Important: The title is not ‘Principles’ versus ‘Non-principles.’ It’s not a competition or one is better than the other.

A Person of Principle

One of the areas of interest to me during my investigations of the Three Principles was around the word ‘Principle.’

As a kid, I remember my father saying, “It’s good to be a person of principle.” I didn’t even know the word existed at the time. I didn’t even know what questions to ask or what it meant, but it sounded like there was something positive about principles that make people good.

I wondered what a principle was or what it meant. The only evidence I had was how my father was, particularly during times when I was troubled.

One of the things that struck me about my father was how “unmoved” or “unaffected” he was, even while I was going through emotional trauma. I recognized there was something that made him very strong in that sense. He was, literally, a rock. I found that to be a source of comfort during my troubled times. He was reliable and dependable.

I wanted to adopt his principles to be as strong as he is. I could never figure out what his principles were, so I never achieved the same level of strength or resilience as my father. Looking back today, I wonder why I didn’t just ask him! I was so insecure with the thought of asking, and it looked to me that I would appear insecure in his eyes if I were to ask him, so I didn’t to avoid any negativity from arising.

As a result, I couldn’t be the “rock” my dad was. I tried to make some of them up, like “be a good person.” But I was being pulled in every direction, the opposite of what a rock would do, so my attempts to be a person of principle always fell short.

In late 2011, I first came across the Three Principles of Mind, Thought, and Consciousness. I listened to many people who were well-versed in the Three Principles community. However, very few people spoke of what a principle is, much less give their own interpretation, instead referring to the explanations found in various dictionaries.

A Deeper Meaning of Principle

Sydney Banks made it clear that learning about the Three Principles is unlike anything else out there. He emphatically told us not to allow anything we’ve learned or been taught to make its way to the Three Principles. Otherwise, we would contaminate the purity of the Three Principles and miss out on the gifts they could offer us.

At that point, I knew Syd was not just ‘The Three Principles’ but also the word ‘principle’. I knew I couldn’t bring anything I had learned about the word ‘principle’ and had to start from scratch, a blank slate. However, I had the knowledge that I might learn something deeper about what a principle is, especially within the context of the Three Principles. I did know that the more profound understanding of the word ‘principle’ would be very different from conventional wisdom.

As I couldn’t turn to the teachers of the Three Principles, there was only one place left to look: Sydney Banks. I wondered if his books, videos, or audio recordings contained anything that might help me understand what Sydney meant by a principle.

It turned out there was! It wasn’t what I expected, but the rubber finally met the road once I saw it.

Quotes from Sydney Banks

“Try to see that every human being on this planet functions using the same three gifts. Now remember, on their own, these gifts are completely neutral. It is how we, as human beings, personally use them that is significant in our lives.
And, remember, both of you: The Three Principles I speak of are universal constants that can never change and are never separate entities from us. From the cradle to the grave, they totally encompass the reality we observe and experience in this lifetime.”

The Enlightened Gardener Revisited, chapter 4, pages 44 and 45.

“It is my belief that life is a cosmic stage. To enable us to play our part in this universal drama, we were given the three special gifts I just mentioned. But keep in mind, these three gifts are completely neutral. It is what you as a thinker do with them that is important.”

The Enlightened Gardener, chapter 4, page 39

However, the source called Universal Thought is spiritual by nature and completely neutral, just like Mind and Consciousness. All three sources are elemental and cannot be split into particles; they are the three constants that envelop all creatures great and small and allow us to experience life.”

The Enlightened Gardener, chapter 5, page 51

Discovering the Properties of a Principle

Let’s take a closer look at the quotes from Sydney Banks above. He uses descriptive words to allude to the nature of the Three Principles. I saw the following:

I wondered what it means for the Three Principles to be neutral. What does the Three Principles being Universal mean? What does it mean for the Three Principles to be constant and unchanging? What does the Principle of Mind being Spiritual mean? What does the Principle of Thought being elemental mean? What does the Principle of Thought being 100% mean? Questions of this nature with all the descriptive words.

My investigation in this direction was incredibly helpful, but not in the way I expected – indeed, very far from it. For example, when I realized the Principle of Thought is constant, I realized that all ‘my thoughts’ are not constant. Suddenly, I was no longer associating ‘my thoughts’ with the Principle of Thought. This opened up a space for me to learn about the Principle of Thought in a new light, as I was no longer contaminating my understanding of the Principle of Thought with ‘my thoughts.’ Since the Principle of Thought is a principle, I realized ‘my thoughts’ couldn’t be a principle. It was a ‘non-principle.’

Another example is ‘Universal’. When I had ‘my thought’ about who I am, I realized that ‘my thought’ is not universal – not everybody has that thought. I had innocently associated ‘my thought’ about who I am with the Three Principles. Again, I had to separate ‘my thought’ from the Three Principles because ‘my thought’ is not universal. This, again, cleared a space for me to gain deeper insights into the Three Principles, as I was no longer contaminating them with something not universal. Once again, I saw that ‘my thoughts’ are a ‘non-principle.’

Accelerating the Insight Curve

We could do the same kind of questions for all the descriptive words Sydney Banks used. Each of them helped me in their unique ways, simply because I was removing the many contaminations from my understanding of the Three Principles while putting ‘my thoughts’ in the ‘non-principle’ category. I was putting ‘my thoughts’ back where they belong in the first place – the category of non-principles.

