And Men Do Not See It

Jesus reconciles mankind to God. Upon the cross is where God and man meet. The cross is where man gives up his animal nature, and becomes Divine.

However, Christians tend to see themselves as one thing and Jesus as another. But in the Thomas gospel, which has all of the flavor of the other four Gospels, a slightly different view is given.

For example, Thomas verse 113: His disciples said to Him, "When will the Kingdom come?" Jesus said, "It will not come by waiting for it. It will not be a matter of saying 'Here it is' or 'There it is.' Rather, the Kingdom of the Father is spread out upon the earth, and men do not see it."

In other words, the Kingdom of God is here, now.

Or consider verse 108: Jesus said, "He who will drink from my mouth will become like Me. I myself shall become he."

Jesus is talking from the point of view of the Being of beings, which we call the Christ. Anyone who lives in relation to that is as Christ.

In other words, you are the radiant vehicle of the Christ spirit. And if you are, then you recognize that same radiance in your fellow man, and indeed in all living beings.

That is basic Buddhism.

Eternity is Now

The Buddha represents the power of life in the field of eternity -- to be eternally alive.

Eternity isn't some later time; eternity isn't a long time; eternity has nothing to do with time.

Eternity is that dimension of here and now which thinking and time cuts out.

This is IT; if you don't get it here you won't get it anywhere.

The experience of eternity right here and now is the function of life. - Joseph Campbell

Joseph Campbell on Meaning

People are saying that what we are seeking is a meaning for life. I don't think that is what we're really seeking. I think that what we are seeking is an experience of being alive; so that the life experiences that we have on the purely physical plane will have resonances within our inner most being and reality. So that we actually feel the rapture of being alive. That's what it's all finally about.