What is meant by the term, "The New Age Movement?"
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- Bu səhifədəki naviqasiya:
- The Origin and Nature of Man
- Dimensions or Planes of Existence
- The Spiritual Journey and Ultimate Destiny of Man
- Cycles, Ages and the Ultimate State of the Universe
- Scientology http://www.thetruelight.net/religions/scientology.htm In 1952, American author, L. Ron Hubbard
- The Origin and Nature of the Universe
- The Nature of God
- The Nature of Salvation, Liberation or Enlightenment
NOTES 1 Meher Baba, The Everything and the Nothing (Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: Sheriar Press, Inc., 1995) p. 98. 2 Meher Baba, God Speaks (Walnut Creek, California: Sufism Reoriented, 1973) pp. 158-159. 3 Bhau Kalchuri, Lord Meher, vol. 3 (Asheville, North, Carolina: Manifestation, Inc.) pp. 988-989, Meherabad, December 1927. The Origin and Nature of Man An ordinary human being possesses four main parts: (1) A gross body (the physical body); (2) A subtle body (pran); (3) A mental body (mana); (4) A 'higher Self' (Atma). As a person evolves spiritually, other parts are developed or 'awakened.' A God-realized person is comprised of seven parts: (1) A gross body; (2) A subtle body; (3) A mental body; (4) A universal body; (5) A universal mind; (6) An unlimited divine ego; (7) Infinite consciousness. The soul is formless and eternal. There are 18,000 worlds inhabited by human beings, but only those born in this world can transcend into the higher spheres. Souls from the other worlds will be reincarnated here when it is time for their spiritual development. When this earth ceases to be, another planet will be chosen to fill this special role. "After a billion years, man will only be five inches in height at the most, but will be very brainy. In the beginning of this cycle man was fourteen feet tall and would live up to 300 years."1 The Son of God or divine nature is in every man, but needs to be manifested. NOTES 1 Bhau Kalchuri, Lord Meher, vol. 5 (Asheville, North Carolina: Manifestation, Inc.) pp. 1871-1873, Meherabad, May 23, 1934. The Nature of Salvation, Liberation or Enlightenment "Do not search for God outside of you. God can only be found within you, for his only abode is the heart."1 In his book, "God Speaks," Baba declares that there are as many ways to God as there are souls. In another book, he explains, "Your own religion, if put into practice, is sufficient to bring salvation to you. It is a mistake to change one’s own religion for that of another. The surroundings and circumstances in which you find yourself are best suited to work out your destiny or to exhaust your past karma."2 Salvation or liberation is attained when the reincarnation process ends and the soul experiences oneness with God. Baba was adamant in insisting that except for the very first soul, in order to reach Enlightenment (God-Consciousness, Self-Realization), all souls must have the help of a God-realized Perfect Master or the Avatar. So it is vitally important in life to find that Master and to serve him or her in love and obedience. NOTES 1 Information brochure from Meher Spiritual Center, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, A Place of Pilgrimage For All Time, p. 5. 2 C. D. Deshmukh, Sparks of the Truth: From Dissertations of Meher Baba (Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: Sheriar Press, Inc., 1971, Reprinted from "The Awakener" Magazine) p. 91.
There are seven planes that the soul can experience above the physical or gross plane. The soul exists apart from these planes, experiencing them according to the level of spiritual maturity: (1) The subtle world of energy (the gross world on the threshold of the energy world); (2) The subtle world of infinite energy (minor miracles); (3) The subtle world of infinite energy (grand miracles); (4) The subtle world on the threshold of the mental world (the dark night of the soul); (5) The mental world: inquiring or reflective thought; (6) The mental world: impressions or sympathetic feelings; (7) Reality: the experience of Infinite Knowledge, Power and Bliss. The first six planes are in the realm of duality and thus, can afford false or delusional experiences. The seventh plane alone provides an experience of the Absolute or the Real. There are "seven subdivisions of the first Subtle plane (the Astral), seven stages of evolution, seven planes and seven heavens in involution."1 Heaven and hell do have an existence in the Subtle World, but they are actually "states of mind; they should not be looked upon as being places. And though subjectively they mean a great deal to the individualized soul, they are both illusions within the greater illusion."2 Heaven and hell states provide temporary, transient experiences to the soul between incarnations.
