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There are about eighteen years in the life of Jesus that the Bible does not tell of. That leaves room for fantasy and speculation. Claims are many. Paramahansa Yogananda (1893-1952) says that Jesus spent many formative years in India, made visits there to the wise men who had followed a “wandering star”, and speaks of hidden records that are unavailable to the public and to scholars too. Respectable proof of such claims is missing to this day. What then? Being eaten by worms and believing marring tales without sound evidence could both work harm in a life.
Regardless of that, many authors have claimed to have found proof that there are manuscripts in India and Tibet that support the belief that Christ was in India. And there are preposterous makers of hearsay around. And others cite them! However, without solid and publily available proofs, stories of Jesus in India get no substantial backing among scholars.
All who believe vagaries and claims without sound proof may not be fooled completely by it, but many will probably be made fools that way. To escape falling victim to blunt assertions, try to get facts first, ask for needed evidence, and remain tentative for the lack of evidence, so as to preserve mental clarity at least. To study the evidence fairly could be productive. After all, it is fit for good living and science alike that the burden of proof lies with the asserting claimers.
Alluring claims do not make one proof. Study the evidence first, if you find any worth inspecting, and sort and weigh that also. Such procedures should lead to less ill-founded and even more professional-like assertions or opinions. Looking for facts to build on, albeit tentatively, see what Wikipedia writes on the subject.
Also consider that stories may have a loose foundation, but there could be truth in them, somewhere, somehow. However, many claims do not make one solid proof, and I for one am weary of the gross cavalcade of claims and what this and that fellow have thought up – for different versions do not all agree – far from it.
Instead of building castles in Spain, some story-tellers build Buddhist monasteries in Tibet long before Buddhism was establised there.
In 1887 the Russian Nicolas Notovitch published The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ in Russian. An American translation followed in 1890. [The book] The book tells of Buddhist monasteries in Tibet from a time when there were none there (Berzin 1996). Should we dismiss the rest of the book or get consumed by errors?
Where facts are not found, it helps long-range soundness to refrain from believing, for the duped may become sheep-like. An antidote to tough falls and blind submission to airy and faulty beliefs “up there in the clouds” should be watchful, even-handed and rational inquiry, which includes sound skills in handling information. There is much to gain from it, and much to lose for the lack of it. Rational inquiry is fit in Buddhism and proper research and is considered good for sound mind-development.
There are some basics of such mental skills interspersed below, adapted to the topic “Jesus visited India and we say so”.
Eighteen years in the life of Jesus go unmentioned in the Bible, and this opens up for many claims. Legend-mongers have sent the young man Jesus to Egypt, to Britain, and to India, Persia and Tibet. Such modern Jesus legends have gained quite a readership. But the Bible does not say that Jesus had been in India. And the Jewish leaders never accused him of teaching anything he had assimilated in the East either.
When good evidence is missing, we should agree it is possible that Jesus was in India during parts of those eighteen unreckoned for years, but is it likely? There were trade routes. This fact lies at the bottom of several claims that Jesus visited India and Tibet in his day. For example, Paramahansa Yogananda (1893-1952) and Swami Satyananda both tell that Jesus spent fifteen years in India and Tibet. But what evidence did they show for their case?
Why should we not believe in this?
It is a question of whether the emperor wears any clothes (it is a theme of a fairy tale made known by Hans Christian Andersen). Do the Yogananda claims wear any good documentation (clothes) at all? Are they bluffs?
The Notovitch book says Jesus spent time in Buddhist settings in Tibet – but there were no such things as Buddhist monasteries there at the time of Jesus. Buddhism came to Tibet only many centuries later. A quack tale accepted brings faith in humbug. In this case faultily promoted by several profiteers, as we may call those who find themselves served by swindles too.
The “wise” men in the first chapters of Matthew, appear in what may be merely a folk-tale, says the Bible scholar Geza Vermes (2010) further down.
Yogananda brings no good evidence, only “It is said” and “They say”, which are known to have started many a lie.
Yogananda – once a rumour spreader to teach others not to do as he did – wanted others not to spread rumours, he clarified.
The three points above will be elaborated on in the following, and evidence of many sorts are given.
“It is said” – by whom? Either the teller (Yogananda) furnishes the evidence, or you have to seek other sources if the issue matters greatly to you. Yogananda does not. His publishers have later sought to prop him up by selective and biased information – but see whether their information counts, really counts, and is fair enough for the grey matter of the brain. In science and among able scholars it is the one who makes claims who is to furnish the fit evidence. As a matter of fact, the Bible scholar Geza Vermes thinks the first to chapters of Matthew are based on a Hebrew folktale. Bluffs are many in “Bible-land”, and cynical exploiters are many, many. It should help to get rid of the bluffs and stand firm.
Matthew’s account of the Nativity – the basis of all Christmas celebrations – appears in a quite different light when it is considered as the product of a particular Jewish linguistic, literary and religious context (Vermes 2010:87).
Try not to get burdened in such matters, but handle things well: You are not obliged to furnish the evidence if you do not claim something. Where no good evidence is given, try to keep the claims or issues in suspense (at bay) at the very least. That is, do not settle on conclusions or gulp up opinions of others based on “presentation farting” or worse, for such a nasty road leads into folly faith, sheepish adjustments and worse in some cases. The Bible does not say there were three wise men or where they came from. Moreover, there is no mention in the Bible of such a return visit that Yogananda speaks of. Also, the teachings of Jesus do not give any particular evidence of influence from outside the Jewish faith – from such a mental universe. The New Testament was written much closer in time to the events, so it is part of the “game” to check it, too. Neither Jesus nor Acts nor letter-writing apostles said anything at all about him going further abroad than to Egypt with his parents, although the gospels do not agree fully with each other on that one.
Jesus in Buddhist Tibet at a time when Buddhism had not arrived there, is it really more credible than Jesus walking on water?
There is something wrong with a tale that purports to be true when the facts do not follow suit: Consider, for example, that Tibetans at the time of Jesus were no Buddhists. Buddhism arrived in Tibet only hundreds of years later, and the story which Yogananda draws on, tells of documents about Jesus visiting Buddhist monasteries in Tibet when there were none. Are we facing a tragic soup?
❋ Duping for gains is not much to boast of, and not classy.
When other Hindu swamis tell about the same tale as Yogananda in the matter, do many similar claims without fit evidence make one proof? I think not. It does not matter who claim it, so long as they do not furnish promising evidence. And it is foolish to make drivel a matter of faith. Believe as little as you can, and you will be taken in less in the long run. That could be good for mankind. And you should be allowed to inspect and think your own thoughts. Everybody should be allowed that.
In the work Early Teachings of Swami Satyananda Saraswati, there are recordings from a satsanga (gathering, class) [Satyananda 1988:100-110] he held with prospective teachers of his line of yoga. Satyananda renders among other things that “in India some people say that the story of Christ is actually the story of Krishna which must have emigrated from India to the Middle East.” Note that “some people” is too loose to count as any valid reference if nothing more is added.
“Christ was crucified on the cross, but he did not die … The soldiers came and put a spear into his body. In the Bible it is written, “. . . and the water flowed out.” … It means to say Christ was not dead, because water or blood does not flow from a dead body.
So, Christ was not dead when they took him off the cross.
Since traditional Christianity is due to those disciples and the Holy Spirit working through them, it seems a bit off the mark to say Jesus wasted his time on them. But who knows? And if he travelled away from there only to die from his wounds and strenuous travels another place, his purported travel to Kashmir was worse than a waste of time, for that matter.
So far, apart from unfounded claims and stands at odds with the New Testament’s message in such matters, the stories of Satyananda and many others suffer from lack of fit documentation. The Japanese story has there was authentic documentation until the last World War, and that what is left now, after the bombing of Tokyo, are the copied documents.
Be that as it may, some people get problems from being told a lot to accept by blind believing, and what if Satyananda and Yogananda work to make Jesus “their own” somehow by putting the Bible’s Jesus into some Hindu frames of reference? An counter-demagogy tale – such as a Jesus-visited-Svalbard tale, could come in handy here, and why not a Japanese twist to things too, for balance? It surely is not wise to get many to believe a tell-tale without evidence, you have a following, and so much the worse for them – and probably for yourself in the long, long run, in a karmic perspective.
Opinions are many and may differ a lot; facts may be few and far between; and what is presented as “facts of yesterday” often gets disputed and gradually abandoned among scholars and scientists as well. It should naturally be reckoned with.
We have two references to Christ in Indian books. One is in the ancient records of Nalanda University … The university had an enormous library containing hundreds of thousands of texts which was destroyed once … and again by the Hindus. Twice it was burned to the ground and thousands of ancient texts were lost.
In the quotation above, Satyananda gets towards being specific, but he is not quite there. A fit reference makes it possible for others to look up in the referred-to sources and look for themselves.
Satyananda goes on to tell that Jesus went back to Jerusalem and preached what he had learnt in India, but that the people there did not understand him and crucified him. [Satyananda 1988:108] Now scholars tell that Jesus did not teach anything that lies outside the Jewish culture. And maybe he got crucified because the Jewish leaders did understand him, and dealt with him according to a Law of Moses for Jews. That’s in the Bible.
Nalanda – Ancient texts tell that on his travels Buddha often halted at this place. Nalanda in time became an international Buddhist centre of education and learning equivalent to modern universities, and with a very rich library. Located in in Bihar, India, it flourished between 427 and 1197 CE, long after the birth of Jesus. So how Jesus came across Buddhist ethics in Nalanda, must remain one more undisclosed “fluffy claim” for now.
Nalanda, at any rate, was one of the world’s first centres of learning that had dormitories for students. And its library, known as Dharma Gunj (Mountain of Truth) or Dharmaganja (Treasury of Truth), was renowned. A vast amount of what came to comprise Tibetan Buddhism, both its Mahayana sutras traditions and its Vajrayana traditions, stems from the late (800s-1100s) Nalanda teachers and traditions.
