My mom is a Yogananda follower, but I was also raised going to Christian church. I’m wondering, does Yogananda teach that Christ is the Son of God and that praying to God and Christ is the most important and highest order? Or is Jesus considered more on an equal playing field as Yogananda and other ascended masters? I ask because I was a fan of Doreen Virtue, a new age author, who then became born again Christian. I’m doing my own research on what is truly Godly versus false idols? Thanks
—Anonymous, USA
Dear Friend,
Yogananda teaches that Christ Consciousness is the “Son”, or reflection of God, His calm presence in creation, everywhere. It is a universal and eternal reality.
Jesus united his consciousness with that Christ Consciousness, and therefore became a Christ. Christ in fact is a title (‘the anointed”), not Jesus’ name.
Other avatars, like Krishna, Buddha, and also Yogananda were also a “Christ”. They had achieved the same level of “Christ Consciousness” and from that state descended on earth.
If Jesus is presented as “the only one”, that is idolatry. If on the other hand you see eternal principles expressed in his life, which are also expressed in Moses, Elijah, and other prophets, that is godly.
God is one, Yogananda affirms. But in creating, He assumed three aspects: the transcendental Father, the Christ Consciousness, or Son, and the Holy Vibration (Holy Ghost) which creates everything.
In short, Christ, or Christ Consciousness, existed long before Jesus, and has been an aspect of God, forever. When Jesus speaks in Cosmic terms, like “Before Abraham was, I am” and “none comes to the Father but by me,” he doesn’t speak as Jesus, but as the Eternal Christ, or Christ Consciousness. Buddha spoke from that same level.
More than that: that same Christ Consciousness is what you are, in your deepest essential Self. “Ye are gods,” Christ affirmed, and “the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do.”
That would be a truly godly approach, according to Yogananda.
God is never as small as one single religion is. Born-again Christians are great if they leave others the complete freedom to follow other paths, beliefs, or religions.
May your search be blessed,
jayadev
