The Gospel of Thomas

Jesus expresses a lot of his teachings to his disciples and to everyone. We are always searching for an answer, but we have to find the answer ourselves and a lot of the answers already have come, we just don't recognize it.

"If you bring forth what is inside you, what you bring forth will save you. If you don't bring forth what is inside you, what you don't bring forth will destroy you."
Asking where and how for the Kingdom of God, he will not answer you because he doesn't know the answer only you know the answer. It is within you, it can be sought then discovered and then entered.

Another quote I liked in this speech is the disciples ask Jesus who he is and he responds, "You search for me through heaven and earth, but you don't know the one who is right before your eyes, because you don't know how to search into this very moment." He is saying that you are not seeing the presents of him, not seeing the truth of him even though he is right in front of you.

The disciples ask him when will the kingdom come? The kingdom of God is within us and it grows naturally like a plant within us. Searching for it will not come, discovering the kingdom of God is giving up everything you want and the joy it brings to you to do anything. "For the kingdom of the Father is already spread out over the earth, but people don't see it." We don't see it because its within us and we shall seek, discover, enter and it will grow within us.

The Cloud of Unknowing

I liked this speech a lot, very inspirational. Just forget about everything and let everything be, give yourself to God. "Lift up your heart to God with a meek stirring of love; and intend God himself and none of his created things." We are always having things on our minds and are always doing activities when letting them be and take "no heed" of them is what pleases God. Good example from my experience was that I recently got out of a relationship and it was 11 month long relationship. I out so much time and effort and I gave my heart to this person. I really thought this person was the one for me, we did everything together and shared some many things in common. Things went down hill and we had broken up, after that I really wanted a change and I wanted to build a better relationship with God. I'm catholic and I was baptized catholic, when I was younger I used to go to church every Sunday and I went to catholic school as well. But of course I didn't really understand a lot of things because I was young. Anyways back to what I was saying, since this new relationship with God made me realize that my ex was just another created thing made by God. I know that by letting go of that relationship was just an experience and that person wasn't for me.

"When you first begin it, you find just a darkness and as it were, a cloud of unknowing." This is a good analogy, its hard for a lot of people to just let go what they want or desire and focus on their relationship with God. Building a relationship with him may take time and take as long as you want. I know that my relationship with him is growing more and more each day. "Just as this cloud of unknowing is above you, between you and your God, so you must put a cloud of forgetting beneath you, between you and all creatures that were ever made." God doesn't exclude anything or anyone, but for us to let go of things that don't matter for example money. This is a hard one because money is a big thing in this world. Money is just a thing and its a great obstacle.

I like how it says that he cannot answer you how to think upon God because we have to do it ourselves. The kingdom of God is within us and we shall find it. Doing so by seeking, discovering, enter the kingdom of God and grow with God, build a stronger, trusting relationship with him. "Let go of this everywhere and this is something, in exchange for this nowhere and this nothing." God will be pleased, he loves you and he is our father.

Short and sweet Pai-Chang

Short and sweet like Pai-chang's speech. This speech is very similar to Hui-hai's speech talking about the free mind. Buddhism believes in enlightenment but "After enlightenment you are still the same as you were before. There is no mind and there is no truth."

I think these Chinese readings are very similar to the Buddhism readings because they both believe to become an empty mind and free from reality and delusion. In my opinion we are always have something on our minds. In meditation we can become calm, empty minded and be at peace within ourselves yet we still are thinking. Without thought we would be vegetables, we would be dead.

Hui-Hai

In this speech I liked how Hui-Hai said trying to empty your minds is a waste of energy. He quoted Ma-tzu, "Your own treasure house already contains everything you need. Why don't you use it freely, instead of chasing after something outside yourself?" This is a good statement, why try to empty your mind or become enlightened. Just be free and live your life how you want it; make use of your own treasure house. I do think Buddhism is very interesting religion, but I like how Hui-Hai says that our minds are purity and impurity that this is the original form of mind and body. In meditation you shouldn't think about the past, whats done is done, you shouldn't think about the future it hasn't arrived yet and when thinking about the future it disappears. Just have a free mind and if your mind does wander and think about these things don't follow it or go after it or search for it. Hui-Hai made some good points in his speech, "if you don't run after sounds and sights, or let appearances give rise to conceptual thinking, you will become men unattached to all things."

"This full awareness in yourself of a mind that dwells upon nothing is known as having a clear perception of your own mind or your own true nature." This mind is said to be the Buddha mind and that it is uncreated mind and unreal. In both these religions I like what they have to say about freeing your mind and become a state of peace within your mind and body. These religions are very interesting and both have different perspectives on about the mind.

