I grew up in a Catholic family, went to Catholic school and I remember my mum always telling everyone I'd surely become a nun. And for the longest time, that was indeed what I wanted.
In my preteen and teenage years however, a few very close people my own age died, and because I couldn't get answers around death that resonated with me in any way, I lost my faith. I kept having a more 'intellectual' interest in religion though, and in my predoctoral and postdoctoral years at the department of Literary Studies of the K.U.Leuven in Belgium, religion - especially Christianity - often made its way into my research field, with special interest in those areas of Jesus' life that hadn't made it into the codified versions of the Bible as we now know it. (I have the same historical interest in those areas of Sikhi that are erased from our panthic history).
My own academic research into the life of Jesus really started when I was about 20 and wrote an academic paper based on the Dead Sea scrolls on Jesus' family life and his siblings. My interest in the Knights Templar lasts even til this day - and when I discovered that they practiced meditations that we also practice in Kundalini Yoga only contributed to this historical interest.
The yoga retreats I teach in Belgium are occasions where a lot of this research is discussed, and during my most recent Rebirthing retreat last weekend, I started telling students about the 2011 BBC documentary "Jesus was a Buddhist Monk" that passed by on my FB timeline just days before. (There are several interesting articles and books available, and a film 'Jesus in India').
As the documentary drew my attention again just days before Easter, and only weeks before a new trip to Gozo (Malta), an island so rich with Templar history, I thought it would a great occasion to bring together a collection of Yogi Bhajan's excerpts from his lectures on this topic. I hope it might give some interesting material for reflection for this Easter weekend.
[As a sidenote: it's not the idea of a resurrection as such that would seem impossible from a Sikh point of view - Guru Gobind Singh ji Themselves brought back to life the Panj Piaray (the 5 Beloved Ones) after first beheading them with His own sword, and then sewing their heads back to their bodies and blessing them with Amrit di Daat on Vaisakhi Day 1699.]
Below are some excerpts from Yogi Bhajan’s lectures on Jesus’ life in Kashmir after the crucifixion, as well as some excerpts on Jesus practicing and spreading Kundalini Yoga - interesting material given the still general narrative of the Church that yoga is completely at odds with the Christian faith and even equals devil worship at the worst, or Hindu practice at the least.
“Record of history proves that Jesus was buried in Kashmir and Yesu's grave is in Kashmir and the older history of Kashmir definitely proves it. But there is a some, some political reason the government of India doesn't want to disclose it and neither the western wants to say anything about it. Actually the Jesus with the lamb and gracing the lambs is the story of the Kashmir state and if you, if you have certain old history in that area, there is still a place where they say the son of the virgin was here. And that is known as Yesu's place you call him Jesus, in Kashmir, and in Indian languages he is known as Yesu. Yesu Messy, Yesu, the Messiah. About his marriage there are lot of stories.” (Winter Solstice-Orlando, December 26, 1974, FLA Tape 7 of 8)
“Once somebody was asked a question, when Jesus Christ could do all those miracles, why couldn't he miraculously escape and could have preached for longer years. That was the question. Now I'll leave it here because Jesus Christ lives more than a hundred years after crucification. And his grave tomb is in Kashmir still where his tribe lived and all that, but Catholic Church is such a strong lobby they don't want to let that whole thing come out. But question was very simple, why he did not escape the crucification when he could walk on the water? Somebody with a consciousness replied what his crucification did his life could not have done. It arouse among people the spirit. They refused to live in the apathy and pity of that tragedy. They got up as human beings. They learnt to live as human beings, they raised their consciousness and they became perfect.” (Lecture at KWTC, July 25, 1976, Espanola, NM)
“You have to go back five thousand years and look at the histories of the Western World. First prophet which man got and who gave him the message of love and freedom of being was Hazrat Ibrahim. It was followed by the lawgiver Hazrat Moses. It was followed by the messenger of love and humanity, Hazrat Messa, you call Jesus Messi. In our language because he was a student of ours, we always have remembered him by the given name from the academy in the North of Kashmir, where still people worship his grave and miracles happen to them when they pray it over there. It was the great powerful Catholic Church who allowed not Government of India to publish that part of it so that the information not be spread to the world, I am sorry for that but that is what the information still stand in record of that area.
