Sunday Service Reading #37

From Rays of the One Light
Truth Invites; It Never Commands
(to long readings) (link to longest reading)

Free will is a basic principle of life. God never coerces: He invites us to live in such a way that we find fulfillment in ourselves. If we refuse to live rightly, Paramhansa Yogananda taught, God simply says, “I will wait.” We have eternity to live. In that eternity we live as we choose: in self-created darkness—a darkness as intense, and as long lasting, as we choose—or in the infinite light, the true Self, which is God.

Jesus Christ in the Beatitudes offered a beautiful example of God's way of inviting mankind to seek perfection—not by commanding, but by offering His human children the incentive they need to choose the right of their own volition.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,” Jesus said, “for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. . . . Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. . . . Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.”

In each of the Beatitudes Jesus explains the blessing attendant upon observing it. The divine way, similarly, for each of us is not to do violence to our own natures. Spirituality must be attained naturally. It can never be attained by force.

The Bhagavad Gita says, in the third Chapter:

Even the wise behave in accordance with Nature as it is manifested in them. Of what avail, then, is suppression?

The Scripture then goes on, however, to explain that this doesn't mean we should surrender to the dictates of our lower nature. Rather, it emphasizes our need to aspire to the heights, but each of us in accordance with his own nature and not in imitation of anyone else's, offering ourselves up for purification by divine grace. Desire, whatever form it takes—so the Bhagavad Gita explains—should be resisted, even if only mentally.

“Attachment and repulsion to sense objects, both of these are universally rooted. No one should accept their influence. For, verily, they are man's enemies.”

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

VIDEO of Pranaba's Service on this Subject from 9-12-10

MP3 for Download (or online listening) of Pranaba's Service on this Subject from 9-12-10

VIDEO of Swami's Service on this Subject from 9-13-09
(Swami precedes the topic by reading from his Affirmations Book)

MP3 for Download (or online listening) of Swami's Service on this Subject from 9-13-09

VIDEO of Asha's Service on this Subject from 9-13-09

MP3 for Download (or online listening) of Asha's Service on this Subject from 9-13-09

VIDEO of Joe Begley's (Dambara) Service on this Subject from 9-12-10

MP3 for Download (or online listening) of Joe Begley's (Dambara) Service on this Subject from 9-12-10

VIDEO of Swami's's Service on this Subject from 9-14-08
MP3 for Download (or online listening) of Swami's's Service on this Subject from 9-14-08

MP3 for Download (or online listening) of Asha's Service on this Subject from 9-14-08

MP3 for Download (or online listening) of Maria Warner's Service on this Subject from 9-16-07

MP3 for Download (or online listening) of Asha's Service on this Subject from 9-16-07

MP3 for Download (or online listening) of Anandi's Service on this Subject from 9-10-06

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

#37 Truth Invites; It Never Commands
Original Title: Basic Atitudes for Spiritual Development

This passage is from the Gospel of St. Matthew, Chapter 5, Verses 3-12:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

"Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

"Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

"Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you."

Commentary

The Beatitudes are verses in praise of divine attitudes. As no building can be erected on pillars of wet sand, even so without right attitude no spiritual progress can be made.

As we saw last week, the blessing promised in each of these verses sheds light on its accompanying virtue. Such light is needed. For language evolves over the centuries. Words not infrequently lose their original meaning, or acquire new nuances of meaning.

Some of the virtues listed in the Beatitudes no longer make sense, or else sound insipid to modern ears. Yet in fact all the Beatitudes offer profound spiritual teaching.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

One may ask oneself, is this verse offering consolation for the losers of this world? In modern parlance, certainly, to be "poor in spirit" suggests at best an absence of fire. Stretching a point, one accepts that the expression refers to humility, but even with this interpretation the image that emerges is one of humility without warmth, or, alternatively, of submissiveness so self-abasing as to be almost abject.

Many Christians, indeed, attempting to imitate the humility of Jesus as they envision it from this Beatitude, make a practice of deferring to others, of gazing at people's knees instead of frankly into their eyes, and of smiling insipidly in reaction to every insult. This image of Jesus stands in broadest possible contrast to the dynamic Master who fearlessly drove the moneychangers out of the temple!

A submissive attitude toward life, as if in perpetual expectation of being misunderstood, is associated in many people's minds with saintliness. In fact, however, anecdotes from the lives of saints are rich with examples of a different kind of submission altogether: unflinching surrender, yes, but to God's will — and, at the same time, fearless opposition to error both in themselves and in those whom they are trying to raise spiritually.

