The fourth in the series of valuable spiritual practices is Study, which, I realize, to many is a word that is frowned upon. Many feel that their spiritual activities should be natural, organic, something that comes from within them. Yes, of course, our spiritual inclinations do well up from within, but wouldn’t it be wonderful and helpful to know what we’re doing? Wouldn’t some learned nomenclature help us to communicate with others? The cosmologist, Ernest Holmes, wrote that “trained thought is far more powerful than untrained thought since the admission that thought is power gives it added power.” And if there is power in our thoughts, shouldn’t we be better off if we understood how to use it more wisely?
A bold idea...
Handling the wonderful ideas of great spiritual thinkers can only stimulate advances in our own thought. A bold idea set before us cannot help but enlighten and uplift that which is already within us. Even the act of studying draws the mind to a sharp focus.
Gauging ideas...
The study of a luminous school of thought lets us become familiar with ways and means of gauging ideas. No one says we must accept all that is set before us because our own discernment will let us know what resonates and what does not. Nevertheless we should do ourselves a favor by examining the thoughts of those who have gone before us so that we may enjoy some of the wisdom of the ages while we are setting our own new paths before us.
From the same mouth...
Interesting…but when we examine great, spiritual ideas from other sources, sooner or later it may seem that great truths from many mouths come to sound as if they came from the same mouth… or perhaps just One Mind.
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