I was fortunate to have been raised in the home of an enlightened parent. Not a churchgoer in his youth, my father loved literature, which eventually led him to the Bible. Immediately drawn to its stories, he sensed there were hidden truths mysteriously veiled between the lines. He attended Yale Divinity School in search of answers, but did not find them there. Nonetheless, in due course, he went on to accept a ministerial post in an inter-denominational church.

While a minister by vocation, he was first and foremost a seeker of Truth. In this regard, he had difficulty reconciling religious doctrines, rituals, and beliefs with the teachings of Jesus. By age thirty-seven he was depressed and out of sorts. While in the midst of considering abandoning his family and lighting off with Bible in hand in search of Truth, his younger brother called. Aware of my father's dilemma, his brother asked that he first meet someone who might help him find his way.

       That 'someone' turned out to be an enlightened, spiritual teacher whose Presence transformed our lives. While on sabbatical in 1953, my father worked intimately with this enlightened soul and returned home a changed man. As I was barely seven years old at the time, I was unaware of what had taken place. Even so, I shall never forget the family gathering following his return in which he declared that he wanted only to support Love and Peace in the world and he would forever stand with us in this regard. From that moment on he devoted himself to that end and we were the beneficiaries.

A few years thereafter he left the church to forge his way on his own. He began leading classes of one kind or another, receiving any and all who wished to counsel with him. Our home was soon filled with happy hearts assembling regularly to hear him speak. During these gatherings he shared with us his insights on how to support the flowering of Love and Peace.

Toward the end of his life my father announced that he would be holding classes devoted exclusively to the stories and teachings of the Bible. He had never held a class quite like this before. Over the course of several months he presented twelve lessons in which he brought to light a deeper meaning and message of ancient scripture than is typically understood. His love of the Bible shone through, as he shared with us enlightened insights of underlying truths that went far beyond the meaning of the literal word. 

A few years before, I had begun to experience some spiritual awakenings of my own. I spent my college years primarily engaged in self-indulgent activity, lusting after things of this world, thinking that I would tend to the better part after sowing some wild oats. I had not yet learned that what we sow is what we reap. I thus unknowingly established patterns of behavior that needed to be transformed before any meaningful goodness (which is God-ness) could come to life in me. I managed to descend near the bottom of the barrel before being led back home. 

       My first meaningful awakening came suddenly in the form of a 'voice,' coupled with what I can only describe as the 'Hand of God' being placed on my head, lifting me up and proclaiming, 'it's about time.' This was in answer to my first-ever verbal declaration that from this moment on I would dedicate my life to God, not knowing what that meant or what it would bring.

       Before long I returned to university in pursuit of a masters in history, which was the field of study I most enjoyed. During this period I immersed myself in ancient scripture, various 'guides to enlightenment,' and an assortment of books concerning spiritual awakening. I soon discovered that I had a specific interest in learning all I could about the evolution of Consciousness and the advent of what I now call Pure Consciousness in Man. At this stage of my inquiry I found it useful to move away from the all-to-familiar Biblical language in which I had been raised to allow for the discovery of the deeper message and meaning of other works that had emerged out of different cultures in both ancient and modern times.

I approached these works, as best I could, with an open mind, without prejudging what they might mean. Instead, I questioned what their respective languages, symbols, and metaphors might actually mean beyond the literal word. This practice gradually liberated me from the notion that I 'knew' the deeper meaning of Biblical teachings with which I had been raised. I may have known them conceptually, but not truthfully, actually, in a living way. Throughout this process I posed open-ended questions such as, what is the self? How does the self function? What is Love — truly, actually? What is forgiveness? What does it mean to sacrifice? What is the Soul of man — not as a concept, but truthfully, actually, as a living reality? What is the Kingdom of Heaven, and where, how, and when does one find it? How does the Kingdom of Heaven differ from Nirvana, the Tao, Zen, or the Christ? I was less interested in what other people said about such things and more interested in discovering the living Truth of them in myself. I waited patiently for answers to come.

       At some point, while in the midst of these inquiries, I came upon the writings of Jiddu Krishnamurti and was immediately drawn to the purity of his teaching. I soon set all else aside and attended solely to his works. Upon discovering he was still alive and giving talks, I sought him out to 'sit at the feet of the Master' for as long as he was here. Krishnamurti is the purest, most enlightened human being I have ever encountered, in life or in print, and I unashamedly bathed in his Light.

