ON LOVE; PART DCXXIII
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GoodWill IS Love in Action
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“The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:29-31).
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“Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:36-40).
In the last essay we continued our look at the Apostle James’ words to the disciples and aspirants who ARE Jews that had come to follow Jesus. James writes to these men a letter that IS intended to help them to see the reality of the Master’s message and the Way of the disciple and to keep them from falling back into the doctrinal approach to God that had become Judaism in those days. Throughout the gospels the Master speaks out against this changing of the law of God into the diluted and changed laws of men which masqueraded as the Truth, and many of those coming to Christ were likely nurtured in these doctrines of the day. As we should KNOW from our own lives, the personality objects to the changes that the Master’s truths bring; the way of Life in the world seems to be the easier path and a man IS further deluded by his own Life in the world as he had come to believe that this was also the way to God. This IS the reality of duality and double mindedness that the apostle IS writing against as he writes these words to men who on the one hand have chosen to follow the Lord while on the other hand are yet somewhat in the grasp of the illusion and the glamour of the Life that they had KNOWN.
When we approach James’ words from this perspective rather than trying to see his words in a normal worldly way, we can gain great insights into our own dilemma of duality. We are afflicted in much the same way although perhaps NOT in such a ‘religious’ way as were the Jews in that day when the civil and the religious laws were virtually the same. We are however still afflicted by the duality of Life; on the one hand the choice IS made to follow the Truth of the Master’s words, and on the other hand the years of nurturing and experience that have set us upon whatever course we had been on; a curse that includes the habits, good and bad, that we had developed and which are sometimes difficult to break. In addition to whatsoever personal proclivities we may have developed and which we must individually break away from, our cross if you will, there IS also the need to understand the Truth away from the doctrines that are ofttimes contrary to that Truth. This latter part IS a factor for the Jews as well but, as we say, their sense of religion was much closer to their way of Life than it IS for most in the Christian world.
So the apostle cautions and warns the man who has Repented, the man who has chosen the Way of the Master, against the pitfalls which we have been discussing as he intermittently shows us the greater Truths of the Master’s words and the True way of the disciple. This IS the way of the man who can understand the ideas of:
- “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22). This IS the most basic instruction for the man who chooses to follow the ways of the Lord and the Truth that the Master teaches; it IS here as well that one must be able to discern the reality of his doctrines which may be contrary to His words….that these ARE but a deception.
- “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27). As we discussed, this idea of “the fatherless and widows in their affliction” should not be seen so literally but rather in reference to keeping the commandments of the Lord which in that day were not seen with the intent that they were offered by the law and the prophets. The greater reality here IS in the second idea that the Truly religious man will “keep himself unspotted from the world” which we have read as untainted by the ways of the world.
- “If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors” (James 2:8-9). Here IS the ultimate reality of the Master’s words with the added explanatory note of “respect to persons” which the Master implies but DOES NOT say in words and which yet today is unseen as the ultimate reality of “love thy neighbour as thyself“.
- “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified , and not by faith only….For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (James 2:24, 26). While we may speculate that this idea of “faith only” was an understood doctrine in those days or that the apostle was explaining the runaway doctrinal interpretations of the Apostle Paul’s words, we Truly DO NOT KNOW. We DO KNOW however that James’ words ARE clear and the reality is that the man who has True faith will DO works as it IS in works that a man expresses his faith. Without expressions of divinity, what IS the disciple?
- “My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body” (James 3:1:2). In this wholly misunderstood saying there IS a great reality that rolls into the following verses. This IS NOT that one should not be a teacher or should be cautious in the way that he directs his students, but it IS a caution that there IS an extra burden on the man who chooses to teach….that he teach ONLY the Truths. NOT his beliefs nor his doctrines which may be shades of Truth or the easier ways of men; it IS these that offend and the man who can espouse the Truth ONLY IS “a perfect man” and one whose expression to the world IS Truth. In this IS the reality of the Master’s words if one can see them; Jesus says: “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:19). Both James and the Master are speaking of the same reality.
- “the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy” (James 3:17). Here James is showing us how it IS that we can KNOW that what we may believe and even our own doctrines ARE Truth and not just the wranglings of our own minds; here IS our guide for Life and for KNOWING Truth, for the teacher and for every disciple of the Lord for every one IS in essence a teacher even if ONLY by his own example.
