Advisory: This page contains numerous articles on World Religions.
Buddhism - The Way to Enlightenment
Buddhism is one of the three religions that came out
of China. There are different branches of Buddhism and the most familiar are Tibetan Buddhism and Zen Buddhism, which came
out of Japan. It was the study of Zen Buddhism by Westerners that brought the principles and teachings to the consciousness
of the Western World. The man who became the Buddha was born a prince and the astrologers foretold he would be famous,
either a great king or a great monk. His father wanted him to be a great king and so kept him isolated from the rest
of the world and surrounded him with luxury and everything his heart desired. The story of how Buddha became a monk isone
to read.
Buddha discovered enlightenment while sitting under the Bodhi tree and being tempted.
He discovered that all humans suffer and that this suffering is brought about by desire and attachment. When we give
up our desires and attachments, we no longer suffer. Meditation is a way to quiet the desires and attachments.
Another point of Buddha's enlightenment was to realize that every other person was suffering just like us and that we
could have compassion for them. Buddhism is about finding peace within so you can practice peace in the world.
The most famous modern Buddhist is the Dalai Lama of Tibet. He became the Dalai Lama
as a child when he was discovered as the reincarnation of the previous lama. He escaped from Tibet when the Chinese
invaded the country. He now lives in India and travels around the world teaching compassion and cooperation. He
was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and the United States Medal of Honor, among other world rewards. He lives like a simple
monk and works tirelessly to bring about peace between Tibet and China.
During the month
of May we will be looking at the principles and teachings of Buddhism.
TAOISM - THE WAY OF POWER
Taoism is one of the three religions to come out
of China: Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism. The purpose of Taoism is to bring the seeker into an inner understanding
of the great essence of the universe, that which cannot be named but permeates everything. It is an ancient tradition
that was a way of life and not a distinct religion until it was labeled by scholars to distinguish it from Confucianism.
Basically it means "the way." "The Nameless is the origin of Heaven and Earth; The Names is the Mother
of All Things...They may both be called the Cosmic Mystery..." Taoism counsels us to be in harmony with the natural flow
of life by being receptive and quiet. Although we cannot know Tao, we can become one with it. We can experience
the transcendent unity of all things. When there is no more separation between "this" and "that," it is
called the still-point of Tao. We are asked to behold the light beyond all things. The sacred scriptures of Taoism is the
"Tao-te Ching" which appears in verse form. It is the second most translated scripture next to the Christian
Bible. It is a book that can better be understood intuitively than intellectually.
Taoism traces its roots back to Lao-Tzu, who was a curator of the royal library of the Chou dynasty in the sixth century.
He decided to leave his job and search for the meaning of life. He was stopped at the border by a guard, who recognizing
him as a sage, begged him to write down a record of his wisdom. The Tao-te Ching was created and Lao-tzu went on his
way. Historians believe the book was the work of several sages. Two centuries later, Chuang-tzu futhered the teachings
of the Tao by leavning his government job for a hermit's life of freedom and solitude, radically rejecting the idea that
government can fix society, an idea that is playing out in today's world governments.His writings are called the Chuang-tzu.
ANCIENT CELTIC BELIEFS
The ancient Celtic people *had a rich oral tradition with many
stories of their gods. They were connected in a unique and passionate way to the natural world and believed there was
a thin boundary between the sacred and the mundane. They believed in a "soul-friend" who helped them with
spiritual direction. There was an emphasis on family and kinship ties and a mandate for hospitality. Women had an equal
status with men in the early nomadic society of the Celts. Early legends tell of the time when mortals took over the world
from the gods, a time when life revolved around the struggle between light and darkness, summer and winter, day and night,
with the powerful sun god serving as the primary hero and the underworld serving as the principle battlefield where the fate
of the Celts was determined. St. Patrick was a compelling force in converting the Irish Celts to Christianity.
Because there were originally no towns, just nomadic settlements, the Christian church was more monastic rather than diocesan.
Monasteries were often huge theocratic villages often associated with a clan with the same kinship ties, along with slaves,
freemen, celibate monks, married clergy, professed lay people, men and women living side by side. The early Celts developed
a sense of the Christian God and the saints as a continuing, personal, helpful presence as they had with their other gods.
The Celts invented the personal confession that the early Christian church integrated For example the story of King Arthur.
He was originally an ancient Celtic god who searched for the sacred cauldron (Holy Grail) in the underworld. From this legend
the English story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table evolved. We honor the Celts at this time of year for teaching
us the value of nature, personal confession, and the importance of legends.
Living Religions - Judaism
Judaism began over 4,000 years ago in the ancient
land of Ur, in what is now Iraq. Abraham was a shepherd who wrestled with the idea of one God. God made a covenant
with Abraham and promised to bless him and his wife, Sarah. God led them to a faraway land called Canaan and from that
day forward Abraham and his descendants believed in only one God, a God who enters every human life in a personal way.
This was a new idea and made Judaism different from all other religions of the time. The descendants of Abraham and
Sarah, the Israelistes, had to flee to Egypt during the famine.
Moses was another leader of the Israelites
and led them out of Egypt back to Canaan, the Promised Land. You may recall how Moses parted the waters of the Red Sea
so the people could cross safely. The Children of Israel traveled for 40 years in the desert, during which time God
gave Moses the Ten Commandants, which became the core of Judaism's holy book called the Tanach (Bible). The first
five books of the Bible are called the Torah, which means "teaching." The Torah contains some of humanity's
greatest stories, including the story of Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden. The nation of Israel was founded in 1948
amid great conflict from its neighbors. Many Jews from around the world came to this new country to make it their home.
The beliefs of Judaism have not changed for 4,000 years. Since the 1800's Judaism has branched into
three large groups: Orthodox, Reform and Conservative Judaism. Saturday is the day of worship for the Jews and the temple
and religious holidays are very important. The Jewish lineage comes down from the mother. When a young person
comes of age at thirteen, he or she has a special ceremony to celebrate the rite of passage into adulthood. People of Judaism
feel they are all one family no matter where they may go. They are connected to God and to their history.
LIVING RELIGIONS - Traditional Hawaiian
When people live on an island, much of their exploring is done on an inner level and this is true of the ancient
Hawaiians. Their inner spiritual journey is a gift to the world. Much of it has been lost as the knowledge
and wisdom of other traditional ways has been lost, but what has been preserved is extraordinary. The Hawaiians knew
about the connection between thoughts and the physical condition. What happens in the mind affects the body. They knew
about the subconscious and conscious minds and also about the superconcious. Modern Western psychologists are just now
discovering the importance of integrating the three minds to achieve wholeness. The ancient Hawaiians knew about energy,
how it travels, and what it can do. They knew there was a different energy level for thoughts, words, and feelings.
Scientsts have measured these energies, except for the energy of the superconscious mind. We do not yet have the instruments
to measure this power. The Hawaiians believed in aloha, which is the island version of The Golden Rule. Their society
was based on community. There were few personal possessions as the family owned everything necessary to sustain life.
The Elders taught the young ones. If a child showed a particular apptitude in a certain area, an Auntie or Uncle
who was an expert was found to teach and nurture the gifts of that child. Children belonged to the entire family and
each child felt loved and supported. Elders were honored and cared for even when they moved into the realm of spirit.
Their advice was invaluable to the family. The people lived close to the land and sea and everything had a living spirit,
even the rocks. The people practiced service to each other and if something happened that required forgiveness or someone
became ill, the entire family would come together, led by a kahuna or priest, to do a ceremony of forgiveness and reconciliation.
It was a simple, but rich life. When Captain John Cook arrived in the Islands, life suddenly changed. The explorers
and Christian missionaries came to convert the natives and ended up decimating the population and completely changing the
spiritual life of the Hawaiians. But we are so grateful for those ancient Hawaiian teachings and wisdom. It is
said that the pure teachings of the ancients were preserved the longest on these islands in the Pacific.
LIVING RELIGIONS - INDIGENOUS TRADITIONS
This is the Season for Interfaith Celebration and a great time to review some of the faiths from around the world.
