Literary Insights

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Here is a summary of the contents of the book:

The book is divided into three parts. Part one is called “The Third Jesus” and examines the idea of redeeming Jesus from the traditional interpretations and presenting him as a mystical teacher. It contains chapters that look at Jesus’ teachings about being the light, the kingdom of God being within, and reading what Jesus actually said.

Part two is titled “The Gospel of Enlightenment” and contains chapters exploring Jesus’ teachings on love, grace, faith, revelation, the self, meditation, contemplation, prayer, karma, the illusion of the world, unity, and discusses who the “real” Jesus was.

Part three is called “Taking Jesus as Your Teacher” and provides a guide for seekers on topics like the search for higher reality, how the spiritual path opens up, being in the middle of the journey, where the soul never dies, and what Jesus would do.

There is an introduction that sets up the idea that Jesus’ teachings are impossible to fully live by and have been compromised. The book aims to present a “third Jesus” as a radical and mystical teacher beyond the traditional interpretations. It is divided to explore redeeming Jesus, examine his actual gospel teachings, and provide a guide for taking Jesus as a spiritual teacher.

The passage discusses different interpretations of Jesus and argues for a “third Jesus” who taught how to achieve enlightenment or God-consciousness.

It says the historical Jesus is unclear from the gospels, which sometimes portray contradictory behaviors. The theological Jesus created over centuries differs from the actual rabbi.

This leads believers away from Jesus’s core message of how to find salvation now through one’s own spiritual efforts, not waiting for a literal Second Coming.

The author had an experience where, after refusing a demanding woman’s request for time due to other commitments, she angrily accused him of not living up to Jesus’s teachings of nonviolence and sacrifice.

This experience relates to Jesus’s challenging words about turning the other cheek when hit, and how nonviolence is not always practical yet was central to his mission of love and forgiveness.

Overall the passage promotes interpreting Jesus as an enlightened teacher of how to personally experience the divine now, rather than focusing on historical or theological abstractions that miss his core teachings.

The passage discusses the concept of ahimsa (nonviolence) in Hinduism and how it relates to Jesus’ teaching of turning the other cheek. True nonviolence aims to quell one’s own inner violence, not just react externally.
It says if someone shifts their own consciousness to a place of God-consciousness/nonviolence, their enemy will be disarmed. The author believes they experienced this briefly in an encounter at a bookstore.
It then outlines Jesus’ radical vision for renewing human existence and the world in eight ways: restoring nature, ending war/strife, equal souls/relationships, motivated by love not laws, emotions of love/safety not fear, peaceable loving behavior, transformed healthy biology, and God’s direct presence on Earth.
It notes how implausible and challenging Jesus’ vision was to implement, as every aspect of life would need to change dramatically. The reality Jesus wanted to abolish was the opposite in every way.
His teachings were quickly modified by pragmatists as no one could fully live as Jesus envisioned due to being entrenched in the old world system. There remains a gap between the real and ideal that has never closed.
The passage describes a man’s experience attending Easter services at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London after being away from the Anglican Church for some time.
He was drawn to attend by nostalgia and the inspiring music and ornate costumes/decorations. However, he found the experience lacking - the cathedral was full of tourists, the sermon was amplified over a loud speaker, and the presiding bishop seemed bored.
What stood out to him was a man kneeling in prayer on the cold marble floor for the entire hour, knowing all the prayers and responses. The man recalled being that devout in the past.
When the narrator was tempted to kneel as well, he lost his nerve because the other man was the only one doing so and several tourists were taking pictures of him.
The passage reflects on how many Christians feel self-conscious participating fully in rituals like Easter among commercialism and as part of a tourist crowd rather than a true worshipper. It’s a personal struggle to find the right way to participate.

So in summary, it describes one man’s experience finding the Easter church service lacking except for one truly devout worshipper, and reflects on the challenges Christians face in fully participating in religious rituals.

The passage discusses Jesus’ perspective on suffering and evil. He would have compassion for those suffering, not because of their pain, but because they are unable to be in the light/God-consciousness with him, where suffering ends.
It argues we misunderstand some of Jesus’ teachings like “Resist not evil” due to diluted interpretations over time. True non-resistance to evil requires a higher state of consciousness.
It outlines ways to truly “resist not evil” based on principles like meditation, contemplation, revelation, prayer, grace, love, faith, salvation, and unity. These blur the line between good and evil and dissolve dualistic boundaries, allowing one to exit the apparent reality of evil through God-consciousness.
While Jesus’ direct teachings were brief, unpacking them fully provides profound wisdom on how to move beyond evil by not resisting it. This requires spiritual development to a state where evil loses seeming reality and only one boundless reality of God remains.

