Thoughts on Beatitudes-Understanding the deeper meanings

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The essence of all that can teach man to bring out the good in the soul of man is to be found in the Beatitudes as taught by Jesus Christ, the Murshid of murshids. And if anybody wants to see it practiced, he may go today and watch the life that the Sufis live in the East. It is they who have understood it properly and have practiced it to their utmost ability. Therefore, the real treasure of Christ's teaching is Sufism, although the latter is not called Christianity. However, the name makes no difference so long as the sense is right.

'Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.' 'Poor in spirit' means mild in ego, and the ego is by nature tyrannical. All the tyranny in the world is only caused by the ego. When the ego is laid before God, in other words, when the ego is illuminated with the knowledge of God, it begins to fade; for it denies its limited being and it realizes the being of God. So it loses all its tyranny, and becomes mild, which is being poor in spirit. This makes man's whole life heaven, both here and in the hereafter.

'Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.' All things are given to those who demand; only they deserve them, and only they can enjoy them. The infant cries when it is hungry, and it is given food, it is then that it enjoys it most. So it is with the lovers of God, with the seekers of truth. When their desire becomes so deep that it makes them mourn, it is then that they are comforted.

'Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.' There is a saying in Persian, 'If your word is sweet, you can win the world.' The world is too small when meekness can win even the hearts of men, for the heart can contain a thousand such worlds.

'Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.' There are only two paths: the path of light and the path of darkness. The former leads to all joy, while the latter leads to all sorrow. Not everyone understands this, but the one who understands goes in pursuit of it, for he knows that the only sustenance of his soul is righteousness.

'Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.' The warmth of one's own feeling takes away the coldness from another person's heart. Therefore, one cannot receive mercy either from the earth or from heaven, unless one has oneself awakened mercy in one's soul.