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The James Ossuary

The times were changing in all areas. The discovery of the bodily remains of Jesus and his family provided scientific evidence of Yeshua's physical existence, and of his complete humanity. It also disproved long held Christian dogma about his and Mary's perpetual celebacy. Yeshua was married to Mary (presumably Mary Magdelena, but difinately named "Mary,"). James was his physical brother, and Yeshua had at least one son, named Judas.

As Ariel Cohen writes:

The finding [of the James Ossuary] has been over 35 years in the making, amid court cases, legal restrictions and scientific and biblical pushback. Through methodical scientific testing, Shimron and Jacobovici say that were able to connect the James ossuary – whose existence was announced in 2002 and containing inscriptions referencing the burial of Jesus – to the long disputed “Jesus Family tomb” in the capital’s East Talpiot neighborhood – thus archeologically and statistically proving the existence of Jesus Christ. The discovery, according to the researchers, proves that Jesus was buried in Jerusalem along with nine other people, one being “Judah, son of Jesus,” another his supposed wife, “Mary” – an obvious affront to the common-knowledge New Testament theology. “He [Shimron] has made what I think is a huge discovery,” Jacobovici told The Jerusalem Post. “I have been following him and his work for the past seven years, this is not an overnight thing.”

Rather than rocking the Christian Church to its foundations, the news of the Jesus Family Tomb was generally met with a yawn or simple denial in the face of the evidence. For more information on this go here.

The Ascendancy of New Age Religion

A significant percentage of Americans were now seeking spiritual awareness even as destain and mistrust for traditional religion increased. As in the Third Great Awakening many of these people began looking to the East. The difference was that now American culture at large was beginning to absorb many of these ideas.

A few Indian masters, such as Paramahamsa Yogananda (1893 - 1952) and Meher Baba (1894 - 1969), made significant inroads into the West prior to the 1960's and 70's. Their influence gradually grew and continues to do so. Their teachings altered many of the basic Judea-Christian assumptions of the nation (note 36). As in the earlier Awakenings a plethora of influential groups were founded during this period.

In 1969 Yogi Bhajan (aka Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji, 1929 - 2004), came to the U.S. He was accomplished in many different forms of yoga, but was primarily a master of the Sikh Khalsa (or Guru Panth) (note 37). His teachings were originally customized (some would say downgraded) for Westerners and excluded many of the cultural aspects and austerities that are often considered hindrances for materialistic non-Punjabis. His organization is known as 3HO. This unusual nomenclature refers to the essential teachings and aspirations of Yogi Bhajan and his followers: 3 H's and an O: the Healthy-Happy-Holy Organization (note 38).

In its written form the name 3HO looks like an omkara (shown to the right), the written form of the Eastern concept of triune reality: AUM.

The Mandukyopanishad explains that there are four 'quarters' or aspects of an individual that can be transcended. The first three tend to the fourth enlightened state of turiya. These manifest through the consciousness and are said to be unlocked by the Omkara. These are listed as follows:

The Omkara

	Individual/Microcosmic	Universal/Macrocosmic
Waking State	Vaishvanara or Vishva =Physical condition ='A' of AUM	Virat =Cosmic manifestation
Dream State	Taijasa I=Mental condition ='U' of AUM	Hiranyagarbha =Universal Mind
Sleep State	Prajna =Intellectual condition ='M' of AUM	Ishvara =First Cause or God
Turiya	The transcendental state which permeates all others. Basis of self-consciousness.	Sum total of the lower three states and therefore both the fourth quarter and the whole =OM as a soundless, single syllable.

The goal is the awakening to the Unified Consciousness. This is conceived as achintya bhedabheda (Inconceivable and simultaneous oneness and difference with the planes of material reality), while the Supreme Consciousness (or enlightened Self) is achintya bhedabheda tattva, the very embodiment of inconceivable oneness with and difference from the dualistic qualities. The nature of this inconceivableness is the single, soundless vibration of Om (in turiya). Each group explains the details differently. This presentation is fairly standard of the Eastern conception.

In the 1970's I had the opportunity to work as a volunteer (perform seva) at one of Yogi Bhajan's restaurants (The Golden Lotus in Atlanta, Georgia). It was explained to me that the original reason for the creation of 3HO was that Americans were expressing an interest in Sikhism and other forms of Indian spirituality, but were not deemed qualified to join the Khalsa or Sikh community due to our perceived cultural lack of spirituality and self discipline (note 39).