Ruins remain, and the place is a World Heritage site.
Singapore, China, India, Japan, and other nations have announced a proposed plan to restore and revive the ancient site as Nalanda International University.
Again, there is no place in the Bible where Jesus teaches outside of the Jewish faith, so look on the “strong support” that Yogananda speaks about, with much calm. Do the records of belief that Yogananda speaks of exist? The stand of most scholars in the matter seems to be this: There is no generally accepted evidence around that Jesus spent eighteen years in India and Tibet.
❋ It is recognised to be widely better to refrain from blind belief than to submit to “claim authority” and blunderbuss sayings.
Now ask for evidence for Yogananda’s claims. Note how he props up his tale-telling by “authoritatively known”, “high metaphysicians”, “great sages”, and such means. If unsubstantiated, they form part of demagogy. One of Yogananda’s durable errors in America was going for impressing audiences without sticking to tenable evidence, and here is an example.
Did they and do they? And where is the evidence? There is more about that crucial issue further down. Unsubstantiated claims does not solve the matter well. Besides, it is all right to ask for facts and go for facts without getting swollen, and warm talk of India can be in its place too. But there are limits to many things.
❋ Stick to rational handling instead of getting caught by credibility play at any rate.
Yogananda’s book The Yoga of Jesus contains extracted parts of his massive two-volumed The Second Coming of Christ. In it we are told in a note that “India’s spiritual influence extended not only west, but east.” Strictly speaking, Buddhism spread far and wide into Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tibet, China Korea and Japan, for example, while and Hinduism expanded eastward as far as Java.
The publishers also cite a professor Singhal who claims that ancient American cultures were of Asian origin, and that this is seen from the monuments, hieroglyphs, and institutions of America. “The traces of Hindu-Buddhist influence in Mexico . . . correspond in kind precisely to those cultural elements which were introduced by Buddhist monks and Hindu priests in Southeast Asia,” Dr Singhal thinks. And much depends on the seeing eye (read: mind).
COMMENT. Buddhism spread throughout central Asia and East Asia. The said connection to ancient American culture is embraced by Dr. Gauri Mahulikar in his Effects of Ramayana on Various Cultures and Civilizations, but I find substantial evidence to be meagre if it is there at all. All will probably not be well with mankind if we refrain from speculation, massive speculation, and unfounded dogmatism, but some things may get better, actually. [◦Link].
There have also been efforts to support a thesis that the Chinese discovered and explored the western United States hundreds of years before Norsemen came to its eastern parts around 1000 AD – at a time when Buddhism influence was growing in China.
COMMENT. Speaking of Gnosticism, “it now seems clear that traces of Gnostic systems can be discerned some centuries before the Christian Era. [Wikipedia]” Predating Jesus Christ, Gnosticism existed in the Mediterranean and Middle East in the Second and Third Centuries. There was a Syrian-Egyptian school of Gnosticism and a Persian Gnostic school. The Hebrew Cabbalists took many core Gnostic ideas and used them to reinterpret earlier Jewish sources according to this new foreign influence.
I have not found any claims of Indian influences on Gnosticism in other academic sources than Dr Potter’s claims. The Encyclopaedia Britannica, for example, informs that Gnosticism drew from and influenced in turn many traditional religions. It was diverse as to theology, ethics, and ritual, and thus defies strict classification. “The origins of the Gnostic world view have been sought by scholars in the dualism of Iranian religion, the allegorical Idealism of the Middle Platonic philosophers, and the apocalypticism of certain Jewish mystics. There are analogies also with Egyptian and Mesopotamian thought.” Thus, the alleged Indian influences on Gnosticism that SRF cherishes, is not part of current, main thinking about it.
In conclusion so far, it appears that the SRF editors have chosen to quote persons with a definitive bias for the sake of propping up Yogananda’s sayings on this and that, citing a lot when convenient, but without being well in line with mainstream scholarship in the fields in question, and far from furnishing ample and good evidence. It may mount up to a prop-up kind of biased plot, I feel. I think we get a truer presentation of Gnosticism in the two encyclopaedias Wikipedia and Britannica, for one thing.
❋ A fit informational presentation is not greatly biased, and does not have the bottom attitude of defending any cherished leader’s views without considering evidence and materials that go against his or her dictums.
Now, what do you prefer, have someone pinch your nose or be misguided? In any case you should know how to defend yourself for your own thriving. Against being misguided by imposing figures that become authority figures in cults and the like, we must learn to “believe not, but make sure”. Asking for top-notch evidence is a fine way towards making sure. For the lack of these few mental self-defence stands, many succumb to tall tales and demagogy.
We will look into the evidence that Jesus was in India from his puberty till about three years before the crucifixion. What proper and fit evidence do we have?
The source of much novel rumour that Jesus went to India is a book by the Russian Nicolas Notovitch, who in his time was exposed as a fraud. He published ◦The Unknown Life of Christ, which is said to be a travelogue of a trip through India, into Kashmir, eventually reaching Ladakh in Tibet. At Ladakh a lama allegedly informs him that Jesus, under the name Issa, is known to some Tibetan Buddhists. Notovitch goes on to tell that an ancient manuscript was read to him about Issa-Jesus going to India to study the Vedas and Buddhism. Jesus stirred up a caste war and had to leave India. he left and preached against Zoroastrianism in Persia – all according to Notovitch.
The orientalist Max Müller sent a letter to the monastery where Notovitch had claimed to have made the discovery, and they disavowed any knowledge of such a manuscript. The head of the Hemis community at Ladakh even signed a document that denounced Notovitch as an outright liar.
No authentic Hindu or Buddhist text from that period references Jesus or any of the events described in Notovitch.
Jesus is placed by Notovitch in circumstances or settings that plainly were not there. For one thing, Tibetans were not converted to Buddhism till many hundreds of years later.
For a manuscript about Jesus in India to be convincing, it would have to have at least the same quality as the New Testament scrolls, and be written close to the events they report on. For the lack of such a document, is it wise to base one’s faith on something that has as little evidential support as Notovitch’s?
The name Issa is Islamic for Jesus, and as such was not used before the 700s CE.
Dare to think that Notovitch’s Unknown Life of Jesus was a hoax.
❋ To study all the most weighty evidence before you conclude in a matter, reveals proficiency, which is needed for handling life too.
Hefty and repeated claims that Jesus travelled through India in his youth has appeared in many books and websites. The story took off after the Russian scholar and orientalist Nicolai Notovitch in 1894 published a book where he claimed to have discovered monastery texts showing that Jesus had travelled through India and Tibet during his teens and early twenties. This view has recently been taken up by the German Holger Kersten in Jesus Lived in India [which I don’t consider worth reading on the basis of “Many “if’s” don’t make proofs”].
In 1887 Notovitch came to Kashmir during one of several journeys to the Orient. At the Zoji-la pass Notovitch was a guest in a Buddhist monastery, where a monk told him of the bodhisattva saint called “Issa”, who died and was buried in a tomb in Kashmir itself.
However, the monastery Jesus allegedly is to have studied at in India, was not built until the 1500s, and there is no independent evidence confirming the story.
Maybe Notovitch’s Unknown Life of Jesus was fictional: Intimidated by a refutation by the highly esteemed F. Max Müller, Notovitch backed down and changed his story, he began to back-pedal.
Not only Max Muller, but also J. Archibald Douglas, and ◦Edgar J. Goodspeed have all refuted the legend. Below are details.
❋ Tales and legends that are repeated in a culture, may or may not have a historical basis. Tales in themselves offer little proof – for they need to be substantiated. And this pertains to the said tomb of Jesus in Kashmir too. As long as good documentation or evidence is lacking, duck! (Keep such a faith item well away from yourself even if it is played, as not all play is fair play).
In October 1894 the great Orientalist Max Müller, editor of the epoch-making Sacred Books of the East, published a refutation of Notovitch in The Nineteenth Century, a scholarly review. He shared a letter (June 29, 1894) from an English woman who had visited Leh in Ladakh, including the Hemis lamasery, where she checked out Notovitch’s story. She reported that, according to the abbot, “There is not a single word of truth in the whole story! There has been no Russian here. No one has been taken into the Seminary for the past fifty years with a broken leg! There is no life of Christ there at all!” [Goodspeed, p. 11].
Among other things Muller also questioned the great liberty Notovitch took in editing and arranging the alleged verses. Muller said this is something no reputable scholar would have done.
J. Archibald Douglas, Professor at Government College in Agra, India, took a three-month vacation from the college and retraced Notovitch’s steps at the Himis monastery. He published an account of his journey in The Nineteenth Century (June 1895), the bulk of which reproduced an interview with the chief lama of the monastery. The lama said he had been chief lama for 15 years, which means he would have been the chief lama during Notovitch’s alleged visit. The lama asserted that during these 15 years, no European with a broken leg had ever sought refuge at the monastery.
The interview was written down and witnessed by the lama, Douglas, and the interpreter, and on June 3, 1895, was stamped with the official seal of the lama.
However, several people have gone to Hemis, where several monks purportedly have confirmed that the documents alleged by Notovitch existed. Such takes are far from official, though, compared to the attested or verified ones.
WELL. . . The credibility of The Life of Saint Issa by Notovitch was damaged by Douglas’s investigation. Yet Notovitch’s book was printed again in 1926 by an American publisher. And it was discredited once again by ◦Goodspeed’s book of 1931, called Strange New Gospels. In it, he describes the rise and fall of Notovitch’s claims in the decade following the publication of his book. He outlines how it was rejected by the academic community at the time too.
Did Jesus visit Tibet? Well, as said above, it is possible, assertions are many, but there is little significant evidence that has come down to us.
