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God and Man

Hoffman's portrait of ChristPart 35 of the Aquarian Gospel for Awakening

Where God cannot be found

Every year in the city of Jagannath Puri in eastern India, a great festival takes place during which a gigantic chariot is pulled through the streets carrying the image of Krishna. It is from this that we get our English expression “Juggernaut.”

“In all the cities of Orissa Jesus taught. At Katak, by the river side, he taught, and thousands of the people followed him.

“One day a car of Jagannath was hauled along by scores of frenzied men, and Jesus said, Behold, a form without a spirit passes by; a body with no soul; a temple with no altar fires. This car of Krishna is an empty thing, for Krishna is not there. This car is but an idol of a people drunk on wine of carnal things. God lives not in the noise of tongues; there is no way to him from any idol shrine” (Aquarian Gospel 26:1-6).

This is not easy for externalized people to accept, for in their outward-turning ways they sincerely seek to worship and communicate with God. In His words Jesus does not condemn them or they external rites, but wishes to explain to them that they are looking for God in a mistaken manner and in a mistaken place.

Truly God is everywhere and in all things, yet they seem to blind us to Him rather than reveal Him. Sri Ramakrishna often said that even though an almanac makes predictions of rainfall you cannot get a single drop of water by squeezing it; and although water is everywhere in all things and in the air itself, we have to go where water is accumulated in sufficient quantity if we would quench our thirst. So we have to find God’s “reservoirs” if we would commune with Him. However well-meaning and sincere our approach and endeavors might be, they must be in harmony with the nature of things–and God–to be successful.

Jesus has begun by telling us two places where the Water of Life cannot be found: in words–whether theologizing, praising, or petitioning–and in external objects. No, we really do not “see God” in the wonders of nature, in impressive temples or in any imagery whatsoever–verbal or visual. Nor are we really “lifted up” toward God by concepts of any kind, whether devotional or intellectual. Nor can we draw near to God by words. Because of the Protestant stamp on our culture, every time the word “idol” comes up only visual images of holy persons or deities become targeted in our minds, but idols are much more–they are any “thing” whatsoever that intervenes between us and the perception of God, and that includes just about everything that is presented to us as a bridge or door to God by religion (or even yoga). Our own heart can be an idol shrine from which we can find no way to God because the idols cover or block the exits.

Both words and imagery affect us profoundly, but only on the levels of intellect and emotion. They have nothing to do with consciousness–rather they veil it–and that is the sole component of spirit. Thoughts and emotions are blots on the fabric of our awareness; they are the waves in our mind that Patanjali says must be erased before we can touch God in the state of union we call yoga. Yet we clings to those idols with the strength of a spiritual death-wish. Considering that we really have no experience of anything else, that is understandable–but it is no less deadly. Most people have no religion at all, only a set of ideas and “feelings” about them and God. The truth is simple: we really worship the false ego-self we call “me” and ignore (and often deny the very existence of) our true self and the true God. Most religion and “spirituality” is a wasteland of spiritual death, however endlessly they may be entertaining and assuring.

Where God can be found

Unlike most religion, though, Jesus does not tell us what to avoid and then leave us there, as empty as we were before. He goes on to tell us the sure place to find God:

“God’s meeting place with man is in the heart, and in a still small voice he speaks; and he who hears is still” (Aquarian Gospel 26:7).

First we must clear out the idols from the shrine of our heart. Once we do that, the blindness will vanish and we will perceive God to be present–as He always was. Admittedly, it is not as simple and quick as saying it, and we need to “invoke” the presence of God through the interior process of meditation. And once we become aware of the Presence we must do more: we must hear the “still small voice” by which “he speaks.” That is why we use sound (mantra) in meditation. By entering into the most subtle modes of sound which touch the Silence out of which God speaks, we train our inner ear to hear His “speech.” It is far subtler than ordinary verbal speech, is actually a state of consciousness (bhava), but it is the purest form of communication. This is why Patanjali sometimes refers to meditation in the Yoga Sutras as “bhavanam.”

