How to Live a Good Life Advice from Wise Persons

- Unitarian Universalist Seven Principles

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Ground Rules for Living

"1. Be Positive.
2. Accept Yourself.
3. Let Go.
4. Express Your Love.
5. Accept Full Responsibility for Your Life.
6. Forgive Yourself.
7. Handle What Does Not Work.
8. Let Go of Resentment.
9. Don't Overspend.
10. Find a Dream to Go For.
11. Serve. Have Your Life Be More Than You.
12. Experience Your Spirituality."

- Bill Ferguson, Mastery of Life, 2006

Discourse on Happiness

"Not to be associated with the foolish ones,
to live in the company of wise people,
honoring those who are worth honoring –
this is the greatest happiness.

"To live in a good environment,
to have planted good seeds,
and to realize that you are on the right path –
this is the greatest happiness.

To have a chance to learn and grow,
to be skillful in your profession or craft,
practicing the percepts and loving speech –
this is the greatest happiness.

To be able to serve and support your parents,
to cherish your own family,
to have a vocation that brings you joy –
this is the greatest happiness.

To live honestly, generous in giving,
to offer support to relatives and friends,
living a life of blameless conduct –
this is the greatest happiness.

To avoid unwholesome actions,
not caught by alcoholism or drugs,
and to be diligent in doing good things –
this is the greatest happiness.

To be humble and polite in manner,
to be grateful and content with a simple life,
not missing the occasion to learn the Dharma –
this is the greatest happiness.

To persevere and be open to change,
to have regular contact with monks and nuns,
and to fully participate in Dharma discussions –
this is the greatest happiness.

To live in the world
with your heart undisturbed by the world,
with all sorrows ended, dwelling in peace –
this is the greatest happiness.

For he or she who accomplishes this,
unvanquished wherever she goes,
always he is safe and happy –
happiness lives within oneself."

- The Buddha, Mahamangala Sutta, Sutta Nipata, 2.4
Found in Chanting from the Heart, by Thich Nhat Hahn, 2002, p. 270

Seven Core Values

"1.   The inherent worth and dignity of every person.
2.   Justice, equity and compassion in human relations.
3.   Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations.
4.   A free and responsible search for truth and meaning.
5.   The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large.
6.   The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all.
7.   Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part."

The Ten Commandments of Health

"East Wisely
Drink Plentifully of Water
Eliminate Thoroughly
Bathe Cleanly
Exercise Rationally
Accept Inevitables (Don't Worry)
Play Enthusiastically
Relax Completely
Sleep Sufficiently
Check Up Occasionally

Give 5% of your time to keeping well.
You won't have to give 100% to getting over being sick."

- George W. Claver, M.D.
Physician to the U.S. Congress in 1928

Five Ways to Be Real
Through the Practice of Dzogchen

"1. Naturalness and Simplicity
Rely on the natural state. Be yourself, your true unaltered self. Everything we need is within
the natural mind - innately whole and complete. So relax.

2. Authenticity, Non-contrivance, Non-fabrication
There is nirvanic peace in things left just as they are. Striving and struggle is extra. Leave
it as it is and rest the weary heart and mind. See through everything, be through everything;
and remain free, luminous and complete.

3. Openness and Oneness
Stay open-minded and inclusive. Pure presence is a state of nonjudgmental, non-interfering
choiceless awareness or panoramic attention to the "is-ness" and "now-ness" of all things.
Be open to your experience. Let go and let things fall into place as they will. Perhaps
wherever they fall is the right place.

4. Awareness and Wisdom
Present awareness knows and sees what is, as it is. Innate wakefulness is wise and effective
in its own brand of insight and discernment combined with uncommon common sense.

5. Spontaneous Energy Flow
With freedom and decontraction, inexhaustible uninhibited energy is released, surging forth,
bubbling up from within. When we let go and loosen our tight-fisted grasping, or repetitive
holding patterns, we are buoyed up and become one with the flow. This is the natural flow,
the sacred zone masters describe. You can access it at will."

- Lama Surya Das, Awakening to the Sacred, 1999.

Characteristics of the More Fully-Functioning Individual

"Nonconformity and Individuality
Self-Awareness
Acceptance of Ambiguity and Uncertainty
Tolerance
Acceptance of Human Animality
Commitment and Intrinsic Enjoyment
Creativity and Originality
Social Interest and Ethical Trust
Enlightened Self-Interest
Self-Direction
Flexibility and Scientific Outlook
Unconditional Self-Acceptance
Risk-Taking and Experimenting
Long-Range Hedonism
Work and Practice"

- Albert Ellis, The Albert Ellis Reader, 1998.

Noble Eightfold Path of the Buddha

"I will attempt to live my life moving toward:
1. A balanced wholeness of perspective that centers around the idea of achieving a complete experience of life.   [Right Views]
2. A balanced wholeness of resolve in which I deliberately move away from what is toxic and move toward that which is nourishing.   [Right Intentions]
3. A balanced wholeness of the manner, content, and intent of my speech.   [Right Speech]
4. A balanced wholeness of life-affirming moral conduct.   [Right Action]
5. A balanced wholeness of a profession that affirms life and does not obstruct or negate it.   [Right Livelihood]
6. A balanced wholeness of life-affirming spiritual activity.   [Right Efforts]
7. A balanced wholeness of mindful awareness and alertness as tools for profound living.   [Right Mindfulness]
8. A balanced wholeness of concentrated bodymind skills as tools for fully awakening my Buddha Nature.   [Right Concentration]"

- The "balanced wholeness" version is from the Venerable Reverend John Bright-Fey, The Whole Heart of Zen: The Complete Teachings from the Oral Tradition of Ta-Mo, p. 254.
The [short version] is a rather standard formulation of Siddhartha Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path

Four Principles for a Successful Life

"1. The practice of giving love without expectations.
2. To seeking true knowledge of ourselves and of the meaning of existence.
3. Practicing reflection to understand the mistakes we made in life and to release ourselves from attachment that causes suffering.
4. To develop ourselves so that we can help guide others and to become useful in the world - to, ultimately, evolve spiritually."

