The tip of the iceberg is just the visible part but what is not seen at the surface is that much more awesome. What we can know and see in life is also like that.
What men portrayed of saints like Jesus does not do justice to their actual greatness. We fail to project them in the right image. Small wonder we should ideally not have images of God and saints both literally and metaphorically.
The humility of Jesus is worth mention time and time again. His humility is his greatness more so with the persecution he was subjected to in the days when he was in flesh. What was apparent of his humility is just the tip of the iceberg and often negated somewhat by men who blow up his image as overpowering and mighty to extent that men fear him and yet love him.
It was his sheer humility and genuine warmth and love for men despite the odds that is his selling point as God the Son and God the Man. He was never God the angry father but one who loves and welcomes even prodigal sons who have spurned the father.
What men portrayed of saints like Jesus does not do justice to their actual greatness. We fail to project them in the right image. Small wonder we should ideally not have images of God and saints both literally and metaphorically.
The humility of Jesus is worth mention time and time again. His humility is his greatness more so with the persecution he was subjected to in the days when he was in flesh. What was apparent of his humility is just the tip of the iceberg and often negated somewhat by men who blow up his image as overpowering and mighty to extent that men fear him and yet love him.
It was his sheer humility and genuine warmth and love for men despite the odds that is his selling point as God the Son and God the Man. He was never God the angry father but one who loves and welcomes even prodigal sons who have spurned the father.
He was and is like God as is the case with all heavenly saints. But he stands out more prominently in modern world than any other saints. He wins the love and imagination of men in all religions and outside religions.
But what we know is only the tip of the iceberg and may not correctly depict him or do justice to him. He is loved even in the oriental East where he is regarded as one of their saints or enlightened ones. But what men portrayed of him is at best the tip of the iceberg and will never be correct somehow as there is much more than meet the eyes.
Jesus was so humble and knew his place. He never tried to compete in stature to the authority of the synagogues or of the land. He did not change or decry the Old Testament.
But the paranoia of the authority of the land was not assured though he said,"Render to Caeser what is due to Caeser and to God what is due to God" He was the victim of the paranoia and was crucified.
He never set himself on collision course with the land but men who knew him did. That was the problem - not at all of his making but that of men who knew him but not in depth. They only knew him like the tip of the iceberg, misrepresented him and drove wedge between him and mighty warlords of the land.
Jesus was so humble and knew his place. He never tried to compete in stature to the authority of the synagogues or of the land. He did not change or decry the Old Testament.
But the paranoia of the authority of the land was not assured though he said,"Render to Caeser what is due to Caeser and to God what is due to God" He was the victim of the paranoia and was crucified.
He never set himself on collision course with the land but men who knew him did. That was the problem - not at all of his making but that of men who knew him but not in depth. They only knew him like the tip of the iceberg, misrepresented him and drove wedge between him and mighty warlords of the land.
The same applies to Gotama Buddha or Lao Tse. Men live in awe of them but often what they perceive of them is just the tip of the iceberg and often distorted out of proportion and diluted by the fertile fantasy and adoration of men.
Gotama loves lives and advocates harmlessness to all beings but in his day in the flesh, he ate what was given to him as alms and this often included meat. But he is projected as vegetarian. That is due to the awe of men for him.
Gotama loves lives and advocates harmlessness to all beings but in his day in the flesh, he ate what was given to him as alms and this often included meat. But he is projected as vegetarian. That is due to the awe of men for him.
Lao Tse has been projected as the great immortal of immortals but his greatness is his being man and wanting to have the peace of the ordinary man by fading into and merging with nature at large. He wants to be part of omnipresent nature
We will always have limited insight somehow of saints due to the tip of the iceberg phenomenon so long as we are men and not yet saints. Religions are of men, by men and for men. What men of religions tell us is like the tip of the iceberg but what there is out there is like the iceberg below the surface.
But the finite little or much we know if we know of saints and their basic teachings is ironically already really good enough. The limited teachings if practiced well is good enough for now to give us peace and lift us to the 7th Heaven and beyond.
Gautama insisted that he only needed to teach what he taught and not more. What he taught he said is like the leaves in his hand but what he has not told is like the leaves in the forest.
But even a tiny fraction of this little is enough for the wise and discerning to have peace of the moment and eventual peace of Nirvana - the bliss of Enlightenment.
But the finite little we know as said by great Buddha should be used by us as a raft to cross to the other shore and to move on further. The Buddha said this, didn't he? We will then not need the raft anymore or do we?
Gautama insisted that he only needed to teach what he taught and not more. What he taught he said is like the leaves in his hand but what he has not told is like the leaves in the forest.
But even a tiny fraction of this little is enough for the wise and discerning to have peace of the moment and eventual peace of Nirvana - the bliss of Enlightenment.
But the finite little we know as said by great Buddha should be used by us as a raft to cross to the other shore and to move on further. The Buddha said this, didn't he? We will then not need the raft anymore or do we?
Did Gotama ever said his teaching is for his followers only and for those who worship him? Did he ever say that non-Buddhists will be denied the bliss of the peace of the moment through the Middle Way? Well, men will ever be men and see only the tip of the iceberg and add fantasy and flavor to what they knew and see.
Men will end up somehow making other men crazy over the raft, adoring and singing praises of the raft instead of using it - might as well keep the raft in the museum. But some go even further than that.
They worship the raft and the raft somehow or other ends up as the image of God and saints. The raft is the Word and the Word is God and saints. This we often say, didn't we?
The same predicament applies to the other saints and what men tell other men about them may often not do justice at all to them and to what they set out to do. The ramifications of religion as institution of society were far from their mental radar when they were around in the flesh.
Do painstakingly make efforts to be aware of the tip of the iceberg phenomenon and wise up. There is more to life than the tip of the iceberg --- than what we know and what others want us to know. That will always be and ever will be.
Think more and see more of the whole iceberg. Think for ourselves and not follow the crowd. Size up the reality and know better that way. We would be surprised why we didn't do so earlier. God bless and cheers to men.
Men will end up somehow making other men crazy over the raft, adoring and singing praises of the raft instead of using it - might as well keep the raft in the museum. But some go even further than that.
They worship the raft and the raft somehow or other ends up as the image of God and saints. The raft is the Word and the Word is God and saints. This we often say, didn't we?
The same predicament applies to the other saints and what men tell other men about them may often not do justice at all to them and to what they set out to do. The ramifications of religion as institution of society were far from their mental radar when they were around in the flesh.
Do painstakingly make efforts to be aware of the tip of the iceberg phenomenon and wise up. There is more to life than the tip of the iceberg --- than what we know and what others want us to know. That will always be and ever will be.
Think more and see more of the whole iceberg. Think for ourselves and not follow the crowd. Size up the reality and know better that way. We would be surprised why we didn't do so earlier. God bless and cheers to men.