Each faith asks the same questions: Who are we? Why are we here? Where are we going? What is our purpose?
We begin with the indigenous traditions. These were the first spiritual beliefs of our ancestor. Indigenous people
are descendants of the orignal people of the lands. The Aborgine faith of Australia, for example, has been practiced
for the last 3 million years. All these traditions honor unity, an intimate and interrelated sacred circle of the cosmos.
Right relationship is most important. Time is circular, not linear. Many traditions worhip a Supreme Being, who they
believed created the universe. This Creator is all-powerful. Early traditions looked upon the Goddess as the Creator.
Early people believed they were kin to all creation and family became all important. Family did not just include humans,
but also included animals or plants, birds and fishes, those in the body and those without a body. The land was considered
sacred. Mother Earth provided everything that was necessary for life and was honored at all times.. These traditions
were also concerned with their relationship with power. Power is energy and our ancestors honored that power.
Now science has discovered electromagnetic power which the ancients knew about and used. It is believed by some scientists
and many older traditions that there are four focal points created within the energy structure of the earth and the electromagnetic
balance at these points is particularly critical to the well-being of the earth system as a whole. These four places
are Tibet, Arizona, Hawaii, and Jerusalem. The purpose of the indigenous traditions was to sustain harmony and balance
in a sacred way. The high priests of these traditions were known as "medicine men" and have collectively come
to be called "shamans," a generic word from Siberia. Shamans are helpers to their tribes and hold the place
of healer of physical, psychological and spiritual problems. They were herbalists and prescribed many treatments which
scientists are looking at today with new eyes. They were also not only healers of individuals, but also of groups, for
what happens to one affects the whole. Training to become a shaman was very rigorous. These are the roots of all
religions.
LIVING RELIGIONS - Are We Wired to Believe in God?
One of the current scientific theories that is being researched and tested is the idea that our Creator designed our brains
so that we could believe in a deity. That is an interesting premise. There are "many intriguing neurobiological
findings suggesting that the brain may indeed be wired for God," says Sharon Begley in her article (Un)wired for God.
We seem to have "habits of thought that lead us to see the supernatural in the natural
and the extraordinary in the ordinary." This suggests that people are born with some kind of software for belief.
There is a specific region in the brain, the parietal lobe, that tells us where our body physically ends and the larger world
begins. But this region can be deactivated through intense prayer or meditation so that we feel a Oneness with the universe.
There are some new studies indicating that religiosity leads to social dysfunction and those countries with the lowet rates
of social dysfunction are the most secular. Those countries with the most dysfunction, such as Portugal and the U.S.,
are the most religious. (Gregory Paul in Evolutionary Psychology, an online magazine) He asks, " is the brain wired
for religion or is religion a way to cope with stress in a dysfunctional society?"
Other studies point out that our environment influences the way in which our brain responds making it appear as if it were
wired for certain predispositions. The mind and the brain are too different things and it is not easy to separate the
consciousness (mind) from the vehicle (brain). If the mind can short circuit the region of the brain that detects our
separateness through meditation and prayer, what is the true reality, separation or oneness? Is there a way to explain
how we perceive patterns in chaos, identify the hand of the Divine in answered prayers, or the work of deity in randomness?
Are our brains wired to believe in God or is there more to the mind that we don't fully yet understand?
(Thank you
to Anne for sharing the Begley article with Coffee Talks.)
THE MEDICINE WHEEL - EAST
The Circle
is a teaching symbol used worldwide. In Native American teachings it is called the Medicine Wheel.
The foundational teaching of the Wheel is universal and shows that there is only One Greator God and One Family of
God. We are each a unique living Medicine Wheel.
In his book, Seven Arrows,
Hyemeyohsts Storm, from the Seven Arrows Tribe of the Plains Indians, explains, “The Medicine Wheel is the very Way
of Life of the People. It is an Understanding of the Universe…it is the Living Flame of the Lodges,
and the Great Shield of Truth written in the Sign of the Water. It is the Heart and Mind. It
is the Song of the Earth…and the Sun Dance.”
The Wheel is divided into four segments which represent the Four Directions. We move through each of the Four Directions
during our lifetimes. We perceive things differently from each of the positions around the Medicine Wheel.
At birth, each of us is given a particular Beginning Place within the Four Great Directions.
This gives us our first way of perceiving things. We then move through the other directions to gain
wisdom.
Each Direction represents one of the Powers. A child’s first Teaching is of the Four Great
Powers of the Medicine Wheel. To become a whole person and experience harmony, we must learn about all the Powers and embrace
them. To the North is found Wisdom; to the South, the place of Innocence and Trust; in the West is the Looks-Within Place
of Introspection; and in the East is Illumination.
Today we turn to the Power of the East, which is the place of new beginnings.
What lies within us waiting to be born? East is Spring and the place of Illumination, where we can
see things clearly and that we exist in duality. In the East we are united with all things. The symbol
of the East is the Eagle, the messenger of the Creator, who helps us see far and wide. The Eagle flies in the Air, which is
the element of the East. Air symbolizes movement and freedom; it clears our thoughts and manifests our
dreams. Air represents the mind. The color of the East is the Gold of the Morning
Star or yellow. Yellow is the energy of adventure and represents our core. East is the
direction of spirituality and enlightenment. Thank you, Creator, for the Power of the East that teaches
us more about ourselves.
LIVING
RELIGIONS - Father God - the Great Maker
The earliest written form of the
Germanic word GOD comes from the 6th century and is based on the root word meaning "to call" or "to invoke."
It was originally a neuter word, but took on a masculine syntax during the Christianizing of the Germanic pagan tribes.
As a capitalized word it refers to the Greek idea of "Theos" and is used as the English translation for Deity for
many languages. There are many names for God throughout all the religions with just as many concepts of God. Conceptions
of God vary widely and there is no clear consensus on the exact nature of God. There are numerous arguments to prove
the existence of God with the latest being intelligent design meaning "certain features of the universe and of living
things are best explained by an intelligent cause." This gives rise once again to the idea that God is the Great
Maker of the Heaven and Earth. Many people believe that God is the supernatural creator and overseer of the universe.
Others believe God is perfect goodness, divine simplicity, eternal and necessary. As a masculine God, the Great Maker
is the maker of dreams and the maker of laws. When God took on all masculine attributes in a male dominated society,
theologians spent centuries trying to reconcile the Heart (female) and Mind (male) into one masculine Divine Being and they
still have not achieved it.
God doesn't have to be either masculine or feminine. God could be
both in a way that is beyond our understanding. And we, as God's children, can benefit from the attributes of God
as the Great Maker, the Father, the masculine Comforter, the One who set order to the Universe and fixed the stars in the
sky. The sky is the domain of God as the Father and the sky represents the Mind. God the Father as the Great Maker
manifests through the mind in a logical and rational way bringing form into the physical world in accordance with the law.
God is the Father and the Great MakerLIVING RELIGIONS - The Goddess-the Great Mother
The Goddess was the very first supreme being worshipped by humankind. Our ancestors did not know about
the human biological processes and women's cycles were mysterious and magical. Everything in the cosmos was seen
through these mysteries. And because humankind came through the birthing process, we understood that all creation was
birthed in the same way. The Goddess, the Great Mother was the creator.
When our ancestors abandoned
hunting-gathering and took up crop cultivation and domesticating animals, our ideas of creation changed and men were observed
to be part of the birthing process. And when society became dominated by men, the Goddess lost her power and became
subservient and soon totally dismissed. But the Goddess, the Great Mother still resides in our hearts and is known by many
names: Eve, Isis, White Buffalo Calf Woman, Inanna/Ishtar, Astarte, Cybele, Gaia, Diana, Primavera, Morrigan,
Freyja, Hella, Danu, Brigit, Sengen-Sama, Vac, Shakti, Lakshmi, Tara, Maya, Visvamata, Tou Mu, Kwan-Yin, AmaterasuAsase Yaa,
Coti, Oshun, Kunapipi, Hina, Spider Woman, Ix Chel, Sedna, Toci, Coatlicue, Sophia, and Mary.
