“I am the light shining upon all things.
I am the sum of everything,For everything has come forth from me,
and towards me everything unfolds.
Split a piece of wood and there I am,
Pick up a stone and you will find me there.”
Logion 77 (The Gospel of
Thomas).
The quality of awareness
that is demonstrated in this saying reveals how the “One-ness” that is shared
by all of us is part of a dynamic whole. Our understanding is that this is part
of the perfect, untouchable aspect of all living things and is eternal and
omnipresent, whether we are aware of it or not.
We can always find a deep
peace dwelling within ourselves if we are willing to be patient. This peace is
an aspect of the eternal, living presence which some call God. Others do not
perceive it as a part of a divine presence, but as a “luminous emptiness", an
unknowable but vast sea of love and wisdom.
Regardless of the names we
give it, this presence exists in all of us. For example, whenever we have an
experience of peace we are calling upon this indwelling presence. We have ‘resonance’ with it because it is an
aspect of our True Self already. We don’t need to name it, merely drop into the
heart and as Buddha advises, ‘experience it for ourselves’.
Wow! We can simply let go of
all the stories, names, meanings and symbols and simply return to our heart
knowing. Religions, creeds and customs are meaningless unless we engage them as
teaching devices. We can do this by sitting with the aspects that resonate with
us and seeing how they bring a more expanded awareness to the surface.
In a contemplative practice
the heart sends its fully formed messages to our mind. They are far more
complex and complete than we can create with the efforts of past
interpretations and established meanings…..Try it; it’s easier than you think.