Three Visions of the “Sermon on the Mount”
Kees Boukema
The Gospel of Matthew contains an account of a speech by Jesus to his disciples. His country Palestine had been occupied by the Roman army and his cousin John had been imprisoned. Jesus himself had emigrated to Galilee. He had preached his gospel there and healed the sick. Large groups of people from Judea, Jerusalem and the area across the Jordan followed him. When Jesus saw the crowds, he withdrew high into the mountains with his disciples to teach and instruct them. Jesus began his speech with some ‘beatitudes’ and then hold out to them a number of lofty rules of life such as: “Do not resist evil. If someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn the left cheek to him as well. If someone takes your shirt from you, give him your jacket also. Love your enemies and pray for those who threaten you.” and finally: “Be perfect in all things, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” The term “perfect” is the translation of the Hebrew word “Tamim” and, depending on the context, can also mean “sincere” or “completely devoted” and “uncompromising.” Jesus referred to Moses’ admonition to the Jewish people in Deuteronomy 18:13: “Your focus must be on the Lord your God.” This speech, called “The Sermon on the Mount,” is found in Matthew 5:38-48 and is regarded by contemporary Christians as a high but hardly attainable ideal.
In 1964, Swami Prabhavananda (1893-1976), founder of The Vedanta Society of Southern California, published the book “The Sermon on the Mount according to Vedanta”. Vedanta teaches that every individual is potentially divine and that it is our destiny to realize this divinity. According to Prabhavananda ‘The Sermon on the Mount’ can help us with this. He writes: “Every spiritual teacher has two sets of teachings. One for the multitude, the other for his disciples. The inner truth of religion he reveals only to those whose hearts are prepared to receive it. Anyone who sincerely wants this treasure, who seeks the truth, can benefit from the message given in the Sermon on the Mount. Christ speaks of the conditions of discipleship which we must fulfil; for which we must prepare ourselves. He teaches the ways and means to attain to the purification of our hearts, so that the truth of God may be revealed within us.” [p. 17 ff.]. The highest truth that all great spiritual teachers teach us, writes Prabhavananda, is that we should love our enemies and not resist evil. He continues thus: “Although non-resistance has been preached in every great religion, it is a practice which most people find nearly impossible to understand and to follow. It is significant that Jesus, after teaching non-resistance, goes on to say: ‘Be ye therefore perfect…’.
In other words, to follow this truth in our own lives lead us to perfection. And indeed, only he who is perfect, who has realized his union with God, who is able to see the divine Existence in all beings, can turn the other cheek and live in universal love. For a man who has reached perfection, non-resistance is a spontaneous outpouring of his experience of God. Where is evil then? Who is an enemy then?” [p. 60]. “It is a fundamental belief in Vedanta that one Reality, or God, dwells in the hearts of all beings,” writes Prabhavananda, “but God is not manifest equally in all beings, and all beings are not equally living in God (…. ). Non-resistance is therefore recognized by Vedanta as the highest virtue, but all people under all circumstances are not expected to live up to it in the highest form. On the contrary, Vedanta points out that for some it is necessary to learn to resist evil and by this means grow in moral strength to a point where they can endure it. Consider the man who does not resist because he is weak or lazy, and will not make the effort to do so. Is there any merit in such non-resistance? Then consider another who knows that he can strike an irresistible blow if he likes, and yet does not strike, but bless his enemy (…) That is to say, we must gather the power to resist; having gained it, we must renounce it. Then only will non-resistance be a virtue.” [p. 63]. “Christ gives the highest teachings about non-resistance because he is addressing disciples who are dedicated monks and he is speaking to them in a surrounding of peace and solitude. The message of the Gita, however, is given by Sri Krishna on a battlefield to a householder-disciple, a warrior by profession (…) before we are united with Brahman in our consciousness, we must employ a set of relative values.
That is why Sri Krishna teaches Arjuna and every spiritual aspirant, the way of action from inertia to illumination. We must proceed from where we stand if we are to have true spiritual growth.” (p. 65). In September 1994, during a three-day seminar, the Dalai Lama, at the invitation of the World Community for Christian Meditation, gave his comments in a lecture hall at Middlesex University in North London, before an audience of English-speaking lay people, Buddhist and Benedictine monks and nuns, on some passages from the New Testament submitted to him. Including two texts from the ‘Sermon on the Mount’ (‘The Good Heart’, His Holiness The Dalai Lama explores the Heart of Christianity and of Humanity, updated edition, London 2002). In his opening speech, the Dalai Lama said: “Humanity faces many, many problems, some of which are actually of our own creation, And to a large extent it is our mental attitude -our outlook on life and the world- that is the key for the future. The future of humanity, of the world, and of the environment (…). “As we approach the twenty-first century, religious traditions are as relevant as ever. Yet, as in the past, conflicts and crises arise in the name of different religious traditions. This is very, very unfortunate. We must make every effort to overcome this situation. In my own experience, I have found that the most effective method to overcome these conflicts is close contact and an exchange among those of various beliefs, not only on an intellectual level, but in deeper spiritual experiences. This is a powerful method to develop mutual understanding and respect. Through this interchange, a strong foundation of genuine harmony can be established. So I am always extremely happy to participate in religious dialogue.” [p. 44 ff.]