The Goddess has three aspects: maiden, mother and wise woman. This is the feminine trinity. The maiden is the
promise; the mother, the fulfillment; and the wise woman, the healer. These are also the aspects of the Heart. Love
is the symbol of the Divine Feminine in all its expressions. The Heart reminds us of the interconnectedness of all Life.
The Heart is not like the Mind in that it deals in intangibles, in feelings rather than facts. The Divine Feminine is
all about the higher aspects of our emotions, our feelings. And when we allow those higher aspects of our feelings to
develop, we are embracing the true Heart of the Divine Feminine, our own true heart.
LIVING RELIGIONS - Cherokee Story
We as spiritual beings have been through many cycles, mineral, plant, and animal. Now we are beginning our human
cycle. At the beginning of this cycle, the Great Spirit gathered the peoples of the earth together and sent them out to the
four directions. Over time he changed them into four colors and gave them Original teachings to bring back to share
with each other and create a great civilization of peace. To the East, to the red people he gave the Guardianship of
the Earth, to learn of herbs and healing and growing. To the South, to theyellow people he gave the Guardianship of
the Wind and how to breathe and take that within for spiritual advancement. To the West, to the black people he gave
the Guardianship of the Water, the chief of the elements. To the North, to the white people he gave the Guardianship
of the Fire to move upon the face of the earth and unite all the people. The Great Spirit also gave to each people, two stone
tablets and warned that if any of the brothers or sisters of the four directions and the four colors cast their tablets on
the ground, not only will the human beings have a hard time, but the earth will almost die. The Hopis guard the red
people stone tablets on Third Mesa. The black race stone tablets are kept by the Kukuyu Tribe at the base of Mount Kenya.
The Tibetans guard the stone tablets of the yellow race. If you went directly through the earth from the Hopi reservations
you would come out in Tibet. The Tibetan word for "sun" is the Hope word for "moon," and vice versa.
The white race tablets are guarded by the Swiss. Every year each family brings out the family mask with the ancient
symbols on it. All the guardians of the tablets are mountain people. The Great Spirit wrote many prophesies on the tablets
and many of them have already come to pass. If we do not join together and share our teachings, stop racial and religious
disharmony, we will be shaken up even more than the first two times. It is up to each of us to bring peace and learn
from each other and walk together.
*****--Lee Brown (Baha'i Cherokee) 1986
CHRISTIANITY
Of all the Living Religions, Christianity is the most widespread, but often
the most complex. There are three major branches of Christianity, Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and Prostestantism.
The Christian faith centers around the life of Jesus of Nazareth, known as the "Christ." He was born in Palestine
(where Bethlehem was located) in about 4 B.C.E. and grew up in Nazareth. Not much is known of his life until age thirty when
he began his ministry. His teaching-healing career lasted about three years. His life was ended in a terrible
way by the Romans. And yet, his understanding of the concept of God and how God resides in the heart of every human, has lasted
over 2000 years. There is little Historical evidence to prove that Jesus ever existed, but the Biblical evidence is
overwhelming and it is on this evidence that the Christian religion was founded. What makes Jesus' teachings so different
was that he spoke of God as "Father," a closer personal relationship than the Jewish and Islamic view of God as
an outside and more powerful force. Jesus was filled with the power of the Spirit and thereby performed miracles.
Jesus advocated peacemaking and talked of God's compassion and love even though he lived in a world of war and terror
as the Romans had occupied his land for a long time. Jesus also believed that there was no difference in cultures or beliefs,
that all humans were equal, including men and women. No one was holier than another. Jesus was a social
prophet, challenging the boundaries of the existing order in his time and showing people there was another way to live.
It wasn't Jesus' teachings that brought his disciples to him. It was the experience of living in the presence
of someone in whom love, joy and power intersected in a way his disciples came to believe was divine. It is out of this
phenomenon that the Christian theology was born. For over 2000 years, people have tried to understand and practice what Jesus
knew and taught.
LIVING RELIGIONS - Zen Buddhism
*
"What was the appearance of your face before your ancestors were born?" - Zen Koan
*
When Buddhism expanded into Japan after the Communist takeover of China, it was profoundly influenced by Taoism. Ch'an
or Zen Buddhism has become the most popular branch of Buddhism in the West. Zen is preoccupied with the limitations
of language. The map is not the territory. The menu is not the meal. Words are not the concepts. It points out
how often spiritual nourishment stops with menu reading. Zen students are looking for the insight. Buddha once gave
a sermon called Buddha's Flower Sermon. He stood on a mountain with his disciples around him. Buddha did not
say any words, he simply held aloft a golden lotus. No one understood this eloquent gesture save, Mahakasyapa, whose
quiet smile, indicating that he had gotten the point, caused the buddha to appoint him his successor. Zen is convinced
that the mind has other ways of working rather than the normal rational way. It is these latent ways that the practice
of zazen, seated meditation is designed to call into action. The koans are part of the meditation. They are designed
to be problems the rational mind cannot solve. "What is the sound of one hand clapping?" is one of the most
popular koans. Zen teaches that reason is too short a ladder to reach to truth's full height. It must be supplemented
and that is the purpose of the koan. The first important breakthrough is an intuitive experience called satori. It may take
years, but it comes as a flash, as a mystical experience. Once satori is achieved, the student must get out of its "sticky
morass" and return to the world. The genious of Zen is to fuse the temporal and the eternal; to widen the doors of perception
so the wonder of the satori experience can flood everyday life. There are three accomplishments for the Zen student:
to find the world distinctly good; the dissolution of dualism; and a new perception of the world. You can find the meaning
of life in an act as simple as doing the dishes.
*
(From "World's Religions" by Huston Smith)
LIVING RELIGIONS - Taoism
"Empty yourself of everything. Let the mind rest at peace." --Tao Te Ching
Our Living Religion
this month is Taoism, one of the three religions to come out of China. (Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism) Taoism originated
with a man named Lao Tzu who is said to have been born in 604 BCE. Most of his story comes from legends. Lao Tzu lived
a simple and unassertive life. He taught others to cultivate natural goodness. One day Lao Tzu climbed on a water buffalo
and rode westward towards what is now Tibet. He was saddened by his people's disinterest in his teachings and wanted
to spend his closing years in solitude. At the Hankao Pass a gatekeeper tried to persuade him to turn back. Failing
this, he asked if Lao Tzu would at least leave a record of his beliefs. Lao Tzu agreed and spent the next three days
writing the Tao Te Ching,
The Way and Its Power. Then he climbed back on his water buffalo and rode away never to be
heard from again. This simple volume of only 5000 characters is a testament to humanity's at-home-ness in the universe.
It can be read in half an hour or for a lifetime. Scholars argue that the Tao Te Ching was probably written by more than one
author as are other sacred scriptures, but agree it was probably influenced by a single person. The foundation of Taoism
is the "way." There are three senses in which the "way" can be understood. It is first of all the
way of ultimate reality and is too vast for reason to fathom. The second sense is the way of the universe, which is
spirit giving life to all things. And in its third sense, it is the way of human life when it meshes with the Tao of
the way of the universe. Each way facilitates the power of the Tao as it flows through human beings. Philosophical
Taoism is an attitude toward life. Practical Taoism works with matter, movement and mind to increase power. Religious
Taoism makes cosmic life-power available to everyone through specific rituals. Water is a symbol of the Tao.
Native American
There are 558 federally recognized Native American tribes in the
United States, including Alaska. The largest tribes are the Cherokee, Navajo, Sioux, Chippewa, Latin American and Choctaw.
43% of the Native Americans live in the West; 31% in the South; 17% in the Midwes; and 9% in the Northeast. 60% of all
native peoples live in cities. There are as many interpretations of traditional paths as there are tribes, but there are some
fundamental principles that all the Native Americans believe. There is One God, the Creator. Everything is sacred
and spiritual messages are given in many ways: through the animals, plants and minerals; through shamanic trances; or
through personal experiences. The Earth is sacred. The Trickster also appears in many tribes. The Trickster comes
to teach culture, proper behavior and how to handle unexpected situation that arise. Elders are respected for their great
wisdom and understanding.
