By Victor M Fontane
The Gospel of Thomas isn’t really a “gospel” in the later sense; it’s more like a record of what Yeshu taught, before the people got obsessed with wrapping it all up in a story or dogma or system of dogmas (orthodoxy). This format actually mirrors Buddhist texts like the Udana, where the Buddha’s inspired utterances (spontaneous sayings) were recorded, each one standing alone as a teaching meant to provoke insight. This isn’t about expecting someone to come and save us. It’s about waking up to the reality of interbeing, causation, and liberation in the here and now.
Let’s take each saying, offer the clearest words possible, then open up the meaning with Buddhagang clarity.
Saying 18:
“The students said to Yeshua, Tell us how our end will be. Yeshua said, Have you discovered the beginning, and now are seeking the end? Blessed are those who stand at the beginning, for they will know the end and will not taste death.”
Buddhagang Clarity:
Here, Yeshu is pointing right back to the beginning less nature of awareness—standing at the beginning means gnoing (direct, unmediated understanding) the roots of things, seeing the fundamental nature without adding stories on top of it. This isn’t some prophecy about the world’s end; it’s an invitation to be present, to touch the truth beyond time. He’s saying, if you’re mindful, if you can see things as they are from the beginning, you won’t get caught up in the cycle of life and death in the usual way. Liberation means tasting the root of all things and seeing past the illusions that keep us running in circles.
Saying 20:
“The students said to Yeshua, Tell us what the kingdom of heaven is like. He said to them, It is like a mustard seed, the tiniest of seeds, but when it falls on prepared soil, it produces a great plant and becomes a shelter for the birds of heaven.”
Buddhagang Clarity:
The “kingdom of heaven” isn’t some militarized vision of heaven descending on earth with armies of angels taking over. It’s like a tiny mustard seed—small, unassuming, but it grows into something expansive and nourishing. Here, Yeshu is talking about karma and results. The kingdom is a process, an unfolding, not something external forced upon us. It’s what grows when we cultivate wholesome actions and mind states, when we till the soil of our minds and let the seeds of kindness, wisdom, and compassion take root. This isn’t about waiting for divine intervention but actively participating in creating a field where all beings find shelter.
Saying 22:
“Yeshua saw some babies nursing. He said to his students, These nursing babies are like those who enter the kingdom. They said to him, Then shall we enter the kingdom as babies? Yeshua said to them, When you make the two into one, and when you make the inner like the outer and the outer like the inner and the upper like the lower, and when you make male and female into a single one, so that the male will not be male nor the female be female, then you will enter the kingdom.”
Buddhagang Clarity:
Here, Yeshu is challenging dualistic thinking. The kingdom isn’t something “out there” separate from us. It’s about dissolving false boundaries—the inner and the outer, male and female, high and low. When we shed our fixed identities and attachments, we can move beyond these dualities and see our interconnectedness. This teaching resonates deeply with the Buddhist understanding of anatman (non-self) and interdependence. Entering the kingdom means letting go of the false divisions that keep us alienated from each other and from our true nature.
Saying 28:
“Yeshua said, I took my stand in the midst of the world, and I appeared to them in flesh. I found them all drunk, yet none of them thirsty. My soul aches for the human children because they are blind in their hearts and do not see. They came into the world empty and seek to depart from the world empty. But now they are drunk. When they shake off their wine, they will repent.”
Buddhagang Clarity:
Yeshu’s talking about ignorance here—the kind that keeps us lost in distractions and cravings. “Drunk” is his way of describing people trapped in their addictions, numbing themselves to the reality of suffering and the potential for liberation. He sees beings clinging to emptiness, chasing one illusion after another, and feels the deep compassion that drives all bodhisattvas. Waking up means shaking off the drunken stupor of delusion, facing reality as it is, and taking responsibility for ending suffering. This repentance isn’t about guilt but about sobering up to the truth.
Saying 5:
“Yeshua said, Know what is in front of your face, and what is hidden from you will be disclosed. There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed.”
Buddhagang Clarity:
This is a call to direct perception. The truth is right in front of us; we don’t need to look anywhere else. Yeshu emphasizes mindfulness, seeing clearly without projections. When you pay attention to what’s right here, you naturally uncover deeper layers of reality. This isn’t about some esoteric, hidden knowledge that only the elect can access—it’s about looking closely at the nature of mind, understanding the mechanisms of suffering, and realizing that liberation is always available in the present moment.
Saying 37:
“His students said, When will you appear to us and when shall we see you? Yeshua said, When you strip naked without being ashamed and take your clothes and put them under your feet like small children and trample them, then you will see the child of the living one and you will not be afraid.”
