Levi H. Dowling - The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ

22. Behold, a master comes, and tells them of a hidden wealth; that underneath the rocky soil of carnal things are treasures that no man can count;

23. That in the heart the richest gems abound; that he who wills may open the door and find them all.

24. And then the people said, Make known to us the way that we may find the wealth that lays within the heart.

25. And Jesus opened up the way; the toilers saw another side of life, and toil became a joy.

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1. It was a gala day in sacred Kapavistu; a throng of Buddhist worshippers had met to celebrate a Jubilee.

2. And priests and masters from all parts of India were there; they taught; but they embellished little truth with many words.

3. And Jesus went into an ancient plaza and taught; he spoke of Father-Mother-God; he told about the brotherhood of life.

4. The priests and all the people were astounded at his words and said, Is this not Buddha come again in flesh? No other one could speak with such simplicity and power.

5. And Jesus spoke a parable; he said, There was a vineyard all unkept; the vines were high, the growth of leaves and branches great.

6. The leaves were broad and shut the sunlight from the vines; the grapes were sour, and few, and small.

7. The pruner came; with his sharp knife he cut off every branch, and not a leaf remained; just root and stalk, and nothing more.

8. The busy neighbors came with one accord and were amazed, and said to him who pruned, You foolish man! the vineyard is despoiled.

9. Such desolation! There is no beauty left, and when the harvest time shall come the gathers will find no fruit.

10. The pruner said, Content yourselves with what you think, and come again at harvest time and see.

11. And when the harvest time came on the busy neighbors came again; they were surprised.

12. The naked stalks had put forth branch and leaf, and heavy clusters of delicious grapes weighed every branch to earth.

13. The gatherers rejoiced as, day by day, they carried the rich fruitage to the press.

14. Behold the vineyard of the Lord! the earth is spread with human vines.

15. The gorgeous forms and rites of men are branches, and their words are leaves; and these have grown so great that sunlight can no longer reach the heart; there is no fruit.

16. Behold, the pruner comes, and with a two-edged knife he cuts away the branches and the leaves of words,

17. And naught is left but unclothed stalks of human life.

18. The priests and they of pompous show, rebuke the pruner, and would stay him in his work.

19. They see no beauty in the stalks of human life; no promises of fruit.

20. The harvest time will come and they who scorned the pruner will look on again and be amazed, for they will see the human stalks that seemed so lifeless, bending low with precious fruit.

21. And they will hear the harvesters rejoice, because the harvest is so great.

22. The priests were not well pleased with Jesus' words; but they rebuked him not; they feared the multitude.

Table of Contents

1. The Indian sage and Jesus often met and talked about the needs of nations and of men; about the sacred doctrines, forms and rites best suited to the coming age.

2. One day they sat together in a mountain pass, and Jesus said, The coming age will surely not require priests, and shrines, and sacrifice of life.

3. There is no power in sacrifice of beast, or bird, to help a man to holy life.

4. And Vidyapati said, All forms and rites are symbols of the things that men must do within the temple of the soul.

5. The Holy One requires man to give his life in willing sacrifice for men, and all the so-called offerings on altars and on shrines that have been made since time began, were made to teach man how to give himself to save his brother man; for man can never save himself except he lose his life in saving other men.

6. The perfect age will not require forms and rites and carnal sacrifice. The coming age is not the perfect age, and men will call for object lessons and symbolic rites.

7. And in the great religion you shall introduce to men, some simple rites of washings and remembrances will be required; but cruel sacrifice of animals, and birds the gods require not.

8. And Jesus said, Our God must loathe the tinselled show of priests and priestly things.

9. When men array themselves in showy garbs to indicate that they are servants of the gods, and strut about like gaudy birds to be admired by men, because of piety or any other thing, the Holy One must surely turn away in sheer disgust.

10. All people are alike the servants of our Father-God, are kings and priests.

11. Will not the coming age demand complete destruction of the priestly caste, as well as every other caste, and inequality among the sons of men?

12. And Vidyapati said, The coming age is not the age of spirit life and men will pride themselves in wearing priestly robes, and chanting pious chants to advertise themselves as saints.

13. The simple rites that you will introduce will be extolled by those who follow you, until the sacred service of the age will far outshine in gorgeousness the priestly service of the Brahmic age.

14. This is a problem men must solve.

15. The perfect age will come when every man will be a priest and men will not array themselves in special garb to advertise their piety.

Table of Contents

1. In Lassa of Tibet there was a master's temple, rich in manuscripts of ancient lore.

2. The Indian sage had read these manuscripts, and he revealed to Jesus many of the secret lessons they contained; but Jesus wished to read them for himself.

3. Now, Meng-ste, greatest sage of all the farther East, was in this temple of Tibet.

4. The path across Emodus heights was difficult; but Jesus started on his way, and Vidyapati sent with him a trusted guide.

5. And Vidyapati sent a message to Meng-ste, in which he told about the Hebrew sage, and spoke for him a welcome by the temple priests.

6. Now, after many days, and perils great, the guide and Jesus reached the Lassa temple in Tibet.

7. And Meng-ste opened wide the temple doors, and all the priests and masters gave a welcome to the Hebrew sage.

8. And Jesus had access to all the sacred manuscripts, and, with the help of Meng- ste, read them all.

9. And Meng-ste often talked with Jesus of the coming age, and of the sacred service best adapted to the people of the age.

10. In Lassa Jesus did not teach. When he finished all his studies in the temple schools he journeyed toward the West. In many villages he tarried for a time and taught.

11. At last he reached the pass, and in the Ladak city, Leh, he was received with favour by the monks, the merchants, and the men of low estate.

12. And in the monastery he abode, and taught; and then he sought the common people in the marts of trade; and there he taught.

13. Not far away a woman lived, whose infant son was sick nigh unto death. The doctors had declared, There is no hope; the child must die.

14. The woman heard that Jesus was a teacher sent from God, and she believed that he had power to heal her son.

15. And so she clasped the dying infant in her arms and ran with haste and asked to see the man of God.

16. When Jesus saw her faith he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said,

17. My Father-God, let power divine o'ershadow me, and let the Holy Breath fill full this child that it may live.

18. And in the presence of the multitude he laid his hand upon the child and said,

19. Good woman you are blest; your faith has saved your son. And then the child was well.

20. The people were astonished and they said, This surely is the Holy One made flesh, for man alone cannot a fever thus and save a child from death.