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