Universality of Religions: Many Paths towards the Same Goal (2/2)

K.S. Chow

Introduction

After Buddhism had been transmitted to China, Buddhism is now known as Chinese Buddhism. Only the exoteric or external dimension of Buddhism is Chinese in form. Chinese Buddhism differs only exoterically from original Indian Buddhism. Chinese and Indian Buddhism are esoterically identical. In other words, the esoteric goal of liberation remains identical. Only the rites, rituals, ceremonies and practices differ exoterically or externally. Esoterically or internally, they are identical or congruent. In actuality, all religions are exoterically distinct but are esoterically identical. Likewise, we have Japanese Buddhism, Korean Buddhism, Sri Lankan Buddhism or Thai Buddhism. These diverge designations of Buddhism imply only their external or exoteric differences. Esoterically they are identical. All major world’s religions are to be similarly treated.

Therefore, the religious infrastructure, such as Indian temples, Taoist temples, Buddhist monasteries, Christian churches, and Muslim mosque are exoterically distinct. The rites, rituals, ceremonies, doctrines, precepts or commandments and religious practices of diverge religions are visibly distinct. Nevertheless, the pure, infinite consciousness (inner Heart) of Man in which the energy of Brahman, Tao, Buddha, God and Allah is found is esoterically identical. The pure, infinite consciousness is the universal or cosmic Self (Dharmadhātu). It is the universal Essence to be sought by all religious seekers to liberate themselves and gain lasting wellbeing and happiness. The lasting highest good of wellbeing and happiness is known as Nirvāṇa. Nirvāṇa is the perfect peace of the human mind.

Succinctly put, generally, religious salvation or liberation denotes that a saved or liberated person is one who has shunned all evils, is focusing on doing good and has purified his or her mind to actualize Nirvāṇa. The concept of salvation or liberation has narrowed to the transcendental concept of gaining freedom after one’s demise. This is limited definition of salvation or liberation (vimutti). The most pragmatic value of salvation or liberation for all religions is the consummation of the establishment of morality (sīla), concentration (samādhi) of mind and the development of wisdom (paññā) while one is still living a terrestrial life.

Esotericism

 The aggregates of morality and concentration are the esoteric dimension of religion. The aggregate of wisdom is its esoteric dimension. Dissimilar religions employ dissimilar approaches or pedagogies to develop moral behaviours and mental concentration. Nevertheless, the content of Wisdom developed is esoterically identical for all faith adherents of all religious denominations. The precepts or commandments constitute the dimension of morality. Meditation, chanting, Recitation of name or prayer form the concentration dimension of the religious culture. The morality is the seed. The concentration is the readied earth. The harvest is Wisdom. The Wisdom is the self-realization or self-enlightenment to the communal Truth of dependently co-arisen Unity or Non-duality. The dependently co-arisen Unity or Non-duality is the absolute Truth or ultimate Reality of the Unity in the multiplicity and the multiplicity in the Unity. Buddhistly put, the ultimate Truth is the unity of existence which is Emptiness. Emptiness (Unity) is Dharma (the Truth) and Dharma is Emptiness. Monotheistically put, the absolute Truth is the One in the many and the many in the One. Wisdom leads to salvation or deliverance. Wisdom unaccompanied by knowledge of salvation is not genuine Wisdom. Wisdom is the insightful knowledge of the Lord (Brahman, Buddha, God or Allah).

Unity

The Non-duality is synonymous with Unity or Non-discrimination or Non-separation. Unity is the absolute Truth of Emptiness. Emptiness denotes that every existence or phenomenon is the unity of contigent beings or conditions. Non-duality is non-discrimination or non-separation between self and others, subject and object, subject and predicate and substance and attribute. From human standpoint, Non-duality is intrinsic non-separation between the perceived and the perceived or object perceived. The Truth of dependently co-arisen Unity or Non-duality unveils that the perceiver and the object of perception are intrinsically inseparable. Thus, no perceiver or human being (also non-human being) is intrinsically separable from the totality of the entire universe. Succinctly put, the cosmic totality includes each and everyone of us. This is the ultimate Truth of universal unity in which each and everyone of us is a contigent being. All human beings and non-human beings are interdependent and interrelated. They co-exist in an infinite mould of the universe. The Buddhist and Vedāntin concept of Non-duality is a very profound divine message. It communicates the Monotheistic concept of non-separation or non-alienation from God. Non-separation or non-alienation from God is non-separation from cosmic Unity. Monotheism connotes there is one Truth of Non-duality or Unity. Monotheism has been erroneously and incorrigibly interpreted as: Any God other than my God is false. It is tantamount to accusing others as infidels. This has injured the hearts of countless religious adherents. The declaration is willful ignorance and wishful thinking. It should be rectified immediately.

