The Beatitudes: Eight Pathways Out of “Hell”

The Beatitudes: Eight Pathways Out of “Hell” May 3, 2016

Photo courtesy of Pixabay
Photo courtesy of Pixabay
We sometimes find ourselves saying, only partially facetiously, “Well, that was the day (month, year, project, relationship, etc.) from Hell!” From Hell, really? The sender is Hell? Like a telegram or a phone call or a tweet? Hell is IM-ing us?

All kidding aside, I think this phrase really and truly is a kind of message. The message is that “things” are not going well and something needs to change – now!

The “hell” we experience can be personal, familial, national, or even global. Our egos are lightening quick at conjuring up stories of both “heaven” and “hell.” We want things to happen at this time and in this way. And, what goes “wrong” always seems to capture and dominate our attention. I would even say that ego driven stories tell us of a capital letter Hell, and a small letter heaven, while Soul driven stories tell us of small letter hell and a capital letter Heaven.

We know all too well that there is a clear difference between the desires of the ego and the impulse of the Soul. The ego is driven by self-preservation and self-involvement and the soul is driven by service to others and the recognition that all sentient beings are part of an interconnected community. If, as Ramakrishna said, all human suffering occurs in the gap between the ego and the Soul, how do we close that gap and potentially eliminate suffering? Because suffering (be it psychological, emotional or spiritual) is what defines “hell” for most of us.

Who wouldn’t want a little more “heaven” and a little less “hell” in life?

Why would we allow ourselves to be trapped in an ego driven “hell,” while, when in league with the voice of our souls, we could be creating heaven? When we create love and heaven within, we can’t help, but send heaven outward to others and to the world. “A lamp is not lighted to be put away under a bushel measure; it is put on the lamp-stand, to give light to all the people of the house.” (Matthew 5:15) The lamp doesn’t have to work at sending out light; it is the nature of the lamp to give light.

We have all at one time or another glimpsed “heaven” – in moments of awe, extraordinary beauty, creativity, heart-pounding curiosity, connection, and timelessness. Jesus tells us that “heaven,” the kingdom of God, is within us and among us, but we do not see it. With these words, he is suggesting that some shift, some inner transformation is possible, actually required, in order for us to be able to experience heaven. “Heaven” is a different state of consciousness.

In the “Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 5: 3-10), Jesus reveals to us the eight Beatitudes. Each beatitude describes a different pathway to, what I think we would all agree is, “heaven,” and, thereby/consequently, some pathway out of “hell.” Each describes a movement into virtue and a corresponding release/dissolution of attachment to that which is transitory and illusory.

The eight Beatitudes focus on the interior manifestation of “heaven” within the individual (an intra-psychic phenomenon) and the exterior manifestation of heaven in the world (a sociological phenomenon). Whatever is happening within each of us is happening at some “measurable” scale in the larger environment. We are energy beings, and like the lamp, we project our energy outward, through our thoughts, through our words and through our actions, whether for “good” or for “bad.” When the “energy pool” of our planet changes, we all feel it and either benefit from it or suffer because of it.

The interior focused Beatitudes – creating “heaven” within us

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The poor in spirit know that they don’t “know.” They know they don’t have all the answers. Theirs is a journey of faith, trust and patience. They attend to what they can do to ameliorate a situation and then they wait, releasing their intentions into the universe, joining their will to God’s will, acknowledging that their timeline might not be God’s timeline. They acknowledge their lack of comprehension of the full reality and are able to put to rest the “what ifs,” the turning over and over in their minds, every conceivable combination of “facts” and potential outcomes. Without patience and faith we are placing our trust in a material world, subject to the constantly shifting winds of change, not in the abiding reality in which we find peace.

Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land. Here Jesus is speaking of humility and truth. Humility is not the downplaying of one’s gifts, talents and accomplishments, but an acknowledgement and acceptance of what is real. In life it is the video camera version of what is happening. The kingdom of God can only be inherited by those who are willing to detach from the “hell” of a fear based existence, a sense that we need to guard all that we have against the “threat” (whatever form that takes) of the other. These are the I-centered ego stories that create isolation from others, the opposite of love. The virtues of humility and truth bring a release into freedom. The path to freedom is through love.