“Anything is possible, but what is probable?” – F.C. Baur.
In Yogananda’s society, members greatly believe in him, so when the Leader and his later management teach that Jesus went to India or that the book “The Life of Issa” is a true story, they believe it, and may refuse to think otherwise and twice. That could perhaps be expected of cult lowers.
At last he reached the pass, and in the Ladak city, Leh, he was received with favour by the monks, the merchants, and the men of low estate.
Buddhism did not take hold in Tibet until the reign of Srong Tsen Gampo, middle of the seventh century. There was no Buddhist temple in Lhasa when Jesus was alive.
The first Buddhist monastery in Tibet, Leh, was built in 637-647 AD.
Yogananda did not disprove Notovitch’s story, which was disproved even when Notovitch was alive … The guru is biased, out of key with scholars, and definitely keen on allying Jesus with gurus. He was surrounded by very gullible people.
❋ Ladakh Buddhist temples did not exist at the time of Jesus, no matter what tales Notovitch and his champions tell about them.
There are Tibetan treasures about Mantrayanic meditation and aligned tantra practices and so on, but Notovitch-stories are not among them, I figure.
❋ When an authority figure like the guru of Self-Realization Fellowship vouches for a hoax, many followers succumb to authoritarian-based indoctrination with its possible “cult-enhancing dumbening”.
Yogananda recounts made-up stories, presenting them as true. Such doings are not marks of a gentleman, and seldom good enough. How wrong can it be when his fellowship adds to the misery by an attitude that comes to the fore in a recently notarised letter, that they find no fault with his guidelines and that his wisdom flawless? Such a pitiful stand is a hallmark of a cult, and not proper among scientists.
Yogananda definitely vouches for a hoax book of Notovitch, and draws on it. But we should not, for the sake of fairness.
❋ Yogananda – monastic leaders of his cult regrettably claim his guidelines are infallible. That makes matters much worse. Groggy ones are easily mislead. And you cannot afford to be made groggy, can you?
Weighing evidence is rather easy, once you get to know how and get used to it. Try to deal with each key issue first, and as even-handedly as you are up to.
First, assemble the points that you find worth considering, and try to be fair when you choose them. Include both pros and cons. Formulate each of the points as an assertive statement.
Consider what proof you have gathered. Keep proof-gathering open-ended; you may include more later. Master the common, initial mental scanning of sources. Go for sources where authors have great credentials. They are often found among doctors, Ph.D.s, and professors. Their works are published in reputable books and journals, for example university publishers. There are lots of others. See what critics have said about the books too. The “good guys” seek to be unbiased, gather relevant and valid information, and may also (try to) keep it interesting.
Go toward the key sources if that is possible, and discern among them. That is helpful too, in some circumstances, if you can afford it.
To weigh the points you come up with and select above all the rest, you can mark such statements on a Likert scale (by a set of responses, for example five). It is far better than the emotionally meagre “yes or no” alternatives. You can easily use five alternative ways of responding, and number them. You may help the weighing by looking at the palm of your hand and think “5 for thumb up”, “4 for the index finger”, “3 for the middle finger”, and so on.
Note that “3” (middle finger) is what is called AHEM, HUM, OF TWO MINDS, NEUTRAL, UNSETTLED, AMBIVALENT TOO PERHAPS, and that the forefinger (index finger) means “YES”, and the thumb means “OH YES, INDEED!” (a strong affirmative response).
Here is an example. Form the statements so that the “yes” side is consistently either of pros or cons in any of them; such structuring makes the weighing easier. By studying the information available to you where you are, you may then set up weighing lists too.
There are no old texts of “Jesus in Tibet” available. UNSETTLED – THERE ARE RUMOURS.
The following example shows the same weighing by bars.
Figure 1. Bar chart of five tentatively weighed points.
If you get proficient in “using your fingers” to refine your responses to a lot of things from the somewhat crude “yes-no” to a five-partitioned way of responding, the chances are you may handle life better, eventually.
The five points or statements are thus responded to by marking off the most appropriate stands you muster along the vertical lines. It should work far better than just wincing from the delicate problems involved for cult members, for example.
I think my total score – suming up the allotted weights of the five grouped statements – is about 22 points, but not (5 x 5 = 25) points. Whether I keep my judgement (evaluation) to myself as a private matter or speak of it, is my own business, through freedom of thought and so on. If I have settled on a conclusion, I prefer to remain open to forthcoming evidence that goes against what I have settled on so far.
If I get 20 points, I am affirmative – in this case I think it is a fraud and a hoax, but I don’t swear it is. I do not have to conclude things in public, but I tend towards debunking Yogananda’s claims in this matter.
If my total score is 15 points – five middle fingers in average – I am unsettled, and do well in refraining from concluding in any way, for such as health reasons. The lesson of keeping issues in suspense, unsettled, is ofter underrated. It is much valuable. It is better than being made a victim of odd beliefs also. And bear in mind: The burden of proof is on the one who claims a thing – Yogananda and his publishing fellowship in the example. Satyananda’s publishers in the quite similar case further above.
If you get 10 or 5 points, you may dislike rational handling. Try to relax and think twice to improve on your future. Be sincere with yourself and the data, as “Sincerity will save you,” said Yogananda. “Honesty may help you further” is another pretty-looking saying, but learn to take care and handle things well also.
I have tried to show how to make up your own mind about a certain book – a hoax book, I figure. Add your points and divide by five (in this case), to see your average. If you get more than 20 points, on the whole you affirm that in your judgement the book is not reliable.
Also, take a deeper look into the scores that deviate much from your had average, and see if there is anything you can do in such matters, and try to find out whether such activity is called for. Maybe it is, maybe it is not.
The next step is to compare your sincere, personal evaluation with such as Yogananda’s assertions on top of the Notovitch book and other poorly substantiated or wholly undocumented claims. Note what his documentation is, and be just. Unlike a lama and various experts, he does not debunk the Notovitch book. Nor does he comment on the unhistorical, untrue Buddhist monasteries in the book. Nor is he alarmed that Notovitch changed his story. Instead Yogananda makes use of it to support dangerous claims – dangerous because they are so very inadequately substantiated, and his publishing fellowship wants others to belive his teachings are gospel truth, if not above it. But the Notovitch book and claims based on it are hardly good evidence among scholars.
What else goes into it when a guru that is claimed to be an avatar (divine incarnation) and the like, states that his good source of information is his intuition? Intuition may be right or wrong – it shows up if you check the intuitions. For example, much of Yogananda’s claimed, intuitive understanding of the Rubaiyat looks clownish and more than suspect. The evidence that he “swims in dangerous and deep water” about his claims there, is in the little collection just referred to.
❋ Reclaim your rationality if the guru or his cult has violated it, since much is at stake for your future fare if you renounce a rational mind far and wide and get subjected to gross lies or hearsay. Further, if you are not helped by such pinpointing as on this site, you can seek other things that assist you on and up, since “There are many roads to Rome”.
Berzin, Alexander. The History of the Early Period of Buddhism and Bon in Tibet. The Berzin Archives, 1996. Online.
Satyananda Saraswati, Swami. Early Teachings of Swami Satyananda Saraswati. Paperback ed. Munger, Bihar: Bihar School of Yoga, 1988.
Vermes, Geza.The Authentic Gospel of Jesus. London: Penguin, 2005.
Yogananda, Paramahansa. Man’s Eternal Quest. New ed. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship, 1982.
Yogananda, Paramahansa. Sayings of Paramahansa Yogananda. 4th ed. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship, 1980.
Yogananda, Paramahansa. The Second Coming of Christ: The Resurrection of the Christ Within You. 2 Vols. 1st ed. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship, 2004.
Yogananda, Paramahansa. The Yoga of Jesus: Understanding the Hidden Teachings of the Gospels. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship, 2007.
Yogananda, Paramhansa. The Master Said. Los Angeles, CA: Self-Realization Fellowship, 1952.
Edwards, William D., MD; Wesley J. Gabel, MDiv; Floyd E. Hosmer, MS, AMI. “Study On The Physical Death of Jesus: Section 7: “Death of Jesus.” JAMA 1986;255:1455-1463). Online.
Dr Tom J. Chalko PhD. Tomb of Jesus in Shingo Village (Herai) in Japan: The Song reveals the Truth. 1997-98. Online.
You like it? Click it!
Good gracious! What assumptions we make and later realise rather late that other possibilities existed even then but our pre-experience assumption delayed our understanding.
While scrolling in one of those FB account that I chanced upon a post which elicited a sense of revolt at post facto misuse of one’s image!
I wanted to like it. That was an urine urge, a need to express but can’t be done openly, unless that post was on my ‘friends’ wall!
The wall owner was not known to me. Would that be ok? Or would be it like an uninvited barge? A guest tolerated out of the civil magnanimity which sets in as one social climbs!
Click! I saw MUTUAL FRIENDS!
I liked it! I made that the pretext to click ‘like’.
The deed was done? But something was rankling, how could that person be ‘mutual’ when I do not know that person?
FB suggests that the friend is a friend of both the watcher and the watched!
Wow! What a way to flatter an unknown person to be packaged as a ‘friend’!
I am still reeling under the linguistic opportunism grabbed by the ever vigilant business sense of the FB TEAM.
Thank you SJ, seen, read and illusioned! There was no such word till I contacted and meaninged it!
That was six years since I quit virtual poker!
The game was introduced to me by my son, who had by then run up a healthy 50,000$ to his credit. Having a greater credit of those virtual dollars allowed one an access to rooms where the stakes were high.
David’s preference of FUNCTIONS OVER STRUCTURES!
And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail.39 And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.
The excerpted verses above are from I Samuel chapter 17 verses 38-40.