How will we know we have truly heard “the still small voice”? Jesus tells us: “He who hears is still.” That is, we will dwell in the Silence beyond the noise of ignorance and relativity, and we will be “still” in our lives, no longer initiating karma or delusive involvements. This does not mean that we will become inactive and passive, but that we will be able to act without making more ripples in the sphere of our lives. This, too, is part of eliminating the waves that inhibit the state of yoga. “He who sees the inaction that is in action, and the action that is in inaction, is wise indeed. Even when he is engaged in action he remains poised in the tranquility of the Atman” (Bhagavad Gita 4:18), says Krishna. In the nineteenth century a book was written entitled A Manual For Interior Souls. The appellation is apt: those who have truly heard the voice of God become inwardly oriented.

“Only that yogi whose joy is inward, inward his peace, and his vision inward, shall come to Brahman and know Nirvana” (Bhagavad Gita 5:24).

Read the next section in the Aquarian Gospel for Yogis: The Voice in the Heart

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The Aquarian Gospel—Commentary and Text

The Aquarian Gospel for Awakening—A Commentary on the Aquarian Gospel
by Swami Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke)

  1. The Mother of Jesus
  2. Prophecies of the Births of Saint John the Baptist and Jesus
  3. The Birth of Jesus
  4. Revelations in the Temple
  5. Coming of the Wise Men
  6. Herod’s Reaction
  7. Revelations in Egypt
  8. The Two Selfs
  9. Deliverance From Gods and Demons
  10. About God the Tao
  11. From India to Chaldea
  12. The Wisdom of Buddha
  13. God and Prayer
  14. The Mission of Jesus and John the Baptist
  15. Sin and the Forgiveness of Sin
  16. The Universal Law of Man’s Free Will and the Divine Will For Man
  17. Understanding Death
  18. The True Teacher
  19. The Value of Ritual
  20. The Law Behind All Laws
  21. Opening To The Truth
  22. In the Temple at the Age of Ten
  23. Revelation to the Teachers and People in the Temple
  24. Jerusalem to Nazareth
  25. Nazareth to India
  26. What is Truth?
  27. What Is Man?
  28. What is Power?
  29. Understanding
  30. Wisdom
  31. Faith
  32. Healing and Healers
  33. Conflict Over Caste
  34. The Destiny of All Men
  35. God and Man
  36. The Voice in the Heart
  37. Seeing the Unseeable
  38. To God Through Man
  39. Who Is Jesus?
  40. The Real Versus The Apparent
  41. The Brotherhood of Life
  42. God…and Man
  43. Relating To God
  44. The Worthy Host
  45. Come to the Light
  46. The Kingdom Revealed
  47. The King Revealed
  48. Perspective On Death
  49. Fire and Sword
  50. Evolution: The Path of Glory
  51. The Real Heaven
  52. Getting to the Essence
  53. New Perspective on Religion
  54. In Tibet and Ladakh
  55. Words to the Worthy
  56. The Thirty-Eighth Chapter
  57. The Origin of Evil
  58. The Silence
  59. The Source of Healing
  60. The Fivefold Gospel
  61. Homecoming
  62. In Athens
  63. The Oracle of Delphi
  64. The Real God
  65. Return to Egypt
  66. First Steps to Wisdom
  67. Strong in Will and Intent
  68. Here Comes the Ego
  69. Blessed are the Merciful
  70. Claiming Our Freedom
  71. The Great Test
  72. Comprehending Death
  73. The Christ!
  74. The Asembly of the Masters
  75. The Seven Pillars of the Aquarian Age – I
  76. The Seven Pillars of the Aquarian Age – II
  77. The Declaration of Jesus
  78. John the Baptist – I
  79. John the Baptist – II
  80. John the Baptist – III
  81. Baptism – Jesus and John
  82. Self-Examination and Temptation
  83. The First Disciples Follow Jesus
  84. Jesus’ First Sermon
  85. The King and the Kingdom
  86. Dealing With Challengers
  87. The First Miracle of Jesus
  88. Kings and Kingdoms
  89. The Temple of God
  90. What Is A Messiah?
  91. The Laws of Healing
  92. Nicodemus Finds The Kingdom
  93. The Prince of Peace
  94. Dealing With Spiritual Opposition
