The Gospel of Thomas (Part 2)

Translated by Thomas O. Lambdin

6

His disciples questioned him and said to him, “Do you want us to fast? How shall we pray? Shall we give alms? What diet shall we observe?”

Jesus said, “Do not tell lies, and do not do what you hate, for all things are plain in the sight of heaven. For nothing hidden will not become manifest, and nothing covered will remain without being uncovered.”

Truth is essential to tidy up verbal kamma and gain the mental tranquillity necessary to experience jhāna, which is essential, but only to this degree. Acting with integrity is likewise necessary; otherwise jhāna will remain elusive.

The second sentence is particularly important. We all have Buddha-nature, but it is obscured through perceptions and subsequent thinking — papañca. We don’t recognise it, nor can it be described, as we habitually mistake words for concepts and see only the concepts. It cannot be thought about, as thinking precludes its recognition. All ‘covered (by ignorance) things’ are revealed once the omniscient view that transcends duality is realised.

7

Jesus said, “Blessed is the lion which becomes man when consumed by man; and cursed is the man whom the lion consumes, and the lion becomes man.”

The ‘Lion’ is the self that is dissolved using the universal solvent — likely a recognition of the ālaya and nibbāna. The holy path involves the sacrifice of the self when one crosses the abyss. The ultimate destination of the alchemist involves the unification of divine elements (the inner world) into the material (the outer world), resulting in the oblivion of both.

The path of Cain — humanity — involves the deification of this self (the man whom the lion consumes). Yet even if pursued through the tunnels of Set, realization is possible, as it is the inverse operation of eliminating self.

8

And he said, “The man is like a wise fisherman who cast his net into the sea and drew it up from the sea full of small fish. Among them the wise fisherman found a fine large fish. He threw all the small fish back into the sea and chose the large fish without difficulty. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.”

I suspect this alludes to personal arrogance, where we are troubled by many conflicting ideas about reality and cling to our confusion. The wise fisherman looks for dhamma among thoughts (the large fish), which, though still illusory like the other ideas, is established as a reliable method of spiritual sustenance.

Once one is established on the spiritual path, it becomes progressively easier to dismiss false claims, and one’s resolve and commitment toward the dhamma evolves into faith.

9

Jesus said, “Now the sower went out, took a handful (of seeds), and scattered them. Some fell on the road; the birds came and gathered them up. Others fell on the rock, did not take root in the soil, and did not produce ears. And others fell on thorns; they choked the seed(s) and worms ate them. And others fell on the good soil and it produced good fruit: it bore sixty per measure and a hundred and twenty per measure.”

This is a message concerning how we should handle the dhamma (truth).

We should be frugal and efficient with our work. The true work will always be small-scale and personal — generally solitary but, at best, intimate.

People will often not understand; they are marred by varying degrees of ignorance, unable to recognize what the dhamma is (the birds), or they recognize but do not believe in the dhamma (the rocky soil). The dhamma may be subjected to rational debate (the weeds) or used to abuse others (the worms).

We must choose our audience based on their self-declared enthusiasm for learning the dhamma. Within this audience, the dhamma will be received and flourish — not just for one, but for two generations — i.e., the karmic effect extends to those who receive the dhamma and their karmic influence in their lives.

10

Jesus said, “I have cast fire upon the world, and see, I am guarding it until it blazes.”

Once one understands how things truly work, one is freed from personal worry — and it can be dizzying. The path is full of dangers that are easily mitigated, but when left unchecked, can be devastating.

The path involves stages, each one producing world-shaking realizations. It is natural to fantasize where these realizations might lead. Yet, the path becomes increasingly sober, and one develops a tolerance for what may initially feel delightful but soon reveal themselves as increasingly childish visions of grandeur.

One must persist and refrain from believing one has reached the end. There always seems to be another, more magnificent reality just beyond the next horizon. If one takes these delusions too seriously, one may easily fall into disadvantageous states of being.