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Aspects of the Higher Law – 4

Hoffman's portrait of ChristPart 112 of the Aquarian Gospel for Awakening

The way of men

“There is a rule that carnal man has made, and which he rigidly observes: Do unto other men as they do unto you. As others judge, they judge; as others give, they give” (Aquarian Gospel 100:1, 2).

There are two types of people in this world: those that live centered in material experience, immersed in the material world and its appearances and values, and those that live centered in spiritual experience, immersed in the spiritual world and its realities and values. Actually, they are the same world in essence, the difference is only in the perspective, the centering of the individual consciousness.

This being so, it is absolutely crucial for us to understand that significant and permanent external change can only be brought about by change in consciousness. Such a change is brought about most efficiently, effectively and lastingly by the practice of meditation. This is why the essence of the Bhagavad Gita is simply: “Become a yogi” (6:46). That being said, let us look at these two verses.

Those who know themselves only as physical (“carnal”) beings, despite any philosop hical or religious convictions to the contrary, will think and act on the premise that physical life alone is real. Such persons believe that any action opens the actor to a response from others, an “equal and opposite reaction” in keeping with material laws. On a certain level this is true, but the laws are not material but karmic, rooted in the consciousness of the actor, not just his actions.

Really what Jesus is implying is the “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” assumption that people deserve to be treated as they treat others. According to that, it is perfectly just for human beings to pay back in kind any deed on the part of others: injure those who injure you, help those who help you. “You deserve it” is the justification. “You asked for it, so you are going to get it.” Children are raised on this philosophy, so naturally society through the ages has reflected it.

In chapter ninety-seven Jesus told his disciples:

“The law of carnal man would say, Eye for eye and tooth for tooth; resist encroachment on your rights. But this is not the law of God.…And if a man shall strike you in a fitful, or an angry way, it is not well to smite him in return.…Be merciful unto your foes; bless those who slander you; do good to those who do you harm and pray for those who trample on your rights.…If you do unto other men as they do unto you, you are but slaves, but followers in the way to death. But you, as children of the light, must lead the way” (Aquarian Gospel 97:16, 17, 21, 25, 27, 28).

This is the real divine Law which those who wish to manifest their divine nature will have to follow. There is no way around it.

The way of Christ

“Now, while you walk with men as men, judge not, and you shall not be judged. For as you judge you shall be judged, and as you give it shall be given to you. If you condemn, you are condemned” (Aquarian Gospel 100:3, 4).

I had the incredible blessing of meeting Saint John Maximovitch of the Russian Orthodox Church more than once. One of his cardinal principles throughout his life was observation of Jesus’ teaching given here. Consequently he was often accused of being in collaboration with dishonest people. At one time he was even taken to court based on such accusations. Finally some people figured out the situation and he was exonerated. At the same time he very clearly could tell right from wrong, and would uncompromisingly point it out to those who sought “the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). But those who did not so seek he left alone. He lived in the divine kingdom right here and on earth, and only those who lived in the same awareness, or sought for it, were real to him. We should not be spiritual snobs and think ourselves better than others, but many (most) people should just be ignored. They must go their way and we must go God’s way, which we must make our way. C. S. Lewis wrote that there are two kinds of people in this world: Those who say to God, “Thy will be done,” and those to whom God says: “Thy will be done.” He has eternity to await our awakening and turning to Him.

The way of the wise

“When you show mercy, men are merciful to you, and if you love in such a way that carnal man can comprehend your love, you will be well beloved. And so the wise man of this world does unto other men as he would have them do to him” (Aquarian Gospel 100:5, 6).

Again, it is a matter of spiritual karma, and I have experienced it in my own life and observed it in those of others. It is the only right and wise way to live.

Wrong motivation

“The carnal man does good to other men for selfish gain, for he expects to have his blessings multiplied and then returned; he does not stop to note the end” (Aquarian Gospel 100:7).

If we simply act from selfish motives, people will act toward us from selfish motives. In other words, we will be in a contest to mutually loot one another–not to do good or help one another. So we will sink together into the mire of misfortune, blaming each other rather than ourselves. Consequently we will never get the right idea and stop the folly–at least in this life.