In some tribes, after the world was created it was populated
by many people. Most were subsequently transformed into animals and this common ancestry is why there is such a close
bond between animals and humans. Some tribes, especially in the Southwest, believe there are different underground layers
which humans had to climb through to reach this world. They arrived through a small hole in the ground - the earth's navel.
Some tribes believe the universe is composed of multiple layers and this earth is the middle one. The layers are linked by
the World Tree whose roots are in the underground, the trunk passes through the middle or natural world, and its branches
are in the sky. Shamans (a Siberian word) or Medicine Men or Women are the spiritual leaders of the tribes. They
have the power to go to an alternate reality and bring back messages or cures for the people.
Millenarian Religions
Since the end of World War II, thousands of new religious
movements have sprang up. These new religions have not been fully accepted by the previously organized religions.
They have been labeled "cults" or "sects" to give them a negative brand. Often these new religions
are opposed by other family members, who employ special agents to capture and deprogram followers of new religions, especially
by parents of the followers. This is especially popular in the United States. Many of these deprogramming methods
are psychologically dangerous according to menal health professionals, but families are willing to take the risk to "save"
a person from the perceived evils of a different religion. Professionals also agree It is dangerous to give one's
power away to any religion, old or new.
* A "cult" is a religion focusing on a single person or deity, such
as a prophet or guru. A "sect" is a splinter group or a subgroup associated with a larger tradition.
The term "new religious movement" is the more accepted term now.
Throughout
the history of religions, there have been prophecies of the millenium - a longed for time of peace, abundance and happiness.
The term "millenarian" comes from the Christian Bible in "Revelation." that last book. "Revelation"
predicts a thousand-year period of special holiness in which Christ returns to rule the earth. In the Old Testament of the
Jewish faith, the Prophet Isaiah foretold of a new heaven and a new earth, and the coming of the kingdom of God for
the faithful. In the 19th and 20th centuries, these messages were given to oppressed people to give them hope.
From these messages of hope sprang the new religious movements as a way of dealing with the horrors of the great war.****
In October we will look at some of these "millenarian" new religious movements around
the globe.
LIVING RELIGIONS- Rastafarianism
This week we look at another Milleranian religion -Rastafarianism. Rastafarianism began in Jamaica and is the first
modern religion whose purpose is to support black people. In 1895, Alexander Bedward of the Baptist Free Church prophesied
a coming holocaust in which all the white people would be killed, leaving the black people. He taught that the black people
were "the true people" and they would be the ones to celebrate the new world. As the date came for the prophecy
to be fulfilled, Bedward sat in his special robes waiting. Nothing happened and he was later committed to a mental institution.
Marcus Garvey took over the movement and his vision was
a fundamental change in society led by the black people. His vision also included a return to Africa by the black people
where they would rebuild a great civilization. One of Garvey's prophecies said, "Look to Africa when a black
king shall be crowned, for the day of deliverance is near." When Ras Tafari of Ethiopia was crowned as Haile Selassie,
Emperor of Ethiopia, the prophecy was thought to have come true.
An elaborate mystic built up around Halie Selassie as the living God. Rastafarianism lore was based on interpretations
of his statements mixed in with the Jewish Old Testament and the Christian Book of Revelation. Back in Jamaica, the
poor black people began comparing themselves to the Jews in captivity in Babylon. They began preparing for their free trip
back to Africa.
Halie Selassie died in 1974 and he did
nothing to liberate the Jamaican Africans. The young blacks in Jamaica went on to develop a new religious movement around
the old ideals. They wanted to revive the "Way of the Ancients," which is their concept of pre-colonial Africa
and to free people of African blood from subservience. The enemies, the new Babylonians, are the United States, Britain,
the state of Jamaica, and the Christian Church.
In protest
against the new Babylon, followers of Rastafarianism wear their hair in long uncombed curls called dreadlocks, which symbolizes
the natural non-industrial life. Some give use of marijuana a ritual religious significance. Interestingly, reggae,
a very popular music style, developed from the new followers, which is more of an expression of black pride, social protest
and the millenarian ideals. Bob Marley helped spread reggae around the world. Today many people in the Caribbean, North
America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand are Rastafarians. And in Nigeria, new religious movements are spreading
the message that black people have spiritual wealth that exceeds that of white cultures which have dominated many of the world
religions, so the movement continues.
LIVING RELIGIONS - Hinduism
Hinduism has always held that there are many paths to the same God.
"Truth is one; sages call it by different names," says the "Vedas," the Hindu sacred scriptures.
"There are many paths to God, but a path is by no means means God. Bow down and worship where others kneel, for where
so many have adored, the kind Lord must manifest himself, for he is all mercy."
Hinduism arose from the ancient civilizationthat developed in northwestern India
in the Indus Valley in 6000 BCE. Today there are 850 million followers of Hinduism all over the world. In India,
Hinduism is called "Sanatana Dharma" which means "eternal teaching." God, or the eternal spirit is called
Brahman. The various Gods and Goddesses of the Hindu faith are different aspects of the one God. Lord Krishna is the
most popular of these aspects. He is said to be the author of "The Bhagavad Gita," which is a guide to Hindu
moral behavior. There are four paths to the goal for actualizing human potential for Hindus. The first is the path of
knowledge, which has three stages: hearing, listening to sages and scriptures; thinking, intensive reflection; and, shifting
self-identification to one's abiding part. The second path is through Love, to direct toward God the love that lies
at the base of every heart. "Keep the name of the Lord spinning in the midst of all your activitie," brings the
love of God into being. The third path is through work. All you need to do is learn how to work in ways that carry you toward
God, not away from God. The fourth path is through psychophysical exercises. These exercises bring us through
the four layers of self: the body, the conscious mind, the subconscious mind, and Being Itself. This path requires the
student to have one's personal life in reasonable order and one's relationships harmonious. Working through the body
to the mind through the breath one unplugs from this world and embraces the spiritual world.
LIVING RELIGIONS - WICCA - I
Wicca is one of a new group of modern religions that are reconstructions of older ones. These reconstructed religions
are called Neo-pagan or earth-based religions. They are similar to the Native American and traditional spiritual paths.
Wicca was founded by Gerald Gardner in England in 1940. Wiccans worship a deity that is largely unknown but has both
male and female aspects, known as the God and Goddess. It honors the cycles of nature and the Wiccan rituals follow
those cycles.
The beginning of August is a time
of celebration for the Wiccan faith as Lughnassagh. It is one of the four major holidays for the Wicca followers, a
time of celebration and revelry.
The foundation of the
Wiccan faith is to do no harm. The Wiccan Rede says: "Ain it harm none, do what thou wilt." Much
of Wiccan traditions are taken from the Celtic or Scandinavian lore. Since the ancient teachings were handed down orally,
it is difficult to reconstruct them. When the Christian churches came into power, they wiped out the old religions.
So what remains is the intention of the old religions: to honor and cooperate with the natural forces, to celebrate
the circle of life rather than destroy it, and draw on inspiration from within.
Most Wiccan gatherings are held outdoors under the trees with nature as the altars of the sacred. Followers are reminded
of how their lives are interwoven with and affected by the natural rhythms. They pray for the healing of the earth and
all beings. Many ancient sites such as Stonehenge in England are considered sacred and ceremonies held there more powerful.
Because many women have embraced the Wiccan faith, the old controversy
of witchcraft has emerged. Some Wiccan women openly declare themselves to be witches in an attempt to raise consciousness
about earth-based religions. Others choose different names. Next week we will look at more of the beliefs of Wicca.
LIVING RELIGIONS – WICCA – II
This month we are looking at the Wicca path, one of the Neo-Pagan religions. Neo-Pagan meaning a reconstructed religion
from the nature-based religions of the ancient past. The term “Wicca” generally means a religion
based on Ecltic spiritual concepts, deities and seasonal days of celebration. Some Wiccans include other
pagan beliefs such as Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Sumerian, Aboriginal, Native American, etc.
Wiccans believe that a creative force exists in the universe. It is sometimes called “The One” or “The
All.” This force is both male and female, God and Goddess, and these aspects are not out there, but
immanent in the world. No Wiccan believes in the “Satan” deity of the Christian-Muslim religions.
