Last Days of Jesus Christ by Nayaswami Hriman

PALM SUNDAY

The story of “Palm Sunday,” which commemorates Jesus‘ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, is mentioned in all four Gospels. Here are the chapters where you can find it:

• Matthew 21:1-11
• Mark 11:1-11
• Luke 19:28-44
• John 12:12-19

The four gospels are surprisingly consistent in the details of reporting Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem: the event we call “Palm Sunday.”

The donkey in the story served two purposes: first, to align the event with an Old Testament prediction and to symbolize that Christ as “king” is not a king of worldly power.

The Old Testament quote referenced in the Gospels during the Palm Sunday story is from Zechariah 9:9. It reads:

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.”

As to the significance of the colt I suppose it is symbolic to being a “virgin” donkey, never having been ridden before, thus conveying purity (of intention).

In the gospel of John, it specifically references the miracle of Jesus’ raising Lazarus from the dead as a reason for the crowd being enthusiastic and eager to see this miracle worker, Jesus. As reported in my article yesterday, this miracle was the immediate trigger for the council of religious elders deciding to put Jesus to death, fearing the acclaim of the crowds and the retaliation of their Roman overlords. Thus, this miracle was at least partly the reason for the enthusiastic reception of Jesus into Jerusalem AND the reason for the hardened resolve of the elders to find a way to put Jesus to death.

And so it is with every soul that reaches a level of acclaimed sanctity: both a source of recognition and a source of punishment. I think of the twentieth century stigmatist, Padre Pio, to whom thousands were drawn for counsel and healings even while some of the hierarchy of the Catholic Church tried their best to silence and slander him. I am reminded of Yogananda’s statement: “The soul LOVES to meditate but the ego HATES to meditate.

Sanctity is a threat to the powers of darkness (delusion and ego) and an object of praise and reverence to the angels of Light. As a modern cliché puts it: “No good deed goes unpunished.”

As Jesus is quoted in the Sermon on the Mount in the gospel of Matthew, chapter 5:

10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness ‘sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

12 Rejoice and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Paramhansa Yogananda put it another way: “Praise cannot make me better nor blame make me worse.”

Thus, as commented upon yesterday, it takes courage to stand up and shine with righteousness in word and deed. Friends and relatives would too often prefer you to fall into substance addiction than to take up the spiritual life in earnest, lest your doing so reflect poorly upon their own life choices.

Beware, too, of praise for your good deeds lest pride go before the inevitable fall from grace that later comes to balance the scales. There’s a story from India that when a saint was informed of the death of a man who was skeptical and critical of the saint’s sanctity, the saint cried aloud sadly: “My best friend has died.”

In a deeply moving song written by Swami Kriyananda in the “Oratorio: Christ Lives,” the lyrics ask us if in the acclaim of Palm Sunday can we hear a disturbing note. For only days later, according to the gospel narrative, Jesus was betrayed and condemned to the shouts of “Crucify him” from another crowd.

Fame and approval are fickle and can never be taken seriously. When receiving blame we should at least introspect lest we miss an opportunity to learn and grow even if its testimony is equally fickle and unreliable. Swami Kriyananda would comment on this saying, “Most people are wrong in their opinions most of the time. Don’t take praise or blame too seriously.” I would add that most opinions arise from the opinions of others either without discernment or wanting to fit in (or both).

In the gospel of John, Jesus’ driving out the money changers from the temple comes on the same day and soon after his grand entrance into Jerusalem. In another gospel it takes place much earlier in Jesus’ public life. If John’s account is the more accurate, it serves as a fitting balance to the “Hosanna in the highest, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” It symbolizes the courage and strength of will that is needed to win the soul’s glory. It is the counterpoint to the humble donkey symbolism. The Christian lyric, “Jesus meek and mild” is betrayed by the scene with the money changers.

