Therefore, weeds are a part of each of us—they form our ego, which is responsible for delusions that cause us to harm our brothers and sisters. Our ego, just like hallucinogenic ergot, distorts reality and tells us that we are separate from one another and that we have to fight for survival against the whole universe. It tells us that we are utterly alone and that God is bent on destroying us. What else could this be but a hallucination that prevents us from seeing the Love of God in the world? These false convictions are what need to be burned in the fire of God’s Love. Once that happens we are free to experience and to share in that all-encompassing, unconditional Love.
58. Jesus said, “Blessed is the person who has suffered and found life.”
We don’t usually think about God when things go well for us. Most of us are too pre-occupied with the world to pursue the Kingdom of Heaven. When we are happy and satisfied with our life, we don’t worry about potential calamities that may await us in the future such as wars, diseases, and death. We usually start looking for God only when things fall apart, because that’s when we realize we need Him. For many it takes great suffering or loss of something they cherish to defeat the last vestiges of the ego and reveal to them the mysterious love, beauty, and wisdom within.
In Planet Medicine, Richard Grossinger explains the connection between suffering and growth: “In order to grow and heal, one must suffer, either in redirecting attention under hardship or in having life itself shift painfully after being healed passively. Systems which involve direct suffering allow a person to participate consciously in changes, rather than become a straw in their wind.” “We come into being as individual star-like centers capable of liberating raw elemental matter into consciousness. Our esoteric goal is to transform the food we eat and the air we breathe into higher and imperishable substances. We can accomplish this only through training awareness and conscious suffering. That is the purpose of the Earth and the lives of its inhabitants.”
Conscious suffering brings us more quickly back to Life. Conscious suffering is suffering with a purpose, and when it is purposeful, it is also more tolerable. Apostle Paul spoke about the value of suffering in these words: “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us” (Romans 5: 1–5).
Many mystics describe profound personal suffering that ultimately may lead to Awakening—from St. Theresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross, who coined the term “dark night of the soul,” to modern saints such as Mother Theresa or mystics such as Eckart Tolle. The “dark night” can be described as the letting go of one’s ego, thus preparing the seeker for profound spiritual transformation.
59. Jesus said, “Look for the Living One while you are still alive, so that you will not die and seek to see him and be unable to do so.”
Tibetan Book of the Dead describes the experiences of people who did not manage to awaken during their lifetime. When they die they see the Light that masks the Living One, but their fear prevents them from merging with God. Instead, they return to this world to be reborn and to try again to find God. Nobody else besides us can do the work required to find God within and to awaken. Jesus and other enlightened beings have demonstrated how to do it, but there are no external saviors that can suffer in place of us. It is our own task to discard the junk we have accumulated in our minds over millennia of existence on this planet. We start awakening as we face and clear the errors in our minds.
Another very important point is that the resurrection has to happen while we are still alive. The Gospel of Philip spells it out very clearly: “Those who say that we first die, and then are resurrected, are wrong. Whoever is not resurrected before death knows nothing, and will die” (The Gospel of Philip, 90). Please refer to the introductory session for more details on the process of resurrection.
60. (1) When he was on his way to Judea, Jesus saw a Samaritan carrying a lamb. (2) He said to his disciples: “What will this man do with the lamb?” (3) They said to him: “He will kill it and eat it.” (4) He said to them: “As long as it is alive he will not eat it, but only when he has killed it and it has become a carcass.” (5) They said to him: “Otherwise he couldn’t eat it.” (6) He said to them: “You too, seek for yourselves a place of repose, that you may not become a corpse and be eaten.”
As long as we are not awake, we are not truly alive or free. Therefore it is not wise to delay the work that will lead to our salvation—if we don’t find God in a “place of repose” within while we are still alive, we risk losing our life with all accumulated experience, wisdom, and knowledge and having to start all over again. When we die, we become a corpse—and both our mind and body are eaten by death and destroyed. Our soul survives, but we have to start all over again, reborn in a new body, handicapped by the loss of our memories and carrying in our subconscious unfinished business from previous lifetimes. The time to work on our limitations and shortcomings is right now—every moment is precious, since we don’t know how much time we have left here. See also the parable of the 10 virgins (Matthew 25: 1–13).
61. (1) Jesus said, “Two will rest on a bed: the one will die, and the other will live.” (2) Salome said, “Who are you, man? From whom did you come that you should lie on my couch[4] and eat from my table?” (3) Jesus said to her: “I am he who comes from the One who is always the same. I was given some of that which is my Father’s.” (4) Salome said: “I am your disciple!” (5) “Therefore I say: If one becomes whole, he will be filled with light. But if he is divided, he will be filled with darkness.”
