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(9-12-99)
A Praise of Which I Feel Unworthy
Sun Sep 12 14:35:24 1999
Thank you, Hindus of Mangalore for a Praise of Which I Feel Unworthy.
Those of you who follow my emails or posts are aware that some weeks ago I was invited to a message board by Muslims, to debate whether Islam is the "one true faith." Of course, I have dedicated my life to taking the side of non-Islamic, non-Christian religions, and speaking in their defense. The various dialogues and exchanges which have taken place so far are available as pages at my website.
Apparently, in Mangalore, the Muslims are quite vocal and aggressive in their "propaganda" where is the Hindus are gentle, softspoken, and with a very tolerant "interfaith" attitude which meekly puts up with a lot, and sometimes gives the false impression that the Hindus acquiesce and consent to the Islamic propaganda.
As I began to combat the Muslim rhetoric with many criticisms of the Koran and the life of the Prophet Mohammad, a number of the Hindus on the message board began to express their gratitude to me for "sticking up" for non-Islamic, non-Christian religions: Hindu, Jain, Sikh, Buddhist, Zoroastrian, etc.
Todays post (below) is particularly touching for me, and certainly I do not feel worthy of it. And yet, it makes me pause and think about the frequently recited prayer in Hinduism "Guru Bramha, Guru Vishnu, Guru Maheshwara", which is simply saying that your earthly Guru or spiritual advisor is equivalent to God, to the Hindu Trinity of Creator, Preserver, and Destroyer. Such a sentiment is very difficult for the West to understand. We see the analog of this sentiment (very dimly) in St. Paul's words "God places His treasures of GOLD in vessels of CLAY." Of course, we humans are the earthen vessels, with our individual faults, passions, addictions, handicaps, appetites and shortcomings (the CLAY). But the GOLD that is deposited within us is the WORD. For Western Christianity, the WORD of course is the LOGOS, Christ, who said "I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, THE LIGHT". But in a broader sense, a sense which encompasses Eastern Thought as well, the WORD is those ETERNAL SPIRITUAL TRUTHS which age after age, like birds from the heavens, come and roost in the hearts and minds of certain individuals, certain Gurus, teachers, Prophets, who in turn take courage and give VOICE to the WORD, at any cost, at any risk, even if it means that they pay for the WORD with their lives. There are those such as Buddha and Guru Nanak and Rumi and Ramana Maharshi, who arise in every century, and Tulsidas, and Chaitanya and Vallabh, and many many others. These are the vessels of clay which contain the gold. The field which contains the pearl of great price is that human heart which contains the treasure of the WORD. That great PRICE which one pays for the field, to gain the WORD is one's life. Either one consecrates ones life to prospecting for, uncovering, and revealing that WORD hidden in the heart, or one sacrifices ones life in religious persecution for having been too outspoken. Whichever price one is deemed worthy to pay, the price is dear, and yet modest compared to the PRICELESS treasure which is obtained.
Certainly it is true that, whoever or whatever you accept as teacher or guide INDEED becomes God for you, because that teacher and guide fashions and shapes your concept of who and what God is , the nature of God's Personality, and the relationship of that Personality to you as an individual.
Few Western Christians are aware of something in Eastern Orthdox Christian belief and practice which closely resembles this Hindu notion of "Guru is God". The West often chuckles at the word Swami, which means Master, and pictures some self-seeking charlatin wearing a turban and colored robes. And certainly there have always been many such charlitins in the word, in every faith and culture. But the word in Greek for Bishop is "Despoti" (yes, the same root word as Despot or Tyrant). "Despoti" means "Master", just like Swami. The Russian Orthodox Christians of the first millenium faithfully translated "Despoti" to the Slavonic word "Vladika". The Russians also address their Bishop as Vladika (Master). And in Hinduism, a "GO-SWAMI" is "one who has mastered the senses" (Go can mean the senses, or Go can also mean herded creatures, in which case the "Goswami" is the Shepherd). Certainly, even Plato in his Republic has imagery about the soul being the wild horses of the senses and appetites, hitched to a chariot, and Nous or Mind or Reason is the Master Charioteer, who harnesses and tames and directs their wild energies and impulses.
