Chapter Seven, part 2–The Ladakh Manuscript

Chapter Seven, part 2, of The Unknown Lives of Jesus and Mary

The principle here is that of not taking life for any reason–including religious purposes. Animals do not benefit man by being eaten but by filling their function in the earth’s ecology and by providing the physical vehicles for the souls that are evolving upward toward the human condition. An interesting illustration of how animals benefit us is the recently-discovered fact that the singing of birds profoundly affects plant growth. One specific effect is that of stimulating the buds of plants to open.

“Do not steal the goods of your neighbor, for that would be to deprive him of what he has acquired by the sweat of his brow.

“Deceive no one, so as not to be yourselves deceived. Endeavor to justify yourself before the last judgment, for then it will be too late.”

That is, it will be too late to mitigate or neutralize the negative karma arising from those actions, for once the earth plane is left there is no way to affect the (earth) karma we have created for ourselves. Once we pass through the gates of death all chance of rectification is over until our next birth. Then at the judgment which follows, our astral and future earthly destiny is determined precisely and without hope of alteration.

Note also that Jesus is indicating that what we do to others will be done unto us. That is the Law.

“Do not give yourselves up to debauchery, for that would be to violate the laws of God.

“You shall attain to supreme happiness, not only in purifying yourselves, but also in guiding others in the way that shall permit them to gain original perfection.”

The “original perfection” is our original state which we had in the Bosom of the Father, which Christ referred to as “the glory which I had with thee [God the Father] before the world was.”1 We can see that Jesus–and consequently original Christianity–taught the doctrine of “original perfection” rather than the evil blasphemy of “original sin” (a concept which is alien even to contemporary Eastern Christianity).

The neighboring countries resounded with the prophecies of Issa, and when he entered into Persia the priests became alarmed and forbade the inhabitants to listen to him.

And when they saw all the villages welcoming him with joy and listening devoutly to his sermons, they gave orders to arrest him and had him brought before the high priest, where he underwent the following interrogation:

“Of what new God dost thou speak? Art thou not aware, unhappy man, that Saint Zoroaster is the only just one admitted to the privilege of communion with the Supreme Being, ”

Bigotry is not the exclusive property of any one religion! This we can know: any religion that says it is the only true religion, or that it is the best religion, is false and harmful to its adherents. “Whatever path men walk, it leads to Me.” These are the words of God spoken by the lips of Krishna. In the Aramaic text of the Evangelion Da-Mepharreshe, the oldest text of the Gospels known to exist, Jesus says to the disciples: “Believe in God, and you are believing in Me.” Wherever God is sought after, there Christ is being worshipped.

“ Who ordered the Angels to put down in writing the word of God for the use of his people, laws that were given to Zoroaster in paradise?

“Who then art thou to dare here to blaspheme our God and to sow doubt in the hearts of believers?”

And Issa said unto them: “lt is not of a new God that I speak but of our Heavenly Father, who has existed since all time and who will still be after the end of all things.

“lt is of him that I have discoursed to the people, who, like unto innocent children, are not yet capable of comprehending God by the simple strength of their intelligence or of penetrating into his divine and spiritual sublimity.

“But even as a babe discovers in the darkness its mother’s breast, so even your people, who have been led into error by your erroneous doctrine and your religious ceremonies, have recognized by instinct their Father in the Father of whom I am the prophet.

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”2

“The Eternal Being has said to your people through the medium of my mouth: ‘You shall not worship the sun, for it is but a part of the world which I have created for man.

“‘The sun rises in order to warm you during your work; it sets to allow you the repose which I myself have appointed.

“‘It is to me, and to me alone, that you owe all that you possess, all that is to be found about you, above you, and below you.’”

“But,” said the priests, “how could a people live according to the rules of justice if it had no preceptors?”

Then Issa answered, “So long as the people had no priests, the natural law governed them, and they preserved the candor of their souls.

“Their souls were with God, and to commune with the Father they had recourse to the medium of no idol or animal, nor to the fire, as is practiced here.”

Jesus is speaking here of the original condition of man in Paradise and also for the first few generations of man’s physical incarnation when the veil between humans and the angelic worlds was easily pierced.

“You contend that one must worship the sun, the spirit of good and of evil. Well, I say unto you, your doctrine is a false one, the sun acting not spontaneously but according to the will of the invisible Creator who gave it birth.

“And who has willed it to be the star that should light the day, to warm the labor and the seedtime of man.

“The Eternal Spirit is the soul of all that is animate. You commit a great sin in dividing it into a spirit of evil and a spirit of good, for there is no God outside the good, ”

Life is not created by God. Rather God is manifesting as life. That is, all that lives lives because God dwells within it. He is our life. How, then, could we ever be damned forever or annihilated? How, indeed, can anything be destroyed since God is the inner life of all? Emily Bronte, the poetess, was a great–though unknown–mystic. She wrote this, her last poem, shortly before dying of tuberculosis:

No coward soul is mine,
No trembler in the world’s storm-troubled sphere;
I see heaven’s glories shine,
And faith shines equal, arming me from fear.

O God within my breast
Almighty, ever-present Deity!
Life–that in me has rest,
As I–undying Life–have power in thee!

Vain are the thousand creeds
That move men’s hearts: unutterably vain;
Worthless as withered weeds,
Or idle froth amid the boundless main,

To waken doubt in one
Holding so fast by Thine infinity;
So surely anchored on
The steadfast rock of immortality.

With wide-embracing love
Thy spirit animates eternal years
Pervades and broods above,
Changes, sustains, dissolves, creates, and rears.

Though earth and man were gone,
And suns and universes ceased to be,
And Thou were left alone,
Every existence would exist in Thee.

There is not room for Death,
Nor atom that his might could render void;
Thou–Thou art Being and Breath
And what Thou art may never be destroyed.

Nothing–not even any scripture of the world–could say it better.

Dualistic religion teaches that there are two eternal and co-equal principles: the power of light and good, and the power of darkness and evil. These two beings are said to war perpetually, neither ever conquering the other. They are the source of all manifested things, consequently some things–including this world–are the creations of evil and therefore are themselves essentially evil. Thus, there is said to be no absolute God, nor can there be cessation of conflict anywhere. The more abstract implications are even more awful. Of course, if that were the truth it should be faced. But it is not the truth. All is perfect in essence, and in time all shall manifest that perfection. Modern Christianity is really dualistic in its beliefs, and some denominations teach that Satan is co-eternal with God, not realizing that they are denying the unique status of God, but making him one of a set of twins–one good and one evil. Hollywood does pretty well on this theme, but it makes a very poor religion indeed. So Jesus has these very sharp words to speak to those who teach such a religion.

“ Who, like unto the father of a family, does but good to his children, forgiving all their faults if they repent them.

“The spirit of evil dwells on the earth in the hearts of those men who turn aside the children of God from the strait path.”

Those who want to dawdle on the way and pick the flowers like Little Red Riding Hood are advocates of the “always see the good in everything and everyone” school of thought. It sounds good, but it really means: “do not use your discrimination or be on guard against evil”–which of course such “positive” people do not believe even exists. And it does not, in the ultimate sense, but as long as we are in the realm of manifestation, for us–as well as for the Seraphim and Cherubim–evil does exist as a temporary condition. Just as the wise discriminate in the kind of food they eat, the clothing they wear, their type of dwelling, and so forth, so they discriminate in the realm of religion and philosophy. Just as cyanide is an enemy of life and will kill those who ingest or breathe it, so false religion and philosophy can kill the soul by deflecting it from the strait path. The deflection is only temporary, but how great is the suffering it can bring during that time!

Therefore, instead of avoiding ghoulies, ghosties, and “the Devil,” it is ignorance in the form of false religion and philosophy that we should beware. This applies even to those churches that have managed–at least for the time being–to maintain the Apostolic Succession and sacraments. For though the jewel may be there, its setting is poisonous. The exoteric churches with their doctrines of everlasting damnation, ultimate eternal physical immortality, the inability of the spirit to be one with God, the denial of the original perfection of the individual, and such like awaken the soul to life only to put it back to sleep and eventually murder it. Exoteric (including Eastern Christian) religion is like a “life support” system that maintains a semblance of life in a comatose body that is really brain dead. A look at the exoteric churches reveals that their members are spiritual zombies whose “life signs,” no matter how overt they may be, are external tokens of a life they do not really have.

The real satanic presence in the world is fake religion–especially fake Christianity which has destroyed immeasurably more souls than black magic or demon-worship. False Christianity is the real “anti-Christ” that brings darkness into the world.

What is real Christianity? The answer is not difficult at all. Authentic Christianity has seven distinguishing marks, all of which were given by Jesus Christ to His Apostles and which in turn were imparted by them to their successors, and all of which must be present, having been passed on in an unbroken line of teaching and empowerment to the present day. They are: Apostolic Succession, Initiation, Sacramental Life, complete Exoteric Doctrine, complete Esoteric Doctrine, Ascetic Discipline (for purification of body, mind, and consciousness), and Esoteric Practice (for the freeing and transmutation of consciousness). All these when applied correctly and steadily will unfailingly bring the individual to “the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ”3 in time.

