Reflection for February 5, 2008: Vessels and Light

 

 

“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5)

Humbleness and meekness create in man a bottomless receptacle of recipiency to hold Truth. A proud irascible individual, like the proverbial rolling stone, rolls down the hill of ignorance and gathers no moss of wisdom, while meek souls at peace in the valley of eager mental readiness gather waters of wisdom, flowing from sources human and divine, to nourish their flowering vale of soul qualities.

The imperious egotist is easily riled, defensive, and resentfully offensive, repelling emissaries of wisdom who seek entry into the castle of his life; but the meek and humbly receptive attract the unseen assistance of beneficent angels of cosmic forces proffering material, mental, and spiritual well-being. Thus do the meek of spirit inherit not only all wisdom, but the earth, that is, earthly happiness, along with it.

–Paramahansa Yogananda (The second coming of Christ, the resurrection of the Christ within you)

The intrinsic definition of Limitlessness is that It lacks nothing and can receive nothing, for It is everything. As It is everything, theoretictically It is the potential to be an infinite source of giving.

The question arises, however, that there is nothing for It to give to because It is everything. It would have to give to Itself. This has been a major creation. conundrum in philosophy and theology for thousands of years.

Kabbalah suggests one way of dealing with this issue. It says that as long as the infinite source of giving has no “will” to give, nothing happens. However, the instant It has the will to give, this will initiates a “thought.” Kabbalah says, “Will, which is [primordial] thought, is the beginning of all things, and the expression [of this thought] is the completion.

That is, the entire creation is nothing more than a thought in the “mind” of Ein Sof, so to speak. Another way to express this idea is that the will to u give instantly creates a will to receive. The idea that an infinite giver can create receptivity in Itself is what Kabbalists call tzimtzum (contraction). It has to make an opening within Itself for receiving.

That which is given is called light. That which receives is called vessel. Light and vessel are always in balance, because light comes from an infinite source and thus will fill a vessel to its capacity. If we put a bucket under Niagara Falls, it instantly fills. If we put a freight train there, it also instantly fills. Imagine that the entire universe rests under a Niagara Falls of light, continuously being filled.

According to Kabbalah, the interaction between vessel and light is what makes the world go around. Everything in the universe is a vessel that “wills” to receive the light of the infinite bestower. Each molecule, plant, animal, rock, and human is a vessel; each has the “will” to be exactly what it is.]

Human consciousness is unique in that it has the quality of being “in and the universe. If we the image of God.” This quality is expressed by what we call free will, and free will at its core is nothing more than the ability to bestow light. That is to say, human consciousness has an inherent will to give. This human capability of acting like God in being a bestower is the fulcrum upon which the entire universe is balanced.

The reason this is so important is that if there were a will only to receive, as described above, the universe would be completely predictable. Everything would be predetermined, all receptivity would find shape in its implicit design, and every aspect of the unfolding of creation could be anticipated. The wild card introduced here is the premise that human consciousness is informed by a soul force that gives it the capacity to emulate the infinite Bestower.

Thus human beings have an extraordinary capacity to influence the direction of creation. Each time we make use of our free will by giving, we are in copartnership with the infinite Bestower. When this is accomplished, with clear awareness of what we are doing, we raise the consciousness of creat1on.

–David A Cooper (God is a verb)

Ein Sof

 

Gospel of Thomas part 37

(37)

His disciples said,

“When will you become revealed to us

and when shall we see you?”

Jesus said,

“When you disrobe without being ashamed

and take up your garments

and place them under you feet

like little children and tread on them,

then will you see the son of the living one,

and you will not be afraid.”

 

The Letter of Peter to Philip:

“When you strip off from yourselves

what is corrupted,

then you will become illuminators

in the midst of mortal men.”

 

The Second Apocalypse of James:

“For just as you are first

having clothed yourself,

you are also the first who will strip himself,

and you shall become as you were

before you were stripped.”

 

The Dialogue of the Savior:

“when you rid yourselves of jealousy,

then you will clothe yourselves in light

and enter the bridal chamber.”

