"I have become an evening star"

[bewell]

"Mother, do not weep for me.  What is the use?  You ought rather to reverence me, for I have become an evening star, among the gods."  

--from a first century Hellenistic funerary inscription (quoted by the Yale professor, Dale Martin in "The Resurrected Body," a chapter in his book The Corinthian Body).

I am studying the New Testament idea of the resurrected body.  Around the time the New Testament was written, the idea that "the mind or soul was of celestial substance" had become part of Hellenistic popular culture.  St. Paul, writing within that cultural milieu in 1 Corinthians 15 spoke of a "earthly body" and of a "heavenly body."

Yogani says that the the neurobiology of our bodies is the nexus for doing dialog between yogic tradition and other religions.  He is confident that the outcome of religious aspiration is has a perennial center across various cultures and religions.

As I read the New Testament, the image of the "man from heaven" or the "heavenly body" strikes close to the yogic idea of the union of "pure bliss consciousness" and physicality.  There is often a great separation in our notion of the heavenly body on one hand, a body of the distant future or of the ascended dead, and on the other hand, our physical body with all sorts of aches an pains and limitations.

Paul speaks of incarnation of the heavenly in language that stands out as one of the great sayings in Western lit:

"When this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled:  "Death has been swallowed up in victory... Where, O death, is your sting."

This is often read as something that will happen in some distant future, but there are many here doing AYP who can attest to having spiritual experiences where our mortal bodies become vehicles for heavenly bliss, and glory.  St. Paul was confident that "the change" would happen in his generation, and I trust that it did, for some.  I trust that it happens in every generation, in every culture, in all religions, and yet since its nature is hidden, it is not something that easily makes the evening news.

And so it is that I testify to "the change" under a pseudonym, assuming that few there will be who find it.

[Yonatan]

Hi Bewell,

There are some channelings that say that our bodies are changing in cellular structure and functions, and that there will come a time that the body will not have disease or age, like we will pass from physicality to more subtle makeup. We can see that in some sense that might be correct about the bodily functions from people here in one example with amrita and yeah so many things.

Also have you read the Autobiography of a Yogi? there is a part where Yogananda recalls how his Guru that passed away comes through a portal one day in his room and is felt as physical

[bewell]

quote:Originally posted by Yonatan
Also have you read the Autobiography of a Yogi? there is a part where Yogananda recalls how his Guru that passed away comes through a portal one day in his room and is felt as physical

Chapter 43: The Resurrection of Sri Yukteswar
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Autobiography_of_a_Yogi/Chapter_43

Yonatan

On your lead, I did a search of Autobiography of a Yogi and found the chapter above.  I am not sure that is the chapter you were thinking of but it is apropos to the theme I introduced above in that there is an account of a heavenly body as perceived by someone in an earthly body. My early hunch that Yogananda had shaped his narrative with a view for dialog with the followers of Jesus was confirmed by a direct reference to the life of Jesus.  Thanks for the reference!

As I read it I was thinking in terms of Yogani's "paradigm shift" where all spiritual experience is rooted in neurobiology.  In that view, as I understand it, the reality of the account is in the neurobiology of the perceiver, in this case, in the neurobiology of, the spiritual experience of Yogananda.  That said, it also seems possible that to some extent, the neurobiology of enlightenment remains in the physical body of dead saints as is evidenced in the energy that students feel when near the physical remains of their masters, and in Christianity, in the presence of the symbolic physicality, the eucharist.

I'm curious for your response to these musings of mine Yonatan, if one arises.

Gratefully,

Be

[Yonatan]

I have just read the part again, it is amazing!!!!! Sri Yukteswar also tells Yogananda about the evolution of a soul and about the "energy neurobiology" of astral beings, I don't know if you read that

Amazing stuff!!!

[bewell]

quote:Originally posted by Yonatan

I have just read the part again, it is amazing!!!!! Sri Yukteswar also tells Yogananda about the evolution of a soul and about the "energy neurobiology" of astral beings, I don't know if you read that

Amazing indeed.    I read about the energy of astral bodies, but I interpreted it with an emphasis on the receiver, Yogananda (the guru body was in him) rather than the sender, his guru who died.  Still amazing.

Be

[Yonatan]

[jamuna]

Yogananda goes into lengthy discourse about the makeup of physical and astral realms and bodies in his commentary of the bagadvad gita. I have found that the most amazingly detailed book on yoga and metaphysics[:I]

Can be pretty heavy reading though

[Etherfish]

What's that book named?

[jamuna]

"God talks with Arjuna"

here is a link to it on Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/God-Talks-Arjuna-Bhagavad-Gita/dp/0876120303

[Etherfish]

Thanks!