Beyond Good And Evil – The Center Of Perfect Peace

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Beyond Good And Evil – The Center Of Perfect Peace

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Why do we consistently fail to do the good we know we should? All
too often, why do we do the evil we hate instead? Is there really
an external force that acts upon us and tempts us into evil as
many religions seem to believe? Or does our own inner
fragmentation lead us ever into frustration; willing one thing
but doing another?

It is simply not enough to say that we are the product of our
environment, or of negative conditioning by our parents.
Sometimes, it seems almost like there is another person within
us, willing us to do what we would rather not.



Meet The Enemy Within

Who is this enemy within? Jung called it the Shadow – the part of
our inner psyche that we suppress and allow to stagnate.

A whole range of things, both positive and negative, can be
suppressed within us. However, no part of us ever dies away
completely. In a primarily good person, this Shadow embodies the
negative psychological parts that have been suppressed; evil,
anger, hatred, jealousy and so on. In dreams, the Shadow can
appear as a nightmare figure; frightening, horrible and evil. In
the psyche of a profoundly evil person, the Shadow takes the part
of all the good that is NOT being expressed! Even Hitler, Stalin
and Saddam Hussein possess(ed) potentially good sides to them,
except that they nèver expressed very much of it. These
suppressed urges then form the Shadow figure within.

If you have not truly integrated the Shadow side of your nature,
then it will act against your best intentions whenèver it can.
Like it or not, it is still a part of yourself and cannot be
denied. People may seek relief for their problems in all sorts of
places. Doctors, psychiatrists, alcohol, or work. They do this
because they are uncertain of the cause of their misery. They see
themselves as defective, and in need of being “fixed”. Religious
traditions, teaching polarized notions such as the war between
Good and Evil, add to this system of guilt and perceived
imperfection. In addition, other people will often happily
corroborate our problems for us, and thereby add to our certainty
regarding the matter.

Darkness & Light Are Inseparable By Nàtural Law

Yet, the truth is that we do not need “fixing”; at least, not in
the traditional way we perceive it. We are fine and perfect as we
are. It is our perception of reality that needs altering. Instead
of seeing ourselves as wicked or defective, and the world as
wrong and evil, we need to radically alter our focus. Seeing the
traditional polarity between Good and Evil, with ourselves caught
helplessly in between, simply does not serve us. Rather, we need
to learn to perceive a seamless continuum within ourselves, just
as we are. All parts of us, even those we judge as wrong and
evil, are a necessary part of our being at this present time.

It does seem at times as if what we consider evil in life is
almost a necessary background against which good can shine forth.
>From an earthly perspective, many acts appear clearly wrong.
Yet,
we later find that much good emerges despite, and sometimes even
as a result of, this apparent evil. Eastern traditions like
Taoism capture the concept very well by describing the universe
as being composed of both Yin AND Yang. The darkness and the
light are woven inextricably and necessarily together. This is a
very different and hard teaching to our Western minds. However,
it may be a far more healthy and realistic one.

Integration Of Dark & Light Is The Key To Growth

By acknowledging all parts of your being, you are in a better
position to perceive the situation more clearly. Correct
perception of yourself means you are less likely to engage in
guilt trips regarding what you “should” be doing or how you
“ought” to behave. If you acknowledge the mixture of dark and
light within, and see yourself as normal and okay just as you
are, you create a healthy mental framework. From this framework,
true integration of your disparate inner selves into one healthy
personality can then occur.

None of this implies that you should simply accept your
fragmented inner nature and NOT strive for betterment in every
sense. It simply means that you do so without self-condemnation
and duality; rather, you gradually integrate the disparate parts
of your nature harmoniously so that internal conflicts are
progressively èliminated. Rather than attempt purity by
suppressing your undesirable nature, you meet it face on and
integrate it too into your being. Then, your actions are
performed with your whole psyche working in perfect synchrony,
and not with some inner parts pulling you down instead.

It requires a higher perspective to correctly perceive the
harmony in the universe and the correct relationship between Good
and Evil. This is well exemplified by the three-headed statue of
the Hindu god Shiva. The left- and right-hand heads, facing in
their respective directions, appear active and in motion. Only
the center head is perfectly still and at peace. This symbolizes
the difference between Duality – seeing polarities such as
Good/Evil and Right/Wrong – versus Unity or Divine Consciousness.
>From the higher perspective of Unity Consciousness, which
resolves Duality, all is in perfect harmony just as it is.

This is the consciousness we should seek. If you can strive to
understand this idea and integrate it into your daily life, you
will be closer to the mindset of that centered place of perfect
peace. Then, your interactions with the world will occur from a
point of true self-acceptance, integration and self-love. It is
only when you love and understand yourself perfectly that you are
in a place to do the same for others. This is your gift and your
legacy; for yourself and for others. So do your best to give that
gift to both.

Copyright 2000, Asoka Selvarajah. All Rights Reserved. 
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Asoka Selvarajah is a writer on personal growth and spirituality, and the author of “The 7 Golden Secrets To Knowing Your Higher Self”. His work helps people achieve their full potential, deepen their understanding of mystical truth, and discover their soul’s purpose. You can subscribe to his FREE ezine, and get his FREE ebook “Inner Light Outer Wealth” at:
http://www.aksworld.com/AspireToWisdom.htm?imk=Blog _______________________________________________________________

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Beyond Good And Evil - The Center Of Perfect Peace
Beyond Good And Evil - The Center Of Perfect Peace