The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ
Transcribed from The Book of God’s Remembrance (Akashic Records)
by Levi H. Dowling (1844-1911)
––– Continued –––
SECTION VI
VAU
Life and Works of Jesus in India
CHAPTER 21
Ravanna sees Jesus in the temple and is captivated. Hillel tells him about the boy. Ravanna finds Jesus in Nazareth and gives a feast in his honor. Ravanna becomes patron of Jesus, and takes him to India to study the Brahmic religion.
A ROYAL prince of India, Ravanna of Orissa in the south, was at the Jewish feast.
2. Ravanna was a man of wealth; and he was just, and with a band of Brahmic priests sought wisdom in the West.
3. When Jesus stood among the Jewish priests and read and spoke, Ravanna heard and was amazed.
4. And when he asked who Jesus was, from whence he came and what he was, chief Hillel said,
5. We call this child the Day Star from on high, for he has come to bring to men a light, the light of life; to lighten up the way of men and to redeem his people, Israel.
6. And Hillel told Ravanna all about the child; about the prophecies concerning him; about the wonders of the night when he was born; about the visit of the magian priests;
7. About the way in which he was protected from the wrath of evil men; about his flight to Egypt-land, and how he then was serving with his father as a carpenter in Nazareth.
8. Ravanna was entranced, and asked to know the way to Nazareth, that he might go and honor such a one as son of God.
9. And with his gorgeous train he journeyed on the way and came to Nazareth of Galilee.
10. He found the object of his search engaged in building dwellings for the sons of men.
11. And when he first saw Jesus he was climbing up a twelve step ladder, and he carried in his hands a compass, square and axe.
12. Ravanna said, All hail, most favored son of heaven!
13. And at the inn Ravanna made a feast for all the people of the town; and Jesus and his parents were honored guests.
14. For certain days Ravanna was a guest in Joseph’s home on Marmion Way; he sought to learn the secret of the wisdom of the son; but it was all to great for him.
15. And then he asked that he might be the patron of the child; might take him to the East where he could learn the wisdom of the Brahms.
16. And Jesus longed to go that he might learn; and after many days his parents gave consent.
17. Then, with proud heart, Ravanna with his train, began the journey towards the rising sun; and after many days they crossed the Sind, and reached the province of Orissa, and the palace of the prince.
18. The Brahmic priests were glad to welcome home the prince; with favor they received the Jewish boy.
19. And Jesus was accepted as a pupil in the temple Jagannath; and here learned the Vedas and the Manic laws.
20. The Brahmic masters wondered at the clear conceptions of the child, and often were amazed when he explained to them the meaning of the laws.
CHAPTER 22
The friendship of Jesus and Lamaas. Jesus explains to Lamaas the meaning of truth, man, power, understanding, wisdom, salvation and faith.
AMONG the priests of Jagannath was one who loved the Jewish boy. Lamaas Bramas was the name by which the priest was known.
2. One day as Jesus and Lamaas walked alone in plaza Jagannath, Lamaas said, My Jewish master, what is truth?
3. And Jesus said, Truth is the only thing that changes not.
4. In all the world there are two things; the one is truth; the other falsehood is; and truth is that which is, and falsehood that which seems to be.
5. Now truth is aught, and has no cause, and yet it is the cause of everything.
6. Falsehood is naught, and yet it is the manifest of aught.
7. Whatever has been made will be unmade; that which begins must end.
8. All things that can be seen by human eyes are manifests of aught, are naught, and so must pass away.
9. The things we see are but reflexes just appearing, while the ethers vibrate so and so, and when conditions change they disappear.
10. The Holy Breath is truth; is that which was, and is, and evermore shall be; it cannot change nor pass away.
11. Lamaas said, You answer well; now, what is man?
12. And Jesus said, Man is the truth and falsehood strangely mixed.
13. Man is the Breath made flesh; so truth and falsehood are conjoined in him; and they strive, and naught goes down and man as truth abides.
14. Again Lamaas asked, What do you say of power?
15. And Jesus said, It is a manifest; is the result of force; it is but naught; it is illusion, nothing more. Force changes not, but power changes as the ethers change.
16. Force is the will of God and is omnipotent, and power is that will in manifest, directed by the Breath.
17. There is power in the winds, a power in the waves, a power in the lightning’s stroke, a power in the human arm, a power in the eye.
18. The ethers cause these powers to be, and thought of Elohim, of angel, man, or other thinking thing, directs the force; when it has done its work the power is no more.
19. Again Lamaas asked, Of understanding what have you to say?
20. And Jesus said, It is the rock on which man builds himself; it is the gnosis of the aught and of the naught, of falsehood and of truth.
21. It is the knowledge of the lower self; the sensing of the powers of man himself.
22. Again Lamaas asked, Of wisdom what have you to say?
23. And Jesus said, It is the consciousness that man is aught; that God and man are one;
24. That naught is naught; that power is but illusion; that heaven and earth and hell are not above, around, below, but in; which in the light of aught becomes the naught, and God is all.
25. Lamaas asked, Pray, what is faith?
26. And Jesus said, Faith is the surety of the omnipotence of God and man; the certainty that man will reach the deific life.
27. Salvation is a ladder reaching from the heart of man to heart of God.
28. It has three steps; Belief is first, and this is what man thinks, perhaps, is truth.
29. And faith is next, and this is what man knows is truth.
30. Fruition is the last, and this is man himself, the truth.
31. Belief is lost in faith; and in fruition faith is lost; and man is saved when he has reached deific life; when he and God are one.
