Forgiveness, mercy, grace

 

a.

Present in every man and

In every man the same,

Spirit is as much man's birthright as flesh.

 

That which separates man from the beasts,

That which makes man human, is not that

He is both flesh and spirit,

For all living things are in this alike.

 

What makes him fully human,

What separates man from all other life,

Is his capacity for knowing that

This is the case.

 

As man's birthright is both to flesh and to spirit,

All men are justified at birth;

All men are born into the justice - the truth - that

The life of man is simply thus - lived there

On the balance between flesh and spirit,

On the balance between sin and righteousness,

On the balance between suffering and happiness.

 

From the day of his birth, man lives to survive,

Man lives a life of the flesh - 

Of body, of heart, of mind, and

Of the Self arising therefrom.

 

Thus arising from flesh, Self is but

A mirage, a phantom, a dream, and

Possesses no real being.

 

b.

Present in every man and

In every man the same,

Spirit is as much man's birthright as flesh.

Not of the flesh,

Spirit is not of the body, 

Of the heart, of the mind, or

Of the Self arising therefrom.

 

Spirit is neither mirage, nor phantom, nor dream, but

Alone has true being.

 

Selfless, spirit has no ego;

Empty of ego,

Spirit has no “other.”

 

“Other-less,” spirit

Makes no distinctions;

Making no distinctions,

There is nothing spirit prefers.

 

Without preferences,

There is nothing spirit desires.

 

Without desires,

Spirit devises no plans and

Strives toward no ends.

Striving towards no ends,

There is nothing spirit wills.

 

Without ends and without will,

Spirit suffers no disappointment,

Spirit suffers no frustration,

Spirit suffers no anger;

Spirit suffers no harm.

Suffering no harm,

Spirit offers no forgiveness;

Spirit extends no mercy.

Distinct from no "other,"

Spirit offers no com-passion but

Only union,

Only Charity,

Only Love.

 

c.

Born to both flesh and to spirit, and

Into the single grace of

Knowing that his greatest happiness

Exists in drawing ever closer to spirit,

Man looks not for an "other"

But only for union;

Looks not without

But only within -

Spirit in constant communion with spirit

In Charity,

In Love.