Here is a detailed summary of the key points in the passage:

The passage discusses early Christian Gnostic sects that emphasized personal gnosis (knowledge) and enlightenment over salvation or authority. They believed Jesus’ mission was enlightenment, not getting into heaven.
It describes the Gospel of Truth, a Gnostic scripture that portrayed forgetfulness as the root of error, and knowledge/remembrance of God as the path to restoration. This appeals to modern notions of personal growth.
Gnosticism portrayed an inner conflict between wisdom and darkness that has left humanity blind, but we can rediscover truth through Christ’s enlightenment.
The discovery of the Nag Hammadi library in 1945 provided ammunition for renegades and reformers, as it included Gnostic gospels like Thomas and Philip. These represented an alternative tradition suppressed by the Catholic church.
Historically there was no unified “Gnostic” sect, and the texts contain diverse, esoteric beliefs. But they show early Christianity was deeply divided and allowed female priests and individual revelation over written doctrine.
While Gnostic freedom appeals today, pure Gnosticism lacks safeguards and could enable bizarre beliefs. The church fathers suppressed it but were wrestling with their own darkness.
The gospels offer a better path to an inner journey than the obscure Gnostic texts, through teachings left by Jesus rather than others’ desires for a messiah.
Jesus taught the Kingdom of God was within - a higher consciousness rather than just heaven. Traditional notions of heaven were new for Jews, but Jesus fulfilled the Edenic vision of restoration through spiritual awakening.

In summary, it discusses the discovery of Gnostic gospels, their teachings emphasizing personal enlightenment, and debates their implications versus the traditional gospels and Christianity.

Christianity portrays Heaven as a paradise where God reigns on a throne presiding over all. This idea of a literal Heaven and God’s throne comes more from the Old Testament and Book of Revelation than from Jesus’ teachings.
Jesus rarely referred to God’s throne and did not dramatize Judgment Day or the “End of Days” like Revelation does. His teachings emphasized that the Kingdom of God is spiritual and internal, not a physical place.
Near-death experiences suggest Heavenly visions are culturally conditioned mental constructs, as descriptions vary widely between religions and eras. This implies Heavenly constructs may be created in the human mind rather than experiences of an objective reality.
In the Hebrew tradition, God was conceived as abstract and ineffinable, transcending physical imagery. Jesus used metaphorical terms like “Father” as indirect references, not to affirm a literal personification, continuing this Hebrew tradition of referring to God indirectly.

So in summary, the idea of a literal heavenly throne and kingdom presided over by God comes more from other Biblical sources than Jesus’ own teachings, which depicted the kingdom as internal and spiritual rather than a physical place or reality.

The passage discusses how Jesus’s teachings about God and the Kingdom of Heaven have often been misunderstood in traditional Christianity. Some key points:
When Jesus refers to God the Father, he is speaking mystically and metaphorically, not as a real entity. His teachings about being one with the Father were mystical in nature.
Traditional Christianity has overly emphasized God/Jesus as a source of punishment. The Old Testament portrayal of God hasn’t really changed despite the New Testament.
The Kingdom of Heaven meant different things and served different purposes, depending on one’s level of consciousness. It exists in different places based on awareness.
The passage then discusses three paths to “Heaven” that emerged in Christianity - devotion, service, and contemplation. But these don’t fully solve the contradictions in Jesus’s teachings about inner vs outer life.
It argues following Jesus requires transforming one’s inner awareness to close the gap with his level of enlightenment. Devotion/service/contemplation can aid this, but aren’t enough on their own.
The rest of the passage analyzes Jesus’s teachings on topics like love, faith, meditation, prayer, karma, illusion, and unity, focusing on their implications for spiritual enlightenment rather than traditional Christianity. It aims to understand Jesus’s original message separate from how the gospels presented it.

In summary, the passage critically analyzes traditional understandings of Jesus and argues his real message was about mystical, inner spiritual enlightenment and transformation, not externally focused religion as commonly practiced. It seeks to reconcile apparent contradictions in Jesus’s teachings.

