ATTITUDES OF BEING
Based Upon
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT
a thematic approach
Background:
Found in the Gospel according to Matthew, chapter 5, 6 & 7, the Sermon covers the essentials of Jesus’ teachings.
UNIVERSAL TRUTH:
In the Beatitudes, Jesus parallels a universal theme found in all of the world’s religions. Direct correlation is found in the Budha’s 8-fold path and the 8-limbs of Raja Yoga from the Hindu tradition.
Session 6: Life of Prayer – Part 1, understanding the “Lord’s Prayer”
Matthew 6:9-13; “Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one.” NRSV
SM 147, “We should understand that the Prayer is a carefully constructed organic whole… a compact formula for the development of the soul.”
DPWY 115, “Jesus… was giving a pattern of prayer to begin all prayers… He was giving a series of dynamic Truths to illustrate the consciousness in which to pray.”
SM 150, “Our Father, This simple statement in itself constitutes a definite and complete system of theology.”
DPWY 116, “This is the orientation, the ‘true point of beginning’ God is my Father, I am His child. This declares our unity with God at the outset, which is man’s greatest, perhaps his only, need.”
PC 53, “While abwoon is a derivative of this word for personal father, its original roots do not specify a gender and could be translated ’divine parent’”
Hindu:
HTKG 159-60, “Asana means two things: the place upon which a yogi sits, and the manner in which he sits there… All that really matters, however, is to take up a position in which one can sit absolutely still and erect, holding the chest, neck and head in a straight line; but without strain, so that one can forget the body altogether.”
Buddhist:
“There are two extremes… which the man who has given up the world ought not to follow-the habitual practice, on the one hand, of self-indulgence… on the other hand, of self-mortification… A middle path… avoiding the two extremes… which opens the eyes, and bestows understanding, which leads to peace of mind, to the higher wisdom, to full enlightenment, to Nirvana!” Sermon at Benares
SUGGESTED READING:
SM 147–161. DPWY 114-117. PC 10-25.
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT, Emmet Fox. (SM)
DISCOVER THE POWER WITHIN YOU, Eric Butterworth (DPWY)
PRAYERS OF THE COSMOS, Neil Douglas-Klotz (PC)
HOW TO KNOW GOD: The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali, Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood (HTKG)
Rev. Matthew E. Long – Peace Unity Network, Box 837, Clarkston, MI 48347 – (248) 891-4365
peaceunity.net peace.unity@sbcglobal.net