LITMIR.BIZ

       Introduction

      Years ago I realized the connection between the information presented in books I and II of A Search for God and the basic principles of Raja Yoga, the ancient science of God realization. Although not identical, there are many significant similarities, far too many for me to ignore. It is clear that the Cayce readings’ source was pulling from a metaphysical reserve of established ideas common to many religions. Most of these were developed and systematized in a geographic triangle that stretched from India in the east to Egypt in the west to the regions of Kazakhstan in the north, past the Caspian Sea. In this area the roots of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism were all developed. The readings’ source tapped into akashic ideas that touch upon many of these religions’ ideological foundations.

      It is also significant to know, as given through the readings’ source, that the historical Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew) was sent to India by his teacher Judy, the Essene priestess. The readings state that Judy was influenced by Asian philosophy, and this had to influence the young Yeshua, even before his travels to India, Persia, and Egypt. This knowledge is not part of standard Christian theological ideology, nor is reincarnation or other fascinating fragments of the historical Palestinian drama that we get from the readings. This is what may place this information in the “lunatic fringe” category in some people’s estimation. But it is my firm belief that original Christianity, the kind that would have been imparted and endorsed by the historical Yeshua, before there was even such a sect as “Christianity,” is much closer to Raja Yoga than to many popular ideologies that rely on mere rhetoric or blind obedience. Yeshua’s teacher studied Asian beliefs, and he himself would do so as a young man. He certainly proved himself to be a yogi of the highest caliber—a mahayogi.

      It is tragic that the mystical roots of Christianity have been systematically diluted, even erased, by sociopolitical factions over the last two thousand years. The contemporary American Christian creed and practice would not be recognizable or even remotely related to the practices of the early Palestinian Jews and Essenes. In some modern congregations, there is even a fallacious belief that yoga, in any form, is somehow a threat to Christian values. Anyone who takes the time to investigate the beautiful and sublime teachings of spiritual yoga will obviously see through the absurdity of this.

      What is needed in this day and age is to restore an understanding of common spiritual unity and allow one another to worship as each sees appropriate, as long as individual methods do not violate the tenets found in the yamas and niyamas, the transreligious moral foundations for the world.

      Christians, if they are truly such, should be the most faithful adherents to the teachings of the Christ—to forgive “seven times seventy”; to “love thy neighbor as thyself”; to find the “kingdom of God within”; to put away the sword because “those who live by the sword, die by the sword”; to serve all because “he who is chief among you shall be the servant of all.” If nothing else, each should stay faithful to Jesus’ chief commandment to “Love one another as I have loved you.” These tenets also align with many of the masters of India, Tibet, China, and Japan. From a spiritual perspective, they are all in perfect accord, even with their unique cultural distinctions.

      If Jesus traveled through India, as the Cayce source states repeatedly and as numerous teachers in India have affirmed, then he certainly would have known of spiritual yoga. Jesus even uses the word yoke, the English translation of the Sanskrit yoga, in the following passage from Matthew’s Gospel:

      Take my yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest . . . for your souls. For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good)—not harsh . . . or sharp, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant; and My burden is light and easy to be borne.

      Matthew 11:29-30 (The Amplified Bible)

      In many ways, the readings’ source outlined a type of Christian yoga, a metaphysical Christianity that transcends institutional limitations and leads the sincere seeker straight into the presence of the Divine by pragmatic means. This is also the offering of this book.

      Eighteen hundred years ago a collection of pithy teachings, or sutras, was codified by a sage named Patañjali. The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali are regarded as one of the most important collections of concise wisdom on spiritual yoga and have been employed by sages for centuries as a step-by-step manual for consciousness transformation. This collection of sutras is not a substitute for studying with a God-realized sage but instead is used as an accompaniment. Interestingly enough, the same can be said of the A Search for God books, although the latter have a much shorter track record.

      Anyone who over time has committed to studying the Search for God teachings in a study group format, putting into practice the lessons’ recommendations and sifting through the sometimes difficult-to-decipher passages, can vouch for the true transformational power of the material. It is challenging at times, but it is supposed to be. It is Christ Consciousness yoga and likely the most important contribution the Cayce legacy has to offer the world.

      Yoga, stemming from the Sanskrit meaning “union” or “yoke,” is very closely related to the word religion. In Latin, re + ligare would translate to something akin to, “To tightly bind again.” We get the word ligament from the same root. Bones are held tightly together with ligaments—it is a firm bond. Yoga, too, implies a uniting, a coming together in a lasting way. Raja (“royal”) yoga is the term commonly given to sage Patañjali’s teachings of the eight (ashtangha) branches of spiritual yoga. Raja Yoga and Ashtangha Yoga are interchangeable terms.

      There are two kinds of yoga: hatha yoga and raja yoga. The hatha yogi practices physical exercises. Their goal is to acquire physical longevity and psychic abilities. But the aim of the raja yogi is the attainment of devotion, ecstatic love, knowledge and renunciation. Of these two, raja yoga is better.

       Ramakrishna

      Unfortunately, many people know of yoga only as a series of physical stretches, but this is a gross misperception of the traditions from which yoga has emerged over millennia. Physical yoga, or hatha yoga, is but a small (although not insignificant) part of the holistic system

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