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Rule One
You will receive a body. Whether
you love it or hate it, it's yours for life, so accept it.
What counts is what's inside.
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Rule Two
You will be presented with
lessons.
Life is a constant learning experience, which every
day provides opportunities for you to learn more. These
lessons specific to you, and learning them 'is the key to
discovering and fulfilling the meaning and relevance of your
own life'.
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Rule Three
There are no mistakes, only
lessons.
Your development towards wisdom is a process of
experimentation, trial and error, so it's inevitable things
will not always go to plan or turn out how you'd want.
Compassion is the remedy for harsh judgment - of ourselves
and others.
Forgiveness is not only divine - it's also 'the
act of erasing an emotional debt'. Behaving ethically, with
integrity, and with humor - especially the ability to laugh
at yourself and your own mishaps - are central to the
perspective that 'mistakes' are simply lessons we must
learn.
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Rule Four
The lesson is repeated until
learned. Lessons repeat until learned.
What manifest as
problems and challenges, irritations and frustrations are
more lessons - they will repeat until you see them as such
and learn from them. Your own awareness and your ability to
change are requisites of executing this rule.
Also
fundamental is the acceptance that you are not a victim of
fate or circumstance - 'causality' must be acknowledged;
that is to say: things happen to you because of how you are
and what you do. To blame anyone or anything else for your
misfortunes is an escape and a denial; you yourself are
responsible for you, and what happens to you.
Patience is
required - change doesn't happen overnight, so give change
time to happen.
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Rule Five
Learning does not end. While you
are alive there are always lessons to be learned. Surrender
to the 'rhythm of life', don't struggle against it.
Commit
to the process of constant learning and change - be humble
enough to always acknowledge your own weaknesses, and be
flexible enough to adapt from what you may be accustomed to,
because rigidity will deny you the freedom of new
possibilities.
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Rule Six
"There" is no better than
"here".
The other side of the hill may be greener than your
own, but being there is not the key to endless happiness. Be
grateful for and enjoy what you have, and where you are on
your journey.
Appreciate the abundance of what's good in
your life, rather than measure and amass things that do not
actually lead to happiness. Living in the present helps you
attain peace.
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Rule Seven
Others are only mirrors of you.
You love or hate something about another person according to
what love or hate about yourself.
Be tolerant; accept others
as they are, and strive for clarity of self-awareness;
strive to truly understand and have an objective perception
of your own self, your thoughts and feelings. Negative
experiences are opportunities to heal the wounds that you
carry.
Support others, and by doing so you support yourself. Where you are unable to support others it is a sign that you
are not adequately attending to your own needs.
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Rule Eight
What you make of your life is up
to you.
You have all the tools and resources you need. What
you do with them is up to you. Take responsibility for
yourself. Learn to let go when you cannot change things.
Don't get angry about things - bitter memories clutter your
mind. Courage resides in all of us - use it when you need to
do what's right for you.
We all possess a strong natural
power and adventurous spirit, which you should draw on to
embrace what lies ahead.
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Rule Nine
Your answers lie inside of you.
Trust your instincts and your innermost feelings, whether
you hear them as a little voice or a flash of inspiration.
Listen to feelings as well as sounds. Look, listen, and
trust.
Draw on your natural inspiration.
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Rule Ten
You will forget all this at
birth.
We are all born with all of these capabilities - our
early experiences lead us into a physical world, away from
our spiritual selves, so that we become doubtful, cynical
and lacking belief and confidence.
The ten Rules are not
commandments, they are universal truths that apply to us
all.
When you lose your way, call upon them. Have faith in
the strength of your spirit. Aspire to be wise - wisdom the
ultimate path of your life, and it knows no limits other
than those you impose on yourself.