 

Authoritative Teaching:

“And she learns about her light,

as she goes about stripping off this world,

while her true garment clothes her within,

and her bridal clothing is placed upon her

in beauty of mind, not in pride of flesh.”

 

The so-called “Gospel of the Egyptians”

cited in Patristic literature:  

“When Salome inquired when the things

about which she had asked would be known,

the master said,

‘When you have trampled on the garment of shame

and when the two become one’ “

 

(Note:  this is not the NHL tractate also known

as “The Gospel of the Egyptians”)

 

 

To Gnostics, “clothing” and “garments” had another deeper meaning. They signified things belonging to the dead outer world of the body.  They were to discard these earthly “garments” in order to gain

the return of their Spiritual robe of light. This robe was originally theirs, before they “came into being” as related in the Gnostic myth, The Hymn of the Pearl.

 

I believe the ‘son of the living one’ represents

the mirrored reflection of your Spiritual twin

looking back at you, naked, inside the mirrored

bridal chamber.

 

 

 

reflection for February 1, 2008: Telling the truth

“Samsaric pleasures are like salt water, the more we indulge, the more we crave.” 

~ Ngulchu Gyalsey Thogmed Zangpo, Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas.

…………………………………………………….

The nature of will and the nature of ego are very close. A person who has labored long that the distinction between with his or her spiritual discipline often has great I illusion-it is all good! All pride. These are the people who have been punc- tilious about the law, observed the fasts, and given much time and energy to meditation and prayer. But this work and devotion have a hidden danger, which is the danger of pride. Pride is not the same as enjoying the labor or even rejoicing in one’s accomplishment. These two feelings rest on the knowledge that life is temporary. Pride, on the other hand, knows of no future other than itself. Filled with itself, it believes that all reality revolves around it.

 

The following story describes the danger that can bring to our practice: Naftali the tzaddik was sitting at home one evening and heard a  knock at the door. He answered. Standing there was a young man dressed in the robes of a scholar.

 

“Rebbe,” he said, “I have come to study with you.”

 

“Really?” said the rebbe. “What have you learned so far in your studies?”

 

“A tremendous amount,” said the young man. ” I have memorized all of Torah and most of Talmud.”

 

“I am sorry, young man, I cannot teach you,” the tzaddik said and closed the door.  A little later there was another knock. He.answered it, and a young woman was there. “Ex cuse me, Rebbe,” she said. “I would like to learn with you.”

 

“And what have you learned of Torah up to now?” he asked sternly.

 

“To tell you the truth, I know nothing,” she said.

 

“Come in, come in,” he said, smiling broadly.  Later his wife asked him the meaning of this  strange behavior.  “The first lesson and the important-the one we must always begin with – every year, every day, every moment-is that we know nothing.  If we come from a place of thinking we know, it is very hard to progress.”

 

–The Klippah of pride (Avram Davis, “The Way of flame”)

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“What meaning is there in that kind of happiness? It is like a dream that just stops in the middle when you wake up. Those who, as the result of some slight positive action, seem to be happy and comfortable at the moment, will not be able to hold on to that state for an instant longer once the effect of that action runs out. The  kings of the gods, seated high on their thrones of precious jewels spread with divine silks, enjoy all the pleasures of the five senses. But, once their lifespan is exhausted, in the twinkling of an eye they are plunged into suffering and fall headlong down to the scorching metal ground of hell. Even the gods of the sun and moon, who light up the four continents, can end up being reborn somewhere  between those very continents, in darkness so deep that they cannot see whether their own limbs are stretched out or bent in. So do not put your trust in the apparent joys of samsara.” 

~ Patrul Rinpoche in Words of My Perfect Teacher.

 ……………………………….

Saṃsāra, the Sanskrit and Pāli term for “continuous movement” or “continuous flowing” refers in Buddhism to the concept of a cycle of birth (jāti) and consequent decay and death (jarāmaraṇa), in which all beings in the universe participate and which can only be escaped through enlightenment. Saṃsāra is associated with suffering and is generally considered the antithesis of nirvāṇa or nibbāna

 

reflection for January 31, 2008: The right approach to life is like water

“True will is participation in Divine Will. True awareness is participation in Divine Mind. True life is actually participation in Divine Life. We don’t own them, we only participate.

