Common Blindness in the Face of Uncommon Vision

In his own time, many people did not recognize the historical Jesus for the sublime spiritual master he was. The same is true for the historical Buddha. The same is true for Muhammad. And for Laozi. It is a very safe bet that in every age there have been spiritual masters and avatars both well known and unknown who were not recognized as someone with a spiritual gift for all of humankind; and btw, they were not all male and many were exceedingly ordinary even by the most pedestrian standards.

Why is this so?

In ancient times up until very recently, simple physical proximity was a primary reason for not “seeing” or recognizing a spiritual master who was alive and teaching among the people. If Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad and Laozi each had their own websites, yahoo channel and weekly podcasts, more would have surely been aware of them and their teachings. More would have recognized the clarity they possessed and their teachings would have become much more widespread much more rapidly. My predictions will end there because with every perceived blessing there are surely equally intense challenges.

Still, I am certain there were many in direct proximity to each of these masters and many other similar ones who simply could not or would not see the brilliant person before them. That phenomenon continues to this day and it, of course, is not limited to the realm of spiritual masters and avatars.

This phenomenon is caused by a variety of factors. It may be caused most fundamentally by a simple lack of interest or desire in seeing someone who has the particular gifts of a Jesus of Nazareth or a Laozi. It is certainly caused by an apprehension to or suspicion of many or all things perceived to be religious or spiritual especially if the one embodying these things goes against the ruling conventions around religion and spirituality and/or they are not yet perceived to be a threat to those conventions. It can also simply be caused by being overly engaged in daily tasks and other secular concerns to the degree that one believes there is no time or perhaps no need to pursue anything else.

It is caused by many other causes.

Now, it is one thing to not be recognized or to remain unseen, in the most common sense of invisibility. It is quite another to be clearly recognized, experienced or even intimately known and to then be actively opposed, sometimes precisely because of the razor sharp wisdom and truth you exhibit. It is this latter type of situation that holds particular interest for me. It interests me in part because I have witnessed this occur in my own lifetime and there have always been fascinating aspects to it all.

Several months ago I watched a conversation between Oprah Winfrey and spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle. In this discourse Tolle revealed that one presumed purchaser of his book had been so completely triggered by Tolle’s book, “A New Earth” that the reader took the pains to mail the book back to Tolle directly---however, not until he had shredded it into a thousand pieces and stuffed those pieces into a certified envelope addressed to the author.

Similarly, Richard Abanes, another person who has apparently been strongly triggered by Tolle’s writings and approach, has written an entire book entitled, “A New Earth, An Old Deception: Awakening to the Dangers of Eckhart Tolle's #1 Bestseller.” In press releases for his book Abanes proclaims that the book is an exercise in taking apart Tolle’s book, A New Earth “paragraph by paragraph.”

And finally, in this same vein, there is a serious internet-based organization that seriously labels Ms. Winfrey “the antichrist” because, among other things, she chose to name Tolle’s book, “A New Earth” as a pick for her influential book club.

Tolle’s experience may seem extreme. It is not. Consider the experience of the gentle Zen Master and Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, who in 1967 was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King, Jr. He so triggered the Vietnamese government that he was exiled from there, his native land, for more than 30 years. Why? Essentially for teaching non-violence and engaged Buddhism, an expression of Buddhist practice that strives to use the insights from meditation practice and mindfulness to effect positive change in the areas of social, political, environmental and economic injustice.

Of course Eckhart Tolle and Thich Nhat Hanh are just two people, two spiritual masters and they are each very well known. Otherwise they are unremarkable and no different from anyone else.

Obviously there are many more such spiritual masters in the world. Some are completely unknown at least for their spiritual mastery. They are some of the nameless sources of wisdom and Light that coexist among us in every realm and every aspect of our earthly existence: suburban housewives, cubicle neighbors at our places of work, store clerks, CEO’s, members of the world’s armed forces, high school teachers. Many would be quite amazed at the places where true spiritual masters may be found in our contemporary world. Their platforms and unassuming manner of delivering their wisdom would also amaze if it were revealed.

Why is it then, when the light of the sun is so easily visible from light years away here on earth, that we can so easily not see or especially seek to dim or even extinguish the Light of certain human Suns that shine just as or perhaps even more brightly all around us? Again, there are so many reasons: Jealousy, envy, doubt, judgment, fear, apathy, blindness. The list could become quite lengthy. I however, believe there is one primary reason.

When someone is in denial or some state of dis-ease about his or her own innate divinity, it is then astoundingly easy to come up with a myriad of ways and excuses for denying that same beautiful innate divinity in another. And then if one has even a spark of malice or spiritual or psychological immaturity in them, some drama will then inevitably ensue. And this drama can become all kinds of things up to and including the murder, rape, persecution of someone or the genocide of a group who is believed to be "evil" "bad" "worthless" etc.

But then there is that wonderful thing we have in our experience of Life which we commonly refer to as "grace." And grace is a very beautiful lover to be kissed by. So someone may be engaged in even the persecution of someone or some group for years and some other spark may be ignited and they will see the insanity that they have created and then a deeper form of consciousness can be birthed.

© Raven/Sage Mahosadha

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