Deepak Chopra Discusses "The Cosmic Jesus"

Web series explores "Jesus and the Awakening to God-Consciousness," transcending traditional dogma and religious institutions.

Best-selling author and spiritual leader Deepak Chopra teams up with Unity Church minister Wendy Craig-Purcell for an upcoming six-part Web series on Jesus and the Awakening to God-Consciousness, based on Chopra's recent book The Third Jesus: The Christ We Cannot Ignore. The series is set to begin at 6-PM ET, October 15, at www.unity.fm, according to Paula Coppel, vice president of Communications at Unity School of Christianity in Unity Village, Mo. Each weekly half-hour segment will be available free. All segments will be available after their initial airing until November 26.

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Deepak Chopra, M.D. and series host Rev. Wendy Craig-Purcell.

A study guide will be available for groups and individuals.

"We came up with the idea for this series after Oprah Winfrey's successful webcasts last spring with Eckhart Tolle on his book A New Earth," said Coppel. "That discussion opened the door for a more in-depth look at how Christianity fits within a context of contemporary spiritual beliefs and practices. There were many Christians watching Oprah's webcast who were confused about how to integrate Eckhart's teachings with their basic beliefs. There is a way - Unity has been teaching it for more than 120 years. And it is beautifully represented in Deepak Chopra's book The Third Jesus."

"In Deepak's words, the third Jesus is God-consciousness," said Coppel. "It was the enlightened state that Jesus was both demonstrating and teaching. The Web series contends that Jesus was not trying to start a new religion, nor was he aiming his teachings at some people and not others. He was pointing the way for all of us to experience the awakening that he himself had experienced."

Chopra sees Jesus' teachings as universal, even though a particular religion - Christianity - was created around him. "There is not one Jesus," Chopra explains in his book, "but three. First there is the historical Jesus, the man who lived more than two thousand years ago and whose teachings are the foundation of Christian theology and thought. Next there is Jesus, the Son of God, who has come to embody an institutional religion with specific dogma, a priesthood, and devout believers. And finally, there is the third Jesus, the cosmic Christ, the spiritual guide whose teaching embraces all humanity, not just the church built in his name. He speaks to the individual who wants to find God as a personal experience, to attain what some might call grace, or God-consciousness, or enlightenment."

In the first chapter of The Third Jesus, he writes: "Jesus is in trouble."

In the name of Jesus, Chopra says, wars have been fought, crusades have divided countries, and witch hunts have been conducted. Fundamentalists, with little to support their positions in scripture, have cited Jesus to support condemnation of abortion, homosexuality and birth control.

"His teachings have been hijacked by people who hate in the name of love," writes Chopra.

The Web series delves deeply into what Jesus really taught and how it can be applied in today's world. The segments focus on:

• Program 1 - Who Is Jesus and Why Does He Matter?
• Program 2 - Opening to the Path
• Program 3 - A New Way of Being
• Program 4 - When the Rubber Hits the Road
• Program 5 - What to Expect When You're Expecting Enlightenment
• Program 6 - Jesus Without Dogma

Each segment features an in-depth discussion between Chopra and series host, Rev.Wendy Craig-Purcell, founding minister of the The Unity Center in San Diego. Craig-Purcell sees the series as especially appealing to those who consider themselves "spiritual more than religious" as well as "Christians with questions."

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