If I am not the owner of will and consciousness, only a participant, then who am I?

The truth is that the self is the most elusive, most difficult to cognize. Why is this so? Because the self is that which is seeing. The eyes cannot see themselves.”

– David Aaron (Seeing God: Ten Life-Changing Lessons of the Kabbalah)

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The right approach to life is like water.

Water is everywhere and exists in all places.

It flows even in places that men reject.

That is why the sage approximates Tao.

He dwells in the right place. His heart is as deep as an abyss. His love is perfect. He abides in the truth and he does the truth. Destined to govern, he maintains order. He performs his actions well, and acts at the right time.

Since he does not quarrel or contend with others, there is no guilt in him.

–Tao Te Ching (chapter 8, Rijckenborgh and Petri,)

One can see why chapter eight of the Tao Te Ching compares the way of life to be followed by the liberation seeking personality with water. Water is a sublime, universal symbol of the power-radiations of the new life. Just as the ordinary human being lives and moves in the electro- magnetic radiation-field of dialectics, so the pupil who, through the sacrifice of the self, has established a liberating link with the spirit of the valley, the God in him, will enter and live in the new electromagnetic radiation-field.

This is the true, living water, which is poured out over him , and fills every corner of his existence. In this stream of new power he becomes a new creation, a new creature. He under-

goes a new Genesis, a new beginning. This process can be compared with the first Genesis, when the spirit of God moved over the face of the waters and created a firmament in their midst, for when the living water is poured out over the he, too, gains a new firmament. It is the new lipika, a new magnetic system which imparts to him a quite new and different personality-consciousness. He is again ensouled by his only God, who works for his salvation.

If we shift our attention from the individual, microcosmic level to the level of the cosmos and macrocosm, we can see that the same concepts must apply there, too. For obviously, the God in us, the true, divine human being, the source of true life in the heart sanctuary, does not live in isolation from other human Gods. Just as the earthly human being experiences and is conscious in the nature of death, so, by the law of analogy, the divine human being must exist in a nature of life, a quite different, divine universe. The life-substance, the radiation substance of that divine universe is living water, the pure, primordial substance.

This divine universe, this divine primordial substance, is not separated from us by time or distance; it is here and now, interpenetrating everything, nearer than hands and feet. The water is everywhere, and there is no place where it is not. It is even in places scorned by man. The sage knows this, and that is what makes him say, in the words of Psalm 139:

If I ascend to heaven, thou art there!

If I descend into the realm of the dead, thou art there!

If I take the wings of the morning and go and dwell in the thirst. That thirst is yearn uttermost parts of the sea, even there thy hand shall lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

If I say: ‘Let darkness cover me’, the night shall be a light about me ” even the darkness is not dark to thee. The night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with thee.

—The Chinese Gnosis (Rijckenborgh and Petri, a Gnostic Rosicrucian commentary on the Tao Te Ching)

……………………………………………….

The highest good is like water;

Water is good at benefiting the ten thousand things

and yet It does not

 

compete with them.

It dwells in places the masses of people detest,

Therefore it is close to the Way.

In dwelling, the good thing is the land;

In the mind, the good thing is depth;

In giving, the good thing is being like Heaven;

In speaking, the good thing is sincerity;

 

In governing, the good thing is order;

 

In affairs, the good thing is ability;

 

In activity, the good thing is timeliness.

It is only because it does not compete, that therefore it

is without fault.

—Tao Te Ching (chap 8, trans. By Robert G Henricks)

 

Reflection for January 29, 2008:A piece of truth

 

Do not involve others in your unrighteousness,
Nor destroy your mind by believing your own untruths.

Do not flatter or give false praise
When there is fear compelling you.

Do not converse falsely with any man,
For it is abhorrent to the Gods.

If you do not separate your mind from your tongue,
Then all your plans will succeed.