- Ryuho Okawa, The Laws of Happiness, 2004

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Nine Heart Paths to Healing and Abundance

Joy
Self-Control
Generosity
Peace
Faithfulness
Patience
Kindness
Gentleness
Love

- Karen Speerstra, Sophia: The Feminine Face of God: Nine Heart Paths to Healing and Abundance, 2011

Tips for Living a Good Life

"Approve of yourself
Your limitations may just be in your mind
Lighten up and have some fun
Let go of anger
Release yourself from entitlement
If you are taking a different path, prepare for reactions
Keep your focus steadily on what you want
Don’t focus so much on making yourself feel good
Do what you want to do"

- From Mark Twain, summarized by Henrick Edberg, The Positivity Blog

Thirteen Necessary or Desirable Virtues

"1. Temperance. Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
2. Silence. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.
3. Order. Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
4. Resolution. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
5. Frugality. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; waste nothing.
6. Industry. Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
7. Sincerity. Use not hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.
8. Justice. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
9. Moderation. Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
10. Cleanliness. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitation.
11. Tranquility. Be not disturbed by trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
12. Chastity. Rarely use venery but for health or offspring; never to dullness, weakness, or injury of your own or another's peace or reputation.
13. Humility. Imitate Jesus and Socrates."

- Benjamin Franklin, Autobiography 1771-1784
From The Portable Enlightenment Reader, edited by Isaac Kramnick, 1995, p.484

Ten Basic Epicurean Values

1) Prudence
2) Self-management
3) Self-sufficiency
4) Serenity
5) Simplicity
6) Friendliness
7) Honesty
8) Generosity
9) Cheerfulness
10) Gentleness

- Epicurus, 341-270 BCE, Epicureanism

Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

1. Be Proactive
2. Begin with the End in Mind
3. Put First Things First
4. Think Win-Win
5. Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood
6. Synergize
7. Sharpen the Saw - Continuous Improvement, Renewal, Readiness

- Stephen R. Covey, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, 1989

Six Pillars of Self-Esteem

1. Living Consciously: The practice of being aware of what one is doing while one is doing it; or, mindfulness.
2. Accept Yourself: The practice of owning truths regarding one's thoughts, emotions, and behaviors; of being kind toward oneself with respect to them;
and of being "for" oneself in a basic sense.
3. Take Responsibility for Your Experiences: The practice of owning one's authorship of one's actions and of owning one's capacity to be the cause of
the effects one desires.
4. Assert Who You Are: the practice of treating one's needs and interests with respect and of expressing them in appropriate ways.
5. Live Purposely: The practice of formulating goals and of formulating and implementing action plans to achieve them.
6. Maintain Your Integrity: The practice of maintaining alignment between one’s behaviors and convictions.

- Nathaniel Branden, Six Pillars of Self-Esteem, 1995

Ten Rules for the Good Life

"1. Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
2. Never trouble another for what you can do yourself.
3. Never spend your money before you have it.
4. Never buy what you do not want because it is cheap; it will never be dear to you.
5. Pride costs us more than hunger, thirst, and cold.
6. Never repent of having eaten too little.
7. Nothing is troublesome that we do willingly.
8. Don't let the evils which have never happened cost you pain.
9. Always take things by their smooth handle.
10. When angry, count to ten before you speak; if very angry, count to one hundred."

- Thomas Jefferson, Ten Rules for the Good Life, 1790.

Nine Rules for Living the Good Life

Be Grateful.
Be Smart.
Be Involved.
Be Clean.
Be True.
Be Positive.
Be Humble.
Be Still.
Be Prayerful.

- Gordon B. Hinkley, Way to Be! Nine Ways to Be Happy, 2002.

Reaching a New Level of Well-Being and Delight

"Move your awareness from Form to Energy
Explore realms of being outside your everyday experience
Break the grip of the ego
Honor the holy Self within
Accept a new life, free of worry and filled with joy
Keys: Love. Hope. Fulfillment. Security. Harmony. Freedom."

- John Randolf Price, Living a Life of Joy

Principles for Purposeful Living

1. Unity
2. Self-Determination
3. Collective Work and Responsibility
4. Cooperative Economics
5. Purpose
6. Creativity
7. Faith

- Barbara Dixon, Seven Principles for Purposeful Living

Seven Pleasures

Dancing
Reading
Walking
Looking
Listening
Swimming
Writing

- Willard Spiegelman, Seven Pleasures: Essays on Ordinary Happiness

Advice for Young People

"Young people need compassion and guidance, not obscure mysticism.
Here are some guidelines for young people:

Remember that you are always your own person. Do not surrender your
mind, heart, or body to any person. Never compromise your dignity for
any reason.

Maintain your health with sound diet, hygiene, exercise, and clean
living. Don't engage in drugs or drinking.

Money is never more important that your body and mind, but you must
work and support yourself. Never depend on others for your livelihood.

