Christianity and the Doctrine of Non-Dualism
Title | Christianity and the Doctrine of Non-Dualism PDF eBook |
Author | A Monk of the West |
Publisher | Sophia Perennis |
Pages | 160 |
Release | 2005-03 |
Genre | |
ISBN | 9781597310178 |
The author of this slender but profound book, a Cistercian monk, discovered as a young man the work of his fellow countryman Ren Gunon, whose writings introduced him to genuine metaphysical doctrine and to possibilities of spiritual realization. This discovery marked him indelibly, and he resolved to follow a monastic path in order to be free for the 'one thing needful'. The word Advaita, which designates Vedantic non-dualism, is Sanskrit for 'non-dual' or 'not two'; but the doctrine itself is by no means exclusively Hindu, being present in Buddhism, Islam, Taoism, and Judaism. In Christianity it has always been more implicit, though explicit with writers such as Dionysius the Areopagite, Eriugena, Eckhart, and even Dante. The great merit of this work by 'a Monk of the West' is that it shows that non-dualism is neither pantheism nor monism, and that there is no incompatibility between orthodox Christian doctrine and the strictest understanding of non-dualism in the Advaita Vedanta. The implication is that non-dualism can again find expression within a Christian ambiance. The cover design helps clarify this. In the background is the Omkara, the sacred monosyllable of Hinduism, considered the most funadamental of affirmations. In the foreground is the Christian symbol of the Chi-Rho, chrismon, or labarum, consisting of the first two letters-chi (X) and rho (P)-of the Greek Christos, XRISTOS. This figure is intrinsically three-dimensional but is usually projected onto a plane surface. The cruciform Greek letter chi (X) is placed horizontally within a circle; it measures the parameters of a given world. The rho intersects the chi at its center and is placed vertically to represent the axis mundi or world tree. The loop at the top of the rho represents the Supernal Sun at the summit of the world tree, from which all possibilities of creation proceed and to which they return. There can be no essential, but only an apparent, incompatibiity between the Universe and any of its constituent parts; all derive from a unique and common Principle. Similarly, there be be no essential conflict between the Chi-Rho representing a given world and the Omkara which represents all worlds, the entire Universe, notwithstanding the differing degrees of universality. Christianity and the Doctrine of Non-Dualism offers one approach to this doctrine and to the greatest possible spiritual / intellectual adventure that is implied.
The Transforming Vision
Title | The Transforming Vision PDF eBook |
Author | Brian J. Walsh |
Publisher | InterVarsity Press |
Pages | 220 |
Release | 1984-10-12 |
Genre | Religion |
ISBN | 9780877849735 |
Brian J. Walsh and J. Richard Middleton offer a vision for transforming economics, politics, technology and every part of contemporary culture.
Body Parts
Title | Body Parts PDF eBook |
Author | Michelle Voss Roberts |
Publisher | Fortress Press |
Pages | 229 |
Release | 2017-12-01 |
Genre | Religion |
ISBN | 1506418570 |
Christians have traditionally claimed that humans are created in the image of God (imago Dei), but they have consistently defined that image in ways that exclude people from full humanity. The most well-known definition locates the image in the rational soul, which is constructed in such a way that women, children, and many persons with disabilities are found deficient. Body Parts claims the importance of embodiment, difference, and limitation-not only as descriptions of the human condition but also as part of the imago Dei itself.
Christian Ashrams, Hindu Caves and Sacred Rivers
Title | Christian Ashrams, Hindu Caves and Sacred Rivers PDF eBook |
Author | Mario I. Aguilar |
Publisher | Jessica Kingsley Publishers |
Pages | 202 |
Release | 2016-07-01 |
Genre | Religion |
ISBN | 1784503479 |
In late 20th-century India, Christian-Hindu dialogue was forever transformed following the opening of Shantivanam, the first Christian ashram in the country. Mario I. Aguilar brings together the histories of the five pioneers of Christian-Hindu dialogue and their involvement with the ashram, to explore what they learnt and taught about communion between the two religions, and the wide ranging consequences of their work. The author expertly threads together the lives and friendships between these men, while uncovering the Hindu texts they used and were influenced by, and considers how far some of them became, in their personal practice, Hindu. Ultimately, this book demonstrates the impact of this history on contemporary dialogue between Christians and Hindus, and how both faiths can continue to learn and grow together.