There is a great concern among Wiccans for environmental issues because it is an earth-based religion grounded in nature.
They also believe in the natural process of life. They believe in gender equality, in fact, a Wiccan Priestess
holds a higher rank than a male Priest.
The
Wiccan afterlife is called Summerland, where souls go after death. There they meet with friends and family
who have gone before, review their lives, and are reincarnated into the body of a new born. After an individual
accumulates enough experience, he or she moves to the next level of existence, which we know nothing about. Some
believe that the molecules of our bodies after death go out into the world to mix with other molecules and incorporate into
other living beings. Some believe our influences will continue to influence the next generations.
Wiccans follow the Three-Fold Law or the Law of Return which states: "All good that a person does to another returns three fold in this life; harm is also returned
three fold." This belief strongly motivates each Wiccan to avoid attempting to dominate, manipulate, control, or harm another person.
Living Religion - Taoism
Taoism, The Way, dates back to 604 BCE in China with the inspirational teachings of Lao Tzu. We know nothing for certain
about him but there are many legends about this simple man who lived a simple life. He advocated living with a natural
goodness and in his later years sought a greater personal solitude. He climbed on a water buffalo and rode westward
towards what is now Tibet. At the Hankao Pass a gatekeeper tried to persuade him to turn back. He couldn't
make Lao Tzu change his mind so he asked him to at least leave a record of his beliefs. Lao Tzu consented and spent
three days writing the basic text of Taoism today - the Tao Te Ching (The Way and Its Power). The word
Tao means "path" or "way." It is the ordering principle that makes cosmic harmony possible and
can be encountered through mystical experience. There are three perceptions of the Tao: the way of ultimate reality,
the way of the universe, and the way of human life. There are three philosophical branches of Taoism in China. Philosophical
Taoism seeks knowledge. Taoist adepts are practitioners of the second branch and seek to increase the chi within.
Religious Taoism is the church founded in the second century.
Lao-tsu's Balance Prayer
Lord, let us empty of all doctrines,
The Tao is wisdom eternally inexhaustible.
Fathomless for the mere intellect,
The Tao is the law wherewith all
things come into being.
It blunts the edges of the intellect,
Untangles the knots of the mind,
Softens the
glare of thinking,
And settles the dust of thought.
Transparent yet invisible,
The Tao exists like deep pellucid
water.
Its origin is unknown,
For it existed before Heaven and Earth
This is a prayer for balance written
by Lao Tzu, the founder of Taoism. Taoism has influenced East Asia for over 2000 years and has spread internationally
from its roots in China.
Taoist thought focuses on wu
wei or non-action, spontaneity, transformation, and emptiness. What would it be like if you had no plans for the day,
nothing to do whatsoever? It wouldn't be like a vacation because you plan to do things on a vacation, but rather
a do nothing day empty day. And in this empty day you can do whatever comes to mind at the moment. And in this
day, you are empty of all stress, all have'tos, and needs. You are just you, one with nature in the present moment.
Wouldn't that be wonderful? That is the ideal of the Taoist.
There are three teachings of Taoism to remember. They are called the Three Jewels. They are compassion, moderation
and humility. There is a very strong link in Taoism between people and nature, especially water, which is the symbol
of Taoism. As the water flows through everything, so does the Tao or the energy of the Universe. This link, if you pay
enough attention, lessens the need for rules and order leading to a better understanding of the world and one's surroundings.
The Tao is not worshipped as it is the influence that keeps the
universe balanced an ordered. Next week we will look at some of the important concepts that have come out of Taoism.
LIVING RELIGIONS –
ABORIGINAL – I
Our Living Religion for this month is the Aboriginal path of Australia, the Arunta culture.
I’d like to read you a fire blessing that is an ancient prayer, 40,000 years old, handed down through the Aboriginal
culture and translated into English. Close your eyes and listen to the power of these truths from 40,000 years ago.
FIRE BLESSING
May the fire be in our thoughts
Making them true,
good and just,
May it protect us from the evil one.
May the fire be in our eyes;
May it open our eyes to share what is good in life.
We ask that the fire may protect us from what
Is not rightfully ours.
May the fire be on our lips, so that we may
Speak the truth
in kindness; that we may serve
And encourage others.
May it protect us from speaking evil.
May the fire be in our ears.
We
pray that we may hear with a deep, deep listening
So that we may hear the flow of water, and of all
Creation.
And the dreaming.
May we be protected from gossip and from things
That harm and break down our family.
May the fire be in our arms and hands
So that we may be of service and build up love.
May the fire protect us from all violence.
May the fire be in our whole being -
In our legs
and in our feet,
Enable us to walk the earth
With reverence and care;
So that we may walk in the ways of goodness
and truth
And be protected from walking away from what is truth.
A gift from Burnum Burnum, Aboriginal Elder
What we term modern historical religions span only a short 4,000 years.
The Aboriginal religions span 3 million years, and yet there are still people who discount the Truths in the old religions.
These are the roots of our beliefs today. The Australian Aborigines are the “oldest”
inhabitants on our planet that were not influenced by the Neolithic experience that began 10,000 BCE. This
Neolithic experience is the invention of farming and tooled stone implements.
Time is different for the Aborigines. They
measure ordinary life in the cycle of the seasons and the generations that come and go, but the backdrop for the unending
procession is stable. It is everywhen and their legendary figures people this backdrop so the stories are still relevant today.
When the Arunta model the lives of their archetypes, they become completely fitted into the same mold and become that archetype,
such as the First Hunter and no residue remains. Only when they are conforming their actions to the model
of the archetypes do the Arunta truly feel alive, because in those roles they are immortal. When they fall
from these roles, time devours their doings and reduces them to nothing.
This everywhen is called the Dreamtime or the Dreaming. There
are no priests or congregations; only the Dreaming and the molding. The myths and stories were handed down
orally. Writing was not necessary and has been considered threatening to the vitality of speech.
Speech is alive – literally alive, because speaking is the speaker. It is not the
whole of the speaker, but it is the speaker in one of his or her living modes. Speaking cannot be separated
from the speaker. Its very nature is to change, adapt, and invent. Speaking adapts itself
to speaker, listener, and situation alike. This gives it an immediacy, range, and versatility that is,
miraculous. Original wording breathes new life into familiar themes. Rhythn can enter until speaking phases
into chanting and storytelling becomes a high art. Dialect and delivery add their contributions, and when
animal postures and gaits are mined and their noises simulated, theater is born.
Speaking feeds the memory. Literate peoples with libraries
grow slack in recall. Oral cultures store the important knowledge in their collective memory and there
only. Would that not make knowledge more revered and honored?
Writing requires explicit meanings. Historical religions look to their historical
texts for the clearest, if not exclusive, revelations. Oral traditions leave the eyes free to notice other
sacred conduits. And writing has no limits so it continues to proliferate and minds are so swamped by information
that they difficulty seeing what is important. In an oral culture, the important is remembered and the
rest forgotten.
An
oral culture safeguards community. It is impossible to be lonely in societies where there are no newspapers
to hide behind, no computers to be glued to, or no teledramas or telenonsense to watch in isolated living quarters. In oral
cultures, speaking means people and interaction with each other.
It is in this oral culture that the earliest religions were born. Next
time we will look at some interesting concepts of the Aborigines.
LIVING RELIGIONS
CELTS
– I
Our Living Religions today are based on ancient beliefs that have been handed down for centuries. They
have been changed to fit the culture, taken on the legends and festivals of existing religions, and been interpreted by new
generations. And they still speak to our hearts.
One such religion that still speaks
to our hearts is the Celtic path. I think we all feel a little bit Irish or Scottish. The date the Celts
emerged as a distinct culture is still unknown, but is estimated about 1000 BCE. They introduced the art of iron-forging to
Europe. By the 9th century the Celts
had spread through most of Europe and the British Isles. They even invaded Greece and Rome. They had a reputation as fierce warriors. In 387 BCE, for example, the Romans fled in terror after
encountering the wild and noisy Celtic army, which went into battle with horns and trumpets blaring and shouts echoing off
the hills. The Celtic warriors were tall, bleached their hair with lime and drew it into spikes and sometimes dyed their skin
blue. They often went into battle naked.