Choose your friends and living situation carefully, for they will
influence you. Find a mentor you can trust, one who can answer your
every question, but never give up responsibility for your own life. No
one lives your life for you.

A good education is always an asset.

Emotions are transitory and are not a good way to make decisions.

Every day, you must make decisions. Everything you do will have
irrevocable effects upon your life. Before you go down any path,
consider carefully. Rivers very rarely reverse course.

Know evil, but do not do evil yourself. Remember, there is a way
out of the delusions of life. When you weary of the world, find someone
who will show you Tao."

- Deng Ming-Dao, 365 Tao: Daily Meditations, 1992

Five Keys to Mindful Loving

"Fear can be a warning to be more cautious.
Desire allows you to open and reach out to others.
Judgment fosters viewing a situation with intelligence.
Control is needed to maintain some stability in your everyday life.
Fantasy stimulates the imagination and fosters creativity."

- David Richo, How to Be an Adult in Relationships: The Five Keys to Mindful Loving

The Calculus of Felicity

Intensity: How powerful is the pleasure?
Duration: How long lasting is the pleasure?
Certainty: How guaranteed is the pleasure?
Proximity: How close is the pleasure?
Fecundity: Will this pleasurable activity generate additional pleasures?
Purity: How pain-free is this particular pleasure?
Extent: How many other persons will experience this pleasure?

- Jeremy Bentham, 1748-1832

Ways to Lift Your Spirits, Boost Your Mood
Revitalize Yourself, Banish the Blues

Be grateful for the good in your life.
Give yourself permission to be human.
Brighten someone’s day.
Learn something new.
Listen to upbeat music.
Do some exercise on a regular basis.
Simplify your life, remove clutter, and clean.
Go for a walk.
Enjoy sex and discover romance.
Get organized.
Do a good deed or volunteer.
Smile and put on a happy face.
Indulge your senses.
Seek and cultivate beauty.
Take time to breathe deeply.
Look at some old photos.
Focus on the positive.
Forgive yourself.
Get some fresh air.
Eat often and eat light.
Begin a program of meditation or contemplation.
Talk with your physician or counselor.
Cook and prepare a lovely and tasty meal.
Eat something nutritious like nuts or fruit.
Pamper yourself.
Alter your routines in some way.
Have confidence.
Talk with your spouse.
Fake it till you make it.
Sign a song out loud.
Tap into your creative side.
Take up a mind-body practice like Taijiquan, Qigong or Yoga.
Inhale a calming scent.
Sit quietly, rest, or sleep.
Brainstorm a problem for solutions.
Avoid bad or negative companions, and find good friends.
Watch a good non-violent movie.
Work in the garden.
Cool down strong emotions.
Take some vacation time for relaxation and retreat.
Look on the Bright Side.
Small steps of progress are better than no steps.
Avoid watching the news for a week.
Don’t take yourself too seriously.
Focus on past successes, not failures.
Create a wish list and make one wish come true.
Explore ways to boost your self-esteem.
Focus on what you can control and what you can change.
Get some more sunlight on your body.
Choose your attitude and how you will react to life's events.
Spend less, avoid shopping.
Punch a bag or bang on a drum.
Keep a journal or express yourself in writing.
Go easy on yourself and yield.
Count your blessings.
Take a long shower or refreshing soaking bath.
Get relevant and accurate information.
Chat with a friendly person or neighbor.
Things change and time heals.
Adapt, adapt, adapt.
Agree to disagree; you don’t need to win every argument.
Think fast.
Consider vitamin or herbal supplements that lift mood.
Seek professional help for serious mental health problems.
Read something inspiring.
Avoid comparing yourself to others, and envy is a waste of time.
Seek spiritual support or pray.
Evaluate and revise your goals.
Pet your dog or cat and care for them.
Get a massage.
Enjoy a non-competitive sport.
Try fasting or staying up all night.
Donate your stuff, your skills, or your time.
Forgive and forget.
Don't sweat the small stuff.
Dance till you are tired.
Stop using any recreational drugs.
Spend some time with children.
Abandon false ideas and unrealistic aims.
Enjoy a refreshing drink.
Make someone laugh.
Allow yourself to be eccentric, and enjoy some silly thoughts.
Have a bowl of soup or a cup of tea.
Less talk and more doing.
Get up, dress up, and show up.
Observe nature carefully and respectfully.
Visit your public library and borrow some beautiful books.
Be less self-centered and selfish.
A spiritual advisor, rituals, or religious beliefs can sometimes help.
Love expands your horizons of caring and happiness.
Accept the fact that some things are broken and can't be fixed.
Memorize an inspirational saying, prayer, poem, or quote.
Call or visit a sick person.

- Michael P. Garofalo, Ways to Lift Your Spirits, 9/15/2011, 3 pages PDF format

Metta Sutra

"This is what should be done
By one who is killed in goodness,
And who knows the paths of peace:
Let them be able and upright,
Straightforward and gentle in speech.
Humble and not conceited,
Contented and easily satisfied.
Unburdened with duties and frugal in their ways.
Peaceful and calm and wise and skillful,
Not proud and demanding in nature.

Let them not do the slightest thing
That the wise would later reprove.
Wishing: In gladness and safety,
May all beings be at ease.
Whatever living beings there may be,
Whether they are weak or strong, omitting none,
The great or the mighty, medium, short or small,
The seen and the unseen,
Those living near and far away,
Those born and to-be born,
May all beings be at ease.

