Eastern Religion and The New Age Movement

1. Eastern Religion and The New Age Movement History, Theology and Practice By John Oakes, Ph.D.

2. Outline • Definitions • Hinduism • Buddhism • New Age • Other Eastern Religions • Jaina • Confucianism • Daoism • Sikhism • Shinto • Ba’hai

3. Definitions • Animism: Anima = spirit. A religious system which includes the belief that spirits inhabit inanimate objects and phenomena • Polytheism: Poly = many. A belief that the universe is governed by many gods. • Pantheism: Pan = all. A belief that a spirit fills the universe. God is the universe, and we are part of God. • Dualism: A belief that the universe is governed by nearly equally matched forces of good and evil. (Zoroastrianism)

4. Definitions (cont.) • Asceticism: a belief that enlightenment, or a close relationship with deity is obtained by an extreme denial of worldly pleasures and possessions. Associated with monasteries, monks, nuns, and the like. • Mysticism: a belief which has been incorporated in all world religions which sees enlightenment and spiritual powers coming through contemplation/meditation/direct experience of God.

5. Other important concepts • Scripture: The list of primary authoritative writings for a particular religion. • Inspiration: The belief that a particular writing, edict or tradition comes by direct communication from divinity, and is therefore perfect and authoritative. • Myth: A story, presumably fictionalized, about a divine interaction with human beings which teaches an important religious truth.

6. HINDUISM • The principle religion of India. • Approximately 900,000,000 adherents. • Began as animism/polytheism • Evolved into polytheism/pantheism • Syncretistic. Hinduism is not really a single religion. Ganesh: a Hindu deity God of wisdom and intellect

7. Important Hindu Terminology • Brahman universal soul • Atman soul, essence atman is part of a brahman. • Maya illusion • Reincarnation a disincarnated soul enters a new body, starting a new existence (samsara) • Shakti power • Karma a principle of cause and effect • Nirvana oneness with brahman • Dharma righteousness

8. Principle gods of Hinduism Lakshmi • Brahma Chief god of the pantheon. • Shiva God of destruction. Worshipped as a male phalus. • Vishnu Preserver and protector. • Krishna The eighth emanation of Vishna. • Rama Seventh incarnation of Vishna. Hero of the Ramayana. • Devi Chief female deity. The power (shakti) that animates the cosmos. • Lakshmi Female consort of Vishnu. Godess of prosperity.

9. History of Hinduism • Aryan invasions about 1500 BC • Early animistic religions of Indian subcontinent merged with Aryan/Persian religion • Gradually, a huge pantheon of gods distilled down to the chief deities, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva

10. Scriptures of Hinduism • Vedas Poems. Ritualistic, priestly. 1500-1000 BC. Include the Brahmanas. • Upanishads Highly philosophical essays about brahman, atman, transmigration of atman, karma and so forth. 800-600 BC. • Epics (Ramayana, Mahabarata, Bhagavad Gita) Mythic adventures of Rama, Krishna and others. • Puranas Largely local legends, myths, many local deities. AD 400-1000. This is the “scripture” of most local Hindus. • Tantras Religious discussions/teachings.

11. Caste System • A historical remnant of the vedic system and the interaction between the Aryans and the natives of the subcontinent • Brahmins the priestly (Aryan) class • Kshatriyas The ruling class. Kings, landlords, warriors. • Vaishayas merchants • Shudras servant/trade classes • Untouchables

12. Modern Hinduism • Yogic practices • Gurus (teacher), yogi (practitioners), sadhu (holy men) • Transcendental Meditation • Hare Krishna Paramahansa Yogananda

13. Buddhism • Principle religion of Korea, Japan, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Burma Sri Lanka and China? • 400,000,000 adherents. • A reaction against the rigid priestly system of Hinduism. • Pantheistic, or arguably non-theistic. A philosophy, a psychology.

14. Life of Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) • Born into a wealthy family in north Indiaabout 550 BC. • Renounced his birthright. Sought nirvana/god through asceticism. • Decided on a middle path between asceticism and sensuality. • Created the eight-fold path to enlightenment (nirvana).

15. Important Terms to Understand Buddhism • Nirvana awakened state, lack of suffering. • Bodhi awakenment, enlightenment. • Bodhisattva an awakened being. • Dharma the Buddha’s teachings. • Sangha the Buddhist community of monks and nuns. • Maitreya the second coming of Buddha prophesied.

16. The Four Noble Truths of Siddhartha • Suffering is not getting what one wants. • The cause of suffering is desire which leads to rebirth. • The way to end suffering is to end desire. • The way to the end of desire and of suffering is the eight-fold path.