When a Bishop is present in a church (even a remote rural village church), it is quite an event. There is a special cermony in the center of the church, prior to the beginning of the Liturgy (or Mass). It is a religious ritual in which the Bishop is "vested" or dressed in his vestments. Once the Bishop is vested and begins to serve the Liturgy, he is no longer the individual "clay vessel" named John or Peter or Ambrose or Luke (or whatever his personal name might be). He has now become THE LIVING ICON (or Image) of Christ, and he is treated as such for the entire service. And SINCE CHRIST is ONE with the Trinity, the Bishop in essene IS FATHER, SON, AND HOLY SPIRIT (or in Hindu terms, the Swami or Guru IS Bramha, Vishnu, Maheswara). When a priest or deacon takes his Incense (Dhoop) container (which swings on a chain) and incenses the Icon (or picture) of Christ which is on the iconostasis at the front of the church, he incenses it THREE TIMES. BUT, if a Biship is present, the priest or deacon will incense the Bishop NINE TIMES, precisely because the Bishop is the LIVING ICON OF CHRIST (whereas the painting is not alive). And remember, the Bishop is addressed as Master or Swami.
We must also look at Greek Orthodox Monastic tradition and practice, which has remained unchanged for the past 2000 years. The Greek Orthodox theological understanding is that mankind fell away from God and Grace because of disobedience in the Garden of Eden by breaking God's only commandment and tasting of the one fruit which was forbidden. Therefore, in Greek Theology, the CURE for disobedience is OBEDIENCE; surrender of the WILL in complete, unquestioning OBEDIENCE to a MASTER (or Swami). That surrender and obedience is the soul and essence of Greek Monastic life. The highest level of Monk is the Elder, or Spiritual Father. This is someone whose "clay" has been long-baked in the oven of suffereing and adversity of ascetical renunciation(TAPAS). Symbolically, the Elder or Spiritual Father (though he is human and has faults and weaknesses) LITERALLY BECOMES a LIVING ICON of Christ for the disciple (Chela). So quite literally, the Bishop is God, the Elder or Spiritual Father is God, and GURU IS GOD.
Hinduism also teaches that a child should treat their Mother and Father as Dieties, earthly God and Goddess. This is also a difficult concept for the West to deal with. And yet the West addresses God as Father. But we see how a small child naievely considers their father and mother to be all-powerful (omnipotent, able to do anything) and also all-knowing (omniscient).
Over the years I have spoken to many people who are "lost souls" in search of something. Although I consider myself a "lost soul", I recognized that some of these people were far more "lost" than I, perhaps simply because they did not have the good fortune, the leisure, the luxury that I had, to uncover as much of that "Pearl" hidden in the field of the Heart. And they turned to me, in their need, like children to a parent. And yes, a few of them, in their simplicity, asked me if I had special powers (Siddhis), to which I answered "No." And yes, a few times in my life, such a person has spontaneously offered me "Guru Pooja" and worshipped me, which I accepted in humility because it was needful FOR THEM at that moment. Certainly I do not consider myself an equal to Shankaracharya or Chaitanya, or Tulsidas, or Prabhupad or Gandhi (who felt plagued by Darshan seekers).
But, there is an old saying, "Any port in a storm." Those few people who honored me on those occasions were "lost at sea" in a storm, so to speak, and I happened to be the only Lighthouse available at the time (as dim of a light as I am, a match is preferable to darkness). But sometimes, out of compassion, and in all humility, one must consent to be a Father, a Living God, to a "child" , a "spiritual child" who needs it at the time.
But just as no Parent who is worthy of the name would want to keep their Child a child forever, but desires them to GROW and become a PARENT themselves one day; so likewise, no God worthy of the name wants to keep His Child a mortal child of clay forever, but desires to see them grow to become God themselves. Even in the Psalms there is a verse, "God said unto the gods, 'Ye are sons of the Most High'".
An early Bishop and Theologian of the Greek Church once said, "God became man (Christ) so that Man might become God." That is, the purpose of this phenomenal world is not simple to evolve CONSCIOUSNESS (Mind , Spirit), but that Consciousness should then evolve to be GOD-Consciousness, or Holy Spirit.
So to the degree that our own personal religion is successful or effective in transforming our lives, our thoughts, our desires, our hearts; to that degree we approach resemblence with, and ultimately non-different from God. But the Light, the Radiance, the Power does not come from the CLAY of which we are made. It is the Light, Radiance and Power of the WORD, the precious Pearl, the Gold, which is HIDDEN in that field, which we ultimately give up everything to possess. The Light of that Word shines out from the cracks in the clay, as the clay is baked and tempered in the furnace of Tapas, of practice (whatever that practice might be).
