The Gospel of Thomas E-Book

Kundan

• Herausgeber: Books on Demand
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 383

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Beschreibung

The Gospel of Thomas is an amazing scripture of heavenly inspired wisdom. It was discovered in 1945 near the village of Nag Hammadi in Egypt and is now commonly known as the 5th Gospel. It is considered to be the most important non-canonical scripture ever found. Consisting of 114 beautiful sayings the Gospel of Thomas perfectly enshrines the sacred mystical teachings of Jesus Christ. Jesus´ voice is a fervent call for us to wake up and look beyond the veil of illusion continuously created by the egotistical mind. If there is any core message of the 5th Gospel that ought to be emphasized, it is Jesus´ consistent teaching that enlightenment and the experience of awakening are, at any given moment, available to each and every one of us. Recognizing who we already are and always have been is all that needs to be achieved. In Verse 108, Jesus says: Whoever drinks from my mouth Will become like me; I myself will become that person, And the hidden things Will be revealed to him. The 5th Gospel thus focuses on a universal experience of Cosmic Consciousness, which, in Eastern cultures, is called Samadhi or Satori. Therefore, Jesus´ sayings are in perfect accord with what has been taught by the mystics, sages, and Masters for thousands of years. Far from being an academic commentary, this guide is meant to create a comprehensive and intimate dialogue with the reader and lend a helping hand to those who long to integrate Jesus´ timeless wisdom into their daily lives.

Leseprobe

This book is wholeheartedly dedicated

to my teacher and Master Samarpan.

All I am now is by his grace.

KUNDAN

Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

INTRODUCTION

Eternal Christ

About This Guide

What Is True Listening?

WHO IS JESUS?

Bringer of the Light

Let the Sun Shine In

You Don’t Know Who I Am!

Neither This Nor That

Fire, Sword, and War

THE NATURE OF THE MIND

The Heart Wears no Disguise

The Wedding Guest

Who Is Dying?

The Mind Is Powerless

The Ego Will Perish

Masks and Roles

Do Not Follow the Mind!

Circumcising the Mind

The Business Mentality

Males and Females

The Timber in the Eye

MAJOR ATTACHMENTS

Why Do We Seek?

The Greedy Milkman

Looking for Attention

Money Rules the World

What Do You Have?

THE SPIRITUAL PATH

The Beauty of the Light

The Lion and the Sheep

What Are You Seeking For?

Finding a True Teacher

Discover Who You Really Are!

The Tree of Light

Trusting the Master

No Practice Needed

The End of the Search

MORE GIFTS FOR THE SEEKER

The Kingdom of God

You Can Have It All

Where Is the Kingdom?

The Children of the Divine

What Is True Love?

Stepping Beyond Duality

About Rebels and Misfits

LIVING IN THE NOW

The Ever Present Now

When Will You See God?

The Wisdom of the Now

Cultivate Your Awareness!

Don’t Hold on to Anything!

Discovering the Inner Body

Examine the Present Moment!

THE DEEPEST SECRETS

Universal Light

The Whole World Is Your Projection

Everything Is Consciousness

There is Only One

All Permeating Presence

How Far Can We Go?

SHARING THE TRUTH

Dear Lord

The Horoscope

What Are They Talking About?

Spreading the Message

What Remains to Be Said

About My Own Experience

CONCLUDING WORDS

THE MYSTIC SHORE

APPENDIX

The Complete Gospel of Thomas

Recommended Resources

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Jesus lived his life for you – then he gave his life to you.

Now he wants to live his life through you.

- JACQUELINE K. HEASLEY

Each of us is an innkeeper who decides if there is room for Jesus!

- NEAL A. MAXWELL

First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to my beloved wife, Mecheale, who motivated me to write this practical guide. Having been reared in a strictly Catholic environment in the Philippines, she has been truly devoted to Jesus and the Divine ever since. As she began to discover the wisdom of other great spiritual Masters many guilt feelings arose, because these new perspectives did not fit into the rigid belief system she had adhered to for so many years. The following commentary was written for her and was originally meant to clarify that there is no real conflict between the sayings of the Masters and the teachings of Jesus Christ. The words may differ, but the message basically remains the same. I am happy to say that, after having read these pages, Mecheale’s unconditional love for Jesus has even grown considerably.

Maybe Life itself was my greatest teacher. My life story is full of extremes, ups and downs, success and failures, ecstasy and depression. It has been heaven and hell and it has been just perfect for me. My feverish search for fulfillment gradually brought me in touch with the wisdom of many spiritual Masters and I cherish all of them. Among those who inspired me most are names like Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Paramahansa Yogananda, Ramana Maharshi, Meister Eckhart, Ramesh Balsekar, Alan Watts, Eckhart Tolle, and Sri Swami Satchidananda.