Jesus’ teachings inspire a new religion of love, but without higher consciousness they can seem like distant fantasy or Heavenly hope rather than practical guidance.
The gospels were written in plain everyday Greek for ordinary people, using simple constructions and repeating phrases like “Jesus said.” This style suits Jesus’ aim to wake people up with stark direct teachings.
Love is the central teaching of Jesus and earliest Christianity. His command to love neighbors as self transcends relationships and requires divine unconditional love from a higher state of awareness.
At lower levels of consciousness, love is temporary and survival-based, while divine grace seems remote. Transforming consciousness is needed to experience love’s power and grace in everyday life as Jesus taught.
The litmus test of spiritual growth is how fully one loves, including enemies, as God does. This level of love requires becoming the teaching through a radical transformation in one’s being.
Jesus points to the steady life-giving force within all people - pure Being or higher consciousness - as the source of divine love that makes loving enemies natural and spontaneous. Transcending ordinary awareness is key to living Jesus’ highest teachings.
Jesus compares loving God to how innocently and naturally children love their parents. Loving God should not be a struggle but come spontaneously like breathing or loving music.
To truly love like Jesus, one must love others as closely as their own soul, guarding them jealously as the pupil of one’s eye. This goes beyond ordinary human love.
Jesus befriends those who need love the most, including the poor, weak, and wicked. His message is especially for those in most need of healing.
In describing divine love, Jesus invites intimacy like abiding in each other. His purpose is to fulfill God’s will by bringing love to all, and completing this mission would fulfill Jesus himself.
Faith was important for early Christianity to bond believers, but enlightenment is not about faith alone. Jesus may have meant faith as experienced in a higher state of consciousness where miracles come naturally.
One should have faith not in Jesus as Messiah per se, but in the vision of higher consciousness, as Jesus aimed to raise followers to his own level of God-consciousness.
Worry solves nothing - one should have faith that God, who clothes even flowers beautifully, will much more clothe those of little faith who do good. Let God take care of life’s provisions through faith.
Jesus teaches that God provides for all basic necessities like food and clothing. Though people must work, God ultimately provides through nature.
Normally people see themselves as dependent on struggle, but Jesus says this is a mistake. From God’s perspective, everything is effortlessly provided.
By cultivating faith and drawing closer to God, people can realize that the world and everything in it is part of God’s divine glory. This frees them from feeling separate and hostile to the world.
Jesus encourages people to seek first the kingdom of God (an inner state of consciousness) and have faith. With even a small amount of faith, followers can perform miracles and accomplish anything.
His words and insights came directly from God as revelations, revealing the truth and freeing people from bondage. Revelation and redemption are connected.
The kingdom of God is near at hand - each person can find God within through knowledge, love, and self-redemption rather than remaining oppressed by ignorance.
Jesus teaches that people must “die” to their old selves to attain a new life and bear much spiritual fruit, through transforming consciousness from attachment to this world to connection with eternal life.

Jesus’s teachings focused on life, death, and rebirth or transformation of the self. He said that if we are attached to our old way of being, we will face death, but we must see ourselves as seeds - when planted, the seed (our present self) will die, but from that will emerge a new abundant life beyond death.

Many of Jesus’s teachings centered around revealing the true self and transforming ego-driven desires. He taught that the kingdom of God is within us and revealed through personal experience, not external religious structures. We must confront our fears and secrets to release them, and sincerely forgive others to be forgiven. Direct knowledge of truth comes from looking within, not just reading scripture. The soul’s journey is an inner process, not a single future event.

Jesus emphasized humility, service to others, lack of attachment to earthly concerns like status and material things. He reassured people that God deeply cares for each individual. We must let our inner divine light shine for others rather than hiding it. The overall message was that we all have a divine spark or essence within that can be awakened through spiritual practices like confronting shadows within, sincere forgiveness, and living virtuously.

“We are its children, the chosen of the living Father.” (Thomas 143)

In this saying, Jesus is telling his followers that they are children of God, who is the living Father. He refers to God as the “living Father”, emphasizing God’s eternal and active nature. By calling them the “chosen of the living Father”, Jesus is affirming that his followers have been specially selected by God to know him. Overall, the passage expresses the close relationship that Jesus’ followers have with God as their heavenly Father, and their privileged status as God’s chosen ones.