There are times when standing up against wrongdoing is the right thing to do spiritually. Paramhansa Yogananda in a speech called out the names of industrialists during the Depression in America of the 1930’s for their greed and lack of compassion. After the public speech he was cautioned not to go back to his hotel alone. He did so anyway but on his way, he was approached by a gunman sent to kill him. By the power of divine love emanating from the eyes of the master, the gunman trembled and could not carry out his task. Dropping his gun, he ran away.

Tales from India warn devotees that advancement on the spiritual path gives rise to certain “powers” the abuse of which can cause one’s spiritual if temporary downfall. Because we are souls made in the image of God, such powers “belong” to us. Unlike name, fame, and riches, only by our action can the powers of the soul over all nature be lost. No one can take our birthright away except ourselves.

Sadly, those who hailed Jesus as their king sought only worldly gifts such as freedom from Roman occupation and even perhaps restoration of their religion, rather than soul liberation. Such too is the story all too often of devotees east and west who expect God or guru (or adherence to spiritual practices and virtues) to fill the coffers of their lives with comfort and success. The “prosperity gospel” teaches that obedience to the law of God brings His favor in the form of health, wealth and reputation. But as Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras notes, “Missing the point (of the spiritual path)” is one of the many obstacles on the road to freedom. The way to freedom is “narrow and straight” as Jesus put it!

Hosanna to the highest. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

The Last Supper

The record of the Last Supper in the gospel of John is the deepest and most poignant of all the accounts of the life of Jesus Christ. While all four gospels record the identification of Judas as the betrayer, John’s gospel goes far beyond that tragic affair and soars to the heights of divine love. Interestingly, John’s account has no record of Jesus breaking bread and sharing wine in the establishment of the Eucharistic ritual.

John perhaps wove together various sayings of Jesus and placed them at the dramatic moment of the Last Supper, or, perhaps his memory of Jesus’ words was more complete than the other three evangelists. Whatever the case, John’s account of the Last Supper spans five chapters while the others give it only one each.

It would not be right, however, to exclude the Eucharistic account of the other three gospels. Jesus took a piece of bread, gave “thanks,” and tore it (in half?) saying “This is my body which is given unto you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

Then he took a cup of wine, gave thanks, and gave it (passed it around?) to them saying, “Drink ye of this, for this my blood of the new testament which is shed for you.”

The specific words in these three gospels varies slightly but Paramhansa Yogananda attributed a deeper significance than that of a sacred ritual. Insofar as there have been countless Christians who were deeply moved by the ritual and some saints even entering an ecstatic state when reciting the words of the Mass, one should not casually dismiss the sacrament as “merely a ritual though it is certainly that.

Yogananda explained that the “bread” of Christ is the unifying, immanent Christ consciousness in all creation whose substance is the “only reflection” in creation of the Father (who is beyond creation). The “wine” represents the vibratory energy of God (the Holy Ghost) which brings into visible manifestation all things.

Returning now to the account of St. John, the first event he records is Jesus washing the feet of the disciples. Jesus wishes to show by example that no disciple is above another; all should be willing to serve one another. This is the spirit of humility and service all disciples should aspire towards.

Throughout these five chapters of St. John is repeated “By this shall men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love to one another.” Thus, from the spirit of humility and service Jesus moves next to urge his disciples to love one another has he, Jesus, has loved them.

In the discussion that follows, Jesus reveals that he is soon to go away from them and that they cannot follow him. Phillip asks how and when have they, the disciples, seen or known the Father? Jesus responds that to the degree each has “seen” Jesus they have “seen” the Father. The living Christ-savior, being “one with the Father,” is the human incarnation of God and therefore his words, example, vibration and teaching is that of the Father.

Jesus says that those who are in tune with him will do things (the miracles, for example) as he has, and even greater things. “Ask anything in my name and I will do it.”

Then is the “Comforter” (the Holy Spirit) promised by Jesus to come and bring to the disciples the recollection of all that Jesus taught, and importantly, I would add, the vibration of God that they received through their guru, Jesus Christ.