The Celts were highly civilized despite the look and actions of the warriors.
They were merchants, farmers and artisans and priests. Some of the most beautiful craftsmanship comes from
the Celts. All Celtic life was based on a religion deeply rooted in nature, and the Wicca religion today draws its roots from
the Celts. They saw supernatural significance everywhere. They were advanced astrologers and mathematicians,
as well. Their religious teachings were forbidden to be written down for fear that the wisdom would be corrupted, which kept
the power in the hands of the priests known as Druids.
Because there is no written record, we have to look at the archaeological records, inscriptions, other historical
sources, folk lore and folk traditions to get a picture of what the Celtic religion was like. Even with
all of this, we will never really know.
Druid is the most common name for the Celtic priests. There were actually four classes of religious leaders:
Druids, which translates as “highly wise,” who were the moral teachers and had great herbal and healing
knowledge; Vates, who were the diviners, astrologers and mathematicians; Vergobretus, who acted as judges;
and Bards, who were the praise singers and poets, historians, often prophets and served as the life-line among the people.
There are over 400 gods and goddesses that made up the heavenly hierarchy of the Celtic religion. Priests
spent at least 20 years studying them. Many of these deities were associated with natural places or elements and have several
variants among the different Celtic cultures. There is the central and original deity called Dagda, which means Good God or
Skyfather, the God of Thunder and Lightening, and the Mother Goddess, Matrona. From these two come all
the other gods and goddesses.
In order to understand the hierarchy modern anthropologists have assigned the gods and goddesses to three realms: Upper,
Middle and Lower. The controller of the Lower realm is Sucellos, the good striker, and his consort Nantosuelta, “sun-warmed
valley who makes the flowers bloom.” Sucellos is depicted with a great hammer and always has a hound
by his side.
The
daytime controllers of the Upper Realm are Twins (and here we see the most common off spring of the original god and goddesses
- twins. Even in the Christian stories, Adam’s first offspring are twins, Cain and Abel.) Lugh, who is depicted as having
only one eye, and is the inventor of all the arts, is in charge for the summer half of the year. His twin,
Nuadu, is the controller of the winter half of the year and is depicted with only one arm. The nighttime
controller of the Upper realm is Esus, the youthful-savior-champion and is the warrior champion of the tribe and protector
of the cattle.
The
goddess of the Lower realm seems to have a cow-like nature. Her name is Sequana or Brigit or White Cow.
She could also transform into an eel, snake, serpent or wolf. She is the goddess of the animals.
The goddess of the Middle realm is Mehua, or Intoxicatress. She usually appears in human form.
The goddess of the Upper realm is Epona, the Horse Goddess.
There were also goddesses of springs and woods and specific places,
many of which were considered sacred. Many springs were believed to have curative powers; lakes were entrances
into the otherworld. Offerings and sometimes bodies were thrown into bodies of water. Arthur’s
sword Excaliber was taken from the hand of the Lady of the Lake and returned to her at the end of his life. Sacred places that related to the sky are also found in the high passes
of mountains.
The
last of the sacred places were monuments, such as Stonehenge, the rectangular walls and ditch sites, and even graves.
Next week we will look at some of the Celtic Legends and their meanings.
Zen Buddhism – II
Zen Buddhism originated in the 6th century in China and spread to Japan, Korea and Viet Nam and then to the West. It cannot properly be called a religion or philosophy
as it has no scriptures or a holy book. It is a method of experiencing the Ultimate – a way without rituals. It leads
directly to transformation through inner experience. Among the various schools of Buddhism, Zen Buddhism
offers the fastest and most direct way to enlightenment. The main methods are Zazen meditation and studying
the Koans. We talked about Zazen last week and I hope you had an opportunity to practice being in the present
moment.
Regarding meditation, Osho Rajneesh describes his Zazen meditation experience. He
says that you are to simply sit motionless, for many hours every day observing your mind. Just observe, be a witnessing presence
to whatever arises in your mind. Be indifferent to it. At first the mind will be very active, as always it will jump from
one thought to another. Simply witness the antics of the mind, without identifying with your thoughts or feelings. After many
months of such practice, the mind will quiet down on its own. It will get fed up with you, it will become tired of being ignored,
and it will quiet down. And you will be in a state of No Mind, experiencing the Ultimate.
Koans are questions posed
by Zen Masters to their disciples, which cannot be answered at the level of the mind. Some famous Koans
are – Listen to the sound of one hand clapping. Another is – What did your face look like before your grandparents
were born. These koans cannot be understood through analysis or through conceptualization. They force you to go beyond the
mind, into the realm of No Mind.
According to Eckhart Tolle, spiritual guru and author of the book, The Power of Now,
the essence of Zen Buddhism or Zen religion, indeed of all spirituality, is that it forces us into the Here and Now, into
a state of mind beyond past memories and future hopes, into a state beyond analysis and thoughts and conceptualization. It
conveys the essence of the ancient spiritual teachings of Zen Buddhism in a way that is understandable and usable by people
in the 21st century. We are studying another of Tolle’s books, the New Earth in our Adult
Discussion Group.
Here are some other Koans:
A Cup of Tea
Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji
era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen.
Nan-in served
tea. He poured his visitor's cup full, and then kept on pouring.
The professor watched the overflow until
he no longer could restrain himself. "It is overfull. No more will go in!"
"Like
this cup," Nan-in said, "you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first
empty your cup?"
Every-Minute Zen
Zen students are with their masters at least
ten years before they presume to teach others. Nan-in was visited by Tenno, who, having passed his apprenticeship, had become
a teacher. The day happened to be rainy, so Tenno wore wooden clogs and carried an umbrella. After greeting him Nan-in remarked:
"I suppose you left your wodden clogs in the vestibule. I want to know if your umbrella is on the right or left side
of the clogs."
Tenno, confused, had no instant answer. He realized that he was unable to carry
his Zen every minute. He became Nan-in's pupil, and he studied six more years to accomplish his every-minute Zen.
Flower Shower
Subhuti was Buddha's disciple. He was able to understand
the potency of emptiness, the viewpoint that nothing exists except in its relationship of subjectivity and objectivity.
One
day Subhuti, in a mood of sublime emptiness, was sitting under a tree. Flowers began to fall about him.
"We
are praising you for your discourse on emptiness," the gods whispered to him.
"But
I have not spoken of emptiness," said Subhuti.
"You have not
spoken of emptiness, we have not heard emptiness," responded the gods. "This is the true emptiness." And blossoms
showered upon Subhuti as rain.
LIVING RELIGIONS
Zen Buddhism
Zen Buddhism is a form of Buddhism that emphasizes meditation and direct individual experience. It developed in China from the teachers who
came from India and was called ch’an. From there it spread
to Japan, which is the best know of the Zen Buddhist schools, to Vietnam, Korea and then to the Western World through the
writings of D.T. Suzuki and Alan Watts. The word ‘zen” can be translated
“be nothing, think nothing” or “meditation.” Zen is the
English transliteration of the Japanese
pronunciation of the Chinese word ch'an , which is the Mandarin transliteration of the Sanskrit word Channa or dhyana, truly
an international name.
Bodhidharma is considered to be the founder to Zen in the
5th century. He was so passionate about meditation that he sat for
nine years in a cave staring at the cave wall and thereby lost the use of his legs.
For this reason Zen is also called wall meditation. Bodhidharma believed that the body and the mind are obstacles to
Satori or enlightenment. Zen was practiced with Taoism and focuses on the experience
of the moment.
In the 9th century in Japan Zen Buddhism split
into two groups: one believed that enlightenment could come as a flash of insight
and the other believed enlightenment could only come gradually with practice. In
Japan it was mixed with Shintoism.
Zen de-emphasizes study and worldly deeds and concentrates
instead on meditation and a non-rational awareness of the world and the way the mind reacts to it. It emphasizes mindful
acceptance of the present moment, spontaneous action, and letting go of self-conscious and judgmental thinking.
