“We are in the vale of tears, we are in a world trammeled by sin, and suffering, and darkness and doubt. How can this be heaven?”

Jesus’ answer, of course, was, “The kingdom of heaven is within and among you.” Though it’s usually translated as within or among, the Aramaic makes no subjective/objective distinction, so “the kingdom of God is at hand” can be taken quite literally. I’m unsure why we so often think it such a feat of strength and endurance to “get there” in that event. Perhaps, if we made it our task instead to simply “shuffle off this mortal coil”, so to speak, it would be easier. I should try that.

I believe I like the metaphor “heaven-consciousness” even better than “Christ-consciousness”. I wonder if “put on” in Corinthians and Philippians is a correct translation, though? That’s pretty ambiguous. It’s not exactly a hat. If we are the Body of Christ, it would seem to follow we are (or should be in) the mind of Christ as well. Might it be more correctly “transform into” or “be in”?

The “what would Jesus do” movement is inspiring. How should I know? Get into his mind. Imagine one’s self in his place. What would I say? What would I do? If we could to do that all the time, it’d be a lot harder to miss the mark, which is the original meaning of “sin”. As Ralph Waldo Emerson put it, “we aim above the mark to hit the mark”. That must be what’s wrong with humanity’s aim(s). Most of us aren’t aiming higher so much as we are aiming at each other.

Thich Nhat Hanh suggests we need love. John Ruusbroec suggests we need contemplation.

Thich Nhat Hanh stresses mindfulness (contemplation) in combination with “loving-kindness” (compassion). I’m not familiar with Ruusbroec, but I imagine he has a good deal to say about love as well. Another author to add to my reading list.

Hanh’s bridging of same and similar Buddhist and Christian concepts is unparalleled. Living Buddha, Living Christ and The Energy of Prayer are endearing reads.

“If we are the body of Christ, then we are called to put on the mind of Christ (I Corinthians 2:16, Philippians 2:5), and I don’t see how this can mean anything other than living a heavenly life, right here, right now, starting today. Starting this very minute. We do not have to wait until after we die to go to heaven. ”

You may already be aware that there is another beautiful Thich Nhat Hanh quote very much in line with what you said:

“The kingdom of God is available to you in the here and the now. But the question is whether you are available to the kingdom. Our practice is to make ourselves ready for the kingdom so that it can manifest in the here and the now. You don’t need to die in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. In fact, you have to be truly alive in order to do so.”

Thanks as always for your blog. Peace and Love to you and your loved ones.