Love is the Fulfilling of the Law
ON GOD; Part XCV
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment . He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also” (1 John 4:1-21).
As we approach the Wesak Festival, the Festival of the Buddha, we are doing two things. First we have been aligning our Quote of the Day to the teachings of the Buddha and other sayings that affirm our perspective of One World, One Humanity and One God and which promote that necessary brotherhood and our innate divinity in affirmations and invocations. Second, we are speaking in the main body of our essays of these same things as they relate to the words of the Master and the under appreciated teachings that He and His apostles brought to us. This has caused us to speak much about the misunderstood teachings of the Master and man’s cover for his misunderstanding as it is reflected in his doctrines and dogma. Through the effects of illusion and glamour mankind has deceived itself by believing the doctrine more than the message and, in many ways, the doctrine has replaced the words of the Master. That His words are still misunderstood, that we have still not been able see and hear the message of His parables, likely plays a part in this but the bigger part is in the illusion and the glamour that over the generations has made the church see things the way that they do and to believe that these things, these doctrines, are True.
The word or the title of Buddha means simply the Awakened One or in more specific terms the Enlightened One and these are objectives in the Life of ALL men. For us the teachings of the Buddha are merged into the teachings of the Christ who brings us not only the Enlightenment and the Wisdom of the Buddha but also that Love which is distinctively Christ’s and into which ALL other things are resolved. The result of each of these ways, the Way of the Buddha and the Way of the Christ, are much the same for in the Wisdom and the Enlightenment of the Buddha a man will realize and understand his place and his nature and, with this information, he will act toward others in the same way as one who is expressive of the Love that the Master teaches. A simple expression from the Dhammapada, the sayings of the Buddha, tells us “See yourself in others. Then whom can you hurt?” Is this not the same thought that we get from the Master in His saying that “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Mark 12:31). The Buddha is saying this to the seeker, the one who desires to follow in His way on the Path; the Master tells this to the world as a reiteration of a Commandment and so as to make disciples of ALL.
The idea that we have been developing from our chapter above: “as he is, so are we in this world” is a saying that equates us, as Spirit and Soul living a lifetime through a body and a personality, to the Christ Jesus. From the perspective of Spirit and Soul we are rather identical with the Master and we are in the process as learning to express those Soul Qualities, God Qualities, through of form Life. The Master, as we KNOW, came among us having this already accomplished at His birth which should show us that He had already accomplished ALL that was required on Earth; He had overcome the world so to speak. This is a difficult thing for the average Christian to accept as it is contrary to doctrine but it is not contrary to His teachings. Jesus does tell us that “The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master” (Luke 6:40) which should be sufficient for a fundamental belief in John’s saying above. We must understand that while this is in the view of every man, there is a definite cost of entry into this state of being; first we must be a disciple which has its own list of requirements which include forsaking ALL and second we must me perfect which is only defined for us by the Master’s admonition that we “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).
We should take from this that we are “as he is“; that is that we have the same being as He and the same potential as He; we are essentially the same as He is and we are, if we believe the portrayal of Life that is presented in this Blog, now as He once was. In this context we must understand that the Cosmic Christ, that Aspect of God, was manifest on Earth in the form of Jesus; that Christ as the Soul was incarnated into the Life of Jesus and that Christ was so perfected as a Soul that He could bring to us the Fullness of the Power and the Love of God insofar as we can understand this. The Apostle Paul testifies to this saying “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9). While the church hangs on the idea that Jesus is the Son of God, the only begotten Son of God, He Himself shares that HONOR of SONSHIP with us by telling us that GOD IS our FATHER as well. He does not tell this to saints and disciples, He tells this to ALL and, if we believe that the bible is meant for ALL men, then we must believe this as well.
KNOWING then that this is for us our understanding of our essential divinity for if the Master is divine, so are we divine as well, we can move on to the next point of being His disciple. This is rather clear in our saying above and we should see this playing out in the recorded Life of the Apostle Peter. If we believe that the bible is divinely inspired we should also believe that its contents are such as to include what it is that we, as men in form, need to know to progress and it is in this vein that the scripted Life of the Apostle Peter is given to us in much detail; there is little or no detail regarding the other apostles but in Peter we have his beginning and his end as a disciple and much of the good and the not so good of his Life. We do not mean to leave Paul out of this but we are here discussing the gospels and the words of the Master; we will address Paul separately. In Peter we have a disciple of the Christ, there is no dispute of this fact. At the same time we do not have that perfection that the Master speaks of and it is not until after the resurrection and the ascension of the Master that we can even begin to believe that Peter has accomplished this. Remembering that “the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21) and that our entire journey to the Kingdom is in consciousness, let us look at the Life of Peter as it is recorded in the Gospels.
- His is called by the Master and, according to Mark and Luke is named Peter by the Master. He is among the first of the disciples called and, while the stories vary by gospel, Peter is the one that is most spoken of.
- Peter is among the three that are in that special group of apostles; it is these, Peter along with James and John, that are invited into the healing of the ruler of the synagogue’s daughter, the Transfiguration of the Master, and to be with Him in the Garden near the end.
- It is Peter who’s Faith is shown in walking on the water and then sinking in fear: “And Peter answered him and said , Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to goto Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying , Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” (Matthew 14:28-31).
- It is Peter that is praised and then railed against by the Master. Praised for His communion with God: “He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:15-18). And, in this same sequence, we find this after the Master reveals the facts of His suffering and death for the first time: “Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men” (Matthew 16:22-23).
