The following are alleged sayings of Jesus from the ancient Gospel of Thomas. I do not know whether or not they were spoken by the historical Jesus; nor do i know whether or not the translation is accurate or if it has been distorted over time. One thing i do know, however, is that the Gospel of Thomas is considered by many top biblical scholars to be closer to the historical Christ than are the four synoptic gospels. Another thing is that it was high priests who arranged to have Jesus slaughtered; and, later, it was the hierarchy of priests who arranged to have everyone that cherished the Gospel of Thomas slaughtered.
A [person said] to him, “Tell my brothers to divide my father’s possessions with me.”
He said to the person, “Mister, who made me a divider?”
He turned to his disciples and said to them, “I’m not a divider, am I?”
Jesus said, “Whoever has come to know the world has discovered a carcass, and whoever has discovered a carcass, of that person the world is not worthy.”
“Whoever does not hate [father] and mother as I do cannot be my [disciple], and whoever does [not] love [father and] mother as I do cannot be my [disciple]. For my mother […], but my true [mother] gave me life.”
Jesus said, “The [Father’s] kingdom is like a woman who was carrying a [jar] full of meal. While she was walking along [a] distant road, the handle of the jar broke and the meal spilled behind her [along] the road. She didn’t know it; she hadn’t noticed a problem. When she reached her house, she put the jar down and discovered that it was empty.”
Truth may be at the top of a very high mountain. Some of us would like to get a glimpse of it. There are many who (all too willingly) would give you tools, systems, and methods to get to what they consider truth to be. Many of us inherit these methods and systems from birth, in the form or various religious beliefs and/or doctrines, practices, methods, and images… or through long lasting familial structures, language structures, political structures, socio-economic outlooks, traditions, etcetera. Many of us were taught, throughout our childhood years — by very caring parents and relatives — that certain beliefs and traditions are a means toward security and truth; we were taught that certain books or methods were to be accepted without question, because, otherwise, security and truth (for us) would vanish. (In each country this takes place; they, in other regions, with their separate beliefs, have as much ardent zeal for their doctrines as do those here.) We continue, in life, associating past physical security from relatives, and we extend it to involve — and exist as — supposedly safe ideological securities and beliefs; yet these ideological securities may be what contributes to friction and conflict in the world (involving all kinds of opposing ideologies and beliefs)… which, in reality, is not security whatsoever.
So… many of us would like to climb to the top of that mountain; yet we are carrying all kinds of baggage from (and “as”) the past. Secondary thoughts — and all thoughts (all beliefs) are secondary, symbolic reactions — are an impediment regarding receiving direct insight, direct perception. Baggage, between various groups worldwide, tends to involve inherited, residual reactions which often contribute to conflict and friction between groups. (This directly or indirectly contributes to wars and world turmoil.) Pure insight (that is not the contaminated result of others) is pure action; it is not a mere reaction or accumulated baggage encouraging reactions set by previous manipulators. Reaction tends to dull the mind (with heavy “loaded” burdens) as inseminated procedures (that were largely designed by others to get pre-planned results). Our perceptions are not separate from what we are… but most of us react as if they are; and we are those reactions, not something separate. When our accumulated, learned reactions help to separate us (while we cling to them) we cannot communicate globally as one; real intelligence goes beyond the heavy burden of loads of accumulations that directly influences the reactions that cause friction in (and “as”) the world. However, few really cherish that holistic intelligence thus far.
One will never make to a very high mountain if one is burdened with a lot of unnecessary baggage. The whole world might be a summit of bliss if we could stop carrying (and clinging to) all of our accumulated baggage and just observe without any prearranged ideologies. However, most of us do not wish to put aside our baggage. Most of us are that baggage — not something separate from it carrying it — and we are inherited and absorbed reactions that we refuse to set aside. Not carrying baggage is not another form of baggage. Most of us are heavily burdened and so something will remain forever elusive for us. However, more of us can fundamentally change in a truly light-oriented, profound way.
Unburdened. Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2016
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