Category Archives: Knowledge

Abracadabra, please & thank you

Every scripture speaks of a mysterious Word. Is the Word “Abracadabra”? “Open sesame”? “Om”? “Please and thank you”? All of the above? None of the above?

Is the Word as small as a letter? If so, which letter? Is it a sound? If so, which sound would it be? Or is it as big as a book made of many words? If so, which words? Which book? And in which language or languages?

Close scrutiny of scriptures seems to indicate that the Word is not itself a word; neither a person, place, nor thing. The Word that was in the beginning had no beginning and will have no end. It had no form.

Scriptures say the Word is the primordial vibration of life, the essence of all things, the power of life. All scriptures agree that the Word was, is now, and always will be everywhere, unlimited and forever. No one has a monopoly on the Word. Nobody owns the Word.

Nor can the Truth be defined by human minds, language and words. Truth can only be known, within.

Thy Word is true, sings the Psalmist. Thy Word is Truth, wrote John. Jesus promised, You shall know the Truth and the Truth shall make you free. Truth is, after all, true, constant. It is the only thing that is. Everything else comes and goes.

What is Truth with a capital “T”? Is Truth merely a correct thought? Something to contemplate and ponder over? Is Truth a compilation of worldly, human knowledge and facts? Can Truth be limited?  I don’t think so… no, none of that is the Truth with a capital “T”, nor is human knowledge, Knowledge with a capital “K”.

Truth is unchanging, constant, faithful, dependable, enduring, real. The eternal Truth is beyond all concepts. It is everywhere and everything. It is in us and we are in it. We are so accustomed to it that we cannot conceive of it. For in it we live and move and have our being. Kabir said, I laugh when I hear the fish in water is thirsty. It is everywhere and we are unaware of it.

Truth is true, always was, is, and always will be true. Yet is it possible for any person, place or thing in this world true, unchanging? No. It all changes. Truth is true, constant. Everything else comes and goes, begins and ends, is born and dies, while Truth remains, always true.

What about the mysterious Name all scriptures revere? Is the Name a word? Mere language? Can it be spoken? Is the eternal Name Eloha? Jehovah? God? Jesus? I Am? Alaha? Abba? Allah? Buddha? Krishna? All of the above? None of the above?

Some religions teach that you can annoy God merely by speaking his name aloud or by saying it wrongly. Others preach that you can chant your way to heaven by repeating his name over and over again. Some think you can abuse God’s name by cursing. But Word, Name, or Truth cannot be abused. There is a built-in fail-safe because neither Word, Name, nor Truth have anything to do with language.

The Name that can be named is not the eternal Name.
– Lao Tsu, Tao te Ching

ACIM & Knowledge

What could God give but Knowledge of Himself?
ACIM 18.VI

As you read A Course In Miracles, you may begin to become aware that the word “knowledge” is used quite frequently. If you begin to read it with a capital “K” and use the phrase “Knowledge of God”, then ACIM will make even more sense.

From the end of Chapter 18…

This course will lead to Knowledge, but Knowledge itself is still beyond the scope of our curriculum… The readiness for Knowledge still must be attained.

Love is not learned. Its meaning lies within itself. And learning ends when you have recognised all it is not. That is the interference; that is what needs to be undone. Love is not learned, because there never was a time in which you knew it not. Learning is useless in the Presence of your Creator, Whose acknowledgement of you and yours of Him so far transcend all learning that everything you learned is meaningless, replaced forever by the Knowledge of Love and its one meaning.

To inspire us all (including myself) toward the speedy realization of that Love, I have made a book that compares the course’s use of the word Knowledge with quotes from world scriptures throughout the ages.

Knowledge will provide you with tantalizing new insights into the course, world scriptures and religions. This book makes it very clear that Knowledge of God is your birthright.

“Call out for inner sight”

Tune your ear to wisdom.
Set your heart on a life of understanding,
Cry for Knowledge and call out for inner sight.
Look for Knowledge as if you are mining for silver.
Search for it as if you are digging for buried treasure.
Then you will understand the reverent worship of the Lord
and you will find the Knowledge of God.
For it is the Lord Himself who gives Knowledge —
and from His mouth come wisdom and understanding.
The Proverbs 2

Head & shoulders above other books on scriptures…

Knowledge: The Essence of World Scriptures is now available as a paperback or kindle at amazon.com here.

