Judgment
My Zen teachers were fond of pointing out that making judgments is one of the subtlest ways of no longer being in the present.
The logic is simple. All judging is based on comparison, and comparison requires that we leave the present for past or future.
No one can decide for us when judgment works for us and when it doesn’t. When life requires judgment, it works. When we’re making ourselves miserable with judgment, it’s time to be present.
September 27th, 2005 12:01
That is so true, Jack! The more we realize that “in the moment” we become One with all…the more personal and planetary healing will become a reality.
September 27th, 2005 12:21
p.s. - Letting go of judgment means Letting go of prejudice, discrimination, and divisiveness.
September 27th, 2005 13:15
I once recall Gary Zukav making a useful distinction between judgment and discernment. The latter is helpful in evaluating situations; the former flows from negative emotions which are projected onto people and events.
If memory serves, Zukav said that if we look within at how we feel and at what’s going on in our bodies, we can tell the difference. Typicall judgment arises with negative emotional states.