The Greatest Concise Discourse On The Laws Of Life
Sermon On The Mount
from Steps To Mastership #75
Uranda 1936
Consider now the greatest concise discourse on the Laws of Life that is anywhere recorded, even the Sermon on the Mount as expressed by our great Master, Jesus the Christ, beginning in the fifth chapter of Matthew.
For the multitudes of today, “He opened His mouth, and taught them, saying…” Let the Earnest One read from his Bible, comparing the meanings with the Spirit in the words which follow:
Blessed are all those who have not the “I” spirit of the outer mind, who know that of the outer mind they can do nothing; for they are aware of the Wonderful One within, and they abide in His Presence here and now.
Blessed are all those who recognize and mourn the nothingness of the outer so long as it remains in the separate state; for they shall be comforted with the Eternal Realities which flow forth through the spirit of the Wonderful One within.
Blessed are all those who have no arrogance of the outer mind, for they live and work in the boldness and assurance of the One within, and Divine Wisdom directs them in the Selfless Service whereby they Spiritualize and Inherit the earth substance as it ascends to the Realms of Light.
Blessed are all those who are so empty of the selfish desire for outer things that they have a deep and sincerely earnest longing to respond perfectly to the Father within; for their whole beings and environments shall be filled with the Radiant Presence, and Being, and Active Function of the Wonderful One.
Blessed are all those who condemn no one but let Love Radiate through their every thought, word and deed; for they shall abide in the Presence, enfolded in Love.
Secrets Of Being
Uranda April 16, 1953 Class
You will recall that some time ago we had one or two periods of meditation on the basic subject of the Secrets of Being, in the recognition that these secrets were revealed by our LORD and Master while He was on earth, and that they do not need to be secret any more. I indicated at that time that we would, on occasion, consider other specific aspects of these Secrets of Being which, though the Master revealed them so beautifully, still remain secret to the consciousness of mankind. And so, tonight, let us have a little meditation in this field.
You will recall that one of our periods of Meditation with respect to the Secrets of Being was on the subject of Treasure in Heaven—the process of laying up Treasure in Heaven; and we developed the realization that since heaven is at hand, this instruction that the Master gave was not intended to convey the idea which has been so widely developed but that we should, in recognition of the fact that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, realize that the process of laying up Treasure in Heaven is something that relates to our lives in this present time. It has to do with the Kingdom that is at hand, here and now. And we considered the process by which we could lay up Treasure in Heaven and permit that Treasure, in the spiritual or vibrational realm, to take form on earth in our lives, in the sense of that which is within us individually, and in the sense of that which comes under our influence and control in our environment.
As we recognize this basic opportunity and privilege, and realize that everything the Master taught, without any exception, had to do with this process of laying up for ourselves Treasures in Heaven—the Heaven that is at hand—so that those Heavenly Treasures could take form on earth. We can recognize a deeper meaning in the words he gave, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” We have then, the privilege and the opportunity, the responsibility of receiving the Kingdom of Heaven into the realm of form in our own lives that it may manifest through us and round about us in blessing to others.
If we are to become proficient in this process of laying up Treasure in Heaven we must gain a deep understanding of all the Secrets of Being which our Master revealed for us, so that they may no longer be secret to us, so that we may begin to experience that which was suggested by the Psalmist, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” For once we have entered the Secret Place of the Most High, it is secret to us no longer and once we are dwelling in that Secret Place we can abide—not just come for a visit for a moment or two, or an hour that we may share in Meditation, but that we may abide under the Shadow of the Almighty.
And, as we have continued in Meditation together, we have come to a deep realization of the fact that a shadow is something that is caused by the Presence of that which produces the shadow. The Shadow of the Almighty then, is the evidence of the Presence of the Almighty. The Shadow is something under which we abide constantly—under the evidence of the Presence of the Almighty. And if we are abiding under the evidence of the actual Presence of the Almighty we have no cause to feel weak or futile, we have no cause to feel that that which is required of us is too much or in some sense impossible, for if we actually have come to abide under the evidence of the Presence of the Almighty, then that evidence must of necessity manifest in and through us, and be revealed by our thoughts and attitudes, our words and deeds in daily living. So abiding, the Secret Place is no longer secret, and the secret things, the Secrets of Being are no longer secret. It is not that God would keep anything secret from man but man must reach that point of centered, love response which will allow the development of a state of consciousness which permits the reality of comprehension.
