Sunday Service Reading #35

From Rays of the One Light
Who Are the True Christians?
(to long readings) (link to longest reading)

Jesus Christ said, in Chapter 10 of the Gospel of St. John: “All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.”

Many Christians, not surprisingly, quote this saying in condemnation of other spiritual teachers—not only the old Testament prophets, but also Buddha, Krishna, and others who lived before Jesus, as well as (by inference) any who came after him. Yet Jesus himself said, in St. Matthew Chapter 5, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.”

Nowhere do we find Jesus condemning, or even gently criticizing, other spiritual masters. His criticisms were reserved for worldly attitudes, and for those hypocritical Pharisees who had allowed religion to become, for them, a pretense.

Paramhansa Yogananda explained that the expression “All that ever came before me” referred to those spiritual teachers who place their egos and their self-importance ahead of the Christ Consciousness, in the sense of drawing people's devotion to themselves and not offering it where alone it truly belongs, to God.

Yogananda himself was very firm in this regard. For example, he never spoke of anyone as his disciple. Instead, he always insisted, “They are God's disciples. God is the Guru, not I.”

Ego is a way-station on the soul's journey toward enlightenment. The soul is first trapped in lower bodily forms. Slowly it evolves to the human level, at which point self-consciousness appears. Only in human form can self-consciousness transcend material form altogether, including the lower identity of ego-consciousness, and discover the true, divine Self within. Self-consciousness manifested as ego is an incentive to deliberate self-development. Later in this process of development, however, the ego becomes an obstruction. Inevitably, new spiritual aspirants do not emerge effortlessly from the vortex of ego-consciousness. Desire must be offered up resolutely and ever-more wholeheartedly on the altar of Infinity. It is a gradual process, and few even among those who seek to help others are free of ego. If, however, their motive in teaching is not to serve, but to be served, they deserve a severe reprimand, as Jesus gave them. For their direction of development is no longer upward, but downward. In the name of giving up desires they are creating new ones. As it says in the Bhagavad Gita in the third Chapter:

Desire obscures even the wisdom of the wise. Their relentless foe it is, a flame never quenched.
Intellect, mind, and senses: These combined are referred to as the seat of desire.
Desire, through them, deludes and eclipses the discrimination of the embodied soul.
O Arjuna, discipline your senses! And, having done so, work to destroy desire, annihilator of wisdom and of Self-realization.

Give God the credit for everything you do. See Him as the true Doer.

Thus, through holy Scripture, God has spoken to mankind.

VIDEO of Dr. Peter's Service on this Subject from 8-30-09

MP3 for Download (or online listening) of Dr. Peter's Service on this Subject from 8-30-09

VIDEO of Asha's Service on this Subject from 8-30-09

Sunday Service on 8/30/2009 from Ananda Palo Alto on Vimeo.

MP3 for Download (or online listening) of Asha's Service on this Subject from 8-30-09

VIDEO of Asha's Service on this Subject from 8-31-08

MP3 for Download (or online listening) of Asha's Service on this Subject from 8-31-08

MP3 for Download (or online listening) of Helen Purcell's Service on this Subject from 8-31-08

MP3 for Download (or online listening) of Jyotish's Service on this Subject from 9-2-07

MP3 for Download (or online listening) of Asha's Service on this Subject from 8-9-07

MP3 for Download (or online listening) of Durga's Service on this Subject from 8-27-06

Long Readings from the 3 Volume Set:
Rays of the Same Light

#35 Who Are the True Christians?

This passage is from the Gospel of St. John, Chapter 10, Verse 8:

"All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them."

Commentary

If we take these words of Jesus to signify a precedence in time, then we must assume that his denunciation included all the Old Testament prophets, indeed, the Judaic religion itself. But in fact we find him often quoting both the Old Testament and the prophets in defense of his mission.

In Matthew 5:17, he said, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil."

From this statement alone, it is obvious that the expression, "all that ever came before me," was meant in a very different sense from that which one might assume, if the sentence were taken by itself. Some people, in fact, have interpreted these words as a denunciation of the Old Testament prophets. This interpretation, however, is too often contradicted by Jesus himself to be taken seriously.

