Source Text
ONE Poor in Spirit
Today we will work with the well-known Sermon on the Mount, attributed to Jesus (Matthew 5:1–12, King James Version). I will first read it and then talk about it some. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad for grace is your reward in heaven, for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
We will focus on two lines from this sermon to illustrate an important stage of our approach to inner work. Jesus says: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
How can we live the poverty of spirit and the purity of heart while we are living in the world?
His understanding is so deep that it is applicable to any way of life, not only to the way of the monk. The verse “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” goes to the very heart of a mature attitude toward spiritual work. What does it mean to be poor in spirit? And why would that mean we will have the kingdom of heaven? To be poor in spirit is not easy to understand and appreciate. It is not something that most people ordinarily seek or want. Jesus does not say that we need to be materially poor in the world. He does not say that we need to be poor in ego or poor in mind. He says we need to be poor in spirit, and he obviously means something specific. Our spirit will need to be poor if the kingdom of heaven is to be ours. The concept of poverty is central in Christianity, and also in other traditions. In Buddhism, for example, the story of Gautama is well known—he renounces all his riches and worldly comforts and becomes a mendicant, begging for food, before attaining to Buddhahood.
Poverty is also a central principle in the Sufi tradition. The followers of Sufism are sometimes called dervishes, which literally means a person who goes around begging for alms. For the Sufis, being a dervish is an exteriorization of the spiritual poverty. Theirs is a path where they attempt to live the poverty both physically and spiritually, to accept poverty at all its levels.
What does the kingdom of heaven have to do with whether we are poor or rich?
So what does it mean that we have to be utterly poor in order to be rich in everything?
To understand the poverty of spirit, we can recall the “dark night of the soul” that John of the Cross wrote about. He divides the “dark night” into two nights: the night of sense and the night of spirit. The dark night for him means the way of poverty. The dark night for him means the darkness, the unknowing, and the pain of poverty as the soul divests herself of all possessions and attachments. He calls it a dark night because it is dark emotionally—difficult and painful—and also dark mentally—lacking guidance and clarity about the process.
For him the night of sense is the stage of purification of the soul from her animal nature, from her sensual attachments and desires. When we are relatively comfortable with this level of poverty, we can move to the dark night of spirit, the stage of being poor in spirit, which is purification on the spiritual level, totally emptying the soul and getting her ready for her beloved, her God.
AI Summary
Diamond Heart by A. H. Almaas presents key insights from the Diamond Approach tradition. The 10 passages above capture the essential teachings.
Core Themes:
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Key Passages: Highlights 1, 3, and 10 are particularly representative.
This entry was generated from Readwise highlights. Expand with additional context as appropriate.