The Gospel of Thomas

"...the kingdom is inside you and outside you." Alot of these reads really reinforce to me, why i have never really tried to follow any religion. The kingdom is inside and outside of you? Alright. So i have a kingdom inside of me that i was never aware of. I don't know, it just seems silly to me. All of the philosophy and odd explanations don't seem to make any sense to me. I want something where i can here, This means that and only that. Whereas this something else shows this specific thing.
However, the part that reads. "Recognize what is in your sight, and what is hidden will become clear to you," sort of made sense to me. To me it sort of meant, you have to figure out who you are as a person, and everything else will fall into place.

Jesus of Nazareth

I really liked the very first part of this read which talked about doing good to those who hate you. I liked it because it reminded me of something my mom has been telling me ever since i was young, and that is to "kill them with kindness". Although that person may not think very highly of you, you can still be nice to you and perhaps in the end that will work to your advantage.
The next part of the read that i found interesting was , "Don't be anxious about what you will eat or what you will wear. Isn't your life more than its food, and your body more than its clothing?" Basically saying that you shouldn't worry about that stuff because God will take care of it for you. I'm not sure i liked this statement because I'm pretty sure that if i sat around all day and did nothing food and clothes would not just appear out of no where. I don't know though.
The last part of the read i enjoyed was the very last paragraph saying, "The kingdom of god does not come if you watch for it." It really opened my eyes to how similar all religions are. Many of the other reads we have read so far say the same thing

Hui-Hai

"'Reality is percieved through your own body.' If you don't run after sounds and sights, or let appearences give rise to conceptual thinkning, you will become men unattached to all things." I took this to mean, relating back to the previous post, if you don't feel feelings or think about the feelings that you feel, you will not be anything. You will be stuck in the "Center". The state in which you were born.
I also really liked the quote "We may compare it to a mirror which, though it doesn't contain any forms, can nevertheless reflect all forms. Why? Because it is free of mental activity." I really liked this metaphor that was used to describe pure essence and perception. In order to to expierience the perception, you have to clear your mind of everything and only then you can reflect pure essence.

Tzu-Ssu

This was a very insightful read. I really enjoyed the passage, "Before pleasure, anger, sorrow, and joy have arisen, we are in the center. When these passions have arisen and when all attain their proper degree, we are in harmony. That center is the root of the universe; that harmony is the Tao, reaching out to all things. Once we find the center and achieve harmony, heaven and earth take their proper places, and all things are fully nourished." This passage, to me, meant that before you throw any emotions into the mix, we are all in the same state of mind. However, once we start experiencing emotion is when we start on our journey to happiness. Finding the right balance of emotion allows us to be happy, and everything else falls into place.
Another piece of this read that i liked stated, " Thus, in dealing with people, we already have the perfect model of behavior inside us. Just act sincerely in accordance with your true nature. Don't do to others what you wouldn't want done to you." I thought this quote was really true and was stated very nicely. We all know how we would want to be treated, but for some reason not all of us treat other's the same way. We were built with the perfect model of how to behave, but most shy away from this model. Almost as to say, act with instinct and not with feeling.

Shmelke of Nikolsburg

This read was very interesting in the sense that it gave great insight into the saying, "Love your neighbor as yourself." The disciple asks a great question as to how you are supposed to love someone who has committed an evil act. The response of the rabbi was the part of the story that was the most intriguing. By saying that "each spark is from the original should..." relates back to the Philo entry where the last paragraph states that everything has God's grace. Everything comes from the same thing. We are all part of the same soul. Therefore, just because one part messes up, doesn't mean that the whole soul should be appreciated any less. I, however think, you most likely have other neighbors to love :)

Philo

"'Today' means boundless and inexhaustible eternity. Periods of months and years and of time in general are ideas of men, who calculate by number; but the true name of eternity is Today." I really like this part of the story because i think that is how life should be viewed. Not in terms of time like days and months, but in the thought of a lifetime, or eternity. "Today" meaning, your life, and perhaps even your after life. Thus not leaving room for excuses like, "ill do it tomorrow" or "later", but infact forcing us to get things done "Today".
I also really liked the very last paragraph of this entry. The paragraph explains that when man goes searching for the nature of all things, he finds out that everything is God's Grace. I like this because it gives a starting point for everything. Where everything in the world originated from, therefore showing that everything would have the grace of it's creator.

Ramana Maharshi

This was a very insightful read. The wisdom behind the words were very intriguing. The section that reads, "If the mind is happy, not only the body but the whole world will be happy..." was the best section i have read so far in this book because it reflects on something that i live my life by. The sense that if you are happy, you will reflect that happiness to people around you, in turn, making the world you live in a happier place. The passage continues on to say that, in summation, you can't change the world unless you know who you are. Relating to the last part, you can't make the world happy, if you yourself are not.