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THE COMING OF THE MESSIAH.
781
then its own saviour, and the Liberator that is to come. The advent of the Messiah which so many pious people are looking forward to, thus means neither more nor less than a vision of their own Soul. In this sense alone is it possible to put any sensible construction on the statement of Jesus: “Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom" (Matt. XVI. 28). Any other interpretation would make it a piece of falsehood. The use of the word 'some' indicates that the sight was one not open to all alike, and, therefore, not an historical event in the physical world. Nor was the spectacle timed to happen on or about the Judgment Day;' for it was to be witnessed during the lifetime of some of those who stood by at the time.
What Jesus meant was the consciousness of one's own soul as the great and glorious Self, and the enjoyer of bliss. For, it is the 'vision' of one's true Self which is the immediate cause of redemption, not that of another of however exalted a position.
It was pointed out in the seventh chapter of this book that yoga aimed at securing the vision of the Self for the yogi. We did not then enter into the intricacies of the process, but the time has now come to describe it in detail.
When the aspirant has perfected himself in the preliminary training, and has no longings left in his mind for sensual enjoyments, he is qualified for the vision of the Lord.
Now, the seer is not the eye, but the soul; for the eye
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