Well, its been over a year and a half since I first started this blog and three weeks since I last posted. I really love it when I get the opportunity to sit and do the research and the writing necessary to create these blog posts. Sometimes its easy, sometimes its hard, but it is always gratifying. Even though many times there is very little if any discussion generated, the process of sifting through the writings of the world religions gives me new "Aha" moments every time.
And that is magical.
However, I thought it might be valuable to re-state the purpose of the blog. Because I strongly believe that the essence of all religions is one and the same, I hope that people from diverse backgrounds and different spiritual traditions can use this space as a forum to have valuable discourse on important topics, free from hostile "flaming" and condemnation.
I love listening to diverse thoughts and am very open and passionate about studying and discussing spiritual writings with others. That's why I take the time to write this blog. And of course I hope that some of my friends take the time out of their busy lives to share their thoughts, opinions, and especially any quotes or religious writings that they really like or believe in.
The quote at the top of this page sums up my whole thought process for this blog...
"Divine things are too deep to be expressed by common words. The heavenly teachings are expressed in parable in order to be understood and preserved for ages to come. When the spiritually minded dive deeply into the ocean of their meaning they bring to the surface the pearls of their inner significance. There is no greater pleasure than to study God's Word with a spiritual mind." (Abdu'l-Baha, Abdu'l-Baha in London, p. 79)
If you read thru the below quotes about parables and symbolism in the various spiritual traditions it talks about how important it is to delve deeply into them and try to uncover their meaning. That the seeds fall on the receptive and the denier alike, but only those willing to strive to understand and embrace the "seed" of the Word of God will ultimately be able to understand it. The quotes also seem to explain that you have to be in the right place of receptivity to understand what they truly symbolize.
Please share your thoughts on the quotes below and add your own! Happy Sunday everyone!
"And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable: A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.
And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.
And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.
And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be? And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.
Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God." (King James Bible, Luke 8:4-11)
"To see the essence in the unessential and to see the essence as unessential means one can never get to the essence,
wandering as one is in the road of wrong intentions.
But to see the essence in the essential and the unessential as the unessential it is means one does get to the essence, being
on the road of right intentions." (Buddhist, Dhammapada - Sayings of the Buddha 1 (tr. J. Richards))
"He it is who has revealed to thee the Book, of which there are some verses that are decisive, they are the mother of the Book; and others ambiguous; but as for those in whose hearts is perversity, they follow what is ambiguous, and do crave for sedition, craving for (their own) interpretation of it; but none know the interpretation of it except God. But those who are well grounded in knowledge say, 'We believe in it; it is all from our Lord; but none will remember save those who possess minds." (The Qur'an (E.H. Palmer tr), Sura 3 - Imran's Family)
"Scholars of the highest class, when they hear about the Tao,
earnestly carry it into practice. Scholars of the middle class, when
they have heard about it, seem now to keep it and now to lose it.
Scholars of the lowest class, when they have heard about it, laugh
greatly at it. If it were not (thus) laughed at, it would not be fit
to be the Tao." (Tao, Tao Te Ching (J. Legge tr))
"Consider how the parable makes attainment dependent upon capacity. Unless capacity is developed, the summons of the Kingdom cannot reach the ear, the light of the Sun of Truth will not be observed, and the fragrances of the rose garden of inner significance will be lost. Let us endeavor to attain capacity, susceptibility and worthiness that we may hear the call of the glad tidings of the Kingdom, become revivified by the breaths of the Holy Spirit, hoist the standard of the oneness of humanity, establish human brotherhood, and under the protection of divine grace attain the everlasting and eternal life." (Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 149)
"Wert thou to cleanse the mirror of thy heart from the dust of malice, thou wouldst apprehend the meaning of the symbolic terms revealed by the all-embracing Word of God made manifest in every Dispensation, and wouldst discover the mysteries of divine knowledge. Not, however, until thou consumest with the flame of utter detachment those veils of idle learning, that are current amongst men, canst thou behold the resplendent morn of true knowledge." (Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 68)
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