"Sir," I asked,
"What stage must one have reached to be called a Master?"
"He must have attained Christ consciousness.
"The stages of enlightenment," he continu
ed,
"are first, to be conscious
of the AUM vibration throughout the body.
"Next, one's consciousness becomes identified
with that AUM vibration beyond his body,
and gradually throughout the universe.
"One then becomes
conscious of the Christ consciousness within the AUM vibration
- first
in the physical body,
then gradually in the whole universe.
"When you
achieve oneness
with that vibration-less consciousness everywhere,
you
have achieved Christ Consciousness.
"That final stage lies beyond vibration itself,
in oneness with God the
Father, the Creator beyond the universe.
"When, still in that highest
state of consciousness,
you can return to the body without losing your
inner sense of oneness with God,
that is complete freedom.
"All true
masters,
even those who are not yet fully liberated,
live in that
nirbikalpa samadhi state.
"That is what Jesus Christ had.
It was what he
meant by perfection, in saying,
'Be ye therefore perfect, even as your
Father which is in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)
To be Christlike master, one
must have attained that state."
~
Conversations with Yoganandaby Swami Kriyananda (J. Donald Walters)
#95, pg 119