WHAT IS “KNOWLEDGE”? KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT?

“You shall know the Truth and the Truth will make you free.”

FREE YOU? FREE YOU FROM WHAT?

Free from fear, need, greed, terror, sorrow, grief, blame, shame, guilt, anger, rage, hatred, resentment; the urge to judge and condemn; susceptibility to manipulation; free from feeling separate — from God and heaven, from other people and from nature.

WHAT IS GOD? WHO ARE YOU? WHERE IS HEAVEN?

These are good questions that deserve good answers. And these are titles of chapters in the book — with the good answers you deserve.

HOW CAN YOU KNOW FOR SURE?

Skeptics claim you cannot prove that God exists. Neither can you prove that love exists. But when you feel it, do you doubt its existence? Wouldn’t you like to feel the freedom that made Kabir sing and Rumi dance?

LOOKING FOR LOVE IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES?

A famous drunk lost his keys in the alley but searched for them under a streetlight, because the light was better there. Why look for heaven outside? Why wait for heaven? Kabir says, In the city of death, it will be too late… Ghosts will not do it for you.

DARE TO SEEK, FIND & KNOW

This book fast-tracks you through the process of sorting it all out. Leave behind fear, wishful thinking, crossing your fingers, supplication and superstition. Graduate to unspeakable love, reverence and awe.

KNOW NOW!

Free yourself of the “heaven is for after you die” myth. This eclectic collection of world scriptures makes it clear that heaven is within you now. Knowing how to experience the heaven within you now is your birthright.

THIS IS A VERY RADICAL BOOK

It says blind belief is not enough… it says you can know God. You will never be satisfied by anything less than Knowledge.

Knowledge: The Essence of World Scriptures is now available as an ebook here, or as an elegant paperback at CreateSpace here and  at amazon.com here.

Where Is Heaven?

“In the arena of knowing,
there’s no make-believe.
You experience.
It’s not a fantasyland…
You are here
to experience Heaven.”

A few quotes from Knowledge, The Essence of World Scriptures

The coming of God’s Kingdom
is not a matter of external observation.
People won’t be able to say,
“Look, here it is!” or, “Look, there it is!” because
the Kingdom of God is within, inside of you.
Luke 17

If those who lead you say,
“Behold, the Kingdom is in heaven,”
then the birds of the heaven will be before you.
If they say unto you,
“It is in the sea,”
then the fish will be before you.
But the Kingdom is within you, and it is outside of you.
The Gospel of Thomas

Open the eye of Truth,
Discover the spiritual path.
Put your feet in the way of God
and seek his celestial court.
Once you have glimpsed that glory
you will no longer be attracted
to the tinsel and glitter of this world.
Farid ud-Din Attar

Where are you looking to find me?
I am closer than you imagine.
I am neither in temple nor in mosque,
neither in synagogue nor cathedral,
neither in rites nor rituals,
neither in yoga nor austerities.
If you are a true seeker,
you will see me immediately.
You will meet me in an instant.
Kabir says,
God is the Breath of all breath.

In the city of God is a secret dwelling place —
the lotus of the heart.
Within this dwelling is a space
and within that space
is the fulfillment of all desires.
The secret within that space
should be longed for,
actualized and realized.
As great as the infinite space beyond
is the infinite space within —
the lotus of the heart.
Heaven and earth are contained in that inner space —
fire and air,
sun and moon,
lightning and stars —
Everything is contained in that inner space.
Chandogya Upanishad

Do not believe…

Do not believe
in the strength of tradition,
even those that have been held in honor
for many generations and in many places.
Do not believe anything
because many people speak of it.
Do not believe
in the strength of the Sages of old times.
Do not believe
that which you yourself have imagined
thinking that a god has inspired you.
Believe nothing
which depends only on authority
of your master or of priests.
After investigation, believe that
which you have personally tested
and found reasonable,
and which is for your good
and the good of others.
–Buddha

What is Knowledge?

Knowledge, The Essence of World Scriptures, is a book in a class all its own. It stands head and shoulders above any other scriptural anthology. It points at the very core of every spiritual tradition and reveals its purest intention.

Knowledge does not view “Master comes to planet Earth” as a morality play. The great masters were not here to teach us how to be nice people. Nor were they here to teach us how to excel at worldly activities while in a body.

