"Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and
persecute you, and shall say all manner of
evil against you falsely, for my sake." (Matthew 5:11)
<1>His disciples were also of those who would
be persecuted for righteousness. The reason humans persecute these
people and "say all manner of
evil against [them] falsely" is because most men are in their
lower natures and do not want to go out of them.
<2>That is where they have been all their
lives and had been taught that this is the way to live. So they feel
more comfortable to conform than fight against these false teachings
and power of
Maya
(lower nature).
<3>That is why those who go against this rule
will become outcasts, different, and hated by people. The reason is
that intuitively deep inside, each person longs to go to his
higher self
and break the bondages of this world and lower nature. However, it
needs a very brave person to do so. That is why when a person starts
to progress in the spiritual path, he is suddenly confronted with so
much opposition.
<4>It seems that everyone is trying to stop
him. Yet if he refuses to listen to them to stay in his lower
nature, they will hate him. <5>That is also one of the
reasons why after a period of time the religions become diluted by
people. The teachings of the founder (Prophet) seem very hard to
follow. So a simpler doctrine suited to their own lower natures is
adopted, and the truth becomes lost by simplified dogmas.
<6>That is when the religion dies but its
followers will not throw away this dead religion and instead hold
onto it until it becomes so distorted that it rots the whole
society, "and their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great
city [earth], which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt;..." (Rev.
11:8).
"Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is
your reward in
heaven: for so
persecuted they the
prophets which were
before you." (Matthew 5:12)
<7>This process has been repeated time after
time in the past. Those who are chosen should keep their "eyes
single" toward the goal. They should rejoice in their path of
struggle, because, "strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth into life, and few there be that find it." (Matthew 7:14).
"Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt
have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is
thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden
under foot of men." (Matthew 5:13)
<8>This whole universe was created so that
man might reach
Pure
Consciousness. So those who find the way and try to become
Pure
Consciousness are the ones who make this system worthwhile, not
those who stay in their lower natures and refuse to fulfill the
Darma
of the universe. That is why those who progress in this path are
"the salt of the earth," which gives savour to the world.
<9>However, if these people who have reached
some progress fall back, their fall will be great. They will crash
to nothingness and become more unworthy than a man in his lower
nature. That is why they will be "good for nothing, but to be cast
out, and to be trodden under foot of men."
"Ye are the
light of the world. A
city that is set on a hill cannot be hid." (Matthew 5:14)
<10>But those who continue their struggle and
progress further in the path to become the
light of the world will shine, and they cannot hide it.
"Neither do men
light
a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it
giveth
light unto all that
are in the house." (Matthew 5:15)
<11>These people should accept their
responsibilities to humanity and become a guiding
light for them.
"Let your
light so shine before
men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your
Father which is in
heaven." (Matthew
5:16)
<12>Shine in the world by your great actions,
but surrender the result to the Lord. Become a
channel
for His
Divine actions and glorify Him. When people praise you for what
you do, let them know that it is He who does these great works
through you. That is the way to be freed from the bondage of
karma.
<13>If a person lets Him do the great actions
through him, then the real doer is not he but He. So there will not
be a
false ego created
by the person, and then he is free from any trace of separateness
from Him and will dissolve his
ego into the Universal
Ego.
<14>He will become one with Him, a submissive one.
"Think not that
I am
come to destroy the law, or the
prophets:
I am not come to
destroy, but to fulfil." (Matthew 5:17)
<15>Each Prophet comes to further the
understanding of humanity by his new teachings and to clarify some
points from the old, "to fulfil."
"For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth
pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till
all be fulfilled." (Matthew 5:18)
<16>The Universal Laws (Darmas)
cannot be broken. All will understand this truth and become it,
"till all be fulfilled."
"Whosoever therefore shall break one of these
least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called least
in the kingdom of
heaven: but whosoever
shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the
kingdom of
heaven." (Matthew
5:19)
<17>Whoever tries to break these Laws will
break himself against them, and whoever follows them will reach
Pure
Consciousness, "shall be called great in the kingdom of
heaven."
"For I say unto you, That except your
righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and
Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of
heaven." (Matthew 5:20)
<18>Pharisees and scribes used to teach but
not follow what they taught. So to become greater than them, a
person not only should teach but also he should follow his
teachings.
<19>Also Pharisees and scribes taught the
Torah and Ten Commandments, <20>but
Esa
taught that the goal is not just not to
sin, but is to reach
such a state that no desire is left to
sin.
