Guest guest Posted January 26, 2006 Report Share Posted January 26, 2006 Yes I get it. But as I frequently transition through the idea of 'duty' en route to selflessness, even though the idea itself might be an inferior waypoint, I nontheless see it as an integral part of the process of awakening. i therefore readily place a positive value on it. Certainly I do not see value in casting the idea of 'duty' in such negative terms as 'scorching the tender plant of spirituality'. The quote is instructive. I get it. But at the same time it feels harsh and severe. The process of awaking involves inummerable steps, missteps, waypoints and discoveries, not all of which are easily seen as spiritual. But it is spiritual, every bit of it. Actions undertaken within the paradigm of 'duty' invite feedback and response that feeds love and the idea of selflessness. For instance, a few weeks ago I responded out of a sense of duty to a friend who needed a new chicken coop to protect her chickens for the winter. I didn't really want to do it at the time...it wasn't convenient for me at the time. But i did it anyway, out of a sense of duty: i was the only one she knew who had the skills for the job and who had the ability to work for free. So i did it, but mostly for me. Halfway though the job though, as it became clear that what i was doing was incredibly valuable to this woman, my thinking shifted and the whole process became a joy. I became aware I was working for love, for her happiness, and I saw that my initial sense of duty, albiet born of selfishness, was merely what it took to get me in the position to be acted upon more fully and deeply. On that day, 'duty' was part of the mystery of selflessness, a welcome part. ONS C Ammachi, Omenka Supriti Nnadi <oomenka> wrote: > > "Duty is the midday sun which scorches the tender plant of > spirituality." > > I think this is about selfless giving. Giving because one "should" is only fulfilling a duty one thinks one has. Giving selflessly with love is spirituality. > > > Om Namashivaya - In Amma's service, > > Supriti Omenka Nnadi > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 26, 2006 Report Share Posted January 26, 2006 I love your post below. How wonderful to watch duty transformed into love. On Jan 26, 2006, at 1:50 PM, cal_ewing wrote: > > Yes I get it. But as I frequently transition through the idea of > 'duty' en route to selflessness, even though the idea itself might be > an inferior waypoint, I nontheless see it as an integral part of the > process of awakening. i therefore readily place a positive value on > it. Certainly I do not see value in casting the idea of 'duty' in such > negative terms as 'scorching the tender plant of spirituality'. The > quote is instructive. I get it. But at the same time it feels harsh > and severe. The process of awaking involves inummerable steps, > missteps, waypoints and discoveries, not all of which are easily seen > as spiritual. But it is spiritual, every bit of it. Actions undertaken > within the paradigm of 'duty' invite feedback and response that feeds > love and the idea of selflessness. For instance, a few weeks ago I > responded out of a sense of duty to a friend who needed a new chicken > coop to protect her chickens for the winter. I didn't really want to > do it at the time...it wasn't convenient for me at the time. But i did > it anyway, out of a sense of duty: i was the only one she knew who had > the skills for the job and who had the ability to work for free. So i > did it, but mostly for me. Halfway though the job though, as it became > clear that what i was doing was incredibly valuable to this woman, my > thinking shifted and the whole process became a joy. I became aware I > was working for love, for her happiness, and I saw that my initial > sense of duty, albiet born of selfishness, was merely what it took to > get me in the position to be acted upon more fully and deeply. On that > day, 'duty' was part of the mystery of selflessness, a welcome part. > > ONS C > > > > Ammachi, Omenka Supriti Nnadi <oomenka> > wrote: > > > > "Duty is the midday sun which scorches the tender plant of > > spirituality." > >   > >  I think this is about selfless giving. Giving because one > "should" is only fulfilling a duty one thinks one has. Giving > selflessly with love is spirituality. > > > > > > Om Namashivaya - In Amma's service, > > > > Supriti Omenka Nnadi > > > > > > Aum Amriteswarayai Namaha! > > > > > > > ▪  Visit your group "Ammachi" on the web. >  > ▪  >  Ammachi >  > ▪  Terms of > Service. > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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