The Woman of Samaria - Part 3

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The Woman of Samaria - Part 3

 

The woman saith unto him, " Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither

come hither to draw. " Jesus saith unto her, " Go, call thy husband, and come

hither. " The woman answered and said, " I have no husband. " Jesus said unto her,

" Thou hast well said, 'I have no husband': for thou hast had five husbands; and

he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly. " The woman

saith unto him, " Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet " (John 4:15-19).

 

Sincere cooperation

with one's guru can

save even the worst

sinner

 

(p.300) A flicker of receptivity stirred in the woman. So Jesus tested the

character of this fallen disciple, the degree of her degradation. He asked her

to call her husband; and when she said that she had no husband, he was pleased

with her truthfulness in tacitly admitting that the man with whom she was

presently coupled was not a lawful spouse. Jesus then revealed that he knew of

her promiscuous behavior in having had five such illicit relationships. Rather

than lying to defend herself, she recognized Jesus as a divine prophet who alone

could have known her secret. In this moment of spiritual submission, Jesus saw

the genuine quality of her sincerity. Her immorality lay like a clay crust over

her pure, truth-loving soul, hiding it only temporarily.

 

Insincerity, prevarication, and treachery toward a guru-preceptor are

devastating sins, for these are deliberate, willful transgression and, as such,

are worse evils than flesh transgressions, which are to a considerable extent

due to instinctive compulsion.

 

(p.301) Some persons, owing to immoral behavior in a past life, are born with a

compelling inclination that overrules almost all sense of shame, church threats,

conscience, social discomfiture, or efforts toward self-control. Sincerity in

recognizing and acknowledging their faults, and in following the advice of their

spiritual doctor, will give these individuals mental and moral strength that

will remedy the malady.

 

The disciple who is insincere toward his guru in attempting to hide or

rationalize his moral disease shuts out the healing help of the master.

Hypocritical evasion causes the moral transgression in the error-stricken

disciple to spread tenaciously within him. To hide moral disease from the

spiritual doctor is dangerous to spiritual health, just as concealing physical

symptoms of disease from a medical doctor imperils bodily health.

 

In any case, the guru is not deceived, no matter how cunning the evasive

disciple. The master can perceive the inmost character of a disciple exactly and

immediately. Masters rarely, if ever, make errors in discerning the qualities of

those who come to them. Even when a guru accepts a disciple who later exhibits

evil or treacherous tendencies, it is not because the master was unknowing.

Jesus had his Judas; why did he accept such a follower? There was a karmic

connection, in that Judas had been his disciple in a previous life. When a guru

sees the soul of a disciple fallen in ignorance, his God-given duty and

heartfelt concern leave no choice but to help. Every soul can be rescued, no

matter how entangled in error, if the mind makes a genuine commitment to

cooperate spiritually. The guru provides repeated opportunities for the disciple

to make this breakthrough from ignorance. Though one's sins be as deep as the

ocean, still he can be saved if he is sincere and loyal to his master, linking

himself with the channel that draws him to God. [break Quote]

 

[Note]: Of course now, from the Gospel of Judas, it is revealed that Judas was

not a traitor as was made out to be, but did the bidding of Jesus to present

Jesus to his captors, showing that Jesus had control over his whole situation,

being the master that he is. [End Note]

 

The Second Coming of Christ (The Resurrection of the Christ Within

You) Volume 1, Discourse 17, pg. 300-301

Paramahansa Yogananda

Printed in the United States of America 1434-J881

ISBN-13:978-0-87612-557-1

ISBN-10:0-87612-557-7