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Vedic and Non Christian Dualism
Written by Monsignor Anthony Guagliardo
A look at the similarities between the non-dualism of the Hindu spiritual tradition and the teachings of Jesus the Christ.
The Ancient Vedic Tradition
The oldest continuously practiced religious tradition in the world is Sanatana Dharma, which literally translates as The Eternal Way, known in the West as Hinduism. Greatly misunderstood by Westerners, it is not a polytheistic religion, but rather a brilliantly diverse and constantly growing type of Panentheism, seeing the One God as manifesting in a multitude of ways and represented by many facets of the One God. The foundational scriptures of Hinduism are the Vedas, of which the Upanishads are the culmination. In the Upanishads, we find that the concept of advaita, or non-dualism, is revealed through such declarations as “I am Brahman (God)”, thus describing the essential unity of all that is. The goal set forth in the Vedic tradition is that of Self-Realization through which this underlying unity is not so much achieved as realized. The process of Self-Realization is not a rigid, one-size-fits-all dictate, but rather it is described as a uniquely individual experience wherein one discovers the method and approach which works best according to the peculiarities of the individual.
This is a progressive approach to enlightenment in which many different paths leading to the same destination are made available to the individual. In keeping with this progressive approach, the Upanishads also describe four levels of consciousness: waking, dreaming, deep sleep and the mystical state known as turiya, which literally means the “fourth” state. In the waking consciousness, one identifies with the physical body and pursues material desires and ambitions. In the dreaming state, one deals with ideals. It is here that one identifies oneself as a Christian, Muslim, Hindu or Jew. In the state of deep sleep consciousness, we are freed from both personal and collective ideals and enters into the state of originality and creativity, allowing one to focus on the statement “I am what I am.” It is in the fourth state of turiya that one is able to realize and say “I am Brahman.” While such a statement may seem on the surface to be spiritually arrogant, the reality is quite the opposite, for it is in fact a statement of complete humility in which the ego is destroyed so that only Brahman remains. In fact, it implies that there is nothing real and permanent except Brahman. While there are many interpretations based on the Vedic literature, all agree that there are three paths to the ultimate union with the Divine. These are jnana, the path of knowledge; bhakti, the path of devotion; and karma, the path of action.
The Judeo-Christian Biblical Tradition
In the Old Testament of the Bible, we also find a sort of progressive growth in the relationship between human and divine. The Old Testament method of singing praises and ritual sacrifice are transformed in the New Testament by Jesus who teaches the experience of God as non-dual, such as in the statement of Jesus that “I and the Father are One” and “Be ye perfect even as your heavenly Father is perfect.” In this progressive spiritual tradition we find that Judaism is particularly dualistic, while Christianity, as taught by Jesus Himself is transcendental, or non-dual. We even find that the old Jewish prophets foresaw the spiritual progression ahead in the prophecies, such as when they proclaimed that the coming Messiah should be called Emmanuel, which means God is with us and within us. But the teachings of Jesus seemed to many Jews at the time as blasphemous and as an attempt to derail the ancient Jewish tradition of absolute dualism. However, Jesus did not seek to abolish the old dualism, but rather sought to follow it to its logical conclusion which is non-dualism. Jesus said “I do not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it.”
The true teaching of Jesus is not to say that dualism is wrong and non-dualism is right, but rather than one comes to the ultimately non-dualist understanding only after one has passed successfully through a dualist understanding. Truth is not static, but dynamic. This fluid understanding of the nature of reality has, in general, been lost on the Christian community. In the early years of Christianity, there was always a diverse and lively community that approached the Divine in this progressive spirituality from dualism to non-dualism (as well as everything in between). But within a few centuries, the dualists who had obtained secular power branded all others as heretics and stamped all dissenting voices out through forced conversion or burning at the stake. Those who clung to the more inclusive teachings of Jesus went underground and for over 1500 years have been forced to stay in the shadows. Even the Protestant Reformation did not revive these lost teachings, but rather continued the dualist view of spirituality, changing only the politics of religion. Of course, through the centuries there were those who did come to realize the non-dualism taught by Christ, such as Origen, Meister Eckhart and Emmanuel Swedenbourg. But over the last century and more, the non-dualist view of Christian teachings has grown, especially with the emergence of the Liberal Catholic Movement, which recognizes the value of non-dualism and which also recognizes the evidence that Jesus traveled and studied in India, bringing the glory of non-dualist teachings back to the West.
To live the true Christian life, that is to imitate the kind of life exemplified by Jesus, one must learn to embrace both dualism and non-dualism and a spiritual progression through which true growth is possible.