You will be revered before others,
And you will be secure in the sight of Rah.

The Gods hate he who falsifies his words,
His duplicity is a great abomination.

–ancient egyptian

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One day Mara, the Evil One, was travelling through the villages of India with his attendants.

he saw a man doing walking meditation whose face was lit up on wonder. The man had just discovered something on the ground in front of him.

Mara’s attendant asked what that was and Mara replied,

“A piece of truth.” “Doesn’t this bother you when someone finds a piece of truth, O Evil One?”

his attendant asked. “No,” Mara replied. “Right after this, they usually make a belief out of it.”

From 108 Treasures for the Heart: A Guide for Daily Living by Benny Liow

In Buddhism Mara is the lord of misfortune, sin, destruction and Death. Mara is the ruler of desire and death, the two evils that chain man to the wheel of ceaseless rebirth. Mara reviles man, blinds him, guides him toward sensuous desires; once man is in his bondage, Mara is free to destroy him.

Buddhist tradition holds that Buddha encountered Mara on several occasions. When he abandoned the traditional ascetic practices of Hinduism, Mara reproached him for straying from the path of purity. Mara later reappeared as a Brahmin, criticising him for neglecting the techniques of the yogins. At another time, Mara persuades householders in a village to refuse to give alms to the Buddha. Mara also accuses Buddha of sleeping too much, and not keeping busy like the villagers.

In a famous incident similar to the temptation of Jesus in the Christian religion, Mara urges Buddha to become a universal king and establish a great empire in which men can live in peace. He reminds Buddha that he can turn the Himalayas into gold if he but wishes so that all men will become rich. Buddha replies that a single man’s wants are so insatiable that even two such golden mountains would fail to satisfy him.”

While Mara is unable to subjugate Buddha, he is more successful with Buddha’s followers, even approaching the Buddha’s own brother, Ananda. As the source of evil, he causes misunderstanding between teachers and pupils, casts doubt on the value of Buddha’s sayings by calling them nothing but poetry, or encourages monks to waste their time on abstruse speculations. Worse, he appears in the guise of a monk, nun, relative or prominent Brahmin, bringing false news that a disciple is destined to be a new Buddha. If the disciple succumbs to the temptation, he will be filled with sinful pride. Mara could even appear in the form of Gautama Buddha in order to confuse Buddhists or lead them astray.

Mara is lord of all men who are bound by sense desires. His origin, according to Theravada commentators, was as a rebellious prince who seized control of our world from the supreme god of the highest heaven. As prince of this world, Mara can boast of possessing great majesty and influence. Though he has only a spirit body, he is endowed with the five modes of sensual pleasure, has plenty to eat and drink, and lives to amuse himself.

http://www.angelfire.com/electronic/bodhidharma/mara.html

 

 

Reflection for January 24, 2008:Miss Scarlett, I don’t know nothing about birthing no babies!

 And ye, therefore, now, indeed, have sorrow; and again I will see you, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no one doth take from you,

 Sand in that day ye will question me nothing; verily, verily, I say to you, as many things as ye may ask of the Father in my name, He will give you;

 till now ye did ask nothing in my name; ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.

 

–John 16:22-24

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“Many people want to have a so-called God experience. The name for that is spiritual materialism. Just as some people like to amass cars, clothes, and big houses, other people like to amass spiritual experiences. But that’s not what a relationship with Hashem is all about.

 

        A true encounter with Hashem means seeing, hearing and responding to Hashem in your life. In Hebrew this is called teshuva, a word often mistranslated as ‘repentance,’ but really meaning ‘answer.’ To do teshuva is to answer Hashem’s call.”

 

David Aaron (Seeing God:Ten Life-changing Lessons of the Kabbalah)

 

 

No matter how many times I have sex, as a man I cannot conceive…  (bad paraphrase of a Brit comedy joke from “Blackadder”)

There are no “victors”….

