Guiding Light Freedom from Opinion

Author(s): Namramuni
Publisher: Namramuni

Page 4

Freedom from Opinions.....
Freedom from Opinions...
Those who want to tread on the path of sadhana to purify their soul must, first and foremost, give up two things - expressing opinions and giving advice.
Parmatma has said... Opinions are heaps of past memories which have accumulated in your mind over the years. You may perform physical austerities, recite a rosary and chant mantras, but until the past memories and the heaps of opinions and beliefs are not broken and erased, your sadhana will not be successful
Staunchness of opinions leads to obstinacy. Parmatma says obstinacy is irreligion. Obstinacy leads to conflicts and is the root cause of all clashes.
Are the family members of your present birth going to live with you forever? No...!
How can one stop forming opinions?
The people who are with you today - were they with you ten years ago? Will they be with you ten years later? NO...!
One needs to first understand that the habit of forming opinions and making assumptions is the root cause of all troubles. Until one does not comprehend that opinions are the cause of breach in peace, clashes, conflicts and trouble, unless one realizes that the cause of unhappiness is being judgmental, the reason for misery is making assumptions and the tension in the home front is due to these false opinions and assumptions, one fails to stop forming and expressing one's opinions.
The people with whom you were in your previous birth - are they with you in this birth? NO...!
Each member of your family has come from a different place; different birth (gati) and taken birth at different times and coincidentally, all of you have got together here. Hence, everyone's thoughts, opinions and beliefs will be different. People with different opinions and different beliefs have, today, become members of one family, one society, hence, your thoughts and feelings are different. Your wife, your son, your daughter, your daughter-in-law - everyone's feelings, thoughts and wishes will be different. Hence, opinions will also be different.
If one person of the family who is the decision maker expresses his opinion for everything and if there is another person in the same family who opposes and does not accept and invariably rejects and opposes it, all hell breaks loose.
"When there is opposition, problems arise.'
These problems create misunderstandings and conflicts.
If there is a difference of opinion,
there will be breach in peace.
What should be done to avoid problems, misunderstandings, clashes and conflicts?
It is important to break the heap of opinions that one has built over time immemorial before traversing the path of sadhana for the purification of one's soul.
Stop forming opinions...when the mind is filled with restlessness, problems and conflicts, you will not derive peace, even if you are pious. You may try to remain in equanimity by performing samayik, but the problems will not let you remain in peace.
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