A Tribute to Christ the Messenger

[Guest guest]

Dear Advaitins,

 

On the holy and blessed ocassion of Christmas Eve i thought of

sharing with you the crux of teachings of Jesus as told by Swami

Vivekananda in some of his lectures which are as under.

 

 

 

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."

 

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"The kingdom of heaven is within you," says Jesus; so says the

Vedanta, and every great teacher. "He that hath eyes to see, let him

see, and he that hath ears to hear, let him hear." The Vedanta

proves that the truth for which we have been searching all this time

is present, and was all the time with us. In our ignorance, we

thought we had lost it, and went about the world crying and weeping,

struggling to find the truth, while all along it was dwelling in our

own hearts. There alone can we find it.

 

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You find that all these three stages are taught by the Great Teacher

in the New Testament. Note the Common Prayer he taught: "Our Father

which art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name," and so on -- a simple

prayer, a child's prayer. Mark you, it is the "Common Prayer"

because it is intended for the uneducated masses. To a higher

circle, to those who had advanced a little more, he gave a more

elevated teaching: "I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you."

Do you remember that? And then, when the Jews asked him who he was,

he declared that he and his Father were one, and the Jews thought

that that was blasphemy. What did he mean by that? This has been

also told by your old Prophets, "Ye are gods and all of you are

children of the Most High." Mark the same three stages. You will

find that it is easier for you to begin with the first and end with

the last.

 

The Messenger came to show the path: that the spirit is not

in forms, that it is not through all sorts of vexations and knotty

problems of philosophy that you know the spirit. Better that you had

no learning, better that you never read a book in your life. These

are not at all necessary for salvation -- neither wealth, nor

position nor power, not even learning; but what is necessary is that

one thing, purity. "Blessed are the pure in heart," for the spirit

in its own nature is pure. How can it be otherwise? It is of God, it

has come from God. In the language of the Bible, "It is the breath

of God." In the language of the Koran, "It is the soul of God." Do

you mean to say that the Spirit of God can ever be impure? But,

alas, it has been, as it were, covered over with the dust and dirt

of ages, through our own actions, good and evil. Various works which

were not correct, which were not true, have covered the same spirit

with the dust and dirt of the ignorance of ages. It is only

necessary to clear away the dust and dirt, and then the spirit

shines immediately. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall

see God.The Kingdom of Heaven is within you." Where goest thou to

seek for the Kingdom of God, asks Jesus of Nazareth, when it is

there, within you? Cleanse the spirit, and it is there. It is

already yours. How can you get what is not yours? It is yours by

right. You are the heirs of immortality, sons of the Eternal Father.

 

 

Yours in Jesus, incarnation of love.

 

Br. Vinayaka

[Guest guest]

Vinayaka <vinayaka_ns > wrote:

Dear Advaitins,

 

On the holy and blessed ocassion of Christmas Eve i thought of

sharing with you the crux of teachings of Jesus as told by Swami

Vivekananda in some of his lectures which are as under.

 

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."

Let us remember the following words of the SON OF MAN vouchsafing on us the divine grace.

Come to Me, ye all that labour and are heavy laden,

and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.

 

Yours in Jesus

Sankarraman