CHAPTER 23
Jesus and Lamaas among the sudras and visyas. In Benares. Jesus becomes a pupil of Udraka. The lessons of Udraka.
NOW, Jesus with his friend Lamaas went through all the regions of Orissa, and the valley of the Ganges, seeking wisdom from the sudras and the visyas and the masters.
2. Benares of the Ganges was a city rich in culture and in learning; here the two rabbonis tarried many days.
3. And Jesus sought to learn the Hindu art of healing, and became the pupil of Udraka, greatest of the Hindu healers.
4. Udraka taught the uses of the waters, plants and earths; of heat and cold; sunshine and shade; of light and dark.
5. He said, The laws of nature are the laws of health, and he who lives according to these laws is never sick.
6. Transgression of these laws is sin, and he who sins is sick.
7. He who obeys the laws, maintains an equilibrium in all his parts, and thus insures true harmony; and harmony is health, while discord is disease.
8. That which produces harmony in all the parts of man is medicine, insuring health.
9. The body is a harpsichord, and when its strings are too relaxed, or are too tense, the instrument is out of tune, the man is sick.
10. Now, everything in nature has been made to meet the wants of man; so everything is found in medical arcanes.
11. And when the harpsichord of man is out of tune the vast expanse of nature may be searched for remedy; there is a cure for every ailment of the flesh.
12. Of course the will of man is remedy supreme; and by the vigorous exercise of will, man way make tense a chord that is relaxed, or may relax one that is too tense, and thus may heal himself.
13. When man has reached the place where he has faith in God, in nature and himself, he knows the Word of power; his word is balm for every wound, is cure for all the ills of life.
14. The healer is the man who can inspire faith. The tongue may speak to human ears, but souls are reached by souls that speak to souls.
15. He is the forceful man whose soul is large, and who can enter into souls, inspiring hope in those who have no hope, and faith in those who have no faith in God, in nature, nor in man.
16. There is no universal balm for those who tread the common walks of life.
17. A thousand things produce inharmony and make men sick; a thousand things may tune the harpsichord, and make men well.
18. That which is medicine for one is poison for another one; so one is healed by what would kill another one.
19. An herb may heal the one; a drink of water may restore another one; a mountain breeze may bring to life one seeming past all help;
20. A coal of fire, or bit of earth, may cure another one; and one may wash in certain streams, or pools, and be made whole.
21. The virtue from the hand or breath may heal a thousand more; but love is queen. Thought, reinforced by love, is God’s great sovereign balm.
22. But many of the broken chords in life, and discords that so vex the soul, are caused by evil spirits of the air that men see not; that lead men on through ignorance to break the laws of nature and of God.
23. These powers act like demons, and they speak; they rend the man; they drive him to despair.
24. But he who is a healer, true, is master of the soul, and can, by force of will, control these evil ones.
25. Some spirits of the air are master spirits and are strong, too strong for human power alone; but man has helpers in the higher realms that may be importuned, and they will help to drive the demons out.
26. Of what this great physician said, this is the sum. And Jesus bowed his head in recognition of the wisdom of this master soul, and went his way.
CHAPTER 24
The Brahmic doctrine of castes. Jesus repudiates it and teaches human equality. The priests are offended and drive him from the temple. He abides with the sudras and teaches them.
FOUR years the Jewish boy abode in temple Jagannath.
2. One day he sat among the priests and said to them, Pray, tell me all about your views of castes; why do you say that all men are not equal in the sight of God?
3. A master of their laws stood forth and said, The Holy One whom we call Brahm, made men to suit himself, and men should not complain.
4. In the beginning days of human life Brahm spoke, and four men stood before his face.
5. Now, from the mouth of Parabrahm the first man came; and he was white, was like the Brahm himself; a brahman he was called.
6. And he was high and lifted up; above all want he stood; he had no need of toil.
7. And he was called the priest of Brahm, the holy one to act for Brahm in all affairs of earth.
8. The second man was red, and from the hand of Parabrahm he came; and he was called shatriya.
9. And he was made to be the king, the ruler and the warrior, whose highest ordained duty was protection of the priest.
10. And from the inner parts of Parabrahm the third man came; and he was called a visya.
11. He was a yellow man, and his it was to till the soil, and keep the flocks and herds.
12. And from the feet of Parabrahm the fourth man came; and he was black; and he was called the sudras, one of low estate.
13. The sudra is the servant of the race of men; he has no rights that others need respect; he may not hear the Vedas read, and it means death to him to look into the face of priest, or king, and naught but death can free him from his state of servitude.
14. And Jesus said, Then Parabrahm is not a God of justice and of right; for with his own strong hand he has exalted one and brought another low.
15. And Jesus said no more to them, but looking up to heaven he said,
16. My Father-God, who was, and is, and evermore shall be; who holds within thy hands the scales of justice and of right;
17. Who in the boundlessness of love has made all men to equal be. The white, the black, the yellow, and the red can look up in thy face and say, Our Father-God.
18. Thou Father of the human race, I praise thy name.
19. And all the priests were angered by the words which Jesus spoke; they rushed upon him, seized him, and would have done him harm.
20. But then Lamaas raised his hand and said, You priests of Brahm, beware! you know not what you do; wait till you know the God this youth adores.
21. I have beheld this boy at prayer when light above the light of the sun surrounded him. Beware! his God may be more powerful than Brahm.
22. If Jesus speaks the truth, if he is right, you cannot force him to desist; if he is wrong and you are right, his words come to naught, for right is might, and in the end it will prevail.
