The Yoga of Jesus
An
introduction
The Way
Jesus was a teacher
of the ancient organisation called The Way. The Way goes back many
thousands of years; some believe it goes back to Mithra (the earlier
date of c. 2000BC). We have archaeological evidence of The Way
from
Mohenjo-daro and Harappa and in some of the older Great Flood legends.
Remnants of The Way’s understanding of Mother Nature and God the Mother
linger in some ancient religious ideas. We have parallel symbols
in the birth of Jesus, Gautama Buddha, Zoroaster and Mithra. To
name a few…
We don’t know much about the history of The Way
(which is a remarkable thing because every tradition in The Way over
thousands of years share this) but here are a few samples of information
we have from Scripture. Melchizedek, the king of Salem was a
teacher in this tradition and at one time he engaged in some serious
spiritual counselling with Abraham (Gen.14:18), a disciple of The Way.
Jesus was ordained in the Order of Melchizedek (Heb.7:1). Lao Tzu
was a teacher in the tradition and the teaching he recorded is called
The Way (Tao Teh Ching) (600BCE). Gautama Buddha was recognised as
a teacher in this tradition (600 BCE), and so was Mani of Persia
(2ndcent), many early Gnostic movements and most Essene movements
aligned with The Way. The Bhagavad Gita and Wisdom traditions of
the 1st century and Yoga traditions of antiquity aligned with
The Way. The ‘golden thread’ of Truth that runs through all these
cultures and movements was so strong that Jesus and Thomas’ ministry in
Asia was mostly absorbed in the prevailing Buddhist society of the time.
We see much of this in the particulars of the art of 1st and
2nd century Gandahara.
To learn a little more about the time when Paul
and Barnabas applied to The Way to form a popular religious movement
they would call Christianity, see
Acts of the
Apostles in the Christian Bible: 9:2, 19:9, 19:23, and 24:22.
The Yoga of
Jesus is a particular school in The Way but it is by all means The Way,
and it comes from Jesus The Saviour and the early disciples and apostles
of The Way. Church of the East forwards the teaching and Tradition
of the Yoga of Jesus.
Yoga
The Sanskrit root for yoke is ‘yug’, which is the
root word of yoga. The word yoga means ‘to be yoked’.
The spiritual concept of being yoked to The Saviour, the Cosmic Christ,
is the practical philosophy of Yoga.
Most westerners know Yoga as a series of postures
or physical exercises. This view is probably as inaccurate as
thinking of Capitalism as a series of shopping trips, or Christianity as
a series of Sunday trips. Yoga is a philosophy, a way of life, a
worldview, a purpose of life, a journey and a destination. One
aspect of Yoga, called Hatha Yoga, may involve postures or physical
exercises. While very beneficial these exercises are by no means
definitive of Yoga and do not necessarily have to be practised for one
to be a yogi. On the contrary, a person who attends Yoga classes 4
times per week and regularly sits in meditation is not necessarily a
yogi. Millions of Christians and agnostics do regular yoga
exercises but are by no means yogis.
Taking a
closer look at what a yoke is.
According to Mirriam-Webster’s Dictionary the
English word yoke works in the following way:
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The Thesaurus-- ‘yoke’
is explained as such:
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What is a
yoke used for
Yokes are well known in the West as agricultural
implements of the past but they are still used in developing countries.
The use of oxen as draught animals for carts and ploughing is popular in
most areas of Asia and Africa. Below is a picture and description
of a small oxen training yoke used in 19th cent USA.
|
Oxen Yoke
c.1800-1860
38"L x 6 1/2"W x 19 1/2"H (bows are 4 1/2" in diameter)
This is an example of a straight yoke, the most common yoke used
for oxen. This small yoke would have been used to train a team of
oxen to pull farm implements and vehicles. The top wooden bar fits
on the back of the oxen's neck and the U-shaped wood bows slide up
under the animal's neck. The bows are held to the bar with wood or
iron pins.
A plow beam or wagon tongue would have been attached to the yoke
through the iron ring which hangs down between the neck bows. Though
strong and durable, oxen were eventually replaced by horses which
were faster and often easier to work. |
|
What is the
purpose of a yoke?
A yoke
helps two (or more) animals to pull a cart, wagon or plough in unison.
