The Path to Supreme Blessedness Understanding the Beatitudes in the Holy Bible

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

Preface Kriya Yoga is an inner journey of self-transformation, self- unfoldment, and self-discovery. The teachings of the masters of Kriya Yoga are exceedingly rich with the highest spiritual truth. They are free from intellectual jugglery and are experienced in deep meditation and contain the revelation of scriptural wisdom. God is one, yet religions are many. Truth is one; but scriptures are many. We are essentially one; however, we appear as many. The path of Kriya Yoga teaches unity. It is the common highway of all religions.

The scriptures are plentiful and not always easy to understand. For that reason, the right attitude is necessary. The Bhagavad Gita should be understood with Shri Krishna consciousness, and the Holy Bible with Christ consciousness. Intellectual, historical, or literary approaches will not shine significant light on these metaphysical works.

A confused mind creates conflict and contradiction. When contradictions seem to exist between scriptures of different religions, correct understanding is lacking. Shri Gurudev said that when evening comes, the jackals howl in the same tune, kya hua: "What have you gained?" Saints, mystics, and masters throughout the ages from all places, religions, and cultures teach the same principle about living a life of love, humility, and compassion. They do it in many languages for people in different locations. Sadly, the human mind is not ready to accept and assimilate the teachings.

Introduction A student in the West asked me, "Kriya Yoga is for sitting down with eyes closed and meditating. So why do you discuss scriptures? You discuss the Bhagavatam and the Bhagavad Gita. Why do you talk about scriptures from other religions as well?"

My first reply was a big smile.

Then I said, "Kriya Yoga is taught by the realized for sincere seekers in pursuit of Self-realization. I am following the path as directed and taught by the masters. It is not only a set of techniques, but also a dynamic practice of practical spirituality. Importantly, the Kriya Yoga lineage has passed down spiritual instructions more orally than in writing. The masters taught the essence of spiritual life, the essence of all religions, and that is what we follow."

Three decades ago when I went to Europe, everything was new to me: the people, languages, culture, dress, food, and so on. I was also new to them. There was not a single Indian; I faced all Western students.

In the midst of an informal discussion I asked, "Have you all read the Holy Bible?"

Most of them said reluctantly, "Not really. A little here and there during school.

It was a cultural shock to me. I asked, "Why haven't you read the Bible?" and then, "Have you ever read the Bhagavad Gita?"

I was surprised to hear that many of them had read the Gita. I said, "You have read the Gita, but why not the Bible?"

It was a very simple question prompted by a sincere desire to understand. I was a new arrival in the West, so I did not know much about the lifestyles or attitudes of people there. They said, "We don't understand." A very simple question was posed and answered with, "We don't understand." Some people openly said that reading the Old Testament created confusion. Those who had studied the Holy Bible or other good books had no answers either.

I was surprised initially, but quickly realized that these people did not know how to dive into such beautiful texts. It presented a marvelous opportunity for me to talk a little about the Bible every day for five minutes before group meditation. Not too much, just a short commentary. Shri Gurudev often sat in on these talks and listened.

While teaching about the Holy Bible, my memory often would drift back to my school days. I was fortunate to have had the divine gift of reading the New Testament. It was aided by the Christian missionaries who went door to door giving away free Biblical literature. Later on when I went to high school I read a little about Saint Francis.

In my early twenties I met Shri Gurudev and he encouraged me to read the Holy Bible. He gave me a small pocket-sized book of the New Testament. Later, he presented me with the entire Holy Bible. I have kept those gifts and will treasure them always. I have gone through them very thoroughly-highlighting, underlining, contemplating, meditating, and trying to live a spiritual life. Doing so has helped me understand the beauty of scriptures and other religions.

Reading the scriptures of religions in addition to Hinduism has brought me indescribable joy and shown me the inner beauty, inherent unity, and essential harmony among all cultures and religious traditions. Unfortunately, because of misunderstandings and biased minds, we maintain very narrow viewpoints. We can be mean of lock ourselves away from others. We do not think beyond what is familiar to us.

**Contents and Sample Pages**