Thomas 3
3. Jesus said, "If your leaders say to you, 'Look, the (Father's) kingdom is in the sky,' then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,' then the fish will precede you. Rather, the (Father's) kingdom is within you and it is outside you."
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A friend of mine said that his conception of God was someone up in the sky directing things, and when he realized that that was his conception, he realized how childish it was. In Luke, Jesus also says that the Kingdom of God is within you, but curiously, doesn't mention the "outside of you" part. I am very comfortable thinking of the "Kingdom of God" as being a place within the human heart, something like Buddha nature. I guess it also makes sense that the Kingdom of God is outside the heart as well, that, in fact, the entire universe is a wonderful, complex place that we are lucky to inhabit. One of the statements that I read during my morning meditation each day is that "The blessings of this human birth are extremely difficult to obtain." Really, it's a truly marvelous fact that I'm sitting on the porch right now, enjoying the cool breeze and gazing at the layers of trees and blue sky. As a human though, I always want more. No matter what I currently have, I always have the sense that it's not good enough. I need something else. I need more. My life is so much happier when I learn to be satisfied with what I have.
I wish I could do it, too!
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