The nascent greatness of King David comes out in these three verses. He was forced to shepherding the few sheep of his father and relegated to a job not to his liking. That he did an exemplary job of it, is more because he undertook the role as a protector of the ‘few sheep’ quite seriously, and in the process acquired skills which made him battle-worthy. His courage was not the offspring of his skills, but vice versa!
I believe that to sustain his COURAGE, he has to stand alone and defend. Therefore he acquired those skills. Skills of slinging and fighting with wild animals.
Neither his father nor his brothers knew or recognised his skills.
When the need arose none, mind you, NONE OTHER, could convince Abner or Saul of his skill to match the might of Goliath , except DAVID.
David proves that he could sling, with accuracy, intensity and without loss of time. THE THREE ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS TO DEFEAT GOLIATH.
David saw in Goliath what the veterans like Saul and Abner couldn’t see.
Goliath’s missile based weapon was a heavy spear. The rest were all dog-fight weapons. But David himself had a sling, which was missile based. He could strike from a distance and if accurate and intense, the results would be imminent. He got it right.
David’s greatest challenge was to REFUSE THE SWORD, THE BRASS HELMET AND THE COAT OF MAIL OF SAUL!
To be recognised by the King itself is a great challenge, with his brothers belittling him, his challenge was aggravated. In these circumstances he succeeds in convincing the Army chief and the King.
Saul after testing his skills, makes David wear his own armour- a man of lesser mettle, to please the King would have ACQUIESCED!
The armour, helmet and the sword ENCUMBERED HIS SKILLS!
That recognition coupled with a courage to REFUSE the accoutrements of the rank holders in the army was his greatness. It was not a refusal to show that he was great with a sling , but a realisation that HE SHOULD NOT ENCUMBER HIMSELF WITH STRUCTURES WHICH WOULD HAMPER HIS SKILLS!
David gently and tactfully rejects the armour of Saul, not an easy task!
David says : I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.
The result was of epic proportions. David made Goliath, in the English language a symbol of enormity.
David proved that SKILL BASED FUNCTIONS should not be hampered by UNSUITED STRUCTURES!
The bamboo was wondering why God made it so different?
God said, “Stop questioning me. Do you know what the banyans go through? Do you know how many survive to rise to that level as the one you know? Talk not of things you CANNOT UNDERSTAND! Live and ask for fulfilment of your legitimate aspirations, not comparitive possibilities which arise out of your opportunities!
Hector’s true tragedy was that he visualised his own defeat and Andromache being enslaved. As a warrior he never had a role to be a prophet. He reconciled to his lost cause much before he took up the challenge. May be there was a justification to his death, but he had no business to foresee that eventuality. Eventualities are to be gone through, but not to be pondered upon! Hector had embedded the app of DEATH & DEFEAT into his consciousness and that beckoned him to a cause for which he was neither prepared in resources or belief!

lowercased:
there are about eighteen years in the life of jesus that the bible does not tell of. that leaves room for fantasy and speculation. claims are many. paramahansa yogananda (1893-1952) says that jesus spent many formative years in india, made visits there to the wise men who had followed a “wandering star”, and speaks of hidden records that are unavailable to the public and to scholars too. respectable proof of such claims is missing to this day. what then? being eaten by worms and believing marring tales without sound evidence could both work harm in a life.
regardless of that, many authors have claimed to have found proof that there are manuscripts in india and tibet that support the belief that christ was in india. and there are preposterous makers of hearsay around. and others cite them! however, without solid and publily available proofs, stories of jesus in india get no substantial backing among scholars.
all who believe vagaries and claims without sound proof may not be fooled completely by it, but many will probably be made fools that way. to escape falling victim to blunt assertions, try to get facts first, ask for needed evidence, and remain tentative for the lack of evidence, so as to preserve mental clarity at least. to study the evidence fairly could be productive. after all, it is fit for good living and science alike that the burden of proof lies with the asserting claimers.
alluring claims do not make one proof. study the evidence first, if you find any worth inspecting, and sort and weigh that also. such procedures should lead to less ill-founded and even more professional-like assertions or opinions. looking for facts to build on, albeit tentatively, see what wikipedia writes on the subject.
also consider that stories may have a loose foundation, but there could be truth in them, somewhere, somehow. however, many claims do not make one solid proof, and i for one am weary of the gross cavalcade of claims and what this and that fellow have thought up – for different versions do not all agree – far from it.
instead of building castles in spain, some story-tellers build buddhist monasteries in tibet long before buddhism was establised there.
in 1887 the russian nicolas notovitch published the unknown life of jesus christ in russian. an american translation followed in 1890. [the book] the book tells of buddhist monasteries in tibet from a time when there were none there (berzin 1996). should we dismiss the rest of the book or get consumed by errors?
where facts are not found, it helps long-range soundness to refrain from believing, for the duped may become sheep-like. an antidote to tough falls and blind submission to airy and faulty beliefs “up there in the clouds” should be watchful, even-handed and rational inquiry, which includes sound skills in handling information. there is much to gain from it, and much to lose for the lack of it. rational inquiry is fit in buddhism and proper research and is considered good for sound mind-development.
there are some basics of such mental skills interspersed below, adapted to the topic “jesus visited india and we say so”.
eighteen years in the life of jesus go unmentioned in the bible, and this opens up for many claims. legend-mongers have sent the young man jesus to egypt, to britain, and to india, persia and tibet. such modern jesus legends have gained quite a readership. but the bible does not say that jesus had been in india. and the jewish leaders never accused him of teaching anything he had assimilated in the east either.
when good evidence is missing, we should agree it is possible that jesus was in india during parts of those eighteen unreckoned for years, but is it likely? there were trade routes. this fact lies at the bottom of several claims that jesus visited india and tibet in his day. for example, paramahansa yogananda (1893-1952) and swami satyananda both tell that jesus spent fifteen years in india and tibet. but what evidence did they show for their case?
why should we not believe in this?
it is a question of whether the emperor wears any clothes (it is a theme of a fairy tale made known by hans christian andersen). do the yogananda claims wear any good documentation (clothes) at all? are they bluffs?
the notovitch book says jesus spent time in buddhist settings in tibet – but there were no such things as buddhist monasteries there at the time of jesus. buddhism came to tibet only many centuries later. a quack tale accepted brings faith in humbug. in this case faultily promoted by several profiteers, as we may call those who find themselves served by swindles too.
the “wise” men in the first chapters of matthew, appear in what may be merely a folk-tale, says the bible scholar geza vermes (2010) further down.
yogananda brings no good evidence, only “it is said” and “they say”, which are known to have started many a lie.
yogananda – once a rumour spreader to teach others not to do as he did – wanted others not to spread rumours, he clarified.
the three points above will be elaborated on in the following, and evidence of many sorts are given.
“it is said” – by whom? either the teller (yogananda) furnishes the evidence, or you have to seek other sources if the issue matters greatly to you. yogananda does not. his publishers have later sought to prop him up by selective and biased information – but see whether their information counts, really counts, and is fair enough for the grey matter of the brain. in science and among able scholars it is the one who makes claims who is to furnish the fit evidence. as a matter of fact, the bible scholar geza vermes thinks the first to chapters of matthew are based on a hebrew folktale. bluffs are many in “bible-land”, and cynical exploiters are many, many. it should help to get rid of the bluffs and stand firm.
matthew’s account of the nativity – the basis of all christmas celebrations – appears in a quite different light when it is considered as the product of a particular jewish linguistic, literary and religious context (vermes 2010:87).
try not to get burdened in such matters, but handle things well: you are not obliged to furnish the evidence if you do not claim something. where no good evidence is given, try to keep the claims or issues in suspense (at bay) at the very least. that is, do not settle on conclusions or gulp up opinions of others based on “presentation farting” or worse, for such a nasty road leads into folly faith, sheepish adjustments and worse in some cases. the bible does not say there were three wise men or where they came from. moreover, there is no mention in the bible of such a return visit that yogananda speaks of. also, the teachings of jesus do not give any particular evidence of influence from outside the jewish faith – from such a mental universe. the new testament was written much closer in time to the events, so it is part of the “game” to check it, too. neither jesus nor acts nor letter-writing apostles said anything at all about him going further abroad than to egypt with his parents, although the gospels do not agree fully with each other on that one.
jesus in buddhist tibet at a time when buddhism had not arrived there, is it really more credible than jesus walking on water?
there is something wrong with a tale that purports to be true when the facts do not follow suit: consider, for example, that tibetans at the time of jesus were no buddhists. buddhism arrived in tibet only hundreds of years later, and the story which yogananda draws on, tells of documents about jesus visiting buddhist monasteries in tibet when there were none. are we facing a tragic soup?
❋ duping for gains is not much to boast of, and not classy.
when other hindu swamis tell about the same tale as yogananda in the matter, do many similar claims without fit evidence make one proof? i think not. it does not matter who claim it, so long as they do not furnish promising evidence. and it is foolish to make drivel a matter of faith. believe as little as you can, and you will be taken in less in the long run. that could be good for mankind. and you should be allowed to inspect and think your own thoughts. everybody should be allowed that.
in the work early teachings of swami satyananda saraswati, there are recordings from a satsanga (gathering, class) [satyananda 1988:100-110] he held with prospective teachers of his line of yoga. satyananda renders among other things that “in india some people say that the story of christ is actually the story of krishna which must have emigrated from india to the middle east.” note that “some people” is too loose to count as any valid reference if nothing more is added.