1 Bhau Kalchuri, Lord Meher, vol. 4, (Asheville, North, Carolina: Manifestation, Inc.) p. 1264, Nasik, January 12, 1930. 2 Meher Baba, Discourses (Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: Sheriar Press, Inc., 7th rev. ed., 1987) p. 30.
Though born in a Zoroastrian family (a worldview that teaches just one life) Meher Baba taught reincarnation. He instructed that "in pursuit of consciousness, evolution of forms occurs in seven stages: stone or metal, vegetable, worm, fish, bird, animal and human."1 Every individualized soul ordinarily experiences all of these forms in order to gain full consciousness. "After attaining the human form, as a rule there is no reversion to animal forms; cases of retrogression to subhuman forms are special and rare exceptions."2 Also, the soul must pass through 504,000,000 pre-human forms "and 8,400,000 human forms on its way to enlightenment."3 In its utmost essence, the soul is formless and eternal. After the evolutionary journey brings the soul to human form, the remainder of the journey consists of progress through the seven planes of existence (a process called "involution"). Though the soul may exist on these planes between incarnations, all evolutionary progress through these planes is made while actually living in the physical world. The highest plane is Consciousness of Absolute, Infinite Oneness. If a soul advances to the fourth plane, but misuses its power, the result can be extremely detrimental, involving possible reversion in the next incarnation to the lowest form, starting the process of evolution all over again. "The way to divinity lies through the renunciation of evil in favor of good... The good sanskaras [accumulated imprints of positive, past experiences that determine a person’s desires and actions] deposited by the manifestations of these qualities overlap and balance the opposite, bad sanskaras of lust, greed, and anger. When there is an exact balancing and overlapping of good and bad sanskaras, there is at once a termination of both types and the precipitation of consciousness from a state of bondage to a state of Freedom. The credit and debit sides must be exactly equal to each other if the account is to be closed… The limited self can linger through good as well as bad sanskaras. What is required for its final extinction is an exact balancing and overlapping of the bad and good sanskaras."4 NOTES 1 "Meher Baba," Miriam-Webster’s Encyclopedia of World Religions, p. 706. 2 Meher Baba, Discourses (Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: Sheriar Press, Inc., 7th rev. ed., 1987) p. 320. 3 Bhau Kalchuri, The Nothing and the Everything, p. 291-292, from dictated notes, Meherabad, 1968. 4 Meher Baba, Discourses (Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: Sheriar Press, Inc., 7th rev. ed., 1987) p. 63.
Unique to Meher Baba’s teaching is the concept that "in each cycle of time, which ranges from 700 to 1400 years, there are eleven ages of 65 to 125 years each."1 Each cycle brings an Avataric manifestation (an Avatar such as: Rama, Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, Mohammed, Meher Baba). He also claimed "the evolution of creation has seven stages," and that a major cycle of cycles “is twelve thousand million (12,000,000,000) years" long.2 NOTES 1 Meher Baba, God Speaks (Walnut Creek, California: Sufism Reoriented, 1973) p. 254. 2 Bhau Kalchuri, Lord Meher, vol. 4 (Asheville, North Carolina: Manifestation, Inc.) p. 1264, Nasik, January 12, 1930; Lord Meher, vol. 5, p. 1871-1873, Meherabad, May 23, 1934.
Foundationally, the cosmogony of Scientology is similar to Buddhism — "Before the beginning was a Cause and the entire purpose of the Cause was the creation of effect."1 However, the full explanation of this ‘cause’ goes beyond the boundaries of the Buddhist worldview. Human beings are comprised of three parts: mind, body and thetan (pronounced thay’-ten). The thetan is the real person, "the continuing and persisting identity which transcends the body which it inhabits. It is said to be immaterial and immortal, or at least to have the capacity to be immortal, and to have an infinite creative potential."2 Thetans originally existed in a pre-creation, spiritual state with unhindered, divine, godlike abilities and attributes. For their own pleasure, they brought the material world into existence. However, in the distant past, once creating MEST (Material-Energy-Space-Time), thetans became entrapped by it, and lost the awareness of their initial, transcendent state.
1 L. Ron Hubbard, The Factors, 1954, as re-printed in What is Scientology? (Los Angeles, California: Bridge Publications, Inc., 1993, 1998) p. 660. 2 Church of Scientology International, Scientology Theology & Practice of a Contemporary Religion, 2000, www.bonafidescientology.org/Append/02/page22.htm, (October 22, 2002). The book on which this website is based was published in 1998.