The guru-savior comes to awaken the soul memory of those disciples who are ready “to receive.” As John wrote in his first chapter, “To as many as received Him to them gave He the power to become the sons of God.” Yogananda explained that the Christ-consciousness (awakened in Jesus and all guru-saviors) comes a second time when it awakens WITHIN the soul of the devotee.

But the first stage of our ascension back to Spirit takes place in “inner communion” with the Holy Spirit (addressed as “Divine Mother” in the East). The Holy Spirit is God AS the creation through the vehicle of ceaseless vibration utilizing the principle of duality, or opposites from a place of rest in the center.

This means that we must first recognize the creation as a manifestation of God before we can ascend any higher towards God-consciousness. This includes breaking the hypnosis of matter, body, personality, likes and dislikes to commune with the underlying energy-vibration which, untainted by our identification with matter, is pure and essentially divine.

Our journey “north” towards the higher centers in the brain via the cerebrospinal axis of the energy centers known as the chakras, culminates at the spiritual eye in the forehead. Through this center we go beyond the vibratory creation into the still heart of creation known as the causal sphere or the Christ-consciousness. In final liberation we ascend past this sphere into the bliss of God consciousness.

Jesus assures the disciples that those who stay in tune will be protected and guided until they reach the heaven of God-consciousness. Here Jesus says those who stay in tune “are my friends” (not servants). What better friend than one who gives all, in this dramatic story, including the life of his body for his friends.

The culture into which Jesus was born was wholly identified with the body as the reality of the self. In that tradition, bodily resurrection into heaven was already a part of the language, myth and expectation regarding true prophets. So too was bodily resurrection at the so-called Judgement Day.

The concept of multiple lives didn’t exist, or, floated around the edges of Jewish society and was not considered seriously. In fact, the existence of life after death was hotly debated. Obedience to God’s law was, for most part, the emphasis in the real-time of daily life. The rewards were not heavenly but material: prosperity, health and recognition of virtue.

Jesus warns his disciples that their earthly reward would be hatred, persecution and even death.

Then in one of the most poignant moments of John’s Last Supper rendering, is Jesus giving an account to the Father. Jesus states that the disciples were given to him; the disciples did not choose Jesus, but God choose the disciples to be liberated into God by Jesus. This reminds me of the teaching from India that at the dawn of creation, that soul that is destined to be our savior is known and will be found when we are ready. “When the disciple is ready, the guru appears.”

The phrase “God so loved the world that he gave his son” should be understood in two ways: that “his son” lives in each one of us, and, that “his son,” the incarnated God-realized savior, will come to awaken that “son” within us.

Much more can be read in those five chapters of John, including predictions that Jesus makes, and the (typical) confusion among the disciples as to what Jesus means, but the love of Jesus for the disciples (not just those present but all true disciples) is powerful and unmistakable. In the “Hindu bible” of the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna expresses the same tender love for the devotee that we see expressed here by Jesus.

As one Christian saint put it, “If you only knew how much God loves you, you would die for joy!”

May the baby chick of divine love hatch in your heart this Easter season!

The Crucifixion

The day of Jesus’ execution begins in the pre-dawn hours when he is arrested owing to his betrayal by Judas Iscariot. Paramhansa Yogananda said that Judas had to be a “prophet,” meaning a high soul, to have become one of the twelve. His betrayal of Jesus is a warning and reminder to all sincere disciples against pride and negative critique of the guru. (Constructive doubt is not an issue.)

Yogananda also said that Judas, after two thousand years, was at last liberated by a great yogi in India in the 19th century. He still had a little attachment to money, he said!

The apocryphal text called the Book of Judas spins Judas’ role into that of hero but I, for one, don’t buy it. That’s like some of the so-called Gnostics who spun the snake in Genesis into a hero as well. Such reactive spins are typical of, well, reactionaries who so often feel compelled to say the opposite…just because!

