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“Jesus'
teachings are truly learned only when you become the
teaching. There is already something deeply instinctive about love
in all of us. Yet innate as love may seem, we didn't become
love. We pick and choose whom to give our love to, but when the
switch is turned off, we can be completely unloving. The lesson
about divine love that Jesus taught is that love is so full of grace, it
leads to transformation: it changes a person's whole being.” -
Deepak Chopra, "THE THIRD JESUS ... THE CHRIST WE CANNOT IGNORE"
In
this timely book, Deepak Chopra has brought Jesus to our attention, and
that in itself is good. This book is not so much about agreeing or
disagreeing with Chopra's ideas about Jesus, but taking the time to look
at our own thoughts about this great mystical teacher and savior to
many. Jesus' teachings are just as relevant now as ever, and if we don't
look at them and understand them, then we will live according to
religion's beliefs about Jesus ... or even perhaps Chopra's beliefs
about Jesus ... and what we should be considering is a greater
understanding of this Master Mind who was teaching us about our eternal
One-ness with the Infinite. No one can deny Jesus' embodiment of
God-consciousness. Along with other illumined mystics, Jesus'
teachings have survived the ages and are a testament to the validity of
his Divine appointment.
In "The Third Jesus," Deepak Chopra
examines many of the well-known and not so well-known teachings from the
Master Mind Jesus. Last year millions of people were attracted to
"The Secret," a book that attempted to explain one of the
basic teachings of Jesus, "ask and you shall receive."
Now, this was not "original" to Jesus, yet he gave it a
dynamic quality that filled it with the warmth and color of Truth.
Since the majority of people he was teaching could neither read or
write, simplicity was of a necessity, and since these were a fairly
primitive people, Jesus referred to God as
"Father" ... which created an identification of
"provider" in the minds of his followers. And his
statement, "It is the Father's good pleasure to give you the
kingdom" ... inspired the masses with hope and faith in not only
God, but in Jesus' message.
Deepak Chopra writes in "The Third
Jesus": "The universe cooperates with you once you know
that your desire and God's desire are the same." This
statement also has a dynamic that resonates with the Truth within
us. The following is taken from "The
Third Jesus" page 147, 4. Ask, and you shall receive.
Applying the teaching - All fulfillment
comes from within.
This may seem to be one
of Jesus' most extravagant promises. We have all asked and not
received. To find out what Jesus actually meant, then, we have to
answer a few questions: Who is asking? Where is the request
going? Whom does it reach? For most people, the asking comes
from ego, with its unending stream of desires. The request is
going out into empty space or to a vaguely remembered God from
childhood. The receiver of the request is unknown.
What this means is that
asking and receiving are disconnected. Indeed, they must be,
because in everyday awareness the world is separate from us and
fragmented into millions of isolated events. However, at a deeper
level everything is unified and whole. When you ask for anything,
the One is asking the One, God is asking God. And there is always
a response.
Exercise
- Learn to ask in a new way, by expecting every wish to bring a
response. Take the attitude expressed by the Persian poet
Rumi: "Ask all of yourself." The mechanics of
giving and receiving are inside you. Therefore, the next time you
pray for something, or simply desire it, go through the following steps:
Express the desired outcome to yourself clearly.
Detach yourself from your request after you make it.
Take an undemanding attitude to the outcome.
Be open to whatever response the universe gives back.
Know that there is always a response.
In this
case, "response" doesn't mean yes or no from God. There
is no judge deciding whether you are worthy or not. Those
perceptions were born of separation. When Jesus told his followers
that God sees and knows everything, he was describing the complete
intimacy between the self and the intelligence that pervades the
universe. Since you could not exist without being part of that
intelligence, praying to God is circular, a feedback loop. .... please
refer to the book, "The Third Jesus," for more.
This month
traditional Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter are celebrated both in
religious and secular ways. Each reflects a part of the
consciousness of the Master Mind Jesus. Deepak Chopra brings a
fresh new awareness to the teachings of Jesus, and this month let us
too, take a fresh new look at Jesus. Let's seek together a greater
understanding of this radical teacher/mystic's question, "Don't ye
know that ye are gods?" ... and let's begin to believe that it
is so.
AND
SO IT IS!
Keep
the faith!
Rev.
Dr. Henry Lee Bates
Visit Rev. Bates BLOG: Living
the Science of Mind
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