The Church of Scientology has "no set dogma concerning God that it imposes on its members."1 Such a practice is not meant to imply an atheistic, agnostic or non-caring attitude about this vital subject. Quite the contrary, L. Ron Hubbard taught that men "without a strong and lasting faith in a Supreme Being are less capable, less ethical and less valuable to themselves and society… A man without an abiding faith is, by observation alone, more a thing than a man."2 As adherents expand their spirituality and awareness, they will come to their own realizations concerning the "Allness of all." who is commonly called God. The Supreme Being or Creator is more correctly and simply defined as "infinity." NOTES 1 Church of Scientology International, What is Scientology? (Los Angeles, California: Bridge Publications, Inc., 1993, 1998) p. 530. 2 Church of Scientology International, Scientology Theology & Practice of a Contemporary Religion, 2000, www.bonafidescientology.org/chapter/02/page20.htm (accessed October 22, 2002). The book on which this website is based was published in 1998.
Scientology teaches that man is innately good. He is made up of three main parts: the body, the mind and the thetan. This term, unique to this religion, is drawn from the Greek letter theta, used traditionally to represent "thought" or "life." Theta is the spiritual essence or life force of all living things. Human beings are thetans, possessing a mind and inhabiting a body. Thetans originally existed in a pre-creation, supernatural state with unhindered, godlike abilities and attributes. Through a long association with the physical universe these beings became trapped in MEST (Material-Energy-Space-Time), descending from a spiritual, divine-like state to the present limitations of human existence. Because of this tragic "fall from perfection," men and women, in their earthly state, normally fail to realize both their former estate and their present potential. So the thetan is the 'higher Self,' and, though often neglected, it is the senior most, spiritual essence of a person. The body and the mind are only temporary vehicles used by the thetan in the "handling of life and the physical universe." It is described as "the source of all creation and life itself."1 Very important to the Scientologist worldview is the belief that each person possesses two distinctly different minds: the reactive mind (which is negative) and the analytical mind (which is positive). The reactive mind works on a "stimulus-response basis," is not under the control of human will, and subconsciously exerts adverse influence over a person’s "awareness, purposes, thoughts, body and actions."2 This mind is full of negative data resulting from the emotionally and mentally damaging experiences of all earthly existences, both past and present. The analytical mind is "the mind which thinks, observes data, remembers it and resolves problems."3 Conquering the reactive mind frees the analytical mind, enabling a person to make positive choices about how he or she will act and react in life.
1 Church of Scientology International, What is Scientology? (Los Angeles, California: Bridge Publications, Inc., 1993, 1998) p.70. 2 Ibid., p. 546. 3 Ibid., p. 64. The Nature of Salvation, Liberation or Enlightenment Scientology promotes the belief that man is basically good, and that his spiritual salvation is dependent upon: (1) Himself, (2) Relationships with others (family, friends, co-workers, other church members, etc.), and (3) Relationship to the universe as a whole. "The road to spiritual freedom" is that process by which an adherent becomes a "Clear." This is the objective of every Scientologist, accomplished by the removal of "engrams." This last term refers to the negative, subconscious perceptions, held in the memory bank of the reactive mind, that continually prevent a person from making healthy, right, good decisions in the analytical mind. (See "Scientology" under The Nature of Man.) By removing these "engrams," these repressed negative memories that create emotional and mental blocks, a person can live a more fulfilling, happy, stable, creative, powerful life. The thetan (the 'higher Self') is then in a place of ascendancy and control. Very precise techniques have been developed, called "Dianetics" (lit. through the soul), aimed at accomplishing this goal. It involves aspirants participating in "auditing