The field of sowing and reaping

“Man is himself the field; his deeds are seeds, and what he does to others grows apace; the harvest time is sure. Behold the yield! If he has sown the wind, he reaps the wind; if he has sown the noxious seeds of scandal, theft and hate; of sensuality and crime, the harvest is assured and he must reap what he has sown; yea, more; the seeds produce an hundred fold” (Aquarian Gospel 100:8-10).

“Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting” (Galatians 6:7, 8).

Can it be put any better? I do not think so. However Jesus adds another dimension to this: “He must reap what he has sown; yea, more; the seeds produce an hundred fold.” This is a sobering fact.

Right sowing and right reaping

“The fruit of righteousness and peace and love and joy can never spring from noxious seeds; the fruit is like the seed. And when you sow, sow seeds of right, because it is the right, and not in the way of trade, expecting rich rewards” (Aquarian Gospel 100:11, 12).

Jesus is returning us to the perspective he set forth in verse seven. We must do the right simply because it is the right–not because it gives good return (which it certainly does). We are neither servants nor employees with God: we are the children of God, part of Infinite Life. And that Life must be expressed here and now in this present life. That is the passing from death to life. As Buddha constantly pointed out, it is our motives and attitudes that determine the ultimate results.

The foolish verses the wise

“The carnal man abhors the spirit law, because it takes away his liberty to live in sin; beneath its light he cannot satisfy his passions and desires. He is at enmity with him who walks in Holy Breath. The carnal man has killed the holy men of old, the prophets and the seers. And he will buffet you; will charge you falsely, scourge you and imprison you, and think he does the will of God to slay you in the streets” (Aquarian Gospel 100:13-15).

Well that is extremely clear and to the point! There is an important principle that seekers of God should know. Certainly the light of spiritual consciousness reveals the shabbiness and folly of wrongdoing and robs the miscreants of their attempts to justify themselves, but there is another fact that is a positive blessing: When the light of God, the light of our own spirit, shines in our hearts and minds we will find that passions and desires with which we formerly tantalized and titillated ourselves can no longer do so, much less satisfy us. Just as an adult is bored with and disinterested in childish toys and pastimes, in the same way we will lose all taste and interest for the lower things that once so attracted and even enslaved us. We will be indifferent to them, uninfluenced by them in any way. Freedom will be ours effortlessly once true consciousness dawns. What a blessed prospect.

However, those who are not fully “on the Lord’s side” may react differently. When they find they no longer respond to their old habits and ways, and are losing interest in them, they may panic and fear losing their identity and what they heretofore thought was life itself. I have known people who vigorously rejected spiritual life (particularly meditation) when they saw their taste for earthly addictions beginning to fade away.

“It is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire” (II Peter 2:22).

“As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly” (Proverbs 26:11).

Right reaction

“But you may not prejudge nor censure him who does you wrong. Each one has problems to be solved, and he must solve them for himself. The man who scourges you may have a load of sin to bear; but how about your own? A little sin in one who walks in Holy Breath is greater in the sight of God than monster sins in him who never knew the way” (Aquarian Gospel 100:16-19).

This is a sobering thought. Certainly when there is conflict, karma is producing it on both sides. Our karmas draw to us those who will assist us in working it out. If it is our karma to be stolen from it will bring a thief into our life. It is so easy to complain about those who wrong us, but we ourselves draw them to us. In fact, they are helping us clear away the karmic tangles. So they are our benefactors, even if it is unintentional on their part. Everything is a manifestation of the divine plan for our purification and ultimate release from all bonds.

The last sentence is true: the brighter the light the greater the shadow, and the less sins we have the worse they are in a sense. Sri Ramakrishna said that a single spot on a perfectly clean cloth looks much worse than many spots. The purer we are the stricter we must be with ourselves. “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required” (Luke 12:48). It is obvious that those who will succeed in their spiritual quest must revolutionize their perspective on just about everything.

True sight in relation to others

“How can you see the splinter in your brother’s eye while you have chunks within your own? First take the chunks from out your eye and then you may behold the splinter in your brother’s eye and help him take it out, and while your eyes are full of foreign things you cannot see the way, for you are blind, and when the blind lead forth the blind, both lose the way and fall into the slough. If you would lead the way to God you must be clear in sight, as well as pure in heart” (Aquarian Gospel 100:20-24).