Before reading and commenting on the text from ‘The Sermon on the Mount’, the Dalai Lama brings up ‘meditation’: “Before commenting on the text, I would like to discuss meditation. The Tibetan term for meditation is ‘gom’, which connotes the development of a constant familiarity with a particular practice or object. The process of ‘familiarization’ is key because the enhancement or development of mind follows with growth of familiarity with the chosen object. Consequently, it is only through constant application of the meditative techniques and training of the mind that one can expect to achieve inner transformation or discipline within the mind. “In the Tibetan tradition there are, generally speaking, two principal types of meditation. One employs a certain degree of analysis and reasoning, and is known as contemplative or analytical meditation. The other is more absorptive and focusing, and is called single-pointed or placement meditation.”
The Dalai Lama takes the meditation on love and compassion as an example: ‘In a Christian context one could reflect on the life and suffering of Christ; considerations that allow you to be deeply convinced of the importance and value of compassion and tolerance. This is the analytical aspect of compassion meditation. When you become deeply aware of the value and necessity of compassion and tolerance, you feel touched, you undergo an inner transformation. From that moment on, you focus your full attention on that experience, without any further analysis. You keep your mind in one-point balance. That is the absorption, or concentration, aspect of compassion meditation. Both types of meditation are thus combined in one meditation session. Heart and intellect then come together’ [p. 51 ff.]. After this introduction, the Dalai Lama reads a text from Matthew 5: 38-42: “You have heard what was said: An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, But I tell you not to fight a case with one who has wronged you. But if someone slaps you on the right cheek, hold out the other one too. If someone files a lawsuit against you to get your shirt, give him your jacket too. If anyone forces you to accompany him one mile, go with him two. Give to those who ask you for something and do not turn away if someone wants to borrow from you.” The practice of tolerance recommended here, according to the Dalai Lama, is virtually identical to the practice of tolerance and patience advocated by Buddhism in general. Particularly Mahayana Buddhism, with its bodhisattva ideal of responding without violence and with compassion when confronted with injustice.
He then reads: “You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who threaten you, so that you may become children of your Father in heaven, for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matthew 5: 43-45). This passage reminds him of a text in the ‘Compendium of Practices’. There Shantideva asks: “If you do not practice compassion toward your enemy then toward whom can you practice it?” The implication is, that even animals show love, compassion and a feeling of empathy toward their loved ones. As we claim to be practitioners of spirituality and a spiritual path, we should be able to do better than animals.” In this context, the Dalai Lama quotes a passage from ‘A Guide to the Bodhisattva way of Life’, where Shantideva points out the importance of developing the right attitude towards your enemy. If you can do that, your enemies are your best spiritual teachers because through them you can strengthen and develop your tolerance, patience and understanding. By developing greater tolerance and patience, you will more easily develop your capacity for compassion and therefore altruism. So even for your own spiritual path, enemies are essential. The analogy in the Gospel “the sun makes no distinction where it shines” is significant.
The Dalai Lama thinks it is a nice metaphor for compassion: “it shows how impartial and comprehensive compassion is.” “We can see that generally the person who has a tremendous reserve of patience and tolerance has a certain degree of tranquillity and calmness in his life. Such a person is not only happy and more emotionally grounded, but also seems to be physically healthier and to experience less illness. The person possesses a strong will, has a good appetite and can sleep with a clear conscience. Research into the relationship between mind and body shows that positive qualities such as compassion, tolerance and forgiveness are closely linked to physical health and well-being, while negative qualities such as anger, hatred and confusion undermine physical health. You could deduce from this that healthy attitudes and emotions are more in our fundamental human nature [p. 47 and 51].
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kees Boukema has been a student of Vedanta and other philosophical systems for decades. He has contributed variously to the field of higher thinking. He has written numerous articles on philosophical subjects, reviewed books, and has translated important articles and books. Mr Kees Boukema’s most recent work is the translation into Dutch of the book The Practice of Meditation.