Jesus and Lord Caitanyas teachings summarized

Reverend Norman Moorhouse, a priest of the Church of England and a member of the College of Chaplains of Norwich Cathedral, lived with devotees at Hare Krishna temples for a week, in February 1977

Jesus and Lord Caitanyas teachings summarized
–– Try to understand by the result —
By Damaghosa das

Matthew 22:36-40-New International Version (NIV)
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Some of his basic teachings:

• He was the Son of God, and belief and faith in him would lead to eternal life in Heaven.
• The most important commandment, or rule, was to love God above all others, and secondly, love your neighbor as you love yourself.
• Forgive others; Jesus specifically singled out the age-old wisdom “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” and basically said don’t follow it. Instead, Jesus said, do not take revenge on someone who has wronged you.

Below are 20 key teachings of Jesus from the Gospel of Matthew; this is not a complete list.
The Christian life is marked by baptism (Matt. 3:13-17).

1. God is available to help us not give in to temptation (Matt. 4:1-11).
2. Jesus asks us to repent—turn away from wrong, confess wrong doing (Matt. 4:17).
3. Jesus says, “Follow me” and you will help find other followers (Matt. 4:18-22).
4. Jesus says, “Take up your cross and follow me”(Matt. 16:24-27).
5. Repeatedly Jesus notes, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Jesus seems to be telling us ways to experience heaven on earth now, and he also refers to a future realm where we will be in the presence of God and Jesus (Matt. 4:23; 13:18-52; 18:1-5).
6. Jesus showed compassion for all and helped them: the poor, the despised, the outcasts, and wants us to do the same (Matt. 4:24-25;9:9-13).
7. Jesus emphasizes, “Be sincere, not a hypocrite” (Matt. 6:1-6).
8. Jesus and God are one (Matt. 10:40; 16:13-20).
9. Jesus warns, “Don’t let family get in the way of following me” (Matt. 10:35-38; 12:46-50).
10. Jesus has authority over the law and tradition (Matt. 12: 1-8; 15:1-9).
11. Jesus fulfills Old Testament scriptures (Matt. 1:22-23; 17:9-13).
12. Jesus preaches, “Love your enemies; do not hate, be reconciled” (Matt. 5:38-48; 5:21-24).
13. Jesus reminds us, “You must become like a child to enter the kingdom” (Matt. 19:13-15)He adds, “I will be with you forever” (Matt. 28:20b).

Below is another way of summing up Jesus’ teachings in his own words, from his Sermon on the Mount:

Blessed are the poor in spirit,for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matt. 5:1-12)

Sri Siksastakam-Teachings of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu

Text 1 – Glory to the Sri Krishna Sankirtana, which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. This sankirtana movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious.

Text 2 – O my Lord, Your holy name alone can render all benediction to living beings, and thus You have hundreds and millions of names like Krishna and Govinda. In these transcendental names You have invested all Your transcendental energies. There are not even hard and fast rules for chanting these names. O my Lord, out of kindness You enable us to easily approach You by Your holy names, but I am so unfortunate that I have no attraction for them.

Text 3 – One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige and should be ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.

Text 4 –  almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor do I desire beautiful women, nor do I want any number of followers. I only want Your causeless devotional service birth after birth.

Text 5 – O son of Maharaja Nanda [Krishna], I am Your eternal servitor, yet somehow or other I have fallen into the ocean of birth and death. Please pick me up from this ocean of death and place me as one of the atoms at Your lotus feet.

Text 6 – O my Lord, when will my eyes be decorated with tears of love flowing constantly when I chant Your holy name? When will my voice choke up, and when will the hairs of my body stand on end at the recitation of Your name?

Text 7 – O Govinda! Feeling Your separation, I am considering a moment to be like twelve years or more. Tears are flowing from my eyes like torrents of rain, and I am feeling all vacant in the world in Your absence.

Text 8 – I know no one but Krishna as my Lord, and He shall remain so even if He handles me roughly by His embrace or makes me brokenhearted by not being present before me. He is completely free to do anything and everything, for He is always my worshipful Lord unconditionally.