But back to false religion.

“Wherefore I say unto you, Beware of the day of judgment, for God will inflict a terrible chastisement upon all those who shall have led his children astray from the right path and have filled them with superstitions and prejudices; ”

“But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!”4

A more accurate translation is “If any causes one of these little ones to offend .” The Revised English Bible has: “But if anyone causes the downfall of one of these little ones .”

Jesus makes some interesting though pungent points in this discourse, so let us look a little closer.

“ Those who have blinded them that see, conveyed contagion to the healthy, and taught the worship of the things that God has subordinated to man for his good and to aid him in his work.”

What does false religion–and its teachers–actually do to its adherents? It blinds those that see, infects those that are healthy, and teaches the worship of that which should serve man in his evolutionary journey rather than be served.

Unless their karma is extremely negative, when children encounter authentic Christianity they are delighted and take to it naturally. Though their intellects may not grasp the subtleties of its philosophy, the inner side to its practices and attitudes is readily open to them since their intuition has not been dulled or eliminated by fake Christianity telling them that such things are either non-existent or “of the devil.” But those who have imbibed the ignorance of the exoteric churches “just can’t see” or “have problems” with the initiatic realities of Christianity. Nor do they want to see or have the way clear. False Christianity has inoculated them against the truth. The reaction of the dupes of false churches, when they encounter the real thing reminds me of a cartoon I once saw entitled “Germs Avoiding A Germ That Has Caught Penicillin.”

False Christianity also blinds by convincing people that they neither have nor can possess powers or perceptions beyond the material–that when such do come into play it is “the devil” acting upon them.

Evil religion literally infects its members with the “sins” it denounces. It does this by insisting that sickness (sin) is the nature of the human being. Continually it drums into them that Christ was special, that belief in the divinity of man is blasphemy, and that man cannot help himself or become free from the influences of “sin and the devil.” And being “saved” means assenting to their doctrines in order to escape hell and go to heaven. Nothing more. This absurdity is touted as the doctrine of “grace” and “salvation by faith” when it is the denial and avoidance of true grace and salvation.

Jesus came to turn men into gods, and phoney Christianity works to turn gods into men. The true Gospel is that we are gods, not mortals. The perverted gospel of the exoteric churches is that we are mortals and not gods.

Although it shudders at and inveighs against “idolatry” and “false gods,” exoteric Christianity is little more than the imposition of idols and false gods in the place of the true Christ and God. It does not set up images to be overtly (and therefore honestly) worshipped, but teaches its followers to sacrifice their spiritual integrity by conforming to the demands of their lower nature and that of others. That is, lust, selfishness, greed, emotionality, “health,” convenience, the demands of society, family, friends, and occupation are to define their spiritual parameters. Of course this is dressed up with assuring speeches about what “God does/would not expect” and the favorite: “moderation.” Mediocrity is their highest ideal, ignoring the statement of Jesus: “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.”5 What more need be said?

“Your doctrine is therefore the fruit of your errors, for desiring to bring near to you the God of truth, you have created for yourselves false gods.”

Long ago when I saw Billy Graham’s book Peace With God I asked myself: “How can a person war with God?” Now I know well how that can be. In many ways we “fight” God by going against the divine plan for the unfoldment of our own divinity. As God has stated: “I have said ye are gods, but you die like men” .6

Basically, God wills to draw men upward to Him and make them what He is, whereas false Christians will to draw God downward and make Him what they are. However they may attempt that, the result is the same–the creation of false “gods.” The same attempt is often made by idle “seekers” in relation to the Christian Mysteries. When they find out what is required of them to enter the gates of life and to maintain that life they begin to make excuses galore, citing their obligations to the false gods I have listed above, usually ending up with: “Why can’t you accept me as I am?” (This is an especial favorite of cigarette addicts for some reason.)

By the way, this incident proves that the Wise Men were not Zoroastrians, for it they had been, the Zoroastrians would have known about Jesus and many would have been believing in Him, for the ancient accounts say that the Wise Men returned to their country and taught the people about Christ, demonstrating His supernatural character by putting His swaddling cloths in the fire and bringing them out intact.

After having listened to him, the magi determined to do him no harm. But at night, when all the town lay sleeping, they conducted him outside of the walls and abandoned him on the high road, in the hope that he would soon become a prey to the wild beasts.

But, protected by the Lord our God, Saint Issa continued his way unmolested.

The enemies of Buddha got Him to travel on a road where they knew He would meet a rogue elephant in hopes that He would be killed. As in the case of Jesus the plan failed. Evil, like good, does not change in its manifestation.

Issa, whom the Creator had elected to remind a depraved humanity of the true God, had reached his twenty-ninth year when he returned to the land of Israel.

Since his departure the pagans [i.e. the Romans] had inflicted still more atrocious sufferings on the Israelites, who were a prey to the deepest despondency.

Many among them had already begun to abandon the laws of their God and those of Mossa in the hope of appeasing their savage conquerors.

Herod was the leader in this placation of the Romans, adopting Roman and Greek philosophy as well as building cities in Roman and Greek style. He even built the Temple in Jerusalem contrary to the prescribed plan, conforming to Greco-Roman ideas in architecture.

In the face of this evil, Issa exhorted his compatriots not to despair because the day of the redemption of sins was at hand, and he confirmed them in the belief which they had in the God of their fathers.

“Children, do not give yourselves up to despair,” said the Heavenly Father by the mouth of Issa, “for I have heard your voice, and your cries have reached me.

“Do not weep, O my beloved ones! For your grief has touched the heart of your Father, and he has forgiven you, even as he forgave your forefathers.”

Churchianity teaches that the forgiveness of God means escaping the consequences of our actions. But here we see that our sins are removed by our reaping those consequences. If there is no reaping there will be no freeing. To the initiate sufferings and trials are friends clearing away the obstacles to freedom.

“Do not abandon your families to plunge yourselves into debauchery, do not lose the nobility of your feelings, and do not worship idols who will remain deaf to your voices.

Here Jesus lays the finger on the evil core of indulgent living: it destroys our capacity for higher feelings, aspirations, and perceptions. In other words, a life of material sensuality (which involves more than sex, though that is the king) is what is known in drug-user’s parlance as “a downer.” That is, it deadens the higher bodies and their powers. Swami Yukteswar Giri, the guru of Paramhansa Yogananda, had this comment: “How can sense slaves enjoy the world? Its subtle flavors escape them while they grovel in primal mud. All subtle and refined perceptions are lost to the man of elemental lusts.” He also pointed out to his disciples that it took no refinement or evolution of mind to enjoy the pleasures of sex which are common to lesser evolutionary forms of life. Those forces which should be rising upward, stimulating and nourishing the higher centers of awareness are dragged down and confined in the lowest levels by sexual irregularity and lust.

Although sex has been my target, indulgence of the other senses also leads to the dulling of spiritual awareness. Luxurious living is a soul killer all the more deadly because it appears innocent. The pursuit of fashion, personal and environmental, is equally destructive. These things are evil primarily because of their nature as distractions from higher things, but they also foster an utterly erroneous scale of values as well as an utterly erroneous self-concept in their pursuers. Involved with the temporal, where will there be a place for the eternal? Simplicity of life on all levels is a basic requisite for effective spiritual practice. It is for this reason that Jesus spoke so strongly of possessions as a hindrance to higher consciousness, saying that camels could go through the eyes of needles easier than those burdened with material wealth could enter the kingdom of God.7 This is why Saint Francis loved “Lady Poverty”–not as a monastic ideal alone, but as essential to all Christians.

“Fill my temple with your hope and with your patience and abjure not the religion of your fathers, for I alone have guided them and have heaped them with benefits.

Jesus did not tell them to forsake “organized religion,” but to follow it correctly.

“You shall lift up those who have fallen, you shall give food to the hungry, and you shall come to the aid of the sick, so as to be all pure and just at the day of the last judgment which I prepare for you.”

The initiate does indeed engage in external acts of charity and compassion, but he knows that even more needy are the “fallen,” the “hungry,” and the “sick” elements within him that must be raised, fed, and healed. And that requires a far vaster labor and expenditure than external charity. It is in every sense a “life work.” He accomplishes it through continual participation in the Initiatic Life of Christ, especially application of the esoteric practices which are given to him as he progresses along the narrow way that leads to life eternal. Then he shall be pure and just in relation to both God and man in “the last day” when hopefully he shall rise to Paradise nevermore to return here.8

The Israelites came in crowds at the word of Issa, asking him where they should praise the Heavenly Father, seeing that the enemy had razed their temples to the ground and laid low their sacred vessels.

The Buddhist authors are confusing this time period with the various incursions and persecutions that took place before Christ under various conquerors–but not the Romans. To give them their due it must be said that the Romans were exceedingly tolerant of Jewish ways, even to the point of veiling the images on their standards whenever they entered Jerusalem, because of the Jewish prohibition of imagery. For such proud conquerors this was a remarkable concession indeed.

And Issa made answer to them that God had not in view temples erected by the hands of man, but he meant that the human heart was the true temple of God.

“Enter into your temple, into your heart. Illumine it with good thoughts and the patience and immovable confidence which you should have in your Father.

