Beatitudes Conclusion
So this week we finish up what we
started on the Beatitudes. We move
to the fifth Beatitude:
KJV translation says: Blessed are
the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy
The original Aramaic is: Tubwayhun lamrahmane dalayhun nehwun
rahme
Neil Douglas-Klotz’s translation
from the Aramaic, with all its nuance and layers of meaning:
Blessed are those
who, from their inner wombs, birth mercy; upon them shall be compassion.
Aligned with the
One are the compassionate; upon them shall be compassion.
Healthy are those
who extend grace; they shall find their own prayers answered.
Healed are those
who extend a long heartfelt breath wherever needed; they shall feel the heat of
cosmic ardor.
Tuned to the Source
are those who shine from the deepest place in their bodies. Upon them shall be the rays of
universal Love.
The words translated as “mercy”
carry many different meanings in the original Aramaic, combining images of an
inner motion extending from the center or depths and radiating outward, like a
womb. Its subtle meanings also
include love and compassion, answer to prayer, and even a “long breath
extending grace.”
In Jungian terms, if we approach our
inner life with compassion, it will reflect compassion back to us. When we are on the path of
individuation, it feels like tapping into an inexhaustible source of meaning
and harmony at the center of the psyche that embraces all, without rejecting
anything – the greatest imaginable compassion. The meaning of life is to align
with this inner point of harmony, to live from that place, and to fully
experience everything that emanates from that deep place.
KJV translation says: Blessed are
the pure in heart; for they shall see God.
The original Aramaic is: Tubwayhun layleyn dadkeyn b’lebhon
d’hinnon nehzun l’alaha
Neil Douglas-Klotz’s translation
from the Aramaic, with all its nuance and layers of meaning:
Blessed are the
consistent in heart; they shall contemplate the One.
Healthy are those whose
passion is electrified by deep, abiding purpose; they shall regard the power
that moves and shows itself in all things.
Aligned with the
One are those whose lives radiate from a core of love; they shall see God
everywhere.
Healed are those
who have the courage and audacity to feel abundant inside; they shall envision
the furthest extent of life’s wealth.
Resisting
corruption are those whose natural reaction is sympathy and friendship; they
shall be illuminated by a flash of lightning, the Source of the soul’s movement
in all creatures.
According to Douglas-Klotz, the word
translated as “pure” actually means “consistent in love or sympathy, those who
have both a natural sense of influence and abundance and a fixed, electrifying
purpose. The old roots call up the
image of a flower blossoming because of its nature.” (p. 56) What
defines the limits of our compassion, that says someone or some things are
worthy of compassion, while others are not? In short, our complexes, our
individual and collective wounds and traumas. There are some who try to act compassionate, who put on the
persona of a compassionate person, but it lacks consistency and integrity. True
compassion comes from healing those deep wounds in yourself.
And what about “seeing God”? The Aramaic text means both inner and
outer vision, insight that comes as a flash of lightning that cuts through the
darkness. And what is “seen” is alaha, that ultimate source of unity, the one
without opposite.
KJV translation says: Blessed are the peacemakers; for they
shall be called the children of God.
The original Aramaic is: Tubwayhun lahwvday shlama dawnaw(hie)
d’alaha nitqarum
Neil Douglas-Klotz’s translation
from the Aramaic, with all its nuance and layers of meaning:
Blessed are those
who plant peace each season; they shall be named the children of God.
Healthy are those
who strike the note that unites; they shall be remembered as rays of the One
Unity.
Aligned with the
One are those who prepare the ground for all tranquil gatherings; they shall
become fountains of Livingness.
Integrated are
those who joyfully knit themselves together within; they shall be stamped with
the seal of Cosmic Unity.
Healed are those
who bear the fruit of sympathy and safety for all; they shall hasten the coming
of God’s new creation.
The Aramaic text for this Beatitude
carries agricultural imagery. It involves someone who persistently labors by
tilling the soil, and from that labor brings forth and celebrates the coming of
the fruit. In this case, what is
planted is shlama, peace – which also means health, safety, mutual agreement,
happy assembly, or an action that unites formerly opposing parties. And the word translated as “children”
actually means any emanation that goes from potential to actual. The complete Aramaic image, then, is
someone who persistently plants peace, and that results in becoming a channel
or fountain for the greater unity to be fulfilled in ourselves and in the
world.
Using Jungian terminology, this
Beatitude might come down to this: Those who apply themselves consistently to holding the
tension of the opposites will experience the transcendent function.
KJV translation says: Blessed are
they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake; for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven
The original Aramaic is: Tubwayhun layleyn detrdep metol khenuta
dion(hie) malkutha dashmaya.
Neil Douglas-Klotz’s translation
from the Aramaic, with all its nuance and layers of meaning:
Blessings to those
who are dislocated for the cause of justice; their new home is the province of
the universe.
Health to those who
are dominated and driven apart because they long for a firm foundation; their
domain is created by the Word above, the earth beneath.
Aligned with the
One are those who drawn shame for their pursuit of natural stability; theirs is
the ruling principle of the cosmos.
Healing to those
who have been shattered within from seeking perfect rest; holding them to life
is heaven’s “I can!”
Tuned to the Source
are those persecuted for trying to right society’s balance; to them belongs the
coming king- and queendom.