Jesus tells a parable about a Pharisee and tax collector praying in the temple. The Pharisee boasts about his righteousness, while the tax collector humbly asks God for mercy. Jesus says the tax collector was justified, not the Pharisee, because those who exalt themselves will be humbled but the humble will be exalted.
This parable teaches about humility over pride and ego. When we focus on ourselves rather than God, we are not finding the higher reality. True humility and recognizing our need for God’s grace is the path to righteousness.
God invites us into his kingdom through Jesus, but if we do not accept this invitation, we risk punishment described as having the kingdom taken away. Exclusion from God’s presence is itself a kind of punishment, as life without God leads to sickness, death and emptiness.
In several passages like this one from the Gospel of Thomas, Jesus describes people as “blind” and “drunk” in their current state, unaware of spiritual truths and realities. He came to enlighten people and help them awaken from this blindness.
Meditation is not directly referenced in the gospels but would have been an implicit part of Jesus’ teachings on inward transformation and entering God’s kingdom. Stillness and finding our true essence or “I am” nature would have been important for Jesus.
The passage discusses Jesus’ approach to teaching which balances the ideal with practical realities. He wants followers inspired but grounded.
It explores how Jesus gives lessons for contemplation, but is also sometimes decisive in solving problems. Early Christians drew beliefs from his answers.
Jesus sometimes poses questions for disciples to contemplate rather than provide answers. He also contemplated privately, like before his death in Gethsemane.
Contemplation of Scripture passages is encouraged using Jesus’ words. Various quotes are provided for reflection. Contemplation involves deep reflection that can lead to insight, feelings, and a sense of deeper reality or presence.
Prayer is discussed as something Jesus did frequently in addressing God as Father. He told followers their prayers would be answered, though not always literally. Prayer affirms God’s power and opens the heart to worship.
The passage discusses Jesus’ teachings on prayer and how they can seem impossible or idealistic to achieve completely in our current world.
It argues that prayer is not magic but applied consciousness. The intimacy of one’s connection with God through enlightenment determines how fully prayer can manifest results. Jesus likely acknowledged internal obstacles to answers in prayer.
Prayer changes as one’s spiritual progress, becoming more powerful based on one’s level of awareness. God doesn’t directly grant or deny prayers but we perceive results based on our consciousness.
Other key points discussed include: the private nature of prayer, how spiritual knowledge comes to those with innocent minds like children, God’s omniscience rendering verbal prayers unnecessary, and having faith that prayers will be answered.
Karma (cause and effect) is also discussed as an important principle that Jesus taught through sayings like “as you sow, so shall you reap,” emphasizing consequences of actions here or in the afterlife.

In summary, the passage examines Jesus’ teachings on prayer and its relationship to spiritual enlightenment and karma according to one perspective. Prayer is an applied practice aiding consciousness rather than a direct request-granting system.

The Book of Leviticus prescribed hundreds of religious rules and duties for virtuous Jewish life.
Jesus was aware of Jewish law but sometimes wanted to free his followers from rigid adherence to the law and focus instead on determining right and wrong from within through heart, mind and soul.
This kind of inner freedom was new and radical. Jesus appealed to spiritual evolution by growing in awareness of God within, rather than just avoiding sin through law-keeping.
Jesus taught the principle of karma - every action has a consequence - but that God offers a path to freedom from karma’s bondage through spiritual growth.
Key teachings discussed include the Golden Rule, not judging others, giving generously, positive energy attracting more positivity, and being drawn to God. Jesus instructed giving up possessions and renouncing violence to transcend the cycle of life and death.
Overall, Jesus offered spiritual freedom and evolution beyond rigid law through developing inner moral awareness and connection with the divine within.
Jesus promises that there is no toil in heaven, implying that higher consciousness frees one from karma and the burden of actions.
Jesus strongly opposed materialism and criticized hypocrisy, love of status, and attachment to wealth and possessions. The world and material things are seen as an illusion that deceive consciousness.
Some of Jesus’ harshest criticisms target family and social bonds, implying they are false compared to the spiritual life.
Passages emphasize perceiving the light/truth within oneself in order to gain its fullness. Being disconnected from God leads to emptiness.
Jesus stresses the importance of “abiding” in him/God to bear fruit and not be cut off from the source of life and nourishment.
Urgency is emphasized - redemption must be pursued now before the transient world passes away. Eternal life comes from redirecting values away from worldly attachment.
Jesus defends himself by saying his critics judge by human/fleshly standards rather than understanding his true spiritual nature and origin.
Blessed are those who believe without seeing, through private spiritual search rather than demands for proof.
Gnostic passages emphasize that God contains all existence, and lacking this understanding leaves one lacking in all. Unity with God is portrayed as the deepest insight.
Jesus’ essence was his complete unity with God, which was a mystery that conveyed the mysterious nature of being human.
When describing himself, Jesus was describing the essence or ‘soul substance’ that exists in everyone and connects them to God as their source. This essence is detached from worldly concerns and seeks God, acts spontaneously, sees itself as timeless, feels compassion, and understands that higher consciousness ends suffering.
Jesus challenged people to live from this divine essence within themselves, as he did. He affirmed his spiritual, eternal nature and purpose of fulfilling prophecy. He brought freedom, served as a light, and would be present spiritually where people gathered in his name.
However, his meaning and presence could also be elusive. He had authority from God and served others humbly. As the world’s savior, he represented the way to God and did God’s will, acting as God in the world. He urged followers to follow his example of humility.

So in summary, Jesus described his mystical essence and our own as coming from and connected to God, challenging people to live from that inner divine nature as he modeled through his words and actions.

