Jesus was teaching the people about the Kingdom of Heaven and his disciples came forward and said to him. ‘Why do you talk to them in parables?’
‘To you,’ replied Jesus, ‘the secrets of heaven are revealed; but not to them. For more shall be given to the man who has – he shall be enriched; from the man who has not, even what he has shall be taken. I talk to these people in parables because they have eyes but do not see; they have ears but do not hear or understand. It is in them that Isaiah’s prophesy is finding fulfilment: “You shall hear with your ears, but you shall not understand, you shall see with your eyes, but you shall not perceive.” For these people have become coarse within; they have ears that are hard of knowing, and they shut their eyes, lest one day they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, understand in their hearts and be converted, and I heal them. But your eyes are privleged because they see, and your ears because they hear. Indeed I tell you, many prophets and upright men have longed to see what you see, and have not seen it; and to hear what you have heard, and have not heard it.
‘To you then I explain the parable of the sower…’
Everyone cannot understand the the truth when they hear it, because this knowledge emanates from a higher source within. How can you overcome the worldly ignorance that separates you from receiving and understanding the Truth of your being?
Jesus tells us that most people only understand the truth at a sensual level based on worldly knowledge, because they are conditioned by so-called authorities and institutions. The parables attempt to break conditioning by presenting a story with a moral recognized at that level.
When one begins to transcend the sensual level of understanding they begin to move their consciousness away from external things and become involved with their inner feelings. However, the process is slow, because we have to experience many recurrent lives before becoming aware of being under the control of the worldly sensual knowledge.
When a person acquires more understanding from recurrent lives, they stop relying on their desire for knowledge and open their consciousness to the inner presence of their being.
What is the Kingdom of Heaven that Jesus refers to? It is that oneness with the Truth, which is becoming one with the Self, our true nature. Often we are led to believe that by following some path or method of spiritual exercises we will enter this Kingdom and experience a oneness with god.
All methods like this involve working toward a set imagined goal, and there is always expectation of what this goal produces. Of course the more involved we are with the process, the further we are distancing our self from the Truth of our Being.
The concept suggests that we are a separate being from god, which creates a condition of duality, and this is a common belief shared by everyone in the world. Duality separates us from any understanding of oneness. As such, all methods involving expectations of a certain end result are illusory.
Jesus tells us that those who have developed an understanding within will be enriched and they will become open to the reality of the Kingdom of Heaven within. Whereas those who have little or no understanding beyond that of the sensual level, can even lose what little understanding they may already possess after listening to the parables.
The more a person lives in the body consciousness, the greater are the desires for the richess of the world, and the belief is that this is the way to experience happiness. However, because such happiness is only momentary, they continually strive to accumulate more possessions, hoping this will become a permanent state in their life. Everything in the world is transient and not permanent, so the only true happiness is found within. This is the Kingdom of Heaven that Jesus teaches.
Jesus also uses the the words ‘to see’ and ‘to hear’, but he is not referring to the use of the eyes and ears as such, which is a limitation of understanding based on sensual knowledge alone.
Jesus teaches that it requires inner perception to see the truth; a perception that is intuitive, requiring a mind that is quiet and not involved with with the movement of outer events. The Light of understanding flows into our consciousness and we ‘hear’ or understand the reality within.
Obviously, this inner understanding relies on the degree of perception available through our endeavours to become one with our Essence. So we find that everyone lives inwardly relative to the varying levels of perception and understanding.
When the truth is revealed through the inner teachings, either from advanced beings or our inner awakening, everyone receiving the teaching can only understand what is given relative the depth of their inner awareness.
In the parable of the loaves and fishes there are several thousand people who have spent the whole day listening to Jesus. It is late and everyone is hungry and the only food available is several loaves of bread and some fish.
Jesus breaks up the loaves and fish, blesses it and tells the disciples to distribute it. Everyone is satisfied with the food and there is still some left over.
We have to realize that being a parable there is an inner meaning distinct from the story. The loaves and fish represent the bread or manna from heaven, the higher understanding within. Did not Jesus say in his prayer, ‘give us this day our daily bread’?
All day these people had been listening to the truth. They were hungry for knowledge, and when the bread and fish were distributed there was ample left. The majority of people were satisfied with only a few crumbs, because that was the limit of their understanding; some consumed a few more crumbs than others.
Once you understand in your heart and not your mind, you are healed, and this healing refers to your entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven. No one can lead you to this understanding because you are already that truth.
It is only when you become desireless; that is, when you cease desiring happiness through the accumulation of wealth and objects, that you automatically become open to the presence within. You are Self, and as such you can only be the nature of Self. Because you are Self you cannot know or understand your true being. By becoming desireless for the things of the world your mind becomes quiet and you enter the peace that pervades all, and become one in the joy and bliss of Self.
We recommend that you view the videos and immerse your consciousness in Bill Douglas’s choral arrangement of Deep.