Please permit me to simplify the definition of God: God means interdependent or interconnected existence for a common beneficial purpose. A genuine married partnership between man and woman is God. A cohesive family life is God. Political unity of a nation is God. Genuine business partnership is God. Unity of a soccer team is God. Unity of the world’s central banks is God. Genuine European Union is God. Unity of Olympic Games is God. Perfect solidity of United Nations Organization is God. Perfect relationship between employer and employees is God. Total concensus is God.  Harmonious neighbourliness is God. The examples are too numerous to be mentioned.

The Mahāyānists perceive this universal unity as the Dharma Realm of Unity or Emptiness of the world or the universal interconnectedness (Dharmadhātu pratītyasamutpāda). The Sufis perceive this universal unity as the Unity of Being or Existence (Waḥdat al Wujūd). Vedāntins perceive the universal unity as Advaita or Brahman. The Christian designates the cosmic unity as the Holy Spirit of Jesus. Taoists reluctantly designates it as Tao. In fact, any designation can be suggested purely for the sake of human intercommunication. It is not intended to communicate the Truth through the use of a designation or name. Truth is nameless. It cannot be communicated. It must be intuitively realized by oneself. Self-realization of Truth is the experience of Gnosis or Mysticism.

Universal Set

The human species is a subset; the animal species is a subset; the plant species is a subset, the collection of minerals is a subset, the group of atmospheric gases is a subset, housing is a subset and so forth. All elements of the subsets are united intrinsically within the universal set of cosmic unity which is actually infinite. The most ideal way to depict the universal set of the cosmos is the metaphor of borderless Ocean. The most ideal way to describe the constituting elements of the cosmos is the metaphor of waves of the ocean. The waves and the borderless Ocean are inseparable. The waves are contained in the Ocean and the Ocean contain the waves. Likewise, the phenomenal world is contained in the Absolute Principle; the Absolute Principle contains the phenomenal world.

Religion is the study of the universal set of the Absolute or cosmic Unity. This cosmic Unity or the cosmic Self (Dharmadhātu). Dharmadhātu is depicted as God from Monotheism. It is depicted as Anattā, Śūnyatā or Buddha in Buddhism. Therefore, it is emphatically concluded that human beings, politics, economics, business, science, technology, education, humanities and so on are inseparable from the universal set of religion. All of them are integral parts of the cosmic Self. Religion is strictly connected with wisdom and ethics which preserve the intimate relationship between the phenomenal world and the absolute Principle. The interpenetration between the phenomena and the Absolute is the Cosmic Self.

The relationship between the phenomenal world and the Absolute is normal if and only if wisdom and ethics sustain the unity or order of equilibrium between the world and the Absolute. Whoever alienates himself or herself from religion works at his or her peril. There is always an opportunity cost to be paid for not cherishing a normal relation with the Absolute. Separation or alienation from the unity of the Absolute is considered an abnormal relationship. A person alienated or separated from the universal Unity or Absolute is perceived by the Monotheists as a fallen person or a sinful one. From the Buddhist and Hindu perspective, the person remains a sentient being journeying endlessly in the life process of saṃsāra. Such as person is said to be unsaved or liberated spiritually because he or she has committed karmas, either wholesome or unwholesome. All karmas are directed and empowered by self-centric ego or grasping upon self or ego. Consequently, a saṃsāric being is entangled in the bondage of karmas. He or she is an unliberated Buddhist. Monothistucally put, he or she is the sinful one.

Truth in the Inner heart

 In actual fact, the communal Truth of Unity of Non-duality is not found in the places of worship. It is found only within in the inner Heart. The inner Heart is the pure, infinite consciousness. Religious icons of civilizations are constructed to facilitate congregations, fellowship, teaching-learning, prayers or practices and self-realization. The Truth must be realized within ourselves by ourselves in any place and at any time. The Sufi Supreme Masters depict the Truth thus: God sees God through the body of man. The Truth of God can only be perceived through the human consciousness. God can only be perceived through the sense faculties of man.

The Gnostic’s mind is the perfect image of God or Buddha. When one perceives the one’s Gnostic mind, one perceives the Truth of God or Buddha. Other than the Gnostic’s mind of Man, God cannot be seen externally. If one sees the Buddhas or Prophets through the human psychic power of Divine Eye, those images of Buddhas and Prophets are still illusory and unreal. The real God or Buddha is seen from the pure, infinite consciousness of Man purged completely of self-centric ego. God or Buddha is the complete silence of the human mind. Zen and Hadith informs us thus “ Whoever knows one’s true Self, knows one’s Lord.” This assertion is applicable to all world’s major religions.

