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Link: "https://consciouslivingtv.com/blog/spirit/resurrecting-the-universal-christ-consciousness.html (I live by every word in this article 100% and I agree with every point the author made in this article 100%.) 

"Years later, I became a curious spiritual seeker. I studied Kabbalah, Scientology, Hinduism and Buddhism, looking for the one “true” religion. I went to every temple, cathedral, mosque and church I could find. Eventually, I visited L.A.’s Agape Spiritual Center, a congregation based on the Science of Mind tradition founded by Ernest Holmes. It was an eye-opener. There, I first encountered the concept of the “universal Christ consciousness.” The services included affirmations and songs, but unlike my home church growing up, Reverend Michael Beckwith recited scriptures from every major religion, including the Torah, Koran, and the Bhagavad Gita. He often referenced Jesus’ words in the bible: “The kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:20-21). In his purview, Christ’s most important legacy was not a particular religion or the church itself, but his Spirit – his God consciousness – which reigns in all hearts.

This philosophy hit home when I studied the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda, the Indian saint who founded Self-Realization Fellowship in 1920 to bring yoga to the West and share the underlying truth behind all true religions. Yogananda taught extensively about the universal Christ consciousness. He taught that in an inner kingdom of divine consciousness, the awakened intuitive perception of the soul pierces the veils of matter and life energy, and uncovers the God-essence in all things. In his critically acclaimed books, The Second Coming of Christ and The Yoga of Jesus, Yogananda wrote:

“Many are the churches and temples founded in his name, often prosperous and powerful, but where is the communion that he stressed—actual contact with God? Jesus wants temples to be established in human souls, first and foremost; then established outwardly in physical places of worship. Instead, there are countless huge edifices with vast congregations being indoctrinated in churchianity, but few souls who are really in touch with Christ through deep prayer and meditation.”

When asked about Christ’s resurrection and the second coming, Yogananda never considered Jesus’ literal return to Earth. He said:

“A thousand Christs sent to earth would not redeem its people unless they themselves become Christlike by purifying and expanding their individual consciousness to receive therein the second coming of the Christ Consciousness, as was manifested in Jesus. Contact with this Consciousness, experienced in the ever new joy of meditation, will be the real second coming of Christ—and it will take place right in the devotee’s own consciousness.”

This Easter, I choose to resurrect the Universal Christ Consciousness within my own heart. For me, this contact has nothing to do with how I express my religion on the outside – what I wear, whether I go to church or not and the songs I sing are of little importance. Though it may work for others, I don’t need a cross, communion, or special hymn to find God.

This means walking humbly through the world with kindness and compassion; loving others especially when they don’t believe what I do, whether they’re Islamic, Jewish, atheist, white, gay or republican. And perhaps of greatest importance is cultivating a deeper love for the Divine – whether I call it Christ, Krishna, Buddah, Allah, Elohim, Higher Power, Divine Mother, or God."

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