“And your sacred vessels, they are your hands and your eyes. See and do that which is agreeable to God, for in doing good to your neighbor you accomplish a rite which embellishes the temple wherein dwells he who gave you life.

“For God has created you in his own likeness–innocent, with pure souls and hearts filled with goodness, destined not for the conception of evil schemes but made to be sanctuaries of love and justice.”

Here again we see the difference between Christ and Churchianity. Christ tells us not to do evil because it violates our nature and contravenes our natural destiny of perfection. Churchianity tells us that because we are weak sinners in the grip of “original sin” we cannot help but sin, so we must make Christ a bail bonder to get us out of our just reward. Christ, on the other hand, assures us that we can attain the goal because it is our very nature to do so. What a contrast with the prevailing view of “sinful man”!

“Wherefore I say unto you, sully not your hearts, for the Supreme Being dwells therein eternally.

We are eternal dwellings of God–no deed however foolish or destructive can alter that. This is why everlasting damnation is simply not an option open to us. We shall in time all arise and go the Father.9 Yet, this also makes sin all the more terrible. If sin was natural to us, what would be the complaint? But since we are gods it is an awful tragedy that we would choose with full consciousness and will to deny our real character as gods and degrade ourselves. It would be like a great artist or musician deliberately crippling his hands.

“If you wish to accomplish works marked with love or piety, do them with an open heart and let not your actions be governed by calculations or the hope of gain.

“Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee. But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.”10

“For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.”11

“For such actions would not help to your salvation, and you would fall into that state of moral degradation where theft, lying, and murder pass for generous deeds.”

Frightening as it is, we must face the truth that the mind–especially the “religious” mind–is capable of the distortion which is here described.

The ability to rationalize any mode of behavior or thought was demonstrated by the Greek philosophers known as the Sophists (from which we get the English word sophistry). They held that the intellect was thoroughly unreliable and could be pulled into any shape we–or others–might desire, with no regard at all as to what was true. To demonstrate this they would go to one part of the city and give speeches setting forth a particular view. All, or most, of their hearers would become convinced of their position. The next day they would go to another part of the city and there give speeches in which the opposite view was expressed. There, too, their audience would be persuaded to adopt that particular opinion. By means of this they proved the untrustworthiness of the mind as well as the metaphysical truth that–in keeping with the Taoist symbol of the Yin-Yang–inherent in any idea is its opposite. That is, just as hate and love, pain and pleasure, are interrelated, each being somehow contained in the other like the dot of opposite color in each side of the Yin-Yang, so “truth” contains “error” or “heresy” within it. (By truth is not meant the absolute truth which is apprehended only by the enlightened consciousness, but relative truth.)

For example, the statement: “The book is on the shelf” implies the possibility of “The book is not on the shelf.” Being an instrument of duality, the mind is inextricably caught up–even interwoven into–the realm of what the Hindus call “the pairs of opposites,” the dwandwas. Cold presupposes the existence of heat, darkness presupposes the existence of light. Therefore we must come to realize that any position we hold that is based on upon the intellect can be turned about at any time and the opposite concept come into dominance. Thus we must beware of self-congratulation on our “rightness” of thinking–especially in philosophy or theology. This danger threatens those of more metaphysical and “open” thinking just as much as those of narrow-minded ways. We can see the truth in this by observing that people eventually begin doing or thinking what they continually condemn. The most likely prospects of conversion to a specific point of view are not the “broad-minded,” but those who most vocally advocate the opposite view. For by dwelling continually on their way of seeing something they also open themselves to the opposing thought which is present in “seed” form in the concept they presently hold. This is why there are so many “conversion” stories of people who came to believe what they had actively opposed.

By the following two variations of a single parable Jesus contrasts those whose religion is based on direct intuitional (and higher) perceptions with those who are merely intellectually convinced.

“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”12

The key words here are “rock” and “sand.” “Rock symbolizes unitary consciousness as contrasted with fragmented consciousness which is represented by the many little rocks that are sand. If we analyze our life we will see that it is based on many foundations rather than on the ONE. Diverse elements influence and motivate us. Therefore, from life to life we are pelted by the rains, overwhelmed by the floods, and shaken by the winds until our body-house falls into ruin and is swept away, only to have the whole process repeated again in a seemingly endless chain. The storms and floods are psychic as well as physical, producing infinite possibilities for suffering. To really learn the lesson that only one thing is needful13 and to maintain that insight is the only way to end this dizzying cycle of birth and death.

“Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.”14

The significant words here are “digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock” and “earth.” The “rock” of divine consciousness is within, buried beneath the “earth” of the bodies in which our spirit is confined. To establish ourselves on that rock we must dig deep by turning our awareness within and “going deep,” penetrating into the core of our being through meditation. If, however, we center our life upon the “earth,” of the external world as well as our multifarious energy bodies, we will find that such a shallow mode of consciousness cannot but fall into ruin, “for the fashion of this world passeth away.”15 The word translated “fashion” is schema–from which we get our English “scheme”–which means “order” or “shape,” and was used also to designate the scenery in theaters. This latter seems to be the idea Saint Paul had in mind. From him Shakespeare perhaps got the inspiration for his simile of the world as a stage and human beings as players thereon. This world is as impermanent as the shifting scenery of a theater. Moreover, even when it is set in place it only functions within an imaginary world. Never at any time is it real, for scenery is an appearance only–it merely represents. It is a real illusion! Thus it is a good metaphor for our life in this changing and momentary real-unreal world.

A little study of the history of all religions reveals that those religionists who do not dig deep into the spirit, but who live on the surface of the earth, earthly, do in time–by the very nature of their mental state–“fall into that state of moral degradation where theft, lying, and murder pass for generous deeds.” How much oppression and mass murder have gone on to bolster the structure of a rotten religious system–and not just in the long ago past, either. And those that engage in them are proud of their ways, assuring themselves that they are “defending the honor of God” and “preserving the purity of the Faith,” when they are in actuality doing the exact opposite. Pharisaically calling out–before as large an audience as they can muster–“Lord, Lord,” they contravene the most basic tenets of Christ’s teaching. May they awaken and abandon such evil so as to not to hear the sad words: “I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.”16

Saint Issa went from one town to another, strengthening by the word of God the courage of the Israelites, who were ready to succumb to the weight of their despair, and thousands of men followed him to hear him preach.

The “word of God” is the wisdom of God which is perceived in a direct manner through mystical experience. The Bible, then, is really the Word of God, but so is every sentence spoken from an illumined consciousness. All the inspired scriptures of the world and the teachings of the saints of those religions comprise the Word of God on earth.

But the chiefs of the towns became afraid of him, and they made known to the principal governor who dwelt at Jerusalem that a man named Issa had arrived in the country; that he was stirring up by his discourses the people against the authorities, that the crowd listened to him with assiduity, neglected the works of the state, and affirmed that before long it would be rid of its intrusive governors.

His hearers mistook Jesus’ words about the kingdom of God and the freedom that was at hand for political speech. While in the concentration camp, Corrie Ten Boom was told by her sister, Bessie, that within a short time they would both be free. Bessie died very soon after saying this, and then in a short time Corrie was set free through a clerical error. But Corrie knew that it was Bessie who had become truly free.

Then Pilate, governor of Jerusalem, ordered that they should seize the person of the preacher Issa, that they should bring him into the town and lead him before the judges. But in order not to excite the anger of the populace, Pilate charged the priests and the learned Hebrew elders to judge him in the temple.

This is most interesting. In the Nicene Creed the crucifixion and death of Jesus is attributed to Pilate, the Roman governor of Israel. Now we see further why this was done. The arrest of Jesus by the temple soldiers and His judgement by the Sanhedrin was ordered by Pilate to give the appearance that he was carrying out the wish of the Jewish people. This renders Pilate’s washing of his hands even more despicable.

Meanwhile Issa, continuing his preachings, arrived at Jerusalem; and, having learnt of his arrival, all the inhabitants, knowing him already by reputation, went out to meet him.

They greeted him respectfully and opened to him the gates of their temple in order to hear from his mouth what he had said in the other cities of Israel.

And Issa said unto them: “The human race perishes because of its lack of faith, for the darkness and the tempest have scattered the flocks of humanity and they have lost their shepherds.”

When the members of our monastery met with His Holiness Patriarch Elias IV, the Byzantine Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, I was impressed by his insistence to a Protestant minister that the “social gospel” was antithetical to the gospel of Christ. This declaration was true, not because Christians should not engage in overt acts of charity, but because the focus of the social gospel is wrong. That is, the social gospel says that what is wrong with the world is a matter of economics, politics, social inequalities, lack of education, etc. But this is not so. People have lived spiritually productive lives under conditions of extreme poverty, tyranny, social inequality, and total illiteracy. Frankly, more saints have been produced under those circumstances than otherwise. This was implied by Solzhenitsyn’s question in his Harvard address when he asked: “Where are your saints?”