  95. The Opened Gate
  96. John the Baptist Speaks of the Christ
  97. John Speaks Further About Jesus
  98. The Woman at the Well
  99. The Disciples and Samaritans at the Well
  100. Jesus in Sychar
  101. More Wisdom In Samaria
  102. The Imprisonment of John the Baptist
  103. In Jerusalem
  104. The Insights of Jesus
  105. Sabbath Wisdom
  106. Prayer and Good Deeds
  107. Divine Laws and Principles for Seekers of the Divine
  108. A New Understanding of the Ten Commandments
  109. Aspects of the Higher Law – 1
  110. Aspects of the Higher Law – 2
  111. Aspects of the Higher Law – 3
  112. Aspects of the Higher Law – 4
  113. Chapter One Hundred One
  114. Chapter One Hundred Two
  115. Chapter One Hundred Three
  116. Chapter One Hundred Four
  117. Chapter One Hundred Five
  118. Chapter One Hundred Six
  119. Chapter One Hundred Seven
  120. Chapter One Hundred Eight
  121. Chapter One Hundred Nine
  122. Chapter One Hundred Ten
  123. Chapter One Hundred Eleven
  124. Chapter One Hundred Twelve
  125. Chapter One Hundred Thirteen
  126. Chapter One Hundred Fourteen
  127. Chapter One Hundred Fifteen
  128. Chapter One Hundred Sixteen
  129. Chapter One Hundred Seventeen
  130. Chapter One Hundred Eighteen
  131. Chapter One Hundred Nineteen
  132. Chapter One Hundred Twenty
  133. Chapter One Hundred Twenty One
  134. Chapter One Hundred Twenty Two
  135. Chapter One Hundred Twenty Three
  136. Chapter One Hundred Twenty Four
  137. Chapter One Hundred Twenty Five
  138. Chapter One Hundred Twenty Six
  139. Chapter One Hundred Twenty Seven
  140. Chapter One Hundred Twenty Eight
  141. Chapter One Hundred Twenty Nine
  142. Chapter One Hundred Thirty
  143. Chapter One Hundred Thirty One
  144. Chapter One Hundred Thirty Two
  145. Chapter One Hundred Thirty Three
  146. Chapter One Hundred Thirty Four
  147. Chapter One Hundred Thirty Five
  148. Chapter One Hundred Thirty Six
  149. Chapter One Hundred Thirty Seven
  150. Chapter One Hundred Thirty Eight
  151. Chapter One Hundred Thirty Nine
  152. Chapter One Hundred Forty
  153. Chapter One Hundred Forty One
  154. Chapter One Hundred Forty Two
  155. Chapter One Hundred Forty Three
  156. Chapter One Hundred Forty Four
  157. Chapter One Hundred Forty Five
  158. Chapter One Hundred Forty Six
  159. Chapter One Hundred Forty Seven
  160. Chapter One Hundred Forty Eight
  161. Chapter One Hundred Forty Nine
  162. Chapter One Hundred Fifty
  163. Chapter One Hundred Fifty-One
  164. Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Two
  165. Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Three
  166. Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Four
  167. Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Five
  168. Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Six
  169. Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Seven
  170. Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Eight
  171. Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Nine
  172. Chapter One Hundred Sixty
  173. Chapter One Hundred Sixty One
  174. Chapter One Hundred Sixty Two
  175. Chapter One Hundred Sixty Three
  176. Chapter One Hundred Sixty Four
  177. Chapter One Hundred Sixty Five
  178. Chapter One Hundred Sixty Six
  179. Chapter One Hundred Sixty Seven
  180. Chapter One Hundred Sixty Eight
  181. Chapter One Hundred Sixty Nine
  182. Chapter One Hundred Seventy
  183. Chapter One Hundred Seventy One
  184. Chapter One Hundred Seventy Two
  185. Chapter One Hundred Seventy Three
  186. Chapter One Hundred Seventy Four
  187. Chapter One Hundred Seventy Five
  188. Chapter One Hundred Seventy Six
  189. Chapter One Hundred Seventy Seven
  190. Chapter One Hundred Seventy Eight
  191. Chapter One Hundred Seventy Nine
  192. Chapter One Hundred Eighty
  193. Chapter One Hundred Eighty One
  194. Chapter One Hundred Eighty Two

The Text of the Aquarian Gospel—by Levi Dowling

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