CHAPTER 35.
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Levi
Jesus and Vidyapati consider the needs of the incoming age of the world.
The Indian sage and Jesus often met and talked about the needs of nations and of men; about the sacred doctrines, forms and rites best suited to the coming age.
2 One day they sat together in a mountain pass, and Jesus said, The coming age will surely not require priests, and shrines, and sacrifice of life.
3 There is no power in sacrifice of beast, or bird, to help a man to holy life.
4 And Vidyapati said, All forms and rites are symbols of the things that men must do within the temple of the soul.
5 The Holy One requires man to give his life in willing sacrifice for men, and all the so-called offerings on altars and on shrines that have been made since time began, were made to teach man how to give himself to save his brother man; for man can never save himself except he lose his life in saving other men.
6 The perfect age will not require forms and rites and carnal sacrifice. The coming age is not the perfect age, and men will call for object lessons and symbolic rites.
7 And in the great religion you shall introduce to men, some simple rites of washings and remembrances will be required; but cruel sacrifice of animals, and birds the gods require not.
8 And Jesus said, Our God must loathe the tinseled show of priests and priestly things.
9 When men array themselves in showy garbs to indicate that they are servants of the gods, and strut about like gaudy birds to be admired by men, because of piety or any other thing, the Holy One must surely turn away in sheer disgust.
10 All people are alike the servants of our Father-God, are kings and priests.
11 Will not the coming age demand complete destruction of the priestly caste, as well as every other caste and inequality among the sons of men?
12 And Vidyapati said, The coming age is not the age of spirit life and men will pride themselves in wearing priestly robes, and chanting pious chants to advertise themselves as saints.
13 The simple rites that you will introduce will be extolled by those who follow you, until the sacred service of the age will far outshine in gorgeousness the priestly service of the Brahmic age.
14 This is a problem men must solve.
15 The perfect age will come when every man will be a priest and men will not array themselves in special garb to advertise their piety.