on earth – into parts of Europe, Egypt, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmir and Benares, India.

Kashmir and Iran stand out in my mind in relation to this volume. When I first heard that Meher Baba had revealed that Jesus had not died on the cross, but that his work in Jerusalem was one phase of Jesus' mission, and that after he had been tortured and crucified, he had recovered from his wounds and traveled in disguise with Thomas and a few other apostles through Syria, Iraq, Persia and Afghanistan, reaching India, then further to Burma, and finally settling in the foothills of the Himalayas in Kashmir, I was in turmoil. The fact that Jesus did not die on the cross destroyed my previous conceptions of who Jesus was and the true purpose of his coming – to establish contact with the lost tribes of Israel and reveal himself to them as the Messiah, as he had done in Jerusalem. In a similar manner, Prophet Mohammed gathered together and united the tribes of Arabia under him. Of course, all I really knew of Jesus was what was impressed upon me by priests or scholars, and this is what I had to unlearn to integrate what Meher Baba revealed. Therefore, I have twice visited Kashmir for the sole purpose of being on the ground where Jesus settled and died.

The first time I approached the valley and village of Harvan, I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the golden meadows with the mountains in the background. What a beautiful place Jesus chose to live and find peace and seclusion! Wandering among the hills of Harvan where Jesus' cave is supposed to be, but no one will ever find, I realized that the rugged terrain must have often changed due to mountain avalanches. As I spoke with the villagers and the mountain tribes, I was amazed by the innocence of these people who confirmed, "According to legend Holy Isa or Yuz Asaf (Jesus) is buried there," pointing to the hills. In this so-called enlightened new age, such an affirmation could get one assassinated. However, to the Kashmiris it is sacred legend that Yuz Asaf – "the Prophet of the Fourth Sky" – is buried somewhere in the vicinity. Tibetans call Jesus by the name of Isa. In other words, until I spent time in the area where Jesus is buried, I was not reconciled to what Meher Baba had revealed regarding the Hebrew Prophet. After wandering among the hills of Harvan, I was overcome by a distinct presence that I could only call Jesus'.

As revealed by Meher Baba, the Avatar must work and thus suffer for the sake of the universe, for the sake of humanity, but that he must die for the sake of our salvation is inconclusive. His life, by the universal work he does, is a living sacrifice. It is erroneous to think that the Christ takes upon himself the sins of the world; he takes upon himself all the suffering in the world, which is the result of the sins committed by us, or the pain and wrongs caused by us against each other.

Kashmir is also the sacred burial ground of the Prophet Moses. Moses' tomb is in a mountain area called Mt. Nebu. According to legend, Kashmir was the Promised Land of those tribes of Hebrews that Moses