Kindness

[Patrick]

I am pondering on the subject of kindness and also if there is a difference in between kindness and loving-kindness.

24.17 Questioner: Could you tell me why the Orion group had to leave after, I believe, it figures to be a six-hundred-year period, why they had to vacate?

Ra: I am Ra. Although the impression that they had given to those who called them was that these entities were an elite group, that which you know as “Diaspora” occurred, causing much dispersion of these peoples so that they became an humbler and more honorable breed, less bellicose and more aware of the loving-kindness of the One Creator...

Would you understand this as saying that loving-kindness is a default state of the One Infinite Creator ?

90.21 Questioner: Then what you are saying is that once the path is recognized, either the positive or the negative polarized entity can find hints along his path as to the efficiency of that path. Is this correct?

Ra: I am Ra. That which you say is correct upon its own merits, but is not a repetition of our statement. Our suggestion was that within the experiential nexus of each entity within its second-density environment and within the roots of mind there were placed biases indicating to the watchful eye the more efficient of the two paths. Let us say, for want of a more precise adjective, that this Logos has a bias towards kindness.

99.10 Questioner: In that case I will just ask one additional short question as we terminate for this session. May I ask if the Logos of this system planned for the mating process as possibly depicted in Card Six— I don’t know if this is related— by some type of DNA imprinting as has been studied by our science. In many second-density creatures seem to have some sort of imprinting that creates a lifetime mating relationship and I was wondering if this was designed by the Logos for that particular mechanism and if it was also carried into third density?

Ra: I am Ra. There are some of your second-density fauna which have instinctually imprinted monogamous mating processes. The third-density physical vehicle which is the basic incarnational tool of manifestation upon your planet arose from entities thusly imprinted, all the aforesaid being designed by the Logos.

The free will of third-density entities is far stronger than the rather mild carryover from second-density DNA encoding and it is not part of the conscious nature of many of your mind/body/spirit complexes to be monogamous due to the exercise of free will. However, as has been noted there are many signposts in the deep mind indicating to the alert adept the more efficient use of catalyst. As we have said, the Logos of your peoples has a bias towards kindness.

It seems to me that Ra is saying that our Logos is using kindness to demonstrate that the right-hand path is the most efficient. I wonder how exactly it accomplishes that demonstration?


The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, Sogyal Rimpoche; Harper San Francisco, 1992.

By the power and truth of this practice, may all beings have happiness and the cause of happiness, which is loving-kindness. May all be free from sorrow and the causes of sorrow, which are fear, hatred and delusion. May all never be separated from the sacred happiness, which is sorrowless. And may all live in equanimity, without too much attachment and too much aversion; and live, believing in the equality of all that lives.

Then without kindness there is no happiness?

https://www.llresearch.org/transcripts/i...draft.aspx

...You are not, for example, naturally depressed or frightened. The lightness, the openness, the loving-kindness, the generosity and patience, the energy, the courage. Those are all qualities that are natural to you. They are small seeds within you. But if you take a small seed, put it in a pot and then put it in a dark closet, it cannot grow. It needs light...

Kindness being part of our natural state.


https://www.llresearch.org/transcripts/i..._0311.aspx

About the lower energy centers and their blockages we could speak for many, many hours, yet much has already been spoken about these blockages. We can only say that there is no body of philosophical or spiritual material upon your planet, of which we are aware, that has not within it some good insights into the voyager’s search for the peaceful inner self. Thus, it is not a matter of pointing you in this direction or that, this religious system or that, but rather, perhaps, we may say in a very general sense that those things which keep energy from pouring at full volume into the heart energy center are those things which are not of love, but are distortions of love, seen in the faces and voices of those who have experienced pain. The essence of that which robs the heart of energy is separation. Thus, if you anger yourself, you must sit down and find that self within you which may forgive, find the grace within the self which redeems and makes one new. When the difficulty is perceived as being another, let it be clear that in some way you gaze upon the Creator and the self. From this you may learn if you are capable of remaining faithful and abiding in an inner peace which allows one the larger point of view.

Impulses towards kindness are sometimes not helpful in clearing lower energy centers, for there is a distinct difference between pleasing another and serving another. Before an interaction takes place, ask the self what spiritual principle is being called upon in this interchange and what role am I playing within the dynamics of love within this situation? For that which you wish to offer to others is that which may enable them to grow spiritually. Sometimes those things are not pleasing to those whom you would wish to serve, yet, if it be your light, given to you as your own truth, that to serve, this and this must be, then this and this must be the way that you act, in kindness, in compassion, and in unity, forgiving and being forgiven. To experience forgiveness, to allow it to be generated through one, is perhaps the shortest way to the clearing of the lower energies.