Where is the gentle ramp up the mountainside to Perfection that might make the ascent easier for the faint-hearted? Heroic determination is a prerequisite for anyone who would deny the unceasing demands of his ego. Without great resolution, no one could dedicate himself wholeheartedly to God! 

If the blessing promised to the "poor in spirit" is the kingdom of heaven, then we must look to courageous, not to defeatist, attitudes to explain what Jesus meant.

What Jesus intended here was that one should rise above the ego-centric demands of human nature. The true disciple should empty himself and purify his heart's feelings until, like a polished chalice, he can reflect brightly in his very depths the sparkling nectar of God's grace.

To be "poor in spirit" means to be without delusive attachment of any kind. For only by perfect nonattachment, even to one's own self, can one enter the kingdom of God.

An example of such perfect nonattachment may be seen in the life of Paramhansa Yogananda. Praised once for his humility, he replied with beautiful simplicity, "How can there be humility, when there is no consciousness of self?" Humility itself, indeed, is transcended with the final conquest of ego.

How was it that Jesus, as perfectly ego-free as he was, could make such bold claims as, "I am the way, the truth, and the life"? Were any ordinary human being to make such a statement, would he not be thought unbalanced? It was with divine authority that Jesus spoke, for his consciousness was centered not in his humanity, but in the infinity of God.

"Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted."

The blessing promised here is not for human grief. Rather, it is a blessing that awaits every soul that longs deeply for God.

Here, once again, clarification can be found in the attendant blessing. "Comfort," in the human sense, is evanescent. Those who mourn do, no doubt, find consolation in time. This belated comfort, however, is no more lasting than the grief it assuages. Human emotions ever fluctuate. Satisfaction alternates ceaselessly with despair.

Were the comfort impermanent that Jesus promised to those who mourn, where would be the "blessedness" in it? At Jacob's well, he told the woman of Samaria, "Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." (John 4:13-14) The promise that he made, then, to those who mourn was fragrant with divine, not with human, reassurance. He was saying that God eventually soothes the tears of every sincere devotee who longs for Him.

Many people, even among those who sincerely believe in the Lord, cannot bring themselves to believe that He really answers their prayers, or even hears them. Jesus in this Beatitude assures us that every sincere prayer is heard, and that it will be answered in time to our own deepest comfort and satisfaction.

Indeed, is not our very love for God assurance sufficient that the Lord must respond? Is He not the very love with which we pray?

A devotee once lamented to Paramhansa Yogananda, "I pray so earnestly that God come to me! Why is it that He hasn't come yet?"

With a blissful smile the master replied, "The Lord's delay is what makes it all the sweeter, when He does come!"

How often does the love one feels for another human being go unrequited! Never does such disappointment befall the true devotee in his love for God. Sincere devotion is always requited. For God's love is forever ours. It is we, rather, who must at last requite His eternal love for us!

"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth."

Meekness, as the word is generally used today, seems a very colorless quality. It conjures up images in the mind of people weakly accepting the inevitable; images of timidity; of limp, long-suffering patience; or of simplicity so childish that it approaches simple-mindedness.

Do people in any of these categories ever "inherit the earth"? Quite the contrary! They are rarely found succeeding at anything. How is it possible, then, that these frail reeds will ever inherit the earth — except, perhaps, some minuscule portion of it from a deceased uncle?

"Meek" has, however, another dictionary meaning. It means mild. And "mild" can legitimately be understood in the sense of harmonious — in contrast to aggressive or self-imposing. "Harmonious," moreover, matches perfectly the blessing promised here by Jesus.

The harmonious do "inherit the earth." People who live in harmony with Nature and with divine law are those who receive the most back from life — far more so than the self-asserting, though often socially accepted, brigands who always seem to prefer to write their own rules.

Egotists break themselves on the rock walls of Nature's opposition in their attempts to wrest from her the things they want. To people, however, who attune themselves humbly to Nature, she opens wide her doors, and showers them with limitless treasures.

Jesus, in promising the meek an earthly inheritance, obviously had no intention of strengthening their desire for earthly riches. He always tried to get people to forsake outward attachments. "Inheriting the earth," then, can only have had for him a deeply spiritual significance.

The inheritance he offered was a state of happy harmony with Nature, and also an ever-expanding harmony with God. The attainment of divine realization requires not that we repudiate Nature. Rather, the devotee must learn to live with Nature reciprocally, in ever-deepening, divine harmony.

"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled."

The word "righteousness," here, means righteousness in the eyes of God, not of others or of oneself. It means attunement with divine truth.

The more justified one is in one's own eyes — that is to say, with the smug confidence of egotism — the farther removed is he from true wisdom. Nor are things improved if he seeks justification in the eyes of the world. For before Truth, human opinion means nothing. Whatever is, simply is; opinions cannot change matters one way or another.