And thereafter, out of Christianity split came and Hazrat Mohammed took the message and finally it ended up the mystic part from Kabala to the songs unto the mystery of the Sufis. Now this is a one branch of the humanity.” (Gurdwara in Tuscon, AZ, November 7, 1976)
“Some people shall never find a guide, or a teacher, or a guru, or a messiah, whatever you want to call it. Others will always say they belong to a religion, but religion will never belong to them. One can belong to Judaism but Judaism may not belong to him. The majority of people when asked what their religion is, say, “I am a Christian.” But does Christianity belong to them? Last night before I started my meditation I was reading a book, Jesus Died in Kashmir, written by a beautiful scholar of the United States, who had heard these stories and went to investigate them. It is a very fascinating and authentic book. In fact, there is in Kashmir a grave of Jesus. But because Christianity took the stand that he died on the cross—that's it. If you say he died and was buried, they will kill you—and who wants to die? If you tell somebody, “No, Jesus never died on the cross,” he will say you are unfaithful. The fact is that Jesus Christ, whom everybody worships as the son of God, was born on the evening of the 26th of August. He was a Virgo. The entire Christian Church knows that Jesus Christ was never, never born on Christmas day. When you talk to the theologians, they argue that the Christmas holidays were known as the White holidays of the Romans, which Christians used to worship in those days. To incite the whole thing, Christmas was celebrated, and now it has got to be done this way; there's no reversing back.” (“Woman: Union of Dignity & Divinity”, June 30, 1977 also in I Am a Woman)
“You always know things consciously, but when it becomes in your system then it goes into your subconscious, when the commitment goes into the subconscious, then the life starts. Jesus was a man, thirty-two years he lived, he was crucified, he was quitted, somebody says no he lived hundred and two or hundred fifty years.
There is a book out Jesus in Kashmir in northern part of India, and they have all the historical facts and everything, but whatever, all right, he lived hundred fifty years, doesn't matter. Lot of things changes for great men later because they had to make great men, he was born on twenty-fifth of August, now they say it is in December. They could not bring Christmas at the birthday of Jesus, they took his birthday to Christmas. So simple. But what I am saying to you is a very simple realistic situation. Sej sabhaye. It should be in your consciousness that through every ordinary essence your commitment should show. And that is called living the truth.” (Los Angeles Lecture, January 22, 1979)
“Now you have to understand the vastness of that line, that made him cross not the Jesus was Christ before, born as special bah, bah, bah, this we can give as attributes to him, but that one line. Today there is a conflict they say, he died on the cross and rose after such and such, we celebrate Friday, but people in Kashmir know he lived there, he taught, he preached, he did everything and died at such and such age and now there is a book about it, documents, testimonials, totally perfect, spend eight dollars and you can read about it.” (Espanola Lecture, May 19, 1981, Espanola, NM)
“YB: The church says no but he did it from eleven, twelve year old, till he came back at thirty-one, he did it in Kashmir, where he went back. There is a book called Jesus Christ in Kashmir, you can read that.
Student: (----)
YB: But this is, this is, this is the Christ kriya, which, which is only I saw in one of the church correctly done, otherwise they do like this as a old man doing weird numbers.
Student: (----)
YB: Now that is true but question is, what we read in the Bible, they took away lot of chapters, if you take the any old Bible of the fourth century, you will be surprised how many chapters you can find on Kundalini Yoga, same way in Hinduism. In Garud, complete Garuda Puraan, there is a total chapter on Kundalini Yoga, which they took it away because the idea was not to let people learn it, so that they may grow conscious and then you can't rule them.” (European Yoga Festival, August 1, 1983)
“What made Christ, Christ? You or me? No. At that time he was followed by two hundred seventy five people, he was the rebel and they said, "You walk on water, fine, now you fly in air," so they nailed him up. And really to be very honest, they call him good for nothing and in the Roman Journal if you want to see it, it was a very great tragedy, they nailed him to the cross, didn't tie him and after day and a half he came down, got well, went to Kashmir, lived one hundred and over two years. Church denies it because they say he resurrected himself and gone to heaven, but Kashmir are considered heavens also.
