Wisdom From Forgotten Gospels, PT. 2

[Guest guest]

James Bean jamesbean

 

 

WISDOM FROM FORGOTTEN GOSPELS, PART TWO

 

By James Bean

 

Copyright December 1997

 

LOOKING FOR HEAVEN IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES

 

" You examine the face of heaven and earth, but you have not come to know

the One who is in your presence, and you do not know how to examine this

present moment. " (Jesus, Gospel of Thomas, Saying 91)

 

" His disciples asked him, 'When will the resurrection of 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 do not recognize it.' " (Thomas,

51)

 

" 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.' " (Thomas,

52)

 

" His disciples said to him, 'When will the Kingdom of the Father arrive?'

He said, 'It will not come by watching for it. It will not be said, 'Look,

here!' or 'Look, there!' Rather, the Kingdom of the Father is spread

out upon the earth and people don't see it.' " (Gospel of Thomas, 113)

 

A saying of Jesus recorded in the Gospel of Thomas describes a spiritually

blind and intoxicated humanity. " I took my stand in the midst of the

world, and in flesh I appeared to them. I found them all drunk, and

I did not find any of them thirsty. My soul ached for the children of

humanity, because they are blind in their hearts and do not see, for

they came into the world empty, and they also seek to depart from the

world empty. But meanwhile they are drunk. When they shake off their

wine, they will change their ways. " In many apocryphal scriptures humanity

is described as being caught up in unconscious states of " numbness, "

" sleep, " intoxication, " or " forgetfulness. " In a world of spiritual slumber,

it's perfectly natural for Gnostic gospels to be buried and forgotten!

 

 

THE FUTILITY OF TRYING TO GRAB A COMET BY THE TALE

 

Another saying from Thomas defines the difference between religious theory

and mystical experience. Note how often the word " YOU " is used here:

" If those who teach you say to you, 'See, the Kingdom is in the sky,'

then the birds of the sky will arrive there before you do. If they say

to you, " It's under the sea,' then the fish will get there first. Rather,

the Kingdom is inside you and it is outside you. When you know yourselves,

then you will discover this, and you will realize that you are the children

of the Living Father. But if you will not know yourselves, then you dwell

in poverty, and you are poverty. " The focus here is not about big events

happening in the sky, but what's happening with 'you' and me right now.

This saying seems to be poking fun at religious traditions that spout

theories about stuff happening in the sky, or " pie in the sky in the

bye and bye, " diverting people's attention away from spiritual reality

in the here-and-now to that of imaginary kingdoms that arrive at the

" end of the world " (sci-fi in the sky). The Jesus of Thomas saw apocalyptic

religion as being part of the problem, promulgating in the world a religious

drunkenness which is just as harmful and numbing as any other form of

addiction. In this saying, being unaware of one's true identity is described

as living in spiritual poverty. The impoverished soul, unable to perceive

anything else, believes that spiritual poverty is the norm, that its

current state of being is the only option available till some far-distant

prophecy gets fulfilled at the end of time.

 

Often Indian spiritual teachers describe souls who reach a breakthrough

in consciousness. After the soul reaches a point in it's mystic travels

where it becomes free of all it's coverings of mind and matter, it reaches

the realization of it's true nature as spirit and exclaims, " I am that!

I am that! I am that! I am that! " The medieval mystic Kabir once said,

" The Light of one soul is equal to that of sixteen suns!!! " But to sleeping

humanity this reality remains completely hidden from view. We are gods

clothed in rags.

