24. His disciples said, "Show us the place where you are, for we must seek it."
He said to them, "Anyone here with two ears had better listen! There is light within a person of light, and it shines on the whole world. If it does not shine, it is dark."
Gospel of Thomas, Coda 24.
“His disciples said, ‘Show us the place where you are, for we must seek it.’ He said to them, ‘Anyone here with two ears had better listen! There is light within a person of light, and it shines on the whole world. If it does not shine, it is dark.’"
The disciples ask Jesus to show them “the place” where he is. Where is this place? What is this place? It is not a geographic place. It is not a place at all, whether located within Jesus or outside Jesus. It is not associated with his body. Rather this place is the kingdom of God, the kingdom of God being Self or Consciousness, not a personal self or state of consciousness. They are asking Jesus for direction about how to realize this Self or Consciousness. This is not something Jesus can give them. He can reveal it to them, but they need to seek it and find it. They need to pursue it and realize it. Their true individual self or consciousness must connect with this true, essential Self or Consciousness. We can say that this Self or Consciousness is God, so we can say that what the disciple is seeking is God-realization or Self-realization.
A person of light is one in who exists divine light, the light of Consciousness or Self or God or the reality of the Kingdom of God. As this light is uncovered, it shines upon the world. It is possible for a person to not be a person of light. At this point in the person’s evolution or development there is neither light nor semblance of light. Therefore it doesn’t shine and is dark. The light can be discovered after it is revealed to the disciple and the disciple pursues the practices that lead to its realization.
Self-realization or God-realization involves both grace and works. Grace comes into a disciple’s life through the presence of the teacher. The teacher initiates the disciple into knowledge of the reality of the “place that he is in,” the Self that is God or the Consciousness that is God. The teacher is one who knows what he initiates the disciple into. The disciple then must seek or pursue the knowledge, or experience, that has been realized to him. An external teacher is helpful, even important, but essentially the teacher is within, the Christ or Light that is within.