[Students laughing]
I mean to say, it's nothing lie in it, I mean, which heaven, they don't tell you the postal address and date, but fact is that on the hilly side with a lamb on as a shepherd, those pictures of Christ are Kashmir pictures. So you understand basically, the man is very rich, today just four volumes of the Bible, paintings of the Christ have been sold over eleven million pounds, the highest price a book can fetch. (Los Angeles Lecture, December 6, 1983)
“And Jesus the Son of God who could walk on water was put on a cross and was asked to fly through the air and they will accept him as the King of the Jerusalem, which he couldn't do and they killed him, according to them. But he walked away, his grave is still in Kashmir, nobody can recognize.
Can you believe nineteen eighty-eight, Jesus, which we call is Christ his grave is in a town called Srinagar in Kashmir and it's a recorded history? And there is a book on it, there is a discovery, there is a University, this everything on the world but nobody dare, nobody dare... just understand the might and power of the religion. Nobody dare in spite of all scientific truth even to open his mouth. First time the Illustrated Weekly of India carried the story, Catholic Church bought every copy of it. Then there was a man who wrote, "My Journey to Kashmir." You don't find a copy of it. Last copy I found in New York, it got disappeared, God knows how. We have a... I think the book in the library, which certifies and documents Jesus's life in Srinagar and all that stuff and God knows perhaps from our library that book maybe missing one day. We cannot print them they are out of print because they got bought outright.
Religion is not what you think it is. Religion is what they tell you it is and then they want you to believe it.” (Los Angeles Lecture, October 11, 1988)
“An Archbishop once came to me and he was learning all the Eastern knowledge and he said, "Well could you keep it secret."
I said, "Why I have to keep secret?"
"Well you know in our Christianity it's no good to learn all this."
I said, "You should have told Jesus Christ why the hell he went to Kashmir?"” (Los Angeles Lecture, November 1, 1989, Los Angeles, CA)
“Do you feel the power of love, you know, what is Jesus Christ? A carpenter, what is this Jesus, big deal, a carpenter, well, when he was born, there was no blanket, you know where he got a place in a manger, and you know what was his first cover, the straw, he didn't have a place to stay. Joseph, and Mary nothing has to have anything. So, those three people came, you know child was innocent, they liked it, they left their gold, the money and the all stuff. A carpenter, was hung according to Roman's law as a rebel to state, and this is exact writing. This man have been tried and found guilty by his peers, I have washed my hands, couldn't do much, he has one hundred fifty to hundred seventy-five followers and everybody is against him, including the Jewish community and the king, was put on a cross, true, died on the cross, he didn't die, but just believed he died, no, no, he came out all right, it was all perfect.
Do you know that Jesus Christ real grave is in Kashmir and there is a tomb stone on it, and around it in that area, his Oumat, oumat means his family members, still live, do you know on the travel record of the silk, silk trail, which goes through Kashmir, his name is entered, his age is entered, his time of entry is there, in Kashmir, Government records.
Student: (--------------)
YB: Huh!
