Brought to the world by Mr. Wang & Mr. Chang , July 31, 1996.
with the courtesy of Dr. Jay G. Williams, translator, 2004.
1. To the multitude I speak only in parables, for the world is drunk with its own importance, addicted to its own pride. Drunken understanding is worse than drunken ignorance.
2. To you I will explain everything, if you will but sober up.
3. Peter said, “How, Master, can I sober up? Show me the way. Ye Su said, “To be my disciple you must renounce everything. Cleanse your heart of the world and its cravings.”
4. Peter said, “Teacher, if I renounce everything, how can I live?” Ye Su said, “What I ask is not a law, for no law can demand the impossible. Only the Spirit can achieve the impossible. The world tells us that complete renunciation is impossible, but consider the birds of the air. They have no regular employment or storage barns; yet they live more happily than we.
Renunciation is a work of the Spirit that never ends; it is freedom from the craving of the world. It is a life of genuine simplicity. It is the disenchantment of the world. Renunciation is repentance. It is to turn and go in exactly the opposite direction.”
5. Do not think that I come to teach you about the Eternal Source. The Source is beyond all understanding. To speak about the Source is to create an idol.
I come to proclaim the Kingdom. Nevertheless, to live in the Kingdom is to be one with the Source.
6. James said, “May I help you to rule the Kingdom ?” Ye Su said, “If you wish to rule, you are far from the Kingdom and from me.”
7. The Kingdom is like seeds sown upon the earth; if the soil is good, the seeds will sprout and grow.
8. The seed of the Kingdom is within you. Nourish it.
9. Philip asked, “When will the Kingdom come ?” Ye Su said, “When the time is full, the seed sprouts up and grows you know not how, but you will know when the harvest is ready. Only be sure that you water with care.”
10. Peter said, “Show us a sign that we may believe.” Ye Su said, “The Kingdom is its own sign, Do you not know that the deaf hear, the lame dance, and the blind receive their sight? Have you no eyes to see?”
11. Mary said, “I love you, Ye Su.” Ye Su said, “That is a good start; the Kingdom is born from love.”
12. Recognize the Kingdom where it is. It is in the eyes of every person you meet. If you see the Kingdom in me, you will see it everywhere. If you know the Kingdom in any face, you will know me.
13. One day, as Ye Su taught his disciples, Peter left to quiet children who were playing in the courtyard and disturbing his concentration. Ye Su asked, “Where are you going ?” Peter replied, “To make the children be quiet.”
Ye Su said, “Do not do that; let us go outside.” The children were playing a game, laughing anid showing great delight.
Ye Su said, “Behold, the Kingdom is like this, full of joy and gladness; let us join them.”
And so Ye Su and his disciples played with the children all afternoon.
14. Peter said, “Let us fast and punish our bodies so that the Kingdom will come.”
Ye Su said, “Your body is the gift of our Mother.
Treat your body with holiness and respect. It is not your body that causes your addiction; it is your psyche. Clean the inside of the cup; that is what matters.”
15. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. What other temple do you need?
16. Close the windows, shut the doors, keep the foolishness and violence of the world away. When your mind is free of foolishness and empties into the great Sea, then you will be close.
17. The disciples said, “Teach us to pray.”
Ye Su replied, “Go into your inner room and close the door. Do not pray in public as the addicts do, for that is idolatry.
Do not try to tell the Eternal Source what to do, for that is presumptuous.
Just listen. Listen, I say, listen.
Those who have ears, let them hear”
18. Peter asked, “How should we live? Teach us the Law.”
Ye Su said, “The Law only cleans the outside of the cup but leaves the inside full of foul debris.
If you think I have come with a new Law, you are wrong.
The Law was given for hardness of heart.
The wine of the Kingdom dissolves the hardness.”
19. The world’s addiction to the ego creates hearts of stone.
20. The world needs laws, for craving creates conflict,
but when the Kingdom comes there is only the law of love.
