Yoga and the Bible
by Joseph Leeming
3-It is fatal error to assume that there is, and can be, only one
Christ, or divine son. By such an assumption a man shuts the door
of opportunity in his own face.
5-As one progresses on the path, he too will in time be able to say,
not 'I believe', but 'I know'. The first step is a seeking for
something in which onr can believe without doubt; something that
does not have to be accepted on blind faith alone; something that
will not only uplift and spiritualize the heart, mind, and the soul,
but also satisfy to the fullest the most rigorous demands of reason
and intelligence.
7-Ye shall seek me,, and find me,, (only) when ye shall search for me
with ALL YOUR HEART. (Jeremiah 29:13)
10-Jesus answered themm and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that
sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine,
whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. (John 7:16-7)
11-Yoga is a practical method of separating the soul from its combination
with the mind and the body, and then uniting it with its Source
or the Supreme Creator.
14-Yoga teaches that a man, when aided by a perfect Master, can consciously
unite with the divine while living in a physical body. The teaching of
the Masters is sometimes called a religion, but has no organization,
no ritual, no ceremony. It differs significantly from those religions
whose followers are accustomed to place their reliance on belief and
faith alone. Yoga is a scientific system, yet at the same time it is the
very essence of real religion. Entering the kingdom of heaven for religions
is a hope that might be relaized after death, rather than a definite and
vital personal experience here and now, made possible by the spiritual
power of the living Master.
19-Swani Ji of Agra, when speaking of Sat Desh (the real or abiding country)
said: 'What beauty and glory! How can I describe them? There is nothing
here to convey the idea. Love plays the supreme part. IT IS ALL LOVE.
24-'All life and energy in the universe come from the Divine Word. It is
a power that is mightier than any known on earth, for it is the power
behind all other powers. All other powers are finite, but it is infinite.
It shows itself in the form of many apparently different forms of energy,
but trace them back to their original source and they are all found to be
fundamentally one. It dwells hidden, but supremely active, at the back of
all other energy. Einstein showed that matter and energy are actually
different forms of the same thing. So tremendous is this power that
according to the scientists, enough of it is locked up in a teaspoon
of water to raise a load of five tons from sea level to the top of Mount
Everest.
26-From Shabad (the Word [aka the HS]) the whole creation
is created, dissolved, and re-created again.
31-The Sound Current or Word of God is the Holy Spirit.
Thus, to become filled with the Holy Spirit is to hear
and participate in the Audible Life Stream, to become
absorbed in it and become one with it/God. The Audible
Life Stream is always within every one of us, but we
can not cannot hear its melodies because we are spiritually
deaf and blind. Jesus said: 'Ye have eyes and not see and
ye have ears and ye hear not.'
36-God does not demand worship because He needs it or
desires it, but because it is the means whereby the
soul of man can return to the source from which it
came. True worship is the recognition or awareness
that there is an immense power that is greater than
all other powers and that this power is benevolent
and helpful toward all creatures. When one can hear
the voice of God within himself, and feel its
spiritualizing power, he stands in the presence of
his Creator and is truly worshipping.
44-All men have oneness with the Supreme Father - our
souls are drops in the boundless ocean of His Being.
But ordinary men are not conscious of their divine
inner nature. They have lost their awareness of this
unity. The Master, on the other hand, is always conscious
ot it and knows his relationship with the Father.
Ordinary man is a spark of the divine essence; but he
has not yet developed into that glowing light like the Master.
There is no difference between Saints and God. God is
the sea and Saints are its waves. The waves rise out
of the sea, live on it, and are finally merged into it.
47-Love passes all understanding and beyond all bounds.
'God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth
in God, and God in him.'
57-Like electricity, The Holy Spirit must use a channel
through which to flow and reveal itself to those who
want its light. To obtain knowledge of God we must go
to one who knows God. Masters have a dual nature as
God-men. With one tongue the Master talks to beings
in the higher spheres and with the other speaks to
mortals like us.
63-The word 'religion' comes from the Latin verb religare,
meaning to 'bind back' or reunite the soul with its
Creator. The Indian word 'yoga' means union - union
with God. For man, if he but knew himself, is now and
always has been a spiritual being, bright and radiant
from God.
75-'That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that
which is born of the Spirit is spirit.' (John 3:6)
Due to the soul's association with the mind, it has
forgotten its divine origin. If man but knew his
real self, the soul, he would find that in its own
sphere of action, and when freed of the mind, it
has tremendous power.
80-The soul is the real living entity, a reality of the
first order, made of the essence of the Supreme One.
The mind is inert, unless activated by the soul, and
is a reality of the second order, for it is made of
the essence of Kal, the negative power. Self-improvement
means purifying the mind. Life on earth is largely a
struggle between the mind and the soul. THE ENEMIES
ARE THE MIND and its good friends, the senses and the
five evil passions. When the mind is smitten by
countless desires and is over-shadowed all the time
by avarice, there is no place therein left for God.
84-The mind can never be controlled by negation or efforts
to suppress its strong desires. Negation has only a
temporary effect. But when lifted above the earth by
a higher power, it weakens and finally succumbs. To
permanently control the mind, it must be given something
it enjoys better than the worldly pleasures, the divine
music. We can escape from the material world by
meditating on God and the higher worlds, therby
becoming attached to the divine Sound Current. Confined
within the body and duped and dominated by the mind,
man is limited. But in his soul he is limitless. Hidden
within him is a priceless jewel, though he knows it not.
101-The average human being tends to attribute to God the
evils that man does of his own free will. But God does
not really need to punish us, we are ever busy
creating our own punishment.
156-There are many forms in all the infinite creation. They
are all His forms; but none of them express His totality.
He may take millions of forms but He himself is formless.
Love plays the supreme part. It is all love.
157-The journey of salvation, the safe return to the higher
regions, can never be made without a Master. Happy
indeed is the soul who takes shelter with a Saint and
undertakes the journey in company with him.