Non-Duality and the Christian Metaphor

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Rumpelteazer
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Non-Duality and the Christian Metaphor

Postby Rumpelteazer » Sun Aug 14, 2011 1:01 pm

Merlyn sent me this article and asked for it to be uploaded here so that everyone has the opportunity of reading it. It presents her ideas on how Christianity and Non-Duality can be brought together by regarding the Christian teachings as metaphors of Non-duality principles, instead of interpreting them literally.
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Advaita and the Christian metaphor - Merlyn Swan .doc
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Rumpelteazer
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Re: Non-Duality and the Christian Metaphor

Postby Rumpelteazer » Sun Aug 14, 2011 2:09 pm

It is encouraging to see people in the Society following H.H.’s guidance about creating a synthesis:
H.H. wrote:The organization which gives priority to conscious work manages to work out a synthesis; for one can, with Advaita principles, work out a system to reach synthesis with any formulations of True Knowledge.

This is by no means an easy or obvious process, as once incorporated into a religion, that knowledge tends to become distorted over time. As Dr Roles explained:
Dr Roles wrote:Take the Gospels; they are conscious in origin but by the time all the different scribes and pharisees have been over them since the manuscripts first appeared on papyrus they have been very greatly altered, have come under the Law of Accident. That is one way in which anything which is written down and published far and wide ceases to become conscious in action.

I am not, and never have been a Christian, but I am sure this article will be of interest to those members of the Society who are Christians and who want to reconcile their Christian faith with Advaita philosophy.

There is just one area in which I see things rather differently. My (very limited) understanding of Advaita philosophy is that all movement or phenomenality is caused by the action of the gunas, the law of three forces, not from the mechanism of duality. I think there is a parallel in the Christian concept of the Trinity. I see duality as being an artificial creation of the mind – primarily the left-hemisphere – and entirely illusory. Then, as Merlyn suggests, through practice one can learn to see things differently …

merlyn
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Re: Non-Duality and the Christian Metaphor

Postby merlyn » Tue Aug 16, 2011 5:07 am

"all movement or phenomenality is caused by the action of the gunas, the law of three forces, not from the mechanism of duality."
This is a quote of Rumpleteazer re the script on"Non=Duality and the Christian Metaphor.

There is a misunderstanding and hence a misinterpretation of what is said.If the word or is replaced by the word in, in Rumpleteazer's sentence the meaning becomes clear . It then reads
" all movement in phenomenality is caused by the action of the gunas."

Phenomenality is the manifestation of Consciousness/Subjectivity. Advaita says Consciousness/One in order to know Itself manifests as objects and so duality occurs . One has been transformed into many parts of creation, therefore duality occurs from One. Phenomenality/creation is considered the stage on which the drama of life the lila is played out.

Duality is an essential mechanism for the manifestation of phenomenality/creation. Duality has two aspects, refer to the article for details. The ground of the gunas is Consciousness. The gunas ; attributes or qualities of Consciousness, cause all movement /activitity in phenomenality.
I hope this makes it more understandable if there was any difficulty in the first instance.
Merlyn

It was not my intention for Christians to have to "reconcile their Christian faith with Advaita philosophy. Many find the literal interpretation that is used difficult to accept . Each one is free to interpret the Christian story and stay Christian or not . This was how it hapepned for me.


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