This is the level of philosophies, conclusions, and assumptions, such as, "No one loves me." The manipulation of belief, through affirmations and the like, is very popular these days, and therefore is not considered to be an advanced spiritual practice. However, truly effective control of one's beliefs is not so easy to gain. What often happens in the usual belief work is that underlying, deeply held negative beliefs remain in place, and simply get covered over with a thin veneer of compensatory concepts. Superficial approaches fail because it is quite challenging to discern and confront our more negative beliefs. It is equally challenging to change our beliefs, when so much of the structure of our lives has been built around them.
Indeed, everything in life proceeds from the assumptions which are your earnest, heartfelt beliefs about life, about others, about yourself. For example, here's how the belief, "No one loves me" gives rise to attitudes, intentions, and actions on the levels of cause and effect below it:
Possible orientations: A person who believes "No one loves me," could be resentful against man and God. The person could feel self-loathing: "No one loves me, therefore I am bad." The person could be determined to survive in spite of not being loved, or to cope with the situation. The person could be despairing, and could become apathetic if they were despairing enough. Or, they could hope against hope, or be cautiously optimistic.
Possible intentions: Each of those possible attitudes and orientations would in turn give rise to certain motivations or intentions. The person could be motivated to compensate for the "fact" that "no ones loves me." The person could be motivated to self protection, in order to stave off rejection. The person could be motivated to be aggressive ("The best defense is a good offense"), for example, to sabotage a relationship that, according to the seed belief, is destined to fail eventually. Or the person could be motivated to forcefully take what he wants and needs, since he does not expect those things to be voluntarily forthcoming from an unloving and unsympathetic world.
Possible actions: On the level of action, a person who believes "No one loves me" is liable to self protective behavior, self serving and self aggrandizing behavior, alienating and off-putting behavior, desperate behavior, manipulative behavior, and hurtful actions.
Remember that every belief produces compatible orientations, intentions, and actions. That makes it easy to understand how beliefs become "self-fulfilling prophesies," as we have all seen happen many times.
Stages of Growth | Cause and Effect | Levels of Practice
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