The Father Within

“Look at the sun and tell me if it rising or setting,” said the Master as he lifted his walking stick in the direction of the sun and smiled at his student.

There was a time the student had been stumped by many of his Master’s questions but he could not believe the simplicity of this latest query.  He thought his Master might be joking, but then the teacher asked him again, “Look at the sun and tell me if it rising or setting.”

The student did not know how to respond to the question and simply said, “Why, the sun is rising, of course.  Why do you ask me such a simple question?”

“How do you know the sun is rising?” the teacher fired back not giving Kai a moment to think.

The student looked puzzled.  “What do you mean how do I know?” he said while waving his arms in the air.  “I know because it is morning and the sun always rises in the morning.  Day follows night and night follows day.  This is how it has been for centuries and how it will be for centuries to come.  You know I have studied Astronomy and Astrology as well as Physics, Logic, and...”

“Yes, yes,” interrupted the Master.  “I know you studied all these subjects because I taught you many of them, but how do you know the sun is rising?”

“Forgive me, dear Master, but is this one of your puzzles?  We know our solar system has nine planets.  The sun is at the center and planet Earth is the third planet from the sun.  It is now morning.  Because we know the orbit of Earth in relation to the sun and the rest of the planets, the sun is now rising.  This is how we know.”

The teacher smiled and walked back to sit by the tree.  He was proud of his student but knew there indeed would be yet another lesson on this day.  On this day, his student would understand a Great Thing. 

The student looked at the sun again then came back and sat by his teacher. 

“Master, is it not morning and is the sun not rising?  How can there be any other possibility?  Help me to understand the nature of your question.”

The Master’s heart filled with love.  There were moments when Kai’s burning curiosity made him look like a wonderful child exploring the world for the very first time. 

“You are a good man,” said the Master.  “You have gained much knowledge since we have been together, but it will be on this day you learn Truth.  Of course the sun is rising because it is morning, but my lesson to you is that you base this information from your current perspective; your perspective from being on planet Earth.  You mentioned other planets in our solar system, did you not?  Is it also morning on those planets?  Is the sun also rising on those planets?

“Today, I will teach you about perspective,” continued the Master.  “Much like your perspective allows you to draw the conclusion that the sun is rising, your religious perspective also allows you to draw certain conclusions about God.  This, too, is merely a perspective; an important perspective but nonetheless a perspective.  It is relative depending on your vantage point.  In fact, all things in the Universe are a matter of perspective.”