Church of Being (COB), Part 2
Three cornerstones of the SNaP 'faith'
by Brian Wright
Throughout the previous week, it occurred to me that my previous column identifying and describing my new 'church' hadn't finished the job.
That's all right, it's more important to me to keep my columns manageable (~1,000 words) in a world that doesn't relish long discussions on Web pages.
In the former column I did list the 'creed' as well as the statement of core doctrine, then show the original art for the Rainbow Feather inverted pyramid symbol of the faith, suggesting the Church will work to neutralize of Old Paradigm patriarchal systems of power and domination. I also touched on the benefits, focusing there mainly on those to be derived from activism for the Sacred Nonaggression Principle (SNaP). There are many more benefits to be expected, especially spiritual ones. The reader was referred to my book, with an appeal for comments and advertising for a few people who 'get it' and might like to capitalize/energize the founding of the COB.
What I need to do now is discuss with my readers the so-called cornerstones of the faith—which are identified in the book—because these will make the religion of Beism come alive.
Three Cornerstones of the Church of Being
Three general parts of belief make the Church of Being and its adherents unique. I’ll designate them a) the Central Realization, b) Walking the Principle, and c) Living Well. Related to these, Beism recognizes a contribution from the Falun Dafa cultivation practice, whose tenets are Truth, Tolerance, and Compassion.
Truth: The Central Realization
The Realization is nothing more nor less than spiritual enlightenment, a felt oneness with Being. The question is, “How?” An exercise from Eckhart Tolle unlocks the door. It’s called Watching the Thinker (WTT): Imagine you are with a friend and your friend tells you that as soon as you have a thought to tell him/her what that thought is. WTT works solely within oneself, too. By watching what you are thinking, you control what you are thinking… and, as important, your thinking ceases to control you.
Further, and this is what leads to the road of enlightenment, you realize “you” and your mind are not the same thing. As you continue with WTT and other practices that connect “you” to the Source—to Being—you begin to awaken to the vastness of “you.” You tap into your inner body, that One Life shared with all that is—with Being. The Central Realization is a deeply felt connection with Being, thus with other beings. Finally, you pursue truth through independent mind bringing Life to the world through natural reason.
Tolerance: Walking the Principle
Individually, the Beist strives to actualize his or her full human potential, through all the standard virtues of honesty, commitment to truth, intellectual independence, kindness, good humor, and so on. Just as the Beist is dedicated in his personal life to achieving enlightenment by finding and living the Central Realization through his own voluntary choice and convictions, so, too, he recognizes that other persons must be left free to make their own choices.
No human agency may forcibly interfere with these choices or with the free, nonaggressive actions of any other human(s)—in any realm of conduct. Thus, socially, the Beist embraces and practices the nonaggression principle as his highest moral principle in a social context. The SNaP is “the Principle.” Walking the Principle means we shall not sanction any act of coercion, illegal or legal. In particular, Beist code requires that we directly resist and defy all acts of government coercion inflicted on individuals—to the limits of ‘prudence and proportion.’[1]
As a matter of doctrine, the Church regards the symbols and icons of grossly coercive nation-states (yes, the US is one) as barbarous relics; we do not freely pay respect to flags, anthems, invocations, uniforms, and so on. We are neither children nor savages; we seek the Central Realization through critical thinking and embracement of the SNaP. Leave all the nation-state symbols in your rearview mirror as the primitive (and deadly) mind-control instruments they are. We do not need the nation-state in order to live our lives, the ideal of national identity has always been a deception and a delusion. We are human beings, planet Earth, sovereign individuals who are free to choose in Nature how we shall live; "We don't need no stinkin' badges." [Especially from the USA.]
Compassion: Living Well
Compassion is used in the fullest sense: conveying both the caring and respect we have for other living beings, as well as “passion” for our own special material lives in the world of form. Who truly gets the most out of life is he or she who has the burning desire to achieve greatness—whether through acts of creation, productive success, or love of knowledge—then can share that ennobling spirit with others… the ‘giving back’ cycle (which again invokes the Central Realization).
In Beism, living well means living the good life. Great wealth can only be enjoyed by great souls. Without sensitivity to the Source, to Being, abundance is just ‘stuff,’ which, as any material entity, follows the Law of Impermanence. We don’t need a Buddhist to explain the law. Wealth is meant to serve the Realization and the Principle, not vice versa.
Parting Pitch
You can see that forming a ‘church’ is not a simple matter, doubly difficult when the ‘religion’ one proposes is a blend of spirituality, reason, and freedom… something to offend everyone.
You can also tell that while the essentials have taken shape, finer points of doctrine and practice have not. This is good news, because that enables those who combine central realization, Walking the Principle, and making their mark materially have plenty to do. Taking a page from Deepak Chopra, it’s not a closed system, there are still plenty of mysteries to go around. In the Church of Being, the individual is exalted. Personal, positive life transformation is the ticket.
As shown in footnote #7, the Church of Being is now founded, though not established. Join by sending me an email at church@brianrwright.com. It will be a bit informal for a while as the early subscribers and I work out the details. Charter memberships—I discussed those in the previous column, but I'm coming to think in terms of ounces of gold in these soon-to-be hyperinflationary times—are also encouraged in the nature of providing development capital. We have a planet and a galaxy to win.
This is a realm that has not been firmly bounded in the general case. Doctrine remains to be established. It is a matter of conscience. Beism doesn’t make edicts on what is moral behavior when the aggressive force of government is brought to bear on individuals. But as an illustration, refusal to pay taxes to a government that practices torture and murder by policy is wholeheartedly encouraged and condoned by the Church.