(1) Salvation is a result of an individual effort and God’s grace. We can’t take anyone else with us to the Kingdom of Heaven unless they do their own part. When we have a partner, each of us provides growth opportunities to one another. Each challenge is an opportunity for both partners; but often one side decides to respond with love, while the other remains selfish, thinking that they won the dispute. In fact, the person that chose love is the one that truly wins. To give an example: A couple has a limited amount of money. The wife wants to remodel the kitchen and her husband would rather spend money on a vacation in a tropical paradise. The person who is willing to postpone their wishes to make the other one happy is the one that moves ahead on the spiritual path. Whoever wins fights or arguments by bullying his or her spouse loses in the end.
(2–5) Christ is coming from the unchangeable, eternal Father, and he comes only to those who have already healed their internal rifts and divisions; to those who became one, just like their Father. As long as we refuse to acknowledge the dark parts of our personalities, these aspects of our minds remain below the surface of our consciousness and control our behavior from their hiding place. The light of God cannot fill us until we open to it entirely—until we become whole. We cannot leave any secret or dark places in our minds unexamined—all locked doors have to be opened for God so that He can enter to heal us.
62. (1) Jesus said, “It is to those who are worthy of my mysteries that I tell my mysteries. (2) Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.”
(1) People who live their lives enslaved by the ego cannot understand mystical teachings. Their eyes and ears are closed, and the message of salvation is totally incomprehensible to them. Those who are able to see God in other humans and to serve God by serving other people become receptive to the message and can intuitively feel the truth revealed through the secret teachings of Jesus and other spiritual teachers. Those are the people who “get it” when they hear it first time—the message makes sense to them.
(2) One has to be ready to hear the truth. If we share some of the secrets of th
e Kingdom with those who are not ready (the left hand) we will meet only hostility and rejection. Thus, it is better to save the message for those who will appreciate and understand it. It sounds harsh when Jesus tells us “not to throw the pearls in front of the swine,” but it is truly better for everyone to receive teachings when they are ready for them.
63. (1) Jesus said, “There was a rich man who had much money. (2) He said, ‘I shall put my money to use so that I may sow, reap, plant, and fill my storehouse with produce, so that I shall lack nothing.’ (3) Such were his intentions, but that same night he died. Let him who has ears hear.”
From our limited point of view life on our planet is totally unpredictable—even the best plans may fail in spite of our good intentions. Our individual lives are short, and thus we should devote every minute of our lives to striving for salvation. We have to be kind, caring, loving, and selfless, overcoming our habitual behaviors and serving Christ in others instead of indulging our own ego and grasping after things that ultimately don’t bring lasting happiness and peace. Once we awaken and find the Kingdom within, everything else will be added. See also Luke 12:16–21.
64. (1) Jesus said, “A man had received visitors. And when he had prepared the dinner, he sent his servant to invite the guests. (2) He went to the first one and said to him, ‘My master invites you.’ (3) He said, ‘I have claims against some merchants. They are coming to me this evening. I must go and give them my orders. I ask to be excused from the dinner.’
(4) He went to another and said to him, ‘My master has invited you.’ (5) He replied, ‘I have just bought a house and am required for the day. I shall not have any spare time.’
(6) He went to another and said to him, ‘My master invites you.’ (7) He answered, ‘My friend is going to get married, and I am to prepare the banquet. I shall not be able to come. I ask to be excused from the dinner.’
(8) He went to another and said to him, ‘My master invites you.’ (9) He said to him, ‘I have just bought a farm, and I am on my way to collect the rent. I shall not be able to come. I ask to be excused.’
(10) The servant returned and said to his master, ‘Those whom you invited to the dinner have asked to be excused.’ (11) The master said to his servant, ‘Go outside to the streets and bring back those whom you happen to meet, so that they may dine.’ (12) Dealers and merchants will not enter the places of my Father.”
A similar parable is known from the canonical gospels (Matthew 22: 1–14). All people are called to join our Father’s feast, but only a few decided to respond. The majority of us chose to ignore the call from God to awaken to our destiny. We are lost, pursuing illusions and neglecting the only truly important goal—the Kingdom of Heaven. The downtrodden homeless living in the streets—those in jail, poor, hungry, and suffering—realize more readily than the rest of us that we live in hell, and thus are more likely to listen to the invitation to the feast, since they don’t have anything to lose. Those who pursue worldly goals and invest in the world (dealers and merchants) instead of accumulating the currency of love will eventually find out that their efforts were meaningless and that their lives were wasted. Some see that only on their deathbed; others realize it sooner and change their lives accordingly so that they can also reach salvation.
