Combing Christianity and Eastern philosophy/spirituality?

*puts on battle armor* Ok...Basically I was going through some very rough spiritual things that started over a year and a half ago now. I guess I messed with the devil and paid a dear price. Long story short I realised I was in a destructive cycle of harming myself and lashing out at my family and I had to do something about it-I prayed to Jesus, had an intense spiritual awakening and became a Christian (unfortunately since that awakening I actually havent felt much of God's presence, which could well be the reason I'm posting this now, any thoughts as to why that may be?)...Now, it's in my nature to question everything about the nature of existence and all that jazz, and I just cannot believe that the universe was created only a few thousand years ago by a big guy with a beard...it just makes no sense ya know? What I'm wondering is if anyone here has succesfully merged the practice of praying to and worshipping Jesus as the saviour of the world, whilst also practicing things like mantra meditation, or Tai Chi, and recognising the Eastern view of a much more organic creation of the universe? I hope this post is clear enough and I'm going to post this in a couple of forums for a wider range of opinions. Thanks heaps...

 

Throw out the myths and doctrines and you find a teaching, a way of thinking and living that is common to them all.

E.g. Jesus' "Kingdom of God": in Aramaic cultures at the time the word translated as "Kingdom" really meant a state of wisdom. So the "Kingdom of God" was a state of enlightenment, a state of merger with the Whole (God).

Don't get too hung up on the narratives, they are there just to carry the belief system.

The only rule worth keeping as sacred is the Golden Rule.

 

because he's not there.

no need to follow a dogmatic way of thinking. think for yourself. you don't need any religion to be at peace.

 

Who-ism?

After finding it on Wiki, no.

Many religions and cults differ from each other only in the myths, narratives and doctrines, and at the core hold the same idea that Jesus taught - independence from materialism, empathy and compassion for others with a feeling of "oneness", as a path to experiencing being oneness with "God", the Universe whatever you wanna call it. That and the acceptance of the "now" is at the core of Bhuddism and a load of other isms. It's even the nugget at the core of the ism advocated by shitemeister Eckhart Tolle.

 

I definately believe in a God, or a higher power, or whatever you want to call it. I've experienced him/it and I've experienced Satan as well and they are both more real than you could imagine. I also think these 2 forces are inside everything, from the galaxies of the cosmos to you and I...

 

As long as you dont know that you are god, you can always be victim of mass believing.

 

well he must not be very interested in you, then

 

Well, for me I tried combining being Christian with other practices and traditions - and ended up not Christian. I don't regret it though, in fact I'm quite happy - I'm just saying you never know where the path of life is gonna take you.

 

Christianity and Buddhism have a lot in common at the level of practical morality. However, at the level of beliefs, there are more contradictions than commonalities.

Was the universe created or not? Are you saved by grace or by your own actions? What is the basis for morality? Buddhism and Christianity have opposite answers to these questions. They are not trivial questions that one can ignore. If you change how you answer them , you might find your religion changing. Which is okay unless remaining a Christian is important to you.

It is fine to adopt practices from another religion. You could be a Christian who does a bit of meditation, for example. Or you could be a Buddhist who attends church every Sunday. But you can't be both a Christian and a Buddhist.

 

I think Buddhism has influenced my understanding of Christianity for the better, and I see no conflict between them. As for the age of the earth, I see nothing in the Bible requiring a literal interpretation, especially of Genesis, and in my opinion the literalists or inerrantists miss the point. As early as the third century, Christians recognized this. The phenomenon of fundamentalism is a backwoods distortion of true Christian belief.

 

I guess you can't, if "being a Christian" means a wholesale acceptance of the doctrine as formulated at Nicaea. Certainly being a "Christian" in the modern fundamentalist sense is incompatible with Buddhism.

But you can easily take the view that Jesus would not recognise that stuff; you can follow his teaching, you can attend church for prayer and contemplation and meditate, you can look for truths and wisdoms in scriptures and readings (exegesis, an age old Christian practice) and discard anything that doesn't fit, all perfectly compatible with Buddhism. In the end the outcome is the same -attitude and behavior towards others and inner peace. It is also perfectly possible to become enlightened from Jesus' teachings.

 

blue_seeker...in your search, I truly believe you will find a spritual "place" you are comfortable with, as I have.
I believe in many, many things - but first of all I believe in Jesus Christ and that he was crucified and then resurrected. I believe in the Trinity.
I also believe in balance, and that all truths may not be found in the bible. Though, for me, the most important truth is there. You will be led to the beliefs, thoughts, etc. that are right for you. I believe that it is most important to have beliefs, morals, values, though that is not necessarily popular. If you stick with it, the benefits will definitely be worth your "trouble".
And hey, years and experience have shown me that just before the more important and enlightening moments, there will be times of wondering - like, what's all this about...I'm waiting on WHAT, exactly....then later I always wind up being inwardly embarrassed by my questioning. And of course I agree with okie.
just my 2 cent.