“christ was crucified on the cross, but he did not die … the soldiers came and put a spear into his body. in the bible it is written, “. . . and the water flowed out.” … it means to say christ was not dead, because water or blood does not flow from a dead body.
so, christ was not dead when they took him off the cross.
since traditional christianity is due to those disciples and the holy spirit working through them, it seems a bit off the mark to say jesus wasted his time on them. but who knows? and if he travelled away from there only to die from his wounds and strenuous travels another place, his purported travel to kashmir was worse than a waste of time, for that matter.
so far, apart from unfounded claims and stands at odds with the new testament’s message in such matters, the stories of satyananda and many others suffer from lack of fit documentation. the japanese story has there was authentic documentation until the last world war, and that what is left now, after the bombing of tokyo, are the copied documents.
be that as it may, some people get problems from being told a lot to accept by blind believing, and what if satyananda and yogananda work to make jesus “their own” somehow by putting the bible’s jesus into some hindu frames of reference? an counter-demagogy tale – such as a jesus-visited-svalbard tale, could come in handy here, and why not a japanese twist to things too, for balance? it surely is not wise to get many to believe a tell-tale without evidence, you have a following, and so much the worse for them – and probably for yourself in the long, long run, in a karmic perspective.
opinions are many and may differ a lot; facts may be few and far between; and what is presented as “facts of yesterday” often gets disputed and gradually abandoned among scholars and scientists as well. it should naturally be reckoned with.
we have two references to christ in indian books. one is in the ancient records of nalanda university … the university had an enormous library containing hundreds of thousands of texts which was destroyed once … and again by the hindus. twice it was burned to the ground and thousands of ancient texts were lost.
in the quotation above, satyananda gets towards being specific, but he is not quite there. a fit reference makes it possible for others to look up in the referred-to sources and look for themselves.
satyananda goes on to tell that jesus went back to jerusalem and preached what he had learnt in india, but that the people there did not understand him and crucified him. [satyananda 1988:108] now scholars tell that jesus did not teach anything that lies outside the jewish culture. and maybe he got crucified because the jewish leaders did understand him, and dealt with him according to a law of moses for jews. that’s in the bible.
nalanda – ancient texts tell that on his travels buddha often halted at this place. nalanda in time became an international buddhist centre of education and learning equivalent to modern universities, and with a very rich library. located in in bihar, india, it flourished between 427 and 1197 ce, long after the birth of jesus. so how jesus came across buddhist ethics in nalanda, must remain one more undisclosed “fluffy claim” for now.
nalanda, at any rate, was one of the world’s first centres of learning that had dormitories for students. and its library, known as dharma gunj (mountain of truth) or dharmaganja (treasury of truth), was renowned. a vast amount of what came to comprise tibetan buddhism, both its mahayana sutras traditions and its vajrayana traditions, stems from the late (800s-1100s) nalanda teachers and traditions.
ruins remain, and the place is a world heritage site.
singapore, china, india, japan, and other nations have announced a proposed plan to restore and revive the ancient site as nalanda international university.
again, there is no place in the bible where jesus teaches outside of the jewish faith, so look on the “strong support” that yogananda speaks about, with much calm. do the records of belief that yogananda speaks of exist? the stand of most scholars in the matter seems to be this: there is no generally accepted evidence around that jesus spent eighteen years in india and tibet.
❋ it is recognised to be widely better to refrain from blind belief than to submit to “claim authority” and blunderbuss sayings.
now ask for evidence for yogananda’s claims. note how he props up his tale-telling by “authoritatively known”, “high metaphysicians”, “great sages”, and such means. if unsubstantiated, they form part of demagogy. one of yogananda’s durable errors in america was going for impressing audiences without sticking to tenable evidence, and here is an example.
did they and do they? and where is the evidence? there is more about that crucial issue further down. unsubstantiated claims does not solve the matter well. besides, it is all right to ask for facts and go for facts without getting swollen, and warm talk of india can be in its place too. but there are limits to many things.
❋ stick to rational handling instead of getting caught by credibility play at any rate.
yogananda’s book the yoga of jesus contains extracted parts of his massive two-volumed the second coming of christ. in it we are told in a note that “india’s spiritual influence extended not only west, but east.” strictly speaking, buddhism spread far and wide into pakistan, afghanistan, tibet, china korea and japan, for example, while and hinduism expanded eastward as far as java.
the publishers also cite a professor singhal who claims that ancient american cultures were of asian origin, and that this is seen from the monuments, hieroglyphs, and institutions of america. “the traces of hindu-buddhist influence in mexico . . . correspond in kind precisely to those cultural elements which were introduced by buddhist monks and hindu priests in southeast asia,” dr singhal thinks. and much depends on the seeing eye (read: mind).
comment. buddhism spread throughout central asia and east asia. the said connection to ancient american culture is embraced by dr. gauri mahulikar in his effects of ramayana on various cultures and civilizations, but i find substantial evidence to be meagre if it is there at all. all will probably not be well with mankind if we refrain from speculation, massive speculation, and unfounded dogmatism, but some things may get better, actually. [◦link].
there have also been efforts to support a thesis that the chinese discovered and explored the western united states hundreds of years before norsemen came to its eastern parts around 1000 ad – at a time when buddhism influence was growing in china.
comment. speaking of gnosticism, “it now seems clear that traces of gnostic systems can be discerned some centuries before the christian era. [wikipedia]” predating jesus christ, gnosticism existed in the mediterranean and middle east in the second and third centuries. there was a syrian-egyptian school of gnosticism and a persian gnostic school. the hebrew cabbalists took many core gnostic ideas and used them to reinterpret earlier jewish sources according to this new foreign influence.
i have not found any claims of indian influences on gnosticism in other academic sources than dr potter’s claims. the encyclopaedia britannica, for example, informs that gnosticism drew from and influenced in turn many traditional religions. it was diverse as to theology, ethics, and ritual, and thus defies strict classification. “the origins of the gnostic world view have been sought by scholars in the dualism of iranian religion, the allegorical idealism of the middle platonic philosophers, and the apocalypticism of certain jewish mystics. there are analogies also with egyptian and mesopotamian thought.” thus, the alleged indian influences on gnosticism that srf cherishes, is not part of current, main thinking about it.
in conclusion so far, it appears that the srf editors have chosen to quote persons with a definitive bias for the sake of propping up yogananda’s sayings on this and that, citing a lot when convenient, but without being well in line with mainstream scholarship in the fields in question, and far from furnishing ample and good evidence. it may mount up to a prop-up kind of biased plot, i feel. i think we get a truer presentation of gnosticism in the two encyclopaedias wikipedia and britannica, for one thing.
❋ a fit informational presentation is not greatly biased, and does not have the bottom attitude of defending any cherished leader’s views without considering evidence and materials that go against his or her dictums.
now, what do you prefer, have someone pinch your nose or be misguided? in any case you should know how to defend yourself for your own thriving. against being misguided by imposing figures that become authority figures in cults and the like, we must learn to “believe not, but make sure”. asking for top-notch evidence is a fine way towards making sure. for the lack of these few mental self-defence stands, many succumb to tall tales and demagogy.
we will look into the evidence that jesus was in india from his puberty till about three years before the crucifixion. what proper and fit evidence do we have?
the source of much novel rumour that jesus went to india is a book by the russian nicolas notovitch, who in his time was exposed as a fraud. he published ◦the unknown life of christ, which is said to be a travelogue of a trip through india, into kashmir, eventually reaching ladakh in tibet. at ladakh a lama allegedly informs him that jesus, under the name issa, is known to some tibetan buddhists. notovitch goes on to tell that an ancient manuscript was read to him about issa-jesus going to india to study the vedas and buddhism. jesus stirred up a caste war and had to leave india. he left and preached against zoroastrianism in persia – all according to notovitch.
the orientalist max müller sent a letter to the monastery where notovitch had claimed to have made the discovery, and they disavowed any knowledge of such a manuscript. the head of the hemis community at ladakh even signed a document that denounced notovitch as an outright liar.
no authentic hindu or buddhist text from that period references jesus or any of the events described in notovitch.
jesus is placed by notovitch in circumstances or settings that plainly were not there. for one thing, tibetans were not converted to buddhism till many hundreds of years later.
for a manuscript about jesus in india to be convincing, it would have to have at least the same quality as the new testament scrolls, and be written close to the events they report on. for the lack of such a document, is it wise to base one’s faith on something that has as little evidential support as notovitch’s?
the name issa is islamic for jesus, and as such was not used before the 700s ce.
dare to think that notovitch’s unknown life of jesus was a hoax.
❋ to study all the most weighty evidence before you conclude in a matter, reveals proficiency, which is needed for handling life too.
hefty and repeated claims that jesus travelled through india in his youth has appeared in many books and websites. the story took off after the russian scholar and orientalist nicolai notovitch in 1894 published a book where he claimed to have discovered monastery texts showing that jesus had travelled through india and tibet during his teens and early twenties. this view has recently been taken up by the german holger kersten in jesus lived in india [which i don’t consider worth reading on the basis of “many “if’s” don’t make proofs”].
in 1887 notovitch came to kashmir during one of several journeys to the orient. at the zoji-la pass notovitch was a guest in a buddhist monastery, where a monk told him of the bodhisattva saint called “issa”, who died and was buried in a tomb in kashmir itself.
however, the monastery jesus allegedly is to have studied at in india, was not built until the 1500s, and there is no independent evidence confirming the story.
maybe notovitch’s unknown life of jesus was fictional: intimidated by a refutation by the highly esteemed f. max müller, notovitch backed down and changed his story, he began to back-pedal.
not only max muller, but also j. archibald douglas, and ◦edgar j. goodspeed have all refuted the legend. below are details.