23. And then the priests refrained from doing Jesus harm; but one spoke out and said,
24. Within this holy place has not this reckless youth done violence to Parabrahm? The law is plain; it says, He who reviles the name of Brahm shall die.
25. Lamaas pled for Jesus’ life; and then the priests just seized a scourge of cords and drove him from the place.
26. And Jesus went his way and found shelter with the black and yellow men, the servants and the tiller of the soil.
27. To them he first made known the gospel of equality; he told them of the Brotherhood of Man, the Fatherhood of God.
28. The common people heard him with delight, and learned to pray, Our Father-God who art in heaven.
CHAPTER 25
Jesus teaches the sudras and farmers. Relates a parable of a nobleman and his unjust sons. Makes known the possibilities of all men.
WHEN Jesus saw the sudras and the farmers in such multitudes draw near to hear his words, he spoke a parable to them; he said:
2. A nobleman possessed a great estate; he had four sons, and he would have them all grow strong by standing forth and making use of all the talents they possess.
3. And so he gave to each a share of his great wealth, and bade them go their way.
4. The eldest son was full of self; he was ambitious, shrewd and quick of thought.
5. He said within himself, I am the oldest son, and these, my brothers, must be servants at my feet.
6. And then he called his brothers forth; and one he made a puppet king; gave him a sword and charged him to defend the whole estate.
7. To one he gave the use of lands and flowing wells, and flocks and herds, and bade him till the soil, and tend the flocks and herds and bring to him the choicest of his gains.
8. And to the other one he said, You are the youngest son; the broad estate has been assigned; you have no part nor lot in anything that is.
9. And he took a chain and bound his brother to a naked rock upon a desert plain, and said to him,
10. You have been born a slave; you have no rights, and you must be contented with your lot, for there is no release for you until you die and go from hence.
11. Now, after certain years the day of reckoning came; the nobleman called up his sons to render their accounts.
12. And when he knew that one, his eldest son, had seized the whole estate and made his brothers slaves,
13. He seized him, tore his priestly robes away and put him in a prison cell, where he was forced to stay until he had atoned for all the wrongs that he had done.
14. And then, as though they were but toys, he threw in air the throne and armor of the puppet king; he broke his sword, and put him in a prison cell.
15. And then he called his farmer son and asked him why he had not rescued from his galling chains his brother on the desert plains.
16. And when the son made answer not, the father took unto himself the flocks and herds, the fields and flowing wells,
17. And sent his farmer son to live out on the desert sands, until he had atoned for all the wrongs that he had done.
18. And then the father went and found his youngest son in cruel chains; with his own hands he broke the chains and bade his son to go in peace.
19. Now, when the sons had all paid up their debts they came again and stood before the bar of right.
20. They all had learned their lessons, learned them well; and then the father once again divided the estate.
21. He gave to each a share, and bade them recognize the law of equity and right, and live in peace.
22. And one, a sudras, spoke and said, May we who are but slaves, who are cut down like beasts to satisfy the whims of priests–may we have hope that one will come to break our chains and set us free?
23. And Jesus said, The Holy One has said, that all his children shall be free; and every soul is child of God.
24. The sudras shall be free as priest; the farmer shall walk hand in hand with king; for all the world will own the brotherhood of man.
25. O men, arise! be conscious of your powers, for he who wills need not remain a slave.
26. Just live as you would have your brother live; unfold each day as does the flower; for earth is yours, and heaven is yours, and God will bring you to your own.
27. And all the people cried, Show us the way that like the flower we may unfold and come unto our own.
CHAPTER 26
Jesus at Katak. The car of Jagannath. Jesus reveals to the people the emptiness of Brahmic rites, and how to see God in man. Teaches them the divine law of sacrifice.
IN all the cities of Orissa Jesus taught. At Katak, by the river side, he taught, and thousands of the people followed him.
2. One day a car of Jagannath was hauled along by scores of frenzied men, and Jesus said,
3. Behold, a form without a spirit passes by; a body with no soul; a temple with no altar fires.
4. This car of Krishna is an empty thing, for Krishna is not there.
5. This car is but an idol of a people drunk on wine of carnal things.
6. God lives not in the noise of tongues; there is no way to him from any idol shrine.
7. God’s meeting place with man is in the heart, and in a still small voice he speaks; and he who hears is still.
8. And all the people said, Teach us to know the Holy One who speaks within the heart, God of the still small voice.
9. And Jesus said, The Holy Breath cannot be seen with mortal eyes; nor can men see the Spirits of the Holy;
10. But in their image man was made, and he who looks into the face of man, looks at the image of the God who speaks within.
11. And when man honors man he honors God, and what man does for man, he does for God.
12. And you must bear in mind that when man harms in thought, or word or deed another man, he does a wrong to God.
13. If you would serve the God who speaks within the heart, just serve your near of kin, and those that are no kin, the stranger at your gates, the foe who seeks to do you harm;
14. Assist the poor, and help the weak; do harm to none, and covet not what is not yours;
15. Then, with your tongue the Holy One will speak; and he will smile behind your tears, will light your countenance with joy, and fill your hearts with peace.
16. And then the people asked.
To whom shall we bring gifts? Where shall we offer sacrifice?
17. And Jesus said, Our Father-God asks not for needless waste of plant, of grain, of dove, of lamb.
18. That which you burn on any shrine you throw away. No blessings can attend the one who takes the food from hungry mouths to be destroyed by fire.
19. When you would offer sacrifice unto our God, just take your gift of grain, or meat and lay it on the table of the poor.
