A Clean Heart, Sound Mind

Opening Reflections:

Create a clean heart for me, O God. Put a loyal spirit within me. (Ps. 51:10)

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. (Mt. 5:8)

He who has clean hands and a pure heart, 

who does not lift up his soul to what is false. (Ps. 24: 4)

Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed,

 and get a new heart and a new spirit. (Ez 18:31)

Awaken the mind without fixing it anywhere. (The Diamond Sutra)

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; (Ez 26:36)

Enlightenment means seeing into your own essential nature, 

and this at the same time means seeing through to the essential 

nature of all things. - Yasutani

Don't take anything personally.- (Don Miguel Ruiz)

I will use this day in a more positive way. I should not waste this very day. 

(The Dalai Lama)

Scripture Reading:

"We put no stumbling block in anyone's path, 

so that our ministry will be discredited.

Rather, as servants of God, we commend ourselves in every way:

in great endurance; in troubles, hardships, or distresses;

in beatings, imprisonments, and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights, and hunger;

in purity, understanding, patience, and kindness;

in the Holy Spirit, and sincere love;

in truthful speech, and the power of God; 

with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and left; 

through glory and dishonor, bad report and good;

genuine, yet regarded as imposters; known, yet regarded as unknown;

dying, yet we live on; beaten, yet not killed;

sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich;

having nothing, yet possessing everything.

-Paul's Letter to the Corinthians, 2 Cor 6: 1-11

Moment of Reflection: 

Scripture Reading:

All that we are is the result of what we

have thought: it is founded on our thoughts,

if a man speaks or acts with an evil

thought, suffering follows him, as the 

wheel follows the hoof of the beast

that draws the wagon.

All that we are is the result of what we 

have thought: it is founded on our thoughts.

If a man speaks or acts with a good

thought’ happiness follows him like a 

shadow that never leaves him.

(The Dhammapada- 1:1-2)

Moment of Reflection

Reflection

The mind has the ability to talk to itself, but also has the ability to hear information from other realms. Sometimes, you hear a voice in your mind, and it may wonder where it came from. This voice may have come from another reality in which there are living beings similar to our minds.

Our mind exists in the level with God. Our mind lives in that reality, and can perceive that reality. The mind sees with eyes that perceives this waking reality. But, the mind also perceives and sees without the eyes, although the reason is hardly aware of this perception. The mind lives in more than one dimension. There may be times when you have ideas that don't originate in your mind, but you are perceiving them with your mind. You have the right to believe or not believe these voices, and the right not to take what they say personally. We have a choice whether or not to believe the voices we hear within are own minds, just as we have a choice to believe and agree with the dream of the planet.

Don't take anything personally, because by taking things personally you set yourself up to suffer for nothing. (Don Miguel Ruiz. The Four Agreements, p 55-57)

Memory Verse for Today:

The man who overcomes his misdeeds

with good actions brightens the world

like the moon appearing from behind the clouds.

(The Dhammapada, 13:173)

Closing Prayer:

Let us put on unity of mind, thinking humble thoughts, exercising self-control, keeping ourselves far from all backbiting and slander, being righteous in deed, and not in word only. Scripture says: He who says much hears much in his own turn. Or does the easy talker think that he is righteous? (St. Ephraim's Letter to the Corinthians)