Rub Buddha's Belly

I haven't written a Freedom Series article since end of January, and when I read this quote from Gautama Buddha, I knew he needed to be our celebrated Inner Constellation hero for the month of April:

"Do not believe a thing simply because it has been said.
Do not put your faith in traditions only because they have been honored by many generations.
Do not believe a thing because the general opinion believes it to be true or because it has been said repeatedly.
Do not believe a thing because of the single witness of one of the sages of antiquity.
Do not believe a thing because the probabilities are in its favor, or because you are in the habit of believing it to be true.
Do not believe in that which comes to your imagination, thinking that it must be the revelation of a superior Being.
Believe nothing that binds you to the sole authority of your masters or priests.
That which you have tried yourself, which you have experienced, which you have recognized as true, and which will be beneficial to you and to others; believe that, and shape your conduct to it."

Buddha knew that experiential understanding is far superior to outside authority. I received my fair share of outside authority first thing this morning--emails, factoids, media all accessed at the click of a mouse or touchpad. And then, I stumbled across Gautama Buddha's words and remembered my motto: Everything is Energy; the body is the interface. All this information streaming in 24/7, what do I wish to give energy to and multiply? What's my Inner Constellation saying right now if I stop and go inside and reconnect to my North Stars...."that which you have recognized as true, and which will be beneficial to you and to others; believe that, and shape your conduct to it." Laughing Buddha wears a smile because he has identified his North Stars, charted his course and has arrived. May his jolly happiness rub off on you today.