(Note–So we can see in the above Siksastakam that the first two verses explain what is this Hare Krsna Movement of chanting the Holy Names and what also is the nature of those Holy Names. Verses #3-4 explain how to chant the mantra and the rest from #5-8 explain what is the result of chanting without offenses the Holy Names of God)

(Below-Some Random quotes by Srila Prabhuapada on Jesus)

SB 4.22.24-Translation–A candidate for spiritual advancement must be nonviolent, must follow in the footsteps of great ācāryas, must always remember the nectar of the pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, must follow the regulative principles without material desire and, while following the regulative principles, should not blaspheme others. A devotee should lead a very simple life and not be disturbed by the duality of opposing elements. He should learn to tolerate them.
PURPORT–..Another important point mentioned in this connection is anindayā—we should not criticize others’ methods of religion. There are different types of religious systems operating under different qualities of material nature. Those operating in the modes of ignorance and passion cannot be as perfect as that system in the mode of goodness. In Bhagavad-gītā everything has been divided into three qualitative divisions; therefore religious systems are similarly categorized. When people are mostly under the modes of passion and ignorance, their system of religion will be of the same quality. A devotee, instead of criticizing such systems, will encourage the followers to stick to their principles so that gradually they can come to the platform of religion in goodness. Simply by criticizing them, a devotee’s mind will be agitated. Thus a devotee should tolerate and learn to stop agitation.

May 24 1974 Rome
Prabhupāda: … Just like Lord Jesus Christ is a bona fide teacher, and he has given his teaching, his commandments. If you follow those commandments, then you are bona fide student. But if you don’t follow then you are not bona fide.

Richard Webster: And if you try to follow but fail or if you…
Prabhupāda: No, you must follow. You cannot fail. Just like Lord Christ says, “Thou shall not kill.” You must follow that. If you do not follow, then you are not Christian. It is not the question of that you could not follow or you are weak to follow. You must follow.

And how does one become a follower today of Jesus?

Seattle Oct 2 1968
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Can a Christian in this age, without a spiritual master, but by reading the Bible and following Jesus’s words, reach the…
Prabhupāda: When you read Bible, you follow spiritual master. How can you say without? As soon as you read Bible, that means you are following the instruction of Lord Jesus Christ, that means you are following spiritual master. So where is the opportunity of being without spiritual master?
Madhudviṣa: I was referring to a living spiritual master.
Prabhupāda: Spiritual master is not the question of… Spiritual master is eternal. Spiritual master is eternal. So your question is without spiritual master. Without spiritual master you cannot be, at any stage of your life. You may accept this spiritual master or that spiritual master. That is a different thing. But you have to accept. As you say that “by reading Bible,” when you read Bible that means you are following the spiritual master represented by some priest or some clergyman in the line of Lord Jesus Christ. So any case, you have to follow a spiritual master. There cannot be the question without spiritual master. Is that clear?

And what is the result of following such a bona fide spiritual master- Either Jesus or Srila Prabhupada?