A student of Zen can spend years or a lifetime reflecting
on the koans or paradoxical riddles, zazen, the meditation and the teachings of a master or Roshi. There are 1500 koans designed to shock the mind out of its rationalistic rut and into a non-disciminatory
awareness of reality.
Here are two of the Koans:
A master who lived as a hermit on a
mountain was asked by a monk, “What is the way?”
“What a fine mountain this is,”
the Master said in reply.
“I’m not asking you about
the mountain, but about the Way.”
“So long as you cannot go beyond
the mountain, my son, you cannot reach the Way,” replied the Master.
Master Sekkyo said to one of his monks, “Can you get a hold of emptiness?”
“I’ll try,” said the monk and he cupped his hand in the air.
“That’s not very good,” said the Master. “You haven’t got anything in there.”
“Well, Master,” said the monk, “please show me a better way.”
Thereupon Sekkyo seized the monk’s nose and gave it a great yank.
“Ouch,” yelled the monk. “You hurt me!”
“That’s the way to get a hold of emptiness,” said Sekkyo.
Next week we will look at more principles of Zen Buddhism and hear more koans.
LIVING RELIGIONS
Self-Realization Fellowship
On
the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Paramahansa Yogananda’s passing, his far-reaching contributions to
the spiritual upliftment of humanity were given formal recognition by the Government of India. A special commemorative stamp
was issued in his honor, together with a tribute that read, in part:
"The ideal of love for God and service to humanity found full expression in the life of Paramahansa Yogananda....Though
the major part of his life was spent outside India, still he takes his place among our great saints. His work continues to grow and shine ever more
brightly, drawing people everywhere on the path of the pilgrimage of the Spirit."
The Self-Realization Fellowship that he founded continues to spread his message of God’s love, the fellowship
of all humankind, and service to others. Last week we talked about the founder,
Paramahansa Yogananda, and what an extraordinary man he was. He was the first man to teach that the original Christianity
taught by Jesus the Christ was in complete harmony and basic oneness with original yoga as taught by Bhagavan Krishna and
that the basic principles are the common scientific foundation of all religions.
Yogananda was one of the early pioneers who brought the word scientific back
to religion, as did Mary Baker Eddy and Christian Science and Earnest Holmes of Religious Science, but from an Eastern spiritual
perspective. You recall, in the Western world, there was a time when all science
was under the umbrella of the church and then it split off. These modern teachers
realized that there is a way to bring them back together again.
This week let’s look at some of the principles
of the Self-Realization Fellowship. The mission of SRF is to disseminate among
the nations a knowledge of definite scientific techniques for attaining direct personal experience of God. Yogananda envisioned a worldwide spiritual organization which united science and religion through realization
of the unity of their underlying principles. Today, it is difficult to tell whether
it is religion or science speaking when trying to explain the basic quantum principles of the structure of the Universe.
Then to teach that the purpose of life is the evolution, through self-effort of man's limited mortal consciousness
into God Consciousness; and to establish Self-Realization Fellowship temples for God-communion throughout the world, and to
encourage the establishment of individual temples of God in the homes and in the hearts of men. He wanted religion to come back into the mainstream of people’s lives, that it is okay for us to
have a personal space in our homes and our hearts to set up our altar tables. In
India every home has a temple.
SRF followers practice metaphysical meditation to liberate themselves from the threefold sufferings of physical disease,
mental inharmonies and spiritual ignorance and to demonstrate the superiority of mind over body, of soul over mind.
Yogananda wrote:
“I will seek God; then all my desires will be satisfied. Whether
I live in a palace or a hut will make no difference. I will criticize no one unless asked by him to do so, and then only with
a desire to help.” He taught the importance of peace with in the heart,
peace in the thoughts and peace in action.
Next week we will look at more of the principles
of the Self-Realization Fellowship.
LIVING RELIGIONS - Our Beliefs
*
Every January many churches take time to reflect on their core beliefs. It is especially important
for us as an interfaith community to reflect on those beliefs we have in common that bring us together in Unity. Our
most basic belief is that there is a Power in the Universe that is our Source. We may call this Power by different names,
but it is the same Power. This Power lives within us and everything else in the Universe. We can never be separated
from this Power. We believe in the spiritual journey as a critical aspect of our lives. Every thing is sacred.
We also believe that we can call our highest good into our lives, that we have choices for that good and choices for prosperity.
We believe that all paths to the Divine are equal and we are to honor and respect the spiritual where we find it. We also
believe that forcing our beliefs on anyone else makes us separate from one another. We also believe the best life is
one of forgiveness of ourselves and others, of service, and of loving each other as the many religions have directed.
We also believe in peace, peace in our hearts, our community, our nation and in the world. We work for peace everyday.
We believe the meditative life is worthwhile and the quiet a place of beauty. We honor Mother Earth and all the Beings
in the Universe. Let us join together and talk about our common beliefs acknowledging that we come to Unity through
our diversity.
LIVING RELIGIONS – UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS
This month we will be looking at some specific churches to learn
more about their beliefs and how they differ from one another and how they are similar to one another.
The Unitarian Universalist church came
into being when the older Unitarian church, founded in the 16th and 17th centuries in Central and Eastern
Europe merged in 1961 with the Universalist church, founded in the 18th century in England. The Unitarians broke away from the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches because they believed that
God was One instead of three-in-one as in the Trinity. The Universalists broke
away because they believed everyone could experience salvation from sin and that
this right did not exclusively belong to the priests to convey. Both churches
had a basic belief in the spiritual potential of individual human beings and a readiness to question religious dogma. There is a strong connection to Jewish and Christian teachings in both branches.
What is important to remember about
the UU faith is that you are not expected to leave your mind at the door when you come to church. It encourages questions and individual searching for the Truth. Minister
Jack Mendelsohn says, “Our religious way of life is not so much an arriving as a becoming—an ongoing process of
thought and life experience.” This church never became as big as other churches in terms of numbers of followers, but
it has had a great influence on religious, social and political thinking. The
other interesting point to remember is that this church is considered an American movement, as is the New Thought movement. The Unitarians settled in the colonies in Massachusetts. There are currently 1,050 UU churches and fellowships
in the US and Canada. They welcome people of all beliefs and people with
no religious beliefs.
The UU church celebrates the worth
and dignity of every person; affirms the sacredness of an ongoing search for truth; and embraces freedom as the essential
atmosphere for human sustenance and growth.
One UU minister states the following
as his belief about worship which I found to be similar to our own community’s belief:
I
want worship to be a celebration, a celebration and an affirmation.
I want worship to be a celebration of the human spirit
in all its diversity,
And of human consciousness in all its creativity.
I want worship to be an affirmation of the divine
depth
Of the eternal spark, of the sacred centre within each human self
It matters not at all whether we call it God
or call it anything else
Or leave it nameless
As long as we meet to make a space where it may be celebrated.
I
want worship to be a celebration of all the ways
In which we are connected to each other through God
And an affirmation
of all the ways
In which we are connected to God through each other.
I want worship to be a sharing of heart and
mind
And a sharing of all the difficulties and disappointments of life
And I want a sermon to remind me that
beyond
all the difficulties and disappointments of life
Beyond all the stupidity and brutality in the world
In spite of everything
that is wrong in the world
There is at the heart and at the root of everything
Something that is utterly and wonderfully
right.
I want worship to remind me of the joy and love
And wonder and wisdom that spring from the human heart
I
want a sermon to remind me of the richness and mystery
And heart-breaking beauty of the spirit that shapes the human heart.
And
I want a sermon to help me or guide me or to give me a glimpse
Of how I might come closer to these things in my own life.
Today we honor the Unitarian Universalists
and their Truths.