If a yoke is not used when two or more animals work together, one animal
will pull the full load every time it takes a step slightly ahead of the
other, meaning that each animal experiences the work as a series of
tiresome bumps and jerks. This can be very tiresome and hard on
the animals, and may even hurt them. It will make for a bumpy ride
and will eventually exhaust the animals and little work gets done at a
great sacrifice.
The ideal
way (most farmers will tell you it’s the only way) to get a new animal
to learn is to yoke him/her with an experienced yokefellow who can
handle it when the inexperienced one swings in and out, and goes to fast
or too slow in the beginning. It takes a while for an
inexperienced fellow to learn but in the end both can have a pleasant
time performing their task. A yoke is a blessing for these animals
and makes their lives tolerable and fruitful.
A good
marriage between human partners is like being yoked together; pulling
the same weight, going in the same direction, and helping one another on
the way.
Jesus invites anyone, never mind how
inexperienced s/he is, to go to him and he will be your Yokefellow on
The Way.
Mystical Sayings of Yesu 88
Yesu said, “Come to me, for my yoke is easy and my lordship is
gentle, and you will find rest for yourselves.”
Jesus does not say, ‘… I will walk for
you’, but rather, ‘… I will walk with you’. The
responsibility for ‘walking’ The Way is in your hands.
Jesus does not say, ‘… I will come to you’, but
rather, ‘… come to me’. The responsibility for getting to walk
with Jesus lies with you. You have to go to Him.
People often pray and ask angels and the Saviour to come to their
rescue, to come to them. You don’t have to ask for that if you are
walking The Way yoked to Jesus and the angels because they are with you.
It is when you are walking alone like a lost sheep that you will have to
bleat the night away, crying in self pity, “Christ…is there anyone out
there that cares about me!” –demanding for the Good Shepherd to leave
his yokefellows to come find you in the wilderness.
Jesus knows The Way. He walked it,
mastered it, and through his struggles and dedication eventually reached
the destination—being one with the Energies of God. He understands
exactly where we are, the mistakes we make and how we run from one end
to another, and how we call for help whenever things get hurtful, and
how we easily forget The Way and get lost again.
Jesus does not say, ‘come to me …and you will
fret more in guilt and worry more’. Rather, He says, “…and
you will find rest for yourselves”.
Why
would we find rest in yoga with Jesus?
Many of us act like young bulls and heifers
running after every green spot, every good smelling fellow, fighting for
ranking in the mating game and trying our level best to consume as much
as possible. Rushing up and down, to and fro, exhausting ourselves
and not going anywhere significant—nowhere The Way. Most people
act as if the purpose of their live is to consume more than their
neighbour, and to own things—which they believe will give them social
standing. As if things and social standing are of permanent value.
While most of us are quite happy to follow the
herd, to think like the herd, and value what the herd’s culture values,
some of us come to realize that herd play is not reality; there must be
another reality, perhaps a more meaningful purpose to life. A
better way to reach our destination and fulfill our purpose in life.
We may be looking at prevailing religions thinking they resemble
feedlots for cattle. We may be thinking that a better truth lies
out there somewhere—perhaps on the other side of the wilderness.
We often hear that heaven is inside us but that is a scary journey we
don’t even know how to buy a ticket for. We may not know where,
how and what—but we know we must find reality.
If the Yoga of Jesus is the alternative you
want, Jesus offers his help saying, “Come to me, for my yoke is easy
and my lordship is gentle, and you will find rest for yourselves.”
What is
this yoga that Jesus refers to?
This yoga is a fourfold path; a lifestyle with
four distinct elements.
Anyone who, ‘comes to me’ as Jesus said can
learn the Yoga of Jesus. Here are some illustrations we draw from
Scripture:
In one of Jesus’ sermons to his close devotees
he lists some qualities which yogis will cultivate within along The Way.
These are mystical sayings which need be interpreted by a seasoned yogi.
We list them here only to show the primary topics Jesus address.
You can learn the esoteric meaning of the verses once you start out on
The Way but for now, consider only the exoteric (surface or outer)
meaning of these verses from the Acts of Thomas:
‘Blessed are the holy, whose souls have not
condemned them, for they have gained them and are not divided against
themselves.