The way we read this expression today may be due to an evolutionary change in the nuances of language. A word like before, for instance, tends to evolve different shades of meaning. It can mean first in time, or first in placement, or first in importance. The word ever can refer either to past time, or to a continuation of time into the future. The perfect tense, came, might easily have been meant in the sense of the present perfect, have come; many languages make no distinction between the two.

Paramhansa Yogananda explained the words, "all that ever came before me," in quite a different sense from that which they are usually given. To rephrase the expression in the light of his explanation, it meant, "Those, always, who have placed themselves before me" — that is to say, in self-importance.

Jesus, in other words, was speaking of the perennial tendency of unenlightened religious teachers in every age to give themselves airs as instruments of God, instead of giving credit to the Lord — or, as Jesus implied here, to the infinite Christ Consciousness.

False spokesmen for religion seek to impress people with their own greatness, their brilliance, their intelligence. They try to draw people's devotion to themselves, rather than directing it toward God where alone it belongs.

True spiritual teachers, by contrast, seek to channel people's devotion only to God.

Those misguided teachers who intrude their egos into the service they render God are "thieves and robbers," indeed. They rob from the Lord the service and the self-offering that belong to Him alone.

Examples of such "thievery" may be seen everywhere in religion; it is not restricted to those whose teaching is patently false. Instances of the self-importance Jesus denounces here may be found all too commonly among priests, ministers, and others of respectable religious calling.

Think of the Gospel singers who, crying, "praise the Lord," appear before admiring throngs like matinee idols, some of them covered with sequins, or dressed in other ways outrageously. In their comportment, as much as in their clothing, they all but shout to the multitudes, "Look at me!"

Think also of the smug way many smile as they declare themselves "saved." And consider the proud frowns with which all those with different views from their own are denounced.

Fortunately, as Jesus said, "the sheep" — by which he meant his humble and true followers — pay no attention to religious posturing. Sincere devotees recoil from spiritual showmanship. They find no attraction in displays of personality. Their souls feel intuitively drawn to God-consciousness, to infinity.

The central delusion people face on the spiritual path is the self-affirming tendency of their egos. It was to this centripetal aspect of the ego that Jesus was referring when he spoke of thieves and robbers.

True seekers naturally aspire to union with God. They must always beware, however, of the temptation to draw energy to themselves, rather than directing it from themselves upward, to God alone. As Jesus said, "He that is least among you all, the same shall be great." (Luke 9:48)

Religious teachers, especially, should never try to impress people with their eloquence as spokesmen for the Lord. They should give credit wholly to God, where alone it belongs. They should love Him alone. They should see Him always, and in all things, as the sole Doer.

O True Souls, give to the Lord the glory for everything you do well in life! Recognize as His any virtues or talents you possess. Recognize Him as the true Source of all your success.

Again, when you err, or when things go badly for you, know that these things happen only because you've failed, in some way, to attune yourself perfectly to His love and wisdom. Strive harder to be in tune.

By seeing God as the Doer you will conquer satanic delusion at last — not, indeed, by your own strength, but by God's grace acting through you, by surrender to that grace, and by your soul-attunement with Him.

Thus, through the Holy Bible, God has spoken to mankind.

This passage is from the 3rd chapter, the 39th to the 41st Stanzas:

"Desire obscures even the wisdom of the wise. Their relentless foe it is, a flame never quenched.

"Intellect, mind, and senses: These combined are referred to as the seat of desire. Desire, through them, deludes and eclipses the discrimination of the embodied soul.

"O Arjuna, discipline your senses! And, having done so, work to destroy desire, annihilator of wisdom and of Self-realization."

Commentary

In this passage, ego-motivated desire is described as the root cause of delusion. Desire suggests to the mind that freedom can be found only by satisfying its demands. This suggestion is a delusion. For, like a quenchless flame, desire burns only the more brightly after every fulfillment.

Seeking release from desire by appeasing it is like placing wood on an already-raging fire, hoping thereby to quench the flames. Indeed, the new wood may stifle the flames temporarily. Very soon, though, they rise again — higher than ever. Thus does desire manage to enslave us.

To understand its workings, go back in time — back to a day in your own life when you felt perfectly happy. Recall to your mind the sense of completeness you enjoyed. Wasn't the happiness you felt due in great part to the satisfaction of not needing anything?

Imagine a day, now, of idyllic contentment. See yourself stretched out in a meadow, at perfect peace with the world.