❋ tales and legends that are repeated in a culture, may or may not have a historical basis. tales in themselves offer little proof – for they need to be substantiated. and this pertains to the said tomb of jesus in kashmir too. as long as good documentation or evidence is lacking, duck! (keep such a faith item well away from yourself even if it is played, as not all play is fair play).
in october 1894 the great orientalist max müller, editor of the epoch-making sacred books of the east, published a refutation of notovitch in the nineteenth century, a scholarly review. he shared a letter (june 29, 1894) from an english woman who had visited leh in ladakh, including the hemis lamasery, where she checked out notovitch’s story. she reported that, according to the abbot, “there is not a single word of truth in the whole story! there has been no russian here. no one has been taken into the seminary for the past fifty years with a broken leg! there is no life of christ there at all!” [goodspeed, p. 11].
among other things muller also questioned the great liberty notovitch took in editing and arranging the alleged verses. muller said this is something no reputable scholar would have done.
j. archibald douglas, professor at government college in agra, india, took a three-month vacation from the college and retraced notovitch’s steps at the himis monastery. he published an account of his journey in the nineteenth century (june 1895), the bulk of which reproduced an interview with the chief lama of the monastery. the lama said he had been chief lama for 15 years, which means he would have been the chief lama during notovitch’s alleged visit. the lama asserted that during these 15 years, no european with a broken leg had ever sought refuge at the monastery.
the interview was written down and witnessed by the lama, douglas, and the interpreter, and on june 3, 1895, was stamped with the official seal of the lama.
however, several people have gone to hemis, where several monks purportedly have confirmed that the documents alleged by notovitch existed. such takes are far from official, though, compared to the attested or verified ones.
well. . . the credibility of the life of saint issa by notovitch was damaged by douglas’s investigation. yet notovitch’s book was printed again in 1926 by an american publisher. and it was discredited once again by ◦goodspeed’s book of 1931, called strange new gospels. in it, he describes the rise and fall of notovitch’s claims in the decade following the publication of his book. he outlines how it was rejected by the academic community at the time too.
did jesus visit tibet? well, as said above, it is possible, assertions are many, but there is little significant evidence that has come down to us.
“anything is possible, but what is probable?” – f.c. baur.
in yogananda’s society, members greatly believe in him, so when the leader and his later management teach that jesus went to india or that the book “the life of issa” is a true story, they believe it, and may refuse to think otherwise and twice. that could perhaps be expected of cult lowers.
at last he reached the pass, and in the ladak city, leh, he was received with favour by the monks, the merchants, and the men of low estate.
buddhism did not take hold in tibet until the reign of srong tsen gampo, middle of the seventh century. there was no buddhist temple in lhasa when jesus was alive.
the first buddhist monastery in tibet, leh, was built in 637-647 ad.
yogananda did not disprove notovitch’s story, which was disproved even when notovitch was alive … the guru is biased, out of key with scholars, and definitely keen on allying jesus with gurus. he was surrounded by very gullible people.
❋ ladakh buddhist temples did not exist at the time of jesus, no matter what tales notovitch and his champions tell about them.
there are tibetan treasures about mantrayanic meditation and aligned tantra practices and so on, but notovitch-stories are not among them, i figure.
❋ when an authority figure like the guru of self-realization fellowship vouches for a hoax, many followers succumb to authoritarian-based indoctrination with its possible “cult-enhancing dumbening”.
yogananda recounts made-up stories, presenting them as true. such doings are not marks of a gentleman, and seldom good enough. how wrong can it be when his fellowship adds to the misery by an attitude that comes to the fore in a recently notarised letter, that they find no fault with his guidelines and that his wisdom flawless? such a pitiful stand is a hallmark of a cult, and not proper among scientists.
yogananda definitely vouches for a hoax book of notovitch, and draws on it. but we should not, for the sake of fairness.
❋ yogananda – monastic leaders of his cult regrettably claim his guidelines are infallible. that makes matters much worse. groggy ones are easily mislead. and you cannot afford to be made groggy, can you?
weighing evidence is rather easy, once you get to know how and get used to it. try to deal with each key issue first, and as even-handedly as you are up to.
first, assemble the points that you find worth considering, and try to be fair when you choose them. include both pros and cons. formulate each of the points as an assertive statement.
consider what proof you have gathered. keep proof-gathering open-ended; you may include more later. master the common, initial mental scanning of sources. go for sources where authors have great credentials. they are often found among doctors, ph.d.s, and professors. their works are published in reputable books and journals, for example university publishers. there are lots of others. see what critics have said about the books too. the “good guys” seek to be unbiased, gather relevant and valid information, and may also (try to) keep it interesting.
go toward the key sources if that is possible, and discern among them. that is helpful too, in some circumstances, if you can afford it.
to weigh the points you come up with and select above all the rest, you can mark such statements on a likert scale (by a set of responses, for example five). it is far better than the emotionally meagre “yes or no” alternatives. you can easily use five alternative ways of responding, and number them. you may help the weighing by looking at the palm of your hand and think “5 for thumb up”, “4 for the index finger”, “3 for the middle finger”, and so on.
note that “3” (middle finger) is what is called ahem, hum, of two minds, neutral, unsettled, ambivalent too perhaps, and that the forefinger (index finger) means “yes”, and the thumb means “oh yes, indeed!” (a strong affirmative response).
here is an example. form the statements so that the “yes” side is consistently either of pros or cons in any of them; such structuring makes the weighing easier. by studying the information available to you where you are, you may then set up weighing lists too.
there are no old texts of “jesus in tibet” available. unsettled – there are rumours.
the following example shows the same weighing by bars.
figure 1. bar chart of five tentatively weighed points.
if you get proficient in “using your fingers” to refine your responses to a lot of things from the somewhat crude “yes-no” to a five-partitioned way of responding, the chances are you may handle life better, eventually.
the five points or statements are thus responded to by marking off the most appropriate stands you muster along the vertical lines. it should work far better than just wincing from the delicate problems involved for cult members, for example.
i think my total score – suming up the allotted weights of the five grouped statements – is about 22 points, but not (5 x 5 = 25) points. whether i keep my judgement (evaluation) to myself as a private matter or speak of it, is my own business, through freedom of thought and so on. if i have settled on a conclusion, i prefer to remain open to forthcoming evidence that goes against what i have settled on so far.
if i get 20 points, i am affirmative – in this case i think it is a fraud and a hoax, but i don’t swear it is. i do not have to conclude things in public, but i tend towards debunking yogananda’s claims in this matter.
if my total score is 15 points – five middle fingers in average – i am unsettled, and do well in refraining from concluding in any way, for such as health reasons. the lesson of keeping issues in suspense, unsettled, is ofter underrated. it is much valuable. it is better than being made a victim of odd beliefs also. and bear in mind: the burden of proof is on the one who claims a thing – yogananda and his publishing fellowship in the example. satyananda’s publishers in the quite similar case further above.
if you get 10 or 5 points, you may dislike rational handling. try to relax and think twice to improve on your future. be sincere with yourself and the data, as “sincerity will save you,” said yogananda. “honesty may help you further” is another pretty-looking saying, but learn to take care and handle things well also.
i have tried to show how to make up your own mind about a certain book – a hoax book, i figure. add your points and divide by five (in this case), to see your average. if you get more than 20 points, on the whole you affirm that in your judgement the book is not reliable.
also, take a deeper look into the scores that deviate much from your had average, and see if there is anything you can do in such matters, and try to find out whether such activity is called for. maybe it is, maybe it is not.
the next step is to compare your sincere, personal evaluation with such as yogananda’s assertions on top of the notovitch book and other poorly substantiated or wholly undocumented claims. note what his documentation is, and be just. unlike a lama and various experts, he does not debunk the notovitch book. nor does he comment on the unhistorical, untrue buddhist monasteries in the book. nor is he alarmed that notovitch changed his story. instead yogananda makes use of it to support dangerous claims – dangerous because they are so very inadequately substantiated, and his publishing fellowship wants others to belive his teachings are gospel truth, if not above it. but the notovitch book and claims based on it are hardly good evidence among scholars.
what else goes into it when a guru that is claimed to be an avatar (divine incarnation) and the like, states that his good source of information is his intuition? intuition may be right or wrong – it shows up if you check the intuitions. for example, much of yogananda’s claimed, intuitive understanding of the rubaiyat looks clownish and more than suspect. the evidence that he “swims in dangerous and deep water” about his claims there, is in the little collection just referred to.
❋ reclaim your rationality if the guru or his cult has violated it, since much is at stake for your future fare if you renounce a rational mind far and wide and get subjected to gross lies or hearsay. further, if you are not helped by such pinpointing as on this site, you can seek other things that assist you on and up, since “there are many roads to rome”.
berzin, alexander. the history of the early period of buddhism and bon in tibet. the berzin archives, 1996. online.
satyananda saraswati, swami. early teachings of swami satyananda saraswati. paperback ed. munger, bihar: bihar school of yoga, 1988.
vermes, geza.the authentic gospel of jesus. london: penguin, 2005.
yogananda, paramahansa. man’s eternal quest. new ed. los angeles: self-realization fellowship, 1982.
yogananda, paramahansa. sayings of paramahansa yogananda. 4th ed. los angeles: self-realization fellowship, 1980.
yogananda, paramahansa. the second coming of christ: the resurrection of the christ within you. 2 vols. 1st ed. los angeles: self-realization fellowship, 2004.
yogananda, paramahansa. the yoga of jesus: understanding the hidden teachings of the gospels. los angeles: self-realization fellowship, 2007.
yogananda, paramhansa. the master said. los angeles, ca: self-realization fellowship, 1952.
edwards, william d., md; wesley j. gabel, mdiv; floyd e. hosmer, ms, ami. “study on the physical death of jesus: section 7: “death of jesus.” jama 1986;255:1455-1463). online.
dr tom j. chalko phd. tomb of jesus in shingo village (herai) in japan: the song reveals the truth. 1997-98. online.
you like it? click it!
good gracious! what assumptions we make and later realise rather late that other possibilities existed even then but our pre-experience assumption delayed our understanding.
