The Second Coming of Christ
by Swami Yogananda
East-West, April 1932
(This lengthy introduction preceded some of the early articles on both the Bible and the Bhagavad Gita.)
Intuitionally Perceived Spiritual Interpretation of Words Spoken by Jesus Christ
(To be studied every day conscientiously and meditated upon by true Christians, true devotees of God, and Yogodans. These truths are found in meditation and those who want to perceive the Second Coming of Christ must meditate upon them.)
Universal Christ-Consciousness appeared in the vehicle of Jesus, and now through Yogoda Self-Realization, and these intuitionally received interpretations of the Scriptures, the Christ-Consciousness is coming a second time to manifest through the consciousness of every true Yogodan. “All those who received Him, to them gave He the power to become the Sons of God.”
As a small cup cannot hold an ocean within it, no matter how willing it may be to do so, likewise the cup of material human consciousness cannot grasp the universal Christ Consciousness, no matter how desirous it is; but when the student, by the Yogoda method of Meditation and Concentration, enlarges the caliber of his consciousness to Omniscience, he can hold the universal consciousness in all atoms. (Christ Consciousness) within his own. This is what is meant by “Received Him.” Thus, according to Jesus, all souls who can actually find their souls one with Christ Consciousness, by intuitive Self-Realization, can be called “Sons of God.”
Three-fold Meaning of the Hindu and Christian Bibles
All Oriental Scriptures, such as the Bhagavad Gita, or the Hindu Bible, and the Christian Bible, have a three-fold meaning. In other words, the Scriptures deal with the three factors 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, which can 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 business man, the mental man, and the spiritual man. Although both the material and the psychological interpretations of the Scriptures are necessary, it should be remembered that the scriptural authors undertook with great pains to point out to man that the spiritual interpretations are of supreme importance to him.
A materially or intellectually successful man may not be the truly, scientifically successful man who makes a perfect success of life; whereas, a spiritual man is the happy “all-round” man, who is healthy, intellectual, contented, and truly prosperous, with all-satisfying wisdom. Since by intuition the spiritual authors first sought to make man primarily spiritual, I give the spiritual interpretation with the psychological and material interpretations interwoven. These interpretations will help alike the spiritual aspirant, the intellectual man, and the business man.