Mind is a
part (or an aspect) of soul. Jesus speaks to Gnani yoga, or the
yoga of knowledge. We need knowledge to become like Christ, to imitate
Him, and to follow The Way. We need clear minds that are ready to
assimilate the knowledge of this yoga.
Blessed are the spirits of the pure, and they
that have received the heavenly crown whole from the age which have been
appointed them.
Bhakti
yoga is the yoga of devotion. While the mind needs knowledge to
keep itself yoked, the spirit (which is our real selves) needs mystical
contact with the Source for nurture, guidance and solace. In
devotional service we find moments when we are instructed by the Spirit,
touched, and the soul’s knowledge (which dies with the soul upon when
the body dies) turns into the spirit’s wisdom (which is eternally with
us).
Blessed are the bodies of the holy, for they
have been made worthy to become temples of God that Christ may dwell in
them.
Hatha
yoga is the path of tuning, honing, maintaining and caring for the
organic life we depend on—our bodies, the ecology of nature, our
physical environment. These organisms are necessary tools we need
to practice the science of The Way. We need proper tools,
especially since we are not highly skilled craftsmen yet, we need
reliable tools all the more.
Blessed are you, for having power to change the
course of sins.
We are
the only animals on this planet with the creative power God our Father
and Mother entrusted to us. We must learn, in the Yoga of Jesus,
how to use our creative powers correctly and how to programme our minds
to ‘change the course of sins’. This is a yoga path in the Gnani
School, but Jesus puts specific emphasis on it in His teaching.
Blessed are you, if you lose not that which is
committed to you, but rejoicing and departing take it away with you.
This
saying refers to the quality of equanimity or evenness of mind which
devotees acquire (and need) on The Way.
Blessed are you the holy, for to you it is
given to ask and receive.
Total
dedication comes to devotees after some training. Those who can be
in this condition have the power to ‘create’ whatever they need.
Other references to this aspect of Jesus’ yoga is where He tells the
likeness of one who has faith the size of a mustard seed that will be
able to move mountains.
Blessed are you meek, for you have been counted
worthy by God to become heirs of the heavenly kingdom. Blessed are you
meek, for you are they that have overcome the enemy. Blessed are you
meek, for you shall see the face of the Lord.
Blessed are you that hunger for the Lord’s
sake, for, for you is rest laid up, and your souls rejoice from
henceforth. Blessed are you that are quiet, for you have been counted
worthy to be set free from sin and from the exchange of clean and
unclean animals.
These
five verses deal with attitude. Attitude is one of the most
important things on The Way. An attitude acts like a filter for
thought and ideas that come in and go out of us—every attitude colours
or taints those ideas. The attitude you have when reading this
piece colours your perception of it—and creates your reality
accordingly. We are apprentice-creators. We have free will
insofar as we allow our will to be free of externally conditioned
attitudes. We create our reality with our thinking—and our
attitude(s) determine much about the quality of our thinking.
Already, this is getting too deep into the Yoga of Jesus. The
purpose of this paper is to provide a brief overview, not to teach.
Is the Yoga of Jesus also in the
Christian Bible
The
Christian Bible is a product of the Roman and Greek Catholic Church, the
Christian movement resulting from Paul and Barnabas’ efforts. When
the Roman and Constantinopolitan churches picked the Books of the NT in
the 3rd century they picked from among hundreds of good
books—and ended up with a NT consisting almost 80% of Paul and Luke’s
works—both men who never knew Jesus, and who never trained under him.
The Yoga of Jesus was not important to the early Christians and the
books they chose for their Bible did not emphasise the teaching of Jesus
at all. Christianity is more concerned about the death of Jesus
and your response to it than about Jesus’ actual life and teaching.
Yet,
there are passages and phrases of Jesus’ teaching in the Christian
gospels that relate to Jesus’ Yoga.
The Yoga of Jesus in summary
In the true
style of the Master Teacher, Jesus teaches with great economy of words.
You know the following verse; it is the essence of Jesus’ teaching.
Mark 12:30, Luke 10:27, Matthew 22:37
He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all
your soul and with all your strength and with your entire mind'; and,
'Love your neighbour as yourself.'"
What is
most remarkable about this verse, especially in light of its central
position in Jesus’ teaching is that Jesus is using a collection of terms
that describe only our soul faculties—aspects of the subtle energies of
the soul—the kind of things we can only understand in terms of a
practical spirituality based on the knowledge of the chakras.
