Love is the Fulfilling of the Law
ON LOVE; PART LXXXII
ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•Α
GoodWill IS Love in Action
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“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live , ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me. These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:13-26).
We took an excursion in the last post from our ideas of forsaking ALL as the Master tells us that a disciple must do to a reality that can lead to this from the Master’s words “take no thought” as He presents us with the practical instructions on living Life in this world of things, to the Buddha’s similar teachings on desire. We should try to see here the synergy of these thoughts which is intentionally missed in the doctrines of the churches. This idea of cutting off the desires of the flesh and of the emotions and of the mind is rather contrary to the doctrinal interpretations of the words of the Master and His apostles although their words are filled with this theme. This church tendency is founded in the understandings of the Old Testament which remain for them unchanged by the teachings of the New Testament even though there is so much in the New that is intended to lead us in the right direction. Christianity, on its surface, would rather hold on to the themes of the rewards for righteousness being in the things of the world than to realize the rewards being in the things of God.
The Master is very clear in His words on this as they appear at the beginning of His words on this theme that we have been following; “take no thought” as these words follow upon His teaching on the treasures that a man will strive after and the reality that this striving is the equivalent to serving as He frames His thoughts. The Master tells us that:
“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt , and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt , and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is , there will your heart be also. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat , or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on” (Matthew 6:19-25).
There is a single theme in ALL these words and they should become for us a single thought that runs from the distinguishing of our desires for the things of the world against our desire for the things of God and in this we should see the Buddha’s approach to desire as we reviewed yesterday. The Master goes on to tell us that this treasure, which for us defines our focus, what we attend to in Life, will dictate where our heart lies; that is, where our consciousness is focused. This is a rather straightforward idea that says if one’s focus is on the things of the world, if one’s desires are focused there, then this will be the state of a man’s consciousness, which is the focus of his Life. We should note too that the Master gives us the rational reasoning of the difference by His depiction of the temporal nature of the things of the world versus the permanent nature of the things of God.
We covered the next ideas on the Light of the body from a different perspective in past posts; in In the Words of Jesus part 389 we discuss it from the perspective of what the words mean and we conclude based upon our revelation that the idea is in regard to our faculty of knowing 2 as we find in the lexicon and that the ideas of heart and eye can be seen in much the same Light. The ideas of single and of evil we have also covered (In the words of Jesus part 43) where we noted that: The Greek word ophthalmos is translated as eye and is defined by Strong’s as eye, the organ of sight; by extension: the faculty of mental perception and understanding 3 which should give us the idea that Jesus is referring to the mind as being illumined by the Light of the Soul, the Christ Within, or being illumined by the darkness of the world. We went on to note the reality of the words translated as single and evil saying that: The word translated as single has a meaning of wholeness and good or simple and pure and it is contrasted to evil which is just that; everything bad. Jesus admonition here is to let not your mind be darkened by the world but let it stand pure in the Light of the Spirit. This is the same theme of focus that we have been discussing; whether the subject is treasure or light the idea is the same. While we later take the extended position that evil is simply the reference to the things of the world, our perspective now is the same as those who KNOW will realize the idea of bad from the perspective of the Soul which is ever in the Kingdom of God and which is ever attempting to bring the carnal Life into this same focus.
Looking then at the Master’s words here on Light we should be able to see the continuity of His thoughts as they proceed from the practical effect of the treasures of the heart to the more subtle effect of these treasures as they affect the mind and the emotions of the man in the world. This could be framed as: when we see the Good, the Beautiful and the True as the objectives of Life, the focus of the mind in this world, the whole of the Life, is filled with Light. Contrasting this the Master shows us the Life in darkness, darkness as regards the Light and the Wisdom from above, of the Life of the man who is focused upon the things of the world and his fulfillment of the carnal desires as a way of Life. From here the Master takes us into the reality of that focus as it becomes the master of the Life of a man and He here paints the picture of how a man serves either the focus of Life on things carnal or the focus of Life on the things of God and in this thought we are further extending our understanding of these important words: “No man can serve two masters” of which we have oft said that from the Master’s perspective it IS NOT possible. He concludes this thought emphasizing this idea saying that “Ye cannot serve God and mammon” and we should understand here that He KNOWS that the propensity of the man in form is to try.
These ideas lead us to the Master’s telling us, by way of the introductory word “therefore“, that we should “take no thought” and it is in the combination of these ideas that we should get the message that we are not to succumb to the wiles of the flesh, which are the desires of the form Life and the personality.
Still travelling, we close to day with these words from the Apostle Paul before we continue our list of the Buddha’s sayings on desire. Paul tells us this from the perspective of the man who desires to be with Christ which is for us the reality of expressing the Christ Within through life in form:
“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another” (Galatians 5:19-26).
We should of course look at ALL these words, those that we should do and those that we should not, in their broader sense as in them we will see most ALL of the things that drive the carnal man as well as those that drive the spiritual man and we should see in the words “affections and lusts” the reality of the Buddha’s thoughts on desire. Continuing with the list from the Dhammapada, the Buddha tells us that:
- Vainly I sought the builder of my house Through countless lives. I could not find him… How hard it is to tread life after life! “But now I see you, O builder! And never again shall you build my house. I have snapped the rafters, Split the ridgepole And beaten out desire. And now my mind is free(On Old Age).