Perhaps the only other thing we would suggest in this regard, because of the shortness of the time period in which we have to work, is that each in its meditation move to that portion of the self which is the inner room deep within each heart and soul, and within that inner room offer the self up in complete and total surrender to the Creator which awaits within the self, but which will not come into conscious relationship with the self unless that relationship is thirsted for and hungered for as if it were the very food and drink that sustains life, and may we say, my children, in a metaphysical sense the presence of the one infinite Creator is, indeed, absolutely necessary for the soul’s health. May you invite it. May you greet it, thank it, bless it and allow it to enable you to open the heart, to leap faithfully, joyfully and abidingly into the clear, unobstructed air of the grace and blessing of love itself. It is infinite, and it certainly seems void. And sometimes you will experience it as void and dark, and those are your desert times. Rejoice in them also and worry not if you feel blocked, because just as surely as you have entered the desert, so your steps shall bring you to the garden.

"there is a distinct difference between pleasing another and serving another". This to me suggests that kindness is only truly useful if genuine. This is not an excuse to throw wisdom in people's faces in an unkind way. It just means to not hide truth behind kindness. We can still tell our truth in a kind way, but always in a truthful way as well. These are not mutually exclusive. Truth and kindness.


https://www.llresearch.org/transcripts/i..._0425.aspx

We do not advise the taking of the metaphysical temperature, for judgment is impossible from your point of view, which is limited. No matter what you think about yourself, it is very likely somewhat incorrect or at very best biased. However, there are signs that you have begun to unclog your own vessel, that you have begun to function as an instrument. These signs are simple ones and include cheerfulness, calm, kindness, love, generosity and compassion. Most of all, above all, a joy which is the natural reaction of the self to its surroundings, which communicates to others in a radiant manner as the signpost of the instrument which is functioning properly.

Kindness being an integral ingredient of a well functioning instrument.

[Minyatur]

If you understand other-selves to be mirrors into the self, why would the self lack kindness with itself? Or rather, what does it say about the self for the self to lack kindness towards itself?

[Ming the Merciful]

Kindness is the act of giving, (unconditionally). Kindness, Loving-Kindness, it is the same thing. Then you have to define "Love", (another concept). Do I love my cat more than my wife, (if I had one). Love comes in many guises and disguises, and the separation between the two States is a barrier, because you are defining two separate acts. Everybody should be treated equally, (no matter their status). Then it becomes unconditional.

[Patrick]

If you understand other-selves to be mirrors into the self, why would the self lack kindness with itself? Or rather, what does it say about the self for the self to lack kindness towards itself?

Yes, kindness and the mirroring effect is an interesting discussion.

If others are unkind towards you, then does that mean this unkindness is coming from inside you and just reflected back? I did a lot of testing regarding this and I came to the conclusion that it is more complex than that.

I think it is a sign of rejection of your sharing. If you output only loving-kindness and unkindness is mirrored back, then it is a rejection of your offering.

But as with any mirroring, it is always good to look inside and see if that is indeed something inside you that is being reflected or if it is just a simple rejection. It's always good to ask ourselves that question.

[Patrick]

...Everybody should be treated equally, (no matter their status). Then it becomes unconditional.

Yes indeed. Kindness can only be genuine if it is unconditional.

Being kind is a state of being. The choice is in being in that state or not. It is not a reaction you have where you choose from moment to moment if you'll react with kindness or not depending on the stimuli you are reacting to. If you are genuinely kind, kindness will be part of your reaction to all catalysts. This, of course, includes kindness towards the self.

[Diana]

If you understand other-selves to be mirrors into the self, why would the self lack kindness with itself? Or rather, what does it say about the self for the self to lack kindness towards itself?

I would say it constitutes separation, which I guess is what you are implying.

I feel kindness is akin to or derives from wisdom + compassion, but the compassion cannot exclude self, which is why I say it must be tempered by wisdom. That is, unless martyrdom is sought, which is a state of imbalance—but in this I mean no judgment as it is a choice. And if wisdom is not included, then lack of self-knowledge will bar authentic kindness as the self who does not understand its own motivations may be kind for inauthentic reasons.

The resolution of wisdom + compassion to me is a better goal than kindness. Kindness is too wrapped up in human rhetoric and possibly convoluted or unclear in motivations. Is it okay to lie to a person in order to be kind? The better way to view this conundrum in my mind is to try and be wise and compassionate at the same time including self in the equation. So do I lie to save another's feelings? No. I am honest. But my honesty ideally derives from authenticity, not from a "cause" to prove or in trying to make a point. And in this, one may realize that one is where they are at in this path toward deeper understanding not entwined with 3D collective consciousness, and consciously seeking a greater perspective.

And for me, in lieu of actually having balanced this conundrum, which is deep and many layered, I, in my imbalance, choose to fall on the side of truth, authenticity, and honesty as far as I am able to discern it, as this to me has the greater importance in achieving the final goal of balance (which is only my perspective and not meant as a guide for anyone else). In doing so, I so often fall short of kindness, though, I have made headway over the decades of pursuing this balance. Not really much in the bigger scheme of things, but as is just about everything in this existence, what we think will be is almost never what it becomes. So kindness, having begun as an issue for me long ago as a young adult, has opened a vast and unexpected landscape view of, as Ra puts it, learn/teaching-teach/learning, which has pointed me toward seeking wisdom + compassion in its incomprehensible fullness.