Body, Soul, and Spirit
One area
where the Yoga of Jesus, which is the teaching of The Way, is much
different to Christianity is in that it involves the entire person in
the process of becoming in Christ. Christian teachers have no
interest in learning about the differences between soul, mind, heart and
spirit—probably because for Christians it is all sort of the same thing.
Jesus’ Yoga studies the distinct differences in the faculties or
elements that make up a human being. Each faculty has its
own purpose, challenge and approach to sanctification of the entire
being.
Consider
for instance the only verse in the New Testament that discusses the
three main parts of the human being—spirit (G.pneuma), soul (G.psyche)
and body (G.soma). In this verse an author of the Pauline
school (or more probably an editor) summarises The Way as being
concerned with the three main Yogas--, Bhakti, Gnani and Hatha:
1 Thessalonians 5:23
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you
entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete,
without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Nowhere
else in the NT is reference made to the three elements together.
There are, however, numerous verses about, ‘your mind’, ‘your heart’ and
‘your soul’. Nowhere else, except in a specific greeting used by
the Pauline school (which is in another context), is any reference made
to the term, ‘your spirit’.
The reason
why it is odd to use the term, ‘your spirit’ is because it is incorrect
language. Your spirit is you. You cannot say, ‘my spirit’,
because your spirit is you—rather say ‘me’. You can talk about
‘your body’ and ‘your soul’ because you have a body and a soul which
will dissolve when time comes for you to move on. What people call
the ‘death of the human’ is truly the end of that particular combination
of you, the body you had and the soul (which includes mind, heart
[personality] and life force). That combination; of you, your body
and your soul was a human being, but once the human being dies what is
left is the eternal you--spirit.
What you
take with you after a human life is the wisdom you gained—that was the
purpose of the life, to gain wisdom. All superfluous knowledge the
soul (mind) gathered during the human lifetime is discarded. Some
schools of thought say all the knowledge gets posted to a central
database called the Akashic Records—but this is of no consequence here.
It will serve no good purpose for you (the spirit) to want to retain
knowledge of each lifetime’s telephone numbers, email addresses,
academic things and the brand names of good buys in 1834, for instance.
As scars, looks and tattoos on the body dissipate at death, so does
knowledge dissipate into the ether at the death of the soul.
Wisdom is retained as an advance in your spiritual condition.
However—one
should take care here. Because of Christianity’s lack of
understanding (and need to do so) of the difference between soul and
spirit its scholars and linguists confused issues when translating
eastern Scripture and literature. Most eastern scholars who
learned traditionally Christian languages learned it in that sense too.
It is therefore quite common for literary works to make indiscriminate
use of the terms soul and spirit. One way to make sure you know
what the author is trying to say is to determine whether s/he is
referring to the eternal self (spirit) or the mind, or personality
(soul).
OK,
so I start out learning the Yoga of Jesus, what happens then, how will
my life change?
This
depends entirely on your attitude. If you aim to climb the highest
mountain you should not storm it in defiance, or approach it in
indifference. Jesus says you must seize it, make it yours and
claim it—but half-measures and indifference will not work. Also,
you cannot declare yourself a team member (yokefellow) and set out to
climb the mountain if you don’t intend to go through with it—that would
be deceitful to the team. The western manner to actually storm the
mountain and beat on it, demanding of it to convince you that it is a
worthy mountain, is not the right attitude for the most important
Journey you will ever undertake in all your lifetimes.
But, when you have the right attitude
to set out on The Way, what can you expect?
Jesus
answers this right in the beginning of the Mystical Sayings, and of
course every devotee has experienced it:
Saying 2
Yesu said, “Let one who seeks not stop seeking
until one finds. When one finds, one will be disturbed. When one is
disturbed, one will be amazed, and being amazed will reign over all, and
reigning they will have rest”
We speak
from experience of the above. It is disturbing. Change is
disturbing and often uncomfortable. But it is change we wanted.
That was why we became devotees of Jesus’ Yoga—to change. Why then
do we find it surprising if the change occurs? Probably because
most of us are just wimps.
If
the Yoga of Jesus is The Way you are being led to --and you want to be a
devotee in this fellowship--you can join us in the Journey any time you
like.
Click here to join now
Copyright ©
Church of the East Inc. 2002
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