Jesus prayed so deeply in the garden of Gethsemane prior to his arrest that he perspired not just sweat but blood. Who dare say he didn’t participate in the human drama, despite his God-realization. He prayed, moreover, that “this cup pass” concluding his prayer, however, that “Thy will be done.” What an example for all of us who struggle with our own life challenges and karma. Nor should we try to compare our cross with his or anyone else’s. Paramhansa Yogananda counseled us to accept “What comes of itself, let it come.”

This is not to say “be passive” for only days earlier in his life Jesus attacked and drove out the money changers from the temple precincts. There are times for righteous indignation in defense of a sacred principle or in defense of the helpless. And there are times when our karma or the divine will invites us to raise our energy and will power in the form of acceptance.

At the Last Supper Jesus predicted Peter’s three-time denial of Jesus: what a lesson for us, too. How often do professed disciples deny the guru or the path of truth, not necessarily by words but by our actions. And yet Jesus prayed for Peter knowing his weakness. What love, what promise, what true friendship!

There’s no need or impetus for me to describe the events of Jesus’ crucifixion: they are too well known and far too vivid for modern sensibilities. And besides, in doing so, we quickly lose sight of their true significance: how we should handle our own crucifixions, humiliations, betrayals and suffering.

In the twenty-first century there may be very few who experience the torture equivalent to crucifixion, but illness and violence are far too common and not so distant if you are apt to attempt to measure pain.

But the real measure is not physical pain, but the power of unearned sacrifice when offered for the upliftment of others. While to say “Jesus died for our sins” is mere sentiment, yoga teachings aver that a true guru can take on some of the karma of his disciples. Yogananda’s famous “Autobiography of a Yogi” gives several examples.

Yogananda taught that Jesus took on the karma primarily of his close disciples and that includes disciples reborn in future lives such as St. Francis and many other great Christian saints. A yogi-christ who has achieved God-realization is not limited to the human form, nor time and space, being one with the Infinite.

But to what degree does an avatar take on one’s karma? St. John answered this in Chapter 1 of his gospel: “To as many as received Him to them gave He the power to become the sons of God.”

The gospel text adds this to the quote: “And even them who believed on His name.” Yogananda didn’t comment on that statement, but I think it is evident that John added this to give hope to new converts. And it has surely some truth but not the deeper truth as relates to the soul’s achieving God-realization.

One who returns to human form now free from all karma comes as an “avatar” and has the power to free an unlimited number of souls. But such souls must be ready and sufficiently advanced to achieve final liberation. Yet all disciples gain, certainly, by the measure of their attunement “in spirit and in truth” to the ever-living spirit and teachings of the master. “Spirit” means “consciousness” and “truth” means in attitudes, words, and actions. A Christian way of saying this is to live “in the imitation of Christ.” All avatars are God-realized, Yogi-Christs.

Yogananda for the modern age emphasized the joy of living for God and taught that pain has its source in ego and bodily consciousness. By contrast, the great Self of the soul is eternal and ever free. (Thus, a heated debate occurred in early Christianity over whether Jesus experienced pain or not, given that he was the son of God. The gospel narratives make it very clear, however, that Jesus partook fully in the human experience as part of his gift to disciples.)

Nonetheless, as Buddha reminds us: life is characterized by the three-fold suffering of illness, old age and death (and a lot more in-between)! To his close disciples, therefore, Yogananda also taught the importance of forbearance which is to say, carrying our crosses with even-mindedness and, as we grow spiritually, cheerfully and later even with gratitude for the opportunity to redeem our past karma and then further, as we advance, to redeem the karma of others who look to us for guidance.

On the cross Jesus cried out to his past-life guru, Elias saying “Why hast Thou abandoned me!” In Chapter 35 of Yogananda’s famous “Autobiography of a Yogi,” he reveals that John the Baptist was his guru in a former lifetime when they were, respectively, Elijah and Elisha. (It was Elias, with Moses, who appeared to Jesus on Mt. Tabor in the Transfiguration. Yogananda taught that Moses, too, was a God-realized master.)

Jesus had, at that moment, a kind of “dark night of the soul” and experienced what to the rest of us is normal: our separation from God, from our soul’s consciousness. In this too he fully partook of the human experience.

