The news soon spread through all the valley of Gennersaret that Jesus and the twelve had come, and many people came to see. They brought their sick and laid them at the master’s feet, and all the day he taught and healed. The multitudes upon the other side who had been fed the day before and other multitudes, went down to see the Lord; but when they found him not they sought him in Capernaum. And when they found him not at home, they went on to Gennesaret. They found him there and said, Rabboni, when came you to Gennesaret? And Jesus said, Why are you come across the sea? you came not for the bread of life; you came to gratify your selfish selves; you all were fed the other day across the sea, and you are after more of loaves and fish. The food you ate was nourishment for flesh that soon must pass away. (Aquarian Gospel 125:1-7)
Sometimes a teacher has to speak very plainly and reveal what it really happening with seekers, especially when they do not want what the teacher has to offer, as in this case. Years ago I heard a recording of a spiritual leader in south India in which he said: “When I do what you want, you love me. When I don’t do what you want, you dislike me.” There is no room in spiritual life for dishonesty masquerading as diplomacy.
You men of Galilee, seek not for food that perishes, but seek for food that feeds the soul; and, lo, I bring you food from heaven. You ate the flesh of fish, and you were satisfied, and now I bring the flesh of Christ for you to eat that you may live for evermore. Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; and then they ate the flesh of quail, and drank the waters of a flowing spring that Moses brought out from the rock; but all of them are dead. The manna and the quail were symbols of the flesh of Christ; the waters of the rock were symbols of the blood. But, lo, the Christ has come; he is the bread of life that God has given to the world. Whoever eats the flesh of Christ and drinks his blood shall never die; and he will hunger nevermore; and he will thirst no more. And they who eat this bread of heaven, and drink these waters from the spring of life cannot be lost; these feed the soul, and purify the life. Behold, for God has said, When man has purified himself I will exalt him to the throne of power. (Aquarian Gospel 125:8-15)
You men of Galilee, seek not for food that perishes, but seek for food that feeds the soul; and, lo, I bring you food from heaven. You ate the flesh of fish, and you were satisfied, and now I bring the flesh of Christ for you to eat that you may live for evermore. The spirit is pure consciousness, but the soul consists of the subtle energy bodies that connect the spirit with the physical body. Earthly food is also formed of energies, gross and subtle, so it can affect the soul. As the Chandogya Upanishad says: “That which is the subtlest part of curds rises, when they are churned and becomes butter. In the same manner, that which is the subtlest part of the food that is eaten rises and becomes mind. The subtlest part of the water that is drunk rises and becomes prana. Thus, the mind consists of food, [and] the prana consists of water” (Chandogya Upanishad 6.6.1-3, 5; the same is confirmed in 6.7.1-6). So that which is eaten can have a spiritual effect.
Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; and then they ate the flesh of quail, and drank the waters of a flowing spring that Moses brought out from the rock; but all of them are dead. The manna and the quail were symbols of the flesh of Christ; the waters of the rock were symbols of the blood. But, lo, the Christ has come; he is the bread of life that God has given to the world. Whoever eats the flesh of Christ and drinks his blood shall never die; and he will hunger nevermore; and he will thirst no more. And they who eat this bread of heaven, and drink these waters from the spring of life cannot be lost; these feed the soul, and purify the life. The body and blood of Christ have a symbolic and a literal meaning. The symbolic flesh of Christ is the external way of life that leads to Christhood, and the symbolic blood of Christ is the Christ Consciousness that arises in those who follow the path of Christhood. The literal flesh and blood of Christ are the sacred elements that are consecrated in the holy eucharist (Mass) and infused with Christ Consciousness which is then absorbed by those who receive them, if they are sufficiently prepared and purified. Jesus came to bring both forms. Although his teachings were exactly those of classical Sanatana Dharma in India, the sacramental system of which the eucharist is a major part was the distinctive aspect of the Christian sampradaya which for over a thousand years was considered a part of Hindu dharma. See The Yoga of the Sacraments on ocoy.org.
Behold, for God has said, When man has purified himself I will exalt him to the throne of power. Purification is the essence of spiritual life. And it is in our hands. God’s power transforms us, but unless we are purified it cannot work the needed transformation. That is why Saint Paul said we are “workers together with him” (II Corinthians 6:1). Purity is accomplished by observance of strict moral principles and practices, the most important of which is yoga meditation.
Then Jesus and the twelve went to Capernaum; and Jesus went into the synagogue and taught. And when the Jews, who heard him in Gennesaret, were come they said, This fellow is beside himself. We heard him say, I am the bread of life that comes from heaven; and we all know that he is but a man, the son of man, who came from Nazareth; we know his mother, and his other kin. And Jesus knew their thoughts; he said to them, Why murmur you, and reason thus among yourselves? The Christ is everlasting life; he came from heaven; he has the keys of heaven, and no man enters into heaven except he fills himself with Christ. I came in flesh to do the will of God, and, lo, this flesh and blood are filled with Christ; and so I am the living bread that comes from heaven; and when you eat this flesh and drink this blood you will have everlasting life; and if you will, you may become the bread of life. (Aquarian Gospel 125:16-22)
The Christ is everlasting life; he came from heaven; he has the keys of heaven, and no man enters into heaven except he fills himself with Christ. Christ comes into the world through those liberated souls who are completely one with God in his aspect of Christ Consciousness, Ishwara, the Only-Begotten, the archetypal Son of God that is of course the Father in extension for the creation of the world. To attain the highest we must become one with this Christ, be filled with Christ. So our liberation will be an internal matter of transformation. For everything comes from within and happens from within.
I came in flesh to do the will of God, and, lo, this flesh and blood are filled with Christ; and so I am the living bread that comes from heaven; and when you eat this flesh and drink this blood you will have everlasting life; and if you will, you may become the bread of life. The stated purpose of the eucharist is for us to become Christs like Jesus, filled with the Christ, with God. But it must be supported by the Christ life in the world.
And many of the people were enraged; they said, How can this man give us his flesh to eat, his blood to drink? And his disciples were aggrieved because he said these things, and many turned away and followed him no more. They said, This is a fearful thing for him to say, If you eat not my flesh and drink my blood, you cannot enter into life. They could not comprehend the parable he spoke.
And Jesus said, You stumble and you fall before the truth; What will you do when you shall see this flesh and blood transmuted into higher form? What will you say when you shall see the son of man ascending on the clouds of heaven? What will you say when you shall see the son of man sit on the throne of God? The flesh is naught; the spirit is the quickening power. The words I speak are spirit; they are life. (Aquarian Gospel 125:23-30)
The things Jesus speaks of here are the signs of a totally transmuted being. They are purely spiritual phenomena and incomprehensible to those devoid of spiritual awakening. Such people will go on and on about “disgusting cannibalism” and suchlike, not realizing the nature of this transforming mystery.
When Jesus saw the many who had been so loud in their professions of their faith in him, turn back and go away, he said unto the twelve. Will you desert me in this hour and go away? But Peter said, Lord, we have no place else to go; you have the words of everlasting life; we know that you are sent to us from God. (Aquarian Gospel 125:31-33)
Although not yet fully aware of the divine mysteries, the apostles’ intuition told them that Jesus was a teacher of truth, a messenger of eternal life come from God for their liberation into Spirit.
Read the next section in the Aquarian Gospel for Yogis