This passage from the Gospel of Thomas reflects the Gnostic view that Jesus did not want his disciples to follow any authority, including himself. It denies Jesus’ authority in an ironic way.
There is an obsessive search for the “real Jesus” that continues today, as seen in relics and archaeological claims. But our modern skepticism demands more proof about the historical Jesus.
The four gospels are often seen as literally depicting the real Jesus, but they have considerable shortcomings as factual accounts:
- They were written anonymously long after Jesus by unknown authors
- The texts were altered over time before being standardized
- They disagree on details and have gaps in the timeline and biography
The gospels aimed to promote belief in Jesus as Messiah, not provide an objective history, so likely exaggerated events and words of Jesus
Other early Christian texts like Gnostic gospels also have a claim to authenticity as sources of information about Jesus
In the face of unreliable gospel evidence, some argue we must look beyond the texts to find the essence of Jesus’ teachings.

So in summary, while the gospels were historically viewed as the literal depictions of Jesus, modern skepticism finds them unreliable as factual sources, requiring alternative approaches to understand the historical or spiritual nature of Jesus.

Here is a summary of the key points made in the passage:

There are problems with relying solely on the four gospels to understand the historical Jesus, as their reliability is questionable given they were written decades after his death.
The “rationalist argument” posits that so much time has passed that the actual facts about Jesus have been lost, making the gospels unreliable as evidence. However, Christians argue the gospels faithfully recorded eyewitness testimony.
The “mystical argument” is that Jesus was never truly physical but rather the Holy Spirit. This view is found in the Gospel of John and removes Jesus from the constraints of history. However, it provides no way to discern what is factual.
The “skeptical argument” is that Jesus may have been entirely invented and was a fiction composed by early Christians. While possible, it does not solve the mystery and is no more valid than outright acceptance of the gospels.
The “consciousness argument” is that Jesus exists as a manifestation of higher consciousness or enlightenment, whether as a real historical teacher or idea. This view aims to make Jesus more accessible while respecting his uniqueness.

In summary, there are ongoing debates about how much of the biblical Jesus can be considered historical fact versus theological interpretation, and rational analyses struggle to provide definitive answers.

The author argues that Jesus preached a message of spiritual freedom and liberation from suffering, similar to Buddha’s teachings, not rigid exclusivity as some Christians claim.
However, interpreting the Bible is challenging due to its ambiguity. Different people can derive various theological theses from it.
The author believes the “real Jesus” offers the same path of spiritual awakening that is available in other wisdom traditions like Buddhism. One can go beyond worship to find teachings consistent with higher consciousness.
Over three parts, the author will outline daily exercises based on New Testament verses to help readers use Jesus as a teacher and guide toward spiritual enlightenment and God-consciousness. The goal is personal transformation, not just faith alone.
The 15 steps discussed are not formal Church doctrine but draw from Christian and other traditions. They are meant to remove limitations and separation, and experience a unified state of being with the divine within and without.
Key themes include finding the divine inner kingdom, detachment from the material world, effortless flow, questioning ordinary desires and perceptions, and directly experiencing the unity behind all things.
Prayer is a feedback loop between oneself and the divine intelligence that pervades the universe. Since we are part of that intelligence, praying is a circular process rather than asking something external.
When we pray, the response is often subtle and may include physical, emotional or mental changes like improved health, reduced fear/anxiety, increased acceptance or peace. All events are interconnected, so the response considers our entire self/journey.
Letting go of attachment to outcomes and expecting specific answers allows us to be open to the multilayered responses. This overcomes separation and restores communication with the divine.
Forgiveness is emphasized to end suffering by bringing awareness of divine forgiveness and release from guilt/resentment. To truly forgive, one must acknowledge the unreality of past events/emotions and let them go to experience reality/worth.
Meditation connects us to deeper awareness and intelligence underlying reality. “Being still” refers to observing this underlying order/unfolding rather than just calmness. Silencing the mind reveals our innate connection to the divine source of life.
When facing uncertainty, expanding beyond mental limitations through stillness and visualization can resolve confusion by accessing the larger organizing scheme at work in life. This negotiation with belief systems is a long-term process.

The passage discusses some teachings of Jesus and how they can be applied spiritually. It focuses on three main points:

As you progress spiritually and rise above your ego-personality, you will gain deeper insights and eventually realize the truth of God’s reality.
The concept of karma - that as you sow, so shall you reap. Your actions have moral consequences. But more broadly, the world acts as a mirror reflecting your inner state. Good actions come from a good inner state, and vice versa.
Resisting evil is not the way. Evil stems from the collective and personal “shadow” - the parts of ourselves we reject and dislike. To overcome evil, we must understand our own shadows and bring them to light through reflection, confession, and questioning our hidden motivations and beliefs. Struggling against evil only gives it power; coming to terms with it allows healing.

The overall message is that spiritual growth involves developing self-awareness, understanding how our inner states create our outer realities, and facing the parts of ourselves we typically reject or deny in order to overcome “evil” influences.

