Avatar From The Middle East
Jesus of Nazareth
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Matthew 7:7-8
Very little is clearly known about the life of Jesus. The most basic biographical information is agreed-upon by scholars, yet even this information is contested by some. The history of great spiritual leaders is often distorted and used by those in power for political gain. For the purpose of this course, we will embrace the assumption that Jesus was born in Palestine during the reign of Herod the Great. The information on the actual year of birth varies. According to The World's Religions (1991)by Huston Smith, he was born around 4 B.C., meaning he was born before Christ! B.C. means Before Christ. Huston tells us that our reckoning is off by several years as to the beginning of calendar time in relationship to Christ’s birth.
Jesus grew up in or around Nazareth, and it is likely he was raised the same as any other Jewish boy in this era. His mother was Mary, and his father was probably Joseph. Most Christians believe that Jesus had no mortal father. They believe Mary was visited by the Holy Spirit and made pregnant with the son of God through what is called the Immaculate Conception. The of idea of the Immaculate Conception can be found in other stories, such as that of Buddha, Krishna, Osiris, and other God-men in various religious cultures.
It is believed by some, though there is little record of his early years, he traveled widely and was a student of Eastern Indian religions, including Hinduism and Buddhism. The earliest reference to his spiritual coming of age is his connection to John The Baptist. John The Baptist was a wandering mystic who lived in the wilderness along the Jordan River. He proclaimed the coming of the Messiah, and baptized people in the Jordan River in order to prepare them for this Messiah. He baptized Jesus, feeling honored that the Messiah himself came to him to be baptized. After his baptism, Jesus retreated into the desert to seek God. Records say that he spent 40 days fasting in the desert, then emerged and began to teach. At the time of his teachings, his followers believed him to be the long awaited Messiah who would lead his people into righteousness.
As he began his teaching, disciples and seekers of wisdom gathered around him. These people understood that Jesus was a Great Teacher. Many recorded his teachings and their personal experiences with him. The Roman Catholic Church recognizes only four works, from disciples Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. In actuality, there were many more records of his teachings, including those found in recent times, the Gospel of Thomas, and that of Mary Magdalene herself.
In The Mystic Christ (2003), Ethan Walker III tells us that Jesus practiced Gnosticism, which is a spiritual path of experiencing God directly within one's own self. At his web site at (http://www.devipress.com/html) Walker tells us that Jesus taught advaita, or non-duality, and the path of devotion. Walker says of these teachings, “We are all brothers and sisters bound like pearls on the same string of light bulbs connected by one wire and illumined by the same electricity the same ‘one living’ Supreme Being. There is absolutely no one who is excluded. Love is another name for this unity. This is the true core and the central issue of the life and teachings of Jesus. The goal of our human existence is to experience this directly in the depths of our own being.”
Gnosticism as a philosophy refers to a related body of teachings that stress the acquisition of “gnosis,” or inner knowledge. The knowledge sought is not strictly intellectual, but mystical; not merely a detached knowledge of or about something, but a knowing by acquaintance or participation. This gnosis is the inner and esoteric mystical knowledge of ultimate reality. It discloses the spark of divinity within, thought to be obscured by ignorance, convention, and mere exoteric religiosity. (http://www.equip.org/free/DG040-1.html)
In public Jesus gave a straightforward and simple message that all people could understand. He spoke in parables, or stories, as was common at that time. Parables could be understood on different levels and had esoteric teachings embedded in them. In private, to his disciples and those who were more advanced in spiritual understanding, he gave deeper teachings, more directly consistent with Gnosticism.
In 325 AD, at the council of Nicaea, the Roman Emperor Constantine made an effort to shape Christianity. He wanted Christianity to be the state religion, and also serve as a tool to further his power. It was at the council of Nicaea that the Nicene Creed, better known as the Apostles Creed, was adopted. Constantine made Jesus' public teachings the official doctrine of Orthodox Christianity, while his private or Gnostic teachings were outlawed as heresy. The books of Arius and other Gnostics were burned, and the teachings were lost to mainstream Christianity for many centuries.
Then, in 1945 at Nag Hammadi, Egypt, a peasant digging in the sand unearthed a container housing 52 texts, including the Gospel of Thomas. In these are revealed what many scholars believe to be the hidden teachings of Jesus. In a talk given by Elaine Pagels at (http://www.radiofreemaine.com/html), Pagels says, “What is interesting about the Gnostic Gospels is that they do not deny what is said about Jesus in other Gospels, but rather testify that they contain secret teachings of Jesus that their authors believed needed to be preserved.”
Jesus was an “ascetic rebel,” a prophet, who spoke of God's coming judgment. He was an enlightened mystic, who taught that people should love one another, forgive their enemies, and seek peace. He was also a healer, who helped many through laying on of hands. He had a vision of saving humanity. At that time the Jews were under Roman rule, and oppressive corruption, greed, and discrimination were daily issues. Jesus posed a threat to Roman rule, as well as to the leaders of the Jewish faith, in many ways. This is a complex subject, and is not clearly known who was behind the crucifixion of Jesus. We do know however that he challenged the social structure around him, yet his teachings were of forgiveness. Jesus gave his life for what he believed in, not backing down from the truth. In this way he became immortal in deed, as well as in spirit.
Mysteries surrounding the life of Jesus of Nazareth
· Was Joseph the father of Jesus, as he was of his brothers and sisters? Or, as the Roman Catholic Church maintains, was Jesus born of Immaculate Conception?
· What was Jesus’ childhood and young adulthood like? Did he travel in India, Egypt, and Africa? Did he study the teachings of Buddha, as well as Hindu sages? Could these teachings have influenced his own?
· What was Jesus’ relationship with Mary Magdalene? Were they lovers? Did they have children? Is there a lineage of Jesus’ offspring?
· Is it possible, as some argue, that Jesus actually survived the crucifixion, being brought down from the cross unconscious but not dead? That his ‘resurrection’ was actually a recovery, and that he moved to India and lived a long, peaceful life with Mary Magdalene and their children?
· How was Christianity created and shaped by politics in the centuries following the crucifixion? Why is there so much evidence of cover-ups and burying of information over the centuries?
· What was Jesus’ true message, that seemed to threaten so many?
These and many other questions are explored in the UMS course Christianity. There is also a lot of information for those interested in this topic, including a plethora of web info. Do a search under Mystic Jesus or Gnostic Jesus and find a wealth of interesting information on this fascinating subject.
Jesus’ Teachings~
The Kingdom is inside of you, and it is outside of you. When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and you'll realize that it is you who are the sons of the living father. But if you will not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty and it is you who are that poverty.
He who rules his spirit has won a greater victory than the taking of a city.
For he who has not known himself has known nothing, and he who has known himself has at the same time already achieved knowledge of the depth of the all.
Do not seek the knowledge of that which you do not known until you practice that which you know.
In conclusion, it is believed that there are several incarnations of Buddha. Many believe that The Christ lives within us. There are other stories throughout the world that tell of God taking a human form. These are four examples of many such stories. As the spiritual consciousness of humanity begins to know itself, more and more people are coming from the understanding that each of us is God manifest, that we are all “Little Buddhas,” that The Christ is our true form, and that it is only a matter of time before we all Awaken.
Many people hold the belief that spiritual enlightenment can be found in our society through religion and spirituality. So many people’s spirituality is based on faith in a messiah or the messiah. The philosophy that faith religion is not at all comparative to science has been challenged by much of the religion truth in new age spirituality. In truth, world religion is comparative to science which is dispelling the mystic philosophy of religion in the world and bringing to light many new age belief s.