I also have to express my heartfelt gratitude to Integral Yoga Publications (Satchidananada Ashram-Yogaville) for kindly giving me the permission to include some most beautiful wisdom stories from Swamiji’s wonderful book Enlightening Tales. I am sure you will enjoy reading them, because they are spiritually inspiring and at the same time entertaining in the best possible sense. Furthermore I would like to thank my friend Kathryn Phillips very much for her heavenly inspired poems which added so much grace, beauty and love to this book. I, moreover, have to extend my gratitude to Mooji. He not only is a great enlightened Master, but a gifted spiritual poet and creative artist as well. I am very happy that he granted me permission to use his remarkable painting “The Prophet” as an appealing cover motive for this guide!

Of course I would also like to praise my Master and teacher Samarpan, who has been lovingly guiding me for more than ten years. I deeply resonate with his teachings, and the present commentary, therefore, reflects his unique approach to a very large extent. Nonetheless it is also quite personal because it represents the fruit of my lifelong experience as a spiritual seeker. Since I was educated as a scientist I am not a typical believer. However, simply by objectively applying the empirical method when looking back upon my own life story, it was easy for me to recognize that Samarpan is obviously speaking the Truth. For many years I was truly listening and it changed my whole life. I cannot tell anybody how grateful I am for this blessing.

Last but certainly not least, I have to bow down to the magnificence of Jesus Christ himself. Drinking his wonderful wise words and meditating upon them is pure grace. My daily talks with Mecheale were delightful, and step-by-step the Eternal Christ Consciousness magically unfolded in our living room. I discovered Jesus as an inestimably important milestone in the history and evolution of Collective Consciousness and I gratefully acknowledge this to be an unfathomable gift.

KUNDAN

June 4, 2014

INTRODUCTION

Eternal Christ

By Kathryn Phillips

In Ancient times of long ago

A kind, humble man steps forth

Here to lovingly teach the way

To guide us from the peril

Of such ignorance in darker days

To save us and bring salvation

In much needed times of wrath

His pure words of wisdom

The ‘Way of the Lord’

To be the only one true path

He selflessly came

To serve us, ‘Enlighten’ us

And lead us into the Light

Graciously, with his courage

Purity, integrity and fore-sight

A Messiah,

Sent to ‘Awaken’ us

Here simply to show us

The Kingdom of God

Belongs to everyone

All creatures big or small

And the Eternal

‘Christ Consciousness‘

Resides within ourselves

For we are all one

And one is truly all

And the Name of this

Bright ‘Shining Star’

Amongst all the ’Enlightened’

Prophets, Masters and Mystics

Was ‘Jesus the Eternal Christ’

About This Guide

No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus.

- ALBERT EINSTEIN

It is not necessary to meet your Master on the physical plane.

The Master is not external.

- NEEM KAROLI BABA

Jesus is alive in the Here and Now

The Gospel of Thomas was discovered in 1945 near the village of Nag Hammadi in Egypt and is now commonly known as the “5th Gospel.” It is considered to be the most important noncanonical scripture ever found. Unlike most other tractates of the so-called Nag Hammadi Library, the Gospel of Thomas is an entirely complete volume – though occasionally some single words are missing. Some well-known scholars belonging to the remarkable research group “Jesus Seminar” have recently dated its possible source as early as 50-60 C.E. – which would make it the first and most unbiased Gospel ever written. It is a wonderful collection of 114 sayings (cf. appendix) attributed to the Living Jesus, and it contains no stories about the virgin birth, the resurrection, or any other miracles. A considerable number of these sayings can be found in a similar, yet slightly different, form in the canonical gospels, but many of them throw an entirely different and surprising light on the teachings of Jesus. The Gospel of Thomas is comparable to a resurrection of Jesus´ timeless wisdom, and the following verse even sounds like a prophecy:

Often you desired to hear these sayings that I am speaking to you, and you have no one else from whom to hear them. There will be days when you will seek me and you will not find me. (38)

Many inspiring books and treatises have already been written about the Gospel of Thomas. The present book hopefully has its own value because it, first of all, intends to develop an easygoing and comprehensive dialogue with the reader. As far as feasible, things are made simple, transparent, and practical for daily use. Therefore, no preliminary knowledge is required. In the best possible case this commentary will serve as a useful guide for your own understanding and spiritual growth.

This small book is of course in no way complete, nor would I ever dare to pretend that it contains the “final word” about the 5th Gospel. Some of Jesus´ sayings are so incredibly deep, multifaceted, and multilayered that one could write a whole volume about a single one without being exhaustive. Actually, this not only means that various perspectives are possible and appropriate, but, given the paradoxical nature of Truth, entirely accurate interpretations provided by different authors sometimes may even seem to be mutually exclusive.