Jesus taught that the communication between different dimensions is open through faith and connection to God’s limitless power. Visualization can help create this connection by going inward and using the mind’s eye.
When people perform visualization exercises, they often see unexpected things that surprise them, like finding a lost object or noticing something new. This shows the mind can merge the material and subtle worlds without physical travel.
You can take visualization as far as guided tours of imagined places like heaven and hell. People find these experiences intense because human minds participate in creating dimensions through envisioning and belief, solidifying perceptions into realities.
Fears can also be manipulated through visualization by making feared images larger/smaller or changing them. This reclaims authorship over one’s life by loosening the grip of fear through controlling mental images.
The overall message is that visualization connects one’s inner power to external events, and having faith in one’s divine nature performs miracles. The inner world one creates through belief shapes outer experiences.
As consciousness develops through spiritual practice, the separation between self and other begins to merge. One starts to see that everything exists within awareness/consciousness.
Jesus taught that other people exist not just physically but also spiritually/essentially within us. We are all part of the same divine source/God.
The exercise suggests viewing oneself not as a fixed, solid entity but as constantly changing and uncertain at the quantum level. Accepting this fluidity and ambiguity can facilitate spiritual transformation.
Beliefs and assumptions shape reality. Replacing limited beliefs (“I’m fixed”, “I’m separate”) with more expansive ones (“I’m part of a greater whole”, “Everything is constantly changing”) allows a higher reality to emerge.
As the erroneous sense of a fixed, isolated self dissolves, one can perceive the changeless ground of existence that underlies all transient forms and experiences. In this way, the realms of change and non-change, or separation and unity, begin to merge.
The passage presents the spiritual journey as parallel to the material journey of gaining wealth and status in the world. However, it acknowledges that most people are still embedded in the material world and need spiritual teachings presented in a way they can relate to using their own frameworks.
The main teaching is to constantly keep one’s spiritual vision and goals in mind. As the world exerts pressure to conform to material values, one’s spiritual vision provides guidance and prevents losing one’s way.
Having a written list of current spiritual priorities, like compassion or seeing God in others, helps one periodically refocus on the spiritual path when immersed in worldly affairs. It reinforces the belief that one belongs spiritually to a higher purpose beyond just material life.
By continuously returning to one’s spiritual vision, the parallel paths of material and spiritual life can gradually converge more until fully unified in embodied spiritual realization and a transformed perspective seeing unity in all. The list is a tool to track progress and avoid feeling off-track spiritually.
The passage discusses the experience of glimpsing higher spiritual realities or God-consciousness during profound life events or crises, known as “turning points.”
After such profound experiences, people often long for their return but eventually enter an “aftermath” period where perceptions return to normal. This can be a difficult, empty, or desperate time.
The author recommends several responses to the aftermath, including praying for God’s presence, having faith, reading scripture, imitating Jesus, worshiping, and most importantly - going inward to find one’s true inner self/soul/essence and the presence of God within.
Doing inner work like following “spiritual clues” left by profound experiences, paying attention to soul guidance, and removing ego/personality obstacles can help transition out of the aftermath period and continue progressing on a spiritual path. The ego understandably resists this, preferring to maintain the status quo.

So in summary, it discusses the challenging “aftermath” period after profound spiritual experiences, and recommends inward-focused spiritual practices and soul work to navigate through it successfully.

The passage discusses the spiritual path and process of transformation. It argues that spiritual growth happens quietly and organically over time, similar to how a child develops from age 3 to 4 without epiphanies. The soul works beneath the surface to facilitate inner changes in consciousness.

While people may have glimpses of a higher existence through compassion or love, they lack continuity. The key is to continuously pursue your own essence or highest self. Obstacles like fear, anxiety, and resistance hide the soul’s presence. The spiritual journey involves gradually melting away these inner resistances through practices like meditation.

As resistance dissolves, hidden potentials unfold and a person’s existence can become more meaningful. Significant changes happen when one shifts allegiance from the ego to the soul. The ego cannot facilitate spiritual growth or expansion of boundaries. Simply, the path involves uncovering one’s true essence and presence of God within through patience and natural inner work.

