Praise for The Gospel of John in the Light of Indian Mysticism

[Guest guest]

" Looking at Christ through Hindu eyes, Ravindra's 'external' view of

Christ is in ways more faithful to Christian history than much

Western Christology now manages to be. This makes Christ the Yogi

something of a landmark in interfaith dialogue. "

 

Huston Smith, author of The World's Religions

 

 

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" Catches the tone and spirit of St. John and this gospel’s profound

coherence with other traditions, particularly the Hindu tradition in

India and of course the Bhagavad Gita. "

 

Father Thomas Berry, co-author of The Universe Story

 

 

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" This nonsectarian evaluation of Jesus and the Gospel of John is

another good example of the fruits of interfaith dialogue. "

 

Frederic Brussat, Cultural Information Service

 

 

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" The book's real value lies in bringing readers into contact with the

Gospel itself, highlighting its yogic nature, connecting us to the

mystery that leads to rebirth in the Spirit. "

 

Yoga International

 

 

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" A loving pondering over one of the most beautiful and probably most

esoteric of the Four Gospels of the Christian tradition. "

 

The Theosophical Society

 

 

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" The main qualification for an interpreter of a religious text is the

ability to discern true wisdom--something Ravindra certainly can

do. . . . Christ the Yogi is one of the best studies on a book of the

Bibles that I have read. It has opened aspects of John's Gospel that

were previously closed to me. "

 

Gnosis, 1998

 

 

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" A dazzlingly brilliant spiritual and cross-cultural study of the

most mystical of the books of the Bible, the Gospel of John. Few will

finish this book unchanged, either intellectually or spiritually. "

 

Robert Ellwood, author of The Cross and the Grail

 

 

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" In this new revision, Mr. Ravinda is surely helping to establish an

interfaith sensibility in which beauty and truth in all religions can

be simultaneously appreciated and embraced. "

 

The Beacon, May/June 2005

 

 

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" Shows the benefits that cross-cultural perspectives can bring,

helping readers to see with the heart as well as the head. . . . The

best study of St. John's Gospel that I have found. "

 

James George, Parabola

 

 

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The Spirituality OF Jesus, Not the Religion ABOUT Jesus,

February 23, 2006

By Brian Robertson (Austin, TX USA)

 

The odd part is, when Christianity tries to present itself as

exclusive because of the person of Jesus it limits God and, as Ravi

Ravindra states, belittles the depth of both Jesus and God and

certainly their relationship.

 

As a Christian who has studied Hindu, Vedanta, Buddhist, Sufi, Taoist

and other paths, I find Ravindra's book does more to bolster my faith

in God and my respect for Jesus and, I hope, that makes me a better

Christian. By going through the Gospel of John and commenting on the

verses from an " outsider's " point of view, Ravindra has crafted a

wonderful source that no only illuminates Jesus' words but also mixes

in the remarkable parallels found in the Bhagavad Gita, for instance,

perhaps the supreme spiritual text in humankind.

 

Ravindra is careful to say again and again that when Jesus spoke

the " I " statements found in John (as opposed to the other gospels) he

must be read with the understanding that Jesus had emptied himself

completely and surrendered to God. In becoming, as I would say,

transparent to the Transcendent, Jesus can easily be misunderstood as

either an egomaniac or a madman or speaking so exclusively about

himself that we have no use for him.

 

I'm not sure this book will immediately open the eyes of a hardened

Fundamentalist to the fact that we can often make God as small and

petty and territorial as we can be. For people who have been a part

of Christianity and have looked into other avenues to God, this will

be a welcome addition to their spiritual readings and meditations.

[Guest guest]

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