A look at the similarities between the non-dualism of the Hindu spiritual tradition and the teachings of Jesus the Christ.
The Ancient Vedic Tradition
The oldest continuously practiced religious tradition in the world is Sanatana Dharma, which literally translates as The Eternal Way, known in the West as Hinduism. Greatly misunderstood by Westerners, it is not a polytheistic religion, but rather a brilliantly diverse and constantly growing type of Panentheism, seeing the One God as manifesting in a multitude of ways and represented by many facets of the One God. The foundational scriptures of Hinduism are the Vedas, of which the Upanishads are the culmination. In the Upanishads, we find that the concept of advaita, or non-dualism, is revealed through such declarations as “I am Brahman (God)”, thus describing the essential unity of all that is. The goal set forth in the Vedic tradition is that of Self-Realization through which this underlying unity is not so much achieved as realized. The process of Self-Realization is not a rigid, one-size-fits-all dictate, but rather it is described as a uniquely individual experience wherein one discovers the method and approach which works best according to the peculiarities of the individual.
This is a progressive approach to enlightenment in which many different paths leading to the same destination are made available to the individual. In keeping with this progressive approach, the Upanishads also describe four levels of consciousness: waking, dreaming, deep sleep and the mystical state known as turiya, which literally means the “fourth” state. In the waking consciousness, one identifies with the physical body and pursues material desires and ambitions. In the dreaming state, one deals with ideals. It is here that one identifies oneself as a Christian, Muslim, Hindu or Jew. In the state of deep sleep consciousness, we are freed from both personal and collective ideals and enters into the state of originality and creativity, allowing one to focus on the statement “I am what I am.” It is in the fourth state of turiya that one is able to realize and say “I am Brahman.” While such a statement may seem on the surface to be spiritually arrogant, the reality is quite the opposite, for it is in fact a statement of complete humility in which the ego is destroyed so that only Brahman remains. In fact, it implies that there is nothing real and permanent except Brahman. While there are many interpretations based on the Vedic literature, all agree that there are three paths to the ultimate union with the Divine. These are jnana, the path of knowledge; bhakti, the path of devotion; and karma, the path of action.
The Judeo-Christian Biblical Tradition
In the Old Testament of the Bible, we also find a sort of progressive growth in the relationship between human and divine. The Old Testament method of singing praises and ritual sacrifice are transformed in the New Testament by Jesus who teaches the experience of God as non-dual, such as in the statement of Jesus that “I and the Father are One” and “Be ye perfect even as your heavenly Father is perfect.” In this progressive spiritual tradition we find that Judaism is particularly dualistic, while Christianity, as taught by Jesus Himself is transcendental, or non-dual. We even find that the old Jewish prophets foresaw the spiritual progression ahead in the prophecies, such as when they proclaimed that the coming Messiah should be called Emmanuel, which means God is with us and within us. But the teachings of Jesus seemed to many Jews at the time as blasphemous and as an attempt to derail the ancient Jewish tradition of absolute dualism. However, Jesus did not seek to abolish the old dualism, but rather sought to follow it to its logical conclusion which is non-dualism. Jesus said “I do not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it.”
The true teaching of Jesus is not to say that dualism is wrong and non-dualism is right, but rather than one comes to the ultimately non-dualist understanding only after one has passed successfully through a dualist understanding. Truth is not static, but dynamic. This fluid understanding of the nature of reality has, in general, been lost on the Christian community. In the early years of Christianity, there was always a diverse and lively community that approached the Divine in this progressive spirituality from dualism to non-dualism (as well as everything in between). But within a few centuries, the dualists who had obtained secular power branded all others as heretics and stamped all dissenting voices out through forced conversion or burning at the stake. Those who clung to the more inclusive teachings of Jesus went underground and for over 1500 years have been forced to stay in the shadows. Even the Protestant Reformation did not revive these lost teachings, but rather continued the dualist view of spirituality, changing only the politics of religion. Of course, through the centuries there were those who did come to realize the non-dualism taught by Christ, such as Origen, Meister Eckhart and Emmanuel Swedenbourg. But over the last century and more, the non-dualist view of Christian teachings has grown, especially with the emergence of the Liberal Catholic Movement, which recognizes the value of non-dualism and which also recognizes the evidence that Jesus traveled and studied in India, bringing the glory of non-dualist teachings back to the West.
To live the true Christian life, that is to imitate the kind of life exemplified by Jesus, one must learn to embrace both dualism and non-dualism and a spiritual progression through which true growth is possible.