The passage discusses Jesus’ humility and renunciation of ego or seeking glory, despite his exalted state of God-consciousness. It contrasts this with some spiritual teachings that view spiritual progress as an egoic struggle.
It analyzes the Biblical accounts of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness by Satan. Some see this as evidence Christians must steel themselves against temptation, while the passage argues Jesus redirects followers away from struggle and talks of simple faith.
It draws parallels between Jesus’ and Buddha’s encounters with temptation figures (Satan and Mara respectively) during their spiritual awakenings.
The author had a personal experience where he felt torn between secular and religious views on forgiving priests who abused children. This highlighted tensions between the material and spiritual worlds.
Overall it argues experiences of temptation are often mentally constructed rather than real spiritual tests. Jesus modeled redirecting focus away from egoic struggle and toward simple faith, not allegiance to Satan or constant inner battling.
Emotions play a powerful role in forming and cementing memories. Traumatic experiences from childhood like getting lost are easily remembered due to the anxiety involved.
The story of Jesus carries a significant emotional impact that makes it memorable. The drama of his life and death resonates on an emotional level more than other spiritual figures or teachings.
However, emotion is not a reliable guide for determining what is real or unreal. The most important activity of the mind is sorting real from illusory thoughts.
Consciousness is the field where thoughts, images and words arise. Illusory thoughts foster delusion while thoughts that reveal reality are more important to align with according to Jesus’ teachings.
In the middle of the spiritual journey, growth is not always linear or noticeable. There are periods of rewards mixed with frustrations as old patterns surface and get worked through over time. Facing obstacles is an important part of progress.
Resistance to new spiritual experiences comes from habits, past conditioning, guilt, low self-worth, repressed emotions and loss of control among other reasons. Addressing negative feelings through patience, discussion, requesting help and physical responses can help overcome resistance.

The passage discusses natural techniques for releasing negative energies and stress from the body, like exercise, dancing, laughing, crying, toning, and controlled breathing exercises. It emphasizes allowing feelings to be expressed through the body in a safe way.

Rationalizing, using the ego, acting timidly or in fear, and procrastinating are not recommended responses, as they prevent fully confronting and releasing negative energies. The emotions need to be acknowledged and owned as part of oneself in order to heal.

Spiritual progress is not always linear, and periods of doubt or dissatisfaction are normal. These “spiritual mood swings” are a return to parts of oneself needing attention. True spiritual accomplishment lies in one’s awareness and reliance on consciousness itself, not on any temporary sense of self or experience of victory/defeat. Fulfilling the most basic need of overcoming fear brings one closer to a fearless state of God-consciousness.

Fear is self-created and becomes enmeshed in one’s sense of self. As long as fear feels real, reasons to be afraid will continue to arise. Fear acts like a projector generating images to be afraid of. Spiritual advancement can be measured by a decrease in fear.
Love replaces fear in the spiritual path. The Kingdom of God contains only love. Ordinary love on Earth is imperfect and conditional, while divine love has no attachments or conditions. One must shift from everyday love to God-generated love.
God’s presence, or “fullness,” is the totality of God’s powers encompassing both good and evil. It lacks distinctions and refers to a state of wholeness. Communicating this concept is difficult for the divided human mind.
On the spiritual journey, one exchanges material concerns for an undisturbed state of non-change. Boundaries and senses of “self” begin to disappear. This opening process threatens the ego but is necessary for freedom from psychological attachments and constraints. The door that keeps God out also imprisons the self.
The passage discusses the concept of freedom and how Jesus taught that truth leads to freedom from various limitations like political persecution, religious intolerance, physical death, etc.
True freedom comes from realizing there are no real boundaries and the ego’s illusion of separation from reality. On the spiritual path, one’s awareness of freedom grows gradually until they are fully free without limits.
Progress on the spiritual path involves profound transformation, not just feeling better. The goal is a state of God-consciousness where there is no distinction between the individual and God.
In God-consciousness, there would be no fear, evil, or battle between good and evil. One would identify with God and feel they are co-creating the world with God. The outer world would mirror the inner state.
The passage describes how experience of God starts as transient feelings but for those near enlightenment, it is more frequent and constant. In God-consciousness, the experience of God is constant without any gaps.
For this to occur, the ego must be transcended as God and ego are not compatible. In God-consciousness, “I” and “God” become one without any separation. Jesus achieved this state of non-duality.

The gospels were written after the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD, which devastated the Jewish people. The writers presented Jesus and his promises as a new hope in that difficult time. However, the context today is vastly different - the meaning of concepts like “sin” and “salvation” are no longer clear. Religions struggle with how to apply ancient teachings to modern cultures and problems.

Any religion faces this problem of translating teachings grounded in a past context. Buddha spoke to poor, illiterate Indians in 5th century BC India whose lives were strictly prescribed. We can’t assume our spiritual needs match those of people long ago.

While some nostalgia for religion remains, like the medieval atmosphere of Christmas mass, Christianity’s miracle stories and promises no longer directly address today’s divorces, debt, and unanswered prayers. Jesus promised a new kingdom of God on earth, which Saint Paul spread enthusiastically, but that original context is lost.

However, Jesus still symbolizes transcending duality and ego through unity with God. The rescue or salvation people seek today is from separation, not Roman oppression. Jesus’s descriptions of abiding in love and authority point to a mystical experience of oneness that remains spiritually relevant, even if his path to that realization is unknown.