Hunger for moral rectitude, or for merely worldly wisdom, can never be assuaged permanently. To repeat Jesus' words to the woman of Samaria, "Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again." It is only hunger for divine truth that shall be satisfied at last, and forever.

"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy."

Mercy is of the heart, primarily, not of the head. It comes from empathy with others — that is to say, from feeling their joys and sorrows as one's own. The merciful are those who can feel themselves as if living also in others.

Such awareness comes increasingly with spiritual development. For the deepest reality of all men is God's presence within them. The more deeply we live centered in Him, the more clearly we discover His presence in all.

Jesus said, "Love thy neighbor as thyself." The original Greek says, "Love thy neighbor, he is like thee." Your neighbor is like you not only in the fact that he, like you, has a human form and personality, but more significantly in the fact that his soul-essence and yours are the same. In God, you and your neighbor are one.

Those people whose sympathies are broad, whenever they behold darkness in others, long to bring them light in order that they, too, might recognize their oneness with all life.

A person who does not love his fellowman will never win God's loving response. For God, who is Love itself, resides in the hearts of all. Mercy to all, on the other hand, even to those who hurt us, attracts the Lord's mercy in return.

Mercy means to view others in terms of their good rather than of one's own.

To be merciful is to dispense kindness as if from above — obviously, not in a spirit of superiority, but rather with calmness, inner authority, and grace. One cannot help others if he allows himself to fall into their suffering, any more than one can help a drowning man by leaping into the water and drowning with him. To be merciful in the highest sense is to channel to others the awareness he feels of God's mercy within.

The more we serve consciously as channels for any aspect of God's grace, the more we ourselves receive of that special grace in the process.

Divine law ordains that we receive back from life, also, according to what we give out to it. Much is forgiven him, then, who forgives freely.

"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God."

Purity of heart is the fulfillment of nonattachment, which those people achieve who are "poor in spirit." Nonattachment requires mental affirmation and self-effort, at least in the beginning of the spiritual life. When nonattachment is perfected, it becomes purity of heart. Purity of heart is an effortless surrender of one's entire being into God's love.

Purity of heart is achieved when one's feelings have been purged of all that is foreign to one's true, spiritual nature.

Earth becomes dirt when it is tracked indoors on muddy boots. Out in the field, however, it is dignified with the name, soil. For the field is where it belongs. Impurities of the heart, similarly, in the sense implied in this Beatitude, are those desires and emotions which do not pertain to the soul. They need not refer to something filthy or evil. In a context of worldly involvement, an emotion may be quite right and wholesome: the perfectly normal desire, for example, for human love.

What makes an emotion impure from a higher, spiritual perspective, is that human feelings are foreign to the deepest nature of the soul.

Jesus says here that the pure in heart "shall see God." In John 1:18 we read a passage that seems to be in conflict with this promise: "No man hath seen God at any time." There is no contradiction, however. For it is never in our humanity that we can behold God, but in our souls.

To the devotee who loves God for Himself alone, the Lord reveals Himself at last, even to His deepest, most hidden mysteries.

"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."

Peacemaking, in the sense Jesus meant here, involves more than the ability to persuade antagonists to cease fighting. The peacemaker is that devotee, rather, who lives in the consciousness of God's changeless inner peace.

Such a person, wherever he goes, emanates an aura of inner tranquillity. He may move among calm, spiritual people, or through dens of iniquity among people whose lives are in constant turmoil, but always he is at peace in himself. He wishes no harm to anyone; rather, he blesses all, self-styled enemies just as much as friends.

Peacemaking, in this divine sense, refers not to occasional deeds in the name of peace. Peacemaking is a constant, conscious emanation of inner peace toward the world around one.

Peace-emanating souls may rightly be spoken of as the children of God. They bring His peace to others. In this sense they are His emissaries.

Outward efforts to achieve peace on earth are ineffectual, because artificial. They fail to change the disharmonious attitudes that brought about conflict in the first place.

Those who live in God's peace, on the other hand, touch the souls of all they meet with a desire to drink at that eternal fountain.

"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Blessed indeed are they who, when faced with persecution, can stand firmly by the inner truths they know. For they demonstrate thereby, and at the same time deepen, their own perception that God and divine truth are the only things that matter in life.

Jesus wasn't speaking of persecution as a blessing in itself. Blessed are they, rather, who, even when persecuted, never compromise their ideals. By such divine steadfastness they prove themselves worthy at last to enter the kingdom of heaven.