sessions" in which the "auditor" analyzes the reactions of the preclear to various questions that are posed while the latter is holding an "electropsychometer" or E-meter. Once areas of "charge" or upset are located and examined, the auditor and the preclear work together to "erase" those engrams, thus lifting the preclear to a higher state of awareness. During the auditing sessions, preclears experience many realizations about life called "cognitions." Once cleared of engrams, a person can embark on a spiritual journey of increased awareness and enlightenment, the ultimate goal of which is freedom from the endless chain of physical birth-death and personal, spiritual immortality. A further defining of existence by the "Eight Dynamics" brings order and harmony in life. These "dynamics" concern man’s passion to survive as and through: (1) Self, (2) Family, (3) Groups, (4) Mankind, (5) All living things, (6) The physical universe, (7) The spiritual universe, and (8) God (Infinity). Scientologists seek optimum survival along all eight of these dynamic urges. Evil can be defined as that which is destructive to the 'Eight Dynamics'; good can be defined as that which is constructive to the 'Eight Dynamics'. Scientologists believe that the spiritual freedom attainable through this approach has been “sought throughout history but never attainable before Dianetics."1
1 Church of Scientology International, What is Scientology? (Los Angeles, California: Bridge Publications, Inc., 1993, 1998) p. 66. Dimensions or Planes of Existence Scientology offers no set doctrinal stance on dimensions of existence after death (heavens and/or hells). Scientology is primarily concerned with the betterment of life here and now, as well as helping to produce a more sane civilization worldwide. The Spiritual Journey and Ultimate Destiny of Man Scientology accepts the idea of past lives, recurring embodiments that determine a person’s spiritual evolution. They do not subscribe to some beliefs that are sometimes associated with reincarnation (such as regression into a life form other than human). Man must progress spiritually in order to achieve his own salvation. Cycles, Ages and the Ultimate State of the Universe Scientology promotes, first, an objective of helping individuals attain and maintain a state of spiritual freedom. This, in turn, should lead to the ultimate objective of "clearing the planet" - in other words, ridding the earth of negative things like: selfishness, dishonesty, violence, crime, insanity and war. Thus, a more enduring civilization results. Sufism (Mystical Islam) http://www.thetruelight.net/religions/sufism.htm Around the ninth century Sufism began to grow out of the ground of the Muslim faith. The Arabic word sufi means "mystic". It stems from suf, meaning "wool" - most likely an allusion to the traditional woolen garment that early Muslim ascetics wore. Others contend is comes from the Arabic word tassawuf meaning "purification". Though most Muslims teach a transcendent God, beyond personal encounter, the Sufi Muslims believe otherwise. They pursue mystical experiences with Allah through various means, especially a whirling kind of dance designed to project the worshipper into a trancelike state of blissful union with God. Other practices include fikr (meditation) and dhikr (the remembrance of God by frequent repetition of his names). Being a lover of the Beloved (God) is the emphasis in Sufism. Sufis have long been noted for their spiritual 'love poetry' concerning this theme. The Qur’an is revered, though Sufis add levels of symbolic, inner meanings. Though many ascetics are found among Sufis, still, this religion does not 'demand' an ascetic-like withdrawal from the world. Rather, it emphasizes the goal of seeking God while involved in the world. Sheikh Muzaffer explains, "Keep your hands busy with your duties in this world, and your heart busy with God." 1 There are many different Sufi brotherhoods. Given the emphasis of 'dying to self' in Sufism, possibly the best description of this religious group is enigmatic statement – "The Sufi is the one who is not."2 NOTES 1 James Fadiman and Robert Grager, Essential Sufism (Edison, New Jersey: Castle Books, 1998) p. 35. 2 Abu al-Hasan Kharaqani, in Jami, Nafahat, p. 298; quoted in Carl W. Ernst, Ph. D., The Shambhala Guide to Sufism (Boston, Massachusetts: Shambhala Publications, 1997) p. 228.
