The Katha Upanishad is born from the Sanskrit language, which was also known by Jesus. This writing is the legendary story of a little boy named Nachiketa, the son of Sage Vajasravasa, who 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, the knowledge of the Self (called Atman, or the God within each individual), and how to be liberated, all written in prose, to be most enlightening.
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, not is every person born into Original Sin.
This flies in the face of Buddhism which asserts that our “Soul, Self does not exist.” My understanding from all the holistic health and Universal Life Church Seminary interfaith training also agrees that our human Soul/Spirit/Self (Atman) does, in fact, exist. I have read this ancient work, just as Jesus the Christ did, and 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.
In the 17th century, the Katha Upanishad was translated into Persian, which was later translated 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. It is part of human DNA but is not activated until you are consciously aware that it is part of you. But this requires that we take the time out of our seemingly very busy schedules to pray, meditate, and contemplate.
It also requires you to allow your mind to grasp the knowledge that has been kept from you by various religions with unholy purposes. Unless and until you allow yourself to learn about those missing 18 years of the life of Jesus, whom most religions stress as the way to salvation, you will miss the greater part of the teaching of Jesus Christ. Know there is more than Jesus taught than most of you have been led to believe.
Knowing more 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.” While first grade knowledge is valuable for a young child, the continued knowledge of high school, college, and beyond does not invalidate that premier base from which you started on your educational quest.
| 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] |
Jesus learned that the Katha Upanishad teaches how to make humanity liberated and free from all indoctrination, which was also common in his time. This requires the same remedy today as it did back then, to pray, meditate, contemplate, and value Knowledge over Ignorance as the means to a blissful existence that goes beyond joy and sorrow of day-to-day trivialities. This is made possible through realization of the Self (Atman/Brahman/God), and also by chanting the Sacred Sound of “OM,” through which all Creation, including the angelic realm, as well as the animal, plant, and minerals kingdoms.
In the Katha Upanishad realization, Jesus often united with his Self, his Christ Presence, his I AM Presence. In the story of the body named Nachiketa being directed to speak with Yama, the god of death, to find out what is most important to living a pure life leading to ascension, Jesus learned from the writing not to fear anyone, nor anything, even death, since the true essence of humanity is Soul/Spirit/Self (Atman), which DOES NOT DIE. He taught all of us this teaching during his life.
The reality of the I AM Presence of each individual Self, connecting with the Source of the Christ, and fully coming to the realization of who and what we truly are, is part of what is taught in the upcoming 13D MDT Workshop on two back-to-back weekends: September 10-11 AND September 17-18, from 10 am to 6 pm each day. If you want to finally be free from the fear that binds you, this is the class for you. August 27 is the last day to register by emailing Lin Hourihan at linhourihan@yahoo.com, or by calling 413-245-0129. Lin is a teacher at the International School of Esoteric Sciences. For more details see: https://www.new-paradigm-mdt.org/teachers/lin-hourihan/.
A portion of the Katha Upanishad reads:
The seer (Atman, Self) is not born, nor does he die,
He does not originate from anybody, nor does he become anybody,
Eternal, ancient one, he remains eternal,
he is not killed, even though the body is killed.
If the killer thinks that he kills,
if the killed thinks that he is killed,
they do not understand;
for this one does not kill, nor is that one killed.
The Self (Atman), smaller than small, greater than great,
is hidden in the heart of each creature,
Free from avarice, free from grief, peaceful and content,
he sees the supreme glory of Atman.
— Katha Upanishad, 1.2.18-1.2.20
Notice that “the Katha Upanishad asserts that Atman-knowledge, or Self-realization, is not attained by instruction, not arguments nor reasoning from scriptures,” as Wikipedia acknowledges. “It is comprehended by your Self through prayer, meditation, and contemplation. This introspection is not attained by those who do not abstain from misconduct, nor those who are restless nor composed, and not by those whose mind is not calm and tranquil, but only those who live ethically, are composed, tranquil, internally peaceful, search within and examine their own nature.”
Namaste