The passage discusses Jesus’ views on key social issues like abortion and gay rights that divide Christianity today.
On abortion, it notes the debate straddles secular and religious views. Secularly, it is a medical issue involving a woman’s rights over her body, while religiously some see life beginning at conception based on scripture. However, Jesus himself does not mention abortion in the gospels.
Claiming Jesus would condemn abortion relies on a specific interpretation of Jesus obeying Mosaic law, but there are other aspects of Jesus like forgiveness and mercy that are ignored. Jesus also did not come to settle worldly affairs according to some interpretations.
On the broader question of “What would Jesus do” about the divisions in Christianity today, the passage argues Jesus does not provide a clear resolution to these complex social issues based on the gospels alone. Referring moral choices to Jesus does not help resolve the bitter conflicts, as there are multiple interpretations of who Jesus was.

So in summary, it examines Jesus’ ambiguous stance on key dividing issues today based on scriptural interpretations, and questions using “What would Jesus do” to resolve conflicts within Christianity given the lack of clear guidance.

The passage discusses several social issues like abortion, gay rights, women’s rights, and war from the perspective of Jesus’ teachings.
On abortion, it says Jesus is silent on the issue and we cannot limitedly interpret him based on the conventions of his time.
On gay rights, it acknowledges the Old Testament condemnation but notes Jesus never mentioned it. It argues Jesus would side with the despised based on the Parable of the Good Samaritan.
On women’s rights, it notes Jesus treated women with respect in the Biblical stories. However, women bore the brunt of Eve’s perceived sinfulness in early Christianity. It argues rationally women are equal to men in proximity to God.
On war, it emphasizes peace is mentioned far more than war in the Bible and gospels. Jesus’ mission was one of peace. It argues invoking God to justify war contradicts Jesus’ constant emphasis on peace and nonviolence.

In summary, the passage analyzes several social issues and argues Jesus’ teachings promote inclusion, forgiveness and nonviolence rather than restricting views based on tradition or cultural conventions he was situated within.

The passage discusses problems with modern Christianity’s focus on invoking God rather than following Jesus’s message of peace. It argues Jesus would not rely on fixed codes or authority, but show sympathy and tolerance towards all people.

It critiques how conservative Christians claim to spread love while practicing social condemnation. Love and forgiveness are paradoxical for Christians who fail to speak against intolerance. Moderate compromise fails against those with absolute views.

The author believes the crisis challenges Christians to actually apply Jesus’s teachings of courage, truth-telling, humility, sympathy and love. While one cannot change others, acting with love and spiritual vision through personal growth is most important. External conflicts reflect internal conflicts that need healing. The schism in Christianity reflects problems projecting internally, not a political battle, but a drama for spiritual development.

The passage discusses the concept of a “third Jesus” as proposed by Deepak Chopra in his book of the same name. It introduces some of Chopra’s key ideas about Jesus, including that he possessed a human dimension, an institutional dimension as Christianity developed, and a mystical dimension as an embodiment of Christ consciousness.

Chopra argues we should see Jesus not just as a historical figure or theological concept, but as a spiritual teacher and revolutionary who taught about becoming one with God and achieving unity between all people and divisions. The goal, according to Chopra, is not to imitate Jesus but to become part of the process of transforming separation into unity, just as Jesus did.

The passage suggests Chopra’s viewpoint releases Jesus from some theological limitations and encourages readers to ponder who they believe Jesus to be. It presents Chopra as challenging Christianity to perform another transformation in Jesus’ name by emphasizing his mystical teachings about God consciousness. Overall it provides a high-level overview of Chopra’s conception of a “third Jesus” beyond history and doctrine.

Here is a summary of the key points made in the reviews of Deepak Chopra’s book “The Third Jesus”:

Chopra presents a vision of Jesus that is distinct from both the historical Jesus and theological/philosophical interpretations that developed over centuries. He calls this the “third Jesus” who had a deep relationship with God that Chopra refers to as “God-consciousness”.
Chopra uses Jesus’ own words and teachings to illustrate how his mission of love grew from his God-consciousness. He provides spiritual exercises to help readers grow in their own God-consciousness.
The reviewers praise how Chopra brings Jesus’ teachings into sharp focus with modern insights from Eastern and Western thought. He resolves contradictions and clarifies our understanding of Jesus’ message.
Chopra makes the spirit of Jesus and God more accessible. He guides readers on applying Jesus’ teachings in their own lives and on a spiritual path to connect with a higher reality.
The book is said to capture an intriguing vision of Jesus’ deep relationship with God and beautifully elucidate a pathway for readers to grow in their own God-consciousness and spirituality.

#book-summary

Third Jesus The Christ We Cannot Ignore, The - Deepak Chopra