There is such Great Treasure at hand, and it is so neglected. It is secret; there is no comprehension of it, and yet the fact that the treasure is not recognized does not prove that it is not there. The wealth of Heavenly Treasure can be known by those who have a comprehension of that which is at hand. It can be known by those who become aware of the Secrets of Being—and so, we have the privilege of finding, discovering, this Treasure, this heavenly wealth, and of letting it take form in our lives on earth—but it cannot appear in and through those who do not have the capacity to comprehend the opportunity. It cannot appear through those who refuse to accept the responsibility which goes hand-in-hand with the privilege.
And so tonight, as a refreshing and bringing to your remembrance certain things our Master said, and as a deeper introduction to the Secrets of Being, I would like to share with you the words with which He opened that Sermon which is spoken of as the Sermon On The Mount: “And seeing the multitudes, he went up into the mountain: And when he was set, his disciples came unto him, saying.” Notice—He saw the multitudes but He did not talk to the multitudes. He went up into a mountain where the multitudes were not immediately present, and, “His disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught”—whom? the multitudes? No. The multitudes were not in position to hear His voice. They were not in position to comprehend His meaning, in any case. So often people assume that this Sermon given on the Mount was to the multitude but the text plainly states otherwise, for when He saw the multitude He left them. He went up into the mountain. And when His disciples, that is, His followers, came unto Him, “He opened his mouth, and taught them,” the disciples, “saying”.
We should remember our privilege as disciples. You have just as much opportunity, privilege, and responsibility, of being His disciples as those who walked the earth in the days when He was here among men. You have an opportunity for a greater comprehension of His words than most of those who heard Him speak. We particularly remember the words which He included in the Great Prayer with which He concluded His Ministry on earth, when He said, “I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do”—the conclusion of His Ministry which God gave Him—and He said, “I pray not for these alone, but for all those who shall believe on me through their word.” That is without respect to time, place, distance, generation. It applies to you. He prayed for you at the conclusion of His Ministry on earth, and as you realize that, you can more deeply appreciate the privilege of being one of His disciples who is willing to come up into the mountain, apart from the multitude—up into the mountain of a higher level of consciousness, the utilization of a deeper pattern of intelligence, and allow yourselves, in that higher consciousness, in that mountain where the greater vision is possible, to be, in actual fact, in this hour and in these days, one of His disciples. To the degree that you accept the reality of the fact of being a disciple, a true follower, these words are to you. They were not addressed to a multitude long ago. They were addressed to His disciples, then, and now; for they are eternal words, and they are addressed to any disciple, anywhere, at any time, who truly undertakes to follow Him. And so, these are the words of our Master to you: “And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying…”
“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is”—not going to be, some day—“theirs is the kingdom of heaven”—not a hereafter but a present thing. As He had said, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Some have assumed that this meant that one had to be some sort of weak-kneed creature, some spineless person, who had no spirit. But, obviously, if that which is being conveyed is the Kingdom of Heaven and it is to be presently received, we could not assume that there is no spirit in Heaven. What spirit, then, does He have reference to? It is the spirit of this world.
Actually, when He first spoke the words, that is what He said. Those who recorded the words did not get it all down, but it is obvious, in any case. “Blessed are the poor in the spirit of this world.” And when we hear that word sounding down through the centuries from His lips to our ears we cannot help but recall words He spoke on another occasion, when He said, “The prince of this world cometh and findeth nothing in me,” none of the spirit of this world. What is the spirit of this world? Self-centeredness, fear, human egotism, all of the spirits of envying and striving, the spirits of hate or jealousy—all of the spirits of this world, selfishness in all of its forms. “Blessed are they who are poor in the spirit of this world: for theirs is”—He did not say, “theirs is going to be,” or, “theirs shall someday be”—“for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Here is a basic Secret of Being which, once realized, permits us to have the right attitude with respect to all of those things which we may consider in Meditation as we progress in understanding. “Blessed are the poor in the spirit of this world, who do not have the spirit of this world, who are not filled with it—they are empty of it—for they have a capacity to receive the Spirit of the Kingdom of Heaven. Their emptiness with respect to the spirit of this world gives them the capacity to receive the Spirit of the Kingdom of Heaven; and theirs is, now, the Kingdom of Heaven, the Control, the Design, of the Divine Pattern, the control necessary to let the beauty and the wonder of God's provision take form in the vibrational realms of heart and mind, that these things which are vibrationally so established may begin to take form with respect to character, with respect to attitude, the expression of life in every regard. But we must remain so centered that the Kingdom of Heaven that is at hand may begin to have meaning in the realms of form.