*  *  *  *  *  *

Such, then, is the inner meaning of the Beatitudes. They are a call to all sincere souls to dedicate themselves uncompromisingly to God. In no way do they justify the popular concept of a frail, almost cloud-like Jesus, expressed in that famous children's verse, "Gentle Jesus, meek and mild." The Master of Galilee is revealed in the Beatitudes, rather, as infinitely courageous in his dedication to Truth. Jesus in these verses challenges true seekers to become absorbed in God.

"Renounce ego!" he urges his followers, including all those today who would follow him to the heights of perfection.

"Yearn for the Lord from the very depths of your souls!

"Attune yourselves sensitively to divine truth. Never attempt vaingloriously to reshape the world in your own image, or according to your own desires.

"Live always by the highest principles. Follow the pathway to Truth. Spurn the fascinations of delusion!

"Expand your hearts' feelings, that you include in your compassion the well-being of all your earthly brothers and sisters.

"Purify your hearts; be totally open to God's will, and to His love.

"Remain inwardly unaffected by the storms of life. Seek always, with inner calmness, to bring divine peace on earth.

"In the face of death itself, finally, stand courageously by your eternal commitment to God alone!"

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

This passage is from the third Chapter, the 33rd and 34th Stanzas:

 "All creatures live influenced by the qualities of Nature. Even the wise behave in accordance with Nature as it is manifested in them. Of what avail, then, is suppression?

"Attachment and repulsion to sense objects — both these are universally rooted. No one should accept their influence. For, verily, they are man's enemies."

 Commentary

At first glance, these stanzas seem to be in conflict with each other. Is the first one saying that human nature can't be changed? The second, certainly, urges the importance of changing it.

In fact, the first stanza only introduces the teaching in the second. It refers to the influences of cosmic Nature on human beings. In this context, the Gita proceeds in the second stanza to tell us how to alter our natural tendencies: not by suppressing them, nor yet by worrying about them or trying to reason our way out of them, but simply by changing our level of attunement with Nature, and with her universal influences.

Mankind, in contrast to the lower animals, has the heightened awareness to exercise some measure of free will. The more developed a person's awareness, the freer he finds himself to reject lower, negative influences, and to attract higher, spiritual ones. One cannot, however, improve himself if he repudiates all natural influences and tries to work out his salvation from the level of his little ego.

Thus, the statement that even the wise behave in accordance with Nature in no way implies that the will power of sages is shackled like everyone else's! Rather, this statement is meant to inspire hope. For it suggests to the struggling devotee that qualities that seem to him impossible to acquire will come, in time, to seem perfectly natural to him. He needs only to attune himself to higher influences. For nothing in his present nature defines him as he really is, in his soul.

The Bhagavad Gita is urging people to dissociate themselves from influences that are harmful to them, and open themselves to higher, beneficial ones. Every human weakness, it is saying, can be overcome. It also offers the right method for transcendence: not by trying to suppress human weaknesses, nor yet by attempting to think one's way out of them. Transcendence is achieved, rather, by soaring Godward in deep meditation, on beams of divine inspiration.

By suppression, man addresses his delusions only symptomatically, while ignoring their subtle cause. If boils should break out on the skin, what doctor worthy of the name would suggest curing them cosmetically? Physical ailments must be treated at their source.

This principle is true also for psychological ailments. If a person is afflicted with the compulsion to steal, will it cure him merely to tie his hands? Mental aberrations, too, must be corrected at their source.

Suppression means to refrain from indulging a desire while refusing to accept, or even to recognize, any viable alternative to it. With no outlet for emotional pressures, these only build up in the mind.

It is a different matter altogether to resist delusion. The second of these Gita stanzas makes it clear that resistance is essential. For a person's energy must be rechanneled upward, from self-destructive tendencies toward spiritually emancipating ones.

Nature influences us according to those levels of awareness at which we draw from her. The more sensitive a person is to her influences, the more selective also he can become in what he draws from her. The more uplifted his consciousness, the more elevating will be her influence on him.

What we must do, then, to change ourselves, is work at changing our level of consciousness. It is of little avail to concentrate solely on correcting our faults, for these are only outward manifestations of the level of consciousness on which we live. Really to reform ourselves, we must meditate deeply and commune daily with God.

Let us resolve henceforth to fill our consciousness with divine inspiration.

Transcendence, not worry, denial, and suppression, is the solution to all human problems. By attuning ourselves deeply to God — in Nature as well as beyond it — every human defect, every obstacle in our outer lives, can be overcome. There is nothing that can limit us forever. Eternally the path is open before us. The greatest of sinners can become a saint!

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

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