Teachings of Jesus Archives

Jesus Expounds the Law of Karma in the Aquarian Gospel

“The Lord with Peter, James and John were in Jerusalem; it was the Sabbath day. And as they walked along the way they saw a man who could not see; he had been blind from birth. And Peter said, Lord, if disease and imperfections all are caused by sin, who was the sinner in this case? the parents or the man himself?

And Jesus said, Afflictions all are partial payments on a debt, or debts, that have been made. There is a law of recompense that never fails, and it is summarized in that true rule of life: Whatsoever man shall do to any other man some other man will do to him. In this we find the meaning of the Jewish law, expressed concisely in the words, Tooth for a tooth; life for a life. He who shall injure any one in thought, or word, or deed, is judged a debtor to the law, and some one else shall, likewise, injure him in thought, or word or deed. And he who sheds the blood of any man will come upon the time when his blood shall be shed by man.

Affliction is a prison cell in which a man must stay until he pays his debts unless a master sets him free that he may have a better chance to pay his debts. Affliction is a certain sign that one has debts to pay. Behold this man! Once in another life he was a cruel man, and in a cruel way destroyed the eyes of one, a fellow man. The parents of this man once turned their faces on a blind and helpless man, and drove him from their door.
(Aquarian Gospel 138:1-13)

Afflictions all are partial payments on a debt, or debts, that have been made.

Some troubles are full payment and some are partial. But when it is over, the karmic debt has been reduced. That is the important thing.
“There is a law of recompense that never fails, and it is summarized in that true rule of life: Whatsoever man shall do to any other man some other man will do to him.”

There is a law of recompense that never fails, and it is summarized in that true rule of life: Whatsoever man shall do to any other man some other man will do to him.

Exactly what is done shall be done to us: the very same thing. If I steal, I will be stolen from; I will not just lose something of equal value to what I stole. Another human being will take it from me. This is very important. It is exact, like an echo: only what you say will come back to you, not something merely similar. Sometimes more than one karma will be be neutralized by a single thing that will reflect their general character. But, as I say, it is mostly an exact reaction.

A Joyous Christmas to You from Light of the Spirit Monastery

“Doors of joy, which may have been long closed within us all, should be thrown wide open at the coming Christmastide, in memory of One whose divine example has lit the way down twenty centuries. “This is my prayer for you all on this occasion … Continue reading

What Is the Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit?

Q: What exactly is the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit which cannot be forgiven? First we should look at the Bible references to the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit: “All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the … Continue reading

Real Peace vs. Imitation Peace–Which Do You Prefer?

Saint Thomas Cross A Commentary on the Gospel of Thomas

Jesus said, If two make peace with each other in this one house, they will say to the mountain, “Move Away,” and it will move away. (Gospel of Thomas 48)

This actually has two meanings, one outer and one inner.

Outer peace

It is very easy for people to be friends when they meet only occasionally in the right setting. Some families hardly know each other after years because they never really spend much time in one another’s company. But when two people live together–really live together for many hours a day–they meet each other’s quirks and flaws and the entire array of aberrations and peculiarities they have gathered over a long succession of lives.

Considering the fact that this earth plane is the bottom rung of the evolutionary ladder it should not surprise us that prolonged exposure to one another does not conduce to endearment. Conflict is bound to arise and exasperation with one another’s failings, not the least of which is egotism in its many forms.

Often one of the two will be very passive and recessive and will suffer for decades without a word, often without even admitting to themselves what a misery their life has become. When this happens they have “a good relationship” or marriage or association.

Of course it is no such thing at all, quite the opposite, but because

Questions and Answers About Saint Thomas Christianity

Q: Only God IS. I AM THAT. I AM BRAHMAN. MY FATHER AND I ARE ONE. How do the teachings of Advaita, Veda, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana fit with St. Thomas Christianity? Western Christianity? Eastern Orthodoxy? Catholicism?

The vital question is, how do those religious expressions fit with Sanatana Dharma? The degree of their agreement with Dharma is the degree of their validity. Dharma is the touchstone of all religious philosophy and practice.

The healings and miracles of Christ have been done by yogis before Christ and after. What does this mean and are these siddhis part of St. Thomas Christianity?

The meaning of Jesus’ miracles is simply that he, too was a yogi–and more, a perfectly realized master, an avatar. Since real Saint Thomas Christianity is the Sanatana Dharma taught by Jesus, certainly those siddhis have manifested. The pinnacle of the church in India was Saint Gregorios of Parumala, whose shrine is visited by thousand of Christians, Hindus and Moslems every day. His miracles are continuous. And Saint Gregorios was committed to the restoration of Dharma to the Saint Thomas Christian community.

Can a householder be a Saint Thomas Christian?

Certainly. Millions have been and are.

How can a St. Thomas Christian participate in Satsang?

That is a completely individual matter, but should not be limited to Christian groups.

Many believe Jesus taught in Kashmir and in fact is entombed in a Shrine in Kashmir. Some ancient Kashmiri texts point to Jesus in Kashmir, do you think this tomb is the tomb of Jesus?

How to Learn More About Jesus and His Teachings

Q: What is the most authentic document of Jesus’ teaching? The Gospel of Thomas? Are there others you would point to?

The Gospel of Thomas seems to be the most authentic. Certainly the four Gospels of the Bible contain his teachings, but mixed in with untrustworthy elements. Still, they should be read with the understanding that the sugar must be separated from the sand, as Sri Ramakrishna said about all scriptures. [Read The Gospel of Thomas for Awakening on our website or in print.]

The Second Coming of Christ by Yogananda [Available for download on our E-library] is invaluable in understanding Jesus’ teachings, as is his autobiography and the books of his public talks [see our post A Yogi’s Recommended Reading List.]

The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ is a remarkable document that does not claim to be infallible, but is also invaluable in understanding Jesus and the difference between THE Christ and A Christ. [Read online on our website and also The Aquarian Gospel for Awakening, a commentary.

The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ seems to be very much conformed to the idea of the narrators. Still, it is good to look into.

In The Christ of India the quotation from the Bhavishya Mahapurana is short but certainly authentic. There we see what Jesus thought of the religion of his land of birth and his definite adoption of Sanatana Dharma. [Also available in print.]