[Patrick]

... Is it okay to lie to a person in order to be kind? ...

My understanding is that this would not be kind anyway. I would call what you are saying here as being pleasant.

"Is it okay to lie to a person in order to be pleasant?"

Lying is not kind or nice, but it might please your interlocutor.

--

Pleasant: "Giving pleasure; pleasing in manner."

Kindness: "arising from or characterized by sympathy or forbearance" or "the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate"

--

101.8 Questioner: Thank you. Could Ra give information on any way that we could give information to Greta Woodrew as to how to alleviate her present condition of swelling?

Ra: I am Ra. We may only suggest that the honor of propinquity to light carries with it the Law of Responsibility. The duty to refrain from contumely, discord, and all things which, when unresolved within, make way for workings lies before the instrument of which you speak. This entity may, if it is desired by the scribe, share our comments upon the working of the latter entity.

The entity which is given constant and unremitting approval by those surrounding it suffers from the loss of the mirroring effect of those which reflect truthfully rather than unquestioningly. This is not a suggestion to reinstate judgment but merely a suggestion for all those supporting instruments; that is, support, be harmonious, share in love, joy, and thanksgiving, but find love within truth, for each instrument benefits from this support more than from the total admiration which overcomes discrimination.

[Patrick]

Being truthful in a kind way is something I seek to become more skilled at. I think we can indeed equate this to compassionate-wisdom.

For example, one can be truthful while being considerate. There are many ways one can unite truth and kindness. They are not mutually exclusive in my opinion.

[Ming the Merciful]

I am pondering on the subject of kindness and also if there is a difference in between kindness and loving-kindness.

24.17 Questioner: Could you tell me why the Orion group had to leave after, I believe, it figures to be a six-hundred-year period, why they had to vacate?

Ra: I am Ra. Although the impression that they had given to those who called them was that these entities were an elite group, that which you know as “Diaspora” occurred, causing much dispersion of these peoples so that they became an humbler and more honorable breed, less bellicose and more aware of the loving-kindness of the One Creator...

Would you understand this as saying that loving-kindness is a default state of the One Infinite Creator ?

90.21 Questioner: Then what you are saying is that once the path is recognized, either the positive or the negative polarized entity can find hints along his path as to the efficiency of that path. Is this correct?

Patrick, lose your emotional attachment. All acts and actions should always be done in the Neutral State. Indirectly, you are seeking praise, (from somebody), for a, (supposed), good deed. If somebody wants to perform a good deed, or an act of kindness, then it should be done anonymously and no preconditions.



Ra: I am Ra. That which you say is correct upon its own merits, but is not a repetition of our statement. Our suggestion was that within the experiential nexus of each entity within its second-density environment and within the roots of mind there were placed biases indicating to the watchful eye the more efficient of the two paths. Let us say, for want of a more precise adjective, that this Logos has a bias towards kindness.

99.10 Questioner: In that case I will just ask one additional short question as we terminate for this session. May I ask if the Logos of this system planned for the mating process as possibly depicted in Card Six— I don’t know if this is related— by some type of DNA imprinting as has been studied by our science. In many second-density creatures seem to have some sort of imprinting that creates a lifetime mating relationship and I was wondering if this was designed by the Logos for that particular mechanism and if it was also carried into third density?

Ra: I am Ra. There are some of your second-density fauna which have instinctually imprinted monogamous mating processes. The third-density physical vehicle which is the basic incarnational tool of manifestation upon your planet arose from entities thusly imprinted, all the aforesaid being designed by the Logos.

The free will of third-density entities is far stronger than the rather mild carryover from second-density DNA encoding and it is not part of the conscious nature of many of your mind/body/spirit complexes to be monogamous due to the exercise of free will. However, as has been noted there are many signposts in the deep mind indicating to the alert adept the more efficient use of catalyst. As we have said, the Logos of your peoples has a bias towards kindness.

It seems to me that Ra is saying that our Logos is using kindness to demonstrate that the right-hand path is the most efficient. I wonder how exactly it accomplishes that demonstration?


The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, Sogyal Rimpoche; Harper San Francisco, 1992.

By the power and truth of this practice, may all beings have happiness and the cause of happiness, which is loving-kindness. May all be free from sorrow and the causes of sorrow, which are fear, hatred and delusion. May all never be separated from the sacred happiness, which is sorrowless. And may all live in equanimity, without too much attachment and too much aversion; and live, believing in the equality of all that lives.

Then without kindness there is no happiness?

https://www.llresearch.org/transcripts/i...draft.aspx

...You are not, for example, naturally depressed or frightened. The lightness, the openness, the loving-kindness, the generosity and patience, the energy, the courage. Those are all qualities that are natural to you. They are small seeds within you. But if you take a small seed, put it in a pot and then put it in a dark closet, it cannot grow. It needs light...