If you are a fast reader, you will be able to read the whole commentary in a few hours, but this would not be very helpful. I suggest instead reading a maximum of one chapter a day, and even this may be too much. Better, you should allow Jesus´ words to penetrate your heart drop by drop. Sometimes you may feel bored and argue: “Oh, I don’t need that one anymore. It has already been said before!” However, this is just the mind trying to escape from the Truth. Actually, the Truth has to be said and heard over and over again. Otherwise we can’t free ourselves from the illusion. Every time you become silent and truly listen, your understanding and receptivity will deepen. Every good teacher knows that the learning process is considerably supported by approaching the same issue from different angles. This is exactly what Jesus always did, and most enlightened Masters are teaching us in the same way.

Moreover, the Truth can never be fully “known.” As the famous philosopher Sir Karl Popper points out, the Truth can only be approximated, and the corresponding process of coming closer by definition has no ending. Yes, in theory, a deep understanding of one single saying would be enough to fully realize the Truth. But honestly, are you able to do that? Is anyone able to do that? I, for sure, am not.

It also may happen that you are being blessed with an amazing spiritual peak experience and realize that there is nothing but Divine Consciousness. This is the Truth. Nothing can be added to that, and you will never be the same as before. Nevertheless it is a unique experience and it won’t stay forever. After a while it is just a blurred memory belonging to the realm of the mind. In order to really live it, the Truth has to be uncovered time and again. Just remembering some past experience is by far not enough. In any event, we will never reach a point where we “got it one time for all.” This kind of attitude inevitably results in creating a new set of mental concepts that then again would veil our direct and unbiased experience of the Truth.

Real wisdom is always new and fresh. If you stay silent in the present moment, not listening to any comments of the mind, you will discover that Truth is multidimensional. Each saying reveals a new aspect of the Eternal, and this can be truly entertaining. The irony is that even a dog is wiser than the mind. You can do the same walk with him day by day and he will never feel bored. This is not a result of his “stupidity.” He can totally enjoy his walk because all animals naturally live in the Now.

Finally, words are just words. They are never the Truth because the Truth can’t be spoken. So rather than holding on to some words or concepts, try to get a fresh taste of the underlying Being or Reality they are pointing to! You can expect your mind to quite often rebel against what will be said here. He of course “knows better” and therefore loves to disturb and confuse you by arguing against this and that. This is normal, and it can’t be avoided. Don’t give any attention to the mind because he can’t possibly know anything about the deep mysteries of existence. He’s just an arrogant fool desperately trying to be wise.

I don’t believe in the orthodox doctrines of the churches. Therefore, if you want to hold on to what the Vatican or any other Christian Church dogmatically teaches, better keep your hands away from this book. The idea is certainly not to offend anybody’s religious feelings, and I am neither a preacher nor a missionary. If, however, you consider yourself to be a sincere Truth seeker, ready to throw away your programmed beliefs, then this book could be the right one for you. Maybe you have even lost your faith or feel fed up with all the miracle stories and the idea that Jesus is a superhuman being from far above the clouds. In this case as well, you might be motivated to discover the following commentary and find your unique way back to Jesus.

Welcome it as an opportunity to meet the Living Jesus and come in touch with his most precious teachings. Receiving his uplifting message with an open heart will make you feel and experience his continued presence and will bring you into contact with this mysterious phenomenon called Christ Consciousness or Holy Spirit. In this transcendent aspect, Jesus has come to earth already thousands of times after his physical death, because Jesus was what every enlightened Master is, and every enlightened Master is what Jesus was and still is: A perfect instrument of the Divine’s unconditional Love and Grace. “In Guru,” Sri Swami Satchidananda explains, “there are no differences. It’s only the bodies that are different. The Realization is the same.”

It’s interesting to see in which ways the established religions are missing the Truth. The Jews are still waiting for the real Messiah, and they will probably wait for another ten thousand years. Some Orthodox Jews even see Jesus as a symbol for aggression and a dangerous heretic. The Christians accepted Jesus as the Messiah, but now they are eternally waiting for a Second Coming of Christ in the same body. Jesus, however, did not invite us to wait for anything:

His disciples said to him, “When will the rest for the dead take place, and when will the new world come?” He said to them, “What you are looking forward to has come but you don’t know it.” (51)

Most churches are complicated political organizations, and they will never understand the Truth. They are not even willing to understand, because they are self-serving rather than serving Jesus and the Truth. And whenever somebody really wakes up, he or she gets into serious trouble. Then they are ordinarily accused of blasphemy and in some cases even expelled from the Church. During his lifetime, Jesus was exposing the hypocrisy of the Jewish priests, and today, for certain, he would address exactly the same words to the clergy of the Catholic Church:

