Do you judge? Do you see value in judging?<\/p>\n
Do you think judging changes things?<\/p>\n
What do you judge?<\/p>\n
Is there different forms of judging<\/p>\n
The dictionary says:<\/p>\n
Verb: To form an opinion or conclusion about.<\/p>\n
And where do those opinions and conclusions come from?<\/p>\n
(It could be enlightening and fun to check out other discriptions of judging from the dictionary.)<\/p>\n
I have heard that when we judge, we curse ourselves? What might that mean? (One person interpreted it as wishing bad things for someone who had hurt them.<\/p>\n
Here is an excerpt on \u201cjudge not\u201d from a workshop.<\/p>\n
Now the great teacher that lived many years ago said if we loved Him, we would keep His commandments, but we haven\u2019t paid much attention to that.\u00a0\u00a0 And along with \u2018judge not\u201d was the second most frequently repeated statement, to \u201cwatch\u201d which is a word that would possibly be more accurately translated as \u201cto awaken\u201d \u2013 awake or watch.<\/p>\n
When we find ourselves disturbed or, shall we say, getting emotional, the first thing we do is look for blame. \u00a0Prior to blame, we \u201cmade something important\u201d which really says I judge this as being more important than something else. I react in a millisecond and so begins the process of judging.\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019ve got \u201cto do something about it\u201d and \u201cthis must be changed right now!\u201c All this is done mechanically in a \u201csleep state\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0 Somewhere in the mind is a long established \u201cbelief\u201d or an \u201cideal\u201d of \u201cwhat ought to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
We react with a complaint or blaming or judging because we think \u201cthey or it will change\u201d. That reaction began mechanically to be a habit when we were little babies.\u00a0\u00a0 It worked then, but is about the last way to get \u201cour way\u201d today in our grown up bodies. We are still judging and trying to change things — \u201cI\u2019ve got to have this thing or this sensation sensation; and this one I don\u2019t want.<\/p>\n
So are we judging constantly?\u00a0\u00a0 Is our judging just mechanical efforts, totally unknown, totally unconscious, — are we, then, just a machine? We left the brain and intelligence somewhere while we were reacting to stimuli we judge as \u201cbad\u201d. The machine is like a car going somewhere without a driver. There is no understanding whatsoever.<\/p>\n
So first we are judgers. We judge; and therefore, set up the state of opposites \u2013 what does it start from? — the first belief established at birth that the whole purpose of living was to regain the nondisturbed state \u2013 the state we had just before left the comfort of the womb where everything was provided with no effort on our part.<\/p>\n
Now we\u2019ve never reevaluated that decision made at birth \u2013 never really knew it existed, and so we judge. It\u2019s a constant struggle to be totally nondisturbed. Every challenge is seen as a threat \u2013 \u201chow can I get it away, it\u2019s bad\u201d \u2013 the judging goes on morning, noon and night in our sound sleep state.<\/p>\n
Now obviously, as long as this judging is in there, that\u2019s pretty prime information to know about going on within. We can possibly awaken to ask \u201cwhat am I\u2019m doing\u201d? We observed a person the other day who received a letter on pink ruled tablet paper and got all pushed out of shape.<\/p>\n
Most of us think we\u2019re not making things important. Do you realize you make things important all day long? Are you conscious of doing it while you\u2019re doing it? No, but in restrospect you see, \u201cOh yes, I made that important.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 But you\u2019re unaware of it until later, is that right?<\/p>\n
Right. So there is a very few, He said, who would find \u201cthe way\u201d which is to be conscious of what we\u2019re doing: but we want to do it mechanically. What is the constant cry? \u201cTell me what\u2019s the right thing to do; and I\u2019ll do it?\u201d \u201cGive me some teaching so I can establish a new belief; and then I can do it mechanically. But what difference does it make if a machine does it? The greatest computer in the world is still just a machine; and about the same value as a dollar watch when it comes to consciousness except the computer does different works \u2013 both are mechanical. So when it\u2019s mechanical, there is no human being there \u2013 he\u2019s gone to a \u201csleep state\u201d and and lets the machine operate.<\/p>\n
Now an awakened individual obviously wouldn\u2019t make important \u201cwhat you do or say or don\u2019t do or say\u201d because it really doesn\u2019t matter. One wouldn\u2019t make it important what somebody in one\u2019s household says or does \u2013 what difference does it make, it goes away in a very short time. If you don\u2019t like it, just wait a minute, it\u2019ll be different. You can develop ways of directing the potential difficulty to another subject or just leaving it without comment.\u00a0\u00a0 In other words, letting go \u2013 it just isn\u2019t that important.\u00a0\u00a0 We only argue about opinions, beliefs and conclusions, not facts.<\/p>\n