“Love your neighbor as yourself:” there is nothing more that is needed.
To love your neighbor is to love the Eternal Source.
21. Everything I say is of the Kingdom, not of the Law.
Sing and dance for the good news.
22. There once was a pearl merchant who sought the world’s most perfect pearl. He traveled the earth, enduring great perils and sufferings, but returned to his home tired, impoverished, and empty-handed. Then his wife discovered the pearl he sought for so long in the headband he had worn on the journey.
23. John said, “Teach us about the Kingdom.”
Ye Su said, “Do not look for the Kingdom as though it will appear in one place or another.
The Kingdom is here, now.
Nevertheless, you must prepare for its wonderful appearance.
It is like a flash of lightning that illumines all. So do not close your eyes, even for a moment.
The Kingdom is like the leading lady of the drama who waits in the wings for her cue. She is there, but you do not see her.”
24. The world is addicted, always craving, never satisfied. Because the world craves, there is suffering and violence and hate.
Those who succeed in the world are the unhappiest of all.
25. Do not despise the world or its people; the seeds of the Kingdom are everywhere. Delight in everything.
26. Peter said, “Some effeminate men wanted to see you but I sent them away.”
Ye Su said, “You were wrong to do that, Peter.
Did I not tell you that the seeds of the Kingdom are everywhere?”
“But suppose they will not reform their ways?”
“Think not of the faults of others, Peter, for no one has achieved true righteousness.
Have more faith in the power of the Kingdom.
Therefore I say, do not judge others or censure them.
Look only to your own craving.”
27. Nathaniel asked, “Must we become celibate for the sake of the kingdom?”
Ye Su said, “No, sexual desire is a gift from our Mother and
we must give thanks for her gifts and use them wisely.
Celibacy does not end the craving but only intensifies it. True marriage is the reunification of Adam, and is the great and holy Mystery.
Only the Child of Adam enters the Kingdom.”
28. I am the light that shines in the darkness, the light that enlightens every person. You have always known me, though today; in your blindness, you do not recognize me.
29. Only the naked should baptize the naked.
30. Running floodwaters of the earth and the unpredictable winds of
heaven; a plunge of death into the waters, the fluttering of the dove: the Child of Adam is born.
31. Peter said, “Why do you allow women to follow you? Should not
only men be disciples?” Ye Su said, “Peter, Peter, are you so blind?
Do you not see that the seeds of the Kingdom are planted in both
women and men and that in the Kingdom there is no difference
between them?
We are all the union of male and female and therefore are in ourselves both male and female.
Until you realize that, the Kingdom will be far away.
To remind you of your blindness, when I appear in glory,
Mary shall see me first. She is my beloved disciple.”
32. The Kingdom is Agape made manifest among us.
It is the one great miracle.
If you know Agape, the Kingdom comes.
33. Agape is not just a feeling in the human heart but grows among us.
Act in Agape; then there will be feeling.
34. Judas asked, “What should we do for the poor?”
Ye Su answered, “Love the poor, but do not pity them.
They are much closer to the Kingdom than are the rich.
Do not think that the end of life is worldly goods.
It is the things of the world that blind us to the Kingdom.
But feed the hungry and care for the suffering as you would care for
your own mother or father or wife or friend.
Watch for the Kingdom, for it is there, among the poor.
The glory is revealed among the homeless, for the Child of Adam has nowhere to lay his head.”
35. Weep for the rich, for it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom.
36. The true gifts of the Magi I give you: compassion, simplicity, and dare not be first in the world.
37. The Kingdom is like an ancient well which flows with living water.
Draw up the water and quench your thirst.
38. Trust in the Kingdom. That is all that is needed.
39. From the Source flows the One and the One contains the Two.
The Two give birth to the Third, the Child of Adam, and from the Three flow forth all things.
40. All flows creatively from the Source. When you create, the power of the Source is yours. Music, Poetry, Art are gifts of the Source.
