The Fruit of Knowledge

The story of Adam and Eve isn’t a story about the creation of original sin; it contains the wisdom of the original self and the way to find our way back to the origin of our pure nature.

Humans developed through the creation of evolution, we are constantly improving in mind and body, in knowledge and strength. Also our spiritual self is constantly evolving forward. Over the past millennium it has been only a few special beings who found the way to enlightenment through the special grace of devotion, certain individuals found the way to unite with the universal oneness of creation or “God” as it is commonly called, like the Buddha and Jesus. These beings taught others and passed the wisdom down through their linage and teachings. Now this wisdom has spread across the globe and is readily available for everyone who seeks it.

Before Eve ate the fruit from the tree of knowledge she didn’t know anything, she lived in the bliss of wisdom, accepting the environment around her as it was, perceiving her world in its total purity, there was no perception of good nor evil, no knowledge of right or wrong, everything just existed as it was, as creation. Then she was persuaded by the serpent to taste the fruit, which she thoughtfully shared with Adam. When they tasted the fruit of knowledge, they became like God, they knew the difference between good and evil, they could judge what was right and wrong.

Before Adam and Eve ate the fruit their minds were completely still, no thought rippled through their minds, they didn’t know anything, everything was purely calm and peacefully still. They had no judgement because there was no need to know right from wrong because everything was perfect, everything was just the way it is was meant to be. Nothing appeared as either positive or negative, they accepted life in its pure state, they didn’t question anything, and they lived in the perfect state of harmony with everything that existed.

The way to reach primordial purity is to see everything as it purely is, to find the true essence of everything as it is created, neither good nor bad, to see everything just as it is. It is possible to obtain this state of pure perception, you just have to recognize it; it wasn’t taken away, it was covered over by knowledge, by thoughts and emotions. When thoughts and emotions are kept still your mind becomes free to see clearly. Everything you know is still in your mind, thought is suspended, motionless and mind is clear.

I have a lot of problems with the story of Adam and Eve. By planting a glorious fruit tree in the middle of the garden of Eden and then telling the inhabitants not to eat the fruit, it seems to me that God put temptation in the way of Adam and Eve, not the serpent, the serpent told Eve the truth, that she would become wise like God. God had lied to them and told them that they would die the day they ate the fruit. God judged them and condemned them when he discovered what they had done. It is not good to judge people, though I suppose that is God’s prerogative.

I think what they gave up when they ate the fruit was their faith in God. He had told them not to eat it and expected them to have blind faith and do what he said. When they went against His word, God lost faith in people. When they ate the fruit, knowledge came into their minds, thoughts formed; they started to think, to question, to ask why it is so? Their minds were no longer in the pure state of stillness that is the state of grace. The wonderful thing is that it is quite possible to get that grace back, by believing in yourself, finding faith in yourself, believe that the divine is inside you. Have faith in the belief of your own divinity.

If God is all knowing, he must have known they would eat the fruit. And why didn’t he know they had? He came looking for them on a walk through the garden and found them hiding behind a tree because they were ashamed of being naked. I am not sure where they got the idea that being naked was shameful and their sex had to be hidden behind fig leaves? May be they could see that it was their sex that made them different from each other. And what’s with this original sin? That Adam’s sin is passed on through sex to his sons? God told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply, he didn’t say sex was sinful. The idea of original sin was invented by St Paul and expanded by St Augustine.

If Eve hadn’t shared knowledge with Adam we wouldn’t have had civilization, humans wouldn’t have created all the wonderful works of art and inventions nor had all the amazing thoughts that we have had, are having and will have. I wouldn’t have the knowledge to find my way back to how we were before we had knowledge. And now I have both – the pure serenity of stillness and peace AND all the knowledge of the ages.

So thanks Eve for giving Adam an apple, I think you started us out on an amazing journey of discovery.

I’ve been in that garden with Eve and the snake – the snake gave her the energy. Wow! Imagine what happened in Eve’s brain when the power of thought went into it, it must have blown her mind! Like how I felt when the snake revealed to me the power of faith.