TODAY'S CONSIDERATIONS
From the book
It is not unusual for teachers to offer one message at a certain point of their teaching careers and a different message at another point. So it was with the one called "Jesus Christ"; furthermore, it is almost always the "final talks" among teachers that usually point most effectively to Truth, the wisdom that comes over a period of years usually allowing the teacher to be more insightful than at earlier ages.
Early on, Jesus shared what he was taught in the temple. In the scriptures, the last reference to him in the temple was at the age of twelve. The scriptures record nothing about his life from the age of twelve until his return to Jerusalem at the age of thirty.
For at least the last three years of his life and maybe longer, he offered a totally different message and modeled a totally different lifestyle. As for the lifestyle, what he modeled was to leave organized religion. He no longer taught in the temple or attended any services in the temple.
As for the message, he no longer offered any Jewish teachings but offered certain pointers from the Far Eastern teachings known as "Advaita." For those calling themselves "Christians" but who do not understand that Jesus was teaching the Advaita philosophy or principles at the end of his ministry, they will surely miss out on the understanding of what some deem to be his most confusing statements and what others deem to be his most profound statements.
As with all Advaitin teachers, he offered pointers in a "level-appropriate" manner; thus, some of the pointers he offered to those who were still "asleep" might have had a familiar ring to them (and to modern-days "Christians" as well).
1.
"When you speak of Me, speak of Me as I AM."
Mentioned earlier was the summative statement of the Advaita teachings: "I AM THAT; I AM." The point of that statement is that
xx(A) temporarily, there is a body-cum-consciousness that is manifested, but
(B) the body will not be permanent and the consciousness will not remain manifested therein and
(C) THAT Which You Are is permanent and can be pointed to with the word THAT.
Also in that statement is the point that the use of "THAT" and no other labels or names to point to what is permanent is reflected in one of the principles of Taoism, namely, that
(D) the name that can be named is not the eternal Name.
For Jesus to refer to himself as "Me" points to the eternal "Me," not to the temporary "me" that is the body with conscious-energy temporarily manifested therein. For him to advise all to refer to him as "I AM" is his recognition of the Advaita teaching that the temporarily manifested consciousness is often referred to in those teachings as the "I AM" or the "AM-ness" or the "IS-ness."
2.
"Before Abraham was, I AM."
How much confusion has arisen when uninformed Christian ministers have tried to explain - or explain away - that line? How many have tried to dodge the questions about that comment completely, as happened every time that "floyd" asked preachers about those two lines in the churches of his youth?
If "a Christian" is not familiar with the summative statement of Advaita, I AM THAT; I AM, then she / he will have no clue that it was Advaitin pointers that were being taught by the one they call "Jesus" or "The Christ."
[Also, most do not connect those I AM quotes with the phrase that Moses plagiarized and placed in the mouth of a burning bush / god, leaving off the semi-colon in the process. As a result, Jews and Christians alike read "I AM THAT I AM" and conclude, "Ahhh, deep. I don't understand it, but that is very deep."]
If other statements attributed to Jesus (whose actual name was Yeshu'a) were accurate, he also offered these Advaita pointers:
Meanwhile, what are some of the present-day, duality-driven politicians saying?
1. Kimberley Paige Barnette, a candidate for mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina suggested voters should vote for her on September 12 to be the Republican candidate for mayor because she is
“REPUBLICAN, SMART, WHITE, TRADITIONAL.”
2. “I don’t think we should encourage more lower-income people to [come to] Charlotte. We should attract higher-income people.”
3. “I don’t believe that transgenders should be in bathrooms based on their, who they identify with, I never have,” she said. “I believe that there could be a separate restroom, but however I do not believe that that should be allowed whatsoever."
4. “As a magistrate, I issued processes on persons that were in the bathroom, males that were in the bathroom, and you never know what they are, and they scare children, quite frankly.”
So it is.
To be continued.
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