Spiritual principles

Basic universal spiritual principles

This is a partial list of universal spiritual principles which have been taught repeatedly by many of the world’s greatest spiritual teachers throughout history including the Buddha, Jesus, Lao-Tsu, etc. One of the most often disputed and challenged beliefs promoted here concerns the great similarity and agreement among the most influential spiritual gurus, teachers, religions, spiritual paths, etc. when their teachings are properly interpreted or understood. I firmly believe that strengthening the bridges that connect various faiths and celebrating the similarities is much more spiritually principled than tearing them down and adopting divisive fundamentalist belief systems in which only one’s own group can ever be right – & everyone else wrong.

(This list of universal spiritual principles is a work in progress; there may be a few overlapping spiritual principles listed here…)

1. Practicing humility; deflating the ego (ego deflation seems to be a central pillar of any real spiritual practice, although it’s not often called ego deflation per se)
2. Making peace
3. Mindfulness of the present moment
4. Constantly monitoring one’s stream of thoughts to keep them positive and compassionate (closely related to mindfulness of the present moment)
5. Not worrying about the future
6. Not dwelling in the past
7. Non-attachment (to things, people, places, ideas, habits, money, lifestyle, etc.); one must be able to walk away
8. Constant awareness of & connection to oneness, to "the Source" (Mother Nature, God, Tao, Universal Intelligence, Creator, creative force, the universe, or whatever else one might choose to call the unseen, unknowable realm – whatever is behind the curtain of what we call reality), yet not having a need to name it or define it
9. Extending goodwill and right action not only toward humanity, but to creation in its entirety (pets, squirrels, trees, earth, insects, and yes, toward the overall environment as well; basically, having positive intent toward everything)
10. Expressing hope; maintaining a positive outlook, even in the face of despair
11. Focusing on unity, oneness, and similarities instead of division, separateness, and differences
12. Tolerance and acceptance; refraining from criticizing, condemning, complaining; this is classic Dale Carnegie, and certainly not an easy one for most of us to follow (e.g., me)
13. Forgiving others when we are wronged



14. Displaying courage in the face of fear
15. Following your heart, not worrying about the opinions and beliefs of others; avoiding habitual conformity
16. Open-mindedness, flexibility, remaining teachable; willingness to learn and to objectively explore and study, rather than blindly accepting whatever you are told you "should" do or "ought" to believe
17. Bringing truth to error
18. Displaying faith[1] in the face of doubt
19. Showing kindness to neighbors (everyone); loving others as ourselves
20. Living with integrity (being the same person, no matter whom you’re with)
21. Practicing brotherly love
22. Employing perseverance and discipline in the face of obstacles
23. Seeking opportunities to improve the world by asking, "How may I serve?"
24. Practicing daily meditation to increase awareness and mindfulness
25. Practicing quiet contemplation to develop insight, wisdom
26. Treating others as we would like to be treated ("The Golden Rule")
27. Facing hatred with compassion; loving your enemies (Jesus, others)
28. Practicing honesty; telling the truth, avoiding lies
29. Expressing genuine compassion; wanting as much or more for others as you do for yourself
30. Avoiding fideistic, rigid, fundamentalist worldviews that declare all others to be wrong (i.e., Ending all belief that members of other religious faiths, the faithless, etc. are not as right as you are)
31. Expressing gratitude and appreciation at all times; remaining grateful for everything and everyone you have in your life – and for what others have in their lives
32. Remembering that our lives, including all business activity, should be focused on providing real service to others
33. Not taking personally any statement or action of another person (this is one of the classic Four Agreements, by Miguel Ruiz)
34. Always doing your best (another of the classic Four Agreements, by Miguel Ruiz)
35. Doing what you say you’ll do
36. Practicing what you preach (integrity)
37. Giving anonymously
38. Practicing silence and restraint
39. Refraining from egoic descriptions of one’s own spirituality; keeping your spiritual practices to yourself (that’s not to discourage the teaching of others; however, remaining mindful of the HOWs and the WHYs really can help keep the ego out of the process.)
40. Wonder and fascination (I’m still considering how to accurately describe this one… They were included in another, shorter list of universal spiritual principles I liked)

[1] Faith: The sincere belief that living by these basic, universal, common-sense spiritual principles necessarily leads to a vibrant life overflowing with compassion and gratitude, service and giving, deep friendships, allowing one to excel in areas of passion and interest, and eventually delivering complete inner peace and enlightenment – or that amazing "peace that passes all understanding", as it was described in one book…

Comments on other blogs
This is not a comprehensive list…

• A response to Cather – Pekin Times