Jesus, A Non Dual Teacher

There is difference between science and theology. Much of religion is anthropomorphic and cultural. For example, the Jews sacrificed animals for their sins. It was a long tradition. So, when Jesus, a truly enlightened spiritual being, was killed, the Jews interpreted his death through their tradition. What did they come up with? He died for our sins. Just like the lambs they slaughtered, they called him "The lamb of God.

In the case of Christianity, Western theology doesn't understand Christ in the least. Being a direct realizer of the Truth, Jesus taught what he knew to be the Truth. Unfortunately, he was not in a culture where their was an understanding of Awareness/consciousness, so he had to speak in parables and metaphors. He did the best he could.

I come from a long line of protestant preachers, seminary presidents, and missionaries. Having been raised by Christian missionaries, I got to travel the world as a child and grow up comparing cultures, beliefs, and traditions. I know what fanaticism is. It took a big toll on me.

I recommend the book by Eric Hoffer "The True Believer" for a deep look into fanaticism. Hoffer discusses the psychological causes of fanaticism. It will aid in looking at your own beliefs. We are all looking for psychological security, but we can double down on beliefs, or we can examine rationally, coolly, who and what we really are.

You see, the bottom line isn't whether we believe in Christ, or Buddha, or Krishna. The bottom line is existential. The bottom line is the discovery of what we truly are. Quantum Science and Advaita Vedanta both point to Awareness/Consciousness as that essence. Vedanta, like Quantum physics is the result of investigation. One uses the discoveries of external world, and one uses the discoveries of the internal world.

Vedanta, like science, does not ask you to believe; it asks you to investigate. In both cases the evidence points to the truth of non duality. The point here is that although Hinduism may be a religion, Vedanta is not.

In my case, I never believed I was a sinner because I didn't create the world, nor myself. I knew something else was responsible for my existence. I guess I had a premonition from childhood that "I was not the doer." This being the case, I knew that Jesus did not die for my sins. You might say he died because of our sins, namely, the big sin of ignorance.

When I discovered non duality as edified by Vedanta, I was suddenly struck with an understanding of Jesus. When I looked at what Jesus had to say, it was non duality, pure and simple. What a delight to finally understand what he was saying. What a joy to finally be able to understand what he was pointing at.

If you ask the Vedanta sages about Jesus, they will say, "Yes, he was an enlightened master." Why because they recognize their own. It's not a matter of belief, it's a matter of knowing. I never found the reverse to be true. When you ask a Western theologian about the Eastern sages, they call them pagans.

Don't get me wrong. I love the Christian mystics. Meister Eckart stands out as a pure non dual realizer. However, I think it is much harder via Christianity to realize the truth of non duality. Why? Because it is not a science. That's why we call it mystical.

For me it was the discovery of Vedanta that set me free. I don't have to convince anyone else of this truth. It's for them to discover. The science of awareness/consciousness is fundamental, unchanging, and only requires understanding, not belief. 

Understanding That

I was always aware that my seeking was not a choice. I always considered seeking a curse. Like an addiction. As a child I was a seeker of truth. Consciously or unconsciously, I wanted to know who was behind the curtain of all things, of all phenomena.

From the moment I first heard of enlightenment I was off in pursuit of understanding That. It was not a choice. I would look at others playing, enjoying themselves, while I was not. Playing didn't seem important until I knew what That was.

So, now that I realize That, is it a feather in my cap? No! It happened. This body-mind for whatever reason had the seeking bug. It was inevitable. It could not have been otherwise.

Being realized does not put me above another. It is simply an understanding, a knowing if you will. And that knowing is not mine. It never will be. The understanding belongs to That. The understanding is just an appearance in That. 

Liberation

Jesus said, "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" Well, we know that life in this world is temporary. It will end. As will everything in the world. Whatever comes into existence passes from existence. All effects are transient. Our life is a wink and a nod. Jesus said, "Believe in me and you shall have eternal life." But believing in the person Jesus, was not what he meant. Jesus was speaking of his message. That message was, "The truth will set you free." All his teaching was pointing to that knowledge that would set us free. He died due to our misunderstanding. For all sin is missing the mark. Therefore, he died because of our sins, not for our sins. Moksha, or liberation, is the answer the Vedas provide. It is no different from Jesus' message. Both point to the pure knowledge that sets one free. Freedom from the person, from the body, from the mind. It is so simple and obvious that we miss it. It is the knowledge that reveals our true nature as Self. That ultimate. As the Vedas say, "You are That." The world does not disappear. Your body, mind, personality, do not disappear, but your identity changes. You shift from knowing yourself as a limited body-mind, to knowing you are the Absolute. In knowing that, all ontological questions are answered. The world and everything in it is simply That. That is ineffable, without beginning or end. It is awareness itself, and every appearance, every form, is That. All form and life manifests from That. All life borrows awareness and knows the form. That knowing makes us conscious. But we mistake our consciouses of form as who we are. A hardwired mistake. To free yourself, consider this. Think of your dreams. Everything you create in dream is immaterial. You make it up each night. It seems real, but is made up of consciousness only. Just so, the world is dremt by That. You are not the character you play by day, nor the forms and characters you create at night. You are That, the creator of all forms, all dreams, and free of all of them.

Absolute and Relative Truth

As for truth, it is not Absolute or Relative, it is both. There is that ineffable Absolute. However, it's application in consciousness varies depending on the level of consciousness in human beings. The levels limit or expand the view. Therefore the context varies. Whatever the Absolute Truth may be, we only have our own windows into it, and some windows are opaque. If we simply admit that our relative positions are just windows on that Absolute, we have both the relative and the Absolute truth. One does not oppose or deny the other. 

In God's Hands

You do everything for your self. But the results will be very different depending on who you think you are. If you think you are an individual, alone against the world, your efforts will reflect that limitation. If you know you are Awareness (the the ground being), your efforts will reflect that limitlessness. Either way, you cannot avoid being selfish. In the first instance you will be clutching and grabbing for your little self, in the second instance you will be a blessing to yourself and all beings. Everything is done for the sake of the self, but knowing who you really are, Awareness, will bring peace amidst the apparent struggle. As Awareness, being selfish does feel selfish, as there are no others. Being Awareness, all your actions will reflect the whole. As Awareness you will know and understand that you are the world. And, that the "Observer is the observed." You will know you are in God's hands. Your very own hands.