Nonjudgement is the First Step, and the Foundation to a Successful Spiritual Life

Practicing nonjudgement is essential for those who wish to experience lasting joy and peace.  I know of no other way.

What does this really mean?  Let’s take a step back and observe ourselves.  What is life like today for the average person?  Hundreds of thoughts enter our mind each day.  Many of them, to our detriment, are tainted with judgement of another person, or a group of people.  We assume or conclude that the person(s) we are thinking about, is ethically incorrect, guilty or evil. We’re so accustomed to this we don’t know how to stop thinking this way.  But it is possible to abandon judgemental thinking, and a life of amazing and lasting joy await the person who successfully accomplishes this.

You do not need to hide from the world to stop judging.  You can still read/watch the news.  You can still participate in political debates (if that is what you want to do).  You can still form and express thoughts about the human experience.  But the primary, foundational thought, upon which your other thoughts are formed, should be “I do not know this person’s history, or the story of his/her inner deliberations, and I choose not to judge them. Therefore my position on this person’s ethics, is neutrality.”

Yes, neutrality can be your position on whether each person is coming from good or evil. Neutrality, because you do not know.  Your mind will try to convince you that you do know, but you must vigilantly insist to yourself that you do not know.  If your mind “forgets” this and passes judgement, chase down that thought before it leaves your awareness, and firmly stamp your position of neutrality upon it.

Taking this approach to thinking for the remainder of your life may seem like a daunting task.  But to those who are fervently searching for the right approach to their life, it’s possible, and necessary.  Committing yourself to neutrality may upend your mental state.  It might cause a storm of disruption, to the point where you feel dizzy or mentally exhausted.  My recommendation is to stay committed – the storm will dissipate.  You will find the new “you”, and calmness and peace will slowly return, and stay permanently.  It will be able to stay, because you will have made room for it with your commitment to neutrality and nonjudgment.