The "universes" (and there are many) are an expression of God’s Infinite Compassion and came into existence through the utterance of the Divine command, "Kun (Be)!" One of the early Sufi mystics, Suhrawardi (1153-1191C.E.), explained that the "Light of God" brings all things into existence and sustains them. He also offered the unique teaching that Gabriel is the guardian angel of the human race and that all things were created by the sound of his wings. Most adherents of this worldview insist that no true Sufi would ever claim a pantheistic view of the universe (though non-Sufi theologians who evaluate the doctrines of this religion, at times, conclude otherwise). However, they do embrace the idea of the Unity of All Being, the relationship of all planes of existence as an expression of the Divine Reality. The term 'panentheism' may come closer to fitting inside the Sufi mold: the idea that the universe is not God in manifestation, but he is the life at the core of all things. Speaking of the Divine Spirit, one more modernistic Sufi explained, "every atom of this universe, mental or material, is an outcome of that source and cannot exist without having a part of that heavenly radiance within it."1
1 Inayat Khan, The Soul, Whence and Whither (London / The Hague: East-West Publications, 1984) p. 41; quoted in Dr. H. J. Witteveen, Universal Sufism (Rockport, Massachusetts: Element, 1997) p. 64. The Nature of God In the beginning, before the manifestation of creation, the only thing existing was Dhat (the essence of Being). It existed as nothing, a formless Being. Then "a consciousness arose out of the Absolute, a consciousness of existence… This stage is called Wahdah. From this original consciousness a sense developed… which formed the Ego, the Logos, which is termed Wahdaniyyah by the Sufis... the all-pervading radiance formed its center… the divine Spirit, or the Nur, in Sufi terminology -Arwah."1 God is utterly transcendent, for he cannot be compared to any created thing. Even so, he is to be discovered within the heart. Ibn al-Arabi, an early leader, implied a somewhat pluralistic view with the statement, "in every object of worship there is a reflection of Reality." He also asserted, "We ourselves are the attributes by which we describe God; our existence is merely an objectification of His existence."2 In Sufism is found a synthesis of an impersonal view of Ultimate Reality (as found in the Eastern traditions) and a personal and relational view of God (as found in the Western traditions). The pronoun "Hu" is recognized by Sufis to mean the indwelling Presence of the Divine. The ninety-nine names of God as found in the Qur’an are an emphasis in Sufi worship and doctrine. These especially reveal the nature and attributes of Allah.
1 Inayat Khan, The Soul, Whence and Whither (London / The Hague: East-West Publications, 1984) p. 9; quoted in Dr. H. J. Witteveen, Universal Sufism (Rockport, Massachusetts: Element, 1997) p. 65. 2 Annemarie Schimmel, Mystical Dimensions of Islam (Chapel Hill, North Carolina: The University of North Carolina Press, 1975) p. 266.
Sufis accept the creation story as found in the Koran. The early mystic, Suhrawardi, also taught that souls pre-exist in the realm of angels. As they enter the body, they separate. One part remains in a heavenly sphere while the other descends into its fleshly 'prison.' Helminski concludes, "That is why the soul is unhappy in this world; it searches for its other half and must be reunited with its heavenly prototype in order to become perfected and to become itself again."1 According to the thirteenth century Sufi Master of the Kubrawi order in Central Asia, 'Ala’ al-Dawla Simnani, there are "Seven Subtle Substances" in the human makeup: (1) body (qalab); (2) soul (nafs); (3) heart (qalb); (4) conscience (sirr); (5) spirit (ruh); (6) mystery (khafi); (7) reality (haqq).2 Tightly embraced is Mohammed’s teaching - "the heart of the believer is the sanctuary of God." Overcoming the 'lower self' to manifestly become this 'sanctuary' is the path to union with the Divine. In other words, Sufis strive to become God’s eyes, ears, speech, will and life expressed in the world. Orthodox Muslims have often misinterpreted such lofty aspirations. For instance, one of the recognized leaders of early Sufism, Ibn al-Arabi, was martyred for what some construed to be a declaration of his own divinity, "I am He Whom I love. He Whom I love is I; we are two souls co-inhabiting one body. If you see me you see Him and if you see Him you see me." Another controversial Sufi leader, Hallaj, was martyred for saying, "I am the truth." Strict Islamic doctrine does not allow for any man claiming oneness with God. Most notable is the ecstatic outburst of Bayazid Bistami, "Glory be to me, how great is my majesty." Other Sufis, who appreciate and share the mystical ideas of these men, defend their assertions - insisting they were not heretical claims of personal Divinity. Rather, they were enlightened claims of spiritually mature 'friends of God' who succeeded in experiencing union with God and 'reflecting' his attributes. "The standard explanation of these sayings was that the ego of the individual is annihilated during an ecstatic state, and so it is really God speaking and not the human being."3 Hazarat Inayat Khan (1882-1927 A.D.) was a modernistic Sufi, an Indian mystic, who taught a universalistic brand of Sufism. On some issues, his ideas are extreme and quite distanced from mainstream Sufism. One example is his unique concept concerning the nature of man: that the "soul, born on earth, contains three beings: the angel, the jinn and the human."4 Each has its own body, the angelic body being larger than the jinn body, which is itself somewhat larger than the physical body-yet these three bodies blend together in oneness. Traditional Sufis distinguish angels, jinn and humans from each other as separate, unrelated entities. Yüklə 1,08 Mb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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