The Wisdom of Jesus and the Yoga Siddhas

Book excerpt: This book is addressed to serious Biblical students, Christians who are interested in comparing Eastern spiritual teachings with those of Christianity, and students of spiritual Yoga, otherwise known as Classical Yoga and Tantra, as well as students and practitioners of meditation and other spiritual disciplines. The discoveries of ancient manuscripts, and their analysis by independent critical scholars using scientific methods, provide much insight into the original teachings of Jesus. The sayings of Jesus, circulated orally during the first decades following his crucifixion are probably the most authentic source of his teachings that we have available today. These sayings are limited to a few dozen parables, aphorisms and sharp retorts, which were repeated in the oral tradition for two or three decades before they were eventually recorded by the anonymous writers of the Gospels. Remarkably, what Jesus taught through his parables and sayings exactly parallels the yogic teachings of the Yoga Siddhas. For those seeking to apply the wisdom of these sayings in their own life, the implications are clear. Seek not to know about God; instead, seek to know God through higher states of consciousness.