Kindness being part of our natural state.


https://www.llresearch.org/transcripts/i..._0311.aspx

About the lower energy centers and their blockages we could speak for many, many hours, yet much has already been spoken about these blockages. We can only say that there is no body of philosophical or spiritual material upon your planet, of which we are aware, that has not within it some good insights into the voyager’s search for the peaceful inner self. Thus, it is not a matter of pointing you in this direction or that, this religious system or that, but rather, perhaps, we may say in a very general sense that those things which keep energy from pouring at full volume into the heart energy center are those things which are not of love, but are distortions of love, seen in the faces and voices of those who have experienced pain. The essence of that which robs the heart of energy is separation. Thus, if you anger yourself, you must sit down and find that self within you which may forgive, find the grace within the self which redeems and makes one new. When the difficulty is perceived as being another, let it be clear that in some way you gaze upon the Creator and the self. From this you may learn if you are capable of remaining faithful and abiding in an inner peace which allows one the larger point of view.

Impulses towards kindness are sometimes not helpful in clearing lower energy centers, for there is a distinct difference between pleasing another and serving another. Before an interaction takes place, ask the self what spiritual principle is being called upon in this interchange and what role am I playing within the dynamics of love within this situation? For that which you wish to offer to others is that which may enable them to grow spiritually. Sometimes those things are not pleasing to those whom you would wish to serve, yet, if it be your light, given to you as your own truth, that to serve, this and this must be, then this and this must be the way that you act, in kindness, in compassion, and in unity, forgiving and being forgiven. To experience forgiveness, to allow it to be generated through one, is perhaps the shortest way to the clearing of the lower energies.

Perhaps the only other thing we would suggest in this regard, because of the shortness of the time period in which we have to work, is that each in its meditation move to that portion of the self which is the inner room deep within each heart and soul, and within that inner room offer the self up in complete and total surrender to the Creator which awaits within the self, but which will not come into conscious relationship with the self unless that relationship is thirsted for and hungered for as if it were the very food and drink that sustains life, and may we say, my children, in a metaphysical sense the presence of the one infinite Creator is, indeed, absolutely necessary for the soul’s health. May you invite it. May you greet it, thank it, bless it and allow it to enable you to open the heart, to leap faithfully, joyfully and abidingly into the clear, unobstructed air of the grace and blessing of love itself. It is infinite, and it certainly seems void. And sometimes you will experience it as void and dark, and those are your desert times. Rejoice in them also and worry not if you feel blocked, because just as surely as you have entered the desert, so your steps shall bring you to the garden.

"there is a distinct difference between pleasing another and serving another". This to me suggests that kindness is only truly useful if genuine. This is not an excuse to throw wisdom in people's faces in an unkind way. It just means to not hide truth behind kindness. We can still tell our truth in a kind way, but always in a truthful way as well. These are not mutually exclusive. Truth and kindness.


https://www.llresearch.org/transcripts/i..._0425.aspx

We do not advise the taking of the metaphysical temperature, for judgment is impossible from your point of view, which is limited. No matter what you think about yourself, it is very likely somewhat incorrect or at very best biased. However, there are signs that you have begun to unclog your own vessel, that you have begun to function as an instrument. These signs are simple ones and include cheerfulness, calm, kindness, love, generosity and compassion. Most of all, above all, a joy which is the natural reaction of the self to its surroundings, which communicates to others in a radiant manner as the signpost of the instrument which is functioning properly.

Kindness being an integral ingredient of a well functioning instrument.

[Patrick]

@Ming

It seems to me that you buried that bit of wisdom in there on purpose.

In fact my friend, I receive way too much praise already. I am certainly not seeking any more of it.

I am rather detached from outcomes as it is.

--

I wish to help manifest what others needs the most AND I wish to do this in the "best" possible way. Hence my pondering on this much misunderstood concept that is kindness.

[Ming the Merciful]

@Ming

It seems to me that you buried that bit of wisdom in there on purpose.

In fact my friend, I receive way too much praise already. I am certainly not seeking any more of it.

I am rather detached from outcomes as it is.

--

I wish to help manifest what others needs the most AND I wish to do this in the "best" possible way. Hence my pondering on this much misunderstood concept that is kindness.

Patrick, my friend. I was playing with you. A Zen game. A quote from the Lotus Sutra, "There once was a physician that spread the grim rumour that death had befallen him when he was far away from home. The rumour was a guise by the physician, to kick into sanity, his sons who were ill because of their worldly ways. I too am a physician who has come to cure the ills of the world, therefore, am I too a liar."? Which also is my favourite Sutra. Infinite wisdom.

[Minyatur]

If others are unkind towards you, then does that mean this unkindness is coming from inside you and just reflected back? I did a lot of testing regarding this and I came to the conclusion that it is more complex than that.

I don't think that is how it works. I meant it more in the sense that if you are unkind to another, then that reflects your own relationship with yourself.

[Minyatur]

If you understand other-selves to be mirrors into the self, why would the self lack kindness with itself? Or rather, what does it say about the self for the self to lack kindness towards itself?

I would say it constitutes separation, which I guess is what you are implying.