Damn the Pharisees! They are like a dog sleeping in the cattle manger: the dog neither eats nor lets the cattle eat. (102)

Jesus repeatedly said that the Kingdom of the Father is spread upon the earth and that we don’t see it. Nonetheless, most Christian Churches postpone paradise to a blissful state coming after death. They put us in a lifelong waiting state, affirming that this life, basically, is nothing but a preparation for what subsequently will be. Is it imaginable that these popes, bishops, and priests envy us for having fun in this life? A priest can touch our hearts if his words emerge from a vital experience of the Truth. Proclaiming like a dead automaton what is written in the Bible, however, is utterly boring for everyone. The joy of being as manifested by African-American Gospel singers is by far more inspiring. Gratefully expressing our happiness by singing in togetherness is an utmost beautiful and ancient way of worshiping the Lord. Jesus himself certainly would have enjoyed it, because he was a devoted lover of life. He liked to laugh, to drink, to eat and, as far as we know, he never condemned any sensual or sexual pleasures. Early writings of the Church also suggest that all the apostles were married – except John. Jesus says:

Congratulations to the person who has toiled and has found life! (58)

This life should not only be filled with hard and stressful work. First, it is meant to be enjoyed. The philosophy of doing, achieving, and succeeding is the prevalent credo of our ego-based society. Sooner or later, a painful state of delusion will be the consequence of our vain endeavor to become “somebody special.” Maybe this will be helpful in order to change our ways. By giving us the opportunity to live our lives joyfully, the Divine showers His endless Grace upon us. Through these bodies, we are perfectly well equipped to savor this marvelous creation in every possible respect. Once our hearts open widely, we discover that life can be like paradise on earth. Have you ever asked how it comes that Mother Nature is so amazingly beautiful? Well, the answer is stunningly simple: It is because the whole creation is a wonderful divine gift.

Truly living implies becoming rooted in the present moment, in the Here and Now. Here, as we will see later, there is no judgment, no suffering, and no guilt. In the Eternal Now we find subtle joy, peace, and freedom – freedom from our socially conditioned thoughts and freedom from the mind control of the Churches. What will the Churches do if their followers decide to enjoy life instead of waiting for death to come? What happens to the power of the Churches when people begin to realize that there is no sinner and no eternal hell, and that they can enter paradise right now? What if all of those believers understand that they are the beloved sons and daughters of the Divine, just as Jesus was? What if it dawns on them that they are God coming to earth in a human body and that they can wake up and become Jesus´ twin?

In the long run, it won’t help to hide the Truth because it is naturally popping up in thousands of ways – just as the Gospel of Thomas popped up, when it was time for these teachings to become conspicuous. The world today is simply ready for the Truth – otherwise it would not have happened. In the time of Jesus and Buddha, enlightenment was a very rare phenomenon, and only a few spiritual teachers reached an understanding comparable to that of Jesus. Although Jesus is, along with Buddha and Sri Krishna, the most influential Master of all times, he didn’t earn the fruits of his enlightenment during his lifetime. Only some of his disciples – Thomas, for instance – were ripe enough to receive the full mystical teaching. Therefore, Jesus sadly says:

In the past, however, I did not tell you the things about which you asked me then. Now I am willing to tell them, but you are not seeking them. (92b)

Today many people wake up, and thousands of enlightened Masters are walking upon this earth (cf.73). All of them are rooted in the same Truth and what they teach is the Oneness of Being underlying everything that becomes manifest. Jesus never pretended to be the only one to know the Truth (cf.12). Stressing the importance of a living Master, he said:

Let there be among you a person who understands. (21c)

Many enlightened Masters contributed to this commentary. We learn from them that enlightenment is our true divine nature and that all we have to do, is to discover right now who we already are. This is exactly what Jesus teaches in the Gospel of Thomas and it is probably the main reason why the Vatican still rejects this scripture as pure heresy.

Feel invited to meet Jesus right here and right now. Get to know what his teachings are really about and enjoy reading the following commentary as much as you can. Take only what touches your heart and just leave aside what you don’t accept or understand right away. Discovering the Truth step-by-step is really exciting. A passionate walker totally enjoys nature while he is walking. He is not feverishly attempting to reach his goal in the shortest time possible. For him walking the path is a rewarding goal in itself. Be patient with yourself and enjoy the ride! Anyway, there is no end to this wonderful game called awakening. So get ready for the greatest adventure of your life. Throw away all of your old beliefs, worries, and useless plans. Put God first because Jesus himself is inviting you to dine and celebrate with him. He is definitely calling your name, so you should better listen, relax, have fun, and wake up!

What Is True Listening?

Let us be silent, that we may hear the whisper of God.

- RALPH WALDO EMERSON

Listen or your tongue will keep you deaf.

