“Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
“Poor in spirit” means “empty of desire” and “free of spiritual attachments” (all attachments being spiritual attachments). Free from attachments to things like...
Power/Control…
Knowledge/Certainty...
Having more/Having less/Having enough…
Social standing/Universal acceptance…
Team/Party/National identification or opposition...
Winning/Losing…
Spiritual pride/Being “good” (or “bad”)/Being “right” (or “wrong”)…
People who are free of spiritual attachments and recognize they need nothing more (or less) than what the universe is granting them now…and now…and now…live in heaven.
“Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth.”
“Meek” means “at one with the way of it.”
“Earth” means the world of one’s experience, which is created within.
When a person can be totally at one with the way of it, they will recognize that everything in the world is happening for them.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they will be filled.”
“Righteousness” means “clear thinking” or “understanding the Truth” (of eternal peace, love, support, perfect health, oneness, the non-existence of past/future...)
People who really want to know the Truth will ultimately find it and be filled with it.
“Blessed are the merciful for they will receive mercy.”
“Merciful” means “merciful in one’s thoughts and beliefs” (my actions are just an expression of what I’m thinking and believing)
Everything one receives comes from “the world.”
“The world” is created from within. It is believed into existence.
When one is merciful in one’s thoughts and beliefs, one notices the abundance of mercy in the world and then naturally experiences the world as merciful.
“Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God.”
The only place the world can exist is in the mind, so that is where all peace is made. And, for that reason, it only takes one person to make peace in the world.
So a “peacemaker” is a person who makes peace within their own mind.
A person who has made peace in their own mind will live with childlike innocence and allow themselves to be led entirely by “what is” the way a trusting child allows themselves to be led by a loving parent.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
There is only one source of persecution: oneself.
“Righteousness” means “clear-thinking” or “True understanding.”
When one can experience apparent persecution from the outside world and remember that all peace and persecution come from the inside, they will transcend their earthly existence and live in total peaceful oneness with what truly is..
“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Jesus represents “the Truth, the Way and the Life.” So “on my account” means “for living in accordance with the Truth, the Way and eternal Life.”
“Falsely” means all apparent “reviling,” “persecution” and “uttered evil” are imagined.
When one can seem to be reviled and persecuted and shouted down for living in accordance with the Truth, the Way and eternal Life and yet fully understand - as the prophets did - that all uttered “evil” is false, they transcend all stress and experience nothing but the joy and gladness and eternal peace of being at one with what is.
Understood this way, the Beatitudes are a great way to check in with myself.
Particularly when I'm suffering:
Am I free of desires or spiritual attachments?
Am I remembering that all suffering is followed by comfort?
Am I at one with what is, rather than consumed with the sense that I am separate?
Am I seeking true understanding?
Am I being merciful in my thoughts and beliefs?
Am I willing to occasionally experience apparent persecution in pursuit of the truth, the way of it and eternal life?
Am I ignoring false evil because I recognize I'm already living in heaven?
By presenting us this list of blessings, I think Jesus is saying, "If you are these things, you're blessed. If you're not ...well, you're still blessed but it’ll be hard for you to recognize it.
It's hard to recognize the kingdom of heaven when you're consumed with desires.
It's hard to recognize comfort without suffering.
It's hard to recognize you're at home in the world when you're seeing yourself as separate from it.
It's hard to recognize you're filled when you're not hungering to see things as they truly are.
It's hard to recognize mercy when you're judging the world harshly.
It's hard to recognize God all around you when your mind is closed.
It's hard to recognize how God is caring for you when you're at war with what is.
It's hard to recognize heaven's gifts in the here and now unless you can risk people's confused opposition.