As my understanding of the Three Principles got cleaner, the “Insight Curve” accelerated, which took me by surprise, and I was blessed to experience it. I became more insightful and spent more time in my day with a quieter mind, peace, inner security, and more intelligent problem-solving. I feel grateful knowing that these Three Principles provide a helpful perspective on what’s going on in my life, which I would not have otherwise without them.

Who knew such properties could provide an extraordinary nudge towards discovering such a wonderful gift?

Realizing what a Universal Principle is

At this point, I could distinguish between principles and non-principles. I was realizing more and more the differences between principle and non-principle. I started seeing a pattern. Only the Principles of Mind, Thought, and Consciousness stood on their own as genuine principles. Only these Three Principles could meet the “criteria” of fulfilling every property of a Universal Principle. Everything else was being categorized as non-principles.

I went from assuming that learning about principles might help me understand the Three Principles to realizing that recognizing a Universal Principle is life-changing. I didn’t know that having a Universal Principle could be so helpful for all matters. I wasn’t the first one to realize this, as Gilbert Chesterton once wrote:

“A problem can only be solved by a principle.”

Gilbert K. Chesterton

Without the slightest shadow of a doubt, I can testify that the statement is correct. Realizing a Universal Principle has far-reaching implications and ramifications. Yet, it has gone largely unnoticed. Sydney Banks brought this to our attention, even if not front and center.

The late South African President Nelson Mandela also alluded to the power of Principles:

“For anybody who changes their principles, depending on whom they are dealing, that is not a person who can lead a nation.”

Nelson Mandela, South African President

With these properties, I developed a sense, feeling, and intuition of a Universal Principle. I attempted to define what a Universal Principle is. I got nowhere, because I didn’t know how to “cram” all the properties of a Universal Principle into a single definition. I quit the game of coming up with a definition, and just “knowing” what a Universal Principle is was enough for me. My gratitude for Sydney Banks grew deeper as I realized that he taught me not just the Three Principles but also what a Universal Principle is.

Going Full Circle

It’s been over 40 years since I first heard the phrase, “It’s good to be a person of principle.” I am here today, with the unexpected gift of understanding what a Universal Principle is, and how that is distinct from a non-principle. I saw an opportunity to live as a ‘person of principle,’ and not something exclusive to any group of people. It meant I was eligible!

At long last, I began to live a life guided by Universal Principles. What a difference. Night and day difference. I still have no idea “how” I’m doing it, but it became apparent as what I saw and heard was happening through the lens of a Universal Principle – in this case, Mind, Thought, and Consciousness. The Three Principles didn’t appear as words or standalone knowledge; they were all already infused or embedded as a manifestation of my thought-painted realities, feelings, experiences, circumstances, situations, relationships, and many other aspects of life. Nothing in what I saw or heard, positive or negative, could take away my wellbeing, because somehow I “already” knew – the pre-existing nature of the Three Principles (another property!)

While I do not claim to be ‘a person of principle’ 100% of the time, far from it, acting out from a place of principle is the most fun I’ve ever had. I enjoy being a person who is aligned with Universal Principles, as it’s effortless and brings positive feelings. One thing is for sure – it’s way better than being a person of non-principles, like being a person of circumstance, or a person of realities, or a person of feelings.

Two Ways of Using the Same Mind

When I am in a place of Principles, the Principles come first in anything I go through. For example, if I find myself in a situation, the principles guide me to use my mind in a way that allows me to look at the situation from a principled-based understanding. As the Three Principles have wisdom built in, the mind creates a space for wisdom to come through via the Principle of Thought, showing me a constructive way forward. Whatever comes through, it is guaranteed to be helpful and practical.

However, I also have another way of using the mind—putting the non-principles first. For example, I am in a situation. Without principles, the situation seems to take charge of my mind and make me see “the situation” as it wants me to. No wonder some people say, “I can’t help it!” Our thoughts multiply, intelligence and common sense fade into obscurity, and we wonder what hit us. Indeed, as we’re looking away from the principles, we are apt to blame something, even though that something is never responsible for what we see, hear, or feel.

Since the situation is not a principle because it changes, is not constant, is not universal, etc, we innocently deny ourselves the opportunity to make room for wisdom to come to us. All non-principles do not have the capacity to provide wisdom; only a principle can. There is no point in fishing in a lake with no fish. As wisdom is unavailable, we have no choice but to bear the burden ourselves. A weight lands on our shoulders, producing feelings none of us wants to feel.

A Universal Principle is the key to opening the gate for us to receive wisdom.

Brett Chitty

We always use our minds in a principles-first way of seeing and hearing or in a non-principles-first way of seeing and hearing. Paradigmology tells me that I can’t use both ways of using the mind simultaneously; it’s always 100% one or 100% the other. Yes, we switch between the two ways of using the mind several times daily!

We are either looking toward universal principles or non-principles. We are coming from universal principles or non-principles. We are using universal principles or non-principles. We are guided by universal principles or non-principles. These are all different ways of saying the same thing.

Brett Chitty

We’ve been given the gift of realizing we have two ways of using the same mind. Most of us have lived a life without ever realizing there is a wisdom-based way of using the mind. Just knowing that there is a wisdom-based way to use the mind is enough to instill hope and faith. As Universal Principles are constant and unchanging, the opportunity to live a happy day can never be taken away from us.

Universal Principles and non-principles. What an astonishing blessing and miracle.