The Aramaic word translated as
“persecuted” is detrdep, and it can also be translated as driven, dominated
disunited, or moved by scandal or shame.
The word khenuta, as in the fourth Beatitude, means a firm foundation or
core principle for life. And there is a recurrence of the words malktutha
dashmaya, meaning the all-pervading energy that is an expresson of Alaha.
Again, using Jungian vocabulary, the
core meaning of this Beatitude is:
If you take up the path of individuation, the foundation of your life
will be in the Self, but that will likely set you at odds with collective
values and sensibilities.
KJV translation says: Blessed are
ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall speak all manner of
evil against you falsely, for my sake.
The original Aramaic is: Tubwayhun immath damhasdeen l’khon
wamrin eleykon kul milla bisha metolath b’dagalutha.
Neil Douglas-Klotz’s translation
from the Aramaic, with all its nuance and layers of meaning:
Blessings when you
are conspired against, scandaled, and accused falsely of corruption for my sake
Health when your
strength is sucked out, when you are disunited and falsely classified as a
waste of time, for my sake.
Renewal when you
are reproached and driven away by the clamor of evil on all sides, for my sake.
When you are
covered with insults like a sticky web, pulled apart at the seams and wrongly
labeled immature, for my sake.
When you feel
contaminated, dislocated, and feel and inner shame for no good reason, it is
for my sake.
Continuing the theme from the
previous Beatitude, this one conveys the idea of being reviled, of having one’s
strength sucked out, of being contaminated with blame and shame. This Beatitude
goes even further, saying that there is a sort of clamor or exaggerated sound
that can lead to one being labeled as “bisha” – unripe, evil, immature. Indeed, those who elevate
individuation above conventional success or approbation can attract the worst
of all possible projections – that is, a projection of evil itself, that which
is reviled and detested at the deepest level.
KJV translation says: Rejoice and be
exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so persecuted they
the prophets who were before you.
The original Aramaic is: Haydeyn khadaw wa rwazw dagarkhun sgee
bashmaya hakana geyr r’dapw l’nabiya d’men q’damaykun
Neil Douglas-Klotz’s translation
from the Aramaic, with all its nuance and layers of meaning:
Then, feel at the
peak of everything and be extremely moved, for your natural abundance, already
in the cosmos, has multiplied all around you (from the blows on your
heart):
Do everything
extreme, including letting your ego disappear, for this is the secret of
claiming your expanded home in the universe.
Drink a drop—or
drench yourself. No matter where you turn you will find the Name inscribed in
light: it’s all the One Creation.
For so they shamed
those before you:
All who are
enraptured, saying inspired things—who produce on the outside what the spirit
has given them within.
It is the sign of
the prophecy to be persecuted by circumstances. It is the sign of the prophets and prophetesses to
feel the disunity around them intensely
The English translation of this
Beatitude seems to be a superficial admonition to maintain positive thinking,
but the Aramaic takes us to a much deeper meaning. As we will discuss in greater detail next week, the Aramaic
people recognized a subconscious self, the naphsha, which requires attention
and care. Those who are attuned to the naphsha are are known as prophets.
Quoting Douglas-Klotz:
The root of the
word khadaw refers to “everything extreme, the point or summit of something,
gaiety or liveliness.” It also presents the image of a drop of wine. The roots
of the following word, rwazw, convey images of an inner movement of becoming
extremely thin, of drinking or drenching, of a ray of anything, or of the
breath. According to D’Olivet the root rz connotes an inner process of allowing
the ego to become “thin,” a secret of the desert mystics. The images of the
breath and of drenching indicate other parts of this process. The combination
says: when outer dislocation and persecution occur, use them to expand the
territory within, allowing the naphsha (or subconscious self) to receive the
attention it deserves and to become gradually clearer in relation to the divine
purpose. (p. 83)
And what about the “reward in
heaven?” The Aramaic sense of the
word is an expanding movement that extends from the Source but is grounded in
materiality, in limitation in space and time. The concept is that the reward is
actually an expanded consciousness, from which comes a wider range of feeling
and empathy with all creation.
That brings us to the end of the
Beatitudes. Let me conclude with
Douglas Klotz’s retelling of all the Beatitudes:
Tuned to the Source
are those who live by breathing Unity; their “I can!” is included in
God’s.
Blessed are those
in emotional turmoil; they shall be united inside by love.
Healthy are those
who have softened what is rigid within; they shall receive physical vigor and
strength from the universe.
Blessed are those
who hunger and thirst for physical justice; they shall be surrounded by what is
needed to sustain their bodies.
Blessed are those
who, from their inner wombs, birth mercy; they shall feel its warm arms embrace
them.
Aligned with the
One are those whose lives radiate from a core of love; they shall see God
everywhere.
Blessed are those who plant peace each
season; they shall be named the children of God.
Blessings to those
who are dislocated for the cause of justice; their new home is the province of
the universe.
Renewal when you are reproached and
driven away by the clamor of evil on all sides, for my sake …
Then, do everything
extreme, including letting your ego disappear, for this is the secret of
claiming your expanded home in the universe.
For so they shamed
those before you:
All who are
enraptured, saying inspired things—who produce on the outside what the spirit
has given them within. (pp. 61-62)
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