Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Kaplan's money

Mon, 16 May 2005 02:47:20 -0700

The Camel and the Needle's Eye

Robert Sheaffer

Many fundamentalists seek to explain away the obvious hostility to wealth in the saying attributed to Jesus, "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God" (Matthew 19:24). Fundamentalists today constantly tell each other that the "eye of the needle" was a narrow gate into Jerusalem through which a camel could just barely squeeze, implying that even rich people can get into Heaven, provided that they walk a straight and narrow path.

While believing this no doubt lowers the cognitive dissonance they suffer between the resentment against wealth that is integral to the Christian religion they revere, and their own desire to achieve, it is nonetheless a silly legend, like the alligators in the sewers. The Jerome Biblical Commentary is a standard reference work found in many libraries, written by Catholic scholars. Its commentary on Matthew 19:24 states bluntly, "the figure of the camel and the eye of the needle means exactly what is said; it does not refer to a cable or a small gate of Jerusalem." The Abingdon Interpreter's Bible is a major reference work compiled by Protestant scholars, and its analysis of this passage is in full agreement. Unfortunately for the fundamentalists, the concensus of New Testament scholars is that Matthew's passage barring rich people from heaven means exactly what it says. It remains to be seen how many of them are willing to give up all their wealth in accordance with the ideals they claim to profess. http://www.debunker.com/texts/needleye.html

 

This was  a stupid account of a saying attributed to Jesus. The actual meaning which was tantric speaks about the Middle Path of Gimel based on the central pathway of the Otz Chiim, and the raising of ones sights to the third eye in Kether. Der.

----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, May 16, 2005 3:43 AM
Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Kaplan's money

--Well, as we all know, money seems to have a lot of power; those
little peices of paper.
What my take is on this whole thing, is that, the Kaplans, as I
recall, from my experience with them back in the Tofu days, is that
they could invest or start-up anything they wished, as was posted   
earlier, they must have inherited some big ($$.ching-a-ling.$$).
Anyway,. there was always this competition thing, with the twins, I
remember, also.
I remember a story, I read about Swami Bramananda, Guru Dev, when
approached by a man, who wanted to give to Guru Dev, all of his
riches.
Instead, Guru Dev, said, no, what I want is in your  pocket!
And sure enough, what was in the man's pocket, was cocaine, which
was destroying him and his family.
When the man gave his offering to Guru Dev, the cocaine, he became
realized, or much on his way.
When the Master, asks to give up something, that is so important to
you;
you ultimately must give in, and surrender,
if not in this life-time, then the next.
Because, we must lose everything, and be completely alone, depending
on nothing,
to break the bonds completely, of attatchment to form, to become 
realized.
And,  if the Kaplans could give up everything, then...who knows,

but, as Jesus said, a few years back:
"Easier for a camel to glide through the eye of a needle..."
Oh, well, live and learn.

- In [email protected], off_world_beings <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:
> --- In [email protected], Vaj <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> >
> > On May 15, 2005, at 6:33 PM, bbrigante wrote:
> >
> > > Yeah, and in that letter Earl K does not make any claim that
the
> TMO
> > > bilked him out of any money, just the fact that he gave
millions
> and
> > > felt ill-treated (I agree, he was ill-treated as a result of
> Bevan's
> > > machinations in Boone designed to show Earl that Bevan was the
> real
> > > boss there, but unfortunately, the Ks threw the baby out with
the
> > > bathwater and quit TM as well as not putting up with crap like
> Bevan
> > > dishes out). When people give money to non-profits and take
the
> tax
> > > write-off, they lose control over the money, by law. The Ks
could
> > > have structured their donations so that they would have had
more
> > > control, but they did not, so they can't complain if things
did
> not
> > > work out.
> >
> > Several parts of Earl's letter seem like reaction formations--
but
> other
> > parts ring true. One of the most disturbing was the report of
> Mahesh
> > lamenting his inability to milk the Kaplan's entire fortune.
>
>
> (IF, thats a big IF)
> He lamented it because if Maharishi had gottn it, Kaplan would
have
> gottn enlightened fully. As it is Kaplan has gone down the road of
> attachment and fear. Kaplan is waking VERY slowly up to this
> realization.




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