Jesus reveals the heart of all earthly problems: lack of faith–faith in its deeper meaning as that which arises from direct spiritual experience. So what Jesus is saying is that we must possess that Gnosis which comes from our own encounter with spiritual realities. This alone is the key to ending the sufferings of humanity. But since in every generation there are few who are saved17–that is, who obtain the key through initiation and through esoteric practice attain full enlightenment–the elimination of suffering is done exclusively on an individual basis, and by the individuals themselves. Never can it be accomplished through social movements, worthy and needful though they be. Such movements should be the result of spiritual insight, otherwise they, too, are destined to eventual ruin, not being founded on the rock of inner knowledge.

“But the tempest will not last forever, and the darkness will not always obscure the light. The sky will become once more serene, the heavenly light will spread itself over the earth, and the flocks gone astray will gather around their shepherd.”

“Do not strive to find straight paths in the darkness, lest ye fall into a pit; but gather together your remaining strength, support one another, place your confidence in your God, and wait till light appears.”

This is still good advice. Without the light of initiation all spiritual endeavors should be approached cautiously. For example, we can see the incredible mess that results when non-initiates decide to take the Bible and make their personal interpretation of it a basis for themselves and often for an entire church.18 The jungle of Protestantism is a result of this futile attempt. We have already discussed the “marks of Christ” which should be present before we give serious attention to any spiritual teachings or teachers. But no matter how qualified or authorized such may be, unless we receive the initiatic empowerment ourselves it will be to no avail. It is saddening to see the number of people who are eager to learn the theoretical principles of esoteric Christianity, yet are indifferent to the opportunity for initiation into the Christian Mysteries. Such persons are eager for the maps, but not for the journey.

“He who sustains his neighbor, sustains himself, and whosoever protects his family, protects the people and the state.”

What we do to others we do to ourselves. Since the family is the basis of society and the state, when family life is destroyed, all is destroyed. To heal society and government of its ills we must make the family healthy. No other remedy will work–anything else is a waste of time.

“For be sure that the day is at hand when you shall be delivered from the darkness, you shall be gathered together as one family; and your enemy, who ignores what the favor of God is, shall tremble with fear.

The priests and the elders who were listening to him, filled with admiration at his discourse, asked him if it were true that he had tried to stir up the people against the authorities of the country, as had been reported to the governor Pilate.

“Can one excite to insurrection men gone astray, from whom the obscurity has hidden their door and their path?” replied Issa. “I have only warned the unfortunate, as I do here in this temple, that they may not further advance along the darkened way, for an abyss is open under their feet.”

“Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s;” Jesus told the spies of His enemies, “and [render] unto God the things that are God’s.”19

The real question confronting us is simply this: do we live in the world of Caesar or of God? Which is the focal point of our existence?

That the Christian initiate has an obligation to his brothers and sisters living around him in the world there can be no doubting. But does the initiate have an obligation to the politics of the world? To “society” (whatever that may be)? What is the relation of “the world” to the initiate? Saint Paul said: “The world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.”20 During the hours before His crucifixion Jesus prayed to the Father for many things. At one point, however, He said in His prayer: “I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.”21 It is this glorification-deification of the initiate by Christ that is the real obligation and work of the initiate.

Can the world be glorified in Christ? (It is not a question of Christ’s ability to glorify the world, but of the world’s lack of both desire and capacity for such glorification.) Evidently not, otherwise Jesus would not have told Pilate: “My kingdom is not of this world: my kingdom [is] not from hence.”22

His kingdom being not of this world, neither are His initiates who are its citizens. Of them Jesus said: “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” To His disciples He said: “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.”23

What, then, have initiates to “do” with the world? Here is Saint Paul’s answer to that. “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”24

When a man asked Jesus to assist him in the matter of his inheritance, he received the reply: “Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?”25 How different this is from the “ministry” of today that meddles in all aspects of contemporary life except that of the spirit.

Political activities are definitely not in the scenario of the initiate. They are–and should be–in the life-scheme of the non-initiates, for by working for the betterment of others they ready themselves for the greater work of personal transmutation in a future life. We must not fall into the mistaken idea that what is not appropriate for one type of person is inappropriate for all. Nor should the initiate ever meddle in the life of non-initiates by trying to make them apply his standards to themselves. Again we come to the matter of swadharma–the mode of life and action that is specifically best for the individual.

Saint Paul gives an outline of how initiates should conduct themselves toward the world and its inhabitants. The passage is lengthy, but it needs no commentary, so here it is.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;

Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

Distributing to the necessity of Saints; given to hospitality.

Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.

Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.

Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.

If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.

Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.

For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:

For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.

Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.

For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.

Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.

Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.26

This should be studied most carefully and diligently by the initiate and applied as fully as possible.

All this is to emphasize that Christians absolutely cannot engage in violence against governments, however unjust they may be. This does not mean they have to conform to evil laws or cooperate with demands that are wrong. Nor does it mean that they cannot peacefully protest against foolish or destructive government policies. They can even passively block such policies from being carried out. But they cannot violently overthrow those powers or use any type of violence against them. The pagans of Rome used to joke that if Nero–a mass murderer of Christians–ever got lost in the catacombs, where the Christians went to worship in secret, the Christians would feed him, give him a set of new clothes, and show him the way out. Although that was considered a joke, Christians did on several occasions find Roman soldiers who had been sent to arrest them but had become lost in the maze of the catacombs. Knowing that it would mean their death, they led the soldiers out and were arrested and eventually killed. How could they do otherwise, seeing the example of their Master, “Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously”?27

I am writing all this because “civil disobedience” is being passed off as a religious duty by many social gospel “churches.” In fact, it is becoming quite chic in some “spiritual” circles.

Before leaving this subject, I would like to recount something that points out that divine mercy and power is on the side of those who follow their personal “dharma” whatever the pressure may be from others whose duty is different.

Corrie Ten Boom has been mentioned more than once. In The Hiding Place she tells how the Christians of Holland hid Jews to save them from the Nazis. Many had one or more Jews living with them and passed them off as relatives. One of Corrie’s cousins had a Jewish girl living with her whose blond hair and blue eyes made her look quite Dutch. However, she told Corrie and others that if she was ever questioned by the Nazis as to whether the girl was a Jew she would not lie, for lying was wrong. No arguments as to how saving a life was worth a lie could change her decision. One day a Nazi officer entered the kitchen where the Jewish girl was working. Pointing to her, he asked Corrie’s cousin: “Is this girl a Jew?” “Yes,” the woman answered, “she is a Jew.” Hearing this, the soldier arrested the girl and took her to the local police station from which she was to be shipped to a death camp. Many other Jews were there as well. After a few hours the girl–perhaps under angelic inspiration–got up from her place and–without any attempt at escaping notice–walked out of the police station and calmly got away. It was as though she was invisible to the Nazis. Later Corrie and her cousin were told about the incident, and further that the girl was safe. She survived the war, whereas many Jews for whom lies were told did not. God does not forsake those who do not forsake His laws.

“Earthly power is not of long duration, and it is subject to many changes. Of what use that man should revolt against it, seeing that one power always succeeds to another power? And thus it will come to pass until the extinction of humanity.”

This reminds me of Swami Vivekananda’s assertion that the world is like a curly dog’s tail. No matter how well you make a splint to hold it straight, or how long you keep it in the splint, the moment the splint is removed it will curl right back.

“Against which, see you not that the mighty and the rich sow among the sons of Israel a spirit of rebellion against the eternal power of heaven?”

The elders then asked: “Who art thou, and from what country dost thou come? We have not heard speak of thee before, and we know not even thy name.”

“I am an Israelite,” replied Issa. “From the day of my birth I saw the walls of Jerusalem, and I heard the weeping of my brothers reduced to slavery and the lamentations of my sisters who were carried away by the pagans.

“And my soul was filled with sadness when I saw that my brethren had forgotten the true God. As a child, I left my father’s house and went to dwell among other peoples.

“But having heard that my brethren were suffering still greater tortures, I have come back to the country where my parents dwell to remind my brothers of the faith of their forefathers, which teaches us patience on earth to obtain perfect and sublime happiness in heaven.”

And the learned elders put him this question: “It is said that thou deniest the laws of Mossa and that thou teachest the people to forsake the temple of God?”

And Issa replied: “One cannot demolish that which has been given by our Heavenly Father, neither that which has been destroyed by sinners; but I have enjoined the purification of the heart from all blemish, for it is the true temple of God.

“As to the laws of Mossa, I have endeavored to establish them in the hearts of men. And I say unto you that you do not understand their real meaning, for it is not vengeance but mercy that they teach; only the sense of these laws has been perverted.”

It is worthy of note that the Lord Jesus does not claim to be bringing a new way, but rather is reminding the Jews of the authentic religion of Moses and those that had gone before. Moses and–through him–Aaron and many in Israel were initiates of the Mysteries which had been long forgotten except among the Essenes who were a minority among the Hebrews.

Noteworthy also is His saying that the exoteric Jews do not understand the true meaning of the Torah. There is speculation, even among mystically inclined Jews, that the laws given in the contemporary texts of the Old Testament are not the original regulations received by Moses, but that they are interpretive interpolations made by materialistically-minded priests. It is claimed that animal sacrifice, death penalties, and all acts of “just violence” were never known to Moses and the Jews for several centuries, and have been written into the Torah. As I say, this opinion is held by some Jews as well as by some Gentiles.