God cannot save anyone if one does not learn, understand, practise and realize one’s intimate relationship with the Absolute. One must know one’s true Self first before knowing the Absolute or the eternal Truth of Unity or Non-duality. Prayers performed without being nice to others are invalidated. If one sees himself other than himself, he sees God. Buddhistly put, a liberated does not see the self (attā) but only Anattā. Attā is the individual self which is illusory Anattā is the cosmic Self which is real.

The religious scriptures must be read constantly, clearly comprehended and vigorously practised to realize the Truth of Unity or Non-duality in order to annihilate self-centric ego. It is the self-centric ego that separates one from the universal Unity. Self-centric ego alienates one from the universal unity. Illusory ego makes one a fallen or unsaved man. The common battle of all religions is to defeat the illusory ego superimposed by our religious ignorance. The idols or icons in different places of worship are different but our inner Heart is the same. Religions are just different paths to realize the same Truth of universal Self. Universal Self is the original Nature of Man – the innate divine supremacy of Man.

One Truth for All

The Vedas, the most ancient religious scriptures in the world, proclaim thus:

The Wise speak of the one Truth by different names.

It is because of ignorance of universality of religions that we live in disharmony and thereby disunity. All religions concur with what Gotama Buddha promulgates. What Gotama Buddha preached resonates with the Ultimate Truth expounded by all other religious Masters. All supreme masters of all religions preach the communal Truth of Unity or Non-unity. Only designations are distinct. The Absolute Essence is identical. Truth is only one but not two.  The Exalted One declares thus:

Do good, avoid evils and purify your mind.

This admonition of Gotama Buddha is, in fact, universally applicable. It is not confined to Buddhists alone. ‘Do good’ is the aggregate of Virtues. All religious believers or practioners are commanded or advised by their respective masters to commit benevolent actions. ‘Avoid evil’ is the aggregate of moral restraint. All religious believers or practioners are commanded or admonished by their respective masters to avoid committing malevolent actions.  ‘Purify the mind ‘ is the annihilation of self-centric ego. All religious believers or practioners are instructed to annihilate the self-centric ego because it separates him or her from his or her respective Exalted Lord.

Christian Salvation

In Christianity, a saved Christian is said to be self-redeemed if he or she is born of God. To be born of God is to infill one’s inner Heart with Holy Spirit which indwells in every Christian. He or she, who has overcome alienation or separation of world from the God, is infilled with the Holy Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit obliterates the self-centric ego. Jesus Christ affirms thus:

For whoever is born of God overcomes the world.
This is the victory that overcomes the world by faith.

 I John5:4

To overcome the world is to overcome the sin (defilement) caused by living in a mundane world of multiplicity. Overcoming the world should not be misinterpreted as the rejection of the world as non-believers conceive so. What is overcome is the alienation of one’s world from the God. To be in union with God is to live as an integral being with the universal unity or cosmic unity. One has the wisdom to identity oneself being a part of the whole or totality of the universe. This is the real meaning of living in fellowship and communion with God or interconnected co-existence.

Christian’s faith is not a blind belief in God. Pure faith is established by proper understanding of the Word of Jesus or the Bible on the basis of wisdom developed from intuitively discerning the Truth of Unity or Non-duality. Pure faith is right knowledge of God or Bible which is the eternal Truth of Unity or Non-duality. The self-centric ego must first die before one is born of God. Jesus asserts thus, “ Whoever is born of God commits no more sin”.(I John3:5).

Whoever, lives in oneness with the universal unity, manifests wisdom and virtue resulted from the obliteration of anthopocentricism, that is human selfishness or egoism. Religion is anti-anthropocentricism. Religion promotes and fosters public interests and rejects selfish self-interest. Thus, religion promotes and fosters unity, harmony and cohesion in societal living.

A Christian born of God becomes purified mentally. Only after the human consciousness is purified, the saved Christian experiences the new birth of Holy Spirit after self-centric ego has vanished. This is the true meaning of salvation by Christ. If one does not purify his mind by turning away from illusory ego, Christ cannot save the believers. Turning away from ego is turning towards God, that is surrendering the human wills to the wills of God. The transcendental will defeating the empirical will is the true meaning of obedience to God’s wills.

Buddha is Truth

When a Buddhist has annihilated his or her self-centric ego through non-grasping upon the five aggregates, the aforementioned virtues are also found in the attributes of a liberated Buddhist. A sage is born from the realization of Truth. He is not born from Name of his Lord but by self-awakening to the Truth of his Lord. Likewise, a Buddhist is emancipated only when he or she has intuitively discerned the Truth of the Buddha – the knowledge of Dharma.

