Virtue

[litharriel]

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): "Picture the Grand Canyon," says Buddhist  teacher Jack Kornfield. "Every hundred years, a child comes by and  throws a mustard seed into it. In the time it takes to fill the hole in  the earth with mustard seeds, one mahakalpa will have passed. To perfect the virtuous heart--the joy of integrity--takes a thousand mahakalpas." If that's true, Pisces, then you've still got a lot of work to do. However, the planets are aligned in such a way as to suggest you could make unusually great progress toward the goal of perfecting the virtuous heart in 2007. For best results, meditate often on the phrase "the joy of integrity." Get very familiar with the pleasurable emotion that comes from acting with impeccability. And try out this idea from Gandhi: Integrity is the royal road to your inner freedom. 

Hmmmm, but virtues are rather subjective things, aren't they?  One man's virtue is another's sin as some-wise-person-who's-identity-I-can't-remember said. :-? I suppose the thing to do, then, would be to figure out what the Universal Virtues are, as opposed to those that are merely cultural...

Comments

[pumagrrl.livejournal.com]

I'm determined to perfect my virtuous heart this year :D

[litharriel.livejournal.com]

It's definitely something worth working on. My point was just that when one takes into consideration everything that people the world over consider virtues and that a good many are considered sins depending on what culture or religion (or even sometimes what situation) you're in, it becomes more challenging. It's certainly something I'm up for tackling, though. /:-)

[pumagrrl.livejournal.com]

I agree with you, it's very much a cultural thing.
i was thinking of th virtues that would help me in my daily life wih regard to work, studies, friendships, money - in other wods: things that would make life better. Those are virtues for me.

[litharriel.livejournal.com]

That's a very good point. /:-)

[lurkitty.livejournal.com]

The only real virtue is never to be locked into an action solely on the basis of virtue.

To sacrifice humanity for the sake of virtue is an empty virtue.

That said, we all have a conscience that signals our state of harmony with the universal virtues. Integrity is becoming the same person on the outside as on the inside. When we have acheived integrity, we can hear that voice readily, and can choose to act on it in keeping with the situation at hand.

This is my understanding.

Ooh! I can use my new icon! *acts sage-like*

[litharriel.livejournal.com]

Amen! :-D