So \u201cwhat\u2019s going on\u201d is what we could call a \u201ctransient stream flowing through the mind. When one is awake and watching, one has no desire to make anything in that \u201cstream\u201d important. But if you have that first belief that we all established ,that the whole purpose of living is to be nondisturbed, then anything that\u2019s in the \u201cstream\u201d could potentially be a disturber sooner rather than later. So then I\u2019ve already judged it as \u201cbad\u201d, as a \u201cthreat\u201d; and I begin to struggle with it right now.<\/p>\n
Some say \u201cOh I judged then, I was so bad, and that was only in my younger days\u201d. \u00a0Consequently, we kid ourselves when we say, \u201cNow I don\u2019t judge anymore.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Now is the time we are in \u2013 the present moment \u2013 there is only now.\u00a0\u00a0 If I\u2019m unaware of judging now, am I conscious? Do we judge \u201cin the now\u201d and only be conscious of it at some future time if I just happen to look back at it. Is that about the way it works?\u00a0\u00a0 But have we paid any attention to our judging in the now. Are we awake at this moment to see what I\u2019m doing now? How about that?<\/p>\n
Was your last week full of a lot of important things to do at that moment? And were you anxious a great deal of the time as you looked back on it?<\/p>\n
(Yes.)<\/p>\n
Now what was it about \u2013 important things wasn\u2019t it? You never get anxious about things that aren\u2019t important, do you? Is it important what people say to me — what people do? Is it important how much money I had to spend for groceries? And I hear one of those potatoes was rotten too, huh? You got all torn up about a rotten potato I\u2019ve noticed?<\/p>\n
(Yeah. They\u2019re pretty stinkin\u2019.)<\/p>\n
Yeah, terrible isn\u2019t it? Bad, bad, bad. So we go around constantly in our \u201csound sleep\u201d judging mechanically \u2013 click, click, click, click, click; and then the next moment we say how much we love all the great teachings and the teacher too, huh? But we demonstrate that we haven\u2019t even paid the slightest attention to the teachings.\u00a0\u00a0 Somebody told us if we say these words — you know, make an affirmation and then we\u2019ll be happy and it\u2019ll all just happen, so I say the words how? \u2013 mechanically.<\/p>\n
One time I worked in a lab where we had a brainwave machine \u2013 you know, one of these things you hook around on here; and it makes little waves on a chart. It shows how your brain\u2019s working. We had this thing working in a grounded shielded booth so there would be no external radio waves or anything to interfere with it.<\/p>\n
We had an Archbishop in the Roman Catholic church was one of the patients we were working with one day, so we had him to multiply some numbers like 393 by 16 and it made some pretty good jiggles on the chart.\u00a0\u00a0 And then the man that was operating it \u2013 (it wasn\u2019t me, I was just the technician in there holding wires), said to the Archbishop, \u201cWould you say the Our Father and two Hail Mary\u2019s please?\u00a0\u00a0 So he rattled them off.\u00a0\u00a0 When he got through the technician of the machine walked over to him and said, \u201cBishop, I hate to tell you this, but your prayers didn\u2019t even get out of this booth.\u201d \u201cThey didn\u2019t make a squiggle on the machine.\u00a0\u00a0 So the mechanical way of rattling off the words did not register on the brainwave machine.<\/p>\n
(Did he laugh?)<\/p>\n
Who, the archbishop? No. I did, but you know I\u2019m always seeing something as funny. He didn\u2019t laugh at all \u2013 he didn\u2019t think that was appropriate \u2013 it was very undignified.<\/p>\n
But judging is our prime business, is that about right? Now suppose that I give a little exercise. Everbody says they wanna be awake. They have even asked me, \u201cBob, wake us up.\u201d So I\u2019ll give the shake now. That is that this week, you will judge consciously everything that you come in contact with at that moment \u2013 you will judge it. Now you\u2019ve apparently been doing it pretty consistently and unconsciously as you look back in retrospect, but you didn\u2019t do it consciously at the moment because you don\u2019t judge consciously. If you judged it as bad then you have first made it important — very important; and you try to figure a way to change it or some person into something \u201cgood\u201d –something that fits your ideal — something you approve of, is that right? Then you discover that you\u2019re in a state of struggle and you resist what is \u2013 you stay in conflict as long as it\u2019s not the way you want it. \u2013 is that correct?<\/p>\n
So let\u2019s say that number one, we will consciously judge everything. In other words we will consciously sin for a change. You\u2019re gonna sin, do it consciously, man, get all the mileage you can out of it. Don\u2019t just go around in your sleep doin\u2019 it \u2013 sleep walkers don\u2019t get no mileage out of their sinnin\u2019. So consciously judge. Consciously make everything very important \u201cwhich is to judge it\u201d i had to judge it from something I made important. So I have to judge whether it\u2019s good or bad; and then I can consciously be caught up in the opposites.\u00a0\u00a0 That makes me double minded okay? How can you expect anything if you\u2019re trying to go in two directions at once.\u00a0\u00a0 So you keep on doing it deliberately and on purpose or, shall we say, consciously because, you see, you can\u2019t keep on doing it when you discover that it isn\u2019t justified that there really is no understanding of the total picture.\u00a0\u00a0 When you\u2019ve awakened, you can\u2019t keep doing it. Try it as much as you like.\u00a0\u00a0 So we\u2019re really not conscious except in retrospect that I made something important.<\/p>\n
