Gospel of prosperity and wellness

‘The evolution of the original Christian faith to its present state can be traced out in five important stages, as I see it. The first was the ‘Jewish phase’. The second was the ‘Greek phase’, then came the ‘Roman phase’. Much later came the ‘Colonial phase’. The latest is the ‘Commercial phase’…. 

‘The Jewish ‘creation mythology’ speaks about the ‘original sin’ committed by the first human parents, Adam and Eve. They were driven out from the ‘Paradise’ by God for this unpardonable ‘original sin’….

‘The Jewish people of early history had also believed that God would not forgive them their sins unless they made sacrifices to Him. Their God had preferred the sacrifice of innocent lambs…. 

‘Some of the Jewish communities even used to tie heavy bundles on innocent lambs and send them out into the dessert or jungle to die there or be eaten up by wild animals. This they used to do every year. The heavy bundle tied on the lamb represented their sins for which the lamb was being sacrificed!….

‘Unsatisfied with these kinds of sacrifices, their just and severe God finally decided to send His own only begotten Son to be sacrificed as the ‘Lamb of God’ for the sins of the world….

‘It was from this background that John the Baptist saw Jesus of Nazareth as the ‘Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world’. A large number of Christians are yet to outgrow this primitive Jewish phase of their faith. Even now many Christian Churches continue to live in this ‘Jewish phase’ seeing Jesus of Nazareth as the ‘Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world’……

‘The second phase through which the Christian faith evolved was the ‘Greek phase’ wherein Jesus of Nazareth was seen as the ‘Christos’ and ‘Logos’. The Greek term ‘Christos’ means ‘the anointed one of God’. The English word ‘Christ’ has come from the Greek, ‘Christos’. ‘Logos’ implies the ‘Primordial Word’. It is similar to our concept of ‘Aadi Sadba’. Christianity received its philosophical foundations from the Greek thought. Without this Greek philosophical support Christianity could not have grown as a world religion….

‘But it was the ‘Roman phase’ that saw the emergence of Christianity as a powerful world religion. This began when emperor Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman empire. The titles of Jesus of Nazareth as the ‘King of kings’, ‘Prince of peace’, the ‘Lord’, ‘Saviour’ etc. came from this ‘Roman phase’. Wealth and power became central to the Church, and the Church also became the most powerful political force in Europe during this phase. Kings were anointed and appointed by the Pope..….

‘The ‘Roman phase’ contained within itself the seeds of the fourth phase, the ‘Colonial phase’. It was during this ‘Colonial phase’ that had begun from medieval Europe, that Jesus of Nazareth became the ‘only’ Son of God and Christianity became the ‘only’ true religion. The Bible also became the ‘only’ true Word of God during this phase…

‘Such exclusive claims were products of a colonial mindset which saw whatever the rulers said, did or believed as the ‘only truth’. All others were ‘pagans’. Their practices of prayer and worship were ‘pagan’ practices. Their religions were ‘pagan’ religions. It is unfortunate that this ‘Colonial phase’ of the Christian faith still holds its sway over many Christian missionaries all over the world even in this twenty first century….

‘But the latest phase of the Christian faith is the ‘Commercial phase’ wherein Jesus of Nazareth and his Gospel of light and love are made saleable commodities for wealth, wellness and comforts…

‘A ‘Gospel of prosperity and wellness’ is being preached during this latest phase of the Christian faith that had its origin in the United States of America. Preaching the Gospel is a multi-million dollar business there today….

Excerpts from Integral Revolution

Love Matters

In the beginning there was only one thing - Nature. As humans with double consciousness took shape in cloths, Nature further split into Me and the Nature around Me. Words with reference to Nature were the first to form in every vocabulary. Me further split into Others and My People. It continues growing down and down. 

It wouldn’t have been bad if we had been closing into ‘self-love’; but what is happening is that we are moving towards ‘selfishness,’ which is its’ opposite in every sense. ‘Self -love’ holds the theory that everything in Nature is close-knit and we are supposed to consider everything here, though our concern is limited to a small area. In Selfishness Nature and the Self are two entities positioned at opposite poles. In selfishness we don’t like others having the same thing or pleasure – that is the problem! It shows that we are slowly losing our touch with Nature. 

