Embrace Paradox, Every Religion Is Correct (with Joseph Campbell & J. Krishnamurti)

PRACTICAL ENLIGHTENMENT

Religions, spiritual practices, martial arts schools, yoga styles, political parties, neighboring countries, country vs city, rich versus poor, sporting teams. Everyone wants to pick a side and tell you the other lot is wrong, stupid, evil, “less than”. Only we are right. God said so. And if not God then a “very important person”. Maybe we reached our own conclusion based on research and observation of our environment? As an undergraduate in philosophy class at Melbourne University the best thing I learned was contained in the first lesson and was posed as a question: how do we know what we think we know? Is it really possible to make an independent decision devoid of our culture, upbringing, language, influences? We are all conditioned, all brainwashed in a sense, to have certain prejudices and preferences. These arise out of a tribal group’s need for survival and then linger as what we call culture and cultural identity in order to hold an extended tribal group together as it expands to fill out the idea of a nation. 

Each one of the areas I outlined in the first sentence has its own particular challenges to manage in order to let go and embrace those they consider outsiders. 

One of the prickliest tribal and cultural identifications is that of religion so let’s get stuck into that with some ideas on how we can include others outside of our religious group while still being faithful to our cultural identity. As one of my teachers who is a Catholic priest and a yogi and Sanskrit scholar taught me: we have two eyes because we understand something more deeply when we are able to compare it with something else. 

Some ideas to consider if you are in a revelation religion (the creation/creator revealed the truth of our existence on earth to his prophet, incarnation, enlightened channel):

We mentioned above how difficult it was to think outside of our cultural frame of reference, so can we ask: What if God was talking to other cultures as well? And that each expression of religion and spirituality is the most enlightened members of those cultures making connection with a greater reality, the creation.

Then when they have had that interaction they have to clothe it in language and cultural ideas that the local audience can comprehend. It’s hard enough as it is to communicate an experience that is beyond words “The Tao that can be spoken of is not the real Tao” the founder of Taoism, Lao Tzu says, so the best thing is simple ideas that can be grasped with the idea that hopefully, some of the followers will be able to follow the ladder of words to the prophet/incarnation/enlightened being’s experience. Jesus has parables*, the Zen masters have their koans**.

Could it be that the great spiritual leaders of each tradition are making the same connection with the creative power of the universe and then trying to express it culturally in order to be understood? Communication among humans just going about their day is one of the most difficult challenges of life, using speech to try and capture feelings and ideas in an authentic and practical way. How much more difficult is it for someone who experiences a spiritual revelation that is beyond words to communicate it with those who have not?

Perhaps when spiritual leaders say things like “only through me, only this way, I am the one”, that it’s not the human being speaking but the creation speaking through them?

John 14:10: Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.

If the creation/creator is speaking through the exalted human beings that have perfected themselves enough to touch and communicate with it then wouldn't that make all of the wars, hatred and small mindedness of religious exclusivity pointless?