The Name of God

The Name of God


BRAHMA
SARASWATI

ABBA
AMMA

VISHNU
LAKSHMI

FATHER
MOTHER

SHIVA
SHAKTI


Who give birth to

BUDDHA
DHAMMA

SON
DAUGHTER

RISHI
VEDA

CHRISTOS
SOPHIA

SIDDHA
VIDYA


In short,
the Marriage of RADIANCE and WISDOM, Father and Mother,
gives birth to
the AWAKENED ONE and the COSMOS, Son and Daughter

Revati

There are two main theories of the after-life: (1) you have one chance, and then it's eternal hell or eternal heaven; or (2) you have many chances, and neither heaven nor hell is eternal.

One attraction the "one-life-only"-idea possesses is that, if you 'get right with God', then this is your only lifetime on earth, and you have eternity in heaven.

One attraction the "many-lives-possible"-idea possesses is that, if you don't 'get right with God', then this isn't your only lifetime, and you don't have to spend eternity in hell.

The synthesis of both is this: God transcends both heaven and hell -- thus, take your stand in the presence of God in this very moment.

The Death of Death

In the Christian tradition, Christmas sets in motion the events of Easter: Christmas makes sense only in the context of that latter day. Easter can be seen as a kind of ultimate Christmas, a 'glorified' Christmas: "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" (1st Corinthians 15:55)


Markandeya

Markandeya was a great devotee of Lord Siva. His father Mrikandu had performed rigorous austerities to get a son. Lord Siva appeared before him and said: “O Rishi, do you want a good son who will die in his sixteenth year or a bad and foolish son who will live for a long time?” Mrikandu replied: “O my venerable Lord, let me have a good son”.

The boy came to know about his fate and began to worship Lord Siva whole-heartedly with intense faith and devotion. The boy entered into deep meditation and Samadhi on the day decreed as the day of his death. The messengers of Lord Yama were not able to approach him. Hence, Yama himself went to take away his life. The boy prayed to Lord Siva for protection and embraced the Linga [an iconic representation of Lord Siva]. Then Yama threw his noose round the Linga and the boy. Lord Siva came out of the Linga immediately and killed Yama to protect the boy. Lord Siva was called Mrityunjaya [Conqueror of Death] and Kala-kala [Destroyer of Time] from that day.

Then the Devas approached Lord Siva and said: “O adorable Lord, salutations unto Thee. Pardon Yama for his mistake. O Ocean of Mercy, bring him back to life”. Then Lord Siva brought Yama back to life at the request of the gods. He also conferred a boon to the boy Markandeya that he should live for ever as a boy of sixteen years of age. He is a Chiranjivi. In South India, even now men and women bless a boy when he does prostration to them: “Live as a Chiranjivi like Markandeya”.

Through Tapas and meditation you can achieve anything in the three worlds.

Luke, Chapter 2 (New International Version)

Luke 2

The Birth of Jesus

1In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3And everyone went to his own town to register.

4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels

8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

A Christmas Creed

I believe in the Beloved, the All-Powerful, the Merciful, the Compassionate!

Look! Yesu Christos, the Foe-Destroyer,

Was conceived by the Spirit, born of the Almah Mary,

Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.

He went into the underworlds.

On the third day, He was Resurrected;

He Ascended into the overworlds, and sits at the right hand of the Beloved, saying,

“As you sow, so shall you reap.”

I believe in Holy Nature;

I believe in the Sacred Universal Communion of Light, Atoms, Molecules, Minerals, Plants, Animals, and Man;

and in the Communion of Saints, Sages, and Siddhas;

The Forgiveness of sins,

The Marriage of Consciousness and Energy,

And the Life everlasting. Amen.

Bridges Across the Divide

Not too many people know how large an influence the Catholic tradition had upon the Protestant evangelical author of the best-seller The Purpose Driven Life. The current interest in Catholic spiritually among Protestants stems from many reasons (as the excerpt below from The National Catholic Reporter, 15 December, 2006, shows; registration and subscription necessary to see the whole article). The trend of the Protestant, especially Reformed, tradition has been away from orality, away from the senses, away from contemplation, away from mysticism. Yet, if the Protestant experiment is to survive, it must retrieve these essential elements, elements that are truly 'universal', or 'catholic' (from the Greek, 'kata holos', 'relating to the whole').

Rick Warren, evangelical pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., told NCR that classical Catholic spiritual literature had a strong impact on him in writing The Purpose Driven Life, his Christian advice book that was on The New York Times Bestseller List for 174 weeks.