- NATIVE AMERICAN PROVERB

Anyone here with two good ears had better listen!

Throughout the Gospel of Thomas, this admonishment from Jesus is said again and again. It will not be repeated in the following text, but it should be recalled before reading any saying. Whoever desires to get in touch with the words of the sages is required to perform a particular shift in perspective, because the Truth cannot be understood by the ordinary mind. What we call “mind” is actually a serious impediment for a deep understanding. Anyway, whether written or spoken, the Truth will remain inaccessible until it is part of your own experience. As Tau Malachi said, “Each verse of the Gospel of St. Thomas is like an endless well of wisdom into which one can dip one’s cup again and again, continually bringing forth more wisdom.” However, in order to truly listen and hear, the mind has to be silenced and purified.

Following a distinction introduced by the Indian sage Ramesh Balsekar, we can say that this “bio-computer” called the mind has two different modes of functioning. The working mind or intellect is a marvelous device that we need to cope with everyday life. The working mind is required for whatever kind of action we want to perform. Without this amazing toolbox, we could not survive. We would actually be totally lost! Look at elderly people suffering from dementia. At a certain point even the simplest tasks such as brushing the teeth, eating, or clothing oneself become a tremendous challenge. Everything that had been stored in memory gradually fades away and after a while these people are as helpless as young infants. This happens because the illness destroys the cells and nerve connections responsible for the accurate functioning of the brain. So, provided it is properly applied, there is nothing to be said against this utterly practical tool called the intellect or the working mind.

The thinking mind, on the other hand, is heavily intoxicated by the “ego virus.” Basically, the root of the thinking mind is the false belief that, “I am somebody” separate from the world and the Divine. The thinking mind, therefore, is constantly producing nonsense. As a result of our conditioning, it feeds us with mountains of thoughts, imaginations, fantasies, and ugly judgments. Quite often the thinking mind also produces some chaotic and totally meaningless “white noise” as an afterglow of recent experiences. All of this is pure garbage, and this garbage needs to be evacuated. The main hindrance to a deep understanding is the awkward chattering coming from the ever-moving mind. When we later use the word “mind,” we mostly refer to this corrupted part of our bio-computer.

So how can we understand the sayings of Jesus? Do we have to use the rational logic of the working mind? Sorry, this doesn’t work either, because our bio-computer is supposed to be applied to the relative world. Every phenomenon occurring in the relative world is dependent on or connected to another phenomenon or object. Your bodily structure, for example, depends on your parents, and their bodies depend on the genetics of your grandparents. Nothing in this relative world exists on its own; it only exists in relation to some other thing. This is called the law of causality or interdependency.

The Divine, on the other hand, doesn’t depend on anything. God is the absolute Truth, the Ultimate Reality. God is everything and everywhere. The Divine has not been “created.” He has always been and He will always be. He has no limitations. He has no beginning and no end. He is beyond space and time. And He is far beyond conventional understanding. As a matter of fact, the Ultimate Truth cannot be rationally understood at all. How could the finite understand the infinite? This simply is impossible. For thousands of years, philosophers have tried to accomplish this unachievable task, and they have failed over and over again. Only a few attained real wisdom and applauded the words of Socrates, who said, “The more I know, the more I recognize that I don’t know.”

Each “explanation” of the Absolute Truth must be incomplete. Thoughts, speech, and written words are utterly insufficient to express the Truth. So why should we then listen to any words of wisdom at all? Well, we can trust the words of Jesus, because they come out of the mouth of the enlightened one. The sayings of Jesus beautifully shine the Light of Truth. They point to the Absolute Reality, which, by definition, is beyond the limited reach of the intellect. Jesus, therefore, is not talking to our minds; he is talking to our hearts. We are not able to understand the Truth, but the wisdom of our heart is able to recognize and sense the Truth by the means of intuition. This recognition is what we can call deep understanding. Intuition is the spontaneous language of the Universal Mind or Source Mind. According to James Hilman, “It is clear, quick and full. Like a revelation, it comes all at once and fast.”

Allow yourself to softly tune in to the eternal wisdom of Jesus. Only read his words when you truly feel silent and peaceful, so that you don’t get disturbed by the chattering of the mind. Don’t feel disappointed or frustrated when you don’t immediately grasp the meaning of every word. Discovering the sacred enshrined Truth in Jesus´ sayings requires a thorough cleansing of your conditioned mind. Otherwise your old mental structures will get in the way and obstruct your intuition. Actually, the whole hard disk of your bio computer has to be entirely reformatted. It is natural that this process will need some time for completion. So there is no hurry about anything.

Open your heart and become pregnant with this beautiful and inspiring collection of sayings! Be ready and willing to use your two good ears and truly listen. Turn inward, without any idea, and Jesus Christ himself will speak to you! Just by innocently exposing yourself to the words of Jesus time and again, your awakening will inevitably happen. But please, don’t wait for it to happen! It will happen anyway and it will happen by itself, just in the right way and in the right time.