So for this week in order to be awake, I\u2019m gonna judge everything as very important first, huh? That\u2019ll set it up. I wanna make it important; and then I\u2019m gonna see whether it\u2019s good or bad; and if I judge it as \u201cgood\u201d, I\u2019m gonna work desperately to hang onto it; and if I judge it as \u201cbad\u201d, I\u2019m gonna work desperately to make it go away, okay?\u00a0\u00a0 Now that would be beginning to look at this first idea of the teachings a little bit; and would that be waking up just a little bit? In retrospect, we look back and say we\u2019ve judged and made everything important, and we wind up full of anxieties, chewin\u2019 our fingernails off to taking gobs of tranquilizers and other good remedies. And then we wonder why our stomachs are upset. Why we have headaches. Why we have backaches and why we\u2019re falling apart at the seams — my skin\u2019s saggin\u2019 and all this because after all I\u2019m very \u201cgood\u201d you know. We even judge that as a belief. We\u2019ve been influenced with that saying that \u201conly good people get sick — those old reprobates don\u2019t ever get sick\u201d. Did you ever hear that? So we will make things important, we\u2019ll be anxious, but we will be consciously anxious; and we will consciously judge everything; and we will consciously be in a state of opposites; and we will consciously know we need expect nothing because we are in conflict, struggle and resisting \u201cwhat is\u201d.<\/p>\n
[From Marsha\u2026<\/p>\n
When working with this exercise, the question came up as to whether he was talking about expressing it outwardly or not. I can express it outwardly with no one around similar to when I did the exercise of working off anger by beating a towel against the sofa when I was alone and going through all the anger statements.<\/p>\n
But if we judge others openly, I think we would not only experience lots of arguments and defenses; but also a lot of disapproval and rejection which probably isn\u2019t to my advantage in the long run \u2013 either at home or at work. \u00a0People don\u2019t want to do things for me when I constantly judge them.<\/p>\n
When I questioned how judging someone is a curse for me, I observed others and myself.\u00a0\u00a0 In the first place I don\u2019t feel so good inside when I judge and that makes it hard to keep my mood up \u2013 I begin to make it important to not be around them and that\u2019s all I see of them \u2013 I don\u2019t see the whole person and all the valued aspects of them. Therefore I am tempted to cut myself off.\u00a0\u00a0 If, instead, I have looked at the complete person as they are each time I see them, (be knowing them moment to moment) often the judgement melts away.\u00a0\u00a0 And from working with that idea, I have developed some wonderful relationships that were to my advantage in many ways \u2013 skills, recommendations, rides (because I can\u2019t drive), financial help, new relatonships both in friends and work and on and on.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve have heard an idea that helps me to discern who I want to be with and who I don\u2019t want to be with \u2013 is that judging?\u00a0\u00a0 Maybe.\u00a0\u00a0 But there are many people invited to this earth party. Some I will want to be around a lot and some I won\u2019t. It doesn\u2019t make those that I don\u2019t want to be around bad or wrong \u2013 it just means that either we see things differently or we just don\u2019t have anything in common, so I let them pass on through my life.<\/p>\n
I also have noticed that when somebody judges me, first off I feel compelled to defend myself which goes nowhere. They just bring up better arguments to either put me down or try to change me.\u00a0\u00a0 I also find that I feel a need to please them and either do or not do whatever they judged me for.\u00a0\u00a0 But when they\u2019re gone, what do I do then?\u00a0\u00a0 Can you guess?<\/p>\n
And we can also see whether it\u2019s of value to judge myself. Do I change or do I only become double minded trying to go in two directions at once. I describe the opposites as \u201cdo what I want to do\u201d verses \u201cdo what I think I should do or ought to do\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0 Seems like the result of that conflict is to \u201cfeel bad about myself\u201d which goes into guilt and\/or self pity. Does that have any value?\u00a0\u00a0 Do I change or do I just create a vicious cycle that continues on and on.<\/p>\n
Do I make it important and judge others who are judging?\u00a0\u00a0 Do I kid myself that only I can judge because I do it \u201cjustly.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Does that leave me in a peaceful state with an ability to keep the mood up?<\/p>\n
And another judgement I observe is when it is made important that everyone have the same personal taste that I have.\u00a0\u00a0 I happen to like jazz and others like rap.\u00a0\u00a0 They just have a different personal taste from mine; and if I see that, then I can just \u201clet it be\u201d without getting all emotional about it. If they don\u2019t like jazz, so what \u2013 what difference does it make?<\/p>\n
So this is certainly a worthwhile exercise to use and discover what it has to offer for each of us.]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Do you judge? Do you see value in judging? Do you think judging changes things? What do you judge? Is there different forms of judging The dictionary says: Verb: To form an opinion or conclusion about. And where do those … Continue reading