 

Occasionally you hear in the news a story about an eccentric millionaire

who so fears using up all his money that he lives an impoverished life

of squalor. The Gospel of Thomas is saying that on a spiritual level

we're like that millionaire. We have access to a vast Kingdom of wealth

but alas, we've forgotten it or have come to believe in strange ideas

that serve to further alienate us from who we really are. Prophecy-abuse

is a classic example of this: the obsession that some religious cults

have about " the end of the world. " For them the spiritual realm (Kingdom

of God) remains something available only in " the future. " Spiritual awareness

of a present-tense Kingdom of God right now isn't even seen as important

or necessary. There's a wonderful saying of Thich Nhat Hanh, the famous

Buddhist teacher, about this " Kingdom in the sky. " He says, " The place

to touch the Kingdom of God is within us. We do not have to die to arrive

at heaven's gate. In fact, we have to be truly alive. If we touch life

deeply enough, the Kingdom of God will become a reality here and now. "

( " Be Still And Know, " Riverhead Books)

 

In the Gospel of Mary there's a similar saying to the one in Thomas warning

people about being mislead. " Peace be to you. Receive my peace to yourselves.

Beware that no one lead you astray, saying, 'Look here!' or 'Look there!'

For the Son of Man is within you. " ( " The Nag Hammadi Library in English, "

Harper Collins)

 

THE MYSTICS HAVE ALREADY FOUND THE NEW WORLD

 

In 1999 the Y2K prophecies of the great Nostradamus, like countless

others before him, were proven to be quite wrong. One the other hand,

for thousands of years now, the mystics, gnostics and other contemplatives

have been successfully finding an actual Kingdom of God. While some dreamed

their dreams and others made a fast buck selling their predictions, mystic

souls have discovered that they are, even now, citizens of the heavens,

and have experienced those heavens for themselves.

 

 

My friend, the Sufi is the child of the present moment:

to say " tomorrow " is not our way.

 

Some persons, relying on the promise of " tomorrow, "

have wandered for years around that door,

but " tomorrow " never comes.

 

Choose the love of that Living One

who is everlasting, who offers you

the wine that increases life. (Rumi)

 

In this life the concept of salvation all

describe;

To meet the Lord by dying while living,

none discloses.

They all speak of the goal of salvation after

death;

How to attain it while living, no one says.

Were they to reveal the Method of attaining

release while living,

Then alone would Tulsi be convinced of

their words.

 

Those who speak, after seeing with their own eyes,

And teach the Method of salvation during

life,

Are of the stage and stature of Saints,

For they reveal the quintessence of the soul. (Tulsi Sahib)

 

 

Contemplate the Living One as long as you live,

lest you die and then seek to see Him,

and you will be unable to do so. (Gospel of Thomas)

 

There is Light within a person of Light,

And it shines upon the whole world! (Gospel of Thomas)

 

Do not cease seeking day or night

until you find the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Light,

which will purify you and transform you into Pure Light

and lead you into the Kingdom of Light. (Jesus in, " Faith-Wisdom " )

 

WISDOM FROM FORGOTTEN GOSPELS, PART TWO///

 

Part Three will explore more forgotten wisdom: waking up from the dream,

knowing yourself as a soul created by God, and the development of the

spiritual senses of seeing and hearing that make it possible to begin

exploring the Kingdom of God within you.

 

Part Four is about being astonished. The soul, after all it's seeking

and finding, reaches a stage when the Divine Light reveals itself, and

all that's left to do is be caught up in wonder.

 

James

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

James:

 

Thank you!

 

This was wonderful!

 

Blessings,

 

Michael

[Guest guest]

Hi James,

 

Your messages inspired me to publish

the Gospel of Thomas on our website

today.

 

Thanks a lot.

 

Best regards,

 

Rob

 

 

-

" James Bean " <santmat

Thursday, September 14, 2000 3:29 AM

Wisdom From Forgotten Gospels, PT. 2

 

 

> WISDOM FROM FORGOTTEN GOSPELS, PART TWO

>

> By James Bean

>

> Copyright December 1997

>

> LOOKING FOR HEAVEN IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES

>

> " You examine the face of heaven and earth, but you have not come to know

> the One who is in your presence, and you do not know how to examine this

> present moment. " (Jesus, Gospel of Thomas, Saying 91)

[Guest guest]

Glad everyone is enjoying the Gospel of Thomas. It is a very eastern

book, as are the other Gnostic gospels of Egypt.

 

James

 

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