2018-02-19-Four Step Program to Acquisition of Mercy

From Nordan Symposia
Jump to navigationJump to search

Lighterstill.jpg

Teaching buddha small.jpg

Heading

Topic: The Four Step Program Toward the Acquisition of Mercy

Group: 11:11 Progress Group

Facilitators

Teacher: Thought Adjuster

TR: Anyas

Session

Opening

“…mercy is a quality of growth. You should realize that there is a great reward of personal satisfaction in being first just, next fair, then patient, then kind. And then, on that foundation, if you choose and have it in your heart, you can take the next step and really show mercy; but you cannot exhibit mercy in and of itself. These steps must be traversed; otherwise there can be no genuine mercy.” (UB Paper 28 Section 6:8)

Lesson

Thought Adjuster: “This above passage appears to you as a very complex revelation. How could you be merciful if you had not first acquired the ability to be just in situations’ assessments and fair in the meting out of justice? Indeed, patience has to come next, as ‘grace periods’ are needed to remedy the situations or the character flaws under scrutiny, as well as to provide sufficient time for the offender to express genuine remorse. Then comes kindness, another essential prerequisite for Mercy.

“There is a lot for you to understand in this four-step program toward the authentic acquisition of Mercy. Do seriously ponder this process and with My Help, you will be able to acquire one by one these foundational attributes of Mercy.

“Let Me use a metaphor to help enlighten you: In your world, societies have legislated laws and policies that, ideally, protect their citizens. You cannot acquire a Driver’s License without being of legal age and passing the Driver’s Test that ensures you are fully informed about the safe operation of a motor vehicle. As well, you are told that there will be structured penalties for any infractions. This process is based on justice — on the application of the prescribed regulations. Yet, fairness will also play a role in meting out the penalties: For example, it will be ‘fairly’ assessed whether the resulting casualties were caused by driving while intoxicated or by poor road conditions.

“After rendering a verdict, a judge will make arrangement for the rehabilitation of the defendant. This is where patience comes into play, as it is a process that cannot be rushed. As well, kindness will be the next needed element in order not to strip the ‘culprit’ from his dignity but encouraging him by expressing trust in his ability to recover.

“A judge will also take into consideration the impact that the suspension of the Driver’s License of the offending party would have on his livelihood and his family. He might ‘mercifully’ choose to issue a warning to a remorseful first-time offender or to place him on probation.

Closing

“After personally progressing through each one of these steps, you will indeed have become ‘merciful’, as mercy cannot be meted out randomly, as it could be dangerously unproductive. Dear ones, keeping this in mind, live your lives with the heartfelt intention to head in that merciful direction.”