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At the beginning of chapter one, there is a prelude of sorts that states:

we are on the brink of a revelation, I am not the revealer, we are on the brink of a revelation, this is my role

. My question is, what does the author believe his role to be if not a revealer? A messenger that does not wish to take credit for the message? One who presents opportunities for people to find their own revelations? One who provides a foundation for exploration?

Good question! "This is my role". What is his role? He says he is not a revealer. What is the antecedent to "this"? He sounds like a revealer who doesn't want to be known as one. You present some other good possibilities as well!

I guess I look at it this way...John the Baptist announced that Jesus was coming. He never claimed to be Jesus, he was just the one to say..hey, everyone! Look, it’s him! And people had to make up
their own minds of they believed or not. I see the author saying..hey everyone! You can have revelation if you choose to. I’m just announcing it in case you want it. So I saw his role in the book as a trumpet blower announcing that we can live from the spirit instead of the mind.

That’s my best guess!

I think he believes he is a messenger sent to create awareness about the coming revelation to people, but he has no details about the revelation.

I think his role is to find the true meaning of Jesus teachings and his own revelations, then, provide the opportunity for others to find their own calling or revelations through his experience or writing.
I would call him a seer or a revealer. I understand that he does not want to take credit for his role in this because he didnt call himself to serve, he was called/chosen by Jesus. So, all the glory and credit of his revelations still belong to Jesus.

cpru68 wrote: ↑02 Mar 2019, 02:03 I guess I look at it this way...John the Baptist announced that Jesus was coming. He never claimed to be Jesus, he was just the one to say..hey, everyone! Look, it’s him! And people had to make up
their own minds of they believed or not. I see the author saying..hey everyone! You can have revelation if you choose to. I’m just announcing it in case you want it. So I saw his role in the book as a trumpet blower announcing that we can live from the spirit instead of the mind.

This is exactly how I read it.

What's more, the final part of the quote goes on to ask, "What is your role?"

This is the part that really made me think. What role do we each take on in moments of enlightenment? The author as a human has had to find his place within that space of mind and consciousness, as do each of us.

I think that the author tries to show that every person should find his own revelations. Maybe people need someone to urge them to make a certain revelation; however, no one can reveal something instead of you.

I think the author meant that his role is only to provide his readers with direction, but it is their own free will whether they want to follow that direction or not. To be precise, he is just acting as a propagator of what he believes to be his revelation, but every person has to decide on their own what they want to believe in and follow; nobody else can do that for them.

Maybe his role is simply sharing the information, like a museum tour guide, and lets the reader come to his or her own conclusions. I'm from a fairly liberal background and have extensive education in literary studies, so my interpretation may be a bit off.

I think he believes that the information he is sharing is transcendent, and so he cannot lay claim to the information in the book. In this way, he is simply an instrument through which truth can pass through and be translated.

I think in a way, saying that he's not the revealer, he dismisses himself as a prophet as other may deem him to be. By sharing this book, he just wants the world to know what is already there. It's like being a tour guide, just presenting what is there in front of you, saying that he is not the one who discovered it but he just helping you see what is already there. I think that was he meant about "there is a revelation". It's actually good sense when he announced that disclaimer. This makes him a genuine person. In the Bible, Revelations warn us about false prophets, the ones claiming they're the Messiah or have been sent by the Messiah to save us all. By discrediting himself, this avoids that certain part of the Bible, making his words in his books unbiased and selfish.

cpru68 wrote: ↑02 Mar 2019, 02:03 I guess I look at it this way...John the Baptist announced that Jesus was coming. He never claimed to be Jesus, he was just the one to say..hey, everyone! Look, it’s him! And people had to make up
their own minds of they believed or not. I see the author saying..hey everyone! You can have revelation if you choose to. I’m just announcing it in case you want it. So I saw his role in the book as a trumpet blower announcing that we can live from the spirit instead of the mind.

That’s my best guess!

Wow, that’s a very astute comparison to John the Baptist!! I agree that the author’s intention is to provide a revelatory message but it can be interpreted as the reader wishes

I think the author wants to be a messenger of spiritual growth. It's not so clear to me however, that part of the book where his mission seems to include something about his martial arts skills.

All of these comments make a lot of sense. I love cpru68's comparison to John the Baptist. Thank you for your ideas.

soccerts wrote: ↑02 Mar 2019, 16:51

cpru68 wrote: ↑02 Mar 2019, 02:03 I guess I look at it this way...John the Baptist announced that Jesus was coming. He never claimed to be Jesus, he was just the one to say..hey, everyone! Look, it’s him! And people had to make up
their own minds of they believed or not. I see the author saying..hey everyone! You can have revelation if you choose to. I’m just announcing it in case you want it. So I saw his role in the book as a trumpet blower announcing that we can live from the spirit instead of the mind.

This is exactly how I read it.

What's more, the final part of the quote goes on to ask, "What is your role?"

This is the part that really made me think. What role do we each take on in moments of enlightenment? The author as a human has had to find his place within that space of mind and consciousness, as do each of us.

That question in the end also hit me square in the eye. As a firm believer of Christian faith, it made me think of what is the role God designated for me. Maybe He was already leaving hints and I haven't picked them up yet. Also, it makes you realize that the author is trying to stir that sense of purpose for his reader.