20. From it an incense will arise to heaven, which will return to you with blessedness.
21. Tear down your idols; they can hear you not; turn all your sacrificial altars into fuel for the flames.
22. Make human hearts your altars, and burn your sacrifices with the fire of love.
23. And all the people were entranced, and would have worshiped Jesus as a God; but Jesus said,
24. I am your brother man just come to show the way to God; you shall not worship man; praise God, the Holy One.
CHAPTER 27
Jesus attends a feast in Behar. Preaches a revolutionary sermon on human equality. Relates the parable of the broken blades.
THE fame of Jesus as a teacher spread through all the land, and people came from near and far to hear his words of truth.
2. At Behar, on the sacred river of the Brahms, he taught for many days.
3. And Ach, a wealthy man of Behar, made a feast in honor of his guest, and he invited every one to come.
4. And many came; among them thieves, extortioners, and courtesans. And Jesus sat with them and taught; but they who followed him were much aggrieved because he sat with thieves and courtesans.
5. And they upbraided him; they said, Rabboni, master of the wise, this day will be an evil day for you.
6. The news will spread that you consort with courtesans and thieves, and men will shun you as they shun an asp.
7. And Jesus answered them and said, A master never screens himself for sake of reputation or of fame.
8. These are but worthless baubles of the day; they rise and sink, like empty bottles on a stream; they are illusions and will pass away;
9. They are the indices to what the thoughtless think; they are the noise that people make; and shallow men judge merit by noise.
10. God and all master men judge men by what they are and not by what they seem to be; not by their reputation and their fame.
11. These courtesans and thieves are children of my Father-God; their souls are just as precious in his sight as yours, or of the Brahmic priests.
12. And they are working out the same life sums that you, who pride yourselves on your respectability and moral worth, are working out.
13. And some of them have solved much harder sums than you have solved, you men who look at them with scorn.
14. Yes, they are sinners, and confess their guilt, while you are guilty, but are shrewd enough to have polished coat to cover up your guilt.
15. Suppose you men who scorn these courtesans, these drunkards and these thieves, who know that you are pure in heart and life, that you are better far than they, stand forth that men may know just who you are.
16. The sin lies in the wish, in the desire, not in the act.
17. You covet other people’s wealth; you look at charming forms, and deep within your hearts you lust for them.
18. Deceit you practice every day, and wish for gold, for honor and for fame, just for your selfish selves.
19. The man who covets is a thief, and she who lusts is courtesan. You who are none of these speak out.
20. Nobody spoke; the accusers held their peace.
21. And Jesus said, The proof this day is all against those who have accused.
22. The pure in heart do not accuse. The vile in heart who want to cover up their guilt with holy smoke of piety are ever loathing drunkard, thief and courtesan.
23. This loathing and this scorn is mockery, for if the tinseled coat of reputation could be torn away, the loud professor would be found to revel in his lust, deceit and many forms of secret sin.
24. The man who spends his time in pulling other people’s weeds can have no time to pull his own, and all the choicest flowers of life will soon be choked and die, and nothing will remain but darnel, thistles, burs.
25. And Jesus spoke a parable: he said, Behold, a farmer had great fields of ripened grain, and when he looked he saw that blades of many stalks of wheat were bent and broken down.
26. And when he sent his reapers forth he said, We will not save the stalks of wheat that have the broken blades.
27. Go forth and cut and burn the stalks with broken blades.
28. And after many days he went to measure up his grain, but not a kernel could be find.
29. And then he called the harvesters and said to them, Where is my grain?
30. They answered him and said, We did according to your word; we gathered up and burned the stalks with broken blades, and not a stalk was left to carry to the barn.
31. And Jesus said, If God saves only those who have no broken blades, who have been perfect in his sight, who will be saved?
32. And the accusers hung their heads in shame; and Jesus went his way.
CHAPTER 28
Udraka gives a feast in Jesus’ honor. Jesus speaks on the unity of God and the brotherhood of life. Criticizes the priesthood. Becomes the guest of a farmer.
BENARES is the sacred city of the Brahms, and in Benares Jesus taught; Udraka was his host.
2. Udraka made a feast in honor of his guest, and many high born Hindu priests and scribes were there.
3. And Jesus said to them, With much delight I speak to you concerning life–the brotherhood of life.
4. The universal God is one, yet he is more than one; all things are God; all things are one.
5. By the sweet breaths of God all life is bound in one; so if you touch a fiber of a living thing you send a thrill from the center to the outer bounds of life.
6. And when you crush beneath your foot the meanest worm, you shake the throne of God, and cause the sword of right to tremble in its sheath.
7. The bird sings out its song for men, and men vibrate in unison to help it sing.
8. The ant constructs her home, the bee its sheltering comb, the spider weaves her web, and flowers breathe to them a spirit in their sweet perfumes that gives them strength to toil.
9. Now, men and birds and beasts and creeping things are deities, made flesh; and how dare men kill anything?
10. ’Tis cruelty that makes the world awry. When men have learned that when they harm a living thing they harm themselves, they surely will not kill, nor cause a thing that God has made to suffer pain.
11. A lawyer said, I pray you, Jesus, tell who is this God you speak about; where are his priests, his temples and his shrines?
12. And Jesus said, The God I speak about is everywhere; he cannot be compassed with walls, nor hedged about with bounds of any kind.
13. All people worship God, the One; but all the people see him not alike.
14. This universal God is wisdom, will and love.
15. All men see not the Triune God. One sees him as the God of might; another as the God of thought; another as the God of love.