Have anybody thought of what happens when we lose our touch with Nature? I just copy and paste a Social Media post. It reads:

“If you lose touch with nature you lose touch with humanity. If there's no relationship with nature then you become a killer; then you kill baby seals, whales, dolphins, and man either for gain, for "sport," for food, or for knowledge. Then nature is frightened of you, withdrawing its beauty. You may take long walks in the woods or camp in lovely places but you are a killer and so lose their friendship.” 

And finally you reach a point where you probably are not related to anything even to your spouse or children.

Joseph Mattappally

Indispensable

A disciple very much wanted to renounce the world but he claimed that his family loved him too much to let him go. 

“Love?” said his guru. “That isn’t love at all. Listen...” And he revealed a yogic secret to the disciple whereby he could simulate the state of death. The next day the man was dead to all outward appearances and the house rang with the cries and wailing of his family.  

The guru then showed up and told the weeping family that he had the power to bring the man back to life if someone could be found to die in his place. Any volunteers?  

To the “corpse’s” astonishment every member of the family began to bring forth reasons why it was necessary to keep their own lives. His wife summed up the sentiments of all with the words, “There’s really no need for anyone to take his place. We can manage without him.”  

No one is indispensable.

Indian Thoughts Archives

Fair is fair

This story is told about Kruger, the great South African statesman, who lived at the beginning of this century. He was called upon to settle a dispute between two brothers. The dispute involved the equal division of land between the two.

The land contained mines, lakes, rivers and beautiful scenery, and Kruger knew that no matter how he divided it, he is bound to run afoul of at least one of the brothers.

He pondered the problem at great length, and then he came up with the solution. He called the two brothers together and he gave one of them the task of dividing the land in two. When he had finished, Kruger gave the other brother his choice as to which half he wanted.

Indian Thoughts Archives

GC 83 190517 Gospel of Light and Love

During the next Guruvar Satsangh Atma Prakash told his guruji about his longstanding prejudice towards Christianity. He requested the Baba to speak to him about Christianity and its relevance to the spiritual awakening and moral regeneration of India. 

The Baba replied:

‘Jesus of Nazareth the Christ, whom we refer to as Sadguru Jesus Christ, is the foundation of Christian faith, the basis of Christian life and the inspiration for Christian services…..

‘Let us, first of all, understand the key terms clearly. The term ‘Christ’ represents the ‘Word of God’ or ‘Sabda Brahman’ through whom all things are created. Jesus Christ is this ‘Word of God become flesh’ in human history. ‘Christian faith’ is the faith in the ‘grace and truth’ of God revealed in, with and through Jesus Christ. ‘God is Spirit’ is a truth revealed by Lord Jesus Christ. ‘Christ-Spirit’ is the Spirit of God ever active in human history in, with and through Jesus Christ. ‘Christian’ is one in whom the Christ-Spirit dwells and through whom the Christ-Spirit continues to work in human history. ‘Christianity’ is Christ-Spirit in action in the world through Christians. Church is a community of Christians. Catholic Church headed by the ‘Vicar of Christ’ on earth, the Pope, is the largest Christian community in the world... 

‘The Gospel of light and love of Sadguru Jesus Christ as it is recorded by Mathew, Mark, Luke and John in the New Testament is the basis of Christian faith and values…

‘But, at different stages during the last twenty centuries of Christian history, the path of light and love taught by Sadguru Jesus Christ came under the influence of many cultural and political forces. As a result, the original Gospel of light and love of Sadguru Jesus Christ is distorted beyond recognition. Mahatma Gandhi once had pointed out that ‘if Jesus Christ is to come again today, he is sure to reject the present Christian Churches and declare that he has nothing to do with them’!....