17. The eight-fold path to bodhi/dharma/nirvana/lack of suffering • Right viewpoint (the four noble truths). • Right values. • Right speech. • Right actions. • Right livelihood • Right effort • Right mindfulness • Right meditation

18. Schools/Sects of Buddhism • Mahayana (the greater vehicle) China, Korea, Japan. Ideal of the bodhisattva. Stresses the divine nature of the Buddha. Many mini-buddhas (bodhisattvas). • Theravada Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma. A more pure form of Buddhism? • Zen. An offshoot of Mahayana which emphasized meditation to achieve nirvana. • Vajrayana Stresses tantric practices, rituals, initiations, mystical power. Tibet, Mongolia. Similar to Gnosticism.

19. Buddhist Scripture • The Tripitaka Three sets of the supposedly original sayings and teachings and philosophy of Buddha. These were oral only for about 400 years. • Disputes over the content of the Tripitaka led eventually to the Theravada, Mahayana and other sects. • Jatakas Mahayana stories of previous incarnations of Siddhartha Buddha. Buddhism is a striving through many lives to come to a bodhisattva state.

20. Practices of Buddhism • Many monks and nuns who live ascetic lives • “Lay” Buddhists follow the five precepts, which are, 1. do not kill 2. do not steal. 3. do not have sex. 4. do not lie and 5. do not get drunk • Meditation is a big part of many Buddhist traditions, involving the saying of a mantra. (Om Mani Padme Hum).

21. New Age: A Very Confusing Religion Is it: Palm reading? Channeling? Seances? Meditation? Reincarnation? Occultism? Gurus? Paganism? Gnosticism? Mother Goddess worship? Yes… all the above.

22. So, What is New Age, Really? • You are God, I am God, the trees are God, we all are God! • New Age is Western pantheism • New Age is a syncretistic blend of Gnosticism, Hinduism, Spiritualism, Mysticism, Buddhism and Paganism. • New Age is Monism! God is everything I am God!!! “Once we begin to see that we are all God, then I think the whole purpose of life is to re-own the God-likeness within us.”

23. Background • Start with a shaker of the occult • Transcendentalism Ralph Waldo Emerson Truth through human intuition. • Theosophy (divine wisdom) Madame Blavatzky. • I AM mysticism Guy Ballard Ascended Masters “channeled” through Ballard and his son. • Stir in some Hinduism • All of these relied heavily on Hindu theology and practice. • Reincarnation • Pantheism • Meditation (but New Age does not seek to escape the world) • Combine with Greek Philosophy/Gnosticism • Man has a spark of the divine • Need a guru to initiate you into deeper truths • Interpret the Bible allegorically-let it tell a story

24. Background (cont.) • Add just a touch of paganism • Mother Goddess/the divine female/priestesses/feminism • Combine it all together with a Post-modern reaction to scientific materialism/rationalism • Experiential religion • No sin (because we are god) You get the ultimate man-made (Western) religion. All religion is truth.

25. This is very appealing! • You get the ultimate man-made (Western) religion • Enlightenment is realizing the truth that you are God. • There is no sin. Sin (if it exists) is ignorance. • The goal is self-realization.

26. Response to New Age Religion • New Agers claim their religion is reasonable, but it is not. • Their revelation through channeling is self-contradictory. • All religions are not the same • Christianity: One triune God. A personal God. • Islam: One impersonal God. Predestination. God cannot have a son. • Hinduism: Many gods, pantheism • Buddhism: No god—God is irrelevant • Zoroastrianism: Dualism—good vs evil • Confucianism: Polytheism • Jesus: • We are not God • We have a sin problem. “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” Hebrews 9:27

27. Jainism • Founder: Mahavira ~600-540 BC • Last of 24 gurus. Parshva 750 BC? • Location: India mostly. • About 5,000,000 practitioners • A reaction to worldly, priestly Hinduism

28. Jaina Theology • Very strong emphasis on asceticism • Siddhartha may have been a follower before finding a middle way. • We are souls trapped in a body. The goal: escape the body to reach nirvana through ascetic practices. • Reincarnation • Karma • Pantheistic The Svastika a symbol of samsara (rebirth)

29. Jaina Scriptures • The Purvas. Sayings of the 24 gurus all the original Purvas were lost. • Agama Sutras Sayings of Mahavira Jaina Sects Digambaras: Monks are nude, only males can reach enlightenment. Shvetambaras: Wear white robes. Women can be ordained as nuns.