Buddhagang Clarity:
Yeshu’s teaching here is about dropping all pretenses, letting go of the ego-constructs and social masks that cover our true nature. To “strip naked” means to confront the raw, unvarnished self—without shame, without fear. This isn’t about literal nudity but about vulnerability, honesty, and freedom from the constraints of societal roles and expectations. Only then can we see the “child of the living one”—our original nature, free from conditioning and pretense.
Saying 39:
“Yeshua said, The Pharisees and the scholars have taken the keys of knowledge and have hidden them. They have not entered, nor have they allowed those who wanted to enter to go inside.”
Buddhagang Clarity:
Yeshu calls out those who hoard knowledge and distort teachings to maintain control. The Pharisees and scholars represent the gatekeepers of tradition, those who keep true understanding out of reach and twist the teachings to serve their own ends. This resonates with the Buddhist critique of dogma and empty ritual. True wisdom isn’t about adhering to rules for their own sake or wielding religious authority to suppress others. It’s about liberation, and anyone obstructing that path is missing the point.
Saying 47:
“Yeshua said, A person cannot mount two horses or bend two bows, and a servant cannot serve two masters, or the servant will honor one and offend the other. No one who drinks aged wine suddenly wants to drink new wine. New wine is not poured into aged wineskins or they may break, and new wine is not poured into a new wineskin or it may spoil. A patch is not sewn onto a new garment or it may tear.”
Buddhagang Clarity:
Here, Yeshu is talking about commitment and authenticity. You can’t serve two conflicting ideals; you have to choose. It’s about the danger of hypocrisy and trying to blend incompatible paths, a warning to those who want to cling to old, rigid views while pretending to be open to new insights. Just as Buddhism teaches that you must walk the path with integrity, Yeshu points to the need for a single-minded pursuit of truth. You can’t mix shallow beliefs with deep truths without causing harm. Choose your direction with clarity.
Each saying is a direct challenge to the rigid, oppressive narratives that later took hold. Yeshu isn’t preaching a passive wait for salvation; he’s calling for a deep, transformative work rooted in awareness, compassion, and authenticity. We’re not here to expect someone to rescue us—we’re here to wake up, to embody wisdom and compassion, to cultivate the kingdom within, right here and now. This is the bodhisattva Yeshu before the layers of sacrifice and doctrine obscured his teaching.
Let’s keep going tho..
What happened here?!
How did it go so wrong?
Here is some comparison and dialogue between the teachings in the Gospel of Thomas and Paul’s letters, emphasizing how they diverge.
Jesus (Gospel of Thomas, Logion 3):
“The kingdom is inside you and outside you. When you come to know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will realize that you are the children of the living Father.”
Paul (Romans 10:9):
“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Prem:
Jesus emphasizes direct self-realization and inner discovery, a path of gnosis (experiential knowledge), whereas Paul leans on faith and external confession, defining salvation through belief in Jesus’ resurrection.
Jesus (Gospel of Thomas, Logion 70):
“If you bring forth what is within you, what you have will save you. If you do not have that within you, what you do not have within you will kill you.”
Paul (Galatians 2:16):
“We know that a person is not justified by works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ.”
Prem:
Jesus highlights the transformative power of inner driving good karma, not bad karma, whereas Paul shifts toward salvation through faith in Jesus, distancing from the path of wisdom taken by Yeshu, the Galilean Bodhisattva. Paul’s approach suggests reliance on beliefs, contrasting with Jesus’ teachings in Thomas on what the Lankavatara Sutra calls inner self-realization of noble wisdom (Arya prajna), or gnosis.
Jesus (Gospel of Thomas, Logion 113):
“His disciples said to him, ‘When will the kingdom come?’ Jesus said, ‘It will not come by watching for it. It will not be said, “Look, here!” or “Look, there!” Rather, the kingdom of the Father is spread out upon the earth, and people do not see it.’”
Paul (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17):
“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout… And the dead in Christ will rise first.”
Prem:
Jesus teaches that the kingdom is already present, needing only awareness to perceive it. Paul’s vision of the kingdom is apocalyptic, an event to await in the future, diverging from the immediacy of Jesus’ kingdom in the here and now.
This comparison reveals a shift from Jesus’ emphasis on love and gnosis in the Gospel of Thomas to Paul’s doctrines of faith in the risen Christ and an externalized, future-oriented kingdom. This difference reveals Jesus as a bodhisattva figure, focusing on enlightenment, while Paul’s teachings realign the movement toward hierarchical worship and awaiting divine intervention.
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