Buddhism and Christianity
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In the Christian belief, there is no such thing as OT God or NT God, there is only one God, from the begining to the end.
Hence is the reason I made a personal decision to reject the Mystic and the Gnostic teaching on the basis that they are not teaching true Biblical teaching, but adulated version by mixing in Greek Philosophy, animist, and where they find no Biblical support, they simply take a few words here and a few words there and do a piece mail style Bible quoting.
Honestly, I don't think there is such as a Mystic Christian, think they are more close to the Momons or JWs. -
so to u it is "THE ONE" or "HE COULD NOT BE NAMED"Originally posted by An Eternal Now:Buddhism does not believe in a personal God/creator of the Earth - just as what the Gospel of Judas described. But it does not mean there is not a higher reality.
Of course in Buddhism we don't say 'God' because it will cause a lot of confusions.
Yet, it is the Source of all things.
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There certainly ARE mystic christians.Originally posted by vince69:Honestly, I don't think there is such as a Mystic Christian, think they are more close to the Momons or JWs.
And they are not mormons or JWs - very different..
Why you don't see them? Because mystics dont open churches. Remember Gospel of Judas the documentary? Why Church leaders dislike Mystics?
But they can also be among ppl in church - you may never know. They will never say. -
You seems to like to quote from Gnostic teachings, pls note that though they may mention the name of Jesus, they are not Christian teaching, these Gnostic/Mystic teaching to us is like Falonggong to Buddism.Originally posted by An Eternal Now:Now submit to that.
If God can be comprehended by entity or thing, then every human being will have different comprehension of God - that is why there is so much violence in the world. Even within Christianity there is so many different own egotistic view and perspective of God.
77. Jesus said, "I am the light that is over all things. I am all: from me all came forth, and to me all attained.
Split a piece of wood; I am there.
Lift up the stone, and you will find me there." - Gospel of Thomas
This cannot be understood by the divisive mind.
Not the same. -
Yes you can say so - these are all just play of words - just pointing out that it cannot be comprehended by conceptual and divisive mind. But not asking to be attached to the words 'the one' or 'he could not be named'Originally posted by laoda99:so to u it is "THE ONE" or "HE COULD NOT BE NAMED" -
haha...now i know where harry potter's author get her ideas from...Originally posted by An Eternal Now:Yes you can say so - these are all just play of words - just pointing out that it cannot be comprehended by conceptual and divisive mind. But not asking to be attached to the words 'the one' or 'he could not be named'
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if the purpose of a mystic is a direct connection to god and not through worldly instituitions than almost everyone is a mystic because the church teaches although church members are part of the family they interact and commune with god individually. so if that is the case, isn't the one who open all those churches as mystic as mystics?Originally posted by An Eternal Now:There certainly ARE mystic christians.
And they are not mormons or JWs - very different..
Why you don't see them? Because mystics dont open churches. Remember Gospel of Judas the documentary? Why Church leaders dislike Mystics?
But they can also be among ppl in church - you may never know. They will never say. -
but in harry potty, the one who could not be named, some snake goondo, is evil.Originally posted by laoda99:haha...now i know where harry potter's author get her ideas from...
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I somehow think all of us here dun understand what is mystic, including EternalOriginally posted by Ito_^:if the purpose of a mystic is a direct connection to god and not through worldly instituitions than almost everyone is a mystic because the church teaches although church members are part of the family they interact and commune with god individually. so if that is the case, isn't the one who open all those churches as mystic as mystics?
mystic to me sound abit like local taoism practices...like dang3 gi1.....like can communicate with the dead or superior being one...
thought the gospel of judas belong to the gnostics, but guess buddhists read it from a different light? -
sidenote, my neighbours are dang gi. pretty kewl.Originally posted by laoda99:I somehow think all of us here dun understand what is mystic, including Eternal
mystic to me sound abit like local taoism practices...like dang3 gi1.....
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My friend, no one even know who write these Gnostic 'scripture', the Gospel of Judas is definitely not written by Judas, cause he died way before this was written.Originally posted by An Eternal Now:There certainly ARE mystic christians.
And they are not mormons or JWs - very different..
Why you don't see them? Because mystics dont open churches. Remember Gospel of Judas the documentary? Why Church leaders dislike Mystics?
But they can also be among ppl in church - you may never know. They will never say.
from what I have gather, Gnostic teaching and Christian teaching about God and Christ is so far off.