Experiencing God Directly
Title | Experiencing God Directly PDF eBook |
Author | Marshall Davis |
Publisher | |
Pages | 111 |
Release | 2017-05-19 |
Genre | Awareness |
ISBN | 9781521325025 |
We can know God directly. We can have immediate awareness of oneness with God in the present moment. It is not mediated through a church, a religion, a creed or a spiritual path. This is not theological knowledge about God. It is not a religious experience facilitated by a worship service. It is not a spiritual experience elicited by religious disciplines or practices. It is not a revelation of God mediated through Scripture or communicated by spiritual teachers. This is direct unmediated awareness of God. Jesus called this the Kingdom of God. He experienced it at his baptism, and it was his earliest message. Jesus described it to Nicodemus as being "born of the Spirit." The apostle Paul referred to it as being "in Christ." It was Moses' experience of God as "I AM" at the Burning Bush. It was the experience of Job when he met God in the whirlwind. It produces what the New Testament calls the "fruit of the Spirit" in our lives - qualities like Love, Joy, and Peace. It is "the peace that surpasses all human understanding." It is sometimes called nondual awareness. This is just another term for union with God. It is the experience of mystics in the Christian tradition, and it is echoed in other spiritual traditions. It is the Way, the Truth, and the Life that is Jesus Christ. This is the heart of Christianity. And it is available now. All we have to do is wake up to this always present awareness of God. That is what this book points to. Marshall Davis interprets nondual awareness in language familiar to Christians. He calls it Christian Nonduality. He explores the teachings of Jesus, the Wisdom literature of the Hebrew Scriptures, and the writings of the apostles in the New Testament. He shows how all these writings communicate this experience of oneness with God. He concludes with practical instruction on how the reader can experience this same awareness now.
Meister Eckhart on Divine Knowledge
Title | Meister Eckhart on Divine Knowledge PDF eBook |
Author | C.F. Kelley |
Publisher | Frog Books |
Pages | 316 |
Release | 2008-11-11 |
Genre | Body, Mind & Spirit |
ISBN | 9781583942529 |
Meister Eckhart on Divine Knowledge is not only the most profound study of the core theological and philosophical themes of Christianity’s greatest mystic ever written. It is also the greatest exegesis of Christian non-dualism ever published. Of all Christian mystical teachings, those of the Dominican theologian Meister Eckhart (c. 1260–c. 1328) are increasingly recognized as the most compatible with the non-dualistic traditions of Buddhism and Hinduism. Based on the author’s three decades of formal study and spiritual practice, this book offers a clear path to understanding the breadth and depth of Eckhart’s unique achievement. C.F. Kelley argues that the fundamental principle that elevates Eckhart above all other Western mystics, and links him to Eastern spiritual approaches, is his insistence that we “think principally” in divinis—that is, from within the mind or orientation of the Godhead or “Divine Knowledge” itself. “What is here presented to the reader supersedes all former interpretations of Eckhart’s teaching. It refuses to ignore what he precisely and repeatedly says cannot be ignored, that is, his exposition of the doctrine of Divine Knowledge in terms of the highest and most essential of all possible considerations.” —C.F. Kelley, from the Preface
The Pathway of Non-Duality
Title | The Pathway of Non-Duality PDF eBook |
Author | (Asram Vidya Order) Raphael |
Publisher | Aura Vidya Collection |
Pages | 0 |
Release | 2016-08-22 |
Genre | Philosophy |
ISBN | 9781931406215 |
This Pathway of Non-Duality (Advaitavada) provides an answer to the apparently rational doubts and contradictions that are expressed both in the realm of philosophy and in the realm of science, which focuses nowadays on discovering a constant or law which will serve as the foundation for every branch of scientific knowledge.