New Birth

The Christian Lord adds further,”We have been in and from eternity born of God.” Such utterance of Jesus does not differ from what Gotama Buddha declares: “Every sentient being is endowed with the innate Buddha-nature.” If one is not born of God, one will go astray or deviate from the Truth in one’s life journey. If a Buddhist does not perceive his or her Buddha-nature, he or she will go astray too. A saved Christian is only truly baptized if and only if he or she is born of God and indwelt with the Holy Spirit. A liberated Buddhist is only liberated if and only if he or she has discerned his or her Buddha-nature which is the cosmic Self. The Buddha-nature of a Christian is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit of a Buddhist is the Buddha-nature. Different designations convey an identical meaning or essence. The Buddha-nature of a Hindu is Ātman or Brahman. The Buddha-nature of a Taoist is the Tao. The Buddha-nature of a Muslim or Sufi is Baqā or al-fanā’ al-fanā’. The Buddha-nature connotes the spiritually enlightened nature of Man. It is the perfection of wisdom or perfect knowledge in which the illusion and unreality of the phenomenal world are discerned intuitively through the perfect knowledge of the Absolute.

Monotheistically put, Buddha-nature is the Buddha-mind. Buddha-mind is the Spiritual Eye or Certainty Eye (Pāl.: Dhammacakkhu; Ara.: Ayn al-Baṣīrah). Buddhistly put, it is the Dharma Eye. Dharma Eye is the human penetrative insight into the eternal, absolute Truth of Unity or Non-duality – generally described as the oneness of the world or unity of co-existence or non-discriminative wisdom.

Conclusion

It is not the recitation or remembering of the Name, such as Brahman, Buddha or Allah that liberates a human being. It is the knowledge of the Truth of Unity or Non-duality that emancipates or saves a believer. Truth is derived from being self-awakened to divine message expounded by the Messengers or in the religious scriptures. The religious scriptures, such as Hindu Vedānta-sūtra or Bhagavad Gītā, Buddhist Tipiṭaka, Christian Bible or Muslim Quran, guide us to the one and only eternal Truth of dependently co-arisen Unity or Non-duality. Knowing or seeing Brahman, Buddha or Allah is the intuitive discernment of Truth of the One in the many and the many in the One. Only Truth delivers Man from continuous suffering and places Man in eternity. There are countless millions of religious believers in the modern world. They recite the scriptures; they read the scriptures; they pray or meditate daily for their whole lives. Yet they remain carnal believers. As long as one is anthropocentric, one remains a carnal, unsaved believer. Religion is necessitated because it functions to obliterate anthropocetricism.

Only the judiciary system, supported and invigorated by religious wisdom and virtue, can protect us comprehensively. The carnal believers escape retributions because they perceive loopholes in the modern judiciary systems. Modern jurisprudence may be comprehensive but not consummate because it is beyond its scope to deal with the human conscience. Religion is more profound and comprehensive than the judiciary because it teaches human conscience and God-head. Nevertheless, the judiciary is the domain of the phenomenal world, a necessary portion of human life or order before spiritual enlightenment. Every domain of the phenomenal world is an image of the absolute world. Therefore, religion does not reject the judiciary even it is a secular state law. Metaphorically put, it is certainly more secure to deposit one’s cash investment in a bank if the bank is insured by a federal deposit insurance company. Religion is akin to the federal deposit insurance company which furnishes the cash deposit investors with the peace of mind. Likewise, generally, religion is the protection for a secular player in the phenomenal world. Religious wisdom assures that one is an infallible and invulnerable player in the phenomenal  world mesmerized with temptations and assailed with animosities.

 A saved believer in any religion is infallible and invulnerable provided that he or she or he has reached the unfallen state of ‘ I see my Lord with the Eye of my Lord’ (Ra’aytu rabbī bi ‘ayni rabbī: Lama’āt Lam’at VI,p.335). Seeing the Lord is intuitively discerning the ultimate Truth of Unity or Non-duality. This message is universally valid in all world’s esoteric religions, such as Vedānta of Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islamic Sufism. Wherever the Knower of Truth (Gnostic) turns, he or she sees the Face of God. This is consonant with the utterance of an enlightened Chinese Chan or Zen master thus: The melancholy yellow flowers are all Prajñā (Wisdom); the green bamboo trees are all Dharmakāya (Spiritual or Truth Body). It connotes that Truth is found everywhere. When it is preached that God is immanent, it denotes that the Truth is found everywhere. It is interesting to note that the same and only Truth is divergely and beautifully expressed in dissimilar religious scriptures. Ecomenism should be promoted and fostered on the basis of communal Truth of Unity or Non-duality which is one and the only ultimate Truth.