16. A man’s ideal is his God, and so, as man unfolds, his God unfolds. Man’s God today, tomorrow is not God.
17. The nations of the earth see God from different points of view, and so he does not seem the same to every one.
18. Man names the part of God he sees, and this to him is all of God; and every nation sees a part of God, and every nation has a name for God.
19. You Brahmans call him Parabrahm; in Egypt he is Thoth; and Zeus is his name in Greece; Jehovah is his Hebrew name; but everywhere he is the causeless Cause, the rootless Root from which all things have grown.
20. When men become afraid of God, and take him for a foe, they dress up other men in fancy garbs and call them priests.
21. And charge them to restrain the wrath of God by prayers; and when they fail to win his favor by their prayers, to buy him off with sacrifice of animal, or bird.
22. When man sees God as one with him, as Father-God, he needs no middle man, no priest to intercede;
23. He goes straight up to him and says, My Father-God! and then he lays his hand in God’s own hand, and all is well.
24. And this is God. You are, each one, a priest, just for yourself; and sacrifice of blood God does not want.
25. Just give your life in sacrificial service to the all of life, and God is pleased.
26. When Jesus had thus said he stood aside; the people were amazed, but strove among themselves.
27. Some said, He is inspired by Holy Brahm; and others said, He is insane; and others said, He is obsessed; he speaks as devils speak.
28. But Jesus tarried not. Among the guests was one, a tiller of the soil, a generous soul, a seeker after truth, who loved the words that Jesus spoke, and Jesus went with him, and in his home abode.
CHAPTER 29
Ajainin, a priest from Lahore, comes to Benares to see Jesus, and abides in the temple. Jesus refuses an invitation to visit the temple. Ajainin visits him at night in the farmer’s home, and accepts his philosophy.
AMONG Benares’ temple priests was one, a guest, Ajainin, from Lahore.
2. By merchantmen Ajainin heard about the Jewish boy, about his words of wisdom, and he girt himself and journeyed from Lahore that he might see the boy, and hear him speak.
3. The Brahmic priests did not accept the truth that Jesus brought, and they were angered much by what he said at the Udraka feast.
4. But they had never seen the boy, and they desired much to hear him speak, and they invited him to be a temple guest.
5. But Jesus said to them, The light is most abundant, and it shines for all; if you would see the light come to the light.
6. If you would hear the message that the Holy One has given me to give to men, come unto me.
7. Now, when the priests were told what Jesus said they were enraged.
8. Ajainin did not share their wrath, and he sent forth another messenger with costly gifts to Jesus at the farmer’s home; he sent this message with the gifts:
9. I pray you master, listen to my words; The Brahmic law forbids that any priest shall go into the home of any one of low estate; but you can come to us;
10. And I am sure these priests will gladly hear you speak. I pray that you will come and dine with us this day.
11. And Jesus said, The Holy One regards all men alike; the dwelling of my host is good enough for any council of the sons of men.
12. If pride of caste keeps you away, you are not worthy of the light. My Father-God does not regard the laws of man.
13. Your presents I return; you cannot buy the knowledge of the Lord with gold, or precious gifts.
14. These words of Jesus angered more and more the priests, and they began to plot and plan how they might drive him from the land.
15. Ajainin did not join with them in plot and plan; he left the temple in the night, and sought the home where Jesus dwelt.
16. And Jesus said, There is no night where shines the sun; I have no secret messages to give; in light all secrets are revealed.
17. Ajainin said, I came from far-away Lahore, that I might learn about this ancient wisdom, and this kingdom of the Holy One of which you speak.
18. Where is the kingdom? where the king? Who are the subjects? what its laws?
19. And Jesus said, This kingdom is not far away, but man with mortal eyes can see it not; it is within the heart.
20. You need not seek the king in earth, or sea, or sky; he is not there, and yet is everywhere. He is the Christ of God; is universal love.
21. The gate of this dominion is not high, and he who enters it must fall down on his knees. It is not wide, and none can carry carnal bundles through.
22. The lower self must be transmuted into spirit-self; the body must be washed in living streams of purity.
23. Ajainin asked, Can I become a subject of this king?
24. And Jesus said, You are yourself a king, and you may enter through the gate and be a subject of the King of kings.
25. But you must lay aside your priestly robes; must cease to serve the Holy One for gold; must give your life, and all you have, in willing service to the sons of men.
26. And Jesus said no more; Ajainin went his way; and while he could not comprehend the truth that Jesus spoke, he saw what he had never seen before.
27. The realm of faith he never had explored; but in his heart the seeds of faith and universal brotherhood had found good soil.
28. And as he journeyed to his home he seemed to sleep, to pass through darkest night, and when he woke the Sun of Righteousness had arisen; he had found the king.
29. Now, in Benares Jesus tarried many days and taught.
CHAPTER 30
Jesus receives news of the death of his father. He writes a letter to his mother. The letter. He sends it on its way by a merchant.
ONE day as Jesus stood beside the Ganges busy with his work, a caravan, returning from the West, drew near.
2. And one, approaching Jesus, said, We come to you from your native land and bring unwelcome news.
3. Your father is no more on earth; your mother grieves; and none can comfort her. She wonders whether you are still alive or not; she longs to see you once again.
4. And Jesus bowed his head in silent thought; and then he wrote. Of what he wrote this is the sum:
5. My mother, noblest of womankind; A man just from my native land has brought me word that father is no more in flesh, and that you grieve, and are disconsolate.
