Chapter 4: Heart Awakening

The Master: Jesus

Especially with all the controversy surrounding the book and movie The Da Vinci Code which claims that Maria Magdalena was Jesus' sexual and spiritual mate and equal, there is much discussion these days about who Jesus really was, and which version of his life to accept as the most genuine.

I'm not here to take sides in this discussion - because the historical Jesus is purely a past function of the mind. We will never know really, what happened in the past. Therefore everyone develops an opinion of who Jesus really was, based on their theological beliefs and expectations.

• My approach to Jesus in this meditation book, is just that - meditative. And what I offer here abotu his teachings remains focused on his sayings that ring true and point in particular directions regarding meditation.

Certainly Jesus was a historic man who touched the hearts of many people in his homeland in the Near East. He was a member of one of the Arabic tribes, in particular the tribe of the Hebrews. And his life must be seen within the backdrop of the violent history of that era, where the Romans were the occupying culture and the Jews seriously compromised by that military occupation.

• Almost certainly Jesus was executed as a Jewish terrorist, just as the occupying armies of Rome executed many other terrorists during that same year.

Whether Jesus was the son of God and rose from the dead after his execution and physically transcended the grip of mortality - or whether he was nothing more (nor less) a great spiritual teacher who was elevated to god-status after he died, is outside historici analysis and a matter of your particular belief system.

Regardless, Jesus did teach a remarkably powerful approach to meditation and direct communion with God, and I'd like to present this approach in short format here - you'll find more in-depth discussion at my website.

There are seven sayings attributed to Jesus, or refered to by him as important, found in the Bible - seven statements that were an early inspiration to me, and also a source influencing the development of focus phrase technology.

Let me quickly mention these statements, and comment on them:

 

ONE: "God is love."

If God is love, and we seek to encounter God in meditation, then clearly we need to look to where we find love inside us - in our hearts. And if God is love, then focusing on the experience of love in meditation becomes a core intent.

TWO: "Fear not ."

Jesus expressed this clear commandment a number of times - indicating that we need to shift out of thoughts and attitudes that generate the resulting emotion of fear in our lives. Note that he simply says - stop doing it! This was an inspiration to me, in realizing the requirement of simply taking the leap out of the state of mind that generates anxiety.

THREE: "Judge not."

Again - the clear commandment to simply stop doing it! Judgment closes our hearts to love - and Jesus was adamant about quieting this judgmental function of the mind.

FOUR: "Be still, and know that I am God."

This quiet comes from the old testament, and permeates the meditative dimension of Christianaity - again the order to simply do it - Be still! That's the clear diective of how to approach God ... with all thoughts quiet. In this receptive state of mind, we can directly know God.

FIVE: "Love your neighbor as you love yourself."

Like Buddha, Jesus was the ultimate psychologist. He knew that we can't love another person any more than we can love ourselves. So it is vital to learn how to love ourselves unconditionally, without self-judgment. That's what this fourth expansion is all about.

SIX: "Love one another as I have loved you."

Curiously, Jesus didn't love like most people do. He didn't try to make people feel good, nor protect friends or even like his mother from experiencing trauma. He loved everyone without judgment, even those men who killed him. Love without judgment - this is what he taught.

SEVEN: "Be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect,"

Here we have the same basic realization as Buddha offered - that we are to experience ourselves and life as perfect, just as it is. This commandment struck mne very deeply when I was at Seminar - and led to my fervent involvement in meditation. How can we be perfect? It's clearly a leap of faith beyond all judgment - and we're simply to do it - now!

And so we see Jesu' primary teachings about meditation, and indeed about mind management. Let's move on to discussing how to actually accomplish this: