A judgment is simply a thought that the mind uses to categorize someone or something and make sense of this observation conceptually. Judgments can be either "positive," "negative," or neutral. This is obvious. But what is always not so obvious is that all thoughts are creative. And in the act of creation, thoughts manifest as an energy form within the mind and subsequent body of your being (we call these energy forms emotions). And it is this energy form that plays itself out in the mind and on the body in either "positive," "negative," or neutral ways... Therefore what you think becomes what you are. Because what we think creates emotions within us. *(Before I jump deeply into this, it is important to take note that these types of feelings and emotions are part of the egoic mind. There is nothing wrong or bad about them, just do not confuse them with the feelings derived from awareness (which essentially is love in the acknowledgment of the beauty that is life)).
Now back to judgments, which are thoughts used to perceive the subjective world we witness. In many instances they help us on the journey of our lives by helping us navigate our relationships, careers, and the small stuff from like what we should eat for breakfast...obvious indeed. But do we witness the enormous power we give to the process of judgment? For these judgments linger within us for as long as we continue to be unconscious of them. We attach to them. They become the things of the ego.
The ego is inherently unconscious, for it is the minds way of prescribing a set of behaviors and thoughts given a situation. And if a situation baffles us, we tend to step away from the ego, even temporarily. For in the presence of a beautiful sunset, we are silent, we are in awe...but we then cling for that experience again...and so the ego grows...
For example, Judging Another...
We see another person standing there...and all of a sudden the egoic mind starts to pass judgment, most often unconsciously. The ego creates these judgments as a basis of comparison. But in light of how we can actually be a participant in the creative process of the mind, we should look at why there is a need for comparison anyway? Herein lies the existential dilemma of coming to know what you are without the ego...for the ego builds its whole existence on the comparison of others... and usually criticizes another so that it bolsters its own self worth. The ego is afraid to not exist...for it fears its "death." And do we not fear our death? But what is it that makes us so afraid of death? Has this fear not been conditioned into us? And so to like the ego is a condition of our existence, we live unconsciously through our conditions, afraid to see the possibilities of living beyond the ego. when we are conscious of this moment the ego dissolves, even if so temporarily, and only when we revert back to the automatic way of living do we step into the ego again...
Only when we can start to see the ego as an entity that has been brought into our lives as a conditioned variable, passed down through the generations of dualistic living, can we begin to have power over it and give ourselves the ability to evolve consciously to a place of silent wholeness.
Now for real...when you judge another, are you really conscious of all that goes into the judgment process? Can you sense why they are acting the way they are? Can you see into every moment of there past and analyze why they have created a conditioned mode of being different to yours? Or are you jealous of something? Or do you simply bolster yourselves through there own imperfections - does this not make you than, imperfect?
The ego will always be imperfect because it is searching and desiring to become more than what it already is - perfection is the process of accepting what is and allowing yourself to simply stay in that state - nothing more, nothing less.
Simply put, any judgment on another becomes a judgment within the body of your being. You embody these judgments as emotions. If you are angry towards someone you feel the anger, if you are jealous of someone or something you feel the jealousy. If you feel joyous towards another your become that feeling of joy. So choose wisely in this creative process, for your thoughts and subsequent judgments of another become you. The energy form that you feel towards another becomes you...This is why giving is wonderful...
Herein lies a clue to seeing the universal oneness within you. As you relate to another or to another thing in this matrix of seemingly dualistic proportions, your relation process and the creations of that process through thought and judgment become embedded within your own emotional body. So then how are we to be? How are we to navigate? Because we all know that judgments are necessary from time to time.
My advice would be only to judge if there is no basis of comparison involved when you judge another or another thing. In this case your moving into a more neutral territory. And in neutral territory, which is inherently more silent on the emotional body, you leave greater room for source energy to make its way into your awareness. Source energy is the energy that permeates all of existence through the ethers. It is the invisible fabric that is woven into all of life. And it is supreme love for it begets life.