Yogananda accepted the gospels’ narrative regarding the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. His own guru, Swami Sri Yukteswar, appeared to him in resurrected human form three months after his guru’s burial. Such things are part of Indian spirituality but are not limited to only one great guru.

India’s contribution to us now in this modern era is seeing the life and teachings of Jesus Christ through the lens of a universal principle by which human consciousness is uplifted through the appearance in every age of a God-realized soul.

May your spirit be strong as you carry the daily crosses of your life, doing so with equanimity, calmness, and inner joy and acceptance.

The Resurrection

In Christian circles, the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus are two separate events. The former when Jesus offers his life to redeem sins; the latter, the power of God over death itself. Few, I suspect, see the two as inextricably linked: the sacrifice of the little self for the beatitude of the great, soul-self.

Humans sacrifice in many ways: for their, or their children’s education; to get fit and healthy; to hold one’s tongue; to work overtime to complete an important project; to do, basically, what needs to be done! I don’t mean to trivialize the crucifixion but to point out that the resurrection of his soul-force is directly the result of Jesus’ willingness to do the will of the Father even unto torture and death. In its most fundamental form, this is what life invites us to do, every day to some extent.

The Bhagavad Gita has a quaint way of describing how yagya (sacrifice) fuels the world as when clouds gift their water to the earth; the sun, its power in heat, light and life to the earth; and so on. The principle of sacrifice is described as that which generates and completes the circle of life. Since ancient times humans perform “sacrifices” (even human sacrifices!) to “appease” the gods. There is a deep and intuitive understanding that all life has its source in an invisible realm of consciousness to which we owe acknowledgement and gratitude for the gift of love and life.

Sacrifice can be performed from a range of attitudes such as that of the merchant who bargains but wants something; as one who is aware and deeply grateful; or, as one who expresses love while asking nothing in return.

Jesus who is an avatar—a soul who has returned to human form with no compelling karmic necessity except to express God’s love and wisdom to others along the path — sought nothing from anyone in making his sacrifice on the cross. The universal truth teachings of India state that God has manifested this universe by vibrating a part of his consciousness into visible form and impregnating all vibration with the seed of his intention, love and joy. Thus, the true “son of God” is that immanent, indwelling consciousness at the still heart of all motion.

A human who achieves realization their own true nature as a son of God can become an avatar if, after achieving full realization, they return to earth. Thus, there are, in a manner of speaking, “two” sons of God: the universal, indwelling seed of God-consciousness in all creation, and its full, conscious realization in a specific individual soul.

This is the purpose of creation: God hidden IN creation seeks to realize God AS creation and then, united as one, ascends beyond creation into the transcendental Spirit. It is a drama of hide and seek played over vast epochs of time and space with no real end. But once an individual soul is free, that soul is forever free. It may or may not ever return to human, or any other, form.

Ours is a strange generation or culture. I don’t think our known history can reveal to us the degree to which the spirit of sacrifice has been eclipsed in the lives of countless millions who have been given the opportunity to make comfort and pleasure a priority. It will not last; it cannot last; and for our soul’s own salvation into higher consciousness, it should not last. “A comfortable life is not a victorious life,” Yogananda stated.

Surely, we can see the truth of that great drama in the life of Jesus Christ! You and I probably won’t face the spiritual challenge of crucifixion but “sufficient unto the day are the challenges thereof” as Jesus himself put it.

I think we of goodwill are being invited to raise our energy both to go into silent, inner communion with Spirit for attunement and guidance, and to stand up for truth, compassion and justice in ways big or small, personal or universal, as befits our growth.

Let this life, then, be a victorious one of integrity, attunement to the divine will, courage and calm compassion. May the Easter egg of new life, new hope and true joy be ever yours.

Jesus: The Yogi Christ Webinar

Would you like to have Jesus’s teachings explained with clarity, compassion, and power—just as Jesus shared them over two thousand years ago?  Learn more about a 2 part webinar with Nayaswami Hriman.