WHAT’S GOING ON? #100 December 2002
ALONG THE WAY:
We surrender to the idea that we think we know what ought to be.
THIS MONTH’S THOUGHT:
If we feel that someone knows better and goes on and does wrong anyway, there is no communication.
SIGNS OF A PERSON IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN:
(Excerpts from a talk by Dr. Bob Gibson)
The first sign that was given was ‘cast out devils’. A person in the Kingdom of Heaven casts out devils. As soon as there is a level of understanding and they begin to use understanding instead of senses, they begin to cast out preconceived opinions. They begin to throw them out. A preconceived opinion or a misconception about what the whole purpose of living is, like that first decision, is a devil. It will sure bite you up and it will destroy you if you leave it in there. So as soon as the person begins to use the psychological mind and see comprehension and understanding, he or she begins to cast out devils. You don’t say, “Well, I’m going to keep it because it’s hard to get rid of this little cat and he might give me some argument if I do.” There is no argument. You’re going to throw him out, because you’re not going to let him usurp your place in the household. The psychological mind won’t have him. The sensory mind is his friend.
The next thing is– heal the sick. Sick does not necessarily and only refer to the sensory sick, but to anyone who is in conflict, who is not in a state of functioning adequately. That’s what sickness is—not functioning adequately. Healing of the sick is to heal it by seeing the truth of the matter instead of all these sick ideas we have from the senses. First off, there is an understanding of all these sick ideas—that the whole purpose of living is to be comfortable and get all these goodies; those good sensory things; that we can have our way; that we can keep our rights; that we can please you; that we believe all those authorities. One authority says you should drink lots milk and another authority says you should never drink milk. Whew! What do we do now? Find out for yourself. If you heal the sick you begin to use that soul—wake it up—the psychological mind. The soul has been asleep or dead within man. He has only used his senses and he called that his mind. But his soul is that which sees the relationships and contact X and can be in relationship to X, not the sensory mind which has no part in the Kingdom of Heaven. When you begin to revive it you have healed the sick.
The person that is in the Kingdom of Heaven raises the dead. Man starts off with the potential of Life. He is an unconditioned being by creation. But in the process of being born he eats of that little tree called the knowledge of good and evil. He likes it so well he keeps on eating it every day of his life. Blaming everybody else for all his difficulties. When he awakens he has become alive. The Christ referred to people who lived by the senses as being dead. We all have to have resurrection before we can have eternal life, before we can live now. Eternal has no beginning and no end. Now has no beginning and no end. It is here. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. It is right here and right now. First you crucify or destroy all of this sensory existence and ideas, all of this conditioning. Then there is the possibility of being resurrected. So he raises the dead or resurrects the dead. He also does it not only within himself, but works with others that they may do it.
Cleansing the leper is the next one. Cleansing the leper is cleaning the person of destruction. Leprosy is a degenerative disorder. Fingers fall off. Hands fall off. Arms fall off. The person is falling apart. Cleansing the leper would be to cleanse the person of misconceptions and contradictions. Conflict is a falling apart and is a leper. Cleansing the leper is coming out without all the destruction. We are all lepers as long as we are conditioned beings.
The person in the Kingdom of Heaven can eat or drink poison without harm. We are constantly subjected to poisons. Every suggestion that comes down the path is poison. We eat and drink poison all day long. First, get over being subject to suggestion.
The next thing is love, one another. If you can love another person, you have the capability of love. Love comes from understanding—not of this world, not the sensory level. But when you start to really understand and comprehend another you can love all mankind because you can see they are all working through their conditioning. You can have compassion and understanding—agape, one for another.
Act on the Word or the Teaching. The Christ said that if a man hears these words and does not act on them he is like a foolish man who builds his house on sand. He goes around spouting words, still on the sensory level. He never gets down to applying them. The wise man built his house on rock, on truth. How many of us have ever seen what it meant so we could open up the Soul. We could begin to see relationships, begin to be awake and see ‘what am I doing?’
The next one was to kill an unfruitful fig tree. Anything that bears fruit represents our inner being, our everyday life. We are to bear fruit. If it doesn’t bear fruit, you kill it. You get rid of it. Do you have any ideas and conceptions that you defend?