- It is Peter who interacts with the the tax collector and retrieves the coin from the fish and it is Peter who is recorded in the discourse about forgiveness and it is Peter who inquires of the Master about the reward of forsaking ALL; it is Peter who has become the spokesman for the group and in at least this way their leader.
- It is Peter who rebukes the Master again at the washing of the apostles feet and then quickly recovers his spiritual sense: “Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head” (John 13:8-9).
- It is Peter who speaks large in the end with words that are differently understood by the Master: “But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I. And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. But he spake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all” (Mark 14:29-31).
- It is Peter who fails, denying the Master in one of his lowest points as a disciple and an apostle: “Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow , thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly” (Matthew 26:74-75).
- It is Peter who is among those that do not believe that the Master is risen: “He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be deliveredi nto the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered his words, And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest. It wasMary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles. And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not. Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed , wondering in himself at that which was come to pass” (Luke 24:6-12).
- And, it is Peter who takes charge in the day of Pentecost and it is Peter who heals the man at the gate called beautiful: “And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise upand walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God” (Acts 3:4-8).
- Finally it is Peter who becomes the KNOWER, the man who doubts not: “And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.) Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them. There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one” (Acts 5:14-16).
Can we see in this the discipleship of a man who is not yet totally free of the ways of the world yet he is a disciple. Can we see the highs and the lows of his experience in Life. We should note that there is nothing vile or wrong, except perhaps in his denial, but his indiscretions are of a much more subtle nature. They are indiscretions nonetheless and are among those things that kept him from perfection until the last two points above. In this perfection is Peter’s KNOWING and this is our state as well. We can be disciples, and attain the Kingdom but perfection is a yet deeper accomplishment and it is in this perfection that we are Truly like the Master. This is ever our objective and our goal.
We will continue with these thoughts in the next post.
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.
This Quote of the Day is rather long; it is the story of the Wesak festival. We will try to interpret some of this in the next post. In the meantime read it and try to see yourself in it as a participant or just a spectator. The actual time of the Taurus full moon is May 5, 2012 at 10:36 pm EST and May 6, 3:36 am GMT. Another selection from the Dhammapada will serve as our Quote on the main page.
There is a valley, lying at a rather high altitude in the foothills of the Himalayan-Tibet ranges. It is surrounded by high mountains on all sides except towards the northeast, where there is a narrow opening in the mountain ranges. The valley is bottle-shaped in contour, with the neck of the bottle to the northeast, and it widens very considerably towards the south. Up towards the northern end, close to the neck of the bottle, there a huge flat rock. There are no trees or shrubs in the valley, which is covered with a kind of coarse grass.
Approaching the time of the full moon of Taurus, pilgrims from the surrounding districts begin to gather. The holy men and the lamas find their way into the valley and fill the southern and the middle parts, leaving the northeastern end relatively free. There, so the legend runs, gathers a group of those great Beings Who are the Custodians on Earth of God’s Plan for our planet and for humanity. By what name we call these Beings does not greatly matter. The Christian believer may prefer to speak of Christ and His church, and regard Them as constitution that great Cloud of Witnesses Who guarantee to humanity ultimate salvation. The esotericists of the world may call them the Masters of the Wisdom, the planetary Hierarchy, Who in Their varied grades are ruled and taught by the Christ, the Master of all Masters, and the Teacher alike of angels and of men. Or we can call Them the Rishis of the Hindu Scriptures, or the Society of Illumined Minds as in the Tibetan teaching. They are the Great Intuitives and the Great Companions of our more modern presentation, and are the aggregate of perfected humanity who have followed in Christ’s steps and have entered for us within the veil, leaving us an example that we should do as They have done. They, with Their wisdom, love and knowledge, stand as a protective wall around our race, and seek to lead us on, step by step (as They Themselves were led in Their time) from darkness to light, for the unreal to the real and from death to immortality.
This group of knowers of divinity are the main participants in The Wesak Festival. They arrange Themselves in the northeastern end of the valley, in concentric circles, and prepare for a great act of service. In front of the rock, looking towards the northeast, stand Those Beings Who are called by Their disciples The Three Great Lords. These are The Christ, Who stands in the center; the Lord of living forms, The Manu, Who stands at His right; and The Lord of Civilization, who stands to His left. These three face the rock upon which rests a great crystal bowl, full of water.
Behind the grouped Masters, adepts, initiates and senior workers under God’s Plan are to be found the world disciples and aspirants in their various grades and groups (either “in the body” or “out of the body”), who at this time constitute the New Group of World Servers. Those present in their physical bodies have found their way there by ordinary means. Others are present in their spiritual bodies, and in the dream state. The “dream,” which they later relate, has been uniformly registered by people throughout the world, and bears the testimony to the recollection of an inner spiritual happening.
As the hour of the full moon approaches, a stillness settles down upon the crowd, and all look towards the northeast. Certain ritualistic movements take place, in which the grouped Masters and Their disciples of all ranks take up symbolic positions, and form on the floor of the valley such significant symbols as the five-pointed star, with The Christ standing at the highest point; of a triangle, with The Christ at the apex; or a cross, and other well known formations, all of which have a deep and potent meaning. This is all done to the sound of certain chanted words and esoteric phrases, called mantrams.
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.
- From the Wesak Festival; A Technique of Spiritual Contact booklet; distributed by the Arcane School, NYC, NY
- 5 The Dhammapada Translated by Thomas Byrom