Let none deceive another,
Or despise any being in any state.
Let none through anger or ill will
Wish harm on another.
Even as a mother protects with her life
Her child, her only child,
So with a boundless heart
Should one cherish all living beings;
Radiating kindness over the entire world
Spreading upwards to the skies,
And downwards to the depths;
Outwards and unbounded,
Free from hatred and ill will.

Whether standing or walking, seated or lying down
Free from drowsiness,
One should sustain this recollection.
This is said to be the sublime abiding,
By not holding to fixed views,
The pure hearted one, having clarity of vision,
Being freed from all sense desires,
Is not born again into this world."

- Traditional Buddhist Scripture, found in "Awakening to the Sacred" by Lama Surya Das, 1999, p. 301
Alternate translations: Ñanamoli | Amaravati | Piyadassi | Thanissaro

Tenets of Zen

1.   The realities of the life are most truly seen in everyday things and actions.
2.   Everything exists according to its own nature. One individual perceptions of worth, correctness,
      beauty, size, and value exist inside our heads, not outside them.
3.   Everything exists in relation to other things.
4.   The self and the rest of the universe are not separate entities but one functioning whole.
5.   Man arises from nature and gets along most effectively by collaborating with nature,
      rather than by trying to master it.
6.   There is no ego in the sense of an endlessly enduring, unchanging private soul or personality that
      temporarily inhabits the body.
7.   True insight does not issue from specialized knowledge, from membership in coteries, from doctrines
      or dogmas. It comes from the preconscious intuitions of one's whole being, from one's own code.
8.   In emptiness, forms are born. When one becomes empty of the assumptions, inferences, and
      judgments he has acquired over the years, he comes close to his original nature and is capable
      of conceiving original ideas and reacting freshly.
9.   Being a spectator while one is also a participant spoils one's performance.
10. Security and changelessness are fabricated by the ego-dominated mind and do not exist in nature.
      To accept insecurity and commit oneself to the unknown creates a relaxing faith in the universe.
11. One can live only in the present moment.
12. Living process and words about it are not the same and should not be treated equal in worth.
13. When we perceive the incongruity between theories about life and what we feel intuitively to
       be true on the nonverbal, nonjudging plane, there is nothing to do but laugh.
14. Zen art has this characteristic quality, that it can fuse delight in a work of visual art, knowledge of life,
      and personal experiences and intuitions into one creative event.
15. Each of us develops into a unique individual who enters into unique transactions with the world as it
      exists for him.

- Stewart W. Holmes and Chimyo Horioka, Zen Art for Meditation, 1973

- The Six Principles for Enlightened Living Dharma Talk (Mayahana Buddhism)

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Disputing Irrational Beliefs:
Questions to Ask Yourself

"1. What self-defeating irrational belief do I want to dispute and surrender?
2. Can I rationally support this belief?
3. What evidence exists of the falseness of this belief?
4. Does any evidence exist for the truth of this belief?
5. What are the worst things that could actually happen to me if I don't get
what I think I must (or do get what I think I must not get)?
6. What good things could I make happen if I don't get what I think I must
(or do get what I think I must not get)?"

- Albert Ellis, The Albert Ellis Reader: A Guide to Well-Being Using Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, 1998.

The Work: Identifying, Questioning, and Turning Around a Stressful Thought or Belief

Is the thought or belief true?
How can I absolutely know that the thought or belief is true? What evidence or facts can justify saying the thought or belief is true?
How do I react and what happens when I have that thought or belief?
Who would I be without the thought? How would my life be better or improve without the belief or thought.
How can I turn-around, reverse the thought, change the thought, modify the thought or belief, use different language to describe the thought, reverse its truth value, not take it personally, reject the thought or belief, trick myself into thinking otherwise, or go beyond the thought or belief.

- Refer to "The Work" by Byron Kathleen Mitchell.

Daily Resolutions

"I am a seeker of truth on a spiritual journey. I believe life has sacred meaning and purpose.
May my behavior today express my deepest beliefs.
May I approach each and every task today with quiet impeccability.
May I be a simple, humble, and kind presence on the earth today.
May I see the Divine Nature in all beings today.
May I be grateful today to those who came before me, and may I make the roads smoother
for those who will travel them after me.
May I leave each place at least a little better than I found it today.
May I truly cherish this day, knowing that it may be my last.
May I remember, remember, remember, not to forget, forget, forget."

- Bo Lozoff, It's a Meaningful Life: It Just Takes Practice

Qualities of Self-Actualizing Persons

Truth: honest, reality, beauty, pure, clean and unadulterated completeness
Goodness: rightness, desirability, uprightness, benevolence, honesty
Beauty: rightness, form, aliveness, simplicity, richness, wholeness, perfection, completion,
Wholeness: unity, integration, tendency to oneness, interconnectedness, simplicity, organization, structure, order, not dissociated, synergy
Dichotomy-transcendence: acceptance, resolution, integration, polarities, opposites, contradictions
Aliveness: process, not-deadness, spontaneity, self-regulation, full-functioning
Unique: idiosyncrasy, individuality, non comparability, novelty
Perfection: nothing superfluous, nothing lacking, everything in its right place, just-rightness, suitability, justice
Necessity: inevitability: it must be just that way, not changed in any slightest way
Completion: ending, justice, fulfillment
Justice: fairness, suitability, disinterestedness, non partiality,
Order: lawfulness, rightness, perfectly arranged
Simplicity: nakedness, abstract, essential skeletal, bluntness
Richness: differentiation, complexity, intricacy, totality
Effortlessness: ease; lack of strain, striving, or difficulty
Playfulness: fun, joy, amusement
Self-sufficiency: autonomy, independence, self-determining.
- Abraham Maslow (1908-1970), Toward a Psychology of Being, 1968
Abraham Maslow by Dr. George Boeree, Meta-Needs
Abraham Maslow - Wikipedia

Principles of Enlightened Living - The Six Buddhist Paramitas (Perfections)

1.   Dana Paramita: the perfection of generosity. Unattached generosity, boundless openness, unconditional love.
       Open heart, open mind, open hand.
2.   Sila Paramita: virtue, morality.
3.   Shanti Paramita: patience, tolerance, forbearance, acceptance, endurance.
4.   Virya Paramita: energy, diligence, courage, enthusiasm, effort.
5.   Dhyana Paramita: meditation, absorption, concentration, contemplation.
6.   Prajna Paramita: transcendental wisdom."

