EP: 174 Working with the Law Part 10 - The Law of Sacrifice

In today’s episode we are continuing the discussion of Working with the Laws - Chapter 10 by Raymond Holliwell. He opens the chapter for The Law of Sacrifice, by saying every man should have an ideal or a hero. If there is one who has none and desires none, do not trust him too far. A man who has no ideals, does not wish to be any greater than he is and will in time prove a detriment to others.

7:20 - What are you sacrificing?

Yes, I have to give time. I have to sacrifice time to attain it. Yes, I have to sacrifice energy to work towards it. There is a gift that you're giving something to receive, always, always. You can't miss. So the question becomes, what are you sacrificing? 

KISMA

8:24 - If you want it, work for it!

If you want to cultivate something of excellence, you're going to need discipline. If you want to direct your energy, your mind energy, your heart energy, your entire energy towards something that is greater than you it requires discipline. It is not a dirty word.

KISMA

8:59 Decision requires sacrifice

The word decision... It means to cut off.  You make a decision about something. You choose one path that means that you didn't choose the other. You remove that as part of the journey, because you're taking the right fork instead of the left one. Nothing right or wrong about it, but there's a decision that gets made and the decision itself is you're sacrificing left for right.

Nick

09:44 Discipline is the key!

Holliwell says, we are not an undisciplined generation in any realm except one, and that is in our morals. If we are not able to discipline the direction of our mind, we've got energy going everywhere and he (Raymond) goes on to say, no one can gain wisdom and understanding of life except that he seeks it in God's appointed way according to the law.

KISMA

11:32 - The undisciplined mind…

When you're undisciplined in your thoughts, you think positive for a moment, you're expansive for a moment and then you're right back where you started. It’s this constant back and forth and back and forth, which is truly exhausting both for your physical body and for your mind.

Nick

12:30 Sacrifice is not what preachers have made it out to be. It’s not optional.

Everything in life has its own price and is ever up for sale. We have to purchase it at the price it demands day after day. We go up to life's counter and say, I will give you this if you will give me that. This bar doing has another more familiar, perhaps we call it sacrifice. Sacrifice then is not what our preachers have made it out to be. It is an inescapable necessity. It is a definite law that we must obey. 

KISMA

16:53 We sacrifice everyday in one way or another.

What's more important? Chocolate cake or my health. What's more important? Smoking or my health. You do decide.

KISMA

19:06 - The myths of sacrifice

When this law of sacrifice is carried over into the moral realm, it is commonly presented one sided. We are taught that if we want to live a good life, we have to give up so many pleasures. How familiar that sounds to some of us. The result is that we rebel and when we think of sacrifice we think of the ones who have had to give up so much pleasure for goodness. 

KISMA

21:08 What are we actually giving up?

Swamiji shares a beautiful idea where the King meets the Sage and he's like, I can't believe you're such a great man for giving up all of the world. And the Sage is like, I'm not great at all. You've given up the self, your true realization in order to have that, I've just given up these things. 

Nick

22:36 - A defining truth!

Freedom is being able to control your life and then making it what you want it to be. 

KISMA