- He is awake. The victory is his. He has conquered the world. How can he lose the way Who is beyond the way? His eye is open His foot is free. Who can follow after him? The world cannot reclaim him Or lead him astray, Nor can the poisoned net of desire hold him. He is awake!…….This is the simple teaching of the awakened. The rain could turn to gold And still your thirst would not be slaked. Desire is unquenchable Or it ends in tears, even in heaven. He who wishes to awake Consumes his desires Joyfully (On The Man Who Is Awake).
- Do not let pleasure distract you From meditation, from the way. Free yourself from pleasure and pain. For in craving pleasure or in nursing pain There is only sorrow. Like nothing lest you lose it, Lest it bring you grief and fear. Go beyond likes and dislikes. From passion and desire, Sensuousness and lust, Arise grief and fear. Free yourself from attachment (On Pleasure).
- Those who seek perfection Keep watch day and night Till all desires vanish (On Anger).
- You are as the yellow leaf. The messengers of death are at hand. You are to travel far away. What will you take with you? You are the lamp To lighten the way. Then hurry, hurry. When your light shines Without impurity of desire You will come into the boundless country…..Illusion is a net, Desire is a rushing river. How easy it is to see your brother’s faults, How hard it is to face your own. You winnow his in the wind like chaff, But yours you hide, Like a cheat covering up an unlucky throw. Dwelling on your brother’s faults Multiplies your own (On Impurity).
- Fine words or fine features Cannot make a master Out of a jealous and greedy man. Only when envy and selfishness Are rooted out of him May he grow in beauty. A man may shave his head But if he still lies and neglects his work, If he clings to desire and attachment, How can he follow the way? (On the Just).
- All virtue lies in detachment. The master has an open eye. This is the only way, The only way to the opening of the eye. Follow it. Outwit desire. Follow it to the end of sorrow. When I pulled out sorrow’s shaft I showed you the way. It is you who must make the effort. The masters only point the way. But if you meditate And follow the dharma You will free yourself from desire…..For out of the forest comes danger. Cut down the forest. Fell desire. And set yourself free. While a man desires a woman, His mind is bound As closely as a calf to its mother. As you would pluck an autumn lily, Pluck the arrow of desire (On the Way).
- There is pleasure And there is bliss. Forgo the first to possess the second. If you are happy At the expense of another man’s happiness, You are forever bound. You do not what you should. You do what you should not. You are reckless, and desire grows. But the master is wakeful. He watches his body. In all his actions he discriminates, And he becomes pure. He is without blame…..On the edge of the forest Live joyfully, Without desire (On Out of the Forest).
- The fool is idle. He eats and he rolls in his sleep Like a hog in a sty. And he has to live life over again. “My own mind used to wander Wherever pleasure or desire or lust led it. But now I have it tamed, I guide it, As the keeper guides the wild elephant.” Awake (On the Elephant).
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Potency |
Aspect of Man |
In relation to the Christ |
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GOD, The Father |
Will or Power |
Spirit or Life |
Life |
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Son, The Christ |
Love and Wisdom |
Soul or Christ Within |
Truth |
|
Holy Spirit |
Light or Activity |
Life Within |
Way |
There is much here to digest regarding desire and the link between the Buddha’s words and those of our Master, the Christ. We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.
Note on the Quote of the Day
This daily blog also has a Quote of the Day which may not be in any way related to the essay. Many of these will be from the Bible and some just prayers or meditations that may have an influence on you and are in line with the subject matter of this blog. As the quote will change daily and will not store with the post, it is repeated in this section with the book reference and comment.:
Today we post a World Prayer that is also included in the Prayers and Meditation section with some explanation of its source and its use. We are entering a time of the year which we can consider more sacred by way of the newness of Spring which should reflect in our newness of Life. This is the Festival of Easter and a time of rejoicing; not only for the Resurrection of the Lord from the Christian perspective but also for the teaching that is incorporated in the Master’s sacrifice 2000 years ago and in His continued sacrifice. We should remember His parting words: “I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20)
From the point of Light within the Mind of God
Let light stream forth into the minds of men.
Let Light descend on Earth.
From the point of Love within the Heart of God
Let love stream forth into the hearts of men.
May Christ return to Earth.
From the centre where the Will of God is known
Let purpose guide the little wills of men–
The purpose which the Masters know and serve.
From the centre which we call the race of men
Let the Plan of Love and Light work out
And may it seal the door where evil dwells.
Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth.
- 2 New Testament Greek Lexicon on BibleStudyTools.com
- 3 Strongest Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible – 2001
- 5 The Dhammapada Translated by Thomas Byrom
- ** A TREATISE ON WHITE MAGIC OR THE WAY OF THE DISCIPLE BY ALICE A. BAILEY COPYRIGHT © 1951 BY LUCIS TRUST
