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The Second Coming of ChristBy Paramhansa YoganandaFrom the Original unchanged writings ofParamhansa Yogananda’s interpretationsOf the sayings ofJESUS CHRIST.Volumes I, 2 & 3“And ye shall know the truth,And the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32)1

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The Universal ChristBut as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons ofGod. (John 1:12)As a small cup cannot hold an ocean within it, no matter how willing it may beto do so, likewise the cup of material human consciousness cannot grasp theuniversal Christ Consciousness, no matter how desirous it is, but when the student,by the Praecepta [* Initially the organizational name and the written teachings inAmerica of Paramhansa Yogananda were known as Yogoda Sat-Sanga Society andYogoda Course, respectively. He later enlarged his written teachings and changedthe name of them to the Praecepta. The Techniques of Concentration andMeditation and Kriya Yoga as taught in the original Praecepta Lessons are availablefrom Amrita Foundation, Inc.] method of Concentration and Meditation, enlargesthe caliber of his consciousness in all atoms (Christ Consciousness) within his own.This is what is meant by “received Him.” Thus, according to Jesus, all souls whocan actually find their souls one with Christ Consciousness, by intuitive SelfRealization, can be called the “Sons of God.”All Scriptures, such as the Bhagavad Gita, or the Hindu Bible, and the ChristianBible, have a three-fold meaning. In other words, the Scriptures deal with threefactors of human beings, namely, the material, the mental, and the spiritual. Hence,all true Scriptures have been so written that they serve to be beneficial to the body,mind, and soul of man. True Scriptures are like the wells of Divine waters, whichcan quench the three-fold material, mental, and spiritual thirsts of man. In addition,the Scriptures, in order to be worth-while, should really help the businessman, themental man, and the spiritual man. Although both the material and thepsychological interpretations of the Scriptures are necessary, it should beremembered that the scriptural authors undertook with great pains to point out toman that the spiritual interpretations are of supreme importance to him.A materially or intellectually successful man may not be truly, scientificallysuccessful man who makes a perfect success of life; whereas, a spiritual man is thehappy “all-round” man, who is healthy, intellectual, contented, and trulyprosperous, with all-satisfying wisdom. Since by intuition the spiritual authors firstsought to make man primarily spiritual, I give the spiritual interpretation with thepsychological and material interpretations interwoven. These interpretations willhelp alike the spiritual aspirant, the intellectual man, and the businessman.These intuitively-perceived spiritual interpretations of the words spoken byJesus Christ are to be studied every day conscientiously and meditated upon by trueChristian and all true devotees of God.Universal Christ Consciousness appeared in the vehicle of Jesus, and nowthrough the specific techniques of concentration and meditation as taught in the3

original Praecepta Lessons, and these intuitionally-received interpretations of theScriptures, the Christ Consciousness is coming a second time to manifest throughthe consciousness of every true devotee of God.4

A Sacred RemembranceWhen Paramhansa Yogananda began writing his intuitively-perceivedinterpretations of the sayings of Jesus, he prayed for Christ to guide him in diviningthe true meaning in his words.Paramhansaji was blessed with the presence and vision of Jesus Christ manytimes during his life. On one such occasion, in later years, he asked a question ofJesus pertaining to these writings.It was a time of silent prayer and his room became filled with an opal-blue light,and Christ appeared–radiant and about him a glow of golden light. Looking into hiswondrously beautiful eyes, he asked Christ if he had pleased him in the way he hadinterpreted his teachings.At once a Chalice appeared at Christ’s lips, and then came over to touch hisown, and Christ answered:“Your lips have quaffed the same LIVING WATERS from which I drink.”Words of matchless assurance! This holy response was sacredly cherished withinhis heart.5