The next one is you feed thousands with a very little bread and meat. How much does it take to open the door of truth if you’re not trying to nourish fig trees? And you can feed thousands. Feeding does not have to be literal food. The real feeding is what goes into the inner make-up of mind, the heart, the inner conception of man, that which he conceives with, that which he sees with. Not his eyes. As long as he can do that he is being feed. It doesn’t take a lot. It takes very little. We can feed thousands. Everybody who asks of you. You can feed even if you have a little bit. But be sure we don’t feed poison. We have fed poison to people. We have told them a thousand wild little stories. Confused them, aggravated them, loaded grievous burdens on their shoulders and called it feeding them. It only takes a little if the person you’re working with can see. But you have to know it, experiences it, live it or it is as dead words. It has to come from the inner being. But a few can feed the thousands with so little.
Now here is the story about the Kingdom of Heaven and here are the signs that follow those that are in the Kingdom. Now our next question will be, “What prevents me from doing it?” We have worked with only on the sensory level. We begin to be spiritual beings and quit being dead, mechanical, automatic, reacting machines. We can respond with intellect. We begin to see. We begin to understand. We begin to love, one another. There is an invisible man here. That invisible being we can work with. We’re not concerned with the visible man.
A STORY:
I have been thinking about the art of receiving graciously. The holiday season is upon us and we will all be given opportunities to not only give, but to be a gracious receiver.
Many years ago my husband, Neal, told me it was difficult to give me anything because it never suited me. Yoohoo! This really got my attention. He was absolutely right. In my self-absorbed, self-centered way, the gift did not please me. I was ‘inner considering, instead of outer considering (see Newsletter #76 –December 2000 on School Talk #8 on Inner and Outer Considering)
I know that painful blast Neal dealt me forced me to look at my inability to receive. The gift was a symbol of caring. So, basically, I was rejecting the offer of love, concern, and caring. Did I feel unworthy? Maybe. Did it irritate me that he put the gift on OUR credit card? Possibly. When I give a gift to someone, how do I feel when they say, “You shouldn’t have done that’? I finally realized that the gift was not the deal. The deal was a gift to me so I could throw light on a naughty little Not-I who was blocking my way. I began to focus on the giver and their feelings. I began a journey of considering others rather than, “How does this effect me?” or “Hmm, this is not the color I wanted.”
I don’t want to rob others of their joy of giving. Their gift to me tells me they care about me. My gift to them is to be a gracious receiver.
IDEALS:
by Dr. Bob Gibson
We have all been conditioned to hold Ideals in high regard, thus we all believe that we know “What ought to be,” for ourselves and others and all circumstances.
When we believe we know “What ought to be” – and all reality is “What is” – and inasmuch as “What is” is usually much different than our idea of “What ought to be,” we feel frustrated and have the need to struggle and to resist what is.
One can drop the Ideal by seeing that it is merely a fantasy, and that we could not know what ought to be unless we knew the future, knew the outcome of every situation a week from now, a month from now, a year from now and so on.
When we concentrate on the idea of the Ideal for a little while, we can drop all belief in the Ideal. We then find self in the present and quite capable of dealing with the present moment. We will find we are free to experience what is from moment to moment and to respond instead of react because things are not as we fancied they ought to be.
Being free to experience whatever comes our way today is to be free of conflict, struggle and resistance. Conflict, struggle and resistance are the only human problem.
One cannot believe in their Ideals and be free at the same time.
One starts with being free to experience whatever arises in one’s way today, then one is free of conflict, struggle and resistance. Freedom is real being, now.
Q & A by Dr. Bob Gibson
- What is mean by “Human Nature”? I frequently hear someone say, “Well, that’s only human nature.” I usually hear this statement when someone seems to be trying to justify some very unbecoming behavior.
- Mankind, humans, seem to have two natures – one ruled by emotional reactions, which can be considered animalistic, or carnal, or materialistic. This is the nature you seem to hear justified. The other nature man is so rarely expressed it hasn’t been noticed by most. That is the Spiritual Nature. It is objective awareness and expresses unconditional love. Check on both human natures and see which you prefer to cultivate.
If you have any interest in giving my book The Short and Tall of It as a Christmas gift, let me know.
The result of exercising daily is that we die healthier.
