Q: Do you base for your knowledge about Jesus Christ and his teachings on the presently available Bible or some other book(s)?
Though they are not well known, there are quite a few books about the lives of Jesus and his mother Mary. They were considered authoritative by the early Christians but are mostly forgotten today except by the Eastern Christians. I have made a compilation of many of them and written a commentary on each one. The manuscript is over three hundred and fifty pages, and I hope it will be printed in the future. Presently the entire text is posted on the ocoy.org website under the title: “The Unknown Lives of Jesus and Mary.”
Several Christian mystics had visions of Jesus’ life, especially Anna Catherine Emmerich whose three-volume Biblical Revelations is quite remarkable and very reliable. Teresa Neumann, who is written about in Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramhansa Yogananda, had many visions of Jesus’ life, and they can be found in The Visions of Teresa Neumann, by Johannes Steiner. Three volumes by him in German are also available.
The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ by Nicolas Notovitch is the translation of a Tibetan manuscript found in a Buddhist monastery in Ladakh in the nineteenth century, and is available from more than one publisher. Information on that and two other sources, the Bhavishya Mahapurana and the Nathanamavali can be found in my book The Christ of India which is posted on our website and available in a print version.
In my estimation one of the most valuable books of Jesus’ life is The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ by Levi Dowling. It is a record of his mystical visions of Jesus’ life, and lays no claim to being perfect or infallible, but the teachings in it are of great value, including the account of his years spent in India. This can also be found on our website along with a commentary by me.
The best exposition of Jesus’ true teachings are found in The Second Coming of Christ by Paramhansa Yogananda. The version published by the Amrita Foundation is also posted on our website, but the print version from Self-Realization Fellowship is more complete. Yoganandaji’s books of talks and articles contain a great deal of trustworthy explanations of Jesus’ teachings.
Jesus Christ and Yoga by Shyam Sundar Goswami is very instructive also.
Q: Do you consider the whole of the presently available Bible literally as the Infallible Word of God without any errors or untruths in it as is believed by Christians?
I do not believe that any of the Bible is infallible or the Word of God. There have been many alterations in the texts through the centuries, some to suit the ideas of Jewish rabbis and some to suit the theology of state-supported Christianity. So we must sift through and use our judgement as to the value of what we find there.
The Vedas are the infallible Word of God–Shabda Brahman. The purity of the text can be tested by purely mathematical formulae. (My knowledge of such processes is nil, so Indian scholars and pandits must be consulted regarding this.) I do believe that the interpretations and translations of the Vedas by Maharshi Dayananda Saraswati and others of the Arya Samaj (notably Pandit Anandapriya of Baroda) are the most trustworthy.
Having said this, I must in all honesty aver that in my opinion the supreme universal scripture is the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, and I believe every word with my whole heart.
In case you are not aware, I believe that Jesus (Ishanath) was a Sanatana Dharmi, neither Jewish nor Christian, who drew his wisdom from the teachings of the ancient rishis and master yogis of India.
In his new book, Satsang with the Abbot: Questions & Answers about Life, Spiritual Liberty, and the Pursuit of Ultimate Happiness, Abbot George answers over 350 of your questions on all aspects of spiritual life in 402 pages. It is still available on Amazon in ebook format for 99¢ until the end of the month, when it reverts to its normal price of $3.99.
You can also order the paperback version here. Plus you can download a free PDF of Satsang with the Abbot from our eLibrary. Thanks for your support in the launch of this new book!
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ “Abbot George speaks as one who knows his subject well, and answers in an manner that conveys an effortlessness and humor that puts one at ease, while, at the same time, a wisdom and sincerity which demands an attentive ear.” ~ Russ Thomas