Blessed are the pure of heart: for they shall see God. The pure of heart are fully aligned with God – they “see” God in all things. They use each life experience as an opportunity to bring their “living” into full consciousness. They are like very young children. They are virgin-like in their purity, authenticity and integrity. “Find contentment at the level of the heart,” says Jesus, “in the presence of the image of your true nature.” The heart is the premier organ of sight, of clear seeing. Without purity and authenticity, we are not ourselves, we are someone else’s version of who we are. We are conflicted, unable to reconcile and integrate our inner “knowing” with our outward actions.

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Mercy coupled with compassion is a sincere wish for another’s well-being. Mercy is impossible without forgiveness. What could keep us/prevent us from showing mercy? Even with an “enemy,” it is possible to sow seeds of mercy, but we must first own our own actions and then stand in the other’s shoes. Forcing someone into and holding them in a place of “otherness” – a “prison of unforgiveness” (“To Love or Not to Love: Is That the Question?” March 15, 2016) is a prison built for two. That prison is a kind of self-made hell, nourished by a poison which when taken daily diverts and consumes our energy and hardens our hearts.

What is possible, then, when we trade in the “hell” of our egocentrism, our “stories,” our fears and impatience, our unconscious living and assumed identities, our jealousy and small-mindedness? Aligned with the virtues of faith, trust and patience, humility and truth, purity and authenticity, mercy and compassion, we are prepared to encounter our world in a radically different way.

The exterior focused Beatitudes – creating “heaven” among us

Blessed are they who mourn: for they shall be comforted. It is so difficult to view a cause for mourning as a blessing. But there is a gift hidden within this beatitude, a gift that only comes to be known through the experience of comforting another. It is transformational both for those who are comforted and for those who provide comfort. It is an on-going exchange and it is transformational, because it taps into the subtle interconnectedness of us all bringing healing to both. To deny comfort to someone, doesn’t mean that somewhere, someone is evaluating our ability to feel compassion. It is more internal than that, for we have not opened our hearts to giving and therefore are incapable of receiving.

Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill. The hunger, the thirst, the yearning is always there calling us to a life of spirit. We come to know that our “thirst” is impossible to quench in any other way, but to commit to climbing “the spiritual mountain.” As we climb and work with our experiences, our “home base” continually changes, informing and affecting our every thought, word and action. We work toward a world of justice, holiness, righteousness, goodness, peace, equality, and tolerance for all. When we put our efforts toward the spiritual evolution of our world, we are indeed “filled,” for we experience brotherhood/sisterhood with all that exists. When we do not, we are out of sync with the creative, animating force of creation. And, consequently, we feel “empty.”

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Who might the peacemakers be? We can’t all be involved in negotiating peace agreements on a global scale, but what we do in small ways does make a difference for us personally, and for those we engage with and our actions contribute to the peaceful energy of our planet. I believe the true peacemakers, those in the vanguard, are those who make the choice to listen, those who stand willingly in the shoes of “the other” without judgment, understanding and appreciating that person’s experience, and giving validity and accessibility to that experience for others. If we are not bringing peace to those we encounter in our lives, why not?

Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice’s sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Taking action, putting oneself on the line requires all the virtues mentioned above combined with a great deal of courage. People who find it within themselves to actively pursue justice will find that their actions are blessed and guided by Spirit. The challenge is to keep the channel open and clear, and to be rigorously introspective about our own motivations. For the ego can be subtle and challenging in any situation. Coming to the realization that each one of us is a conduit for divine grace, a channel for God’s truth to enter and change the world is the crux of the matter. Enter the ego and with it comes an inflated sense of self, potential disappointment, attachment to outcome, and frustration.

Jesus has given us a roadmap to the heaven within us and among us – how we must shift our consciousness, our “seeing,” in order to access the Kingdom of God. Real change in our world can only begin within the individual human heart. No lasting change occurs without the individual heart as its beginning point. Virtue, ethics and morality cannot be legislated. While governments make laws with the admirable intention of insuring racial equality, we all know that racism still lives in the hearts of many. This is just one example. At the critical center of this discussion is the realization that estrangement from “the other” is always in some measure estrangement from God. Estrangement or “hell” is on the opposite end of the spectrum from “heaven.”

Can we work our way back to “heaven?”


Browse Our Archives