The birds are singing. Light breezes play over your face and arms. How pleasant, to bask in the friendly warmth of the sunshine! how enchanting, to gaze at the gay colors of the wildflowers around you.

Have you ever enjoyed such an afternoon?

Tell yourself, now, "All this would be perfect — if only I had a camera to photograph the wildflowers!"

Note how, at first, this desire intrudes itself on your happiness almost unnoticeably. You continue to enjoy the flowers, the birds, the breezes, the warm sunshine. The thought of a camera you dismiss easily as insignificant.

Gradually, however, a wisp of memory at a time, you recall other occasions that, had they been captured in photographs, you'd have been able to relive later more vividly. Regretfully you tell yourself, "If only I had the money to buy a camera!"

Suddenly another thought springs into your mind: "Not one of those cheap box cameras. They only take silly snapshots. What I need is a camera to which I can attach different lenses — and, yes, a macro lens! That way, I'd be able to take close-ups of these wonderful flowers."

Suddenly your contentment seems noticeably diminished, replaced by a vague sense of dissatisfaction. Well, you conclude, this discontentment will surely vanish once you've purchased that camera.

And so you begin to work and scheme toward the fulfillment of your dream.

Desire is an affirmation of lack, quite as much as one of anticipated fulfillment. It places conditions on our happiness. In that peaceful meadow, only you now are without peace, as you ask yourself, "How can I be really happy again, until I own that camera?"

The day finally comes when you hurry back to your meadow, the proud owner of the camera of your dreams. Are you happier now than you were before?

You made yourself unhappy by the thought of not owning a camera. Now that that dissatisfaction has been removed, you feel at least a sense of relief, don't you? In your relief, however, aren't you reliving, more or less, the happiness you enjoyed that other afternoon?

Oh, it's true, you have the added pleasure of being able to photograph the wildflowers — assuming they're still in bloom. So, now you think of angles, depth of focus, composition — all the while forgetting, perhaps, the soft play of the breezes on your skin, the friendly warmth of the sun, the melodious singing of the birds.

Well, let's say your delight in owning a camera is sufficient compensation. You love that camera! You love it so much, in fact, that you'll never forget the thrill you felt when acquiring it. Really, the only way you'll ever recapture that thrill is if you can manage to need, and subsequently to obtain, more and more things!

The whole process is not unlike pinching a fold of skin on your arm for the wonderful sense of relief you feel when at last you release it!

Meanwhile, in addition to the repetitive relief of removing conditions that you place on your happiness, you'll have also the fatigue that comes from the extra work required to satisfy your desires!

People destroy their peace of mind, their health, their very lives, by simply chasing after the will-o'-the-wisp of sense-fulfillment. The irony is that happiness would have been theirs all the time, if only they'd practiced the greatest virtue, contentment!

There is the story of a simple American Indian who was befriended by a rich white neighbor. The wealthy man said to him one day, "It hurts me to see you working that little quarter-acre of yours, when I have so much property. Let me give you a few acres, so you can grow more food to feed yourself and your family."

"I am grateful to you," replied the Indian, "but, you see, I'm perfectly happy with what God has given me. If I had more land to cultivate, when would I find the time for singing?"

Even the happiness we attain with the fulfillment of a desire is vicarious, essentially. It merely satisfies an idea in the mind. Things cannot give us happiness.

A visitor to America from India remarked one day to his host, "You Americans pride yourselves on your freedom from superstition. Yet I can imagine no superstition greater than this: your expectation of finding happiness in inanimate objects!"

"One man's meat," as the saying goes, "is another man's poison." The enjoyment of things depends entirely on our expectation that we will find them enjoyable. What is pleasant to one person may be detestable to another. It all depends on the ideas they hold in their minds.

Thus, desire weaves a subtle web around people's minds and hearts. A single strand may seem too weak to entangle them. Many strands together, however, form a net so strong that no one can escape it — except, as the Bhagavad Gita says here, by resolute control of the senses, and by destroying at the root of sensory awareness the tendency to seek happiness in the fulfillment of desire.

Aids to this process are given elsewhere in the Gita. They are daily meditation, and deep, inner communion with God.

Thus, through the Bhagavad Gita, God has spoken to mankind.

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