Having hearkened unto Issa, the priests and the wise elders decided among themselves not to judge him, for he did harm to no one. And presenting themselves before Pilate, appointed governor of Jerusalem by the pagan king of the country of Romeles, they addressed him thus:

“We have seen the man whom thou accusest of inciting our people to rebellion, we have heard his discourses, and we know him to be our compatriot.

“But the chiefs of the cities have made thee false reports, for this is a just man who teaches the people the word of God. After having interrogated him, we dismissed him, that he might go in peace.”

The Sanhedrin was divided on the “question” of Jesus. This group must have been those friendly to Him, perhaps even secret disciples, as was Saint Joseph of Arimathea.

The governor then became enraged and sent near to Issa his servants in disguise, so that they might watch all his actions and report to the authorities the least word that he should address to the people.

In the meantime, Saint Issa continued to visit the neighboring towns, preaching the true ways of the Creator, exhorting the Hebrews to patience, and promising them a speedy deliverance.

And during all this time, many people followed him wherever he went, several never leaving him but becoming his servitors.

And Issa said: “Do not believe in miracles wrought by the hand of man, for he who dominates over nature is alone capable of doing that which is supernatural, whilst man is powerless to stay the anger of the winds or to spread the rain.”

Miracles and psychic phenomena have no relation at all with spiritual evolution, therefore we should never assume that a person who works miracles is a worthy or reliable spiritual guide or teacher. Many miracleworkers such as “faith healers” may be fakes, but many others are not. Yet those persons are often seen to lack even the basics of spiritual life. Amy McPherson, for example, founder of her own church (The Foursquare Gospel Church), was able to know clairvoyantly about others and to heal diseases. She manifested these abilities for a few decades during her career as a “star” evangelist. Yet her personal life was ravaged with immorality, alcoholism, and drug addiction. Finally, unable to endure the conflict between her Fundamentalist beliefs and her knowledge of her own spiritual devastation, she committed suicide. (It was covered up by the claim that she had taken an overdose of sleeping pills through forgetfulness.)

As Jesus says, he who rules over all nature–most especially his own nature–alone is a true master. The miracles worked by him are actually worked by God since he and God are one. In contrast, the wonders of those who are not masters come from the principle of ego instead of the spirit. My beloved friend Swami Shivananda of Rishikesh and Saint John Maximovitch of San Francisco (whom I met a few times) worked miracles constantly, though always unobtrusively and without fanfare. They knew that God alone was working through them, and in them there was no sense of ego, no thought of “I did that.” As a rule they refused to discuss their miracles, and they never allowed anyone to give them adulation because of their wondrous powers. They did not need the glorifying of man, having been glorified by God.

To the masters the deeds we consider miracles are quite natural, normal, and even commonplace. Once someone asked Yogananda about the vision of a saint he had told about some weeks before. Yogananda did not recall it. “So many come,” he commented quietly, dismissing the subject.

I cannot resist one more story. One of Yogananda’s most advanced disciples (whom I have met and spent some time with) lived far from California. So when he would visit Yogananda he liked to take him for an automobile ride in the afternoon as a kind of service and act of love. Yogananda, being cosmic, had everything, so this little deed was all he knew to offer. One afternoon, just as they were walking to the car, it began to rain. The disciple’s heart sank. It hardly ever rained in southern California, but here this was going to keep him from giving his guru some enjoyment. Looking up at the sky, Yogananda make a slight gesture. Instantly the rain stopped. Smiling at the astonished disciple, Yogananda gently said: “Just for you, Oliver. Just for you.” Then they got in the car and went for that ride. The miracle here is the love of the Master for the disciple.

No, I cannot stop. I have two more stories that seem to show a Master’s power of bilocation (being in two places at once) and mind reading. But they are more–oh, so much more.

A disciple who worked at the hermitage in Encinitas, California, a long way from Los Angeles where Yogananda usually stayed, was yearning to see his guru. He was doing yard work, but his heart was crying out for the blessing of seeing his Master. Suddenly, to his surprise and joy, Yogananda came walking up. For quite some time the two spoke together, then Yogananda walked on. When his work was completed, the man hastened to the hermitage, asking to see Yogananda. The disciples insisted that the Master was not there, and had not been there at all. When they heard the disciple’s account of his meeting with the guru, they telephoned to Los Angeles, and were assured that Yogananda had been in the Los Angeles ashram all day.

Another disciple was working in the ashram, and in his heart he kept saying over and over: “I love you, guru. I love you Master.” After some time of this continual monologue of love, Yogananda came seemingly from nowhere, simply said to the disciple: “And I love you, too!” and walked away.

As the Great Master said: “God never forsakes the devotee.” And it is God Who lives in such as Yogananda.

Thank you for indulging me. Now let us go on.

“Nevertheless, there is one miracle which it is possible for man to accomplish. It is when, full of a sincere belief, he decides to root out from his heart all evil thoughts, and when to attain his end he forsakes the paths of iniquity.”

“He that is slow to anger is better than th e mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.”28

“And all the things that are done without God are but errors, seductions, and enchantments, which only demonstrate to what an extent the soul of him who practices this art is full of shamelessness, falsehood, and impurity.”

Any psychic phenomena not produced from a consciousness imbued with divine awareness is to be considered in the ultimate sense fake at best and spiritual defiling at worst. Such phenomena may come from the “worker,” or they may in reality be the shenanigans of negative astral entities. If you want to see a remarkably accurate portrait of this kind of thing, read Charles William’s occult novel All Hallows’ Eve.

“Put not your faith in oracles; God alone knows the future: he who has recourse to diviners profanes the temple which is in his heart and gives a proof of distrust towards his Creator.”

We have already seen that divination is a part of valid religion, as it was (and is) in the Buddhist religion held by the drafters of this manuscript. The kind of oracles condemned here are those that deal with “familiar spirits.” This includes “trance mediums” as well as their New Age counterparts, the “channelers”29–though most of these latter are blatant charlatans who are channeling nothing but their own creative imaginations for the duping of others.

“Faith in diviners and in their oracles destroys the innate simplicity of man and his childlike purity. An infernal power takes possession of him, forcing him to commit all sorts of crimes and to worship idols; ”

The initiate should usually do his own divination so he can know that it is not tainted by fraud or psychic negativity. If he does consult a diviner it should be another initiate whom he knows is gifted for divination. I personally know of people whose lives were destroyed by acting on advice given them by false psychics. Some of them even committed crimes, believing that there was a “higher purpose” behind their evil actions that the psychics assured them justified the deeds.

“ whereas the Lord our God, who has no equal, is one, almighty, omniscient, and omnipresent. It is he who possesses all wisdom and all light.

“lt is to him you must address yourselves to be consoled in your sorrows, helped in your works, and cured in your sickness. Whosoever shall have recourse to him shall not be denied.”

This means that we should obtain all we need from the hand of God, that true religion should supply all these things to us. I recommend another book: Winged Pharaoh, by Joan Grant. This is the record of Mrs. Grant’s past life. To me, the significant thing about the book is the way it shows how Egyptian religion was the source of everything needed by the people, from practical advice and healing to the ways of spiritual development. No aspect of life was outside its scope.

“The secret of nature is in the hands of God. For the world, before it appeared, existed in the depth of the divine thought, it became material and visible by the will of the Most High.”

Saint James the Great, in a liturgical prayer, speaks of the world being “brought forth as from a storehouse.” His words, and those of Jesus, indicate that the world is not created from nothing, but is the objectification of the “thought” of God. Not that the world was in the mind of God like a blueprint and then He created matter and shaped it like a pot. Rather, it was projected from His consciousness into the consciousness of those who needed it for their evolution. Since we are images of God we do the same thing. When asleep our subconscious minds think of something and project it as a dream. When awake, we “see” in our “mind’s eye” the projected images of–appropriately enough–“imagination.”

“When you address yourselves to him, become again as children, for you know neither the past, the present, nor the future, and God is the Master of all time.”

How interesting that Jesus tells us to become again as children. This reminds us of the Gospel passage: “At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.”30

“Righteous man,” said unto him the spies of the governor of Jerusalem, “tell us if we shall perform the will of our Caesar or await our speedy deliverance.”

And Issa, having recognized them as people appointed to follow him, replied: “I have not said to you that you shall be delivered from Caesar. It is the soul plunged in error that shall have its deliverance.”

Freedom is not a condition of the body but of the spirit.

“As there can be no family without a head, so there can be no order among a people without a Caesar; to him implicit obedience should be given, he alone being answerable for his acts before the supreme tribunal.”

Every mystic I have met–Christian, Buddhist, and Hindu–was a professed monarchist. Was Jesus a monarchist, too? More than a century ago, one morning at Mass Jesus appeared to the stigmatist Catherine Emmerich. Looking at her with great sadness, He told her: “Today the people of France have rejected Me.” She could not understand what this might mean until a few days afterward she learned that on that day for the final time the people of France had abolished the monarchy. Fortunately initiates live in a greater kingdom and need not trouble themselves with political philosophy. Whatever government they find themselves under they should pray for it and do their best to be worthy citizens.