‘However, it is also a fact of history that the Christian values constitute the basis of the Constitutions of many countries in the world today, including that of India. Justice, liberty, equality and fraternity as we have included in the Preamble of our Constitution can also be seen as ‘Christian values’. Love is the core and peace is the goal of these Christian values that are all essentially universal values today…

‘The truth of these Christian values were embodied in the person, life and message of Sadguru Jesus Christ himself. Hence, he was able to say: ‘I am the path, the truth and the life’.... 

Excerpts from Integral Revolution

WE CAN CHANGE THE WORLD FOR BETTER

I can change the world for better if I am willing to be part of the solution and not part of the problem. Actually I start this writing after reflection and meditation on the events that took place on one day last week. I drove from the hills of Munnar to Kochi to be at the bedside of someone with severe heart failure in the intensive care unit of a hospital. I went there at the earnest request of his daughter who was flying from Mumbai so she could provide the needed hospital care as well as after discharge care. He was totally alienated from his family including this daughter. The father had written a book about the mistreatment he had received from his family. The daughter was devastated by this book, and told me in conversations how she was terrorized while growing up, and how she and her family suffered mistreatment from him. Obviously both father and daughter had deep hurts. Daughter was grateful that I allowed her father to stay in the ashram for three years. After meeting with the cardiologist, I was present while father and daughter exchanged their thoughts and feelings in the intensive care unit after a long period of estrangement. While I facilitated focusing on the immediate care needed for the father irrespective of what happened in the past or whose version was right, I also tried to help generate hope for constructive future engagement. Both were extremely happy that things worked out well for them. Needless to say, their present was the past that really shut out the present and the future.

Returning from Kochi to Munnar on the same day around 5 p.m., there was a traffic jam caused by a truck laden with logs and a mini-truck trying to pass each other on the Neriamangalam bridge over Periyar river. The bridge was not broad enough, so the vehicles were stuck. Seeing what was happening, I stopped my vehicle before the bridge. One of the drivers was asked to back off the bridge. While backing, the vehicle got on the very wet mud on the shoulder just off the bridge, and was asked to stop before falling off the road and, possibly, into the river. Interestingly impatient drivers from both sides got into the bridge putting everyone’s life in jeopardy. Noteworthy is the fact that not even enlightened self-interest came into play.

The two situations described above occur in one form or other almost daily in my last 11 of years of stay in Kerala. Many people lose their cool and get into verbal and physical violence. The persons causing the problems, needless to say, do not follow their own basic intelligence. We can all fret, fume, and feud and make a bad situation even worse. Each one of us can change the world for better only by being part of the solution.

Swami Snehananda Jyoti 

The sign of love

A man owned a wonderful magic opal ring. The person wearing it became so good that the person was loved and respected by everyone. 

The man had three sons. Before he died he gave each of the sons an opal ring. After the old man died, the three sons began to quarrel and argue among themselves about which of them had the magic ring. 

They went to a wise old man to settle the dispute, “My sons,” he said, “only time will show that. Your lives, how you live your lives, will show which of you has the magic ring.”

Indian Thoughts Archives

Warts and All

This story is told about Oliver Cromwell. He was sitting for an artist who was painting a full-length picture of him. When the painting was complete, Cromwell looked at it, and saw that the painter had gone out of his way to make Cromwell more handsome than he actually was. For example, Cromwell had warts on his face, but the painter had opted to omit these. 

Cromwell would not accept the finished product. He insisted that the painter do one more portrait, only this time, he was ordered to paint Cromwell with “warts and all.” 

Though we don’t like the “warts and all” part of us, they are as much part of us – good as well as not so good.  Seeing and accepting oneself as he/she is would ward of resentment for ourselves and would provide the healthy outlook to better oneself.

We could easily prefer the painter who can make us look better than we really are.

Indian Thoughts Archives

Political Parties in India

‘What role the existing political parties in our country can play in promoting the concept of ENP in India, guruji?’, Atma Prakash asked.

‘We cannot expect the large and centralized political parties in our country to follow the eternal values of truth, non-violence, sacrifice and service, and the national values of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity that are basic to the concept of ENP. In fact, some of these political parties themselves are the causes for the crises facing the nation today. These parties do not seem to have the much needed dynamism and creativity for changing themselves for better’, the Baba replied. He continued further....