65. (1) He said, “There was a good man who owned a vineyard. He leased it to tenant farmers so that they might work it and he might collect the produce from them. (2) He sent his servant so that the tenants might give him the produce of the vineyard. (3) They seized his servant and beat him, all but killing him. (4) The servant went back and told his master. (5) The master said, ‘Perhaps they did not recognize him.’ (6) He sent another servant. The tenants beat this one as well. (7) Then the owner sent his son and said, ‘Perhaps they will show respect to my son.’ Because the tenants knew that it was he who was the heir to the vineyard, they seized him and killed him. (8) Let him who has ears hear.”
This parable is also known from the canonical gospels (for example, see Matthew 22: 33–43). Is God naïve in sending his messengers and his son to the people lost in the dream? No, He loves all of us unconditionally since we all are His children. God knows that even if His messengers are killed, the message will eventually reach us and then the tenants will realize that they are also the children of God. We are the tenants and we will inherit the vineyard, but only when we accept God’s message of love and discover our true identity.
66. Jesus said, “Show me the stone which the builders have rejected. That one is the cornerstone.”
Those who build religions reject any teachings that don’t fit into their preconceived, narrow view of God and the universe. They are building houses that are destined to fall apart if the cornerstone is not used in their construction. Who can tell which stone is most suitable for a cornerstone if builders are unable to make the call? Clearly the architect who designed the house is the one who can tell the difference between the cornerstone and ordinary stones. In this case, Jesus is the architect. An architect can see the whole blueprint of the house and knows how the cornerstone fits into the structure. Builders who are not aware of the overall plan are not capable of understanding the importance and role of the stone that looks different than other stones used to construct house walls.
That’s also what happened with Christianity—the fathers of the church rejected the most important teachings, which did not fit into their worldview, trying to “standardize” the church canon so that it would be “logical” and consistent in their eyes. They ordered all copies of mystical gospels and other writings that they did not understand to be burned. Yet these teachings that did not make sense to them are the keys to salvation. Gnostic gospels provide information that, like a cornerstone, logically ties and explains all the teachings of Jesus. Understanding the nature of reality and firsthand experience of the Divine gives us the most powerful incentive for changing our behavior and striving for awakening.
67. Jesus said, “He who knows everything, but has failed to know himself has missed everything.”
Since discovering our true identity is one of the most important goals of our lives, those who focus on exploring the external world are wasting their time. Even if we are arrogant enough to think that we know everything that is to be known about the world, we are nowhere close to the truly meaningful knowledge that can be found within. Even if we ruled over the whole planet, we still would be poor compared to what awaits us inside of our minds. When we awaken, we unite with God and thus we own everything that exists—we become the whole universe. Gautama Buddha said once that “one who has attained mastery over his mind is indeed a greater conqueror than one who has vanquished a thousand enemies.” The first step is to discover experientially who we really are. The next step is to master our desires and emotions. Our salvation depends on these initial steps.
68. (1) Jesus said, “Blessed are you when you are hated and persecuted; (2) but they will not find that hiding place to which they will try to pursue you!”
Please compare with Matthew 5: 10: “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” When you are persecuted, you eventually run out of places to escape to, and at the point where everything seems to be lost, you may decide to look for escape within. When our pain becomes too difficult to bear, our ego collapses and what is left is our true Self, the Christ. Your persecutors can still try to pursue you, but they won’t find the way to the Kingdom hidden within you. Only you have the power to enter it—when you awaken.
69. (1) Jesus said, “Blessed are those who have been persecuted in their heart. They are the ones who have truly come to know the Father. (2) Blessed are the hungry, for the belly of him who desires will be filled.”
(1) Those who do not lash back at their enemies or innocent bystanders, but instead hold the pain and hurt inside their hearts and forgive their persecutors, are the ones who discover God within. They respond with love and compassion to the persecution. Instead of striking
back at their tormentors they thank God for the lessons those people have provided for them. That’s how Jesus responded to his tormentors. This doesn’t mean that we are to be always passive and accept all the abuse and persecution that comes our way. We have to learn to control our emotions and impulses and find a way to see everyone in the light of love and compassion. Sometimes the most loving thing is to confront our persecutors or to remove ourselves from harm’s way if we are threatened physically. If we listen carefully to the voice of the Holy Spirit within, we will know what the most appropriate response is on each occasion.
(2) Those hungry for God will be filled with love if they consistently pursue their deepest heart’s desire, in spite of challenges placed in front of them by the world. The food that will fill them up is already inside their hearts, ready to grow exponentially.
Secrets of God Page 13