TOPICS: Transcending relative extremes – taking heaven by force – non-attachment to outer results –
Question: Dear Jesus, I have often heard you speak about taking a balanced approach to life. As you described that Buddha chose the middle path between two extremes. I have even heard that many Buddhist monks make a journey on foot through some mountain terrain to reach enlightenment. If the are unable to finish the journey they then commit suicide. I find this to be extreme.
Answer from ascended master Jesus through Kim Michaels:
The reason the Buddha stressed the middle way was that he realized that the relative extremes are not the true path to spiritual progress. As I have explained throughout this website, the dualistic mind causes people to become polarized towards one of two relative extremes. Many people do indeed waste all of their energy and attention on endeavors that do not contribute to their spiritual growth but simply contribute to maintaining an unbalanced state of mind. Therefore, the Buddha wanted to set forth the example that by consciously striving to avoid these relative extremes, a lifestream can make much swifter progress toward a higher state of consciousness. So it is indeed extremely important for all evolving lifestreams to strive for balance in their spiritual endeavors.
You mention lifestreams that set out on the spiritual journey and commit suicide because they cannot complete the journey. These lifestreams are not advanced lifestreams. They are, in fact, immature lifestreams who are trying to take heaven by force. They subscribe to the belief that by doing certain outer actions, they will automatically attain spiritual progress. So by taking their actions to the extreme, they should experience extremely quick progress. This is indeed what you see in some extremist religious groups whose rituals have no balance whatsoever. Such lifestreams ascribe to the belief in an automatic salvation. This is a fallacy. This is taking heaven by force. This is the way that seems right unto a man, but the ends thereof are the ways of the death of the lifestream [Proverbs 16:25].
You see, the real key to spiritual progress is not outer rituals or outer accomplishments. The true road to spiritual progress is an inner path, and you will not attained a high level of spiritual consciousness until you become non-attached to outer results and practices. You must cultivate the non-attachment that the Buddha and I advocated.
Let me also say that once a lifestream has achieved a high degree of spiritual mastery, the lifestream does not necessarily have to remain balanced in all things. At that advanced level of consciousness, a lifestream can indeed engage in certain types of extreme behavior. Yet when the lifestream has reached Christ consciousness, such behavior will not cause a lifestream to lose its sense of harmony and balance. That is why you see some Masters who engage in behavior that would be too extreme for students at lower levels of the spiritual path.
Copyright © 2003 by Kim Michaels