‘The older and larger an organization, the greater the difficulty for it to bring about any creative changes within itself. Such organizations also tend to become blocks in the path of creative changes initiated by others. They will be strong promoters of ‘status quo’ and will cause stagnation and decay in our national life. Just as stagnant waters breed mosquitoes and diseases, large and uncreative political parties and trade unions add to the problems of India and tend to block the path of development….. 

‘Some of the major political parties in our country today seem to have outlived their utility in the mission of nation-building. We will also have to aim at liberating India from the clutches of these corrupt and lethargic political parties and trade unions with their vested interests, hidden agendas and black money…..

‘However, the inspiring fact is that there are a good number of smaller value-based dynamic political parties and youthful ‘sovereign Indian citizens’ in our country today who are capable of standing up and fighting for the nation. ‘Sovereign Indian citizens’ means citizens who are value-conscious and who give greater importance to their Fundamental Duties than to their Fundamental Rights. They are called to enter the battle field of a new ‘Dharmakshetra-Kurukshetra’ to save Mother India from crime and corruption, and from other forces of adharma that are threatening to destroy her…

‘These youthful sovereign Indian citizens, and value-based dynamic political parties in India inspired by an enlightened political ideology, a common minimum agenda for socio-economic development of the last and the least in India, certain common minimum principles of enlightened governance and some common minimum parameters for MPs and MLAs can form themselves into an enlightened political alliance in the country or state and work together for the mission of building a hunger-free, caste-free and corruption-free India with the final goal of winning the economic, social and moral freedoms that are yet to be won for our motherland….. 

‘I have suggested the political ideology of ‘Democratic Federalism’, the common minimum agenda of ‘Gandhian Navaratna’, the 16 principles of Enlightened Governance, and the five minimum Parameters for MPs and MLAs as part of my vision of ENP. You can use them as they are. You can also modify them as you feel inspired. But let there be these four constituents. Only then ENP can achive its goal and fulfill its purpose….

‘The sovereign Indian citizens within this enlightened political alliance can contest elections as ‘National Candidates’. The dynamic political parties within this alliance can contest under their own banners…... 

‘However, it is very important that these political parties and sovereign Indian citizens joining this enlightened political alliance should be accountable and answerable to the nation in word and deed, and should be committed to the Fundamental Duties of Indian citizens as given under Article: 51-A of the Indian Constitution’. 

The Baba stopped for a while and looked at Atma Prakash.

The disciple was very carefully listening to every word his guruji said.

Excerpts from ‘Integral Revolution’

The Janitor

Bill Holbrook, the janitor at the wealthiest church in town, ordered some cleaning supplies from the hardware store. When they arrived, the driver asked Bill to sign for them.  Bill went into the pastor's office and asked the pastor to sign for them.  Puzzled, the pastor told Bill to sign for them.

"I can't," said Bill.  "I can't read or write."

"Well," replied the pastor, "I'm going to have to let you go, Bill. I'm sorry but we can't have a janitor that can't read or write."

Bill started walking home, wondering how he was going to tell his wife the bad news, when he reached for his pipe and found he had run out of tobacco.  He searched the neighbourhood looking for a tobacco shop but could find none. And then he got an idea.  When he got home, he told his wife he was going to open a tobacco shop.

The venture was so successful that Bill soon opened another, and then another until in ten years he was opening his one hundredth tobacco shop.  A feature writer from USA Today came to interview Bill on this great occasion.  When she had finished the interview she asked Bill if he'd like to read over her notes. 

"Yes, I would like to", said Bill "but I can't read or write." 

"My Gosh", said the young lady.  "You've accomplished so much.  Just imagine what you'd be if you could read and write!" 

"Yes," smiled Bill.  "I'd be the janitor in a church." 

When a person is determined and enterprising, nothing can block him, not even the apparent drawbacks.

Indian Thoughts Archives