Friday, June 19, 2015

Greater Selflessness

When I become fearless I give up control, trust each moment, and live with compassion. When I take greater care of myself I enhance my experience of the world so I can be of greater service. 

Such courage comes only when we realize our full being. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs places self-actualization; the full use of exploitation of one's talents, capacities and potentialities on the top of this pyramid.  Self actualizers are spontaneous, naturalness, accepting of themselves and others, high levels of creativity and an effective problem-solver.  

To become self-actualized, you first need to satisfy basic needs building upon the other to form Maslow's pyramid. The bottom is where hunger, sex, sleep are primary; next up is safety, love, self-esteem and then the top, self-actualized. People fail to become self-actualized because they get stuck on behaviors lower on the pyramid.  

However self-actualized is really "higher" self-actualized.  Much of Eastern philosophy incorporates the concept of self as separate is an illusion or on a deeper level we are all a part of an interconnected whole

In Buddhist philosophy, the key to inner peace is trusting interconnectedness of all things. The path of transformation is seeing oneself beyond the confines of then small ego rather someone that interweaves all things together.

The basic of Mindfulness is based on no-self, dealing with what is unsatisfactory and all things are impermanent.  To lessen our suffering Buddha taught observing selflessness in the Fourth Noble truth to follow the Eight Fold Path:

1)      Right View- Is about unity, interrelationships, and one organic whole.
2)      Right Thinking- Is being with what's happening, quieting the mind and listening to the heart.
3)      Right Speech-Is saying what is of benefit and true.
4)      Right Action- Is being part of the flow.
5)      Right Livelihood- Is respecting what you do for work and being of service.
6)      Right Effort- grace, Is finding effortless effort.
7)      Right Mindfulness- Is remembering to show up, here and now.
8)      Right Concentration-Is focusing on each and every moment.


Actualizing the greater self is what that the Eight Fold Path is all about. Greater selflessness is about finding happiness and overcoming the hindrances of the smaller self (those behaviors lower on Maslow's hierarchy of needs).  With courage, our greater self unifies not divides our very well being. 

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