The Katha Upanishad is a legendary story written in the Sanskrit language, which was also known by Jesus. This story is about a little boy named Nachiketa, the son of Sage Vajasravasa. He sends his son to get his questions answered by Yama, who is the deity of death, since materialism, consumerism, and selfish gain meant nothing to his son. I found this conversation about the nature of humanity to be most enlightening.
It is about the knowledge of the Self called Atman, or your Spirit/Soul (God) within you, animating you, and how to be liberated, all written in prose.
Most historians place this writing to be in the first centuries BCE, which is obviously before the time of Christ walking among us in the person of Jesus of biblical fame.
Jesus not only studied, but was well versed in the Katha Upanishad, which asserts that the “Atman, (the Self) exists,” teaching all to “seek Self-knowledge, which is the Highest Bliss.” Nowhere in this writing do you read where every person is a sinner, nor is every person born into the Original Sin myth.
Holistic health and interfaith training I have received agrees that your human Soul/Spirit/Self (Atman) exists, regardless of what it is called. I have read this ancient work, just as Jesus the Christ did. I also teach what Jesus taught, that the Kingdom of God, this Soul/Spirit/Self (Atman), is WITHIN us, as Jesus told us all in Luke 17:20-21.
This is the reality of the same truth being expressed in many religions.
I also add here that if anyone dare to called themself a Christian, they ought to read and know all the words Jesus spoke, not only his famous three years from his ages 30 to 33. How would you like to only be known by SOME of the words you said ONLY from your ages 30 to 33? Would that be fair to you?
This is how massive indoctrination begins, by hiding information, then threating humanity that the most horrible things will happen if you AND YOUR ETERNAL SOUL if you do not agree to hand over your personal power the thoughts to the kingpin of any belief system.
In the 17th century, the Katha Upanishad was translated into Persian, later into Latin and spread across Europe. Ralph Waldo Emerson credited Katha Upanishad for the central story at the end of his essay Immortality, as well as his poem “Brahma.”
Yoga also teaches that it is beneficial to meditate on the Self. No, this is not selfishness in its highest form. To take the time to get to know your true Self, is to ultimately reach the spiritual ecstasy of Saint Theresa, union with the Self (Atman), which recognizes the Divine Self WITHIN the Self, as Jesus taught.
This is also what it means when I talk about your I AM Presence. THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE between your I AM PRESENCE, your SPIRIT.SOUL, or the ATMAN. It is part of human DNA which you can activate to a greater degree when you consciously focus on this part of you. You can do this by taking the time out of your seemingly very busy schedule to pray, meditate, and contemplate.
Focusing on your Spirit/Soul is a self-help growth in your personal development, just as much as your physical and mental health. You are alive by your Spirit/Soul.
Also, allow your mind to grasp the knowledge that has been kept from you by various religions with unholy purposes. Withholding information is indoctrination. Unless and until you allow yourself to learn about those missing 18 years of the life of Jesus from his ages 12 to 30, you will miss some of the teaching of Jesus Christ. Know there is more than Jesus taught than most of you have been led to believe.
Knowing more on any subject does not invalidate what you have already learned. Knowing more simply puts what you have learned thus far in perspective. It provides for deeper understanding. It provides you with those missing puzzle pieces of life and spirituality that may have evaded you in the process of living. You, too, can have the bliss of ecstasy just as Saint Theresa had in prayer and meditation, and that of Jesus Christ in his mountaintop transfiguration, transforming him multidimensionally into the greater awareness of who and what he truly is.
It is also important to exercise your free will, to shed what no longer serves your highest good, no matter who told you otherwise or threatens what they acknowledge as your “immortal Soul/Spirit,” as if some other religion or religious guru is in charge of your Spirit/Soul. No one, no matter who they are, is in charge of your Spirit/Soul other than you.
While first grade knowledge is valuable for a young child, the continued knowledge of high school, college, and beyond is necessary for continued growth and knowledge in your mind, body and Spirit/Soul.
| तं दुर्दर्शं गूढमनुप्रविष्टं गुहाहितं गह्वरेष्ठं पुराणम् । अध्यात्मयोगाधिगमेन देवं मत्वा धीरो हर्षशोकौ जहाति ॥ १२ ॥ | He (the Atman), difficult to be seen, full of mystery, the Ancient, primaeval one, concealed deep within, He who, by yoga means of meditation on his self, comprehends Atman within him as God, He leaves joy and sorrow far behind. |
| —Katha Upanishad, 1.2.12[42][43] |
In Luke 17:20-21, the Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of God would come. Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.”
Most bibles are currently in the process of returning the words “within” you back in Luke 17:20-21 where it originally was before it was changed to “among” you, including the King James Bible.
Look at the footnote in your bible of any version at this verse and you will see originally the translation said WITHIN, not among, and is now being corrected to its original meaning, according to the Hebrew, Greek, English Interlinear Bible, as well as the newest King James version.
Why is this vitally important?
This is because it is important for you to know that your Spirit/Soul IS this Spark of Eternal Universal Life Force Energy, Atman, animating your very next breath.