9) Seattle oct 18 1968
Prabhupāda: That I’ve explained many times: a pocket dictionary and international dictionary. You cannot say that pocket dictionary is no dictionary, but it is meant for a certain class of student. And international dictionary is meant for a certain class of student. They are all student. What was spoken by Christ, that is also God consciousness, but that was meant for a certain class of men. And what class of men they were? They’re not even perfectly civilized. Because Christ was explaining God consciousness, that was his fault, and they crucified him. What class of men they were? Judge. His only fault was that he was explaining God, and they crucified him. The reward was crucifixion. So what kind of class of men they were? The status of that society, just try to understand. Therefore what spoke…, what was spoken by Lord Jesus Christ, for them, that was sufficient. But when Bhagavad-gītā is spoken to a person like Arjuna, that is different thing. So we have to speak according to the time, according to the circumstances, according to the audience. Don’t you see that here only a few persons are attending? Why? They cannot understand this Kṛṣṇa science, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is not meant for all classes of men. It is highest standard of God consciousness. Love. Love of God. So there is also teachings of love of God, undoubtedly. That is the difference. The same thing. Always try to understand. The small pocket dictionary for students while in the primary stage, and international dictionary for higher students, postgraduate students—the both of them are dictionaries. But it(pocket dictionary) is meant for somebody, (and international dictionary) it is meant for somebody. And the test is phalena paricīyate. Phalena paricīyate, you have to understand.
Suppose you are traveling in a forest. So many trees are there. But you cannot understand what is this tree, what is that. But as soon as you see the flower, “Oh, here is apple. Oh, this is apple tree.” Just like the other day you were telling me, you never saw apple tree? Yes. Now, as soon as you saw the apple tree, you understood, “This is apple tree. Oh!” The test of any scripture is how one is developing love of God. Phalena paricīyate. If you find that following some religious principles you are developing your love of God, then it is perfect. It doesn’t matter whether it is Bible or Koran or Bhagavad-gītā. It doesn’t matter. We have to see what is the fruit. If the fruit is that people are developing love of Godhead, then it is perfect.
Don’t try to understand whether this is good, this is good, this is bad, this is… No. Try to understand by the result. Just like the same way: if you see the fruit, then it is first class.
So it doesn’t matter whether it is Bible or Gītā. If you can develop love of Godhead by reading Bible, it is first class, and if you can develop love of Godhead by Bhagavad-gītā, it is first class. And if you do not, then either it is Bible or the Koran or Bhagavad-gītā, it has no effect for you.

So it is up to you. Not by comparison, but by your own activities. If you actually follow the instruction given by Lord Jesus Christ, you will also develop love of Godhead. There is no doubt. Similarly, if you follow the instruction of Kṛṣṇa, you will also develop. So it is up to you. You try to follow. If you do not follow, simply try to make a comparative study “This is good” or “This is bad,” “This is bad” or “This is good,” that is called śrama eva hi kevalam [SB 1.2.8]—simply laboring. Why comparative study? Just see how much you are developing love of Godhead, that’s all. Phalena paricīyate. “Whether it is apple is there, that’s all right; never mind what is this tree. I’m concerned with the apple.” Yes

Following Quotes on Vani (instructions) most important and physicality being non important

SB 2.9.8 purport-One has to receive the transcendental sound from the right source, accept it as a reality and prosecute the direction without hesitation. The secret of success is to receive the sound from the right source of a bona fide spiritual master. Mundane manufactured sound has no potency, and as such, seemingly transcendental sound received from an unauthorized person also has no potency. One should be qualified enough to discern such transcendental potency, and either by discriminating or by fortunate chance if one is able to receive the transcendental sound from the bona fide spiritual master, his path of liberation is guaranteed.

SB 3.31.48 P Lord Kapila’ s Instructions on the Movements of the Living Entities
…. it is described here that ONE HAS TO ASSOCIATE WITH LIBERATED PERSONS NOT DIRECTLY, PHYSICALLY, BUT BY UNDERSTANDING, THROUGH PHILOSOPHY AND LOGIC, THE PROBLEMS OF LIFE.

740611mw.par Conversations
Paramahamsa: My question is: A pure devotee, when he comments Bhagavad-gita, someone who never sees him physically, but he just comes in contact with his commentary, explanation, is this the same thing?
Prabhupada: YES. You can associate with Krsna by reading Bhagavad-gita. And these saintly persons, they have given their explanations, comments. So where is the difficulty? Everyone is helping you.

710818SB.LON Lectures
Prabhupada: JUST FOLLOW HIS ORDER. SPIRITUAL MASTER IS ALONG WITH YOU BY HIS WORDS. Just like my spiritual master is not physically present, but I am associating with him by his words.

67-10-03.Nan Letter: Nandarani, Krsna Devi, Subala, Uddhava
ALTHOUGH I AM NOT PHYSICALLY PRESENT THERE BUT SPIRITUALLY I AM ALWAYS WITH YOU.