6. My mother, all is well; is well for father and is well for you.
7. His work in this earth-round is done, and it is nobly done.
8. In all the walks of life men cannot charge him with deceit, dishonesty, nor wrong intent.
9. Here in this round he finished many heavy tasks, and he has gone from hence prepared to solve the problems of the round of soul.
10. Our Father-God is with him there, as he was with him here; and there his angel guards his footsteps lest he goes astray.
11. Why should you weep? Tears cannot conquer grief. There is no power in grief to mend a broken heart.
12. The plane of grief is idleness; the busy soul can never grieve; it has no time for grief.
13. When grief comes trooping through the heart, just lose yourself; plunge deep into the ministry of love, and grief is not.
14. Yours is a ministry of love, and all the world is calling out for love.
15. Then let the past go with the past; rise from the cares of carnal things and give your life for those who live.
16. And if you lose your life in serving life you are sure to find in it the morning sun, the evening dews, in song of bird, in flowers, and in the stars of night.
17. In just a little while your problems of this earth-round will be solved; and when your sums are all worked out it will be pleasure unalloyed for you to enter wider fields of usefulness, to solve the greater problems of the soul.
18. Strive, then, to be content, and I will come to you some day and bring you richer gifts than gold or precious stones.
19. I’m sure that John will care for you, supplying all your needs; and I am with you all the way, Jehoshua.
20. And by the hand of one, a merchant, going to Jerusalem, he sent this letter on its way.
CHAPTER 31
Brahmic priests are enraged because of Jesus’ teaching and resolve to drive him from India. Lamaas pleads for him. Priests employ a murderer to kill him. Lamaas warns him and he flees to Nepal.
THE words and works of Jesus caused unrest through all the land.
2. The common people were his friends, believed in him and followed him in throngs.
3. The priests and rulers were afraid of him, his very name sent terror to their hearts.
4. He preached the brotherhood of life, the righteousness of equal rights, and taught the uselessness of priests, and sacrificial rites.
5. He shook the very sand on which the Brahmic system stood; he made the Brahmic idols seem so small, and sacrifice so fraught with sin, that shrines and wheels of prayer were all forgot.
6. The priests declared that if this Jewish boy should tarry longer in the land a revolution would occur; the common people would arise and kill the priests, and tear the temples down.
7. And so they sent a call abroad, and priests from every province came. Benares was on fire with Brahmic zeal.
8. Lamaas from the temple Jagannath, who knew the inner life of Jesus well, was in their midst, and heard the rantings of the priests,
9. And he stood forth and said, My brother priests, take heed, be careful what you do; this is a record-making day.
10. The world is looking on; the very life of Brahmic thought is now on trial.
11. If we are reason-blind; if prejudice be king today; if we resort to beastly force, and dye our hands in blood that may, in sight of Brahm, be innocent and pure,
12. His vengeance may fall down on us; the very rock on which we stand may burst beneath our feet; and our beloved priesthood, and our laws and shrines will go into decay.
13. But they would let him speak no more. The wrathful priests rushed up and beat him, spit upon him, called him traitor, threw him, bleeding, to the street.
14. And then confusion reigned; the priests became a mob; the sight of human blood led on to fiendish acts and called for more.
15. The rulers, fearing war, sought Jesus, and they found him calmly teaching in the market place.
16. They urged him to depart, that he might save his life; but he refused to go.
17. And then the priests sought cause for his arrest; but he had done no crime.
18. And then false charges were preferred; but when the soldiers went to bring him to the judgement hall they were afraid, because the people stood in his defense.
19. The priests were baffled, and they resolved to take his life by stealth.
20. They found a man who was a murderer by trade, and sent him out by night to slay the object of their wrath.
21. Lamaas heard about their plotting and their plans, and sent a messenger to warn his friend; and Jesus hastened to depart.
22. By night he left Benares, and with haste he journeyed to the north; and everywhere, the farmers, merchants and sudras helped him on his way.
23. And after many days he reached the mighty Himalayas, and in the city of Kapivastu he abode.
24. The priests of Buddha opened wide their temple doors for him.
CHAPTER 32
Jesus and Barata. Together they read the sacred books. Jesus takes exception to the Buddhist doctrine of evolution and reveals the true origin of man. Meets Vidyapati, who becomes his co-laborer.
AMONG the Buddhist priests was one who saw a lofty wisdom in the words that Jesus spoke. It was Barata Arabo.
2. Together Jesus and Barata read the Jewish Psalms and Prophets; read the Vedas, the Avesta and the wisdom of Gautama.
3. And as they read and talked about the possibilities of man, Barata said,
4. Man is the marvel of the universe. He is part of everything for he has been a living thing on every plane of life.
5. Time was when man was not; and he was a bit of formless substance in the moulds of time; and then a protoplast.
6. By universal law all things tend upward to a state of perfectness. The protoplast evolved, becoming worm, then reptile, bird and beast, and then at last it reached the form of man.
7. Now, man himself is mind, and mind is here to gain perfection by experience; and mind is often manifest in fleshy form, and in the form best suited to its growth. So mind may manifest as worm, or bird, or beast, or man.
8. The time will come when everything of life will be evolved unto the state of perfect man.
9. And after man is man in perfectness, he will evolve to higher forms of life.
10. And Jesus said, Barata Arabo, who taught you this, that mind, which is the man, may manifest in flesh of beast, or bird, or creeping thing?
11. Barata said, From times which man remembers not our priests have told us so, and so we know.
12. And Jesus said, Enlightened Arabo, are you a master mind and do not know that man knows naught by being told?
13. Man may believe what others say; but thus he never knows. If man would know, he must himself be what he knows.
14. Do you remember, Arabo, when you were ape, or bird, or worm?
15. Now, if you have no better proving of your plea than that the priests have told you so, you do not know; you simply guess.