WHO IS JESUS?

Bringer of the Light

By Kathryn Phillips

Our Supreme Ascended Master

And Holy Son of God

Whose wisdom and sincerity

Was to guide us

To ‘Enlightenment’

And teach us Awareness

Of ‘Divine Consciousness’

The Eternal voice of Truth

Whose pure radiance shall

Forever shine so bright

Whose kind words of Purity

Peace, Forgiveness and Love

Eternally remain

And shall always speak to us

He is our true ‘Bringer of the Light’

Let the Sun Shine In

As told by Sri Swami Satchidananda

There once was a little girl who didn’t want to be in the sun, so she said, “Go away, sun, I don’t want you!” She went inside, closed all the doors and windows, sat in the darkness, and started cursing the sun: “I don’t want to see you anymore! Don’t you dare to come into my house!”

After a while, the little girl slowly opened the door, but the sun started pushing in. The girl shouted, “No! Get out!” and slammed the door in the face of the sun. A little later, she started to open the door again, and again the sun came in.

The girl cried, “What is this? Aren’t you ashamed? Don’t you have any pride? I am scolding you. Aren’t you offended? Why don’t you stay away? Why do you want to come into my house?”

The sun smiled and said: “That’s my nature. If anybody opens the door, I just walk in. I don’t wait for your invitation, and I am not offended by your scolding. All I need is an open door. If the door is open, even if you don’t want me, you can’t stop me from coming in.”

You Don’t Know Who I Am!

Jesus is standing with one foot in humanity and with the other foot in divinity.

- SAMARPAN

Jesus was made irrelevant by pedestalization, by being kicked upstairs.

- ALAN WATTS

His disciples said to him, “Twenty-four prophets have spoken in Israel, and they all spoke of you.” He said to them, “You have disregarded the living one who is in your presence, and have spoken of the dead.” (52)

Jesus was very much aware that even his disciples didn’t fully recognize their Master (cf.43, 59). He says, “I am standing here, right before you, and you talk about the past? Do you need twenty-four dead prophets to identify me as the one I am? Don’t you have eyes to see and ears to listen?” To come in contact with a teacher like Jesus, we need to be anchored in the Here and Now, otherwise we will miss him. The disciples were ready to accept him as the Messiah, but the acceptance came from the mind. They analyzed the scriptures and found that Jesus was very much like the one who was announced to come. However, Jesus says, “Forget about all you have learned. Come here into the Now, don’t think, don’t memorize, don’t analyze! Just open your eyes and see!”

Today Jesus has many millions of followers across the whole world, but only a few know who he really is and what he stands for. Most of his followers believe in a distorted image created over the centuries by the popes, bishops, and priests. Jesus was not the “one and only begotten Son of God.” He was a fully blossomed human being, and, as every enlightened Master, he had realized his divinity. If we want to give true consideration to Jesus, we have to acknowledge both aspects of his being. As a human being he was part of this creation; as an enlightened Master, he was one with God. Jesus insisted on that issue. Therefore, he said:

You have become like the Judeans, for they love the tree but hate its fruit, or they love the fruit but hate the tree. (43b)

The Jesus proclaimed by the churches is from somewhere up in the skies. Therefore, we can’t follow him or take him as a model for our own awakening. We will never be like him, as they say, so there is nothing left to do – aside from worshiping him as the Lord. This is not what Jesus was teaching. He said, “Look here, I am you, and you are me. Drink my words and recognize the Truth of who you really are. Discover the Light within and you will be like me!” With this assertion, Jesus is perfectly in line with the great Masters of many different spiritual traditions. An awakened one does not intend to show you your inferiority; he is a constant reminder that he is God, and that you are God.

When the ego dies, there is only Divine Consciousness remaining. Enlightenment is the recognition that – as an individual mind – you are nobody at all. Only the ego makes you believe in the illusion that you are somebody separate from the Divine. Just close your eyes, feel your inner body, and rest for a while. Then see whether you can find somebody! Is anybody in there? You may find some thoughts referring to your “idea of me,” but this is just a temporary happening within the mind. These thoughts have no substance at all. The interesting question is: “Who is aware of these thoughts? Who is watching these thoughts? Who is aware of the breath and the body sensations?” Look closely and you will find out that this mysterious watcher or witness is not a particular somebody, but pure, impersonal awareness. And this is what you really are. You are Consciousness; you are Awareness; you are the Divine Light within.