 

The thing is, religion is rubbish. Spirituality is what counts
Religion indicates dogma, conforming, stricter ways of behaving, dynamic attitudes, control by heads of the religion with the possibility of being corrupt and swaying you into ignorance for their gain, war, bigotry, irrationality. Religion is very precise. Different religions have different images and names for the creator or creatress, and the lesser high beings.
If you scrap the outer shell of religion thats based on the fruit meat of spirituality. You get the epic quest for personal betterment, a wish to understand what is beyond our physical senses, love and acceptance, and a reason for being. Spirituality is what makes us whole.
Ask yourself these questions:
If God/dess is like a perfect parent, how much does one outweigh or the other, or if one of them even matters.
A: that the child strictly calls you Dad/Mum as opposed to Papa/Mama, and they recognize a part of you that you want them to.
Or B: They are a kind person, respectful to nature and other people, they are happy as they are on their path, and they embrace your love and know they are a part of you, and so are your other children.

You are given free will and control over your life, even if it doesn't seem like it at times. You have a right to find what works for you.
Religion is trivial when it comes down to whats in the heart.
If a right religion exists, whats the purpose of following it unless you truly understand what it teaches?

As I said, religion is a shell around the fruit meat of spirituality. Analyze that what it means to you, if it has multiple meanings.
Then come back to me.

 

Um one thing to remember is that these religions are not needing you. They are for you. You therefore take what works best and you start from where you are. I also experienced huge confusion when I was fourteen. I followed a medicine man Amerindian, I also was amember of thr real Golden Dawn. I learned Tarot from the BOTA. Then I decided Ididn't like the vibes from Enochian and I got into TM and from there the whole Earstern thing. Now I am Dzogchen Buddhist by vow but I am in love with Amritananda-ji and Sri Vidya. I stick with the practices which I descovered and which I did longest in order. That's my strealining. If I could started over I would do Sri Vidya. But to remain true I have to follow my vows. If you have made vows then keep them.

 

I was born and raised Christian my friend, and I went down the same path you now find yourself on, also real quick to all the buddhists srry I'm posting on this and not a buddhist just happened to notice the thread and figured I could help this cat, peace, love, n' respect. Now back to the question at hand. You wonder why you don't feel "Gods" presence regularly or at all correct? In answer to that, after all the years I spent as a Christian I came to the simple conclusion that this presence we "felt" was actually our own hormones and the rush we got from certain times and places and what was going on then. If you want to be a christian then don't rely so much on these feelings, instead rely on the faith that Christianity is so fond of. If instead you want to learn about other religions and philosophies then feel free to contact me and ask your questions I'll be more than willing to help. Tai Chi is a great method of meditation and excercise by the way, I tried it a year or so back and it was interesting, which reminds me I need to get back into it. Peace n' love.

 

I've had some experiences with Satan and his followers as well. I've experienced what could only have been a brief taste of hell several times during psychedelic experiences. The fear of that state has stayed with me and I don't think I've been able to completely calm myself down since. Even during breathing meditation, when the mind chatter ceases, there is awareness of great emotional disturbance in my soul. Mid day Grand Central Park on acid was a terrifying place, and I've experienced negative satanic synchronicity (having 666 and 616 constantly follow me everywhere) from time to time since that day a few years ago.

I don't stray too far from having Jesus in mind. He gives me comfort, a feeling of protection, but at the same time, I often blame God for my owned existence (I never asked for this) and my tenuous place in this universe, so I could not say that I am an honest toe the line Christian. I am blasphemous and lustful, and the thoughts going through my head are often vile and sickening to my own fallen being, let alone to the mind of our meek and mild Lord.

I am terrified of going back to the hell state though, and its God who I pray to, but it's hard to love Him fully when I feel that he is responsible for Satan and hell and all that I fear. Why should we feeble and fickle mortals have to face up to such enormous consequences for our actions? Life and coming of age is a tremendous burden even with no fear of hell, but with it, after getting a small glimpse of such a place, life seems so doomed and hopeless for the vast majority of humankind. If that is the peril we all face, and it is not just some deeply rooted psychosis.

So Jesus is king, but I say that reluctantly. I am bitter and sick of the self destructive thoughts that have resulted from my alienation from my fellow man. I feel like I'm trying to contain an explosion, to quote a White Stripes song. The feeling within when examined is of tremendous despair, masochism, and hopelessness that has bred some mean violence in my mind. I can turn it off and live on the surface, and try to be normal, but underneath I am a confused and frightened mess a lot of the time.

I'm on meds and that's helped sort out some of the more far out symptoms I've been experiencing but there were things I encountered that I cannot explain away to mere hallucination, unless I'm simply underestimating the power of the mind's illusions. The feelings me inside are real enough, and I'd be lying if I were to say I'm not a believer.

But I've found Buddhism very helpful for dealing with the nature of suffering and in finding a more balanced and healthy perspective of my existence in the universe. Bringing my awareness back to my breath when I'm anxious and caught up in my own thoughts is very useful indeed. The anti psychotic medicine has worked wonders of its own and it's completely transformed my world into something a little more bearable.

So you could call me a Zen Christian, though I suppose the belief in Jesus would be considered an obstacle in the way of truly awakening into enlightenment. But really I'm just trying to live my life and stay as far away from hell as I can get. May God forgive me for being pragmatic and doing what works just to get by, but I'm really interested in comfort and happiness, and whatever can bring me that.

If I thought I could really trust Satan, I would probably jump back aboard that ship again. The temptation is certainly there.

But I take everything with a grain of salt now, especially my own thoughts and personal experiences. If I've learned one lesson in the last five years, and I still trying to get it to sink into my thick skull, it's that you shouldn't put too much faith in your own understanding of things.