LIVING RELIGIONS – QUAKERS OR FRIENDS – I
In 1643, in England, a young man left home on a four year search seeking answers to questions which had troubled him
since childhood. These were religious questions and so he sought out the religious
leaders of his time. He became disillusioned with the existing Christian denominations. At age 23, he heard a voice saying “…there is one, even Christ Jesus,
who can speak to they condition.” This young man was George Fox, the founder
of the Religious Society of Friends. George felt he had received a direct call
from God and became an itinerant preacher and began to promote the concept of “Inward Light” or “Inner Voice.” He believed there is a “seed of Light” in each person; every person has
direct access to God; no priestly class or churches were needed; there is no need for elaborate ceremonies, rituals, creeds
or dogma; every person is of equal worth; following the inward light will lead to spiritual understanding and thus to individual
perfection.
He taught his followers to worship
in silence. People were encouraged to speak only when they were moved by the
Holy Spirit. His followers lived a simple life, drink no alcohol, and celebrate
no holidays. They did not participate or attend sports, theaters, wear wigs or jewelry, etc.
They referred to themselves as “Friends of Truth.”
The Friends became into being about
the time that the Puritans influenced Cromwell’s government and Charles II was restored to the monarchy. The Puritans were the opposite of the Friends and so a great conflict developed. The Friends refused to pay any tithes to the State Church; to take an oath in court; to take off their
hats to the king or other persons in power (called hat honor); or engage in a combat role during wartime. Plus they developed an intense concern for disadvantaged people of the day, including slaves, prisoners
and inmates of asylums. They worked very hard to end slavery and for improvements
in the prison and mental institution systems.
Fox was greatly persecuted during his lifetime for his beliefs and imprisoned many
times. Once, when he was hauled into court, he suggested that the judge "tremble at the word of the Lord". The judge
sarcastically referred to Fox as a Quaker; the term stuck, and has become the popular name for the Religious Society
of Friends. During the second half of the 17th century, over 3000 Quakers spent time in English jails for their religious
beliefs; many hundreds died there. About 1660, a group of congregations were established, called preparative meetings.
Once a month, these groups gathered together and held a monthly meeting. Four times a year, the latter groups would
hold a quarterly meeting. Finally, all of the quarters would gather annually for a yearly meeting.
The Quakers were among those faiths that came to the New
World to seek religious freedom. They found a sanctuary in
the Rhode Island colony, which had been founded on the principle of religious tolerance. Many of the
other colonies viewed them as dangerous heretics and they were deported as witches, imprisoned or hanged.
A famous Quaker, William Penn, along with others played a major role in the creations
of the colonies of New Jersey in 1675 and Pennsylvania in 1682. These colonies were noted for their toleration of minority religious groups, like the Jews,
Mennonites, Muslims and Quakers. In 1688, a group of Friends in Germantown PA took a public stand against slavery; this is believed to be the first stirrings within a religious organization of the abolitionist movement
in America.
After the Toleration Act of 1689, the Quakers became accepted as a denomination
and many colonies’ constitutions exempted them from giving oaths in court. The
Quakers distanced themselves from society through their simple clothing and plain language (using thee and thou in place of
you). As a group they became well respected for their industriousness and high
moral character.
In the years leading up to the Revolutionary War, the Quakers tried to remain neutral.
During the war most refused to pay military taxes or fight. Once again
they were disliked and some even exiled. Following the war, a number of Quaker
organizations were formed to promote social change in the areas of slavery, prison conditions, poverty, native American affairs, etc. Quakers played a major
role in organizing and running the "Underground Railroad" - a system which aided runaway slaves to escape to freedom
in the northern states and Canada.
In the early 19th century a great schism occurred over doctrinal beliefs and the movement split between
the Hicksite, led by Elias Hicksite, and the Orthodox factions. In 1840 there
was another split in the Orthodox group into the Guerneyites, led by John Guerney, a more progressive and evangelical group,
and the Wilberites, an even more conservative group led by John Wilbur. These
four groups exist today.
The first and
second World Wars created a crisis for the movement. Until that time, the Society was a pacifist organization. Any Quaker
who became a soldier was ejected from the community. However, during the two wars, some men were drawn up by the nationalistic
fervor, and entered the armed forces. During World War II, many American Quakers joined the Friends Ambulance Unit, an
unofficial body supported by British Quakers. This allowed Quakers to volunteer as medical and ambulance personnel on the
battlefields of the Middle East, India, China, and northwestern Europe. This was a particularly high risk assignment. All four branches of the faith joined together at
the time of the first World War to create the American Friends Service Committee. This agency allowed many Quaker conscientious
objectors to help alleviate suffering while avoiding conscription. Out of the
American Friends Service Committee grew the American Field Service dedicated to pursuing world peace through an exchange student
program.
There are
about 300,000 members worldwide, including a large group in Kenya. In fact, the greatest concentration of
Quakers lives in Kenya, where they follow an evangelical interpretation of Quakerism. There are 125,000 in North America. In the United States, they are concentrated
in the Northeast and Midwest.
Although many had settled in the South during the 19th century, almost all later left in protest over slavery.
Next week we will look at the fundamental
beliefs of the Quakers and the Friends’ Peace Testimony.
LIVING
RELIGIONS
QUAKERS
– II
Last week we leaned that the Quaker religion was founded in the 1600’s by
George Fox, who at the age of 23 heard the voice of God and began preaching what was then considered radical ideas of peace
and equality. He taught that everyone has direct access to God and didn’t
need clergy or a church. He also
taught that everyone was equal and had a “seed of Light” within them.
The Quakers came to America and still suffered much due to their belief in peace, many were imprisoned, exiled or hanged. They always worked to help the disadvantaged and were instrumental is creating the
Underground Railroad to help the fleeing slaves during the Civil War.
There are no religious creeds or codes of behavior or sets
of rules for Quakers. But one major principle for all Quakers is the Peace Testimony. It is said that the Peace Testimony “comes from the conviction that springs
from a Living Spirit mediated through the human experience of those trying to understand and follow its leadings. It grows afresh in every life, every worshipping group, in every generation.” This Peace Testimony
is created by each individual, each community, each group to reflect their unique and personal beliefs about peace.
The Quaker society in New Zealand writes:
Living out a witness to peace has to do with everyday choices about the work we do, the
relationships we build, what part we take in politics, what we buy, how we raise our children. It is a matter of fostering
relationships and structures—from personal to international—which are strong and healthy enough to contain conflict
when it arises and allow its creative resolution. It is a matter of withdrawing our cooperation from structures and relationships
which are unjust and exploitative. It is a matter of finding creative ways of dealing with conflict when it does arise, with
the aim of freeing all concerned to find a just and loving solution. "Spiritual
weapons"—love, truthsaying, nonviolence, imagination, laughter—are weapons that heal and don't destroy.
To accept as a certainty the spiritual conviction which underlies the peace testimony is
not to be certain of the outcome. We cannot guarantee that we will never kill, far less that we will never do violence to
those with whom we share the earth. Nor can we, by refusing to do harm and seeking always for a creative response in conflict
ensure our own personal safety or the triumph of the causes we support. We can only choose to live day by day as if it were
possible always to defend what we value and to resolve conflict without deliberate harm—in such a way that if damage
does occur, healing is possible.
If we choose to attempt this, we are not alone. Those who have lived and witnessed before
us (by no means all of them Quakers) have left examples for us to find and follow. Those of us alive now who are struggling
with the same dilemmas can offer each other comfort, courage and support. And we are many. We are beginning to realize that
security is common, indivisible, and cannot be assured by military means. To seek to live at such a time in that life and
power that takes away the occasion of all wars is no longer (if it ever was) a saintly, other-worldly alternative. It is now
an urgent and practical imperative.
We
urge all New Zealanders to have the courage to face up to the mess humans are making of our world and to have the faith and
diligence to cleanse it and restore the order intended by God. We must start with our own hearts and minds. Wars will stop
only when each of us is convinced that war is never the way. – Quakers church in New Zealand, 1989
We
give thanks today for the Quakers, the Friends, who are not afraid to stand up for peace, to make peace the very foundation
of their lives, recognizing that peace begins in our own hearts and minds. Refusal
to fight is not surrender. We must strive to remove the causes of war by any
nonviolent method available. The Quakers have much to teach us during this Season for Nonviolence. Thank you for showing us
the way of courage.