Good Friday and Easter in the Light of Kriya Yoga - 1997

An Easter Message from Paramahamsa Hariharananda

Jesus was the son of God, born in a humble stable. Three wise men came from a great distance to see him, and the baby Jesus lifted his hand and blessed them.

Jesus grew up among the greatest trouble. He had some divine power in him from his infancy. At the age of 12, he left home for the forest to meditate in seclusion. At the age of 30, Jesus came back with full God-power. He healed thousands of diseased persons. He cured many breast cancers among women. One person had been blind from birth—for 41 years. Jesus went to him and spat on the ground. He then took the soft clay from the spot where he spat and placed it over the man's eyes, and told him "Wash your eyes with water, and you will see everything."

In this way, Jesus cured many patients. Many people, especially the elders, the chief priests and the scribes became jealous and decided that they had to kill him, lest their prestige be diminished. They gave money to a man (Judas) who was to remain with Jesus in the room so that Judas may point him out to the soldiers when they came.

They sent the soldiers at night. Jesus was lying down with more than 50 people around him. It was known to Jesus that on that night the soldiers would come and snatch him, and he had already announced that "My enemy is remaining in this room, he will identify me when the soldiers come." But all the people were ready to protect Jesus.

Later, in the dead of night, one soldier bearing arms came and entered the sparsely-lit room. Then Judas stood and pointed out "This is Jesus." The soldier came and tried to snatch Jesus from the room. Peter, a very big, powerful man, was sleeping near his Master, and clasping him. As the soldier tried to grab Jesus, Peter stood up and gave one blow with his sword, cutting off one of the soldier's ears.

All the people could have easily saved Jesus, but Jesus rebuked Peter, saying "Keep your sword inside the sheath. Do not try to keep me here. I want to go with the soldiers. Until they kill me, they will not come to know that I am the king of Kings, that I am the son of God."

They took Jesus. Outside were many people, and they whipped Jesus' whole body with rose thorns. Although his whole body was pricked, he did not shout because Jesus was the son of God. Jesus was then kept in a room, protected by many soldiers.
He was later taken to court, where the judge was expected to sentence him to death. But the judge declared Jesus to be spotless and a divine man, and that he should not be killed. The enemies did not listen and they took Jesus forcibly. They put him in a room and spat on his body, insulting him like anything. But Jesus did not utter any complaint. They forcibly disrobed Jesus and gave him only a short red loin cloth and forced him to lie down on the ground. Many sat on his head, jumping and shouting "King of Kings, king of Kings! Son of God!"

They made a very heavy wooden cross and told Jesus to carry it to the burial ground. Jesus tried but it was so heavy that he failed to carry it all the way. Someone helped Jesus by taking the cross for him, which angered the hostile crowd. Then Jesus was laid over the cross, and they crucified him. On the other side, they made another cross where they crucified the man who had helped Jesus. That man was shouting loudly, but Jesus was not uttering a single word. But when they pricked a nail in his heart, Jesus exclaimed "O Lord God, you have forgotten me!" That was his last word, and the crucifixion was accomplished. This is Good Friday.

Why "Good Friday?" Because Jesus said "Unless they try to kill me, and unless I die, people cannot come to know who I am. I am the deathless child, and within three days the whole world will come to know that I am the immortal soul. I cannot die, because I am the son of God. God cannot die. I am the power of God, the marvelous power of God is activating through me. I am not an ordinary person. All the time I am feeling that the power of God is always with me, and that / cannot do anything. Only God is teaching 'Do no evil, no wrong, no debauchery, no immorality — only love, as you love your own body.'"

During the crucifixion, when Jesus was pricked in the heart with a nail, he transformed his life into the fontanel. Because the heart is not the power of life; the power of life remains in the top. God is inhaling from above, that is why human beings are alive. From that place the heart is activating. But Jesus was the immortal Soul. He transformed his mind from heart to fontanel. They pricked his heart but Jesus was not in the heart. His life was in the fontanel at the top of his head. It is a type of samadhi, a super-stage of samadhi. Then after three days in the cave, Jesus came back from his fontanel into his heart and his whole body. It is why Jesus rose from the cave on the third day. This is Easter.

Before his crucifixion, Jesus had gathered his twelve disciples and taught them everything, explaining that "Unless the enemy kill me, even you cannot come to know that I am the power of God. I advised you all to leave your money and your everything, then you can go to God."

Indian spirituality teaches the same thing. Those who are monks were highly qualified, had extreme talent, and they left everything— money, sex, rich food, anger, pride, religion—only spirituality. Jesus said "You are born of the flesh, so you are after the flesh" (John 3:6) and "Again you are to be born from above through water and Spirit." (John 3:5 and 3:7) "Spirit" means the power of God, the Formless stage, smoky white light, which is all-pervading and remaining in every human being. Spirit cannot be seen, it has no form, but there is an invisible counterpart in our whole body parts. "Water" means love for God. You will see that the whole world is Formless, even the body, and you will be so overpowered with joy.

