The Third Jesus - book review by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

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Book Review

By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

 

The Third Jesus

The Christ We Cannot Ignore

Deepak Chopra

Harmony Books 02/08 Hardcover $24.00

ISBN: 9780307338310

 

" I believe that Jesus was not only real, but perhaps the most

significant person in Western history, " writes bestselling author

Deepak Chopra in this amazing and thought-provoking book. He

identifies three Jesuses: the historical man of flesh and blood who

lived more than 2,000 years ago; the figure created by the church and

its dogma and doctrines; and the radical mystical teacher who set out

to transform the world. The last Jesus is " The Christ We Cannot

Ignore " who lives in " our own awareness at the level of God-

consciousness. " Chopra sets out in this ambitious work to explain the

implications of this third Jesus who exists beyond time and yet

within each of us.

 

Jesus was very clear about the essentials of the spiritual life and

they are in his teachings:

 

• Meditation — Going within to contact the silent mind.

• Contemplation — Reflecting on the truth.

• Revelation — Receiving spiritual insight.

• Prayer — Asking for higher guidance.

• Grace — Taking God into one's heart.

• Love — Participating in divine love.

• Faith — Believing in a higher reality.

• Salvation — Realizing that you have a place in higher reality.

• Unity — Becoming one with God.

 

Chopra moves on in " Realizing What Jesus Said " to discuss various

verses in the New Testament that reflect the wisdom of this seer,

including know thyself, God values you, be humble, know where the

heart is, be persistent on the path, and much more. In the most

interesting of these passages is Chopra's treatment of Jesus' version

of karma:

 

• Every action leads to a result.

• Good actions have good results, bad actions, bad results.

• Every action is seen and weighed. Nothing can be hidden or kept

secret.

• If your actions are good, you will grow spiritually.

• As you grow, your thoughts and wishes will manifest in the material

world. Karma operates faster and more consciously.

• God's intention is to make your actions turn out for the best. His

ultimate concern is to bring you into the Kingdom, where the soul is

freed from the law of Karma.

 

It is refreshing to see the idea of you will reap what you sow

spelled out in this interpretation. It opens the door to more cross-

fertilization between Christianity and other world religions. Chopra

recognizes the contemporary relevance of Jesus' message:

 

" The real Jesus is as available today as he ever was, perhaps more

so. Instead of relying on faith alone, we can go beyond worship to

find a body of teachings consistent with the world's wisdom

traditions, a corroboration in Christian terms that higher

consciousness is real and open to all. "

 

In the section on " Taking Jesus as Your Teacher, " Chopra presents

Jesus as the initiator of a new path of enlightenment that offers

personal transformation. His 15 Steps to God-Consciousness include

daily exercises based on verses from the New Testament, such as " For

my yoke is easy and my burden is light " or " ask and you will

receive. " These are followed by some stimulating meditations on

keeping it simple, the process of spiritual growth, why we resist

spirit, how the path opens, and the tradition of unity. Chopra ends

with an essay " What Would Jesus Do, " that salutes him as a person who

valued courage, truth-telling, sympathy and tolerance, love and

forgiveness.

 

The Third Jesus is another volume promoting an interspirituality for

the twenty-first century that tears down the walls between East and

West and reveals how all the world's religions encourage the practice

of transformation.

 

www.spiritualityandpractice.com/books/books.php?id=17843