while scrolling in one of those fb account that i chanced upon a post which elicited a sense of revolt at post facto misuse of one’s image!
i wanted to like it. that was an urine urge, a need to express but can’t be done openly, unless that post was on my ‘friends’ wall!
the wall owner was not known to me. would that be ok? or would be it like an uninvited barge? a guest tolerated out of the civil magnanimity which sets in as one social climbs!
click! i saw mutual friends!
i liked it! i made that the pretext to click ‘like’.
the deed was done? but something was rankling, how could that person be ‘mutual’ when i do not know that person?
fb suggests that the friend is a friend of both the watcher and the watched!
wow! what a way to flatter an unknown person to be packaged as a ‘friend’!
i am still reeling under the linguistic opportunism grabbed by the ever vigilant business sense of the fb team.
thank you sj, seen, read and illusioned! there was no such word till i contacted and meaninged it!
that was six years since i quit virtual poker!
the game was introduced to me by my son, who had by then run up a healthy 50,000$ to his credit. having a greater credit of those virtual dollars allowed one an access to rooms where the stakes were high.
david’s preference of functions over structures!
and saul armed david with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail.39 and david girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. and david said unto saul, i cannot go with these; for i have not proved them. and david put them off him.
the excerpted verses above are from i samuel chapter 17 verses 38-40.
the nascent greatness of king david comes out in these three verses. he was forced to shepherding the few sheep of his father and relegated to a job not to his liking. that he did an exemplary job of it, is more because he undertook the role as a protector of the ‘few sheep’ quite seriously, and in the process acquired skills which made him battle-worthy. his courage was not the offspring of his skills, but vice versa!
i believe that to sustain his courage, he has to stand alone and defend. therefore he acquired those skills. skills of slinging and fighting with wild animals.
neither his father nor his brothers knew or recognised his skills.
when the need arose none, mind you, none other, could convince abner or saul of his skill to match the might of goliath , except david.
david proves that he could sling, with accuracy, intensity and without loss of time. the three essential ingredients to defeat goliath.
david saw in goliath what the veterans like saul and abner couldn’t see.
goliath’s missile based weapon was a heavy spear. the rest were all dog-fight weapons. but david himself had a sling, which was missile based. he could strike from a distance and if accurate and intense, the results would be imminent. he got it right.
david’s greatest challenge was to refuse the sword, the brass helmet and the coat of mail of saul!
to be recognised by the king itself is a great challenge, with his brothers belittling him, his challenge was aggravated. in these circumstances he succeeds in convincing the army chief and the king.
saul after testing his skills, makes david wear his own armour- a man of lesser mettle, to please the king would have acquiesced!
the armour, helmet and the sword encumbered his skills!
that recognition coupled with a courage to refuse the accoutrements of the rank holders in the army was his greatness. it was not a refusal to show that he was great with a sling , but a realisation that he should not encumber himself with structures which would hamper his skills!
david gently and tactfully rejects the armour of saul, not an easy task!
david says : i cannot go with these; for i have not proved them. and david put them off him.
the result was of epic proportions. david made goliath, in the english language a symbol of enormity.
david proved that skill based functions should not be hampered by unsuited structures!
the bamboo was wondering why god made it so different?
god said, “stop questioning me. do you know what the banyans go through? do you know how many survive to rise to that level as the one you know? talk not of things you cannot understand! live and ask for fulfilment of your legitimate aspirations, not comparitive possibilities which arise out of your opportunities!
hector’s true tragedy was that he visualised his own defeat and andromache being enslaved. as a warrior he never had a role to be a prophet. he reconciled to his lost cause much before he took up the challenge. may be there was a justification to his death, but he had no business to foresee that eventuality. eventualities are to be gone through, but not to be pondered upon! hector had embedded the app of death & defeat into his consciousness and that beckoned him to a cause for which he was neither prepared in resources or belief!


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Personalised, beautifully designed, eco-friendly gifts that will grow vibrant flowers to remind your guests of your special day long after the date!
Please let us know your names and the date of your wedding for the front of your packets. Minimum order for personalised packets is 10 packets, with a delivery time of 3-4 weeks. Please contact us for prices on larger orders.
Beautifully designed and very high quality packets of specially selected wild flower seeds that bees (and butterflies) will love. The seeds produce a delightful selection of wild flowers that will help to save our busy bees. Whether you live in the country or the city you can sow these seeds in gardens, window boxes or any open spaces. By doing this you'll be directly helping to save the bees by providing plants rich in pollen and nectar that these wonderful insects need to thrive. All our seeds are free from pesticides and insecticides.
Contains seeds for Cornflower, Corn Marigold, Corn Poppy, Corn Chamomile and others.

lowercased:
personalised, beautifully designed, eco-friendly gifts that will grow vibrant flowers to remind your guests of your special day long after the date!
please let us know your names and the date of your wedding for the front of your packets. minimum order for personalised packets is 10 packets, with a delivery time of 3-4 weeks. please contact us for prices on larger orders.
beautifully designed and very high quality packets of specially selected wild flower seeds that bees (and butterflies) will love. the seeds produce a delightful selection of wild flowers that will help to save our busy bees. whether you live in the country or the city you can sow these seeds in gardens, window boxes or any open spaces. by doing this you'll be directly helping to save the bees by providing plants rich in pollen and nectar that these wonderful insects need to thrive. all our seeds are free from pesticides and insecticides.
contains seeds for cornflower, corn marigold, corn poppy, corn chamomile and others.


text:
The St. Bonaventure Women's Organization embraces all women of the Parish. We currently focus on Spiritual, Outreach and Social interests. Our Spiritual and Outreach Mission is to lend a helping hand to members of our Parish and neighboring community. Our Social focus is to organize events and outings for the Parish community.
If you have any questions regarding this ministry please contact Julie Ritter at ritter.a.julie@gmail.com.

lowercased:
the st. bonaventure women's organization embraces all women of the parish. we currently focus on spiritual, outreach and social interests. our spiritual and outreach mission is to lend a helping hand to members of our parish and neighboring community. our social focus is to organize events and outings for the parish community.
if you have any questions regarding this ministry please contact julie ritter at ritter.a.julie@gmail.com.


text:
It's been great working with landscape architects Gustafson Porter Bowman and environmentalist Gary Grant to provide wildlife support on an enormous 300m long retaining wall to the rail lands of the Stratford International Quarter, adjacent to Queen Elizabeth Park.
The wall will have indigenous climbing plants trained up it with various holes, voids and crevices to act as roosting, nesting or overwintering sites for a range of species including snails, spiders, beetles, bees, birds and bats. habi-sabi bat boxes, bird boxes and bee/bug hotels supplements these opportunities and provide additional support in the early years as the plants establish. Probably the most valuable type of wall for biodiversity is a dry stone wall as the open joints and voids provide refuges for wildlife. Although it is not feasible to create a dry stone wall at the required scale, the chosen formwork provides some of the crevices and voids typically found in a dry stone wall. As the plants cover the wall they will create secluded spaces with a more stable microclimate. Exposed spots, without vegetation, will receive the warmth of the sun, which may provide conditions suitable for mining bees and roosting bats.
The habi-sabi design with customized split battens gave the whole team confidence that secure fixings could be made wherever needed along the wall, despite its organic irregularity. The Reckli moulds were cast from an existing drystone wall in Yorkshire in 9m non repeating sections. The first habi-sabi were fitted early December 2016 with a rolling programme for the duration of the construction programme through spring 2017 to take advantage of in situ scaffolding.

lowercased:
it's been great working with landscape architects gustafson porter bowman and environmentalist gary grant to provide wildlife support on an enormous 300m long retaining wall to the rail lands of the stratford international quarter, adjacent to queen elizabeth park.
the wall will have indigenous climbing plants trained up it with various holes, voids and crevices to act as roosting, nesting or overwintering sites for a range of species including snails, spiders, beetles, bees, birds and bats. habi-sabi bat boxes, bird boxes and bee/bug hotels supplements these opportunities and provide additional support in the early years as the plants establish. probably the most valuable type of wall for biodiversity is a dry stone wall as the open joints and voids provide refuges for wildlife. although it is not feasible to create a dry stone wall at the required scale, the chosen formwork provides some of the crevices and voids typically found in a dry stone wall. as the plants cover the wall they will create secluded spaces with a more stable microclimate. exposed spots, without vegetation, will receive the warmth of the sun, which may provide conditions suitable for mining bees and roosting bats.
the habi-sabi design with customized split battens gave the whole team confidence that secure fixings could be made wherever needed along the wall, despite its organic irregularity. the reckli moulds were cast from an existing drystone wall in yorkshire in 9m non repeating sections. the first habi-sabi were fitted early december 2016 with a rolling programme for the duration of the construction programme through spring 2017 to take advantage of in situ scaffolding.


text:
Jennifer Crichton - Kidneigh & Kaufman, P.C.
Since starting her legal career, Jenny Crichton has been devoted to helping injured victims and their families. Jenny has worked as an attorney for the firm since 2006, successfully litigating cases in both state and federal court, and obtaining millions of dollars in settlements on behalf of her clients.
Jenny was born and raised in the Denver metro area, graduating from Heritage High School in Littleton. She went on to graduate from the University of Colorado in Boulder in 2003, and then obtained her law degree from the University of Denver in 2006. She loves the Denver metro area and her friends and family, which is why she’s never left.
Joining Kidneigh & Kaufman, P.C.
