Inclusion

Thoughts about us and them and judgment and condemnation and what it’s all about

Inclusion

By Stuart Dean

A few years ago, I encountered a deeply moving account of the Father and the Children of God. It takes place before there was an earth or even a heaven. The Children would joyfully come together with each other and the Father, and this was the natural thing for them to do. A bit later, some of the Children decided to go off and play with creating greater density, which would eventually become matter. These Children became interested in being off by themselves, and they were no longer open to joining with the Father or the other Children. This caused considerable stress for the Children who were not involved with creating greater density. When they went to the Father with their concern, He reminded them in a gentle way that no intentions could be apart from His oneness. He then asked them if they could describe the distress they were feeling. They realized that love had stopped flowing through them when they were resisting what the other Children were doing. Now that they were accepting even the separative intention as part of oneness, their love began to flow again and all was well.

Through this account, there have been some really deep changes in my attitude, especially in the area of “accepting what is.” What I realized was that to reject anything is to forfeit the awareness of oneness. It’s not that we don’t offer healing where it’s needed, but the attitude of “let’s get rid of this condition” or “let’s pray for a good outcome,” if we’re not careful, may actually lead us away from oneness. If the Father prayed to be rid of “bad” things, where would they be?

About a year later, I was able to visit the Father, and I actually felt Him to be accepting of all that arises, not just “the good.” If the Father singled anything out as unacceptable, there would then be a big field of good and a small field of “not-good,” and oneness would be no more. So I learned that it is right to amplify wholeness, but without denigrating its opposite.

After prayer was revamped this way in my life, it was virtue’s turn. We all believe that it is right to grow more virtuous, and it is, certainly, but so many who pursue virtue are also excoriating vice, particularly among the Western religions. What kind of hell would break loose, they ask, if we didn’t stay on top of the lid? But what if it’s not about collecting virtue and avoiding the negative of virtue, but rising above this to see that in the Father’s eyes, all are loved, regardless of their degree of virtue?

I am not suggesting we let offenders stay on the street. Stay with me here. Neither am I suggesting that we stop teaching our kids right from wrong. Religion has an important place in our lives, showing us which directions are right and which ones are wrong.. Its best teaching, perhaps, is Always be kind.

I’m simply raising the question of whether the Father’s radical acceptance of all, if true, might be appropriate here on earth. There are scattered suggestions in the Scriptures that it might be, such as “Thy kingdom come on earth,” “He makes his sun to rise on the righteous and the unrighteous,” and “Resist not evil.”

After the change in my understanding of virtue, I came face to face with “loving what is.” I have always been completely repelled by this idea and never found any reason why it would be rational. The world is sometimes OK, but between 30 and 70% of the time, it isn’t—depending on the place and the mood and the people involved. So why would anyone love things the way they are?

I would still be thinking this way had I not been introduced to “the Father’s vision of the all.” Now what I think is this: If we want to reflect the Father’s vision here on earth, we need to accept all that arises here. Not that we would condone evil or approve of bad behavior. That is a different issue.

As above, so below. As the Father accepts all that arises in heaven, so may we, by accepting all that happens here in our daily lives, reflect the Father’s perspective here, where we are. Talk about bliss!

I believe it is right to practice the Father’s vision here: If His vision is true, it’s true everywhere and always. Also, I keep running across statements like these:

Here is my secret. I am not bothered by what happens. (Krishnamurti)

Wisdom, in Buddhism, means seeing things as they are, not as we would like them to be. (Lama Surya Das)

The ego could be defined simply in this way: a dysfunctional relationship with the present moment. (Eckhart Tolle)

Here’s the greatest secret or truth that I have learned: The best reason to accept all that arises is because that is what the Father does, and we love Him; we want to be like Him. I totally love the idea of being like the Father. And if you think we should have one set of rules for heaven and a different set for here (and that’s how we’re raised), then try the disposition of accepting all that arises, just for a day, and see if at the end of it you do not feel so much freer. I have found not only a greater freedom, but the viewpoint that all of reality is good. My whole life relaxes.

Stress arises from wanting things to be different from the way they are. (Not that they shouldn’t be different and better; it’s just that when you rise above the judgments, the air is so clean, so beautiful, so full of light.) I walk about the neighborhood, and everything I see is good, everyone I meet is good. I take great joy in waiting to see what will be arising next.

And that is the big change in my life, from being self-improving and somewhat wary of the environment, to the Father’s vision that all is well, all that arises is well, and there is therefore absolutely nothing to fear, ever. Such joy, such peace, with life as a continuous, amorous adventure.