And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. (King James version, Cambridge edition)
Many interpretations abound as to what quality of little children is most desirable to enter the kingdom of heaven. Some would way it's the capacity to trust and listen or to be obedient. Others would say it's the quality of being impressionable.
They are all reasonable interpretations, but I believe that one of the most important child-like qualities is that of being non-judgemental. Just look into the eyes of a newborn or very young child. The child is not sizing you up on what he/she can get out of you, or if you're smart enough to do the job, or if you have enough money in the bank or if you have the same political leanings. The child simply accepts you as you are, with no hidden agenda (supposedly, the Holy Masters and Ascended Masters are able to gaze upon other people with child's eyes).
Why is being non-judgemental important to getting into the kingdom of heaven? In the Bible, Jesus Christ admonishes us not to judge, lest we ourselves be judged.
Judgement affects us on many levels:
1. It can create too many expectations, or unrealistic expectations. If those expectations aren't met, they may open us up to frustration, anger, a sense of betrayal or resentment. This can lead to embedded negative thoughts and emotions unless one is able to detach and forgive. "I sent you to this top school, the least you can do is find a well-paying job!" "What kind of boss is he? He should know better!" "My parents don't understand me!" Do all of these sound familiar? They may be the hidden echoes residing deep within our psyche. In short, mental and emotional baggage that drag us down.
2. Related to #1, judgement categorizes people based on certain parameters. This is not always bad, because it speeds up the decision-making process, but it can be taken to extremes. For example, janitor = no money = not worth talking to; dresses well = rich = should make him/her my friend, etc. Sometimes when we put people into neat little boxes like this, we remember the box but not the person inside. This is why people can change, but family and old friends still think of the person as the "same old goat." What happens is there is no more accurate perception and correct expression, the critical thinking part of you surrenders to bias. When you couple that with the mental and emotional baggage mentioned earlier, then you throw in more entanglements into the mix.
3. Seeing the previous two items, it's clear that one can trace specific cause and effect relationships based on how one person judges others. When everyone else is doing it at the same time, it can make for very interesting social dynamics.
There are good judgements and there are bad judgements, but "entering the kingdom of heaven" is more than just "good people in, bad people out." The esoteric meaning of the kingdom of heaven is the inner world, or spiritual experiences of the higher planes. We are taught that in meditation, one must clear oneself of all thought and remove all expectations. One must calm the mind, but as I hope I've shown earlier, being judgemental leads to the formation of negative thought forms that suck our energy (it takes a lot of energy to be angry).
Long-standing negative thought forms and emotions are more deeply embedded and harder to remove. Energy is important. Master Choa Kok Sui says that stillness and awareness aren't enough. Without spiritual energy, no expansion of consciousness. It will be hard to make sense of this unless you've seriously tried to meditate yourself.
"Okay, why didn't you just say 'be still and be aware' at the beginning?" Usually, it's helpful to trace out the underlying principles of certain activities, because with better understanding comes better internalization.
Now there's another aspect vis-a-vis judgement and the kingdom of heaven. The opposite of judgement is mercy and acceptance. And at the root of mercy and acceptance is love. God is love, and the Divine also has aspects of unity and oneness. Under the principle of like attracts like, if one has love, then the pull of the higher spiritual world exerts a stronger influence and one is able to catapult one's consciousness further into these supernal realms.
As you can see, that one passage of Jesus Christ has many levels of meaning and interpretation. If we accept the notion that the Bible is also an esoteric guide for deeper spiritual practice, then the Bible makes more sense.
Whether we view the Bible in its esoteric or exoteric interpretation, one thing remains clear: we need to live virtuous lives. In the outer sense, this leads to a more fulfilling and stress-free life and relationships. In the esoteric sense, character building will ultimately free up our energy that we can use to "soar" spiritually. Deeper study of the Bible (and all spiritual works, actually) helps one to tease out those precious jewels of wisdom that are hidden in plain sight. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it (John 1:5).
And so the passage in Mark 6:33 makes more sense: Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Does this article sound positively evangelical? Perhaps so, but if you've read my other articles you will see that spirituality is truly universal and does not cage itself into just any one box. So seek then, and seek with a little child's eyes.
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