41. John said, “Teach us about the Spirit.” Ye Su said, “The Spirit is the Kingdom made manifest. When the trees move their branches you know that the Spirit is there. The Spirit is your life.
When you breathe, it is the Spirit that moves within you. When your breath flows perfectly with the Spirit, you are in the Kingdom. Watch your breath.”
42. James said, “Our enemies surround us and want to destroy the Kingdom. How shall we fight against our enemies?
Shall we take up arms?”
Ye Su said, “Love your enemies; do good to those who mis-
use you, for in them dwells also the Kingdom.
And forgive, always forgive.”
“But,” said James, “suppose that they should kill us?”
Ye Su replied, “No one can kill the Kingdom for it has been from the beginning and will be until the end. As for the rest, it is mortal and will return to the Mother.
Do not cling to ‘life’.
Life and death are twin sisters who can never be separated.
Death too is a blessing.
But enter the Kingdom where there is eternal life.”
43. In all things be mindful.
44. “Is my soul immortal? Will I go to heaven?” asked John. “Your psyche,” said Ye Su, “is a function of your body and like your body will return to dust.
But the Kingdom of Light is everlasting.
Enter the Kingdom of Light and find eternal shalom.”
45. I will die and on the third day will burst forth again from the tomb.
The Kingdom of Light can be hidden for a time, but cannot be
destroyed, not by the so-called religious authorities, not by the great
world empires.
If you trust in the Kingdom, you will not fear death.
46. Peter said, “Teacher, I hope and pray you will not die.”
Ye Su said, “If you wish to enter the Kingdom, you* must die, for new life comes only from death. Peter, all component parts decay.
Your psyche will crumble into dust, but if your trust is into the Light, you will rest in the Light.
Like me, you will burst forth again from the tomb.
The Light is eternal.”
47. Judas said, “Teacher, the prophets taught us that the Eternal
demands justice for all. Should we not organize to fight against the injustice in our society?”
Ye Su said, “Agape demands justice in the world and woe to the person who does not seek to right the wrongs of society.
But Agape also knows that justice without the Kingdom is hollow and unstable.
In this world of craving, injustice will always reign because craving demands injustice.
To think that there can be true justice without the coming of the Kingdom is an illusion.”
48. The Kingdom comes from the glory of the Eternal, Incomprehensible Source.
49. Judas said, “Let us organize ourselves with a president and officers so that our movement may be more effective.”
Ye Su said, “Agape does not hold to order.
The more you organize, the more your organization will become but one more institution of craving.
Soon you will have some men ruling over others.
Some will be forced to bow to their masters.
There will be ordinances and taboos.
People will begin to think that faith is just subscribing to a set of ideas and the Kingdom will become a fossil to be put upon the shelf along with all the other archaic doctrines.
Then there will be persecutions and wars carried out in my name as the blind lead the blind into disaster.
No, Judas, call no person Father or Rabbi or the Reverend or your Holiness.
All of this comes from the craving of the world and will only end in violence and disorder.
The Kingdom comes as a miracle and miracles cannot be contained.”
50. When you meet, meet as friends.
Love one another. Celebrate Agape.
51. Proclaim the good news of the eternal Kingdom but think not of proselytes.
The Kingdom will provide the miracle.
52. Do not think that a tribe or nation or empire can become the Kingdom, for the Kingdom will grow when and where it wills. Nothing will impede the Kingdom more than a nation of addicts pretending to be the Kingdom.
53. I looked and I saw a great beast rising out of the earth, devouring everyone in its path. Great was its pride and great its claims to truth. To those whom it enticed it offered holy feelings and future hopes, but it attacked the very Kingdom it proclaimed.
Those who were devoured seldom returned.
The name of the beast was the Holy Church.
54. Keep my teachings secret; cast no pearls before swine, lest the great beast overhear the words and destroy.
55. To live in the Kingdom is to laugh and be glad.
There is no soberness in the realm of Light; it is freedom, hope, and joy.
56. I do not come to judge the world or anyone in it.
I come to reveal the Light of the Kingdom.
