Within Pt. I

In relation to my first post:

"If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you." -Gospel of Thomas (Nag Hammadi/Gnostic Text)

Firstly, we must analyze what lies within, for truly if the Kingdom can be found there, then it becomes a matter of realization, or better yet, of nurturing this seed within. Perhaps there is to be a weeding out of thorns and thistles which have overgrown it by our own neglect. Either way, it is interesting that our own hands create the end result! Most profound that the same seed residing within, ready to germinate, will either produce salvation or destruction, all dependent on the workings and dealings of our own hands.




True, however, that there is also a balance between the interior and exterior spiritual life which works in relation to one another. Essentially everything gained within, which must always come first, manifests itself in the outward life. If we are claiming to walk on the path, or on higher ground and have not love, charity, compassion, understanding, patience, peace, etc., then we are on the road of self deception and have great need for introspection, and most importantly, change in our life.

We have all heard these attributes, but have they become mere words with no real value or force? It would greatly benefit all of us to take a few moments to ponder each attribute and see if our lives are truly in line with them.

And your enemy, or someone that has wronged you, how do you view and treat him?

“Jesus told us to love our enemy. ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’ This teaching helps us know how to look at the person we consider to be the cause of our suffering. If we practice looking deeply into his situation and the causes of how he came to be the way he is now, and if we visualize ourselves as being born in his condition, we may see that we could have become exactly like him. When we do that, compassion arises in us naturally, and we see that the other person is to be helped and not punished. In that moment, our anger transforms itself into the energy of compassion. Suddenly, the one we have been calling our enemy becomes our brother or sister. This is the true teaching of Jesus.” –Thich Nhat Hanh (Living Buddha, Living Christ)

Here it becomes necessary to have a correct understanding of the nature of man. There have been volumes written on this alone, yet for our purposes I shall refrain from a wordy and exhaustive dissertation and present only the essential fundamentals.

There is a duality in man; the natural man (or carnal man) and the spirit of man. Naturally the Kingdom resides within the spirit and not the natural man, for if it were reversed then our highest attainment would be that of a beast, nay, a beast of our own burdens, for truly the natural man is base and given to the limitations, appetites and lusts that plague our current existence in mortality.

In addition to the dual nature in man, there is what is known as intelligence, and this intelligence is without beginning or end. This intelligence is, has always been, and will always be eternal, always known to the gods, uncreated, always existent.

Our spirit is the literal offspring of Deity (both Father and Mother, for where has there ever been born a child without both a Father and a Mother) therefore we are not only gods in embryo but inherently carry the Kingdom within our own design by default. The entire cosmos, the unfathomable all is within this Divine spark that we each carry. The key is knowing how to access, harness and cultivate this spark, thus slowly transforming it into an all consuming fire. As to the how of cultivating this spark, I shall discuss on another post. Now the accessing pertains well to the subject at hand. Know that this access is in all of the human family and is not reserved for any specific faith or discipline. Thus the beauty and universal nature of the Divine, for He truly is not a respecter of persons. I kindly place in the reader’s hands the following verse from Alma (taken from the Scriptures of the Restoration) to demonstrate this:

“For behold, the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach his word, yea, in wisdom, all that he seeth fit that they should have; therefore we see that the Lord doth counsel in wisdom, according to that which is just and true.”

How glorious that all moral and ethical spiritual paths, faiths and disciplines have for its guide Divine Light! How just and true that the Divine would never abandon any of his children. And how sad for those that point the crooked finger of judgment upon another for not holding to the same set of beliefs as themselves, they are placing themselves in a position of judging none other than the Divine!

I would like to clarify one point before going further. If the verse mentioned above is properly analyzed, one will find the following most enlightening: “all that he seeth fit that they should have”. I mention this due to the force of my previous statement. This verse clearly suggests that different people are on different spheres of understanding (and beliefs) with the knowledge that has been allotted to them, meaning that all that seek and place themselves on a spiritual path are on the road which leads to the Master. However, let there be no ambiguity or confusion to the following statement, let my voice be crystal clear; there are certain requirements placed by the Divine that will need to be satisfied in order to enter into the fullness of the Kingdom. The light of individual revelation shall be made available to all by the Almighty, either of himself or through His servants in order for this to be accomplished. If the Divine makes certain requirements for the complete and total assimilation into the Kingdom, and the uninitiated never has received the knowledge of said requirements, wherein would be the justice of the Divine?

More shall be written as we, together, search these things out. Please remember, it is the application that we are most interested in as we lay out the fundamentals in spirituality.

Part II will be up shortly.

Be Well. Be Still. Be One.

Peace & Blessings.