       The Energy emanating from Krishnamurti was substantial. I went through numerous transformational 'experiences' while in his Presence, ranging from the complete cessation of time, to lessons learned while in the midst of a pure, white Light, to absolute freedom from conflict in any cell of my body — so much so that at one point I thought 'I' had permanently 'entered' the ineffable Peace that is the Kingdom of Heaven. But this proved not to be so, as the Peace gradually faded and my ego returned. Like my father, I began to consider abandoning all worldly affairs to once again sit at the feet of the Master until the Peace returned. As I puzzled over what to do, the Peace did return, only this time with a message. 'Worry not,' it proclaimed, 'I AM is always here, but you are not always aware.'

While attending my father's Bible lessons some years before, I recorded extensive notes on what he said. For several years thereafter I read the Bible fervently in an attempt to sort it all out. While in the midst of this endeavor I began to sense that I might write a book that would incorporate my father's insights of what the message and teachings in the Bible really meant with those of my own that were just then coming to light. Throughout this process I never informed my father of my work, even though we had since become best of friends. Our father/son roles had faded over time, which allowed us to spend time together absent the ego in play. I was a prodigal son who returned 'home' in more ways than one.

In the late 1970's my father was diagnosed with cancer and by 1983 was on his last legs. Taking a leave from work, I attended his bedside for the final six weeks of his life. Throughout this time, many wonderful moments were shared. Even so, I had not yet made mention of the book I had begun to write. One day when we were alone he asked that I come close to him and we ended up in an embrace. As he held me near, he stroked my hair with his hand. 'Sonny,' he finally said. 'Drop the idea of writing a book. It's not yet time.'  Awash in tears, I instantly replied, 'okay,' and that was that. Upon returning home I boxed and shelved all my written notes in honor of his request. He had come to know of the book intuitively by means of the Universal Intelligence that is accessible to us all, for we had never discussed it before, or since.

       Not long thereafter, a former colleague came to see him to pay his respects. In the course of their conversation he told my father that despite working with him for only a brief time many years before, my father's ministry had made a significant impression on him.  He had not since encountered another minister as authentic and enlightened as my father. He then asked what it was that had changed him so — how had he come to see the Light? Having never been asked this question before, my father took a moment to reflect. 'I'd have to say,' he finally replied, 'it was when I realized that the Christ is not a person,' hence the title to this book.

A few years ago, having lost most of my worldly possessions, I was rather adrift. While in the midst of this transition I began to sense that the time might be ripe to re-engage in the writing of this book, yet I remained unmotivated to do the work. One day, while wandering about in this rather uninspired state, I stumbled upon Eckhart Tolle's book, The Power of Now. I had not read a 'guide to enlightenment' in years, but this book virtually leapt into my hands. Turning back the cover, I began to read. Not since Krishnamurti had I read such a powerfully written, unadulterated teaching as this. I immediately purchased a copy and returned home. 

       The Power of Now proved to be the catalyst that moved me to write this book. It was five years in the making, during which time Eckhart's subsequent book, A New Earth: Awakening To Your Life's Purpose, served to bring about even greater insight as I wrote. I since have come to realize that working with Eckhart's books and the writing of this book are the culmination of a life-long work. As so often happens, Eckhart's teaching came along at just the right time to help bring this book to fruition. In a very real way, my father's ministry, Krishnamurti's teachings, Eckhart's guides to enlightenment, and this book are inexorably intertwined and I am immensely grateful for that.

The purpose of this book is not only to delve into the deeper meaning of ancient scripture, but also to aid in the reader's own discovery of the living Truth and true Light that is the foundation of all Life. Awakening to this Light involves a movement into an Awareness of Being that is other than self. The need to awaken to this Truth, which is the Truth of all Life, is what both ancient and modern-day spiritual teachings point to as the essential purpose of mankind.

As the final chapter of this book is finding its way to the written page, Eckhart Tolle and Oprah Winfrey are engaged in an Internet class viewed by millions worldwide that is centered on Eckhart's teachings, as set forth in his most recent work. At the beginning of this class, Oprah indicated that the most frequently asked question she had received with respect to Eckhart's teaching was how can one reconcile one's religious beliefs with modern-day spiritual teachings, such as the ones recorded in Eckhart's books. One of the primary purposes for writing this book — The Christ Is Not A Person — is to point out how one might come to a better understanding with respect to this very question. May it prove helpful in this regard.

J. C. Tefft

May 16, 2008

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