The great masters were here for a far greater purpose than is taught in any religion today. They were here to reveal the very essence of life to whomever sincerely wanted to know it. And that essence, as they all said, is within us.

It is because of it that we can walk and talk without being plugged into the wall. It is that essence that holds atoms together.  It is the power that pushes the stars in their orbits.

Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, Lao Tsu, Socrates and others were here to teach eager students how to turn their senses inward to see for themselves the captivating beauty that outshines all the many incredible beauties of the life outside us.

In every one of us is a light that outshines the sun. In us is endless love. In every one of us is everlasting life. In us is the peace that passes all understanding. The beauty and love in us satisfy our deepest hungers… and the best part is, that in this world of beginnings and endings, comings and goings, what is real within us is constant, always there.

Trees and mountains and oceans and buildings and people and pets all come and go. In us is the only enduring reality. In us is life without death, love without condition, acceptance without judgment, constancy without boredom. In us is a delightfully dynamic, dancing force that makes the heart sing. In us is true inner peace, even when the world is spinning out of control. Knowing how to turn our senses inward and see, hear and feel that life force is Knowledge.

This book about Knowledge is a collection of exquisite quotes from writings throughout the ages and around the world. There is a thread that connects all great traditions, and it is this very pure universal experience.

I hope you will enjoy this beautiful book every day.

Dance like Rumi, sing like Kabir

What was the true purpose of the masters of old? Were the saints, sages, mystics and masters merely here to model how to live a holy life? To tantalize us with their descriptions of the “other side”? Or were they revealing to their followers the holiest of holies, the exquisitely beautiful and powerful source of life and love itself, the kingdom of heaven already within, to be enjoyed any moment they chose?

What was it that made Rumi dance? What made Kabir laugh? What gave Jesus the love to say, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,” even as he was hanging on a cross? What gave Socrates his wit and wisdom? What gave the Buddha so much joy?

What is the full potential of your life here and now in this moment and every moment? Can you too have a direct connection to the divine light and love that the masters knew? Can you too access the profound wisdom that gave them the ability to love as they did?

Knowledge of the Lord is your birthright. The pure in heart shall see God. Once you decide you sincerely want it, Knowledge is available to you. Read the book and allow your thirst to develop.

With the ability to see and hear and feel what the scriptures praise, your current religion may grow in even more meaning and depth for you. Knowledge will provide you with a lifetime of inspiration.

Support & reinforcement from various places

In my eyes, there are a few very precious things that brings great blessings to human life:

1) Knowledge for the soul
2) A Course in Miracles for clarity of mind
3) Christian Science for a community with heart

ACIM says it prepares its readers for Knowledge — “This course will lead to Knowledge, but Knowledge itself is still beyond the scope of our curriculum” (end of Chapter 18 of the Text) and “These exercises will not reveal Knowledge to you. But they will prepare the way to it” (Workbook Lesson 15).

Although the course does not reveal Knowledge, it is my humble experience that the course continues to inspire so that we can more easily practice Knowledge after we have received it.

If I had to choose only one, I would choose Knowledge, for Knowledge is the goal that ACIM is relentlessly steering us toward. Knowledge is not a religion, not a belief system, but a direct connection to the inner beauty spoken of in all the scriptures. “The kingdom of God is within you”… “You will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free.”

The study of ACIM itself is not required to receive Knowledge, but the lessons that fill its pages explain steps helpful to clearing away those things that stand between us and the full experience of Knowledge. To know the Truth is your birthright.

Judgment, fear, anger, sorrow, etc and Truth are mutually exclusive. Two things cannot exist in one place at one time. We can only serve one master at any time. ACIM teaches us to discern between what is Real and unreal, what is Love and fear, Spirit and ego, Heaven and hell…

There is no reason why we cannot enjoy A Course In Miracles… and avail ourselves of the opportunity to prepare for Knowledge and continue to be inspired. But as the course itself says, “No one can fail who seeks to reach the Truth.”

We are fortunate to live at this time in history when so much help is available… so much help to help us release fear and embrace the divine that dwells in us all.

And so, I warmly invite you to ACIM 2011… my humble contribution to the human evolutionary process. We will study the course in depth and learn several practical methods to help us release fear – “All healing is essentially the release from fear.”