I feel kindness is akin to or derives from wisdom + compassion, but the compassion cannot exclude self, which is why I say it must be tempered by wisdom. That is, unless martyrdom is sought, which is a state of imbalance—but in this I mean no judgment as it is a choice. And if wisdom is not included, then lack of self-knowledge will bar authentic kindness as the self who does not understand its own motivations may be kind for inauthentic reasons.

The resolution of wisdom + compassion to me is a better goal than kindness. Kindness is too wrapped up in human rhetoric and possibly convoluted or unclear in motivations. Is it okay to lie to a person in order to be kind? The better way to view this conundrum in my mind is to try and be wise and compassionate at the same time including self in the equation. So do I lie to save another's feelings? No. I am honest. But my honesty ideally derives from authenticity, not from a "cause" to prove or in trying to make a point. And in this, one may realize that one is where they are at in this path toward deeper understanding not entwined with 3D collective consciousness, and consciously seeking a greater perspective.

And for me, in lieu of actually having balanced this conundrum, which is deep and many layered, I, in my imbalance, choose to fall on the side of truth, authenticity, and honesty as far as I am able to discern it, as this to me has the greater importance in achieving the final goal of balance (which is only my perspective and not meant as a guide for anyone else). In doing so, I so often fall short of kindness, though, I have made headway over the decades of pursuing this balance. Not really much in the bigger scheme of things, but as is just about everything in this existence, what we think will be is almost never what it becomes. So kindness, having begun as an issue for me long ago as a young adult, has opened a vast and unexpected landscape view of, as Ra puts it, learn/teaching-teach/learning, which has pointed me toward seeking wisdom + compassion in its incomprehensible fullness.

Well the meaning of kindness seems to be: quality of being friendly, generous and considerate.

So to not be this way would imply a state of conflict with oneself. To be unfriendly, without generosity and inconsiderate with oneself. Then, in how we are this way and not with others will reflect which portions of ourselves we see in them. For example, if someone disallows themselves to be emotionally vulnerable, then they will lack kindness towards someone that does. To a large extent though, we are merely giving back to our external reality what we have absorbed from our environment and have been unable to balance within ourselves. So if someone is unkind, you may consider that they've been treated without kindness themselves and are probably processing the portion of themselves they know believe does not deserve kindness or should not receive kindness.

In the example of lying or not, I believe both lying and telling the truth can be done equally with or without kindness. To me kindness is not about wisdom, it is somewhat simply about not being in a state of conflict with something. Wisdom can then inform kindness on the best approach to offer service.

[Patrick]

It seems that detachment and kindness becomes easier the more one integrates with the forming social memory complex that is now available to us when in the 7th sub-density of 3rd density.

when experience is taken in at the level of consensus reality and conscious thought, much of the detail of the actual transactions taking place between entities is lost. The nuances are washed away by the grossness of words and actions, and the intentions, the energies that are being exchanged between two people, or a person and a place, or a person and a situation, are grossly oversimplified so that they can be consciously understood. Even in the most subtle and quick mind, there is that limit of rapidity of the accumulation of fact and the intuition, the ability for direct insight, is hampered. What the social memory complex does as entities move into it and begin to, shall we say, “get it” is to empower and enable the personal shell of personality to relax and lift away from specificity so that it may become less reactive and more stable. The personality shell of third density is unnecessary in fourth density, and the great gift of the seventh sub-octave of third density is that the social memory complex has enough energy now to be accessed by intention.

[Ohr Ein Sof]

Being truthful in a kind way is something I seek to become more skilled at. I think we can indeed equate this to compassionate-wisdom.

For example, one can be truthful while being considerate. There are many ways one can unite truth and kindness. They are not mutually exclusive in my opinion.

I choose to be kind in a more wisdom-filled way.
In my personal patterns of everday occurances I find that I am eager to give away any of my talents, time and I am very generous to a fault with any resource I might have.

In this discussion I find a lot of adjectives, motives and non-motives plus there is a question as to whether the Creator's default mode is loving-kindness? How can anyone say? Speculate, yes; as many have done over the centuries. If you are all things then the Creator is as well, but, it could be speculated that the Creator is both loving and full of wisdom constantly. This I do not know because, how can I know?

I absolutely agree with your statement that being loving is almost like an instinct, a nature of, as being kind is not a forced activity although at first it could be if someone were just beginning to learn the lessons of an open heart. Generally speaking, a person with a closed or walled off heart does so due to fear and may have to test opening the heart and reviewing the results of his work and do this a lot before it becomes natural to them.

We saw in the story about Y'Shua that he was a 4th density Wanderer and of course, 4th density knows little about Wisdom as we can see what happens from his story. However, I would also like to say that most Wanderers that are here now come from 6th density from which they understand Unity; the balance of Love and Wisdom or Light/Love, Love/Light.

In the Ra Material, there are some of Ra's words that seem rather cold. But not because Ra is cold but because according to our understanding when another doesn't fluff the words up and make them pretty and peotic we may mistakenly take the words as cold. And even Ra says that the peoples here on the planet have a real difficult time in expressing the 5th ray of wisdom and honesty. Our conditioning within our culture has a tendancy to teach that all of our words be pleasant. Not all things are pleasant to hear but must be said in order to make progress in many cases. It is not the words really, it is almost always how we "feel" about the words being spoken.
I think it was Diana that asked if it would be better to lie than to hurt someone's feelings and that she was honest. I happen to be the same way. This is where wisdom helps the kindness and kindness helps the wisdom.

