Jesus said, Grapes are not harvested from thorns, nor are figs gathered from thistles, for they do not produce fruit. A good man brings forth good from his storehouse; an evil man brings forth evil things from his evil storehouse, which is in his heart, and says evil things. For out of the abundance of the heart he brings forth evil things. (45)
Jesus said, Grapes are not harvested from thorns, nor are figs gathered from thistles, for they do not produce fruit. Even as children many of us heard older and wiser people say “Consider the source” when something–usually gossip–was being relayed. To determine the authenticity of anything we must find its source. Otherwise we may be fooled by the mere appearance of something. This is very much evident in today’s “food industry.” Consider all the fake food that people accept as equal to real food just because of the way it looks and tastes. And of course, some people prefer the synthetic to the authentic in all the departments of their life.
Only yesterday I read an excellent religious essay about how crucial it is to always check everything religious back to its roots. If its roots are not compatible with what it claims to be, or if it really has no roots, then it it not worthy of acceptance. This is why the concept of tradition as the basis of religion is so important. After all, tradition is absolutely cardinal in both science and civil law. Everything is built or based on something, and that foundation will determine the ultimate character of the superstructure. Therefore we need to check the genealogy of everything.
This does not mean that we must be slaves to the past in a mechanical, unreasoning manner, to think that the way something has been done is the only way to do it in the future, or that something that has not been done before is thereby untrustworthy. But where it comes from is crucial, because that will reveal its nature. The character of the source will be the essential character of the product. All that glitters is not gold, but not all gold glitters, either. We must do our best to understand the nature of all things relevant to us. Intelligence is not just a gift from God, it is a requisite without which we cannot live fully or rightly. So we must use it at all times and in all situations.
A good man brings forth good from his storehouse; an evil man brings forth evil things from his evil storehouse, which is in his heart, and says evil things. For out of the abundance of the heart he brings forth evil things. Patterson and Maeyer: “Good persons produce good from what they’ve stored up; bad persons produce evil from the wickedness they’ve stored up in their hearts, and say evil things. For from the overflow of the heart they produce evil.”
The mind and heart are storehouses of a tremendous number and amount of things. We see from Jesus’ words that we can only bring forth from our storehouse what has been put in there by us, however much we would like to blame others for many of the negative things hidden there. Much of what is stored up is either karma or conditioned by karma. So the bottom line is that we bring forth what is our own character, our acquired nature. If we don’t like what is stored inside we must not deny or suppress it, but get in there and clear out the bad and bring in the good. In other words, we must meditate, for that is the only way to real interior renovation.
All the foregoing is speaking about the acquired nature, but our eternal nature is something completely different. We need to bring that forth, too, for that alone can endure. When we become on all levels what we have always been, then the goal is reached and freedom (moksha–liberation) is attained. As Buddha defined it: “The holy life has been lived, what had to be done has been done.” Only the state of Nirvana remains for us. And yoga is the way.
Read the next article in the Gospel of Thomas for Yogis: Great in the Kingdom
Chapters in The Gospel of Thomas for Yogis
- The Open Secrets
- Seeking Is More Than Just Finding
- Seeking the Kingdom Realistically
- The One Goal
- From the Seen to the Unseen
- What Jesus Wants Us To Do
- Eat Or Be Eaten
- Fishing Wisely
- The Inner Field
- Guarding the Flame
- What Will You Do?
- The Unspeakable
- When Virtue is Vice
- Father in Heaven; Father on Earth
- Divine Discord
- The Divine Gift
- The Origin is the End
- Original Being
- A Mustard Seed
- Disciples of Jesus
- How to Enter the Kingdom
- Unity of Vision
- Where is Christ?
- Love and Protect
- Seeing
- How Jesus Saw the World
- Hidden Treasure
- One
- The Power of Unbelief
- Speak It Out
- Spiritual Strength
- The Blind
- The Secret of Spiritual Security
- Live Carefree
- Unashamed Before God
- At the Source
- The Religion of Ignorance
- Within God
- Spiritual Gain and Loss
- Move On
- Challenging the Master
- The Source of Good and Evil
- Great in the Kingdom
- Impossible Duality
- Peace That Moves Mountains
- Back to the Source
- Children of the Light
- Here and Now
- Seeing Yet Blind
- Outer Ritual or Inner Growth?
- Infinite Transcendence
- “Hate”
- True Understanding
- Wheat and Weeds
- Finding Life
- Live and Die Not
- “Lest Thou Also…”
- Who Will Die; Who Will Live
- The Path of Unknowing
- Awakened by Death
- Turning Ourselves Away
- Gullibility
- The Rejected is Truly Accepted
- All–and Nothing
- The Blessings of Persecution
- Life or Death Lie Within
- Admission
- Not a Divider
- Seeking the Harvest
- Thirsting in Vain
- Who Shall Enter?
- Unfailing Treasure
- The All Speaks
- Well-dressed Ignoramuses
- True Blessedness
- A Duplication
- Balancing the Inner and the Outer
- Near and Far
- Seeing the Unseeable
- Seeing Your Unknown Side
- Our Forefather Adam
- Blessed Homelessness
- Doubly Wretched
- Onward and Upward
- Twofold Life
- The Yoke of Christ
- Knowing the Unknown
- Asking and Hearing
- Give Not…
- Seeking and Knocking
- Right Generosity
- The Expanding Kingdom
- The Fulfilled Universe
- Taking Stock
- The Spiritual Family
- Three Debts
- Father and Mother
- Exoteric Religion
- Ready for Invasion
- Penitential Discipline, Anyone?
- Daring to Know
- Ending Duality
- “I Love You More…”
- At the Source
- Finding the Hidden Treasure
- Having Come to the End
- Immortal and Above the World
- Body and Soul
- Where is the Kingdom?
- Male and Female?
- In Conclusion
- Glossary