16. Regard not, then, what any man has said; let us forget the flesh, and go with mind into the land of fleshless things; mind never does forget.
17. And backward through the ages master minds can trace themselves; and thus they know.
18. Time never was when man was not.
19. That which begins will have an end. If man was not, the time will come when he will not exist.
20. From God’s own Record Book we read: The Triune God breathed forth, and seven Spirits stood before his face. (The Hebrews call these seven Spirits, Elohim..
21. And these are they who, in their boundless power, created everything that is, or was.
22. These Spirits of the Triune God moved on the face of boundless space and seven ethers were, and every ether had its form of life.
23. These forms of life were but the thoughts of God, clothed in the substance of their ether planes.
24. (Men call these ether planes the planes of protoplast, of earth, of plant, of beast, of man, of angel and of cherubim..
25. These planes with all their teeming thoughts of God, are never seen by eyes of man in flesh; they are composed of substance far too fine for fleshy eyes to see, and still they constitute the soul of things;
26. And with the eyes of soul all creatures see these ether planes, and all forms of life.
27. Because all forms of life on every plane are thoughts of God, all creatures think, and every creature is possessed of will, and, in its measure, has the power to choose,
28. And in their native planes all creatures are supplied with nourishment from the ethers of their planes.
29. And so it was with every living thing until the will became a sluggish will, and then the ethers of the protoplast, the earth, the plant, the beast, the man, began to vibrate very slow.
30. The ethers all became more dense, and all the creatures of these planes were clothed with coarser garbs, the garbs of flesh, which men can see; and thus this coarser manifest, which men call physical, appeared.
31. And this is what is called the fall of man; but man fell not alone, for protoplast, and earth, and plant and beast were all included in the fall.
32. The angels and the cherubim fell not; their wills were ever strong, and so they held the ethers of their planes in harmony with God.
33. Now, when the ethers reached the rate of atmosphere, and all the creatures of these planes must get their food from atmosphere, the conflict came; and that which the finite man has called survival of the best, became the law,
34. The stronger ate the bodies of the weaker manifests; and here is where the carnal law of evolution had its rise.
35. And now man, in his utter shamelessness, strikes down and eats the beasts, the beast consumes the plant, the plant thrives on the earth, the earth absorbs the protoplast.
36. In yonder kingdom of the soul this carnal evolution is not known, and the great work of master minds is to restore the heritage of man, to bring him back to his estate that he has lost, when he again will live upon the ethers of his native plane.
37. The thoughts of God change not; the manifests of life on every plane unfold into perfection of their kind; and as the thoughts of God can never die, there is no death to any being of the seven ethers of the seven Spirits of the Triune God.
38. And so an earth is never plant; a beast, or bird, or creeping thing is never man, and man is not, and cannot be, a beast, or bird, or creeping thing.
39. The time will come when all these seven manifests will be absorbed, and man, and beast, and plant, and earth and protoplast will be redeemed.
40. Barata was amazed; the wisdom of the Jewish sage was a revelation unto him.
41. Now, Vidyapati, wisest of the Indian sages, chief of temple Kapavistu, heard Barata speak to Jesus of the origin of man, and heard the answer of the Hebrew prophet, and he said,
42. You priests of Kapavistu, hear me speak: We stand today upon a crest of time. Six times ago a master soul was born who gave a glory light to man, and now a master sage stands here in temple Kapavistu.
43. This Hebrew prophet is the rising star of wisdom, deified. He brings to us a knowledge of the secrets things of God; and all the world will hear his words, will heed his words, and glorify his name.
44. You priests of temple Kapavistu, stay! be still and listen when he speaks; he is the Living Oracle of God.
45 And all the priests gave thanks, and praised the Buddha of enlightenment.
CHAPTER 33
Jesus teaches the common people at a spring. Tells them how to attain unto happiness. Relates the parable of the rocky field and the hidden treasure.
IN silent meditation Jesus sat beside a flowing spring. It was a holy day, and many people of the servant caste were near the place.
2. And Jesus saw the hard drawn lines of toil on every brow, in every hand. There was no look of joy in any face. Not one of all the group could think of anything but toil.
3. And Jesus spoke to one and said, Why are you all so sad? Have you no happiness in life?
4. The man replied, We scarcely know the meaning of that word. We toil to live, and hope for nothing else but toil, and bless the day when we can cease our toil and lay us down to rest in Buddha’s city of the dead.
5. And Jesus’ heart was stirred with pity and with love for these poor toilers, and he said,
6. Toil should not make a person sad; men should be happiest when they toil. When hope and love are back of toil, then all of life is filled with joy and peace, and this is heaven. Do you not know that such a heaven is for you?
7. The man replied, Of heaven we have heard; but then it is so far away, and we must live so many lives before we can reach that place!
8. And Jesus said, My brother, man, your thoughts are wrong; your heaven is not far away; and it is not a place of metes and bounds, is not a country to be reached; it is a state of mind.
9. God never made a heaven for man; he never made a hell; we are creators and we make our own.
10. Now, cease to seek for heaven in the sky; just open up the windows of your hearts, and, like a flood of light, a heaven will come and bring a boundless joy; then toil will be no cruel task.
11. The people were amazed, and gathered close to hear this strange young master speak,
12. Imploring him to tell them more about the Father-God; about the heaven that men can make on earth; about the boundless joy.
