Just Passing Through: The Meaning of: “Become passers-by.” (Saying 42, Gospel of Thomas)
Some have wondered what this saying really means. Another translation renders it: “Come into being as you pass away.” (The Gospel of Thomas, Wisdom of the Twin, by Lynn Bowman) In other words, by meditation practice get established in the heavenly realms during this life, finding a permanent home there instead of remaining attached to samsara, the world of changes. And there’s another version this saying found in India: “The world is a bridge. Pass over it, but do not build your dwelling there.” (Arabic inscription at the site of a mosque at Fatehpur Sikri, India attributed to Isa or YesHUa)
More thoughts about the meaning of “Become passers-by” are found here: http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/thomas/gospelthomas42.html