The Ten Paramitas of Buddhism

Dāna pāramī : generosity, giving of oneself, charity, altruism
Sīla pāramī : virtue, morality, proper conduct, ethics
Nekkhamma pāramī : renunciation, simplicity, letting go, not-doing (wu-wei)
Paññā pāramī : transcendental wisdom, insight, enlightenment
Viriya pāramī : energy, diligence, vigor, effort
Khanti pāramī : patience, tolerance, forbearance, acceptance, endurance
Sacca pāramī : truthfulness, honesty, fidelity, correctness
Adhitthāna pāramī : determination, resolution, intention, willpower
Mettā pāramī : loving-kindness, love, compassion, not harming
Upekkhā pāramī : equanimity, calmness, peace, serenity

- Pāramitā (Sanskrit) or Pāramī (Pāli) is "perfection, completedness, virtue."

The Ten Paramitas: Transformational Practices for Realizing an Enlightened Heart-Mind

The Seven Holy Virtues

"1. Humility: modesty, selflessness, respectful, not prideful or vain.
2. Kindness: compassion, friendliness, gentleness, harming none, sympathy without prejudice.
3. Patience: forbearance, endurance, composure, forgiveness, not angry.
4. Diligence: energetic, decisive, careful, attentive, enthusiasm, working, zeal, not lazy.
5. Liberality: generosity, giving, charity, Sermon on the Mount, vigilance, not covetous or envious.
6. Abstinence: restraint, moderation, temperance, self-control, mindful, abstinence, not lacking sensual self-control.
7. Chastity: sexual self-control, purity, cleanliness, not lustful."

- Aurelius Clemens Prudentius (c. 410 CE), Psychomachia and Dante Aligihieri's (c 1315 CE), Divine Comedy

The Path Towards Spiritual Transformation

1. We admit the fact that our ordinary human condition, based on the dualistic perception of life, is a stubborn habit that we normally conceal from ourselves through denial.

2. We begin to look and ask for guidance in our effort to cultivate a new outlook that embraces the spiritual vision of the interconnectedness of all existence. The means of doing so are varied from supportive spiritual environments to uplifting books.

3. We initiate positive changes in our behavior, which affirm that new outlook. It is not enough to read and talk about spiritual principles. Spirituality is intrinsically a practical affair.

4. We practice self-understanding: that is, we accept conscious responsibility for noticing our automatic programs and where the fall short of our new understanding of life.

5. We make a commitment to undergoing the catharsis, or purification, necessary to change our old cognitive and emotional patterns and stabilize the new outlook and disposition, replacing the old egoic habit of splitting everything into irreconcilable opposites with and integrative attitude.

6. We learn to be flexible and open to life so that we can continue to learn and grow on the basis of our new outlook.

7. We practice humility in the midst of our endeavors to mature spirituality. In this way we avoid the danger of psychic inflation.

8. We assume responsibility for what we have understood about life and the principles of spiritual recovery, applying our understanding to all our relationships so that we can be a benign influence in the world.

9. Guided by our new outlook, we work on the integration of our multiply divided psyche.

10. We cultivate real self-discipline in all matters, great and small.

11. We increasingly practice spiritual communion, which opens us to that dimension of existence where we are all connected. Through such communion and through continued growth in self-understanding, we become transparent to ourselves.

12. We open ourselves to the possibility of bliss, the breakthrough of the transcendental reality into our consciousness, whereby th ego principles is unhinged and we fully recover our spiritual identity. Through this awakening the world becomes transparent to us and we are made whole.

- Georg Feuerstein, The Deeper Dimensions of Yoga: Theory and Practice, 2003.

Four Agreements

"1. Be impeccable with your word.
2. Don't take anything personally.
3. Don't make assumptions.
4. Always do your best."
- Don Miguel Ruiz, The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, 1997