These two words—water and Spirit —are very important. It means that we all are born from sex joy, but Indian people who take sannyas are also born from above—it is called dvija, "twice-born": once from the mother, another time from the pituitary and fontanel. That is our real birth. Exhalation is our death, inhalation is our birth. So from our birthday there are many births and rebirths, exhalations and inhalations. Through that our cells, atoms, tissues, diaphragm are changing and we go through the ten stages of development.

There are many types of religions, cults, sects, traditions, monastic orders. They all teach by the five sense organs. But Jesus said that you are to be born from above through water and Spirit. In India, it is called sannyas. They put on the colored cloth, they are free from money, free from sex, free from butter and fatty foods (but you are to take soft cheese, fat-free protein—that is spiritual food) as is written in the Bhagavad Gita 17:8.

With a short breath you are to know Him, through water and Spirit. You are to be born from above. Below is the realm of long breaths. Sex enjoyment is activated by a long breath. Anger in the heart—long breath; money—long breath; sleep—long breath. But if you remain above in the pituitary and fontanel, then the breath is very slow, it even ceases altogether.

Jesus was the example to all nations, and example is better than precept. The enemy took Jesus and whipped him with thorn sticks—he did not shout. Jesus was crucified—he did not shout, because Jesus is remaining in the short breath. He is Spirit—the Formless stage. He is free from everything. Jesus touched the breasts of females afflicted with cancer. Jesus never enjoyed sexually, he remained completely free. He was always showing what is the good example.

When Jesus was crucified, the whole day became dark. Rain fell inside the temple—this is the water of God, the love of God shedding blessings on Jesus. There was also an earthquake at that time. Many felt griping pain in the stomach. The dead rose from the graves and stood in front of Jesus, giving love to him. They walked passed him, and there was terror among the enemies. They felt the reality of Jesus, that undoubtedly he was the king of Kings, the son of God. They felt that they had done wrong, but they did it out self-arrogance and a false sense of prestige, because they did not have any power like Jesus. They resented the fact that Jesus' prestige would increase like anything. Although they crucified him, they all felt some calmness in them and sorrow. This is Good Friday, which teaches tolerance to all human beings.

We are all getting so many troubles, and we become perturbed, heart-broken. Jesus was on the cross, he was the example for the whole world. Today several hundred thousands of Hindus are followers of Jesus—it is amazing. Jesus was the incarnation of love. Many look at the cross and get a calm atmosphere at Easter. So every human being should get this calm atmosphere in his life.

The body of Jesus was kept in a cave by his enemies, and the entrance was then closed with stones so that his followers may not come inside. The followers of Jesus removed the stones, entered inside the cave and rubbed oil on the body of Jesus for three days. They had extreme fear because if the enemies came to know, they also would be killed. But they also experienced the living beautiful face of Jesus full of joy, as if he was alive, then they all went back.

On the third day Jesus came out. When Mother Mary Magdalene came and entered the cave, she found that the body of Jesus was gone. As she came out, she saw a man standing still with his face covered. She went to him and asked "Do you know that the body of Jesus is no longer in this cave? Where is it now? I have come to give love to him." Then Jesus removed the cloth that was covering his mouth and said " I am standing here." Mary Magdalene exclaimed "I am so happy to see you here!" She bent down and placed her head on his knees.

Jesus said "Please don't wait, go and inform my disciples to come and fetch me quickly." Mary Magdalene was so happy, she was shouting with joy. Undoubtedly this had been the Good Friday— Jesus was killed but he did not die. She ran and told the disciples. They all quickly came with Mary Magdalene and they took Jesus back with them. Jesus kept his face covered all along the way, because if the enemy saw him, they would torture him again.

His ten followers came to Jesus. They were all happy to see him, but Thomas did not come. Many went to Thomas and told him that Jesus was alive, that he did not die. Still he did not believe it. He said "I saw Jesus on the cross and that he died. He cannot be alive, I don't believe it." The next day Jesus went to Thomas, who was astonished to see Jesus in front of him. Jesus said to him "Why don't you believe? If you do not believe, you cannot get God! Come to me. Place your finger inside my flank. See that hole? There is no blood. I am the son of God. If I am alive again, the whole people of the universe and even my enemies will know who I am."