Those who turn from the light and seek the darkness con-
demn themselves and enter the darkness. Those who seek the light are of the Light. Trust in the Light and the healing is yours.
57. Do not judge others.
If they seek the darkness, that is their danger, their woe.
But trust the Light and it will grow into a great flame.
Let your light shine before all people that they may see and trust also.
58. James said, “There are other teachers in other lands who offer wisdom to the world. How should we think of them?”
Ye Su said, “The seeds of the Kingdom are everywhere.
Do not think of the Kingdom as your personal possession.
My Light is to be found everywhere in the world and many are
those who have found me. But beware the influence of humanity’s dark craving. Traditions of humanity are few that have not become corrupted by the craving. But where there is light, rejoice in it.”
59. One night Ye Su gathered those he taught and led them to an inner room set apart. There, at dinner, he took a loaf of bread and broke it before them,
“This bread,” he said, “is a gift from the Mother of us all. Together we share her matter. This loaf also comes from the sunlight of the Father’s heavenly realm, now broken that we may become one in the heavenly Light.
Together we share the bread of heaven and earth;
the Kingdom of love is among us; this (Kingdom) is my body.”
60. The Kingdom does not belong to individuals.
It becomes manifest in Agape, shared.
Therefore the loaf must be broken so that Agape may be known in the sharing.
61. Ye Su also took a cup of wine, rich in aroma and body, and said,
“This wine is a gift from our Mother to make glad the hearts of humans, so that we may know joy and shalom. It is likewise a gift from the sun from the Father’s heavenly realm.
It re-minds us of the great transformation which the Light and Love of the Kingdom bring.
This is my blood poured out. In the world, wine may bring drunkenness; here one finds the Kingdom.”
62. I am the True Light, glowing from the Eternal Source. Cleave the wood, I am there; lift the stone, I am there.
63. Ye Su asked Mary, “What shall you do when I return from the dead?”
Mary said, “If you were to return from the dead, I would observe awe-struck silence and speak to no one about it.”
Ye Su said, “You have learned well, Mary.
You shall be my apostle.”
64. Have you not heard that it was said of old,
“Those who speak do not know, those who know do not speak.”
65. Peter said, “But we must say something. How can we proclaim the good news if we can say nothing?”
Ye Su smiled but did not speak. Then he led his disciples in the Circular Dance of Joy that they danced* until the dawn.
66.
Ye Su hung upon the tree of life.
He chanted the ancient psalms as blood dripped from his hands and feet.
He spoke words of shalom to those who had not run away in fear.
He encouraged and forgave.
The earth trembled and the heavens grew dark.
The Mother sobbed and the Father mourned.
But in the midst of the trembling there was serenity;
in the midst of darkness there was tremendous Light streaming from every pore of his body, radiating to every corner of the earth.
In death, life is born; in darkness, there is a dawning.
67. Death came, the tomb was made ready and then, after the burial, sealed.
But nothing can hold the light.
At any moment it can burst forth with an unimaginable radiance. And it does.
68. And you must die. Your craving, born of your prideful ego, must perish.
Your death, like that of Ye Su, will be dreadfully painful,
for the addiction is so intense and has gone on so long.
Earth will tremble and Heaven will grow dark before the veil is rent,
the Holy of Holies revealed, and the light, the eternal Light, begins to shine.
69. The Well, the Water, and the Drink of Eternity: the three are one.
70. I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
In every part of the world those who know, know me. I am the wise man’s treasure and the lost man’s refuge.
71. To you I leave the gifts of the Spirit:
Agape, simplicity, and shalom.
The Kingdom of light is here. It is time to rejoice.
72. Take care to whom these words are given, for those of the world will laugh and deride and then use them for their own worldly ends.
Hide my secrets until the time is fulfilled.
Beware the beast.
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Da Qin Christian Pagoda revisited 22-07-2011 , South-West of Xi’an ( Chang’an ), Shaanxi, China
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