And let us remember that, individually, with respect to ourselves and our own lives, each is the center of that realm of form. All that you contact with respect to the realm of form centers in you. As we are members of One Body it centers with respect to all of us, yes, and it centers with respect to God, to whatever degree we are centered in God according to the Divine Pattern—but your contact with the realm of form is through your own body and can appear in no other way. Your physical body is, for you, the center of the realm of form insofar as you have influence over it or contact with it. And we are to let the things of Heaven, the control of Heaven, find expression in the realm of form, so that physical things may conform to the Kingdom of Heaven that is at hand. What a wonderful revelation it is that we hear from the lips of the Master, “Blessed are the poor in the spirit of this world: for theirs is now the kingdom of heaven.”
The Master continued in this pattern of Meditation which is spoken of as the Sermon On The Mount: “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” “Blessed are they that mourn.” Does this mean that one should go about seeking some cause for mourning, something about which to be sad? If one can find no other thing, perhaps one can indulge in a bit of self-pity, and become exceptionally sad and mournful. Is this what it means? Obviously not. We remember the Master’s word, at another time, about His joy—“that their joy may be full”—conveying the reality of joy. But what does it mean here?
We recognize that the process of translation always tends to limit the original significance, and what the Master said here refers to those who are not satisfied, those who mourn, those who are sad that the conditions in the world are not as they ought to be, that the things of Heaven have not yet appeared, that the beauty of Being is not evident, that the wonder of God’s Love is not fully revealed, those who mourn because man has been separated for so long from God, those who mourn because their own lives have not yet come to the pattern of fulfilment by which they might know the joys of living creatively, those who mourn because the Power of God has not been permitted to clear the ill things from the affairs of men.
“Blessed are they that mourn” because the Kingdom of God is not yet fully manifest. “Blessed are they that mourn” because the boundaries of the Kingdom have not been fully received in the world of the children of men, “for they shall be comforted.” And what would it take to comfort one who so mourned? Simply that the Kingdom of Heaven should take form on earth, that the Power of God should manifest in human lives, that the beauty of God’s Truth and the wonder of His Love might express in true Living.
So, you have come to know, as you have moved along the Way to this hour, that when you respond to some condition, some vibratory factor, that is not of God, you begin to feel uncomfortable within, you begin to lose your peace, you begin to know that in human strength you cannot accomplish that to which you are called, and you begin to need comforting. If, in such a moment, you become self-centered and begin to pity yourself, your state is sad indeed. But if, under the influence of such pressures, you turn deliberately to God and yield anew to Him, you find that the Power of God is sufficient for the moment, is sufficient always, and you have the privilege of receiving that Power, the Power of the Kingdom, into manifestation in relationship to your life and your condition. The futility passes, the sense of weakness vanishes, and you are comforted, comforted in a realization of what it means to be a member on earth of the Body of God Almighty, and that you have the privilege of letting His Shadow, the evidence of His Presence, find expression on earth in thought and word and deed, to His Glory and to the Blessing of all who will receive.
I thank God tonight for the Holy Privilege of sharing such an adventure with you, such a joy, such a creative accomplishment, that we may receive the reality of the Kingdom of Heaven, and that we may be truly comforted as we let this fulfilment appear in our lives. Blessed Ones, the privilege of serving God and man is ours. Let us make use of every opportunity, that we may share the privileges of dwelling in the Secret Place of the Most High and abiding under the Shadow of the Almighty—for this is the Victory, and only by such Victory can we be comforted. This is the Will of our LORD and KING for you.
Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for the privilege of relaxing into the Spirit of Thy Presence this night, that we may so receive refreshing in body and mind and heart that we may on the morrow arise with the dawning of a New Day; ready to let Thy Kingdom take form on earth because we live; ready to take another step along the Way; ready to see more clearly the beauty of Thy Truth; ready to share the Victory of Living and letting Thy Kingdom come, and Thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven—for Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory, forever. In the Christ. Aum-en.
© emissaries of divine light
