(ethereal music)
-All who come to this world come for death and sorrow.
That's the definition of coming. You can call it whatever
you want, incarnation or arriving in a hologram
or holding on to a hologram. But it's, all who come
come for one purpose, and it's death and sorrow.
Their joys are so fleeting that they can not
be possessed, nor even grasped. You might think of
fingers, just trying to get a wisp of joy, and Joy eludes
the mind that believes it is in this world.
There are all these compromised ideas, that as long as
you're still here you're not enlightened, and so forth.
Jesus says in his Manual For Teachers, that there is
one teacher needed to save the world, and that one
is not a body, or in a body. He makes it very clear
the distinction of who is the savior of the world.
That's why when people say you have to have a personal
relationship with Jesus Christ, or Jesus Christ is my
personal savior, that doesn't cut it! It doesn't cut it.
Because the Christ is not a body or in a body.
It's a symbol that's being used. Kirsten was saying today
how grateful she is for the symbol, because it's like
the Holy Spirit doesn't take a form. The Holy Spirit is
literally, like we can't see the wind, the Holy Spirit is
really unmanifest. And Jesus seemed to be, out of all the
cosmic images, he seemed to be an image that was
a reflection of the Holy Spirit. Even though
the Holy Spirit, Jesus says you can not--
the Word of God was made flesh, strictly speaking
Jesus says in the Course, this is impossible.
Because the Word is Spirit, and the Word can never
be made flesh. Mary Baker Eddy, you may have
heard of her too, "you have no mind in matter. There's no
life, truth, substance, intelligence." What a glorious
opportunity we have today to go beyond the tiny instant
to the experience of joy. To again look at any thing
that seems to be an obstacle to the awareness of
love's presence, or an attachment, or something in form
that seems valuable. Any of those things mean
the same thing. Anything that's valued in and of itself
in this world, even that fly that's going around
and has been going around for the last two days,
(laughs) he's joining us. Anything that is seen
in and of itself or valued in and of itself is
by definition an idol, made to take the place of
the living Christ. That's what our joy is,
living the experience of being free of attachments,
free of ambitions, free of pursuits, free of reciprocity,
free of exchange. Free of "I'll scratch your back,
if you scratch my back." Free of bargainance.
Free of everything that would limit the mind
to believe that it's in time and space, and soar in to
an experience of pure joy, which is transcendent.
Which is mystical. And which is our whole purpose.
To see and experience ourselves as beyond this world.
So, with all the metaphors, I like that song-- that's a
good kick-off song. "Only an instant does this world endure."
Not something we generally heard at the kitchen table
when we were growing up, from Mom and Dad.
"Only an instant does this world endure."
It was always about the future, or the past.
It was always deflecting away from the Holy Instant.
All of our conditioning, everything we were raised with.
The whole thing. We bought it hook, line and sinker.
(laughs) A complete illusion, that has nothing to do with
reality what so ever. And then we have to go in to the
Holy Instant. We have to have an experience of
the Holy Instant to know that the separation never happened.
It's just one instant, but it's like what's it going to be,
Holiness or sins and death? Which face of the moment
are we going to accept? It's not two moments.
They aren't even side by side, because the Holy Spirit
answered the belief in separation simultaneously
as the belief arose. It wasn't (snap, snap) it was (snap).
It was (snap) that fast, and we have to decide which (snap)
of those two interpretations we value more.
Innocence (snap) or guilt. And it's one instant (snap).
The section of the Course that's coming to mind
is "The Immediacy of Salvation," where Jesus is saying
why would the good-- he asks a question. He asks a direct
question to the mind. "Why should the good appear
in evil's form?" Why should the good appear in evil's form?
We watched this movie "God's Not Dead," and there's
a black man from South Africa who's always saying
"God is good. And always... All the time, and always.
God is good. God is good." If we come in to a non-dualistic
goodness being love, all the time God is love.
God is love, God is love. Why should the love appear
in evil's form? Why should the good appear in evil's form?
This is from the "Immediacy of Salvation" section,
late in the Text of the Course. Why should it take time
to experience what you already are? Why should the good
appear in evil's form? Why are there perceived difficulties
around health, or around finances, or around the world,
or around relationships, or around anything.
"Why should the good appear in evil's form?"
And then he follows up this question with another question.
"And is it not deception if it does?" It's so deep.
He's just saying, "why should the good appear in evil's form?
And is it not deception if it does?" No wonder he has
lesson 135, "A healed mind is relieved of the belief that it
must plan." No wonder he put the "I Need Do Nothing"
section in the book, a much misinterpreted piece in the book,
because it's interpreted from the ego lens of "doing" as if
the "doer" is a fact. And now this "doer" need do nothing.
This "doer" need only be. Well, this "doer" is a denial.
What did Shakespeare teach us? "To be, or not to be?
That is the question." And I was saying that
only an hour ago, when there was questions of whether
there would be a wedding today or not. I said,
"To be, or not to be? That is the only question. This isn't
a question of wedding or no wedding. We have not come here
to discuss such silly matters. We have not come
for ceremonies. We have not come to play with little ideas,
children's toys, and tinker around. It's Shakespeare's
question, to be or not to be, is the question."
And then Jesus is saying, "why should the good appear
in evil's form?" He's sending us towards the "be."
He's not going to be content with the "not to be."
What is it, lesson 139, "I will accept atonement for myself"
in the Course, the Workbook lesson. He says,
"you are yourself. Of that there is no doubt. And yet,
you doubt it. The only thing in the universe, the only thing
in the universe that you can not doubt is your identity.
Is who you are. That's the absolute only thing in the universe
that's beyond doubt, and yet you doubt it.
Self doubt is fear. Self doubt is guilt. To deny who you are
is the only thing. That's how the song ends. "We would go
beyond this instant to eternity. To ♫identity, identity,
identity! Eternity, eternity, eternity!♫ (laughter)
-You know, it's intense song because it's like
eternity's sending out a plea, to say "remember me."
Remember me! In the "Lion King" that's what
Simba's father says from the clouds, "remember. Remember."
We have an identity. Don't get caught in the pride land,
don't get caught in hakuna matata, eating bugs, you know.
You may think it's a good life. You're not working,
and you're eating bugs, but still, remember.
Don't be content with the bugs.
(ethereal music)