But a large part of the price that we must pay to gain the treasure of that field, is our own EGO, our own Individuality. There is an ancient story in Greece about a very important Bishop, who had not surrendered his own ego, and hence confused the honor people paid to him as the Living Icon of Christ, with honor paid to his own unworthy person. One day, the proud Bishop was present at a religious procession. A very sacred Icon of Christ had been placed on the back of a donkey, to be transported in procession to the Church. As the donkey passed through the streets, the crowds of people bowed in veneration to the Ikon on the donkeys back. The donkey cried , "Heee Hawwwww". A wise priest turned to the proud Bishop and remarked, "That foolish donkey thinks the crowds are bowing to him. The donkey does not realize that, he is only a donkey, and that they are venerating and worshiping that Sacred Image which the donkey bears upon his back, beast of burden that he is." Suddenly, the proud Bishop was both enlightened and humbled, realizing his own error of Ego, that he MISTOOK what he symbolizes and embodies as reverence paid to his own flawed individuality.
I repeat once again, todays post (below) is particularly touching for me, and certainly I do not feel worthy of it. But I hope what I have written helps to explain why I feel it is my duty to accept it, and to be an Avatar or Embodiment of something "extra-ordinary" for these people, who need this, at this time, in THAT place. But as I have said several times in my website, I am simply an old parrot, who cage has been in some interesting parlours, and I simple repeat that which I have heard many times. I am not holy, but my Words and Thoughts are Holy. But they merely SEEM to be my words. In reality, I am a temporary, disposable vessel (an earthen vessel) which has been chosen to contain and convey them. Guru Nanak and Rumi, both raised as Muslims, proclaimed "You need no prayer mat!". And I proclaim to you. You need no Mosque! You need no Prophet! You need no Mecca or Jerusalem or Kashi. You need no Lingam or Ka'ba or Moorty. You are your own Tirth, your own Sacred Site, Holy Place! You are your own Moorty and Icon! You need only the proper MIRROR held up to you to see your true DIVINE NATURE. And if I must be that mirror for you, then certainly you will see me as God. But know that it is your TRUE SELF that you see. I merely reflect it.
And most definitely, the spread of Islam represents a decline of Dharma.
And have no doubt. Whenever Dharma delines, my voice will arise, my voice is the Voice of Ram. My voice is the Voice of Krishna. My voice is the voice of Buddha, Nanak, and Rumi. It is the voice which echoes the eternal unchanging message of Dharma and Rta whose vibrations the Rishis echoed in the Vedas. I shall pass away, but these Words will never pass away. This Voice and these Words will arise in every persecution, in every holocaust, in every tyranny and oppression of individual religious freedom of expression. And have no doubt that the history of this Voice and these Words is the Divine Lila of the Lord. Hiranyakashipu, Ravanna, Mohammad and Hitler are one and the same.
A FALSE God (Allah) is a "god" who "claims" to choose the one "holiest person" in ALL OF HISTORY "Mohammad" to be his messenger. The majority of humanity is supposedly eternally damned to the torments of hell for ignoring the message, while a small minority are "rewarded" like PIGS at the feeding troughs of "Paradise", with limitless wine and sex.
The TRUE God NEEDS NO MESSENGER. The TRUE GOD, can speak from within the heart of the WORST SINNER, and transform that sinner into THE HOLIEST SAINT, whom He converts with Love. That is a TRUE MIRACLE, not the pig troughs of a demon's paradise promised by Islam, which converts with a whip and a sword.
(here is the post from the message board):
Mangalorean
ORIGINAL SITARAM
Sat Sep 11 21:50:35 1999
Who cares whether Sitaram is a Hindu, Christian, Jew, Jain or Buddist? He is definately not a MUSLIM. That is what matters. Christains are always loved by all communities.
You are right Meena, Sitaram is definately like a modern Adi-Shankara on this MMB. May be he is the Avathara of Shri Vishnu Himself to save us from you people. People of Tulunaadu or better known as Satyanaadu took care of all Religion people. We are simple people. That is why you Muslims started your Islam Propoganda on this Board. We were no match to you fully Trained Islam Propodandists. So Bhagwan Vishnu might have remembered His promise to Humanity that whenever there is a decline in Dharma He will be back to preserve it. So He might have come in the form of Sitaram. We never invited Sitaram. Sitaram was definately sent by a Higher Power. Understand this. Read your Quran and follow your Religion
Mangalorean
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