In 2005 this book made headlines when Ashley Smith, a 26-year-old hostage of the Atlanta Courthouse killer notified police that her captor wanted to turn himself in, claiming that during her captivity she read to the killer Brian Nichols from The Purpose Driven Life.

Newsweek magazine called Warren one of “15 People Who Make America Great,” an award given to people genius or passion, devote themselves to helping others. Christianity Today dubbed him “America’s most influential pastor” in a 2002 cover story.

Warren gives away 90 percent of his income to charities. His church is attended by as many as 20,000 on Sundays and carries 80,000 on the rolls. Elements from Catholic spirituality are a feature of many of the church’s Sunday workshops and classes, he said.

With roots in the Southern Baptist tradition, Warren said he has depended upon concepts from his readings in Catholic spirituality to form his own vision for his church.

“The idea of dying to self is a strong theme that comes from classical Catholic spirituality, as well as the instruction to learn to pray without ceasing. In St. John of the Cross we find the notion of the soul’s dark night, emphasizing the importance of how you handle those times when God seems absent or silent. Thomas à Kempis’ Imitation of Christ, is a Catholic spiritual classic I have found useful. How does a book last 500 years?”

From the early church fathers and mothers through the monastic traditions and up to Henri Nouwen and Thomas Merton, Warren said these traditions and writings have all ministered to him.

“Fr. Nouwen’s concept of the ‘wounded healer’ has informed my pastoral career. Here was a man who clearly struggled with his faith. His authenticity comes through.”

Warren quoted St. Augustine’s famous sentence, “Our hearts are restless until they find rest in you,” saying he believes that longing for the transcendent God is the source of his congregation’s interest in spirituality.

“People have tried everything. They realize there’s a hole in their hearts, knowing instinctively there’s more to life than just the material. There’s a spiritual yearning that all the technology and gadgets in the world can’t satisfy.”

In the classes taught at Saddleback Church, Warren said, six different ways to meditate are presented, along with instructions on how to fashion a daily devotional time. “We teach prayer, fasting, solitude. These are tools and resources for reaching out, for accomplishing our mission.”

Heaven and Hell

How long will you keep pounding on an open door?

I carry a torch in one hand
And a bucket of water in the other:
With these things I am going to set fire to Heaven
And put out the flames of Hell
So that voyagers to God can rip the veils
And see the real goal.

-- Rabi'a al-'Adawiyya (d.801)

Rabi'a was one of the earliest Sufis, and she was apparently the first Sufi to speak of the Divine as "Beloved", a characteristically Sufic appellation.

One Life, or Many?

Work as if you've birthed and died a thousand times.
Love as if you have one life to live.

The subject of singular or multiple lifetimes forms one of the distinctive differences separating much of the East from much of the West. A few questions to keep in mind, if one is troubled by such a seemingly tremendous difference among the great religious traditions of the world:

1. What is a "life"? Where does "life" begin, and where does it end?
2. Who is this "I" that apparently takes birth, and apparently dissipates at death?
3. Do our inclinations, perspectives, and personal and social histories determine which ideas we find more believable?
4. "What is the sound of one hand clapping?"
5. "Which one life are you living right now?"

Orient Yourself

Bhagavad Gita Commentary–Thirty-two–by Swami Nirmalananda Giri

The qualified student

During my first trip to India I met two Australians who told me they had come to India to seek out a “qualified guru.” I laughed and with my usual lack of tact asked: “Are you qualified disciples? Do you think a qualified guru would accept you?” They looked very “taken aback” and then admitted that it was not likely. But when I met them some months later they told me they had gotten initiation from every guru they met. “Just to make sure,” was their explanation. They had not gotten the idea.

But who is a qualified disciple? Krishna tells Arjuna: “That same ancient Yoga has been today taught to you by Me, for you are My devotee and friend; it is the supreme secret.”

Devotee and friend. Here we have the marvelous seeming-contradiction that is the jewel of Eastern religion (including Eastern Christianity): the ability to be simultaneously absolutely reverent toward and yet absolutely familiar with and “at home” with God. The awe, fear, and trepidation, so beloved to Western religion, past and present, simply do not come into it. Why? Because the “orientals” intuit their unity with God, while the “occidentals” feel utterly separated and alien from God. Consequently Western religion demands reconciliation and placation while Eastern religion simply calls us to unity, a unity that is essential and eternal. Westerners doubt their salvation, but Easterners know it is unnecessary. They may have forgotten their unity with the Divine, but they have never lost it. They do not find salvation, they recover it. The infinity of God and their finitude does not daunt them in the least. They rejoice in both as devotees and friends of God.