[Louisabell]

I am pondering on the subject of kindness and also if there is a difference in between kindness and loving-kindness.

Good question. For me, there is a difference between the two. I interpret kindness as an extension of the act of accepting another. To be truly kind to someone, you want to put them at ease, make them feel like they belong and are acceptable as they are. This is not to say that someone's faults need to be completely ignored, but that there is an attempt to be accommodating, and to not judge the other for their faults. To be kind is to also give a generosity of interpretation to the words and behaviour of the other, I believe. There is an acknowledgement that we are all different, and can act in strange ways, but if one assumes a positive intent then deeper friendship can build.

I think kindness also stems from our genetic past, where the feelings of belonging were critical to our survival in a tribal group. If there were rising tensions in the group, bellicose or cold attitudes, then you would register that as a potential threat of a fight breaking out or a step towards ostracization. So, I think it is a really nice thing to do to someone to just extend the feeling that they are acceptable in your presence, I think this is what that feeling of warmth stems from, and I think it is biochemically rooted in our brains as well. One can show kindness in many ways, and I think it can be culturally dependent as well. Just little signs of appreciation and positive acknowledgement is enough to show some kindness I believe.  

Where I see the difference of kindness and loving-kindness is in the degree of acceptance. You can be kind to someone because they are another supporter of your favourite team, maybe you walk past someone with the same team jersey and decide to smile and wave. You can be kind to your coworkers because it makes for a more enjoyable workday. But loving-kindness, I believe, is expressing the full acceptance of another as a being of unity. It is unconditional and it is all encompassing. It is saying that no matter what you do, what you think, what you say, I will always accept you and I will always see the best in you.

Would you understand this as saying that loving-kindness is a default state of the One Infinite Creator ?

Perhaps it is only an aspect of the Creator, but may be indicative of the felt experience of the Creator. But then again, this is unique to each individual.

It seems to me that Ra is saying that our Logos is using kindness to demonstrate that the right-hand path is the most efficient. I wonder how exactly it accomplishes that demonstration?

I think the Logos does this mainly through our environment and biological make-up. It feels good to be accepted, it is beneficial to our health and our ability to thrive. So, the STO path is probably easier on our bodies and minds.

Then without kindness there is no happiness?

I would say that with happiness, kindness is a natural offshoot. Then kindness felt back can increase happiness, so it is a positive feedback loop. I don't particularly think this is valid for the STS path though, especially if you're a sadist.

"there is a distinct difference between pleasing another and serving another". This to me suggests that kindness is only truly useful if genuine. This is not an excuse to throw wisdom in people's faces in an unkind way. It just means to not hide truth behind kindness. We can still tell our truth in a kind way, but always in a truthful way as well. These are not mutually exclusive. Truth and kindness.

There is certainly the reality of having to speak hard truths, but doing so in a way which honors the person's sensitivities and intelligence, with also a consideration of offering support for any emotional impact that the truth may have. However, there is also over-sharing on one's (often prone to error) perceptions of another, so in some cases, it may be more responsible to withhold one's personal interpretations of another. The ability to do this, could also be seen as a form of kindness, perhaps.

[Raukura Waihaha]

Where I see the difference of kindness and loving-kindness is in the degree of acceptance. You can be kind to someone because they are another supporter of your favourite team, maybe you walk past someone with the same team jersey and decide to smile and wave. You can be kind to your coworkers because it makes for a more enjoyable workday. But loving-kindness, I believe, is expressing the full acceptance of another as a being of unity. It is unconditional and it is all encompassing. It is saying that no matter what you do, what you think, what you say, I will always accept you and I will always see the best in you.

If we are all one, why is the flavour of kindness or love, conditional?
How do we unite as "SMC Earth" , if we are only letting those vetted into the uncontional love club?

[Louisabell]

Where I see the difference of kindness and loving-kindness is in the degree of acceptance. You can be kind to someone because they are another supporter of your favourite team, maybe you walk past someone with the same team jersey and decide to smile and wave. You can be kind to your coworkers because it makes for a more enjoyable workday. But loving-kindness, I believe, is expressing the full acceptance of another as a being of unity. It is unconditional and it is all encompassing. It is saying that no matter what you do, what you think, what you say, I will always accept you and I will always see the best in you.

If we are all one, why is the flavour of kindness or love, conditional?
How do we unite as "SMC Earth" , if we are only letting those vetted into the uncontional love club?

I think the issue with conditional love/kindness is that it cannot stand up to the stress test. We are changeable and can break down, we know this about ourselves, so to be loved conditionally means that now you are beholden to keep acting a certain way in order to maintain that love connection. In a way it is a restriction.

