judging

In the last episode we had a brief look at rejection, or non-acceptance of what is. And in this episode we will explore a related facet of the ego, and that is judging, the judgemental mind.

Again, the mind that judges is the ego mind, judging something to be good or bad, better or worse. This judgemental approach to life creates a great duality between good and evil, between right and wrong. In the whole of the rest of nature, this does not exist. This is peculiar to the human ego. That is why in the Christian tradition the fall from grace came when we humans ate of the tree of knowledge; knowledge of good and evil. This sense of good and evil is the judgemental approach and it is a dualistic one, dividing the world up into right and wrong.

And whilst this aspect is alive within us, we judge each other and in that judging we create a great gulf between each other. If I judge you to be a bad person, how then can we touch each other? I have made it impossible, merely through that judgement within my own mind.

And whilst we are judging each other, it is invariably true that we are also judging ourself. And self judgement creates a great torture within our own mind. For though we may occasionally be happy with what we are doing, with who we are, it is natural if we are judging that we will often judge ourself to be bad, wrong, inferior. So we are never going to be at peace with ourself whilst the judging mind is operating. And perhaps amazingly, this can cease, this whole approach to life based on judging things, especially people. It can come to an end, and then we are at peace with each other, and we are at peace with ourself. This is the great peace that the buddhas live in. It allows for a great relaxation of the being. It allows life to be savoured, without regret, without doubt, without judging.