Student: (-----------------------)
YB: Oh, no, I mean, what happened was that Church took away after his resurrection, he resurrected to Kashmir back and they took that part out,
[Students laugh]
And after that Church became the body of Jesus and the congregation became a part of that body, that was to be done, that I have no objection with that, but have you seen the Jesus Christ picture, with a lamb in his hand on the foot of the hills and mountains, that's the Kashmir valley, I am not creating doubt about it, I am creating whatever that man was, that carpenter, that Jessu been this, son of Mary, you know how macho, physical real estate is held in his name today, have you ever thought of it.” (Los Angeles Lecture, April 23, 1991)
“Jews have punished their own rabbi, that was his expression. And you don't die at a cross in day and half. It must take three to four days. So in day and half he was taken out, (?) mended gone, lived in Kashmir 102 or 108 years still the graveyard is there, mocked and his last tribe is there, but who wants to know.” (KWTC – Lecture, July 14, 1992, Espanola, NM)
“Now we will do Sudarshan Chakra Kriya for sixty-two minutes, so get ready. This Kriya is a meditation the Siri Singh Sahib gave, the first, the very first time in Rome in nineteen ninety and he said, "This Kriya was a kriya from the last tribe of Christ in Kashmir." And you can find this Kriya, actually written in the Siri Guru Granth Sahib. Now what this Kriya does is, we will bring the mantra Wahe Guru at the third chakra at the navel, so by doing that you will build a fire and the energy from the third chakra and you will project it at the third eye to the Infinity. This is very important that the third chakra and the third eye are connected and that you actually build that fire which is called Tapa and that fire is the power can awake your Kundalini and burn up all the blockages and the whole patterns of your brain.
The mantra is very easy, it's "Wahe Guru." So what you do you breathe through different nostrils, so you inhale through the left nostril. In this way you affect the moon center, the Ida-Nadi and as you hold the breath you pump your stomach sixteen times concentrating in the mantra 'Wahe Guru' for each time but for each 'Wahe Guru' you pump in three different strokes, so you start 'Wah' and you pull in 'hei' you pull more. 'Guru' is the deepest and then you release, Wahe Guru, Wahe Guru, WaheGuru for sixteen times, so actually means all together is forty-eight. Only with one breath. At the end of sixteen times you exhale through the right nostril. Now to count them and to be precise or you can use your fingers and count Wahe Guru, one, first time, Wahe Guru, second time, third time, you do like this and you find your own three, two, really follow and count the right numbers.
What is important then is that you keep the eyes on the tip of your nose, in this way, you lock the optical nerve and you stimulate the pituitary and this way you connect the third chakra with the third eye together okay, so try not to forget it's very different if you practice Sudarshan Chakra Kriya without look at the tip of your nose, it's different effect. In this way you feel pressure here and you are building that fire here and this two combinations works together.” (KWTC – Lecture, July 16, 1992, Espanola, NM)
“Learn from Jesus resurrect, go above it. That Jew did it, they all reacted to him. Roman reacted to him, he didn't react, he resurrected. They got him after day and a half cured him he lived in Kashmir” (KWTC – Lecture, July 30, 1992, Espanola, NM)
“Those who serve the masters become the masters. It's a law of the nature. Those who serve the elevated one become elevated. Those who focus on Him get the reality. That Seva, that service, it gives you Gunas it cleans your Tattvas. 'Suli Di Suli Hoye;' you are supposed to be put on a cross; you got away with just with a little pinch of the needle. That's how Jesus was put on a cross; he never hung there for three and a half days. Day and a half he came down. They punctured his liver side. They put him in a grave. Next morning he was not there. He was resurrected to Kashmir. You go there you could find his grave, it is marked grave.” (The Power of Sound - Rome Master's Touch Video Course Part 2, recorded at GRD Estates, May 2, 2000, Espanola, NM)
“Mahan Kirin Kaur: Sir, referring to your sentence that Jesus' tomb is in Kashmir, please tell more about his death (?).
YB: They should go and visit it, I visited it, I saw it. This requires personal effort and search, one should go there. There are some books there, there are pictures there, too. One professor had done the whole search and authenticized it. So when I saw that I wanted to see it myself.” (Master's Touch Course - The Power of Sound Part 6 - Rome Q&A by Phone from Espanola, May 18, 2000, Espanola, NM)
You can do your own further research via the www.libraryofteachings.com. Osho has also talked extensively on this topic. An interesting starting point for further research is the following article.
Blessings to all.