The truer freedom is to be accepted unconditionally, then you don't have to waste any mental resources on acting in certain ways. You can truly be yourself in every moment with only your own sense of morality to guide you.  And being unconditionally loving/kind to the self would be very freeing I would imagine.

But I think once there is a threshold of people at that place, the quicker that others will learn to love unconditionally also. An environment of total acceptance of one's self and other would make SMC formation easier. I see the issue on Earth at this time is that there is not enough support available for the emotional healing necessary, unfortunately.

I'm not sure if I answered your question.

[Patrick]

That is why I wanted to know if others saw a difference in between kindness and loving-kindness. I'm not sure I see a difference. I get the impression that the usage of the form loving-kindness is meant to highlight the always loving part of kindness.

Human interactions are meant to be catalyzing and I find that cultivating kindness in all interactions always give good results overall.

The way we are raised makes it difficult to differentiate in between being pleasant and being kind. And what makes it even more difficult to grasp is that being kind means you are also not unpleasant.

So how to tell someone a hard truth in a considerate and kind way without that being unpleasant? I get the feeling this is the work of eons.

[Louisabell]

Human interactions are meant to be catalyzing and I find that cultivating kindness in all interactions always give good results overall.

If only it was as easy to do this for the rest of us!

The way we are raised makes it difficult to differentiate in between being pleasant and being kind. And what makes it even more difficult to grasp is that being kind means you are also not unpleasant.

So how to tell someone a hard truth in a considerate and kind way without that being unpleasant? I get the feeling this is the work of eons.

Well I think pleasantness has more to do with what the party on the receiving end thinks. What do they perceive as pleasant in another? Usually this has to do with what is easy and pleasurable.

Kindness I feel is more to do with the person doing the act. The attitude and sentiment behind the action. And you can do something kind to another that may hit as unpleasant (like a hard truth) but to do it kindly would be to try to minimise the unpleasantness.

[Raukura Waihaha]

Where I see the difference of kindness and loving-kindness is in the degree of acceptance. You can be kind to someone because they are another supporter of your favourite team, maybe you walk past someone with the same team jersey and decide to smile and wave. You can be kind to your coworkers because it makes for a more enjoyable workday. But loving-kindness, I believe, is expressing the full acceptance of another as a being of unity. It is unconditional and it is all encompassing. It is saying that no matter what you do, what you think, what you say, I will always accept you and I will always see the best in you.

If we are all one, why is the flavour of kindness or love, conditional?
How do we unite as "SMC Earth" , if we are only letting those vetted into the uncontional love club?

I think the issue with conditional love/kindness is that it cannot stand up to the stress test. We are changeable and can break down, we know this about ourselves, so to be loved conditionally means that now you are beholden to keep acting a certain way in order to maintain that love connection. In a way it is a restriction.

The truer freedom is to be accepted unconditionally, then you don't have to waste any mental resources on acting in certain ways. You can truly be yourself in every moment with only your own sense of morality to guide you.  And being unconditionally loving/kind to the self would be very freeing I would imagine.

But I think once there is a threshold of people at that place, the quicker that others will learn to love unconditionally also. An environment of total acceptance of one's self and other would make SMC formation easier. I see the issue on Earth at this time is that there is not enough support available for the emotional healing necessary, unfortunately.

I'm not sure if I answered your question.

I was more speaking to your understanding that there is a way you would feel towards someone who you call a supporter of your favorite team, as opposed to someone who you determine is more worthy of the eternal moment of unity.
When we look at the world through the eyes of unconditional love and unity, all becomes either love, or a call for more love. Surely the point of meditation is to live in the eternal moment and accept all from this place.

I feel like some of the most profound experiences happen in our darkest hour of complete misery and surrender.

So to say that there is not enough support available for the emotional healing necessary, seems to be missing the point and necessity of behavior that can be perceived as dark, by those who fail to recognise the perfection in all things.

[Louisabell]

I was more speaking to your understanding that there is a way you would feel towards someone who you call a supporter of your favorite team, as opposed to someone who you determine is more worthy of the eternal moment of unity.
When we look at the world through the eyes of unconditional love and unity, all becomes either love, or a call for more love. Surely the point of meditation is to live in the eternal moment and accept all from this place.

I agree, and beautifully stated. I would say there are various levels of depth that we are speaking about though. I think you can be kind to a person without loving them, but just because you are a nice friendly person. Then one can grow to love one person unconditionally, like their life partner. What I think you spoke to at the end though contains the realisation of unity, a sort of loving-unity which I think is better termed compassion maybe. That I think takes much more to master.

I feel like some of the most profound experiences happen in our darkest hour of complete misery and surrender.

I agree, and I have experienced these peak dark night of the soul moments. Times when you scream out to the Creator, feeling forsaken and lost in despair. These times were so acutely painful, yet I cherish them. We are forged in the fire, as they say.

So to say that there is not enough support available for the emotional healing necessary, seems to be missing the point and necessity of behavior that can be perceived as dark, by those who fail to recognise the perfection in all things.

