The pearl of great price

[sky]

Are we the Merchant seeking the Pearl (Jesus) to reveal to us the priceless Treasures found in the Kingdom of Heaven.

[Still_Waters]

QUOTE 5 EXCERPT:

Originally Posted by Molearner

The ‘pearl’ of wisdom and enlightenment is found in the scripture of ‘I and the Father are one’……if you only read ‘I’ as meaning Jesus you are denying the divine spark that is within yourself. If you realize this truth then you can conclude that if you are ‘the ALL’ there is no need for anything else

Well said. What immediately came to mind was the Tibetan Buddhist chant "Om Mani Padme Hum". One translation is "Hail to the jewel (pearl ) in the lotus". The lotus is a flower with its roots in the mud, it's stem in the purifying water, and its flowers bursting forth in glory above it all. The symbolism and imagery are consistent with the "pearl of great value" parable and your interpretation.

Here is the way that it is. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. In simplistic terms the Bible is like 2 fairy tales. Fairy tales for children have a happy ending. Adults can be attracted to a quite different version….one with a bad ending. “You must be like children to enter the kingdom of heaven”.

We see this in our postings. Some are drawn to the dire warnings they see in Scripture while others are drawn to the message of love. An old gospel song had these lyrics:
“The old crossroads now are waiting,
Which one are you going to take ?
One road leads to destruction….the other to the pearly gates”

Reminiscent, of course, of the poem of Robert Frost. In speaking of parables in Matthew 13:11-12, Jesus said….”the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you(the disciples), but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.”
In short, if you have been a seeker, one who has put trust in Christ(or guru…:) you will continue to be nourished…..the abundance is even higher knowledge. On the other hand if you have made no effort to understand the deeper meaning of scripture and are confronted with alternate understandings it will conflict with your literal understanding of scripture. This will cause conflict and doubt in your mind. You are afraid to abandon your comfort zone….literalism….and any potential for growth is forfeited. And end result can be that even your literal understanding will no longer bring comfort. It is sort of like ‘live or die’ with no real middle ground.

[BigJohn]

Originally Posted by Still_Waters

QUOTE 5 EXCERPT:



Well said. What immediately came to mind was the Tibetan Buddhist chant "Om Mani Padme Hum". One translation is "Hail to the jewel (pearl ) in the lotus". The lotus is a flower with its roots in the mud, it's stem in the purifying water, and its flowers bursting forth in glory above it all. The symbolism and imagery are consistent with the "pearl of great value" parable and your interpretation.

One place I lived at had Lotus plants growing on the roof tops in pots. I also loved seeing them bloom in the canals providing colors normally not seen.

I should have added that Christ(or your guru) can point one to the Way. And that is to your inner Self…the Christ or divine that is within you. That is a deep well……full of living water……

[BigJohn]

Isn't that the same as your Higher Self?

[sky]

Originally Posted by BigJohn

Isn't that the same as your Higher Self?

What is your higher self ?

Originally Posted by sky

What is your higher self ?

To get back to the topic, among other things, it is that which is capable of finding the pearl of great price…

[sky]

Originally Posted by Molearner

To get back to the topic, among other things, it is that which is capable of finding the pearl of great price…

What is it ? I've heard it mentioned many times and never been interested to ask what it is

Originally Posted by sky

What is it ? I've heard it mentioned many times and never been interested to ask what it is

Mine would only be one understanding among many….therefore meaningless and certainly not definitive or authoritative. One of things that demands self discovery.