“Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth” ~Matthew 5:5
On the logical plane, this makes no sense at all and logically that is correct. But Jesus of Nazareth is teaching on the spiritual, rather than logical, plane.
What does one have to do to become spiritually meek? Surrender to their Higher Power…to the God of their understanding. They have to surrender everything.
In the 12 Step programs, it is only when we admit and truly believe we are powerless over our disease and surrender to a Higher Power that we get the power to renounce and become free of the disease. We become meek. Many times, others will tell us that we have changed. They can see this meekness, but can’t put a finger on it or name it.
In this material world, Jesus is asking us to surrender everything; to remember where everything comes from, i.e., from God. And when we remember and truly believe everything comes from God, our Higher Power, then we know that nothing is ours, that we cannot possess anything. All that we have is given to us for a period of time, then it is taken away or we leave it behind when this body dies.
Those who take things by force inherit only worry, trouble and headaches. And those who hoard wealth and possessions are chained to them, thinking of them night and day and how they can keep and make sure no one steals them.
When we come to the realization that nothing is ours, it is all a gift from God, it is called “none attachment.” We still cherish our families, our homes and possessions; take care of them, remembering they are a gift from God, our Higher Power, but they don’t “own” us and we don’t “own” them. This understanding brings about the meekness that The Christ speaks of.
So how or why would we want to inherit the earth?
We don’t. But it becomes ours because we see God in everything. God is in us, and we are in God. When we realize this, we can take it or leave it, because we know it’s all a gift from our Higher Power.
In Patanjali’s teachings (the father of yoga; yoga means union with God) there is an aphorism “The man who is confirmed in non-stealing becomes the master of all riches.”
Here, what is meant by non-stealing is the egotistical delusion that we can own anything and that it can exclusively belong to us. The truth is that nothing belongs to us. Everything belongs to God.
I’ll leave you with one more quote from one of the great Masters of Mysticism, Lao Tzu:
“Of the soft and weak things in the world, none is weaker then water. But in overcoming that which is firm and strong, nothing can equal it. That which is soft conquers the hard. Rigidity and hardness are companions of death. Softness and tenderness are companions of life.”
Namaste,
Michael
To sign up to receive newsletters and updates from Michael, scroll to the bottom of the Ah-Man Website. You’ll find additional information and resources in the latest issue of the Ah-Man Newsletter. Read about his new book, Returning to WHOLENESS… Discovering Ah-Man at Amazon.