Lakota Code of Ethics

1. Rise with the sun to pray. Pray alone. Pray often. The Great Spirit will listen, if you only speak.
2. Be tolerant of those who are lost on their path. Ignorance, conceit, anger, jealousy and greed stem from a lost soul.
3. Search for yourself, by yourself. Do not allow others to make your path for you. It is your road, and yours alone.
Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you.
4. Treat the guests in your home with much consideration. Serve them the best food, give them the best bed and treat them with respect and honor.
5. Do not take what is not yours whether from a person, a community, the wilderness or from a culture. It was not earned nor given. It is not yours.
6. Respect all things that are placed upon this earth – whether it be people or plant.
7. Honor other people’s thoughts, wishes and words. Never interrupt another or mock or rudely mimic them. Allow each person the right to personal expression.
8. Never speak of others in a bad way. The negative energy that you put out into the universe will multiply when it returns to you.
9. All persons make mistakes. And all mistakes can be forgiven.
10. Bad thoughts cause illness of the mind, body and spirit. Practice optimism.
11. Nature is not for us, it is a part of us. They are part of your worldly family.
12. Children are the seeds of our future. Plant love in their hearts and water them with wisdom and life’s lessons. When they are grown, give them space to grow.
13. Avoid hurting the hearts of others. The poison of your pain will return to you.
14. Be truthful at all times. Honesty is the test of ones will within this universe.
15. Keep yourself balanced. Your Mental self, Spiritual self, Emotional self, and Physical self – all need to be strong, pure and healthy.
Work out the body to strengthen the mind. Grow rich in spirit to cure emotional ails.
16. Make conscious decisions as to who you will be and how you will react. Be responsible for your own actions.
17. Respect the privacy and personal space of others. Do not touch the personal property of others – especially sacred and religious objects. This is forbidden.
18. Be true to yourself first. You cannot nurture and help others if you cannot nurture and help yourself first.
19. Respect others religious beliefs. Do not force your belief on others.
20. Share your good fortune with others.

- Native American Wisdom from the Lakota People

Characteristics of a Wise Practical Person

"They educate themselves
They are disciplined
They admit their mistakes and learn from them
They are patient
They take instruction humbly
They can handle rejection and failure
They know that they can only control themselves
They are guided by wisdom
They know their priorities
They are trustworthy and steadfast
They take calculated risks
They make the most of their relationships
They don't live beyond their means
They don't pay full price
They don't squander money"
- By Casey Slide

Yamas and Niyamas of Hinduism

Yamas: Moral Observances and Restraints

1. Nonviolence, Not Harming, Not Killing   Ahimsa
2. Truthfulness, Not Lying, Not Gossiping, Good Speech   Satya
3. Not Stealing, Paying Debts, Not Gambling, Keeping Promises, Not Wasting   Asteya
4. Divine Conduct, Immersed in Divinity, Celibacy, Following Marriage Vows   Brahmacharya
5. Patience, Restraining Intolerance, Don't Argue, Slow Down   Kahama
6. Steadfastness, Persistence, Perseverance, Industriousness   Dhriti
7. Compassion, Kindness, Helpfulness   Daya
8. Honest, Law Abiding, Not Cheating, Fair   Arjava
9. Moderation, Proper Eating, Simplicity, Not Greedy Mithara and Aparigraha
10. Purity, Cleanliness, Proper Language, Keep Good Company   Saucha

Niyamas: Spiritual Practices, Religious Observances, Values

1. Remorse, Humility, Apologize, Acknowledge Wrongdoing, Correct Your Faults   Hri
2. Contentment, Serenity, Gratitude, Simplicity, Following Spiritual Values   Santosha
3. Giving, Charity, Liberality, Volunteer, Support Worthwhile and Spiritual Causes   Dana
4. Faith   Astikya
5. Worship, Surrender to God, Love of God Ishvara Pujana
6. Scriptural Listening   Sidhanta Shravana
7. Cognition, Self-Study, Meditation, Seek Knowledge, Follow Guru   Mati and Svadhyaya
8. Sacred Vows   Vrata
9. Recitation   Japa
10. Austerity, Fervor, Effort, Work, Energy   Tapas

- Yamas and Niyamas
    From the Indian scriptures, The Upanishads: Shandilya and the Varuha.
    From 600-100 BCE
    Hinduism's Code of Conduct

See also Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, Circa 2^nd Century CE
(Yoga Sutra, Verses 2:30 – 2:34.)

Humanist Manifesto 2000

I. Preamble. Humanism is an ethical, scientific, and philosophical outlook that has changed the world. Its heritage traces back to the philosophers and poets of ancient Greece and Rome, Confucian China, and the Charvaka movement in classical India. Humanist artists, writers, scientists, and thinkers have been shaping the modern era for over half a millennium. Indeed, humanism and modernism have often seemed synonymous for humanist ideas and values express a renewed confidence in the power of human beings to solve their own problems and conquer uncharted frontiers.

II. Prospects for a Better Future. For the first time in human history we possess the means provided by science and technology to ameliorate the human condition, advance happiness and freedom, and enhance human life for all people on this planet.

III. Scientific Naturalism. The unique message of humanism on the current world scene is its commitment to scientific naturalism. Most world views accepted today are spiritual, mystical, or theological in character. They have their origins in ancient pre-urban, nomadic, and agricultural societies of the past, not in the modern industrial or postindustrial global information culture that is emerging. Scientific naturalism enables human beings to construct a coherent world view disentangled from metaphysics or theology and based on the sciences.

IV. The Benefits of Technology. Humanists have consistently defended the beneficent values of scientific technology for human welfare. Philosophers from Francis Bacon to John Dewey have emphasized the increased power over nature that scientific knowledge affords and how it can contribute immeasurably to human advancement and happiness.

V. Ethics and Reason. The realization of the highest ethical values is essential to the humanist outlook. We believe that growth of scientific knowledge will enable humans to make wiser choices. In this way there is no impenetrable wall between fact and value, is and ought. Using reason and cognition will better enable us to appraise our values in the light of evidence and by their consequences.

VI. A Universal Commitment to Humanity as a Whole. The overriding need of the world community today is to develop a new Planetary Humanism—one that seeks to preserve human rights and enhance human freedom and dignity, but also emphasizes our commitment to humanity as a whole. The underlying ethical principle of Planetary Humanism is the need to respect the dignity and worth of all persons in the world community.