Now it may be difficult to witness whether or not we are being "neutral" and not applying these judgments as some sort of comparison to ourselves. We may be unconscious to this process...so really dig deep and seek that awareness within you...because the more you deliberately become conscious the greater and deeper your awareness becomes. Just sit with whatever it is that you feel and become aware of this. The answer than, to whether or not you are judging from a place of ego, will become clear to you. If there is a peaceful silence that you feel, than you know that your clearing energy paths for yourself.
The goal of all this would be to clear your emotional body so that you can become to sense the "what is." Emotions often get in the way of being for they lock us into particular patterns. *Take note: there is a difference between love created in the mind (which tends to be possessive and conditional) and the love you feel from feeling the oneness and awe of your own very awareness. This process does not produce an emotionless person, rather it creates a person, or rather an awareness, that is open to what the universe is creating beyond the egoic mind (essentially which is just everything, but just in a clearer manor). True source love from the divine is channeled through this clearer awareness...
Simply see yourself in judgment...see why you do it and then accept it. Most importantly...FORGIVE yourself for whatever it is that you have created, for forgiveness of the self is the greatest medicine one can bring to oneself. Furthermore, in the forgiveness of another, because we realize that they are living out their life drama in the only way they know how too, we become more open and we find that it is easier to forgive ourselves...because remember, all intertwines and relates in this one world existence. For even in the seemingly illusory dualism of person and thing, person and person, there is something that brings us all together. And hidden in the ethers of this realm of existence is the love of god, the love of life, and the love of love...on and on and on...add infinity...
Follow up question/concern from a fellow reader via email (feel free to contact me anyway):
Anonymous: What if it is not others we judge, but rather ourself? Any judgment I make is towards myself - yet I accept others.
But... I guess in judgment you can't really judge yourself apart from others - ultimately you are comparing yourself to others... otherwise you would be accepting of who you are... So more or less... I feel like I'm constantly seeing myself as "not as good", and I rarely (if ever) find myself looking down on someone else because I accept them for who they are in that moment. You even caught it in my message that I sent you when I compared "consciousness levels"...
Chris: Right right. I hear you. Your definitely understanding this intellectually. And yes, the judgments we place on ourselves are the same because without the other there is no self judgment. So you get that. So once you can begin to see that the judgments of yourself or others stems from a place of lack...which is the basis and foundation of the ego - that always wants more - you begin to see the whole picture...
Ok yeah, well you can begin to see this...well than what's next? --- the next part is the experiential component--the part which you must live. This is all about accepting the automatic reactions of the ego...but before you can even accept really- you need to witness yourself. We all live from a set of conditions-- taught by society etc...but forgive that, become aware of the reactionary judgment of yourself...analyze where it comes from if you wish, but ultimately accept yourself for having a reaction: than in the shadows of that acceptance of reactivity lies a silence...that is our true essence...even if it only last for a moment...you have tasted it. So become conscious of yourself through witnessing yourself in each moment of now...Yet DO NOT stress this part. Consciousness is a muscle. And you work at it. In "time" (through repeated experience) it becomes stronger (more aware). So forgive yourself above all else... Because ultimately there is nothing to attain, no endgame, no perfection... This is your journey...and the trail itself is perfection!
Anonymous: Instead if just understanding where my feelings of inadequacy stem from I need to let myself see myself from an outside perspective... And then accept myself for all that I am... In that moment.... Just as I do for others....
Its a matter of action, or living, and accepting myself and the world for what it is... Bc in essence it'll never be anything else since there is only now...
Chris: Very well said!
Not seeing yourself from an outside perspective...is essentially seeing yourself without getting caught in the tangle of our ego and its personal identification...so the "outside" perspective is stepping aside from that. It is "outside" to us because it goes outside the confines of how we were conditioned to be.
The ego thrives and continues its existence off any type of self judgment (pos or neg)...bc the ego is the entity that identifies with the mind...and the mind being as malleable as it is soaks in everything...and we find our self in somewhat of a predicament in this "modern culture.". But stay aware, stay on course here...and you will change and become who you always were/are!!! Because we are all inherently beautiful and perfect. We are creation...simply that...getting caught up in any thought is illusory and feeds the ego. So don't worry about not having thoughts...bc we will...but instead focus on the power we give to those thoughts...are you the thought or the thinker? Just keep being aware...
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