The historical Jesus is dead and his unique human body most probably will not reincarnate again. However, the Cosmic Jesus, this “Christ Consciousness,” is always vibrantly alive in the Here and Now. If you are ready and willing to go into deep silence, open your heart, and listen to the words of Jesus, he will, for certain, be with you. And if you are sincerely longing for a spiritual guide, an enlightened Master will come into your life and teach you. Jesus has many faces and he appears in many different bodies, teachings, and mystical traditions. If you are so blessed to meet and fall in love with a living Master, you actually meet Jesus, because both speak exactly the same language of Truth.

Look at the living one as long as you live, otherwise you might die and then try to see the living one, and you will be unable to see. (59)

Finding a living Master is a great divine gift, because he or she will tremendously help you to bring Light into the darkness of ignorance. If not, you still can look to the Living One instead of wasting your lifetime with worldly attachments or by just waiting for heaven to come. God is always here, and you can meet Him everywhere and in every moment. Enjoy this magnificent creation with total awareness and you will see the Divine; search for the Light inside, and you will find the Divine. Become like a child, clean your dirty glasses, and look with innocent eyes. You will be amazed how many miracles are revealed in the simplest things. Life itself is a tremendous miracle, and it is far beyond any scientific explanation. To a certain extent we have some fleeting and fragmentary scientific insights about how things happen, but we will never understand why they happen the way the happen. Attempting to find an answer to the latter question is like trying to fill the ocean in a cup. The only reasonable conclusion is: “It is like it is and it is perfect as it is.”

It’s an outstanding aspect of our materialistic society that spirituality has been made nearly irrelevant. Our cultural values are almost exclusively based on becoming somebody, on achieving something, and on seeking a maximum of temporary “pleasures.” The Churches, on the other hand, like to spread the message that the Kingdom of Heaven is somewhere in the beyond. So why should we bother too much? Jesus, however, in the Gospel of Thomas, gives us a radically different perspective. “Examine the present moment!” he tells us, “Look here and look now for the Light instead of steadily postponing your awakening!”

What Jesus is telling us here is that we have to use our present lifetime to spiritually grow and wake up. This is what this lifetime or any other incarnation is really for! We are talking about nothing less than the meaning of your life! The mind simply can’t figure out what this life is all about. The most gifted scientists throughout the world have not been able to create even a microbe. So what miracles do you want to seek for, as the greatest miracle is constantly unfolding right before your eyes? Instead of desperately trying to figure anything out, just come here into the Now and stay in silent amazement. Jesus is patiently waiting before your house. Do you really want him to stay outside in the cold? So be gentle, open the door, and invite him to come into your heart.

Neither This Nor That

We have to go beyond the outer appearances of the senses and beyond the concepts of the mind, and open us to the reality of the Christ within.

- BEDE GRIFFITH

The Master is all around and within you.

- SAMARPAN

Jesus said to his disciples, “Compare me to someone and tell me whom I am like.” Simon Peter said to him, “You are like a righteous angel.” Matthew said to him, “You are like a wise philosopher.” Thomas said to him, “Master, my mouth is wholly incapable of saying whom you are like.” (13a)

Peter obviously has no idea who Jesus really is. He takes him for a “righteous” moralist or some judge teaching us what is right and wrong, good and evil, holy and unholy. He still is strongly attached to the duality of the sinner and the saint. But Jesus isn’t talking about sinners and saints, and he doesn’t provide us with a new set of moral rules or legalistic restrictions. All of these rules and judgments about “right” or “wrong” are illusionary dividers, because the Ultimate Reality can’t be divided. God is the One and creation is the One. Can anything exist in separation from the Divine? No, this is not possible, because there is nothing but God. So there is no point in accepting one half and throwing the other half away. Either everything in this creation is holy or nothing is holy. Yet, we can easily see that dividing what by nature is whole and holy is an inherent feature of the thinking mind. Jesus clearly says:

A person said to him, “Tell my brothers to divide my father’s possessions with me.” He said to the person, “Mister, who made me a divider?” He turned to his disciples and said to them, “I’m not a divider, am I?” (72)

Jesus was teaching Oneness and, therefore, he transcended any kind of moral code or human institution of religious authority. His words are a call for awakening, an invitation to find the Truth within instead of relying on rules that are made, controlled, and sanctioned by someone else. Once you have discovered the Truth, you don’t need rules anymore. Being aware and true to yourself, you just spontaneously know what is up in the present moment. Anyway, it’s impossible to label or define a particular behavior as either “sinful” or “holy.” Take, for instance, a poor, hungry child who steals a loaf of bread at the local bakery. Would you dare to say that this child committed a sin?