- “know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:4). In the deepness of the understanding and the KNOWING of the aspirant and the disciple the reality of these words rings loud and clear and perhaps in these words we can see a dividing line between the man who can see and sense the Truth and the man who only thinks and believes that he has the Truth: who can see the world in this light and act accordingly?
- “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded….Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up” (James 4:7-8, 10). Finally, as we approach our current place in the Epistle of James we have these words of instruction, these words that ARE the Life of the disciple and which are contrary to the ways of the world. Submit, “draw nigh“, “purify your hearts” and “Humble yourselves“; these ARE the apostle’s instructions to the man who seeks the Truth of the Kingdom of God.
Seeing the reality of James’s words can be a great aid in one’s journey on the Path to the Kingdom of God which an aspirant may glimpse and a disciple may experience somewhat but it IS the man who can have that single-minded focus upon the Good, the Beautiful and the True, the things of God, who Truly KNOWS and who can realize the fullness of the grace that flows from the God Within. And this IS our reality of striving, that we can understand the intent of the apostle, the relationship between his words and the Master’s own words of Truth, and that we see the ideas that we cite above as our ongoing instruction by which we can overcome the world. Our current sayings maintain this same sense of DOING, of being a DOER of the word, as James takes us to perhaps his own sense of shortcoming as we read about the Apostles James and John and their own struggle with believing themselves entitled to more than the rest; we read:
“Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another? Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say , If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin” (James 4:11-17).
As we noted in the last post, this idea of speaking against must be seen in the reality of one’s overall expression and NOT merely his words. Here we should see the reality that to speak for oneself over others is “speaking against” them which IS the reality of this idea which IS wrongly rendered as “speaking evil“. And we should see the idea here of the “royal law” and the reality that in judging others one breaks that rule of law that James frames for us as; that we must have NO “respect to persons“. We should see that whenever we hold ourselves above another we ARE judging the other as less worthy than ourselves….can we see the ramifications that are found in this sense of self; this self-worth or self-devotion which we have discussed before? In the apostle’s words we should try to see the reality of judgement in so many of the thoughts and attitudes that even we ourselves may have and perhaps a yet clearer picture of what things still plagued the Apostle Peter; while we saw him as the disciple from his calling, the Master saw these bits of self that remained and continually admonished him to let them go.
We leave off here again today so that we can bring in some ideas regarding the Wesak Festival, the Festival of the Buddha, which occurs on the full moon of May which IS on Wednesday the fourteenth. Wesak is the celebration of the Buddha’s birth & enlightenment, and in some traditions his death although it IS not likely the date for any of these events. While we normally go into much detail about the Life of the Buddha we will not do so this year but rather refer the reader to the previous essays that we published in the days leading up to Wesak in the last two years; searching for part 654 and part 312 from the home page will bring one to these areas and looking as the preceding days will show much of our writing on this subject. Today we post the second half of the story of Wesak which IS part legend, and part esoteric Truth which idea one must develop for himself in reading the text.
The expectancy in the waiting, onlooking crowd becomes very great, and the tension is real and increasing. Through the entire body of people there seems to be felt a stimulation or potent vibration which has the effect of awakening the souls of those present, fusing and blending the group into one united whole, and lifting all into a great act of spiritual demand, readiness, and expectancy. It is the climax of the world’s aspiration focussed in this waiting group. These three words ~ demand, readiness and expectancy ~ best describe the atmosphere surrounding those present in this secret valley.
The chanting and the rhythmic weaving grows stronger, and all the participants and the watching crowd raise their eyes towards the sky in the direction of the narrow part of the valley. Just a few minutes before the exact time of the full moon, in the far distance, a tiny speck can be seen in the sky. It comes nearer and nearer, and grows in clarity and definiteness of outline, until the form of The Buddha can be seen, seated in the cross-legged Buddha position, clad in his saffron-colored robe, bathed in light and color, and with his hand extended in blessing.
When The Buddha arrives at a point exactly over the great rock, hovering there in the air over the heads of The Three Great Lords, a great mantram, used only once a year, at The Festival, is intoned by The Christ, and the entire group of people in the valley fall upon their faces. This Invocation sets up a great vibration or thought current which is of such potency that it reaches up from the group of aspirants, disciples and initiates who employ it, to the Being we know as God. It marks the supreme moment of intensive spiritual effort throughout the entire year, and the spiritual vitalization of humanity and the spiritual effects last throughout the succeeding months.