The assumption was that Americans would be unwilling or unable to undertake the difficult spiritual disciplines required by the Sikh yoga. As a result, Yogi Bhajan was approved as a sort middle-ground teacher. He would deal with the counter-culture and train its people in a modified Sikh tradition without requiring the traditional observances. His was a mission of kindness and love. Through 3HO sincere people could learn and develop spiritually without direct contact with the holy Sant Mat. The concept was in some ways similar to the Noahide Path offered to non-Jews who are not required to observe the 613 Jewish mitzvot. What resulted from his labors was the creation of a large movement, established in America rather than the Punjab.

Much to the surprise of the Sant Mat, those who embraced 3HO here were enthusiastic and, in many cases, observed disciplines even more formidable than those required of traditional Singhs (note 40)!

As time passed many members of 3HO underwent formal initiation/conversion into Sikhism as well. Perhaps more surprisingly, even after doing so most chose to remain within the 3HO maintaining that Yogi Bajan was equal to, if not greater than Guru Nanak himself (note 41). Today 3HO is generally regarded as a standard form of Western Sikhism. Of course, it is appropriate for students to feel such loyalty and appreciation towards a master of his caliber. 3HO has become a growing movement in its own right and continues to inspire countless people across the New Age spectrum and beyond.

NOTES

• Note 36: Yoganandaji founded Self-Realization Fellowship 1920 (AoY xiii). He attained maha samadhi (died) on March 7, 1952.
  Meher Baba claimed to be the incarnation of every Divine Being one could imagine. Whether he meant this literally or that his spirit had attained oneness with them is debated. In 1925 he took the vow of silence and never spoke again. In 1956 he gave up his chalk board (which he had used for communication), and on January 31, 1969 he 'dropped his body' and became pure spirit (NR 83,84). return
• Note 37: Yoga, as used here, refers to any method of Self-realization employed within the Indian religio/spiritual systems. Sikhism (or Sant Mat) is the Punjabi Indian religion which developed around the teachings of Guru Nanak and his nine successors. The khalsa is the recognized body of Sikhs, coming through the lineage of the ten Gurus which ended with Guru Gobind Singh. Guru Panth has the same implications and means, literally, community of the pure ones (GiS 68; SR 263,264). return
• Note 38: The Sacred monosyllable Om looks like 3HO when written in devanagari (Sanskrit) characters. return
• Note 39: It was also admitted that the Punjabi Sikhs did not want to associate with the American counter-culture although they sensed great sincerity among its numbers. return
• Note 40: Since, in India, last names are indicative of one's caste, it was not enough to personally renounce one's place in the system because one was still judged on that basis. Therefore Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, renamed his followers in a way which would acknowledge no caste distinctions. All male Sikhs adopted the surname Singh (Lion). This name disavowed any reference to caste and implied that one was a Lion for God, which is to say, fierce in determination to attain spiritual liberation (P). A Singh is a "lion for God." To qualify as truly a Singh one must be sincere in religion, above social reproach, and observe five cultural practices known as the five Ks:
  • kesh: uncut hair. From birth onward devout Sikhs never cut their hair, including their beards. This is indicative of their desire to transcend material nature and attain spiritual realization. The body is not important beyond its role as a vehicle for enlightenment.
  • kangha: comb used to keep the hair clean. This comb is kept under one's turban. The practice of kesh should not be taken as neglect for the body, it is cared for as one might care for an automobile, hence the kangha.
  • kara: metal bracelet or bangle worn on the right wrist. Since the Sikhs reject all forms of asceticism, they are actively engaged in life. Indeed, unless a man works and supports his family he can't be considered a Singh. When one reaches out his (right) hand to work, the bracelet reminds him of God. By this he is always careful to deal honestly with all men.
  • kaccha: knee-length underwear.
  • kirpan: dagger. Sikhs reject the normative Hindu doctrine of ahimsa (non-violence). They see it as a moral weakness and a betrayal of religious responsibility. If a Sikh sees a wrong being committed he is duty bound to stop it. Sometimes such righteous intervention requires force. The dagger is not therefore merely a religious symbol, it is a tool for righteousness, even a weapon, for godly intervention on behalf of another or for self-defense. There is also of course the spiritual symbolism. return
    
  Note 41: Some say he is Guru Nanak returned. return