This is not an exhortation to leave others alone. Rather, when we see that all of humanity is one family, and we can sincerely consider those around us to be our brothers and sisters, then the openness we feel in our hearts entitles us to at least desire to help them and even to offer help, through we should not coerce anyone at any time. We can freely share what understanding we have, always making sure that we have real understanding, true insight. Then we can help others in various practical aspects of living. In time, having purified our understanding and heart, we may even help others along the way to God, walking with them as children returning to the Father together in peace and joy.

Read the next section in the Aquarian Gospel for Yogis

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The Aquarian Gospel—Commentary and Text

The Aquarian Gospel for Awakening—A Commentary on the Aquarian Gospel
by Swami Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke)

  1. The Mother of Jesus
  2. Prophecies of the Births of Saint John the Baptist and Jesus
  3. The Birth of Jesus
  4. Revelations in the Temple
  5. Coming of the Wise Men
  6. Herod’s Reaction
  7. Revelations in Egypt
  8. The Two Selfs
  9. Deliverance From Gods and Demons
  10. About God the Tao
  11. From India to Chaldea
  12. The Wisdom of Buddha
  13. God and Prayer
  14. The Mission of Jesus and John the Baptist
  15. Sin and the Forgiveness of Sin
  16. The Universal Law of Man’s Free Will and the Divine Will For Man
  17. Understanding Death
  18. The True Teacher
  19. The Value of Ritual
  20. The Law Behind All Laws
  21. Opening To The Truth
  22. In the Temple at the Age of Ten
  23. Revelation to the Teachers and People in the Temple
  24. Jerusalem to Nazareth
  25. Nazareth to India
  26. What is Truth?
  27. What Is Man?
  28. What is Power?
  29. Understanding
  30. Wisdom
  31. Faith
  32. Healing and Healers
  33. Conflict Over Caste
  34. The Destiny of All Men
  35. God and Man
  36. The Voice in the Heart
  37. Seeing the Unseeable
  38. To God Through Man
  39. Who Is Jesus?
  40. The Real Versus The Apparent
  41. The Brotherhood of Life
  42. God…and Man
  43. Relating To God
  44. The Worthy Host
  45. Come to the Light
  46. The Kingdom Revealed
  47. The King Revealed
  48. Perspective On Death
  49. Fire and Sword
  50. Evolution: The Path of Glory
  51. The Real Heaven
  52. Getting to the Essence
  53. New Perspective on Religion
  54. In Tibet and Ladakh
  55. Words to the Worthy
  56. The Thirty-Eighth Chapter
  57. The Origin of Evil
  58. The Silence
  59. The Source of Healing
  60. The Fivefold Gospel
  61. Homecoming
  62. In Athens
  63. The Oracle of Delphi
  64. The Real God
  65. Return to Egypt
  66. First Steps to Wisdom
  67. Strong in Will and Intent
  68. Here Comes the Ego
  69. Blessed are the Merciful
  70. Claiming Our Freedom
  71. The Great Test
  72. Comprehending Death
  73. The Christ!
  74. The Asembly of the Masters
  75. The Seven Pillars of the Aquarian Age – I
  76. The Seven Pillars of the Aquarian Age – II
  77. The Declaration of Jesus
  78. John the Baptist – I
  79. John the Baptist – II
  80. John the Baptist – III
  81. Baptism – Jesus and John
  82. Self-Examination and Temptation
  83. The First Disciples Follow Jesus
  84. Jesus’ First Sermon
  85. The King and the Kingdom
  86. Dealing With Challengers
  87. The First Miracle of Jesus
  88. Kings and Kingdoms
  89. The Temple of God
  90. What Is A Messiah?
  91. The Laws of Healing
  92. Nicodemus Finds The Kingdom
  93. The Prince of Peace
  94. Dealing With Spiritual Opposition
  95. The Opened Gate
  96. John the Baptist Speaks of the Christ
  97. John Speaks Further About Jesus
  98. The Woman at the Well
  99. The Disciples and Samaritans at the Well
