The Inner Vision of the Pure in Heart Who Apprehend God
The Sixth Beatitude in the Gospel Record
(Please read the introduction to this series of articles and the first five beatitudes)
The next beatitude reads as follows in the English and the Aramaic:
“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” (KJV)
Tubwayhun layleyn dadkeyn b’lebhon d’hinnon nehzun l’alaha
The word pure, like righteousness, which we have discussed in an earlier beatitude, can be misleading and full of religious dogma. This is not unlike the word holy, as if there is a measure or standard to live up to achieve a more spiritually advanced state. Purity is an inside job, and very personal, not something that you fashion on the outer garment of being for all to see.
In this way, being pure does not begin with the outer presentation—how you look, dress, or behave. It is not the external image of a sparking façade that you present to others. We have all felt insecure, unworthy, and inadequate, and there is the tendency to conceal these perceptions of self in favor of a contrived glittering image. We just want to be liked and accepted, and we may paint an exterior version of self to be acknowledged by others.
With the help of Neil Douglas-Klotz, we find that dadkeyn in its Aramaic origins, “refers to those (who are) ‘consistent’ in love or sympathy, those who have both a natural sense of influence and abundance and a fixed, electrifying purpose. The old roots call up the image of a flower blossoming because that is its nature.”[1]
To be pure is an innate state of being—it is who you are in your innermost self. Purity is allowing your true nature to unfold on your outer countenance, being exhibited in your behavior. This is like a flower in its natural course of expression offering its radiance because that’s what it does. You don’t try to be pure, no, there is no effort involved. You simply are pure, and like a blooming flower this is what is represented in your life. It’s what you do because of who you are—outer life becoming congruent with inner truth. You may not always demonstrate purity, yet as you return to your essential self, you once again offer the qualities of true being.
Regarding the heart: “The word translated as heart (lebhon) also carries the sense of any center from which life radiates—a sense of expansion plus generative power: vitality, desire, affection, courage, and audacity all rolled into one.”[2] Your heart is in the core of your being and the very place where your true radiance, your purity, emanates from. Sure, the physical heart is a pump that circulates blood throughout the body and is the anatomical center of the circulatory system and is vital to life.[3] Beyond this the heart center is associated with emotions, intuition, compassion, and connection, and where you feel love, empathy, and a deeper understanding of self and others.
The heart chakra, the energy center in the middle of the chest, represents love, compassion, and emotional balance, while facilitating emotional states and spiritual growth. It is also known to be the location of soul or mind and is the center of consciousness. It is the midpoint between the lower three energy centers of grounding and the higher three chakras of transcendence. The heart is the meeting ground of earth and sky, body and spirit.
Ramana Maharshi has written: “The Heart is the center of the Self, and the Self is the center of centers.”[4] This Self—Divine Self—is referred to as Atman in eastern practices. In the Hebrew Bible of Judeo-Christian traditions this center is home to the image of God—the Imago Dei within. Spirit—yours and Gods—finds a home in the Heart. In Taoist philosophy this inward center is represented as the Uncarved Block and is pristine and immaculate.
This Divine Within is accessed by bringing awareness to the Heart Center. Christian mystics employ the practice of drawing attention from the mind down into the heart in an attitude of surrender. Theophan the Recluse has written that:
“To pray is to descend with the mind into the heart, and there to stand before the face of the Lord, ever-present, all seeing, within you.”[5]
The practitioners and researchers at HeartMath offer the essential practice of Heart-Focused Breathing.[6] With this method you breathe—softly, gently, and slowly—in and out of the heart space, keeping your fixed attention on your heart. You can add a renewing emotion, such as gratitude, appreciation, or love, as you breathe in and out of this dynamic center.
And what about this seeing of the pure in heart referenced in this beatitude? From the Aramaic text the word “nehzun could be translated ‘see,’ but also points to inner vision or contemplation. The old roots evoke the image of a flash of lightning that appears suddenly in the sky: insight comes like that.”[7] So, in this seeing, there is a flash of insight that results from the inner vision of a consistent contemplative practice.
And what is it that is seen? God, in this beatitude, is “‘the One,’ (and) the roots of the word alaha points to the force and passionate movement of the cosmos through the soul of every living thing. Another image from the roots of alaha is the furthest extent of a cosmic force that also possesses identity… “[8]
This God that is observed is the vital force energy or spirit of the universe—All That Is. In this way you see the Creator, the origin of all things—Source Consciousness. This is a great mystery, to see with the inner eyes of the heart beyond the physical eyeballs, yet it is essential to spiritual development.
Those who have seen beyond the physical material world while peering into higher dimensional realties have much to reveal. This is for everyone and not only a select few, yet how the pure in heart see God is a very individual experience, and not always spoken about.
In response, Douglas-Klotz has presented these renderings from the Aramaic:
· Blessed are the consistent in heart; for they shall contemplate on the One.
· Healthy are those whose passion is electrified by deep, abiding purpose; they shall regard the power that moves and shows itself in all things.
· Aligned with the One are those whose lives radiate from a core of love; they shall see God everywhere.
And here is what I have crafted in response to contemplating this beatitude:
· Blessed are those who descend into the heart to express the radiance of their true inner being; for they shall see with vision and insight the Source of all things.
May you realize your true inner nature of pure beingness and express this in all your days.
[1] Prayers of the Cosmos—Reflections on the Original Meaning of Jesus’ Words, by Neil Douglas-Klotz
[2] Douglas-Klotz
[3] Search Labs | AI Overview
[4] https://hridaya-yoga.com/what-is-the-heart-center/
[5] The Path to Salvation—A Manual of Spiritual Transformation
[7] Douglas-Klotz
[8] Douglas-Klotz