Men cannot give birth, sometimes, you really have to let it go, and live with what is.
Although there is that funky website about the first male pregnancy http://www.malepregnancy.com/

One “spiritual edict” is that one should refrain from needless arguing, especially about beliefs. Ultimatly the seeker knows, one’s belief is what is right for them

This may not be true of another.  As Gnostics, we do not seek to change, or convimce, or convert.  We seperate the wheat from the chaff, and find what is good, what is useful.

A wise man lives free of conflict. 

“Miss Scarlett, I don’t know nothing about birthing no babies!” (Gone with the wind)

 

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Jesus said, “Come to me, for my yoke is comfortable and my lordship is gentle, and you will find rest for yourselves.”

 

–Gosp. Thomas (90)

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When the feelin’ is ended
There ain’t no use pretendin’
Don’t ya worry – It’s only love

When your world has been shattered
Ain’t nothin’ else matters
It ain’t over – It’s only love
And that’s all – yeah

When your heart has been broken
Hard words have been spoken
It ain’t easy – but it’s only love

And your life ain’t worth livin’
And you’re ready to give in
Just remember – that it’s only love

You can live without the aggravation
Ya gotta wanna win – ya gotta wanna win
You keep lookin’ back in desperation
Over and over and over again

When your world has been shattered
Ain’t nothin’ else matters
It ain’t over – It’s only love

And if your life ain’t worth livin’
And you’re ready to give in
Just remember – that it’s only love
Ya – that’s all

Ya it ain’t easy baby
But it’s only love – and that’s all

 

–Bryan Adams (its only love)

 

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The Savior said to his disciples, “Now the time has come, brothers and sisters, for us to leave our labor behind and stand at rest,  for whoever stands at rest will rest forever. 1 say to you, always rise above… time [I say] to you,… [do not] be afraid of [those] …you. I [say to you], anger is frightening, [and whoever] stirs up anger is a [frightening person]. But since you have [been able to endure], it may come from [you] ….

 

“People received these words about anger with fear and trembling. Anger established rulers over them, for no one escapes anger. But when I came, I opened a path and taught people about the way of passage for those who are chosen and alone, who have known the Father and have believed the truth. And you offered praise.

 

 

–The dialogue of the saviour

 

Reflection for January 23, 2008:A river follows its natural course to make a land fertile

 

 

 

All beings by nature are Buddha,

as ice by nature is water;

apart from water there is no ice,

apart from beings,

no Buddha.

 

–Hakuin

 

 

“For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judg- ment unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son h.on- oureth not the Father which hath sent him” (john 5~2-23).

 

The transcendental God the Father beyond all creation reflected Himself as the Christ Intelligence in creation, to be the underlying guiding Intelligence of all manifestations. The intelligent creative forces of Cosmic Nature all emerge from the supreme Christ Intelligence as accessories of the Holy Ghost Cosmic Vibration. Thus Christ Intelligence is directly responsible for the creation of man and for giving to each man his power of free choice to do good or evil. Hence, all human beings are in turn directly responsible to the Christ Intelligence for the use or misuse of their free will.

 

“The Father hath committed all judgment unto the Son” does not mean that the Christ Intelligence punishes or rewards each person, but that each individual must suffer the consequences of his own actions when he makes wrong determinations. Man, whose soul is made in the image of the Infinite Christ, should naturally live as a Christ; but when he resists and acts against the Christ conscience in him, he puts himself in disharmony with the ever-flowing judgment or wisdom or harmony or love or peace of Christ. A river follows its natural course to make a land fertile; but if an embankment is put up which impedes that flow, the river indirectly, with no subjective intent, passes judgment of punishment by denying its theretofore freely giving water. So also, when man erects a wall of ignorance and non,-receptivity and matter-identifIed living, he fInds  that the divine waters of Christ-wisdom have passed judgment not to  flow in his-life, in respect of his free will. It would be wrong to ascribe to Christ (who suffered on the cross, saying: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do”), and to God or Godlike souls, any revengeful judgment or action.

