I’m not a religious person, but I have a reverence and respect for the more pure forms of spiritual truth which I think the world’s religions are trying to grasp and make more tangible. When I hear phrases and anecdotes which are often repeated in order to anchor-in religious doctrine, like “Jesus died for your sins.”, or “Do unto others as you would have done unto you.”, or “He who is free of sin shall cast the first stone.” I try to register what these really mean and how they can realistically be taken up in our lives now. With some, this is fairly easy to do, but with others, it’s a bit more of a challenge. For instance, I’ve always had a hard time with the “Jesus died for your sins” statement, because this so often seemed to be presented forcibly… as if the speaker were trying to bend people to conform to the religious obligation that we should repay Jesus for his martyrdom by towing the line in the way that this religion dictates. Well, somehow I don’t think that’s what Jesus would have wanted… to have the truth of his martyrdom used to leverage others to conform, out of guilt, to another’s will. So the use of this statement had me stumped for years, until I came to understand better the actions of one person I had the great privilege to know fairly well. It’s been my belief that we’re all here, in life, to work out our personal issues in some way… to right our karmic wrongs, and to evolve ourselves, and life on Earth, toward something more aware, free, healthy, and enlightened. And that once someone has taken this up effectively, to such a degree that they no longer need to focus just on their own personal work, then they can actually do quite well in lifting up the darkness in the world around them, transforming that into the needed and so desired healthy aliveness those of us invested in this process seek. Some extreme examples of people who have been able to accomplish this are, Jesus Christ (of course), Buddha, and the Dalai Lama. So once I learned, through this one man’s example, that a person having accomplished a high degree of spiritual awareness or enlightenment who knows they will be dying, can consciously, and very effectively, take up a lot of the darkness around them (our sins) and actually rid the world of this upon their death… that light bulb came on over the “He died for our sins” statement.
And so, once I saw that pretty-much anyone can take part in this process… whether you’re stumbling along in your own work of consciously addressing your own pain and darkness like I try to, or you’re actually at a place where you can truly, very substantially improve the world around you (whether others know you’re doing this or not)… something else started to occur to me about possibly the resurrection, but more the second coming of Christ. I began to think that the second coming of Christ could actually refer to the willingness within each of us to take up this process in ourselves to such a point of global saturation that the presence and intention of Christ’s work actually does live again, it’s just en mass.
Anyway… just a thought.
4 comments:
Well , here we have another subject matter that is , and has been for ...ummm...as long as mankind has existed , a major theme and topic of debate . Resurrection ? Well , the theme existed from the earliest tales of Creation and God . It has been told and re-told , formed and formulated , with a long and varied line of cast members . In the case of Christ , we have death , and re-birth acted out for us , along with the process of baptism offered , so that we can symbolically " die " to ourselves , and our old ways , and be reborn to a new life , with new behaviors . Christ did , indeed , take onto himself a huge burden of darkness and " sin " , that was not his . He was innocent , and it was through that innocence that he was able to accomplish that act . If you have read C.S. Lewis , or seen the Narnia movies , you will be familiar with Aslan , and his sacrifice . He was innocent , but for the sake of others , he offered himself up to be sacrificed , by the forces of darkeness . The thing is , or was , or can and will be , is that the very force, group, or entity that is the perpetrator of the act of sacrifice , is totally and entirely defeated and un-empowered by the very act . I am reminded of the reference I made to Obiwan , from the Star Ways movie in an earlier topic discussion here . Another image that comes to mind just now is that of Michael Clarke Duncan's character in the movie The Green Mile . He was a healer ,and a total innocent . And he would quite literally suck the " evil " out of other people . I love that movie . Here was this hugely powerful figure , who allowed himself to be accused , jailed , and executed , for crimes he never committed. And in the midst of it all , was willing to reach out and help those he encountered during the whole process . I wonder how many of us could do the same thing ? I guess we will all find out , no ? May I , through my own suffering , and though overcoming it , help all others to do the same . When one of us is enlightened , every one of us benefits . Good stuff .
Although my claim to organized religion is nought, my spiritual existence is secure with God. Christ may very well have died upon the cross for our sins to make a point, been a political victim, or for any reason we as individuals choose to accept...or not accept. His resurrection may be daily for those of faith in many ways...and special at this time of Easter for Christians. The concept of resurrection has been around since the first anthropomorphic images of gods were created by earliest of the Ancient Egyptians and Greeks.
My personal resurrection is an on-going process of self-realization, and my communion with God being that of our omnipresent, ever-eternal, Intelligent Universe. God has placed love and beauty in it all for us to see and experience if we so choose...and I believe God exists in all of us, and all that is, and has gifted us beyond measure with the reality we live in, the ability to love, and each other. If I resurrect myself in a consistent fashion to appreciate the fact that I have won the Universal Lottery of life, my conscious state takes on an entirely new meaning of spiritual existence. I can't help but think that the odds for the right elements to combine for life, on the scale of the Universe, are incomprehensible. How can I not experience joy in this?! The space-time continuum is infinite, yet I am here, briefly. If humans were to look deeper to God, to love, to life, and each other,...resurrection will surround them.
Namaste and Blessings
Something that I was struck with , while riding my bike through the cemetery near my home, and looking at all of the grave markers and monuments, was that, when Christ spoke to his followers about such matters, was that he told them they needed to " lay down their lives , take up their cross, and follow me " . It occured to me , that he told them to take up their cross. Not His cross , of the cross . Their cross . I think that this was intentional on His part . I very much understand the dilution that takes place with translations over years , and through languages . And that is why I am never a literalist . In this case , though , I think that the truth has managed to trickle down . We each need, on a daily basis, to choose to lay down our lives, rise above our own petty self, take up our cross, and follow Christ . Simple, right ? LOL ... all it takes is a lifetime of practice . Daily, intentional, focused, minfull practice . What is our cross ? I think that is totally personal and individual . It is that upon which we hang . Those things which trip us up, make us fall, and bring us low . But like I have heard it said, and believe to be true, " where one trips and falls, there lies his treasure " You fall, and you get up again, forever.
In 1975 Patti Smith said, "Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine…my sins my own they belong to me. "
When I was a young man and heard this it struck a cord with me. Not because of what she said but the fact that she actually said it. I grew up in a Catholic household and was never exposed to other religions or beliefs. But who can argue with Thou Shall Not Kill. As a rebellious young man I only saw the hypocrisy and not the message.
I think it gets down to what you said about “pretty-much anyone can take part in this process.” There is a little Jesus, a little Buddha, and the Dalai Lama in each of us.
I believe in a lot of things. I believe each day is a gift, each sunrise is a great work of art and that the answers to life can be found in a episode of the Flintstones or Star Trek. We have the power to forgive and that is what allows us to live. Was Jesus just a man or was he something more. Did he rise up on the third day to prove he was the son of god or so we could hunt for colored eggs and chocolate. I have no idea. What I do know is each us, like the Big Three, can change the world. You have to start with yourself but take the time to say hello to people you don’t know, if someone needs help than help them, think the best of people and not the worst. If you can do this than I believe you will see the Resurrection every day if you look for it.
We have the power, the ability to take away pain and replace it with love so don’t waste it.
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