And Jesus stood beside the sea and taught; the multitudes pressed close upon him and he went into a boat that was near by and put a little ways from shore, and then he spoke in parables; he said,
Behold, a sower took his seed and went into his field to sow. With lavish hand he scattered forth the seed and some fell in the hardened paths that men had made, and soon were crushed beneath the feet of other men; and birds came down and carried all the seeds away. Some seed fell on rocky ground where there was little soil; they grew and soon the blades appeared and promised much; but then there was no depth of soil, no chance for nourishment, and in the heat of noonday sun they withered up and died. Some seed fell where thistles grew, and found no earth in which to grow and they were lost; but other seed found lodgement in the rich and tender soil and grew apace, and in the harvest it was found that some brought forth a hundred fold, some sixty fold, some thirty fold. They who have ears to hear may hear; they who have hearts to understand may know. (Aquarian Gospel 115:1-9)
The meaning of this parable will be given presently so there is no need for it to be analyzed now. The point to be considered is how we can gain ears to hear and hearts to understand. For God and his messengers intend to speak to us directly; yet we must be able to receive the messages from on high. Purification of life and the practice of meditation are the ways to open our ears and minds to the divine words.
Now, his disciples were beside him in the boat, and Thomas asked, Why do you speak in parables?
And Jesus said, My words, like every master’s words, are dual in their sense. To you who know the language of the soul, my words have meanings far too deep for other men to comprehend. The other sense of what I say is all the multitude can understand; these words are food for them; the inner thoughts are food for you. Let every one reach forth and take the food that he is ready to receive. (Aquarian Gospel 115:10-14)
Here again we see that the Gospels in the Bible do not convey the true meaning, but give the impression that Jesus wanted to blind people to his message, letting only the elite understand the truths he spoke. Wisely Jesus spoke in simple stories so his hearers could receive teaching according to their capacity for understanding and responding. Jesus had only blessings to give and withheld nothing from anyone. It is only our own limitations that determine our level of understanding and following of his words.
And then he spoke that all might hear; he said, Hear you the meaning of the parable:
Men hear my words and understand them not, and then the carnal self purloins the seed, and not a sign of spirit life appears.
This is the seed that fell within the beaten paths of men.
And others hear the words of life, and with a fiery zeal receive them all; they seem to comprehend the truth and promise well; but troubles come; discouragements arise; there is no depth of thought; their good intentions wither up and die.
These are the seeds that fell in stony ground.
And others hear the words of truth and seem to know their worth; but love of pleasure, reputation, wealth and fame fill all the soil; the seeds are nourished not and they are lost.
These are the seeds that fell among the thistles and the thorns.
But others hear the words of truth and comprehend them well; they sink down deep into their souls; they live the holy life and all the world is blest.
These are the seeds that fell in fertile soil, that brought forth fruit abundantly.
You men of Galilee, take heed to how you hear and how you cultivate your fields; for if you slight the offers of this day, the sower may not come to you again in this or in the age to come. (Aquarian Gospel 115:15-25)
Men hear my words and understand them not, and then the carnal self purloins the seed, and not a sign of spirit life appears. This is the seed that fell within the beaten paths of men. Because of immersion in the world and its materialistic focus, not a single word of spiritual teaching is comprehended by a huge percentage of the population. If they do think about what they hear, they come to utterly wrong and often absurd conclusions. In short: there is just no hope for those at that stage, but since it will not last forever, there is hope for the future.
And others hear the words of life, and with a fiery zeal receive them all; they seem to comprehend the truth and promise well; but troubles come; discouragements arise; there is no depth of thought; their good intentions wither up and die. These are the seeds that fell in stony ground. Meteors speed through space that is devoid of atmosphere because there is no substance to slow them down. But when they hit the earth’s atmosphere the friction causes them to burn up and that is their end. Many people are like that, especially those of higher intelligence. Taking spiritual teaching on a purely theoretical level they are like the meteors in outer space. But once the atmosphere of practice (or attempted practice) comes into the picture, then they vaporize. Any kind of reality impinging upon their purely intellectual response tends to that end. Lack of depth is the main factor.
It must also be realized that some people deliberately burn themselves out by jumping in and overdoing everything. In this way they avoid spiritual life but can claim they tried and gave it a chance. So the fault is not theirs, they imply or claim. This is not uncommon, either. As Yogananda said: people are so skillful in their ignorance, including preserving it.
And others hear the words of truth and seem to know their worth; but love of pleasure, reputation, wealth and fame fill all the soil; the seeds are nourished not and they are lost. These are the seeds that fell among the thistles and the thorns. This, too, is common. The hearts are good and open, but desires, ambitions and the pending karmas distract and draw them away from the path. This is extremely sad to see, for real potential is there.
But others hear the words of truth and comprehend them well; they sink down deep into their souls; they live the holy life and all the world is blest. These are the seeds that fell in fertile soil, that brought forth fruit abundantly. This is a beautiful picture, only too rarely seen. Perseverance is the key, perseverance based on genuine understanding and valuation. And the secret is living the holy life. Here Jesus is using the actual words of Buddha regarding Nirvana: “Birth is ended, the holy life has been lived, the task done. There is nothing further for this world.”
You men of Galilee, take heed to how you hear and how you cultivate your fields; for if you slight the offers of this day, the sower may not come to you again in this or in the age to come. This is not meant to frighten anyone, but to awaken them to sober realities. Not that anyone is “lost forever,” but that creation cycles can pass before we again have the spiritual opportunities we so foolishly turn away from or let slip from our grasp. It is true that we have eternity in which to attain liberation, but that also means that we have eternity to fritter away in heedlessness and neglect. The wise hear the exhortation: “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (II Corinthians 6:2).
Then Jesus spoke another parable; he said: The kingdom I may liken to a field in which a man sowed precious seed; but while he slept an evil one went forth and sowed a measure full of darnel seed; then went his way. The soil was good, and so the wheat and darnel grew; and when the servants saw the tares among the wheat, they found the owner of the field and said, You surely sowed good seed; from whence these tares? The owner said, Some evil one has sown the seed of tares. The servants said, Shall we go out and pull up by the roots the tares and burn them in the fire? The owner said, No, that would not be well. The wheat and tares grow close together in the soil, and while you pull the tares you would destroy the wheat. So we will let them grow together till the harvest time. Then to the reapers I will say, Go forth and gather up the tares and bind them up and burn them in the fire, and gather all the wheat into my barns. When he had spoken thus, he left the boat and went up to the house, and his disciples followed him. (Aquarian Gospel 115:26-36)
Since the meaning of this parable is given in the next chapter we can consider it there.
Read the next section in the Aquarian Gospel for Yogis