“Does Caesar possess a divine right?” further asked of him the spies. “And is he the best of mortals?”

“There should be no better among men, but there are also sufferers, whom those elected and charged with this mission should care for, making use of the means conferred on them by the sacred law of our Heavenly Father.

“Mercy and justice are the highest attributes of a Caesar; his name will be illustrious if he adhere to them.

“But he who acts otherwise, who exceeds the limit of power that he has over his subordinates, going so far as to put their lives in danger, offends the great Judge and loses his dignity in the sight of man.”

Jesus ignores the question of divine right–why?

At this juncture, an old woman who had approached the group, the better to hear Issa, was pushed aside by one of the spies, who placed himself before her.

Now we come to a most important section regarding the nature of women, who are images of the Holy Spirit Mother, and the attitude that should be held toward them. While considering it we should keep in mind that everything Jesus said was in keeping with the Hindu and Buddhist views (at that time), but was absolutely revolutionary in the Mediterranean world (and still is).

Then Issa held forth: “It is not meet that a son should set aside his mother, taking her place. Whosoever respecteth not his mother, the most sacred being after his God, is unworthy of the name of son.”

The mother is sacred because she is the image of the Holy Spirit Mother. As the Great Mother has given birth to the cosmos, Her “womb,” so Her daughters give birth to the individual spirits for their evolution. No spiritual discipline or enlightenment is possible without a body. Thus any spiritual progress we make causes positive karmas to accrue to our parents. For this reason in India it is said that when someone attains perfect illumination his ancestors for several generations back are freed from earthly rebirth (of course they still must evolve in the higher worlds, but they have escaped the sufferings of material embodiment).

The mother is the primal priestess, teacher, and benefactor–even if she is of evil life, unloving to her children, and did not wish to bear them. The act of childbearing itself puts her in that position. This is why one of the prime commandments is to honor her.31 She may be hard or impossible to love, but she must be honored for opening the gateway to higher life through giving birth.

This also why abortion is the greatest sin a woman can commit against herself and against the Mother God. For any human being to destroy life is unspeakably heinous, but for a woman it is of infinite proportion. It is in truth a sin against the Holy Spirit.

It should be realized that unless a person has a profound affinity for his mother he could not have been conceived within her and drawn his body from her. By giving birth a woman pays a karmic debt, and whether the debtor is good or bad, willing or unwilling in making payment, the coin is of the same value.

God is our Creator, but so are the parents. Therefore the Hindu scriptures say: “Let your mother be to you as a god.”

All right, that is the subject of our mothers. But what about women in general?

“Listen, then, to what I say unto you: Respect woman, for she is the mother of the universe, and all the truth of divine creation lies in her.”

In Eastern Christianity–and traditionally in Roman Catholicism–women and men stand on separate sides in church. The women stand on the side where the Virgin Mary is depicted, and the men are on the side where the icon or image of Jesus is placed. This is to continually remind them that men are to become perfect reflections of the Father and women are to become perfect reflections of the Mother–that each is separate and equal in divine nature.

Wisdom, Sophia, is feminine in character. Women should be healers, guides, and teachers. This is why in the East we find many women heading countries and occupying high governmental positions. Although in the West the medical profession is still almost exclusively male, in the East there are almost as many female doctors are there are male doctors. One reason is that it is considered beneath the dignity of a woman to submit to intimate examination by a man.

All women should be considered images–however damaged and distorted some might be–of the Divine Mother. A man must especially have this attitude toward his wife. If she becomes exasperated or sorrowed because of him there is no hope of success in either material or spiritual life. I knew one Indian guru who always closely questioned her male disciples as to how they treated their wives. She was especially intent that they should supply their wives with all they needed and particularly that they frequently gave them beautiful clothes and ornaments. After the questioning of the husband she would then separately question the wife as to the truth of his statements. She made a point of this, understanding this principle of the divine likeness in women.

God in His incarnation as Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa treated His wife, Sri Sarada Devi–an incarnation of the Mother–with greater respect than He did anyone else. In His entire life with Her He never addressed Her by the second-person pronoun tui which is used in addressing equals, but always with tumi, which is used when addressing one’s superiors. At the end of his many years of intense spiritual disciplines He worshipped Her formally as a living image of the Mother, offering all His merits at Her feet. More than once He told others: “If She Who is within Her [Sarada Devi] becomes angered with Me then My incarnation will be in vain.” As did Jesus with the Theotokos, Sri Ramakrishna left Her behind to guide and inspire His disciples for more than thirty years after His death. His monastic disciples looked upon Sri Sarada Devi as the founder of their order–not Sri Ramakrishna.

“She is the basis of all that is good and beautiful, as she is also the germ of life and death. On her depends the whole existence of man, for she is his natural and moral support.”

What could be clearer? When we look at the Gospels we see that it was women who followed Jesus, defying convention, roaming the countryside with Him, having left their husbands and children behind.32 It was they who supported Him financially, and it was they who courageously followed Him along the way of the Cross.33 It was women to whom Jesus first appeared after His resurrection.34 They believed when the men disciples did not believe. Several women saints have the title “Equal-to-the-Apostles” in the Eastern Christian Church. Women were dynamic preachers of Christianity in its beginning days, converting entire cities and even countries.

Women set the moral tone for the society. In the Bhagavad Gita Krishna tells Arjuna that when women are corrupted the entire society will be destroyed. It is the mothers who must teach ethical and spiritual principles to their children. This is both their gift and their responsibility. It is also the women who must inspire their husbands to right conduct and spiritual life. And it is the duty of children and husbands to respond.

“She gives birth to you in the midst of suffering. By the sweat of her brow she rears you, and until her death you cause her the gravest anxieties. Bless her and worship her, for she is your one friend, your one support on earth.

“Respect her, uphold her. In acting thus you will win her love and her heart. You will find favor in the sight of God and many sins shall be forgiven you.

“In the same way, love your wives and respect them, for they will be mothers tomorrow, and each later on the ancestress of a race.

“Be lenient towards woman. Her love ennobles man, softens his hardened heart, tames the brute in him, and makes of him a lamb.”

How sad that this latter ideal is scorned by today’s “liberated women” who have traded female delusions for male ones in their insistence on “competing” with men whose ways they should be contemning, not adopting.

“The wife and the mother are the inappreciable treasures given unto you by God. They are the fairest ornaments of existence, and of them shall be born all the inhabitants of the world.

“Even as the God of armies separated of old the light from the darkness and the land from the waters, woman possesses the divine faculty of separating in a man good intentions from evil thoughts.

In other words, women should be the conscience of society.

“Wherefore I say unto you, after God your best thoughts should belong to the women and the wives, woman being for you the temple wherein you will obtain the most easily perfect happiness.

And He is not referring to sex, I can assure you.

“Imbue yourselves in this temple with moral strength. Here you will forget your sorrows and your failures, and you will recover the lost energy necessary to enable you to help your neighbor.

“Do not expose her to humiliation. In acting thus you would humiliate yourselves and lose the sentiment of love, without which nothing exists here below.

“Protect your wife, in order that she may protect you and all your family. All that you do for your wife, your mother, for a widow or another woman in distress, you will have done unto your God.”

Initiates of Christ must take these precepts in absolute seriousness and apply them in their lives.

The family is a reflection of the evolving cosmos. The husband represents the Father-Only-begotten Son and the wife represents the Holy Spirit Mother. The children are the evolving souls. The husband is Christ, the wife the Church, and the children the initiates of Christ. The husband fosters and guides the wife and she does the same for him. There is a hierarchy, and the husband occupies the senior position, but it is one of loving service and patronage, not of domination and tyranny. Jesus was Savior, yet the Virgin was the bearer of salvation. She was His helpmate as She had originally been intended to be in Paradise.35 Her position was subordinate only in the sense that She was the supporter, the foundation of His work.

The husband indeed guides the family and must take up his responsibilities in that area. But it is the wife who strengthens and supports him. She enables him to carry out his role. If Saint Paul’s outlining of the relationship of husband and wife36 is looked at with initiatic eyes a far different picture emerges than that which the ignorant perceive with their ego-distorted vision. In the initiatic marriage the husband and wife must not regard one another as equals. Rather each should reverence–not just respect–the other, regard them as superior, and be willing to sacrifice for the other’s welfare. Each should be a guardian and voluntary servant of the other. The likeness of Christ and His Church should be cultivated always.

Saint Issa taught the people of Israel thus for three years, in every town, in every village, by the waysides and on the plains; and all that he had predicted came to pass.

During all this time the disguised servants of Pilate watched him closely without hearing anything said like unto the reports made against Issa in former years by the chiefs of the towns.

But the governor Pilate, becoming alarmed at the too great popularity of Saint Issa, who according to his adversaries sought to stir up the people to proclaim him king, ordered one of his spies to accuse him.

Then soldiers were commanded to proceed to his arrest, and they imprisoned him in a subterranean cell where they tortured him in various ways in the hope of forcing him to make a confession which should permit of his being put to death.

This explains the crowning with thorns, etc., which is recounted in the Gospels.