They may call themself christian, like Momons, JWs also call themselves christians, but they are certainly not christian. -
The difference is:Originally posted by Ito_^:if the purpose of a mystic is a direct connection to god and not through worldly instituitions than almost everyone is a mystic because the church teaches although church members are part of the family they interact and commune with god individually. so if that is the case, isn't the one who open all those churches as mystic as mystics?...Christ is the sole end of Christian mysticism. Whereas all Christians have Christ, call on Christ, and can (or should) know Christ, the goal for the Christian mystic is to become Christ—to become as fully permeated with God as Christ is, thus becoming like him, fully human, and by the grace of God, also fully divine. In Christian teaching this doctrine is known by various names—theosis, divinization, deification, and transforming union.
Pls dont confuse it as 'becoming God' but rather, fully submitting to God.
A common misconception about mysticism is that it's about "mystical experiences," and there are many volumes on such experiences in religious literature. But true mysticism is not focussed on "experiences" (which come and go) but with the lasting experience of God, leading to the transformation of the believer into union with God. -
Nope, like I said,Originally posted by laoda99:I somehow think all of us here dun understand what is mystic, including Eternal
mystic to me sound abit like local taoism practices...like dang3 gi1.....like can communicate with the dead or superior being one...
thought the gospel of judas belong to the gnostics, but guess buddhists read it from a different light?
Yes, of course. That would certainly be occult and suspicious. But as to one's own experience, that experience has nothing to do with 'sourced from other beings' - but his own experience of unity with God, and not in the sense of communicating in words with some other persons.Originally posted by vince69:My personal conviction as a christian is this, the Bible is the written word of God, and is good for teaching and correcting.
Anyone who claims to speak the word of God, be it sourced from own experience or spirit or ghost or extraterrestrial or whatever they call it, but offer a different interpretation with what the Bible says, is not from God.
From the website:A common misconception about mysticism is that it's about "mystical experiences,"; and there are many volumes on such experiences in religious literature. But true mysticism is not focussed on "experiences" (which come and go) but with the lasting experience of God, leading to the transformation of the believer into union with God.
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so the superior being...is something like "THE ONE"....or "AUM" as in most "cults" believe.....a very funny thing i came across somewhere is they believed "AUM" sounds the same like God in the bible who says "I AM"....haha...but I think it is too far off......
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I don't know anything about these cults.. hahaOriginally posted by laoda99:so the superior being...is something like "THE ONE"....or "AUM" as in most "cults" believe.....a very funny thing i came across somewhere is they believed "AUM" sounds the same like God in the bible who says "I AM"....haha...but I think it is too far off......
Cults dabble with belief and brain-washing.
Mystics never brainwash you with beliefs and cultic behaviors.
It existed in all religions for centuries.
It will never ask you to believe in a cult leader, in a supreme being, etc.
God in mystical sense is beyond any personal relationship already - the relationship is unity, not emotional or mental prayers kind of communication. -
according to the website u posted, every denomination has its mystical foundation. it boils down to the personal union, submission and communication with god. not mystical enough?Originally posted by An Eternal Now:Pls dont confuse it as 'becoming God' but rather, fully submitting to God. -
is buddha mystical? do we not seek his teaching and guidence towards our own enlightenment?Originally posted by An Eternal Now:I don't know anything about these cults.. haha
Cults dabble with belief and brain-washing.
Mystics never brainwash you with beliefs and cultic behaviors.
It existed in all religions for centuries.
It will never ask you to believe in a cult leader, in a supreme being, etc.
God in mystical sense is beyond any personal relationship already - the relationship is unity, not emotional or mental prayers kind of communication.
do we not pray to god for guidence and communicate so we may understand and receive salvation?
all these not beings? -
Some interesting stuff abt mystics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysticism
Mysticism from the Greek ìõù (muo, "concealed") is the pursuit of achieving communion or identity with, or conscious awareness of, ultimate reality, the divine, spiritual truth, or God through direct experience, intuition, or insight; and the belief that such experience is an important source of knowledge or understanding. It may involve a belief in the existence of realities beyond immediate perceptual apprehension, or a belief that true perception of the world goes beyond intellectual apprehension, or that 'beingness' is central to all perception.
