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One Light A Center For Spiritual Transformation |
Governance |
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When you have learned how to decide with God, all decisions become as easy and as right as breathing. There is no effort, and you will be led as gently as if you were being carried down a quiet path in summer. ACIM - T,280
We believe that everyone in our community has sacred worth, and that leadership will emerge within each member. A particular member may have the gift of speech – they will lead us in that arena; another may possess the gift of managing our funds – so they will lead us in that endeavor; another may enjoy the gift of prayer and meditation – and they will guide us with that talent. We are not gathering to espouse any singular dogma or creed. Our calling – our creed – our dogma - is to love God and each other. With this principle in mind, we know that powerful spiritual community is governed by each and every member of the community, leading us with their unique gifts and wisdom. We believe that in traditional spiritual communities and churches – leadership, by its unintended nature - dictates the direction, system of belief, and experience of that particular community. We are committed to the ideal that the true nature of a God-Centered community wells up from its members, not from a traditional leadership model. We believe in the spiritual principle of democracy. Decisions of any import or direct bearing on the community are determined within the quiet space of discernment, with open dialog, in love-centered agreement (or disagreement), and will inure to a vote of the majority. In keeping with these ideals, we elect a Board of Trustees to execute the legal and fiduciary responsibilities of our community. However, their function is always to be construed as service - not leadership. While these ideas may appear to be grand in premise, rather than practicable in action, we know in our hearts that vibrant spiritual practice – within community - arises from the commitment and wisdom of its individual members. _________________________ The following writing is excerpted from A Pathless Land by Krishnamurti and is intended to bring clarity to our governance model. While we realize the need to "organize" many temporal aspects of our community, we will not organize "a creed, a sect, a religion, to be imposed on others." "You may remember the story of how the devil and a friend of his were walking down the street, when they saw ahead of them a man stoop down and pick up something from the ground, look at it, and put it away in his pocket. The friend said to the devil, "What did that man pick up?" "He picked up a piece of Truth," said the devil. "That is a very bad business for you, then," said his friend. "Oh, not at all," the devil replied, "I am going to let him organize it.” I maintain that Truth is a pathless land, and you cannot approach it by any path whatsoever, by any religion, by any sect. That is my point of view, and I adhere to that absolutely and unconditionally. Truth, being limitless, unconditioned, unapproachable by any path whatsoever, cannot be organized; nor should any organization be formed to lead or to coerce people along any particular path. If you first understand that, then you will see how impossible it is to organize a belief. A belief is purely an individual matter, and you cannot and must not organize it. If you do, it becomes dead, crystallized; it becomes a creed, a sect, a religion, to be imposed on others. This is what everyone throughout the world is attempting to do. Truth is narrowed down and made a plaything for those who are weak, for those who are only momentarily discontented. Truth cannot be brought down; rather the individual must make the effort to ascend to it. You cannot bring the mountain-top to the valley. If you would attain to the mountain-top you must pass through the valley, climb the steeps, unafraid of the dangerous precipices. You must climb towards the Truth, it cannot be "stepped down" or organized for you. Interest in ideas is mainly sustained by organizations, but organizations only awaken interest from without. Interest, which is not born out of love of Truth for its own sake, but aroused by an organization, is of no value. The organization becomes a framework into which its members can conveniently fit. They no longer strive after Truth or the mountain-top, but rather carve for themselves a convenient niche in which they put themselves, or let the organization place them, and consider that the organization will thereby lead them to Truth. How is one to discover the truth? On that we will act. To find the truth, there must be freedom from all propaganda, which means that you are capable of looking at the problem independently of opinion. The whole task of education is to awaken the individual. To see the truth of this, you will have to be very clear, which means you cannot depend on a leader. When you choose a leader you do so out of confusion, and so your leaders are also confused, and that is what is happening in the world. Therefore, you cannot look to your leader for guidance or help.”
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