Agreed, but I would imagine that seeing the perfection in all things would be pretty far along the path? We can certainly try at it, but there are still many tragedies in this world that still cause catalytic action in me. We can only work with what we have and where we are at. Also I see people calling out for emotional support in this world. I see it all the time.

[flofrog]

I feel like some of the most profound experiences happen in our darkest hour of complete misery and surrender.

So to say that there is not enough support available for the emotional healing necessary, seems to be missing the point and necessity of behavior that can be perceived as dark, by those who fail to recognise the perfection in all things.

so true




although support is nice

[Diana]

... but I would imagine that seeing the perfection in all things would be pretty far along the path? We can certainly try at it, but there are still many tragedies in this world that still cause catalytic action in me.

I agree that this realization let alone its embodiment would be far along the path. Certainly I can say that it is still just a concept for me with many layers yet to penetrate.

We can only work with what we have and where we are at.

And therein, in my thinking, lies wisdom.

Also I see people calling out for emotional support in this world. I see it all the time.

I wonder if this calling out is not a calling for acceptance rather than support, in which there may be a fine line of difference. Acceptance would need to include acceptance of self. And in lieu of that, we reach out to find it elsewhere. I am not saying that one must come first, rather, it may be more multidimensional that a linear progression. It could be that, a person who feels unaccepted (or ostracized, not fitting in, persecuted, etc,) would gain much relief and therefore the lifting of paralysis and the ability to move forward by being supported; and by the same token, if somehow acceptance of self is achieved, then the acceptance of the outer world is not needed. And though these are two possibilities, they constitute an infinite number of ways to navigate to the result.

[Raukura Waihaha]

...I would say there are various levels of depth that we are speaking about though. I think you can be kind to a person without loving them, but just because you are a nice friendly person. Then one can grow to love one person unconditionally, like their life partner. What I think you spoke to at the end though contains the realisation of unity, a sort of loving-unity which I think is better termed compassion maybe. That I think takes much more to master.

From what I understand, the exclusivity and conditions placed upon the love of a life partner, have their roots in STS negative and this is my point.
To place any kind of preferential bias on the love offered is the result of a distortion within.
You can't be kind to a person without loving them. How is it kind to hold back that which is a joy to share?
You can be distant and semi distorted with an offering based on boundaries you have put up towards those you see as unworthy of the full package, or give and receive love freely.

Agreed, but I would imagine that seeing the perfection in all things would be pretty far along the path? We can certainly try at it, but there are still many tragedies in this world that still cause catalytic action in me. We can only work with what we have and where we are at. Also I see people calling out for emotional support in this world. I see it all the time.

Just because someone wants support, doesn't mean it's what they need. This is my point.
It may be nice or comforting to have someone cuddle you and tell you things will be OK, when pain is viewed as discomfort.
It seems counterproductive when the pain is a result of not finding self sufficiency in the face of perceived adversity.

[Spaced]

If you understand other-selves to be mirrors into the self, why would the self lack kindness with itself? Or rather, what does it say about the self for the self to lack kindness towards itself?

Yes, kindness and the mirroring effect is an interesting discussion.

If others are unkind towards you, then does that mean this unkindness is coming from inside you and just reflected back? I did a lot of testing regarding this and I came to the conclusion that it is more complex than that.

I think it is a sign of rejection of your sharing. If you output only loving-kindness and unkindness is mirrored back, then it is a rejection of your offering.

But as with any mirroring, it is always good to look inside and see if that is indeed something inside you that is being reflected or if it is just a simple rejection. It's always good to ask ourselves that question.

I think one thing to remember about the mirroring effect is that unless someone is very balanced in their personality they will be offering a distorted reflection. A lot of the time the mirroring effect is more of a funhouse mirror effect.

Kindness and unkindness are, at some level, essentially just different expressions of the same thing. If you are kind to someone and they reflect back unkindness it could just be that they are more biased towards unkindness in general. This also gives you an opportunity to strengthen your own mental discipline. If you are kind to someone and they are unkind back, does that give you carte blanche to respond with unkindness of your own as you are just mirroring their energy? I think the more balanced approach would be to assess this energy within yourself and deliberately choose which "polarity" of that kind/unkind energy you want to reflect back.

If someone is hateful towards you and you reflect that hatred back to them, you are providing them with the mirroring effect, but is that the positive path? Ideally, the positively oriented individual would reflect back love in this situation.

- - - 

As for the idea of our logos being biased towards kindness, I agree with Louisabell that this can be seen in the history and development of our species. Humans are by necessity a social species. We would not have come this far as solitary creatures, we rely on each other for quite a lot. Just think of how helpless a baby is at birth, some species are able to walk and fend for themselves right away whereas a human baby requires constant attention for it's first couple of years of life.

The anthropologist Margaret Mead was asked by one of her students what the first sign of civilization was and rather than mentioning the use of tools or pottery, etc. she replied that the first sign of civilization was a fossil of a femur that was broken and mended. It shows that the social group this individual was a part of was willing to tend to them, bring them food, etc. rather than abandon them even though it would have been a lot easier and probably less dangerous for the rest of them.

Anyhow, those are just some of my thoughts.