Furthermore, Jesus never pretended to be an angel. In an utmost beautiful way, he was totally human. Neither did he play holy and nor did he attempt to appear as a supernatural being. Peter is generally considered to be the founder of the Catholic Church and, actually, his mistake has been perpetuated by the Church for almost 2000 years. The Catholic doctrine is still dividing, judging, and threatening. Jesus has been put upon a divine pedestal so that he is forever out of reach for us normal human beings. Peters’ argument originates from what we have called the thinking mind, which incessantly divides reality into good and evil, pleasant and unpleasant, acceptable and non-acceptable aspects. However, Jesus is not adhering to any type of “moralizing” doctrine. The Truth is that Jesus didn’t teach any doctrine or belief system at all. Rather, his message was: “Come here, into the present moment and everything hidden will be revealed to you!”

Matthew, on the other hand, believes that Jesus is like a wise philosopher. This already sounds much better because philosophy literally means: “The love of wisdom.” However, when we take a close look at what the philosophers say, we easily discover that their assertions mostly have little in common with the wisdom of the sages. Philosophers rely upon the logic of the working mind, which certainly is a marvelous instrument for scientific purposes. However, logic is always based upon the concepts of true and false, valid and not valid, sound and unsound. The judging, moralizing mind is good for nothing and the working mind is fine, as long as we do not try to analyze the Ultimate Reality. The dualistic functioning of the working mind is not appropriate when it comes to the Truth – which is pure and undivided Oneness.

Of course, there is some Truth contained in what the philosophers find, but it is mostly incomplete or single-edged because the nature of Truth is definitely paradoxical. The ancient philosopher Heraclitus, for example, said that everything is permanently changing, which is obviously true. Parmenides, on the other hand, argued that nothing ever changes, that the Being is permanent, which is also true. And thereafter, of course, the disciples of Heraclitus und Parmenides got into a war, defending their masters and “the only Truth.” The point is that these philosophers obviously spoke about two entirely different issues. Heraclitus was referring to our ever-changing perception of the inner and outer world, whereas Parmenides focused on the underling Being or Pure Consciousness, which actually never undergoes any transmutations.

Since the Ultimate Reality is Oneness, it is logical that conventional logic cannot be applied to what-really-is. Theology is defined as “the rational study of the nature of God,” which is a contradiction in itself because God cannot be rationally analyzed. Trying to do this is utterly arrogant, although thousands of volumes have been written by people claiming to know everything about God. Real wisdom is not dependent on the intelligence of the working mind. It spontaneously emerges from the rootedness in the Being, in the present moment. That’s why we often find amazingly wise people among those who haven’t had any sophisticated education at all. So Matthew is also on the wrong track, because Jesus, without any doubt, is very wise, but he certainly is neither a theologian nor a philosopher!

The best answer by far is given by his disciple Thomas. He steps beyond the mind and speaks from the heart. He is totally touched by the amazing charisma of Jesus, but he is not willing to spoil his experience by uttering some shallow words. In humbleness, he accepts his not-knowing rather than trying to understand what can’t otherwise be understood. Furthermore, he is respectfully addressing Jesus as his Master, thus bowing down in devotion to the enlightened one. Acknowledging Thomas´ words, Jesus says:

“I am not your master. Because you have drunk, you have become intoxicated from the bubbling spring which I have measured out.” And he took him and withdrew and told him three things. (13b)

It is interesting that Thomas is usually labeled as the “unfaithful” one and therefore “inferior” apostle. This negative view violently collides with what we are told in the Gospel of Thomas wherein Jesus virtually urges us to not believe but to wake up and seek for the Truth within:

Seek and you will find. (92a)

Did Thomas not thoroughly and faithfully follow the advice of Jesus, whom he obviously cherished as his beloved Master? Without holding back, he drank the words of Jesus and got intoxicated to the point that his ego mind was completely destroyed.

Jesus was aware that Thomas had been truly listening over the years. In other words, Thomas was ready to wake up and reach to the highest realms of Consciousness! He, in other words, recognized the holy presence of Jesus because the same sacred flame had been ignited in his own heart. Therefore, Jesus wants Thomas to understand that he no longer needs a Master, as he now has discovered the Eternal Light within. So he decides to separate him from the other disciples in order to transmit his deepest secrets. The “three things” could symbolize the Holy Trinity, the three aspects of the Divine. These three aspects are the Father (or the creative power of God), the Son (symbolizing God coming to earth in these human bodies), and the Holy Spirit (which stands for the Divine Light or Consciousness). Furthermore, the entire Gospel of Thomas is most likely an unbiased collection of the secret mystical teachings that Jesus had transferred to his awakened disciple, Thomas.

When Thomas returned to his companions, they asked him, “What did Jesus say to you?” Thomas said to them, “If I tell you one of the things which he told me, you will pick up stones and throw them at me; a fire will come out of the stones and burn you up.” (13c)

Thomas realized that the other disciples were not ready to be confronted with the entire Truth because they were still strongly holding on to some beliefs, judgments, and rational viewpoints