750721mw.sf Conversations
Narayana: So those disciples who don’t have opportunity to see you or speak with you…
Prabhupada: That he was speaking, vani and vapuh. Even if you don’t see his body, you take his word, vani.
Narayana: But how do they know they’re pleasing you, Srila Prabhupada?
Prabhupada: If you actually follow the words of guru, that means he is pleased. And if you do not follow, how he can be pleased?
Jayadvaita: And if we have faith in what the guru says, then automatically we’ll do that.
Prabhupada: Yes. My Guru Maharaja passed in 1936, and I started this movement in 1965, thirty years after. Then? I am getting the mercy of guru. THIS IS VANI. EVEN THE GURU IS NOT PHYSICALLY PRESENT, IF YOU FOLLOW THE VANI, THEN YOU ARE GETTING HELP.

770714r2.vrn Conversations
Prabhupada: I SHALL REMAIN YOUR PERSONAL GUIDANCE, PHYSICALLY PRESENT OR NOT PHYSICALLY, AS I AM GETTING PERSONAL GUIDANCE FROM MY GURU MAHARAJA.

690113LE.LA Lectures
” Similarly, arcye sila-dhir gurusu na… Gurusu means those who are acaryas, to accept their body as ordinary man’s body, this is denied in the sastras. SO ALTHOUGH A PHYSICAL BODY IS NOT PRESENT, THE VIBRATION SHOULD BE ACCEPTED AS THE PRESENCE OF THE SPIRITUAL MASTER, VIBRATION. WHAT WE HAVE HEARD FROM THE SPIRITUAL MASTER, THAT IS LIVING.

72-12-14. Letter: Tusta Krsna
Next you ask if I am present in my picture and form? YES. IN FORM AS WELL AS IN TEACHINGS. TO CARRY OUT THE TEACHINGS OF GURU IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN TO WORSHIP THE FORM, BUT NONE OF THEM SHOULD BE NEGLECTED. FORM IS CALLED VAPU AND TEACHINGS IS CALLED VANI. BOTH SHOULD BE WORSHIPED. VANI IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN VAPU.

74-11-22. Letter: Bahurupa
I am pleased to hear that you are chanting 16 rounds daily and reading my books regularly and following the four rules. IN MY BOOKS THE PHILOSOPHY OF KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS IS EXPLAINED FULLY SO IF THERE IS ANYTHING WHICH YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND, THEN YOU SIMPLY HAVE TO READ AGAIN AND AGAIN. BY READING DAILY THE KNOWLEDGE WILL BE REVEALED TO YOU AND BY THIS PROCESS YOUR SPIRITUAL LIFE WILL DEVELOP.

75-09-18. Letter: Babhru, Satyaki
PLEASE CONTINUE READING MY BOOKS SERIOUSLY AND EVERYTHING WILL BE REVEALED TO YOU.

730513mw.la Conversations
Paramahamsa: Srila Prabhupada, when you are not present with us, how is it possible to receive instructions, for example, on questions that may arise?
Prabhupada: Well, the questions… ANSWERS ARE THERE IN MY BOOKS.
Paramahamsa: Other than that, for example, that we would ask you in…
Prabhupada: Yes.
Paramahamsa: DO YOU DIRECT US ALSO THROUGH THE HEART? BESIDES THE PARAMATMA?
Prabhupada: IF YOUR HEART IS PURE. EVERYTHING DEPENDS ON PURITY.

Some Conclusions from the above –-We can see how similar are the teachings of Jesus Christ and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Jesus taught that the greatest of all commandments was to love God above all else, and the second commandment was to expand this love to all His expansions or all life forms. Which means real Love for God does not stop with Him only, because we cannot say we love God if we are killing or offending so many of His parts and parcels, which means human beings,  animals, etc.  We should be  interested in the result-the fruits of religious endeavor should be love for God, and not just a comparative study.
Equally important, if we want to derive the actual benefit of all this work is to receive the instructions from God from His  authorized and recognized representatives (Like Jesus or Srila Prabhupada). Anything less than that will not give us the transcendental result-Krsna Prema or Love of God. Therefore both Jesus and Srila Prabhupada stress on following the teachings of the Masters/ Acaryas as most important and we can also have daily spiritual access to each of them thru their teachings, since their physical bodies are no longer with us.  Their teachings are more important than physical association.

Hare Krsna
Damaghosa das