The Saint, thinking only of the perfect beatitude of his brethren, supported all his sufferings in the name of his Creator.

The servants of Pilate continued to torture him and reduced him to a state of extreme weakness, but God was with him and did not allow him to die.

Learning of the sufferings and the tortures which their Saint was enduring, the high priests and the wise elders went to pray the governor to set Issa at liberty in honor of an approaching festival.

This gives us a completely new angle on the incident of the release of Barabbas.

But the governor straightway refused them this. They then prayed him to allow Issa to appear before the tribunal of the ancients so that he might be condemned or acquitted before the festival, and to this Pilate consented.

The next day the governor assembled together the chief captains, priests, wise elders, and lawyers so that they might judge Issa.

They brought him from his prison and seated him before the governor between two thieves to be judged at the same time as he, in order to show unto the crowd that he was not the only one to be condemned.

And Pilate, addressing himself to Issa, said unto him: “O man! is it true that thou incitest the people against the authorities with the intent of thyself becoming king of Israel?”

“One becomes not king at one’s own will,” replied Issa, “and they have lied who have told thee that I stir up the people to rebellion. I have never spoken of other than the King of Heaven, and it is he I teach the people to worship.

“For the sons of Israel have lost their original purity, and if they have not recourse to the true God, they will be sacrificed and their temple shall fall into ruins.”

Here again we have the implication that the Torah as understood exoterically was not the original teaching of Moses and his early successors, and that Jesus had come to reveal the true spiritual vision which they had. This was His intention regarding all the religions of the Mediterranean world. Looking at it in this way we understand what Jesus meant when He said: “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.”37

That the Law of Moses was an embodiment of the universal law–not confined to Israel or unique to the Jews–is indicated in His next statement: “For verily I say unto you, Til heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”38

Jesus was not referring to the exoteric observance of the Law such as the scribes and Pharisees espoused, for He continued: “I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”39 Then He proceeds to explain the inner psychological and esoteric observance of the precepts of the Law.

“As temporal power maintains order in a country, I teach them accordingly not to forget it. I say unto them: ‘Live conformably to your station and your fortune, so as not to disturb the public order.’ And I have exhorted them also to remember that disorder reigns in their hearts and in their minds.”

Once more Jesus teaches that if we would change the world we must change ourselves. And that change must be inward, a matter of heart and mind, not just external. A forest is green because each tree is green. Likewise a society is orderly because each individual is ordered in his own life. If we would correct society we must first correct ourselves. That is the only revolution that produces any lasting good.

“Wherefore the King of Heaven has punished them and suppressed their national kings. Nevertheless, I have said unto them: ‘If you become resigned to your destinies, as a reward the kingdom of heaven shall be reserved for you.”’

Social and political activism has no place here. Again, we must change ourselves. If we look to the “one thing needful” we shall exit from this earth nevermore to return. That is the only way to avoid uncertainty and suffering. Rather than futilely seeking to establish the kingdom of God on earth we must strive to win it within ourselves. Then alone will there be hope of a better life for us.

At this moment, the witnesses were brought forward, one of whom made the following deposition: “Thou hast said to the people that the temporal power is as naught against that of the king who shall soon deliver the Israelites from the pagan yoke.”

The ignorant–whether enemies or self-styled followers of Christ–misunderstand His words, mistaking the esoteric for the exoteric. It was their incapacity to grasp the subtleties of the Gospel that impelled the Romans and others to persecute Christians. Such has happened to all initiates throughout the world and throughout all ages.

“Blessed art thou,” said Issa, “for having spoken the truth. The King of Heaven is greater and more powerful than the terrestrial law, and his kingdom surpasses all the kingdoms of the earth.

“And the time is not far off when, conforming to the divine will, the people of Israel shall purify them[selves] of their sins; for it has been said that a forerunner will come to proclaim the deliverance of the people, gathering them into one fold.”

And the governor, addressing himself to the judges, said: “Dost hear? The Israelite Issa confesses to the crime of which he is accused. Judge him, then, according to your laws, and pronounce against him capital punishment.”

“We cannot condemn him,” replied the priests and the elders. “Thou hast just heard thyself that his allusions were made regarding the King of Heaven and that he has preached naught to the sons of Israel which could constitute an offense against the law.”

The governor Pilate then sent for the witness who, at his instigation, had betrayed Issa. The man came and addressed Issa thus: “Didst thou not pass thyself off as the king of Israel when thou saidest that he who reigns in the heavens had sent thee to prepare his people?”

And Issa, having blessed him, said: “Thou shalt be pardoned, for what thou sayest does not come from thee!” Then, addressing himself to the governor: “Why humiliate thy dignity, and why teach thy inferiors to live in falsehood, as without doing so thou hast power to condemn the innocent?”

At these words the governor became exceeding wroth, ordering the sentence of death to be passed upon Issa and the acquittal of the two thieves.

The judges, having consulted together, said unto Pilate: “We will not take upon our heads the great sin of condemning an innocent man and acquitting thieves. That would be against the law.

“Do then as thou wilt.” Saying which the priests and the wise elders went out and washed their hands in a sacred vessel, saying: “We are innocent of the death of this just man.”

Did the authors of this text, or their sources, get this incident confused and mistakenly attribute the washing of hands to Pilate? Perhaps so. Yet, since the Gospels are written as symbols it may be that the evangelists changed the narrative to conform to esoteric principles. Or perhaps both Pilate and the elders did the washing but the evangelists only mention Pilate’s act for its metaphorical value.

By the order of the governor, the soldiers then seized Issa and the two thieves, whom they led to the place of execution, where they nailed them to crosses erected on the ground.

So the execution of the thieves with Jesus was done just to create an impression in the public mind, it being Pilate’s hope that those seeing the crucifixion would assume that there was a connection between them and Jesus–that Jesus was one like them. Saint Mark refers to the prophecy of Isaiah which says: “And he was numbered with the transgressors.”40 Because it is so remarkable that seven centuries before, Isaiah–who was later to become Jesus the Christ–had uttered these prophetic words regarding his own destiny, I want to give you the entire fifty-third chapter of Isaiah so you can see how each detail was fulfilled.

Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?

For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Now back to the Tibetan text.

All the day the bodies of Issa and the two thieves remained suspended, terrible to behold, under the guard of the soldiers; the people standing all around, the relations of the sufferers praying and weeping.

At sunset the sufferings of Issa came to an end. He lost consciousness, and the soul of this just man left his body to become absorbed in the Divinity.

Thus ended the earthly existence of the reflection of the Eternal Spirit under the form of a man who had saved hardened sinners and endured many sufferings.

Meanwhile, Pilate became afraid of his action and gave the body of the Saint to his parents, who buried it near the spot of his execution. The crowd came to pray over his tomb, and the air was filled with groans and lamentations.

Three days after, the governor sent his soldiers to carry away the body of Issa to bury it elsewhere, fearing otherwise a popular insurrection.

The next day the crowd found the tomb open and empty. At once the rumor spread that the supreme Judge had sent his Angels to carry away the mortal remains of the Saint in whom dwelt on earth a part of the Divine Spirit.

When this rumor reached the knowledge of Pilate, he became angered and forbade anyone, under the pain of slavery and death, to pronounce the name of Issa or to pray the Lord for him.

How is it that the Buddhist authors did not believe in the actual resurrection of Jesus? No doubt because those who told them of His death believed that His body had been stolen rather than that He had risen physically. Also the authors, understanding the true meaning of resurrection, saw no reason to question that opinion.

But the people continued to weep and to glorify aloud their Master, wherefore many were led into captivity, subjected to torture, and put to death.

This fate had been foretold them by Jesus.41

And the disciples of Saint Issa abandoned the land of Israel and scattered themselves among the heathen, preaching that they should renounce their errors, bethink them of the salvation of their souls and of the perfect felicity awaiting humanity in that immaterial world of light where, in repose and in all his purity, the Great Creator dwells in perfect majesty.

Light within Light–this is our destiny! How pitifully small is the heaven of the exotericists in comparison. But those who cling to body, mind, and ego look upon such a glorious state as hell. And since their will is the will of God they enter not into it, but return here again and again until finally they become wise and return to their true home in the Bosom of the Father.

The pagans, their kings, and their warriors listened to the preachers, abandoned their absurd beliefs, and forsook their priests and their idols to celebrate the praise of the all-wise Creator of the universe, the King of kings, whose heart is filled with infinite mercy.

So ends the translation of The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ. And also this commentary on it.

Regarding the existence of the Ladakh mnuscript

Since it is still being claimed that Notovich was a fraud, it will be good to add some more evidence regarding the manuscript he discovered.

Besides Swami Abhedananda, another disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Trigunatitananda went to the Hemis monastery. The monks there assured him that Notovitch had spent some time in the monastery as he claimed, and they also showed him the manuscript. He was also shown two paintings of Isha. One was a depiction of His conversation with the Samaritan Woman at the well. The other was of Isha meditating in the Himalayan forest surrounded by wild beasts that were tamed by His very presence. While in America the Swami discribed this latter painting to an American artist who reproduced it.