Mystics generally hold that there is a deeper, more fundamental state of existence hidden beneath the appearances of day–to–day living (which may become, to the mystic, superficial or epiphenomenal). For the mystic, the hidden state is the focus, and may be perceived in any of various ways — as God, ultimate reality, a universal presence, a force or principle, psychological emancipation — and be experienced or realized directly. Such experiences are spoken of, variously, as ecstatic revelation, theosis, direct experience of the divine or of universal principles, nirvana, enlightenment, satori, samadhi, etc. They are sometimes characterized by a fading or loss of self, or a perceived interconnection with all existence, and are often accompanied by feelings of peace, joy or bliss.
The funny thing is....they have a list of mystics for each faith, even Christianity. Some of the names I never heard of
, mebbe cultic figures?
Christian mystics
Some examples of Christian mystics:
St. John the Apostle (? -101)
Clement of Alexandria (? -216)
St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430)
St. Gregory I (590-604)
Saint Anselm (1033-1109)
Hugh of Saint Victor (1096–1141)
St. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179)
Francis of Assisi (1182-1226)
Albertus Magnus (1206-1280)
Mechthild of Magdeburg (1210-1279)
St. Thomas Aquinas (1224-1275)
Angela of Foligno - (c.1248-1309) )
Meister Eckhart (c. 1260 - 1327/
Richard Rolle (c. 1290 - 1349)
St. Gregory Palamas (1296 - 1359)
St. Bridget of Sweden (1302-1373)
Julian of Norwich (1342-c.1416)
Margery Kempe (c.1373-143
Paracelsus (1493-1541)
St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
St. John of the Cross (1542-1591)
Jakob Boehme (1575-1624)
Sir Thomas Browne (1605-1682)
Michael de Molinos (1628-1696)
Sarah Wight (1632-?)
Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772)
William Blake (1757-1827)
Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774-1824)
Jakob Lorber (1800 - 1864)
Rufus Jones (1863-194
Max Heindel (1865 - 1919)
G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) (haha...this is the one which a website says: an apostle of common sense...also become mystic liao har? )
Aiden Wilson Tozer (1897-1963)
Daniil Andreev (1906-1959)
Thomas Merton (1915-196 -
Christ is the sole end of Christian mysticism. Whereas all Christians have Christ, call on Christ, and can (or should) know Christ, the goal for the Christian mystic is to become Christ—to become as fully permeated with God as Christ is, thus becoming like him, fully human, and by the grace of God, also fully divine.
see any different meaning between this 2 quotes?
and Jesus became God, as you and I can become God, like Him -
correction... the statement there stated clearly, become like christ, fully human and fully divine, meaning, like little christs.Originally posted by An Eternal Now:Pls dont confuse it as 'becoming God' but rather, fully submitting to God.
in christian teaching, Christ is both fully man and fully God.
putting this two together, its simply means human too can be fully human and fully god (ie. divine), and this is not what the Christian Bible says. -
It cannot be 'mystical' when there is still a dualistic relationship. From a mystic point of view in the beginning it is dual, then as you submit to God that duality falls apart.Originally posted by Ito_^:according to the website u posted, every denomination has its mystical foundation. it boils down to the personal union, submission and communication with god. not mystical enough? -
like what Benny Hinn and Kenneth Hagin believe...christians can become little gods???Originally posted by vince69:correction... the statement there stated clearly, become like christ, fully human and fully divine, meaning, like little christs.
in christian teaching, Christ is both fully man and fully God.
putting this two together, its simply means human too can be fully human and fully god (ie. divine)
this is like heresy liao
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does it mean the first becoming like christ, the son of god, yet retaining human ego; and second mean becoming god? but christ is god mah, thanks to the complicated holy trinity.Originally posted by vince69:see any different meaning between this 2 quotes? -
"Someone who looks for me in form or seeks me in soundOriginally posted by Ito_^:is buddha mystical? do we not seek his teaching and guidence towards our own enlightenment?
do we not pray to god for guidence and communicate so we may understand and receive salvation?
all these not beings?
is on a mistaken path and cannot see the Tathágata."
"All forms are but illusions; in seeing that all forms are illusory, then one sees the Tathagata."
- Diamond Sutra
Your 'being' is still a form. God cannot be perceived by the mind as an entity. When Buddha said 'see the Tathagatha', he is pointing to a deeper essence - to our Buddha Nature. -
its too chim for u to understand la.. juz obey.Originally posted by laoda99:like what Benny Hinn and Kenneth Hagin believe...christians can become little gods???
this is like heresy liao