MATHETΩN

“Why do you call me good? There is none good but one; that is, God” (Jesus to the young ruler).

Why do you call me right? There is none right but one; that is, God.

Why do you call this beautiful? There is none beautiful but one; that is, God.

Why do you call this true? There is none true but one; that is, God.

“Now let us turn back to the young man. He is in love with this picture of perfection; one can see this by looking at him: his eye beholds nothing of that which lies closest to him on all sides, it seeks only this picture; he walks like a dreamer, and yet he is wide awake, as one may perceive by the fire in his eye; he walks like a stranger, and yet he is at home, for in imagination he constantly is at home with this picture which he desires to resemble. And as it comes to pass so beautifully with lovers that they get to resemble one another, so likewise is this youth transformed into likeness with this picture which stamps or expresses itself upon all his thinking and upon his every utterance, while with his eyes directed to this picture, as has been said, he has not watched his step, has paid no attention to where he is. He desires to resemble this picture, he already begins to resemble it — and then suddenly he discovers an environment of reality in which he is placed and the relation of this environment to him.

“In case the power which directs man’s life were an evil power of seduction, it would at this moment say of the youth, ‘Look now, he is caught’ — just as the environing world says of him, ‘Look, here is a youth who has allowed himself to be enticed by his imagination to go too far out, so that he has become eccentric and ridiculous, does not fit into reality.’ But the power which directs man’s life is love, and if it might be said that it has partiality, then it would be partiality for this youth, as we read indeed that Christ was well-pleased with that rich young man, not because he became worldly wise and turned away, but because he had gone so far out that Christ had begun to hope for him. Loving providence therefore does not judge the youth unlovingly as the world judges, but it says, ‘Hail to thee! Now life’s seriousness begins for thee, now thou hast come so far out that thou canst take seriously the notion that to live is to take an examination.’ For life’s seriousness does not consist in all this busyness about business and temporal things, about livelihood and employment and place-finding and the procreation of children, but life’s seriousness consists in the will to be and to express perfection (ideality) in everyday reality … . …

“… Then there comes a moment when everything becomes clear to him: … he understands now that there is no chance of escaping suffering, and that it will increase with each forward step he takes. … The Tempter whispers to him that he should let that picture go. But he cannot persuade himself to let it go, and now he exclaims, ‘I can do no other. God help me!’ Let us now suppose that he holds out until his death — then he has passed his examination. He himself became that picture of perfection which he loved, and verily imagination has not deceived him, nor has governance.

“To enter into the kingdom of heaven one must become again a little child, but in order that one’s life may express the fact that one has entered into the kingdom of heaven, one must become for a second time a youth. To be a child or to be a youth when one simply is such is an easy thing; but the second time — the second time is decisive. To become again a child, to become as nothing, without any selfishness, to become again a youth, notwithstanding one has become shrewd, shrewd by experience, shrewd in worldly wisdom, and then to despise the thought of behaving shrewdly, to will to be a youth, to will to retain youth’s enthusiasm with its spontaneity unabated, to will to reacquire it by valiant effort … yes, that is the task.”

“The children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.” Thou that callest thyself Christian, remember these words when next someone offers thee prudent advice.

The purpose of each church is to institutionalize a misapprehension of Jesus:

Each chooses one of his paradoces and by blunt force of denominational authority malforms it: the Plain sects that he was in the world and not of it; the Papists that he was King of kings and had no kingdom; the Calvinists that he called all and was rejected of all; &c., &c.

Together, the purpose of all churches is to misapprehend all Christ, to obscure him from all seekers.

The Upanishads speak of the Self in others. Christ said: “I and my Father are one. … And [this] I have given them—that they may be one.” There are astonishing moments in life—a newly-pregnant mother, sex transfigured to love in the heart, soldiers arrayed in equal force gun muzzle–to–gun muzzle—in which the truth that all are one soul becomes mesmerizing and undeniable. To some this revelation brings rage and to others, great peace.