Later, Dr. Nicholas Roerich, the renowned scholar, philosopher, and explorer, traveled in Ladakh and also was shown the manuscript and assured by the monks that Sri Isha had indeed lived in several Buddhist monasteries during His “lost years.” He wrote about his own viewing of the scrolls in his book The Heart of Asia.

In 1921 the Hemis monastery was visited by Henrietta Merrick who, in her book In the World’s Attic tells of learning about the records of Isha’s life that were kept there. She wrote: “In Leh is the legend of Jesus who is called Issa, and the Monastery at Hemis holds precious documents fifteen hundred years old which tell of the days that he passed in Leh where he was joyously received and where he preached.”

In 1939 Elizabeth Caspari visited the Hemis monastery. The Abbot showed her some scrolls, which he allowed her to examine, saying: “These books say your Jesus was here.”

Toward the end of this century the diaries of a Moravian Missionary, Karl Marx, were discovered in which he writes of Notovitch and his finding of scrolls about “Saint Issa.”

(Notovitch also claimed that the Vatican Library had sixty-three manuscripts from India, China, Egypt, and Arabia–all giving information about Sri Isha’s life.)

Various Indian Sources

The Nathanamavali

In the latter part of the nineteenth century Sri Vijay Krishna Goswami, another disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, chanced to travel with a group of very austere wandering ascetics in Western India that are known as Nath Yogis. During conversations with them they referred to one of their major gurus whom they called Isha Nath. Intrigued, he asked for more information and they showed him a book called the Nathanamavali. Here is the relevant portion of that book:

Isha Natha came to India at the age of fourteen. After this he returned to his own country and began preaching. Soon after, his brutish and materialistic countrymen conspired again him and had him crucified. After crucifixion, or perhaps even before it, Isha Natha entered samadhi by means of yoga.

Seeing him thus, the Jews presumed he was dead, and buried him in a tomb. At that very moment however, one of his gurus, the great Chetan Natha, happened to be in profound meditation in the lower reaches of the Himalayas, and he saw in a vision the tortures which Isha Natha was undergoing. He therefore made his body lighter than air and passed over to the land of Israel.

The day of his arrival was marked with thunder and lightning, for the gods were angry with the Jews, and the whole world trembled. When Chetan Natha arrived, he took the body of Isha Natha from the tomb, woke him from his samadhi, and later led him off to the sacred land of the Aryans. Isha Natha then established an ashram in the lower regions of the Himalayas and he established the cult of the lingam there.

This tells us the age of Jesus when He reached India. In samadhi yogis often leave their bodies, so it is not amiss to say that Jesus did indeed “die” on the cross. “The cult of the lingam” refers to the Shaivite branch of Hinduism.42 However, at that time Shaivism was something very different from what it is now in India. “Shiva,” which literally means “He Who is All Bliss and the Giver of Happiness,” was considered a name of the Absolute Being and often carried the connotation of God as Infinite Light. Basically Shaivism was that philosophy which now is called Advaita Vedanta, and Yoga was its prime characteristic.

The Mosque of Fatehpur Sikri

In the sixteenth century Akbar the Great build a mosque which has these two inscriptions:

“Jesus (peace be upon him) has said, ‘The world is a bridge. Pass over it, but do not settle down on it! He who hopes for an hour may hope for eternity! The world is but an hour: spend it in devotion, for the rest is of no worth.’”

“Jesus (peace be upon him) has said, ‘The world is a proud house, take this as a warning and do not build on it!’”

These quotations have no reference to the actual life of Jesus, but they do show that words of Jesus were known in India that were unknown elsewhere, thereby indicating that Jesus had lived in India and His memory and words remained alive there.

Indian Sufi Traditions

Jesus is a major spiritual factor for the Sufis of India. “The seal of universal holiness, above which there is no other holy, is our Lord Jesus.” “The soul who realized the truth even before he claimed to be Alpha and Omega, is Christ.” These two statements are from the Indian Sufi tradition. Here are some saying of Jesus recorded in Indian Sufi books:

“Jesus, son of Mary, may peace be upon him, said: ‘He who seeks after the world is like one who drinks sea water. The more he drinks, the more his thirst increases, until it kills him.’”

“Jesus, son of Mary, may peace be upon him, said: “The world consists of three days: yesterday, which has passed, from which you have gained nothing; tomorrow, of which you do not know whether you will reach it or not; and today, in which you exist, so avail yourself of it.!’”

“When Jesus, son of Mary, may peace be upon him, was asked: ‘How are you this morning?’ he replied: ‘Unable to forestall what I hope, or to put off what I fear, bound by my works, with all my good in another’s hand. There is no poor man poorer than I.’”

Bhavishya Maha Purana

One ancient book of Kashmiri history, the Bhavishya Maha Purana, gives the following account of the meeting of a king of Kashmir with Jesus sometime after the middle of the first century:

When the king of the Sakas came to the Himalayas, he saw a dignified person of white complexion wearing a long white robe. Astonished to see this foreigner, he asked, “Who are you?” The dignified person replied in a pleasant manner: “Know me as Ishwara Putaram [Son of God], or Kanaya Garbam [Born of a Virgin]. Being given to truth and penances, I preach the truth to the Amlekites.”43 After hearing this, the king was astonished. He asked: “Which religion do you preach?” The dignified person replied: “O King, I hail from a land far away, where there is no truth, and evil knows no limits. I appeared in the country of the Amlekites. And I suffered at their hands. I appeared as Isha Masih [Jesus Messiah]. I received the Messiahood [or Christhood]. I said unto them, ‘Remove all mental and bodily impurities. Recite the revealed prayer. Pray truthfully in the right manner. Obey the Law. Remember the Name of our Lord God. Meditate upon Him Whose abode is in the center of the sun.’44 When I appeared in the Amlekite country, I taught love, truth, and purity of heart. I asked human beings to serve the Lord. But I suffered at the hands of the wicked and the guilty. In truth, O King, all power rests with the Lord, Who is in the center of the sun. And the elements, and the cosmos, and the sun, and God Himself, are forever. Perfect, pure, and blissful, God is always in my heart. Thus my Name has been established as Isha Masih.’ After having heard the pious words from the lips of this distinguished person, the king felt peaceful, made obeisance to him, and returned.”45

This supports the tradition of the Nathamanavali that after His resurrection Jesus returned to India and lived there.

Next: Chapter Eight, part 1–The Gospel Of Nicodemus

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1) John 17:5 [Go back]

2) John 10:27 [Go back]

3) Ephesians 4:13 [Go back]

4) Matthew 18:6,7 [Go back]

5) Revelation 3:15,16 [Go back]

6) “I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. But ye shall die like men.” (Psalms 82:6,7) [Go back]

7) “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:23-26) [Go back]

8) “And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:39,40,44,54) [Go back]

9) “When he [the Prodigal Son] came to himself, he said, I will arise and go to my father .And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.” (Luke 15:17,18,20) [Go back]

10) Luke 14:12-14 [Go back]

11) Luke 6:32-36 [Go back]

12) Matthew 7:24-27 [Go back]

13) Luke 10:42 [Go back]

14) Luke 6:47-49 [Go back]

15) I Corinthians 7:31 [Go back]

16) Luke 13:27 [Go back]

17) “Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.” (Luke 13:23,24) [Go back]

18) “No prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.” (II Peter 1:20) [Go back]

19) Matthew 22:21 [Go back]

20) Galatians 6:14 [Go back]

21) John 17:9,10 [Go back]

22) John 18:36 [Go back]

23) John 15:19 [Go back]

24) II Corinthians 6:14-18; 7:1 [Go back]

25) Luke 12:14 [Go back]

26) Romans 12:1-13:11 [Go back]

27) I Peter 2:23 [Go back]

28) Proverbs 16:32 [Go back]

29) There is a higher form of “channeling” that is really intuiting the wisdom of the Higher Self. I am not speaking of that here. [Go back]

30) Matthew 18:1-5 [Go back]

31) “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” (Exodus 20:12) “Ye shall fear [reverence] every man his mother, and his father.” (Leviticus 19:3) “Honour thy father and thy mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee.” (Deuteronomy 5:16) [Go back]

32) “And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him, and certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, and Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.” (Luke 8:1-3) [Go back]

33) “And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus. And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him.” (Luke 23:26,27) [Go back]

34) “In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; . And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word. And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.” (Matthew 28:1,5-9) [Go back]

35) “And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.” (Genesis 2:18) [Go back]

36) “Submit yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.” (Ephesians 5:21-33) [Go back]

37) Matthew 5:17 [Go back]

38) Matthew 5:18 [Go back]

39) Matthew 5:20 [Go back]

40) Mark 15:28 [Go back]

41) “And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck. Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us. For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?” (Luke 23:27-31) See also the entire twenty-fourth chapter of Saint Matthew’s Gospel. [Go back]

42) For more about this and the ancient Shaivite connections in Israel, see The Christ of India. [Go back]

43) The Amlekites were the Hebrews. There is evidence that some Hebrews had migrated to Kashmir long before the birth of Isha. So He might have been preaching to them at the time he met the king. [Go back]

44) A reference to the Sandhya. [Go back]

45) Bhavishya Maha Purana 3.2.9-31 [Go back]