13. And Jesus spoke a parable; he said, A certain man possessed a field; the soil was hard and poor.
14. By constant toil he scarcely could provide enough of food to keep his family from want.
15. One day a miner who could see beneath the soil, in passing on his way, saw this poor man and his unfruitful field.
16. He called the weary toiler and he said, My brother, know you not that just below the surface of your barren field rich treasures lie concealed?
17. You plough and sow and reap in scanty way, and day by day you tread upon a mine of gold and precious stones.
18. This wealth lies not upon the surface of the ground; but if you will dig away the rocky soil, and delve down deep into the earth, you need no longer till the soil for naught.
19. The man believed. The miner surely knows; he said, and I will find the treasures hidden in my field.
20. And then he dug away the rocky soil, and deep down in the earth he found a mine of gold.
21. And Jesus said, The sons of men are toiling hard on desert plains, and burning sands and rocky soils; are doing what there fathers did, not dreaming they can do aught else.
22. Behold, a master comes, and tells them of a hidden wealth; that underneath the rocky soil of carnal things are treasures that no man can count;
23. That in the heart the richest gems abound; that he who wills may open the door and find them all.
24. And then the people said, Make known to us the way that we may find the wealth that lays within the heart.
25. And Jesus opened up the way; the toilers saw another side of life, and toil became a joy.
CHAPTER 34
The Jubilee in Kapavistu. Jesus teaches in the plaza and the people are astonished. He relates the parable of the unkept vineyard and the vine dresser. The priests are angered by his words.
IT was a gala day in sacred Kapavistu; a throng of Buddhist worshippers had met to celebrate a Jubilee.
2. And priests and masters from all parts of India were there; they taught; but they embellished little truth with many words.
3. And Jesus went into an ancient plaza and taught; he spoke of Father-Mother-God; he told about the brotherhood of life.
4. The priests and all the people were astounded at his words and said, Is this not Buddha come again in flesh? No other one could speak with such simplicity and power.
5. And Jesus spoke a parable; he said, There was a vineyard all unkept; the vines were high, the growth of leaves and branches great.
6. The leaves were broad and shut the sunlight from the vines; the grapes were sour, and few, and small.
7. The pruner came; with his sharp knife he cut off every branch, and not a leaf remained; just root and stalk, and nothing more.
8. The busy neighbors came with one accord and were amazed, and said to him who pruned, You foolish man! the vineyard is despoiled.
9. Such desolation! There is no beauty left, and when the harvest time shall come the gathers will find no fruit.
10. The pruner said, Content yourselves with what you think, and come again at harvest time and see.
11. And when the harvest time came on the busy neighbors came again; they were surprised.
12. The naked stalks had put forth branch and leaf, and heavy clusters of delicious grapes weighed every branch to earth.
13. The gatherers rejoiced as, day by day, they carried the rich fruitage to the press.
14. Behold the vineyard of the Lord! the earth is spread with human vines.
15. The gorgeous forms and rites of men are branches, and their words are leaves; and these have grown so great that sunlight can no longer reach the heart; there is no fruit.
16. Behold, the pruner comes, and with a two-edged knife he cuts away the branches and the leaves of words,
17. And naught is left but unclothed stalks of human life.
18. The priests and they of pompous show, rebuke the pruner, and would stay him in his work.
19. They see no beauty in the stalks of human life; no promises of fruit.
20. The harvest time will come and they who scorned the pruner will look on again and be amazed, for they will see the human stalks that seemed so lifeless, bending low with precious fruit.
21. And they will hear the harvesters rejoice, because the harvest is so great.
22. The priests were not well pleased with Jesus’ words; but they rebuked him not; they feared the multitude.
CHAPTER 35
Jesus and Vidyapati consider the needs of the incoming age of the world.
THE Indian sage and Jesus often met and talked about the needs of nations and of men; about the sacred doctrines, forms and rites best suited to the coming age.
2. One day they sat together in a mountain pass, and Jesus said, The coming age will surely not require priests, and shrines, and sacrifice of life.
3. There is no power in sacrifice of beast, or bird, to help a man to holy life.
4. And Vidyapati said, All forms and rites are symbols of the things that men must do within the temple of the soul.
5. The Holy One requires man to give his life in willing sacrifice for men, and all the so-called offerings on altars and on shrines that have been made since time began, were made to teach man how to give himself to save his brother man; for man can never save himself except he lose his life in saving other men.
6. The perfect age will not require forms and rites and carnal sacrifice. The coming age is not the perfect age, and men will call for object lessons and symbolic rites.
7. And in the great religion you shall introduce to men, some simple rites of washings and remembrances will be required; but cruel sacrifice of animals, and birds the gods require not.
8. And Jesus said, Our God must loathe the tinseled show of priests and priestly things.
9. When men array themselves in showy garbs to indicate that they are servants of the gods, and strut about like gaudy birds to be admired by men, because of piety or any other thing, the Holy One must surely turn away in sheer disgust.
10. All people are alike the servants of our Father-God, are kings and priests.
11. Will not the coming age demand complete destruction of the priestly caste, as well as every other caste, and inequality among the sons of men?
12. And Vidyapati said, The coming age is not the age of spirit life and men will pride themselves in wearing priestly robes, and chanting pious chants to advertise themselves as saints.
13. The simple rites that you will introduce will be extolled by those who follow you, until the sacred service of the age will far outshine in gorgeousness the priestly service of the Brahmic age.
14. This is a problem men must solve.
15. The perfect age will come when every man will be a priest and men will not array themselves in special garb to advertise their piety.
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