VII. A Planetary Bill of Rights and Responsibilities. To fulfill our commitment to Planetary Humanism, we offer a Planetary Bill of Rights and Responsibilities, which embodies our planetary commitment to the well-being of humanity as a whole. It incorporates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but goes beyond it by offering some new provisions. Many independent countries have sought to implement these provisions within their own national borders. But there is a growing need for an explicit Planetary Bill of Rights and Responsibilities that applies to all members of the human species.

VIII. A New Global Agenda. Many of the high ideals that emerged following the Second World War, and that found expression in such instruments as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, have waned through the world. If we are to influence the future of humankind, we will need to work increasingly with and through the new centers of power and influence to improve equity and stability, alleviate poverty, reduce conflict, and safeguard the environment.

IX. The Need for New Planetary Institutions. The urgent question in the twenty-first century is whether humankind can develop global institutions to address these problems. Many of the best remedies are those adopted on the local, national, and regional level by voluntary, private, and public efforts. One strategy is to seek solutions through free-market initiatives; another is to use international voluntary foundations and organizations for educational and social development. We believe, however, that there remains a need to develop new global institutions that will deal with the problems directly and will focus on the needs of humanity as a whole. These include the call for a bicameral legislature in the United Nations, with a World Parliament elected by the people, an income tax to help the underdeveloped countries, the end of the veto in the Security Council, an environmental agency, and a world court with powers of enforcement.

X. Optimism about the Human Prospect. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, as members of the human community on this planet we need to nurture a sense of optimism about the human prospect. Although many problems may seem intractable, we have good reasons to believe that we can marshal our talent to solve them, and that by goodwill and dedication a better life will be attainable by more and more members of the human community. Planetary humanism holds forth great promises for humankind. We wish to cultivate a sense of wonder and excitement about the potential opportunities for realizing enriched lives for ourselves and for generations yet to be born.

- Humanist Manifesto 2000, A Call for a New Planetary Humanism

Drafted by Professor Paul Kurtz, International Academy of Humanism, USA

Traits and Behaviors of Mental Heath

"Although no group of authorities fully agree on a definition of the term mental health, it seems seems to include several traits and behaviors that are frequently endorsed by leading theorists and therapists (e.g., Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, Karen Horney, Erich Fromm, Rudolf Dreikurs, Fritz Perls, Abraham Maslow, Marie Jahoda, Carl Rodgers, Rollo May, Albert Ellis, etc.). These include such traits as self-interest, self-direction, social interest, tolerance, acceptance of ambiguity and uncertainty, flexibility, acceptance of social reality, commitment, risk taking, self-acceptance, rationality and scientific thinking. Not all mentally healthy individuals possess the highest degree of these traits at all times, but when people seriously lack them or when they have extreme opposing behaviors, we often consider them to be at least somewhat emotionally disturbed.

Self Interest: Emotionally healthy people are primarily true to themselves and do not subjugate themselves or unduly sacrifice themselves for others. Realizing that if they do not primarily take care of themselves no one else will, they tend to put themselves first, a few selected others a close second, and the rest of the world not too far behind.

Self-Direction: Mentally healthy people largely assume responsibility for their own lives, enjoy the independence of mainly working out their own problems, and, while at times wanting or preferring the help of others, do not think that they absolutely must have such support for their effectiveness and well-being.

Social Interest: Emotionally and mentally healthy people are normally gregarious and decide to try to live happily in a social group. Because they want to live successfully with others, and usually to relate intimately to a few of these selected others, they work at feeling and displaying a considerable degree of social interest and interpersonal competence.

Tolerance: Emotionally healthy people tend to give other humans the right to be wrong. While disliking or abhorring other's behavior, they refuse to condemn them as total persons for performing poor behavior. They fully accept the fact that all humans seem to be remarkably fallible; they refrain from unrealistically demanding and commanding that any of them be perfect; and they desist from damning people in toto when they err.

Acceptance of Ambiguity and Uncertainty: Emotionally mature individuals accept the fact that, as far as has yet been discovered, we live in a world of probability and chance, where there are not, and probably ever will be, absolute necessities or complete certainties. Living in such a world is not only tolerable but, in terms of adventure, learning and striving, can even be very exciting and pleasurable.

Flexibility: Emotionally sound people are intellectually flexible, tend to be open to change at all times, and are prone to take an unbigoted (or at least less bigoted) view of the infinitely varied people, ideas, and things in the world around them. They can be firm and passionate in their thoughts and feelings, and they comfortably look at new evidence and often revise their notions of "reality" to conform with this evidence.

Acceptance of Social Reality: Emotionally healthy people, it almost goes without saying, accept was is going on in the world. This means several important things: (1) they have a reasonably good perception of social reality and do not see things that do not exist and do not refuse to see things that do; (2) they find various aspects of life, in accordance with their own goals and inclination, "good" and certain aspects "bad" ─ but they accept both these aspects, without exaggerating the "good" ones and without denying or whining about the "bad" ones; (3) they do their best to work at changing those aspects of life they view as "bad," to accept those they cannot change, and to acknowledge the difference between the two.

Commitment: Emotionally healthy and happy people are usually absorbed in something outside of themselves, whether this be people, things, or ideas. They seem to live better lives when they have at least one major creative interest, as well as some outstanding human involvement, which they make very important to themselves and around which the structure a good part of their lives.

Risk Taking: Emotionally sound people are able to take risks. They ask themselves what they would really like to do in life, and then try to do it, even though they have to risk defeat or failure. They are reasonably adventurous (though not foolhardy); are will to try almost anything once, if only to see how they like it; and look forward to different or unusual breaks in their usual routines.

