Back
The Four Fold Slogan
Good Mind : Good Deeds : Good Powerspread : Good Rule
Good Mind
This is not just cleverness as in the colloquial English 'he has a good mind' - but a fundamentally ethically good mind - a mind that tends to want to do what is the best thing to do. Such a mind not only has a spiritually desire to be benevolent but also the wisdom and character that makes it able to put such good intention to fruitful result.
Good Deeds
The life of the world is built up of the all the actions of all the people in it. The Good Life follows from Good Deeds. Without the right actions being taken then the Good Life will not come. We don't have complete control of our actions on a moment by moment basis. Much of what we do comes out more or less automatically from our minds. Thus the importance of having a Good Mind. But ultimately it is deeds that count.
Good Powerspread
All living beings have needs - most obviously air to breathe, water to drink, food to eat and sheltered private space in which they can organise themselves.
For a living being to flourish it must be able to find in its environment the things which will satisfy its needs.
However the way that power over the means of life , including power over other people, is spread or distributed may not be such as to give all living beings everything they need to flourish, nor may it be conducive to the best governance of human affairs.
Good Powerspread is a practice of striving to distribute control over the means of life across the world to maximize the flourishing of life.
It is not just material things like food that a living being or community of living beings needs but also opportunities to express itself in different ways, and to do its own work in providing for itself and governing its own affairs.
Good Rule
In this world it is not the case that every individual looks after their own lives freely and independently. Rather we are dependent on each other to a greater or lesser extent. There are people who have greater power and influence over the lives of others who we can call the rulers. There are many aspects of life, and many opportunities to be a ruler. Almost any man with a garden can be the ruler of it, saying where this or that should be planted and what will be given water, space and protection and what will be uprooted. In the political sphere very rarely does every man have an equal say. Rather there are some who have higher status, better knowledge or greater desire for power which brings them a greater influence over the general course of things.
Where a man (Old English: Man = Person) is a ruler it is important for cosmic order that they rule rightly for the common benefit and not pursue their own selfish ends or fail with good intentions but lack of wisdom.
July 4011, updated March 4012