1The Divine Nature of Jesus, the BoyAnd he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? Wist ye not that Imust be about my Father’s business? (Luke 2:49)This Scripture depicts the proper Divine attitude of Jesus to His parents. In theabove statement, the perfect life of Jesus brings forth a perfect utterance as to how aDivine child, consecrated to serve humanity, should behave. Jesus hints that it isthe highest duty of parents not to worry about a Divine child like Jesus, who wasprotected by the King of Kings. He implies also that the highest duty of the son wasto look after the celestial business of spreading the Kingdom of the HeavenlyFather. He implied that duty to our Heavenly Father comes first and foremost, andthat duty to parents, although important, is secondary.Jesus knew that parental love and affection, being blind, might demand fromHim greater attention to His earthly father’s business than to His Heavenly Father’sbusiness, for which He came on earth. He also here signifies to His parents thatthey should know, and at the same time wish for Him to be busy with His HeavenlyFather’s business. Since parental and filial relationships are brought about by God,parents should first teach their children that it is good to be proficient in God’sbusiness.The above saying was the first hint by Jesus to His parents as to what theywould have to expect, and about what His life was going to be. As all noble parentsare lovers of God and of His business, so they should wish the first interest of theirchildren to be in God’s business. All parents should start their children on the rightroad in life by making them first proficient in contacting God, and in doing allthings with God consciousness. A life guided by God’s inner, intuitive direction canbe successful, healthy, and complete only when activity is balanced with wisdomand happiness.The ordinary man thinks that this world, his family, and his work are hisbusiness, but the spiritual man knows that parents, children, family ties, thebusiness world, and all else are God’s business. He knows that everyone shouldhelp to maintain a world by love and service compelled and actuated by instinctiveblood-ties. Hence, all business should be spiritualized; that is, everything should bedone with the consciousness of God within, and man should try to please God byharmonizing all things with His ideals.Religious duties should not conflict with the duties of business; neither shouldduty to business conflict with spiritual duties. When such conflict occurs, thespiritual duty is incomplete and should be modified. Business duties also should berevised when they militate against spiritual duties. Spiritual and material duties6

should work together like two stallions, pulling the car of life harmoniously anduniformly to one happy goal.A successful life, therefore, must be begun with spiritual culture first, for allmaterial and moral actions are governed by spiritual laws. All business must firstconform with God’s business of Divine laws in order to be of lasting benefit tomankind. Any money-making business which caters only to human luxury, and falseor evil propensities, is bound to be destroyed by the workings of the Divine law ofthe survival of the worthiest. The business which does harm to the real spiritualcomfort of people is not doing real service, and is bound to meet with destructionbecause of the very nature of its activities.7

2BaptismThen cometh Jesus Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. ButJohn him, saying, ‘I have need to be baptized, of thee, and comest thou tome?’ And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus itbecometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered him. And Jesus,when baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavenswere opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove,and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my belovedSon, in whom I am well pleased. (Matthew 3: 13-17)The Original ceremony of baptism by water came from India. Baptism meansimmersion in water in order to cleanse or purify. Purification of the body shouldprecede the purification of the mind. Hence, all souls who desired to begin livingthe spiritual life had to purify their bodies. “Cleanliness is next to Godliness,” butbaptism of the body, unless followed by baptism of the mind, becomes practicallymeaningless. If we bathe and thus purify our bodies, we will find that our mind willtemporarily become purified, but unless we change our soul’s wickedness bycalmness, and meditation, and constant spiritual vigilance, we will remain the sameold devils with bad habits in spite of the temporary purifying effect of the water onour bodies.To illustrate this metaphorically, a Hindu saint said to his would-be disciple:“Son, it is necessary to bathe in the Ganges to purify the mind from sin. The sinswill leave you temporarily while you bathe in the holy waters; but they will wait foryou in the trees skirting the Ganges, and as soon as you come out of the sacredinfluence of the holy water, they will again jump on you.”It is well to immerse initiates in water, but the ceremony of immersion withoutfollowing it up with continued spiritual lessons in meditation and God- contact is oflittle value.The aristocratic, modern way of baptism consists in sprinkling water on thehead. This is all that is left of the original custom of purifying the body by water.Immersion of initiates in water may be unnecessary if they are mentally evolved,but sprinkling of water on the head of evolved people is unnecessary, unless this isdone only out of respect to the ancient, baptismal ceremonies.It is evident that Jesus, although he was so evolved, did not fail to go into thewater. He did not fully immerse, for the River Jordan was practically dry at thattime.Another important matter in connection with the baptism of Jesus Christ is that8