 

The Father, hidden in all space, manifests Himself through His true incarnate sons who receive and reflect His wisdom. Those who respect the Father and are desirous of knowing Him, but cannot hear His guiding voice, should honor and follow these true sons of God- God-sent enlightened gurus-through whose voices God speaks to truth-seeking devotees. It is so easy for devotees to hear the voice of God in the definite guidance of God-known masters. Ignorant people do not know God because they do not purify their minds to receive Him. Jesus and Christlike souls manifest God; and therefore persons who do not honor or offer respectful attention to these pure channels similarly deny respectful attention to the Father who is responsible for His emissaries’ missions of redemption on earth.

 

 –Paramahansa Yogananda (The Second Coming of Christ: The Resurrection of the Christ Within You, vol. 1  page 355)

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Divinity can be found in this world, and the mundane can be found in Divinity.

Rabbi Rami M. Shapiro, in “The teaching and practice of

Reb Yerachmiel ben Yisrael,” points out that ultimately these two worlds are one,

though they do not often appear to be so. Reality is sometimes perceived as being

“out there” and other times as “in here.” Both are valid.

They are simply aspects of the same ultimate reality, and both point to ultimate meaning.

 

–Avram Davis (Best Practices: A distillation of techniques and outlook; found in Meditation in the heart of Judaism)

 

Grail Quest part 2

 

Grail quest part 1

 

Reflection for January 16, 2008: For the sake of the water

The beings of appearance are like those in a dream.

By their personal karma, they are bound as individuals.

They wander among samsara’s many joys and sorrows.

Though their nature is suchness that is egoless

Still these unknowing children fixate I and ego,

And so samsara’s torments are ever on the rise.

 

–Commentary of “The Great Perfection” (Dzogchen, Tibetan Buddhism,)

……………….

 

If we are really to help the living world-order to which we belong, what animals need is not for us to be nice to them: it is in large measure the ‘negative’ gift of leaving them alone, of granting them their place and honoring them with a recognition outside our own activities. And as the global crisis deepens, it might be a truth worth pondering that, in the end, no amount of legislation will work to save the earth unless we transform our attitude. It is of little use trying to improve our ecological performance if we still retain the assumption that things are usable and dispensable. Ultimately, only recognition of their intrinsic values, their sacredness, is sufficient. Unless we undertake to purify our seas and rivers ‘for the sake of the water,’ and not just our own use, we shall only be postponing not resolving the most urgent problem of our time.

–Andrew Welburn

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When Christ -in renewing the Law of Sinai, which he came to “fulfill” and not to “destroy” – teaches the love of God, he distinguishes between “heart”, “soul”, “strength”( Torah: “might”), and “mind”; this “love” thus excludes no faculty that unites with God, and it cannot be merely one term of an opposition, as when love and knowledge confront each other. If by the word “love” the Torah and Gospel express above all the idea of “union” or “desire for “union”, they make it clear by the adjectives that follow, that this tendency includes diverse modes in keeping with the diversity of man’s nature; hence it is necessary to say, not that love alone draws towards God, but rather that only what draws towards God is love.

–Frithjof Schuon (Gnosis divine Wisdom)

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I am in everything, I bear the skies, I am the foundation, I support the earth, I am the Light that shines forth, that gives joy to the souls.

I am the life of the world: I am the milk that is in all trees: I am the sweet water that is beneath the sons of matter.

 

–Manichaean Psalm Book

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Wheel of Life (Samsara):

Already well-established in India before the time of the Buddha was the psychological system known as The Wheel of Samsara, or The Cycle of Existence, or The Path of Transmigration. It is depicted as a circle divided like a pie into six realms, each having numerous subdivisions. Following Shakyamuni’s enlightenment, four more realms outside the bounds and bonds of samsara were recognized: those who hear the Dharma (sravakas); those who understand the Dharma (pratyekabuddhas); bodhisattvas; and Buddhas.

…………

Saṃsāra, the Sanskrit and Pāli term for “continuous movement” or “continuous flowing” refers in Buddhism to the concept of a cycle of birth (jāti) and consequent decay and death (jarāmaraṇa), in which all beings in the universe participate and which can only be escaped through enlightenment. Saṃsāra is associated with suffering and is generally considered the antithesis of nirvāṇa or nibbāna.