Self-Acceptance: People who are emotionally healthy are usually glad to be alive and to accept themselves as "deserving" of continued life and happiness just because they exist and because they have some present or future potential to enjoy themselves. They fully or unconditionally accept themselves. They try to perform competently in their affairs and win the approval and love of others; but they do so for enjoyment and not for ego gratification or self-deification.

Rationality and Scientific Thinking: Emotionally stable people are reasonably objective, rational, and scientific. They not only construct reasonable and empirically substantiated theories relating to what goes on in the surrounding world (and with their fellow creatures who inhabit this world), but they are also able to supply the rules of logic and of the scientific method to their own lives and their interpersonal relationships. "

- Albert Ellis, Ph.D. The Albert Ellis Reader: A Guide to Well-Being Using Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, 1998, pp. 235-252. Based on the 1962 essay titled "The Case Against Religion: A Psychotherapist's View."

"The philosopher should be a man willing to listen to every suggestion, but determined to judge for himself. He should not be biased by appearances, have no favorite hypothesis, be of no school, and in doctrine have no master. He should not be a respecter of persons, but of things. Truth should be his primary object. If to these qualities be added industry, he may indeed hope to walk within the veil of the temple of Nature."
- Michael Faraday (1791-1867)

“To be a philosopher is not merely to have subtle thoughts, nor even to found a school, but so to love wisdom as to live according to its dictates a life of simplicity, independence, magnanimity, and trust. It is to solve some of the problems of life, not only theoretically, but practically.”
- Henry David Thoreau

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"I, who make no other profession, find in myself such infinite depth and variety, that what I have learned bears no other fruit than to make me realize how much I still have to learn. To my weakness, so often perceived, I owe my inclination to coolness in my opinions and any hatred for that aggressiveness and quarrelsome arrogance that believes and trusts wholly in itself, a mortal enemy of discipline and truth."
- Michel de Montaigne, "Of Experience," 1588

“That man is successful who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much, who has gained the respect of the intelligent men and the love of children; who has filled his niche and accomplished his task; who leaves the world better than he found it, whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul; who never lacked appreciation of earth’s beauty or failed to express it; who looked for the best in others and gave the best he had.”
- Robert Louis Stevenson

“Truth is a pathless land. Man cannot come to it through any organization, through any creed, through any dogma, priest or ritual, not through any philosophical knowledge or psychological technique. He has to find it through the mirror of relationships, through the understanding of the contents of his own mind, through observation and not through intellectual analysis or introspective dissection."
- Jiddu Krishnamurti, The Core of the Teachings

"This is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people ... re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss what insults your very soul, and your very flesh will become a great poem."
- Walt Whitman

"The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"The focus of my life begins at home with family, loved ones and friends. I want to use my resources to create a secure environment that fosters love, learning, laughter and mutual success. I will protect and value integrity. I will admit and quickly correct my mistakes. I will be a self-starter. I will be a caring person. I will be a good listener with an open mind. I will continue to grow and learn. I will facilitate and celebrate the success of others."
- Merlin Olsen

Non fui, fui, non sum, non curo
I was not, I was, I am not, I do not care
- Epicurus, a tombstone epitaph, 4 Feb 341 - 270 BCE

Politeness, Fidelity, Prudence, Temperance, Courage, Justice, Generosity, Compassion, Mercy, Gratitude, Humility, Simplicity, Tolerance, Purity, Gentleness, Good Faith, Humor, and Love.
- André Comte-Sponville, A Small Treatise on the Great Virtues: The Uses of Philosophy in Everyday Life, 1996

"The 'Wise Old Man' (also called senex, sage or sophos) is an archetype as described by Carl Jung, as well as a classic literary figure, and may be seen as a stock character. The wise old man can be a profound philosopher distinguished for wisdom and sound judgment. This type of character is typically represented as a kind and wise, older father-type figure who uses personal knowledge of people and the world to help tell stories and offer guidance that, in a mystical way, may impress upon his audience a sense of who they are and who they might become, thereby acting as a mentor. He may occasionally appear as an absent-minded professor, appearing absent-minded due to a predilection for contemplative pursuits. The wise old man is often seen to be in some way "foreign", that is, from a different culture, nation, or occasionally, even a different time, from those he advises. In extreme cases, he may be a liminal being, such as Merlin, who was only half human. In medieval chivalric romance and modern fantasy literature, he is often presented as a wizard. He can also or instead be featured as a hermit. This character type often explained to the knights or heroes—particularly those searching for the Holy Grail—the significance of their encounters. In storytelling, the character of the wise old man is commonly killed or in some other way removed for a time, in order to allow the hero to develop on his/her own.

In Jungian analytical psychology, senex is the specific term used in association with this archetype. In Ancient Rome, the title of Senex (Latin for old man) was only awarded to elderly men with families who had good standing in their village. E xamples of the senex archetype in a positive form include the wise old man or wizard. The senex may also appear in a negative form as a devouring father (e.g. Uranus, Cronus) or a doddering fool. In the individuation process, the archetype of the Wise old man was late to emerge, and seen as an indication of the Self. 'If an individual has wrestled seriously enough and long enough with the anima (or animus) problem...the unconscious again changes its dominant character and appears in a new symbolic form...as a masculine initiator and guardian (an Indian guru), a wise old man, a spirit of nature, and so forth.' The antithetical archetype, or enantiodromic opposite, of the senex is the Puer Aeternus. Example: The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove."
- Wise Old Man