Jesus was the deathless child of God. His message is as follows: "Everyday you are to be born from above through water and Spirit with a short breath. Everyday day is your death-exhalation. The next moment is your birth-inhalation. This birth and death is constantly going on. Through that you are getting new stages of your life. You are the same human being from your birthday, but you are getting a variety of dispositions. In your every disposition you are to watch me, that I am inhaling through your nose. I am the son of God, I am the power of God. In every breath you watch. You and I are one and always have been one. If you love me, if you seek me in your every breath, you will see your Father sitting in the fontanel. I and my Father are one. So breath and the life of God which is remaining within you are one. In every short breath you love Him. In every breath you watch Him, search Him, be one with Him. Feel that I am your life. I am Jesus, I am the deathless child, I am the example. In every breath if you love me, you will be free like me, all of your lower centers will be free. I am in your pituitary. The more you will give love to Me, the more you will be free. When I was still in my mother's womb, I was already in trouble. Mother did not find any place to give birth to her child. I am not the Bethlehem babe, but the manger's child, and I grew up among the greatest difficulties. King Herod wanted to kill me, but God sent an angel who said to leave the place immediately. So mother took me on her own lap and sat on the mule and went far away.

Throughout my life I got trouble, but it is not trouble. Trouble is not for trouble, it is for God-realization—it is written in every Scripture. So if you remain in the pituitary and search me in every breath, you can remain in the material world and be free. Search me in every breath— I am within you—touch me in every breath and always remain above in the pituitary and fontanel. Always feel that smoky white light everywhere—you are nothing, you are formless, and at every moment you will get love, you will be free from negatives. I did not die—I am the example. Your life will be an example in the whole world. In every breath you will see me and my Father. Father and I are one and always have been one."

This is Easter, Good Friday—no sorrow. You will be crucified many times with many sorrows, but if you tolerate and patiently avoid negatives, if you remain on the top and be reborn from above through water and Spirit - that is your liberation. In everything you are seeing Spirit, the Formless. Love Jesus, love God, love your own body, love your own self at every moment. You are God in human form. If you do not search Him you are foolish. Feel His living presence in every human being. The ultimate goal is milk-white light, the formless stage, no sense of the world, no body sense, no sense of attachment, only love—before creation there was nothing. So you are born for this. Be careful of too much distraction. The world is full of temptation. Try to fight with your cosmic conscious stage: this is smoky-white light and love. Waste time with none but Jesus and God. This is Easter, this is Good Friday.

If you practice Kriya Yoga you can realize Jesus—the example of calmness, of tolerance, who was free from everything, who remained silent even as he was whipped by thorn sticks and crucified. Within three minutes' time Kriya Yoga can give you extreme calmness—you will be free from thought, mind, body sense, world sense, ambition, fear, and anger. By the practice of Kriya Yoga you will only feel the living presence of Jesus who is hiding in your pituitary. And if you can love Jesus, you can go to God in the fontanel—the Formless. Your whole life will be free from chaos, ups and downs, shortcomings. You will only feel that you are fighting with negatives, like Jesus did. That Kriya Yoga will give you reality i.e., the formless stage. Jesus and the Father are one. Everyone in the universe should get calmness. Until you get calmness, you cannot get Godliness. In the poisonous cup if you drink delicious nectar it is death to you. By the practice of Kriya Yoga you can clean your cup which is full of a varieties of poisons. It will be completely cleaned by the practice of Kriya Yoga. Then you can get godhood, because inside the cup there is godhood - nectar. You will only drink God, you will be God.

Every day is Easter, every day is Good Friday to you. You are immortal, the deathless child. Then you will know that Jesus, Buddha, Moses, Daniel, Abraham, Khoda, Allah, Rama, all are one. Without breath, there is nothing. It is why Jesus said "Again you are to be born from above through water and Spirit". It means that you are to remain above, in the pituitary and fontanel. In Kriya Yoga we are teaching this. Then you will get Spirit and water. This is taught by Jesus. Spirit means formless, nothingness, the Supreme Almighty Father in the whole universe. This is snow-white light and love—constant love, constant love. If you love God, then you will get constant love in your life.

Jesus was free; he went in seclusion to the forest from age 12 to 30. Moses was in the desert. Rama was in the forest. Buddha was in forest his whole life. But in Kriya Yoga you are not to go to the forest, but to the fontanel, because that is where the life bird is remaining. He gives the sex sense, but He is free from sex. He is free from money, free from anger, pride, etc. If you know Him, then in a moment's time all your evils will disappear. You will get the formless stage, samadhi stage, because you are Spirit. You will be free from pulse while remaining in your body. This is Kriya Yoga. This is the state of Jesus. He was crucified, but he did not die.

This a rare opportunity, so seize it right now. Waste time with none but God, then time will not be wasted. If you only sit for three minutes you will get extreme calmness. Your poisonous body plate will be cleaned and pure, divine. You will only see in your body-vessel your breath, your life, your Almighty Father who is hiding in the fontanel.

"Start early, drive slowly, and reach safely."

This common road sign found in India carries a deep spiritual connotation. One is to start the spiritual life from an early age, to practice slowly and to progress along the spiritual path. That way, one will surely reach the Divine Goal of Self-realization.