◎Jade Tablet – 10 – 32
◎The Setup for Vertical Ascent – 32
◎The Great Reversal and Inversion – 11
◎A Great Saint Should Be Treated with Utmost Respect
Continuing from Hallaj on the execution platform:
『Then his eyes were gouged out. A commotion arose from the people. Some wept, others threw stones. When they tried to cut out his tongue, he said, “Wait just a moment. I have one word to say.”
And he said this towards heaven:
“O God, in consideration of this pain which these men inflict upon me for Thy sake, do not make them unfortunate, and do not withhold Thy grace from them. Praise be to God! These men have cut off my hands and feet for Thy sake. If they cut off my head, it will be in the midst of beholding Thy glory.”
Then his ears and nose were cut off, and stones were thrown at him.』
(Ibid., p. 359)
Even Jesus did not face such a terrible fate. Perpetua in the ancient Roman arena is famous for having endured something similar.
However, the backlash against the horrific death of the great saint Jesus can be seen in the Jewish diaspora. Great saints, both East and West, must be treated with utmost respect.
Since many awakened individuals do not preach the Dharma, an enlightened person who actively expounds the truth is all the more precious.
Could it be that the people of Islam at that time would not have realized the truth about Hallaj unless he was brought to such a state?
Shakyamuni saying that those who attain enlightenment by seeing the shadow of a whip are of the highest capacity truly captures the essence of this matter.
