A Positive Focus Is More Productive Than a Negative Fixation for Spiritual Growth

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We go wherever we focus our
attention.

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If we focus on difficulties, we
wallow in those difficulties.

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If we focus our attention on
growth and development, then we

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draw to ourselves those
opportunities that support that

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growth.
There are examples.

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Certain traditions make the
rooting out of what they

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consider to be sins of the flesh
through extremes of discipline

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or even self punishment through
use of whips, hair shirts and

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the Solis.
We can observe the results in

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history as some of these same
groups turned their attention on

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others and undertook radical
means of action to dominate and

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control others.
Including as an example, things

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like the Holy Inquisition where
anyone not adhering to the

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specific faith was haunted down,
tortured, and in many cases

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burned to death.
Clearly the individuals carrying

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out these actions were so
fixated on the negative side of

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finding and rooting out sin that
they had little time or mind to

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try to make life better through
positive growth and efforts.

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While this represents only a
small fraction of the religious

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or spiritual tradition or
practice, it highlights for us

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the difference between a
fixation on the negative versus

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a focus on the positive.
Blaming oneself and by extension

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others, does not move the
evolutionary effort forward as

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much as simply turning the
attention to the truth and

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result we aspire for.
There is of course a place for

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self examination and an effort
to remove weaknesses or focuses

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that hold one back from
achieving the evolutionary step

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forward.
This should not, however, become

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an obsession in lieu of the
turning of attention upwards

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towards the light, harmony,
truth and love that emanates

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from that higher consciousness.
In many cases, as we see in a

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normal growth process of the
external being, the shift of

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focus automatically results in
past habits or activities

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falling away.
Naturally, when we grow out of

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childhood, we leave our childish
pursuits behind for the most

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part.
A disciple asks, is blaming

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oneself a good method of
progressing?

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The mother replies quote No, not
necessarily.

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It may be useful.
It is indeed useful from time to

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time in order to get out of the
illusion of one's own

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perfection.
But one wastes much energy and

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self criticism.
It is much better to use the

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same energy in making progress,
a concrete progress, something

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more useful.
For example, if you have

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thoughts which are unpleasant,
ugly, vulgar and disturbing, and

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you say, ah, ah, how intolerable
I am, I still have such

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thoughts, what a nuisance it is.
It would be much better use this

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very energy simply to do this
gesture and drive away the

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thoughts.
And this is only the first step.

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The second is to try to have
other thoughts, to take interest

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in something else, either read
or reflect, but in any case try

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to fill your mind with something
more interesting.

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To use your energy in
constructing rather than in

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destroying.
It is of course necessary from

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time to time.
To recognize one's faults, it is

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altogether indispensable, but to
dwell too much upon them is not

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necessary.
What is necessary is to use all

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one's energy in order to build
up the qualities one wants to

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have and do what one wants to
do.

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This is much more important and
quote reference Srioro Bindu and

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the Mother, Looking from Within,
Chapter 2.

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Looking at Oneself and Others,
pages 40 to 41.