  100. Jesus in Sychar
  101. More Wisdom In Samaria
  102. The Imprisonment of John the Baptist
  103. In Jerusalem
  104. The Insights of Jesus
  105. Sabbath Wisdom
  106. Prayer and Good Deeds
  107. Divine Laws and Principles for Seekers of the Divine
  108. A New Understanding of the Ten Commandments
  109. Aspects of the Higher Law – 1
  110. Aspects of the Higher Law – 2
  111. Aspects of the Higher Law – 3
  112. Aspects of the Higher Law – 4
  113. Chapter One Hundred One
  114. Chapter One Hundred Two
  115. Chapter One Hundred Three
  116. Chapter One Hundred Four
  117. Chapter One Hundred Five
  118. Chapter One Hundred Six
  119. Chapter One Hundred Seven
  120. Chapter One Hundred Eight
  121. Chapter One Hundred Nine
  122. Chapter One Hundred Ten
  123. Chapter One Hundred Eleven
  124. Chapter One Hundred Twelve
  125. Chapter One Hundred Thirteen
  126. Chapter One Hundred Fourteen
  127. Chapter One Hundred Fifteen
  128. Chapter One Hundred Sixteen
  129. Chapter One Hundred Seventeen
  130. Chapter One Hundred Eighteen
  131. Chapter One Hundred Nineteen
  132. Chapter One Hundred Twenty
  133. Chapter One Hundred Twenty One
  134. Chapter One Hundred Twenty Two
  135. Chapter One Hundred Twenty Three
  136. Chapter One Hundred Twenty Four
  137. Chapter One Hundred Twenty Five
  138. Chapter One Hundred Twenty Six
  139. Chapter One Hundred Twenty Seven
  140. Chapter One Hundred Twenty Eight
  141. Chapter One Hundred Twenty Nine
  142. Chapter One Hundred Thirty
  143. Chapter One Hundred Thirty One
  144. Chapter One Hundred Thirty Two
  145. Chapter One Hundred Thirty Three
  146. Chapter One Hundred Thirty Four
  147. Chapter One Hundred Thirty Five
  148. Chapter One Hundred Thirty Six
  149. Chapter One Hundred Thirty Seven
  150. Chapter One Hundred Thirty Eight
  151. Chapter One Hundred Thirty Nine
  152. Chapter One Hundred Forty
  153. Chapter One Hundred Forty One
  154. Chapter One Hundred Forty Two
  155. Chapter One Hundred Forty Three
  156. Chapter One Hundred Forty Four
  157. Chapter One Hundred Forty Five
  158. Chapter One Hundred Forty Six
  159. Chapter One Hundred Forty Seven
  160. Chapter One Hundred Forty Eight
  161. Chapter One Hundred Forty Nine
  162. Chapter One Hundred Fifty
  163. Chapter One Hundred Fifty-One
  164. Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Two
  165. Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Three
  166. Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Four
  167. Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Five
  168. Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Six
  169. Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Seven
  170. Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Eight
  171. Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Nine
  172. Chapter One Hundred Sixty
  173. Chapter One Hundred Sixty One
  174. Chapter One Hundred Sixty Two
  175. Chapter One Hundred Sixty Three
  176. Chapter One Hundred Sixty Four
  177. Chapter One Hundred Sixty Five
  178. Chapter One Hundred Sixty Six
  179. Chapter One Hundred Sixty Seven
  180. Chapter One Hundred Sixty Eight
  181. Chapter One Hundred Sixty Nine
  182. Chapter One Hundred Seventy
  183. Chapter One Hundred Seventy One
  184. Chapter One Hundred Seventy Two
  185. Chapter One Hundred Seventy Three
  186. Chapter One Hundred Seventy Four
  187. Chapter One Hundred Seventy Five
  188. Chapter One Hundred Seventy Six
  189. Chapter One Hundred Seventy Seven
  190. Chapter One Hundred Seventy Eight
  191. Chapter One Hundred Seventy Nine
  192. Chapter One Hundred Eighty
  193. Chapter One Hundred Eighty One
  194. Chapter One Hundred Eighty Two

The Text of the Aquarian Gospel—by Levi Dowling

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