The effect of this great Invocation is universal or cosmic, and serves to link us up with that cosmic center of spiritual force from which all created beings have come. The blessing is poured forth, and The Christ, as the representative of humanity, receives it in trust, for distribution.
Thus, so the legend runs, The Buddha returns once a year to bless the world, transmitting renewed spiritual life, through The Christ. Slowly then The Buddha recedes into the distance, until again only a faint speck can be seen in the sky, and this eventually disappears. The whole ceremonial blessing, from the time of the first appearance in the distance until the moment The Buddha fades out of view, takes just eight minutes.
The Buddha’s annual sacrifice for humanity (for He comes back only at great cost) is over, and He returns again to that high place where He works and waits. Year after year He comes back in blessing; year after year, He and His great brother, The Christ, work in the closest cooperation for the spiritual benefit of humanity. In these two great Sons of God have been focussed two aspects of divine life, and They act together as Custodians of the highest type of spiritual force to which our humanity can respond. Through The Buddha, the wisdom of God is poured forth. Through The Christ, the love of God is manifested in humanity, and it is this wisdom and love which pour forth upon humanity each Wesak full moon.
When The Buddha has again disappeared, the crowd rise to their feet; the water in the bowl is distributed in tiny portions to the Masters, initiates and disciples, and they then go their way to their place of service. The crowd, who have all brought their little cups and vessels of water, drink of them and share with others. In this beautiful “water ceremony of communion” is portrayed the symbol of the new age which is upon us, the Aquarian Age, the age of the Water Carrier.
In this ceremony is perpetuated for us the story of the universality of God’s love, the need for our individual purification, and the opportunity to share with each other that which belongs to all. The water, which has been magnetized by the presence of The Buddha and of The Christ, carries certain properties and virtues of a healing and helpful nature.
Thus blessed, the crowd silently disperses.
We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.
| Aspect |
Potency |
Aspect of Man |
In Relation to the Great Invocation |
In relation to the Christ |
|
GOD, The Father |
Will or Power |
Spirit or Life |
Center where the Will of God IS KNOWN |
Life |
|
Son, The Christ |
Love and Wisdom |
Soul or Christ Within |
Heart of God |
Truth |
|
Holy Spirit |
Light or Activity |
Life Within |
Mind of God |
Way |
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.
As we approach the Wesak Festival at the Full Moon of May, it seems appropriate that we post the Great Invocation as our Quote of the Day. Wesak IS the Festival of the Buddha and it IS said that on this day the Buddha returns to us and stands with the Christ to help to focus the attention of men of GoodWill on the Truth of the Plan of God, the Plan that can come to fruition in the expression of the Light and Love and Power in the world of men.
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.
This prayer is a part of our Prayers and Meditations section and there is much information about it there and in our discussion of it in the Quote of the Day section of In the Words of Jesus parts 128-132
The above Invocation or Prayer does not belong to any person or group but to all Humanity. The beauty and the strength of this Invocation lies in its simplicity, and in its expression of certain central truths which all men, innately and normally, accept—the truth of the existence of a basic Intelligence to Whom we vaguely give the name of God; the truth that behind all outer seeming, the motivating power of the universe is Love; the truth that a great Individuality came to earth, called by Christians, the Christ, and embodied that love so that we could understand; the truth that both love and intelligence are effects of what is called the Will of God; and finally the self-evident truth that only through humanity itself can the Divine Plan work out.
Like the Lord’s Prayer, this invocation is a World Prayer which is as all that a prayer is intended to be. It is a prayer for the uplifting of the Human Family out of the mire of materialism and selfishness. The Lord’s Prayer asks nothing for the individual praying it but asks that its benefits be for US and for WE which is why it was given by the Christ as a prayer and as a model over 2000 years ago. This invocation is also attributed to the Christ who, as He promised, has never left us; He, through channels that we do not readily understand, has Himself instructed His disciples to distribute this prayer and to encourage its use as a world prayer and as an aid in preparing the world for His return.
The first three stanzas of this prayer should be understood as reflecting the effective potencies of the Trinity which is God and which, when brought down to an individual level, the Trinity which is Man. His Will, His Love and His Light we should seen as the Potent Powers of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Let the peace of God rule in your hearts!
- ** From the Wesak Festival; A Technique of Spiritual Contact booklet; distributed by the Arcane School, NYC, NY