As the daughter of founding partner Steve Kaufman, Jenny had worked at Kidneigh & Kaufman since she was just a teenager. While working at the firm, she got to see first-hand how personal injury attorneys can help people through some of their most difficult times. She also was able to see how her dad was able to zealously and successfully represent his clients against insurance companies and corporations and how passionate he was about his work. After graduating from law school, Jenny decided to follow her father into the family business where she could work with her dad helping injury victims. Jenny works on all types of personal injury cases, including car accidents, motorcycle accidents, trucking accidents, uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) claims, bad faith, slip and falls, premises liability, products liability, and medical malpractice. She is a member of the Denver Bar Association (DBA0, the Colorado Bar Association (CBA), the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association (CTLA), and the American Association for Justice (AAJ).
Jenny is very talented and passionate about personal injury cases involving minors, especially babies and young children. Jenny feels that minors deserve a voice when injured and she is wholly devoted to helping them and their families through the process. She has successfully resolved minor’s cases involving birth injuries, motor vehicle accidents, severe burns, and traumatic falls. The majority of minor’s settlements must be approved by the Court and Jenny has significant experience with drafting minor settlement agreements and pleadings for the Court.
Not only is Jenny a busy attorney, but she is an even busier mom of three young children. When she’s not at the office, Jenny is most likely driving one of her kids to a game, picking them up from a friend’s, or helping them with their schoolwork. She and her husband, Charlie (who is also a partner at Kidneigh & Kaufman), love spending time together with their kids outdoors and in the mountains. Whenever she has time to herself, which isn’t often, Jenny enjoys reading and watching her favorite television shows.

lowercased:
jennifer crichton - kidneigh & kaufman, p.c.
since starting her legal career, jenny crichton has been devoted to helping injured victims and their families. jenny has worked as an attorney for the firm since 2006, successfully litigating cases in both state and federal court, and obtaining millions of dollars in settlements on behalf of her clients.
jenny was born and raised in the denver metro area, graduating from heritage high school in littleton. she went on to graduate from the university of colorado in boulder in 2003, and then obtained her law degree from the university of denver in 2006. she loves the denver metro area and her friends and family, which is why she’s never left.
joining kidneigh & kaufman, p.c.
as the daughter of founding partner steve kaufman, jenny had worked at kidneigh & kaufman since she was just a teenager. while working at the firm, she got to see first-hand how personal injury attorneys can help people through some of their most difficult times. she also was able to see how her dad was able to zealously and successfully represent his clients against insurance companies and corporations and how passionate he was about his work. after graduating from law school, jenny decided to follow her father into the family business where she could work with her dad helping injury victims. jenny works on all types of personal injury cases, including car accidents, motorcycle accidents, trucking accidents, uninsured/underinsured motorist (um/uim) claims, bad faith, slip and falls, premises liability, products liability, and medical malpractice. she is a member of the denver bar association (dba0, the colorado bar association (cba), the colorado trial lawyers association (ctla), and the american association for justice (aaj).
jenny is very talented and passionate about personal injury cases involving minors, especially babies and young children. jenny feels that minors deserve a voice when injured and she is wholly devoted to helping them and their families through the process. she has successfully resolved minor’s cases involving birth injuries, motor vehicle accidents, severe burns, and traumatic falls. the majority of minor’s settlements must be approved by the court and jenny has significant experience with drafting minor settlement agreements and pleadings for the court.
not only is jenny a busy attorney, but she is an even busier mom of three young children. when she’s not at the office, jenny is most likely driving one of her kids to a game, picking them up from a friend’s, or helping them with their schoolwork. she and her husband, charlie (who is also a partner at kidneigh & kaufman), love spending time together with their kids outdoors and in the mountains. whenever she has time to herself, which isn’t often, jenny enjoys reading and watching her favorite television shows.


text:
Somewhere between CAH and MASH, between Madlibs and Tarot, between The Game of Life and any semblance of actual life– there proudly stands Life Judge.
Life Judge is a narrative building party game that uses group consensus as it’s major gameplay tool. In Life Judge, players live hypothetical lives where they can pursue whatever they want, and the group determines the limits of possibility.
We’ve officially cancelled our campaign (to be revived in a few months). That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy this slice of Life Judge heaven.
Come play at 5:30 at Rascal Bar in LA. 801 S. La Brea!
And check us out on Beer and Board Games– Live now on Youtube!
Subscribe to our mailing list to keep up with the latest Life Judge amazingness!
Find us on instagram and facebook. The instagram is particularly fun.

lowercased:
somewhere between cah and mash, between madlibs and tarot, between the game of life and any semblance of actual life– there proudly stands life judge.
life judge is a narrative building party game that uses group consensus as it’s major gameplay tool. in life judge, players live hypothetical lives where they can pursue whatever they want, and the group determines the limits of possibility.
we’ve officially cancelled our campaign (to be revived in a few months). that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy this slice of life judge heaven.
come play at 5:30 at rascal bar in la. 801 s. la brea!
and check us out on beer and board games– live now on youtube!
subscribe to our mailing list to keep up with the latest life judge amazingness!
find us on instagram and facebook. the instagram is particularly fun.


text:
"We had Jason James out to look over our 14 year old McAfee furnace and AC, what a wealth of info this guy is. Did not try to sell us anything, but had all the low down on our furnace and ac. Thanks Jason..."
"I have used McAfee for a number of years and have always been pleased with their service and staff. They are clean, courteous and efficient. Thank you."
"Jason just left after completing my semi annual maintenance check on my furnace and air conditioner . He did a great job and let me know both units are aging and suggested I think about replacing them. I have had a comfort club agreement with McAfee for years and they have always done a great job!"
"The comfort club is a good benefit with a spring reminder for air conditioning check up and a fall reminder for a furnace check up. Technician (Jason) called ahead, arrived on time, on task and took time to discuss benefits of a humidifier with no sales pressure."
"Brian and Tyler cleaned our air ducts today, and they did an outstanding job. They were very professional, congenial and knowledgable. We will call on your company for future service."
"Jason was the technician who came to our home when we were without heat on a very cold day. He gave us options and was very informative on the current issue and brought to our attention on why it happened. He even took pictures that he shared with us while explaining the issue. We really valued this considering past technicians from other companies through the years have done things without giving us a heads up- and then slapping a paper in front of us when it was all done with an outrageous price that was due right then and there-and leaving is feeling completely taken advantage of. This is NOT now we felt at all with Jason- if anything, we were impressed by him caring about what we were comfortable paying- and still tried to make it lower by offering(not pushing) the Comfort Gold plan where you get system maintenance 2x a year and 30% on all repairs- as well as no service call fees. And to top it off, he was very respectful to our young child, allowed our dogs to get comfortable with him when he first came in, and he made sure he had covers around his shoes anytime he was in our home. We’re overall very pleased and would highly recommend Jason from McAfee! *also a shout out to Chris in customer service for his kindness that was also appreciated!"
"Jason was very knowledgeable and efficient. He thoroughly explained everything and offered a few constructive suggestions. He found the problem and fixed it. Thank you, Jason. I am happy that I chose McAfee."
"I appreciate your knowledge and professionalism. Thank-you for catching an on going problem with my furnace that had missed by Watkins for many service calls. You have diverted a potential expense failure of the furnace. Thank-you Brian and Tyler for your great work!! Nancy H."
"Brian and Roe came out last week to clean air ducts in my condo. They were on time and did a nice job. Brian answered my questions and advised that my existing furnace filter should be bigger and gave me the exact size I should use. I like that they wore shoe covers inside and vacuumed loose debris around the indoor furnace before leaving. I will continue to use McAfee in the future and highly recommend them to others."

lowercased:
"we had jason james out to look over our 14 year old mcafee furnace and ac, what a wealth of info this guy is. did not try to sell us anything, but had all the low down on our furnace and ac. thanks jason..."
"i have used mcafee for a number of years and have always been pleased with their service and staff. they are clean, courteous and efficient. thank you."
"jason just left after completing my semi annual maintenance check on my furnace and air conditioner . he did a great job and let me know both units are aging and suggested i think about replacing them. i have had a comfort club agreement with mcafee for years and they have always done a great job!"
"the comfort club is a good benefit with a spring reminder for air conditioning check up and a fall reminder for a furnace check up. technician (jason) called ahead, arrived on time, on task and took time to discuss benefits of a humidifier with no sales pressure."
"brian and tyler cleaned our air ducts today, and they did an outstanding job. they were very professional, congenial and knowledgable. we will call on your company for future service."
"jason was the technician who came to our home when we were without heat on a very cold day. he gave us options and was very informative on the current issue and brought to our attention on why it happened. he even took pictures that he shared with us while explaining the issue. we really valued this considering past technicians from other companies through the years have done things without giving us a heads up- and then slapping a paper in front of us when it was all done with an outrageous price that was due right then and there-and leaving is feeling completely taken advantage of. this is not now we felt at all with jason- if anything, we were impressed by him caring about what we were comfortable paying- and still tried to make it lower by offering(not pushing) the comfort gold plan where you get system maintenance 2x a year and 30% on all repairs- as well as no service call fees. and to top it off, he was very respectful to our young child, allowed our dogs to get comfortable with him when he first came in, and he made sure he had covers around his shoes anytime he was in our home. we’re overall very pleased and would highly recommend jason from mcafee! *also a shout out to chris in customer service for his kindness that was also appreciated!"
"jason was very knowledgeable and efficient. he thoroughly explained everything and offered a few constructive suggestions. he found the problem and fixed it. thank you, jason. i am happy that i chose mcafee."
"i appreciate your knowledge and professionalism. thank-you for catching an on going problem with my furnace that had missed by watkins for many service calls. you have diverted a potential expense failure of the furnace. thank-you brian and tyler for your great work!! nancy h."
"brian and roe came out last week to clean air ducts in my condo. they were on time and did a nice job. brian answered my questions and advised that my existing furnace filter should be bigger and gave me the exact size i should use. i like that they wore shoe covers inside and vacuumed loose debris around the indoor furnace before leaving. i will continue to use mcafee in the future and highly recommend them to others."