Books by "PhD Bruce Fraser MacDonald"
2 books found
The Thomas Book
2010 · Strategic Book Publishing
Part One: After an industrial accident and a profound Near Death Experience in 1966, in which he went through the whole process of dying and where he spoke to Jesus (Yeshua), Dr. MacDonald was given the choice to stay “on the other side” or return to a broken body. He returned to life with the conviction that there was something wrong with the Gospels in the Bible and that he had returned to life to discover what the problem was. He discontinued his theological studies and started on a spiritual quest which took him from Canada to England and around the world, where he did research in Commonwealth Literature and the history of religion. He received his PhD from the University of Leeds in England and completed a successful career as a university professor in Canada. In the 1980’s he discovered a new gospel through the process of what the Tibetan Buddhists call a “terma,” a text hidden in consciousness for many lifetimes till the time came for it to be written in the present. Part One explores the process of discovering the gospel and the implications of the discovery. Kevin Ryerson, one of the chief trance channels in the United States’ confirmed that MacDonald was the reincarnation of Judas Thomas, and that is why he was drawn to tell his story.Part Two:The second part of the book is a gospel, told from the point of view of the Judas Thomas, who is considered in several early Christian writings to be the twin brother of Jesus. This section follows the canonical gospels fairly closely and includes many new teachings by Jesus (Yeshua) as well as an account of the relationship between Judas Thomas and his twin brother which sheds new light on the mission and teachings of Jesus. Many people have found this part of the book has moved them deeply and the Rev. George Parker (retired Anglican priest) reflects the reaction of many members of the clergy and laity when he says, after reading “The Thomas Book,” “the Gospels make sense for the first time in my life.” A number of people have found the teachings and the new account of the actions of Jesus and his disciples so important that they have bought multiple copies of the book for family and friends.
“The Prayer of Silence” has several aims: 1. to teach basic relaxation and concentration methods based on bodily awareness; 2. to develop an awareness of the Divine Presence; 3. to overcome emotional and personality blocks to develop a sense of personal wholeness; 4. to develop an awareness of what the author, drawing on a near death experience in 1966, calls “the Watcher” aspect of consciousness that speeds the development of spiritual perception of inner “Love, Peace and Joy,” 5. to transform the ego from attachment to material and emotional limits to a spiritual Ego that is one with the “Atman” or “Spirit,” and to extend that spiritual awareness to the world and other people; 6. to be able to deal with the conflicts and potential arising from the memory of past lives; 7. to be able to find a “Spiritual Guide” in the inner person; 8. to be able to deal with the inevitable “dry periods” in spiritual practice; 9. to experience “Nirvana,” where all lower attachments are blown out; and 10. to achieve Divine Union, where the Ego and God are One, where “Atman experiences itself as one with Brahman,” where one can say with Jesus, “I and the Father are One.” There is also a very good chapter on “mantras,” so the student can learn about their nature and use, although the Prayer of Silence uses a different, more direct form of focus to achieve concentration and inner awareness. Dr. MacDonald has also remembered and worked with many of his own past lives, so he is a reliable guide to others who are going through that process. The author is a master teacher and the book presents its material in a steadily more complex form, laying the necessary foundations before proceeding to the higher levels of learning. There is a combination of theory and practical exercises so the learner can develop meditation skills gradually but with confidence, building from one stage to the next to achieve mastery of the subject. The writing is clear and concise and easy to understand. In order to explain the often difficult ideas associated with meditation and spiritual growth, Dr. MacDonald draws on the language, ideas and practice of Christian, Hindu, Jewish, and Buddhist traditions to clarify ideas from different angles. He also draws on relevant scientific studies of human consciousness to help make the ideas and aims of this Prayer of Silence clear to the reader.