Shunryu Suzuki

Having an open and empty mind, you are ready for anything. "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities; in the expert's mind there are few." It takes time and practice to have an empty mind and a ready mind. The original mind is free from everything you think about and to let go all our thoughts we become more clam and serene.

"The mind which is always on your side is not just your mind, it is universal mind, always the same, not different from another's mind." Everyone has a beginner's mind, we always think, plan and know everything in its present form and color. This quote from the speech explains that in Buddhism our minds are not ours, everything and everyone exist together.
Becoming one with the mind is by doing sitting meditation and this was apart of Zen Buddhism called zazen. The mind becomes more peaceful, and ideally, with long practice, a state of awareness takes over and finds true nature with in yourself.

I feel that in this world today, everyone should do meditation. In a way it takes the stress and releases the mind into a form of relaxation, giving the mind to breath, to be free and clam. "Our throat is like a swinging door, the air comes in and goes out." Suzuki says in his speech that the inner world, when we inhale and the outer world, when we exhale, that both these are just one whole world. Our bodies and the outer world are one and both rely on the other, but we need to follow our breathing with in us so that the inner world of the mind and breathing become one.

The Buddha

Buddhism is a very interesting religion and I like how there is many different types of Buddhism. Buddha means the enlightened one and Siddhartha is known as the Buddha. He was a prince and he got everything he wanted, but that wasn't enough, he left everything behind to make things right, the "great going forth." He taught many people his beliefs and values, he message was "you are all Buddhas. There is nothing that you need to achieve. Just open your eyes." Meaning doesn't matter what you need to prove to anyone what you did, that you should appreciate what you did. The example in the speech talks about a man crossing the river with a raft made out of sticks and foliage and when reaching the other side, he takes the raft and puts it on his head. Thats not the appropriate way, a man that leaves the raft behind and walks with out it knows and understands that is the appropriate way. You should let go of your desires and there will be no more suffering.

"When you realize that something is unwholesome and bad for you, give it up. And when you realize that something is wholesome and good for you, do it." I like this saying a lot because we strive to do this but sometimes we don't, we make mistakes.

Schmelke of Nicholsburg

The world we live in is bound to have evil in it. We are all apart of this world that God created and if someone does something wrong or bad, we do have the right to dislike that person for their actions but we shouldn't because God created that person too. We should give that person love and we should all give each other love. "If you punish him, you only hurt yourself." We are all one soul from God, in a way if someone fails we all fail together. By disliking or judging someone for who they are or what they have done, you are only judging yourself. God wants us to accept each other for who we are and that we are all different.
"It may happen that your hand makes a mistake and hits you. But would you then take a stick and punish your hand cause it lacked understanding, and so increase your pain?" This is a good quote because by punishing, hating or hurting someone from their wrong doings or anything, you are only hurting yourself. No one is perfect, we all made mistakes in our lives and God has never punished us for it, he has only accepted us from the beginning.
Teaching the correct behavior is more powerful then punishing someone that does not know that it was wrong whatever they have done or didn't realize what they have done. Showing forgiveness is a strong quality and it will help those who do wrong and by giving them a chance to do right.

Philo

Philo gave a great speech, I really liked this one a lot. Every living thing in this world, God created. God loves each and every one of us, no matter who we are or what we did he gives us love. "God loves to give, and freely bestows good things on all people..."

We all are apart of God, we each have a piece of him. "He has given a share of his own beauty to all particular beings, from the fountain of beauty: himself." Each living being is different, God made each one of us to be different and unique. I like how they describe God's beauty, "the fountain of beauty." The picture comes to mind is that I can image a beautiful fountain filled with glorious water and everyone gets to drink the holy water. The beautiful fountain is God and he blessed us with his beauty, all the beautiful living things would not be hear but because of him they are.

God is at peace, he is so serene and filled with joy. Moses says the goal of wisdom is laughter and play but not as you see in children. As you grow more mature through time and understanding. I believe in this statement because when we grow up through time we understand things better, make better choices and judgments. "If someone has experienced the wisdom that can only be heard from oneself, learned from oneself, and created from oneself, he does not merely participate in laughter: he becomes laughter itself." I think it means that you are grown up, but still immature and don't understand what the goal of wisdom is.

"Every being in the world, and world itself, manifests the blessings and generosity of God." We are blessed to be living, God is always hear for us when we are in need of help, when we are celebrating, he loves us and cherishes each and every one of us.