Naïve

1. Seek Pleasure.
2. Avoid Pain.
3. Live Forever.

Unfortunately these simple rules are far too simple for this complex universe. So moving on to something a bit more realistic....

Biology

1. Seek to preserve your genetic material.
2. Avoiding the unpleasant is often a good strategy for #1.
3. Finding the pleasant is often a good strategy for #1.

These are the rules most organisms operate by. It helps if the long term view as well as the short term view is taken into account when applying #2 and #3. But still the universe if far more complex than this simple egocentric view...

Spiritual

1. The universe is vastly interconnected; there really aren't any separate objects - keep this in mind.
2. Do what you can to alleviate the unpleasant any where in the universe you encounter the unpleasant;
   do what you can to prevent the unpleasant from manifesting.
3. Celebrate the pleasant any where in the universe you encounter the pleasant;
   do what you can to make the pleasant manifest.
4. Don't be attached to results.

Like in the biological view, it helps if the long term view as well as the short term view is taken into account when applying #2 and #3. Preserving your genetic material is optional; but if you are advanced enough to be operating by these rules, it might be a useful thing to do.

• Spiritual Rule #1 made you think of the Buddha's teachings on Dependent Origination or the later Mahayana teachings on Emptiness.
• Spiritual Rule #1 made you think of the Buddha's teachings on Metta (Loving-Kindness, Unconditional Love).
• Spiritual Rule #2 made you think of the practice of Compassion.
• Spiritual Rule #3 made you think of the practice of Mudita (Appreciative Joy).
• Spiritual Rule #4 made you think of the practice of Equanimity.
• All 4 Spiritual Rules gave you the idea that the practice of the 4 Brahma Viharas (Unconditional Love, Compassion, Mudita, Equanimity) is a far deeper practice than usually discussed.

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Leigh Brasington / / Revised 16 July 12