On ancient maps when cartographers would reach the end of what was
known they would often write “There Be Dragons” to denote the unknown
existing beyond the edges of the known, fear inculcated as fact. Being a
metaphysician, I find that margin note quite appropriate when embarking
on any attempt to teach spiritual truth and principles. With thousands
of different Christian Churches, Islam with over a billion followers and
radical disagreement among its adherents to the interpretation of the
prophet’s words, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism and God only knows how many
other religions big and small believing in all manner of things, many
of whom claiming they are the only, one true path or church, the
appearance of dragons on this subject is guaranteed.
So, in order to continue, I need to fly my flag: I am a First Century
or red letter Christian if you prefer. In many bibles the words attributed to Jesus
are in red, so my faith begins with those words, everything else
filtered through them. I do not believe there is a need for anyone to
“interpret” the Christ teaching for us since we are asked by the Great
Carpenter to read with inner light, the spark of the Divine that is
within all, regardless of our station in life or current circumstances. Of
course we should stay open to all teachers; the mistake is when we make
them “sacred cows”, placed on a metaphysical pedestal, beyond question
or error. As the Buddha teaches:
“Embrace nothing: If you meet the
Buddha, kill the Buddha. If you meet your father, kill your father. Only
live your life as it is, Not bound to anything.”
To
be clear: we will have many teachers in the course of our
existence. We learn from them, but remembering in God’s eyes all are
equal, student and teacher, and when we are called on to teach, and we
will be, we rejoice. All that is required to become enlightened is an
open mind and heart, coupled with a willingness to serve a greater
destiny than our limited (secular) imaginations can conceive. So, listen
to opposing viewpoints and engage in constructive dialogue where
appropriate (be very wary of dragons here and never argue with a closed
mind, leave them gently with a silent prayer, for this is how we kill
the Buddha) and filter everything through Spiritual Truth,
as you understand it.
If you’re not quite sure what your spiritual truth is, I’m sure there
is a book around here somewhere with some red words in it, as fine a
place to start as can be found. Checking my six for dragons.
© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved
#The Secret,
#Wayne Dyer, #Serenity, Enlightenment, #Zen, #Emmet Fox, #How To Be Happy, #Golden
Key, #Pope Francis, #Chopra, #Jesus, Healing Path Recovery, #Einstein, William
McRaven, Sayeh Beheshti,