30. Jaina Worldview • A very strange cosmology. The universe is an infinitely repeating pattern of cycles of time. • One of the gurus lived 70 trillion years and was 3000 ft. tall. • The earth is the center of the universe • The universe has existed forever. • Five Mahavrata or rules of ascetic living • Ahimsa. Non-harming (fly-whisk, strain liquids, etc…) • Satya. Truthfulness • Asteya. Non-stealing • Celibacy • Non-attachment

31. Sikhism • Location: India, especially the Punjab. 25,000,000 adherents. • Founder: Nanak (1469-1539) • A compromise between Islam and Hinduism. • Avowedly monotheistic, but with many Hindu idea. Nanak, founder of Jaina

32. Sikh Teaching and Theology • Reject polytheism but keep ideas of maya (illusion), samsara (reincarnation), karma • Reject priestly system. All are equal before the “True Name.” • Reject caste system. • Opposition to idolatry and to asceticism. • Sikhs do not try to escape the world, but to participate in it. The Golden Temple Amristar, India

33. Scriptures of Sikkhism • The Adi Granth Compiled by the fifth guru Arjun in 1604 • The Ganth of the Tenth King: Written by the last of the ten great gurus of Sikhism Gobind Singh. • The Janamsakhis Legends. Obviously mythical accounts of the life of Nanak, including miracles. (Nanak never claimed to be a miracle worker). Works salvation: “Sin and sorrow are destroyed by hearkening.”

34. Sikh Practices • The wearing of the male turban is very characteristic. • Baptism in sugar water holding a dagger. • Sikhs have been warriors. They have been very militaristic. • Sikhs are immersed in worldly affairs. Businessmen, merchants etc. • Think of Sikhs as the opposite of Jains.

35. Confucianism • Founded by Confucius 551-478 BC. • Principle religion in China? Is it a religion? Also influential in Korea and Viet Nam. • Not a religious leader—he accepted the religious superstition of his day as sufficient. • Agnostic—“Keep aloof from spiritual matters, but perform the ceremony correctly.” • Utilitarian, conservative philosophy. Each person should accept his position in society for righteousness and stability. Strong emphasis on proper government, training for holding government office.

36. Confucianism (cont.) • Practical rather than esoteric. • Ancestor worship stressed. • Later Confucian philosophy involved emphasis on ying and yang—the competing balance between good vs. evil, physical vs. spiritual, hate vs. love. (Dualism) Confucianism competed with two other philosophies: Taoism and Moism. Confucianism, being more practical, generally won out.

37. Confucian Scriptures • I-Ching 1000 BC. Book of divination, magic. • Shu-Ching. History, ancient documents, speeches. • Shin-Ching 800-600 BC. Poetry used extensively by Confucius. Customs concerning courtship, marriage, war, agriculture, feasts, sacrifices, etc. • Li Chi. Book of ceremonial etiquite. 200 BC – 200 AD. • Ch’un Chiu. History of one Chinese province. Collected by Confucius? • Lun Yu. Written down 400 BC. The sayings of Confucius, especially on ethics and government • Analects of Confucius, etc…

38. Taoism(Daoism) • Founded by Lao Tzu—a contemporary of Confucius. • Scripture: The Tao Te Ching. Tao = way Te = power Ching = teaching • Basic doctrine: Through non-involvement and withdrawal, we come to know god/deity. Emphasis on self-interest. “The religion of selfishness.” • Pantheistic. Experience God by contemplating nature. • Emphasis on mysticism and magic. “He would not pluck so much as a hair out of his head for the benefit of his fellow man.”

39. Baha’i • Founded by Baha-Ullah 1817-1892 • The Bab 1819-1850 The John the Baptist of Baha’i • Begun in Iran, moved to Iraq, Lebanon. Very widely spread today. • About 7,000,000 adherents. • A reform movement within Islam?

40. History and Teaching • The Bab was martyred in 1850 • in 1852 Baha-Ullah claims to have received a vision, while in prison, of a divine woman who declared him to be “The Beauty of God amongst you.” ie the next prophet. • Ba’hai is the culmination of all the world’s religions. Moses, Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, Baha’Ullah. • No priests, no ceremony.

41. Theology and Teaching • Monotheistic. • God is unknowable “The most Exalted, the Inaccessible.” • Baha-Ullah claimed to be • The second coming of Christ—that John 14:16 was about him. • The Maitreya—the second coming of Buddha. • The new incarnation of Krishna • The fulfillment of the “Day of God” in the Koran. • Strong emphasis on equality, education, peace. • Progressive Revelation. “Religious truth is not absolute but relative.”

42. Teachings and Scripture. • Salvation through keeping the law as handed down by Baha-Ullah • Emphasis on good deeds, helping the poor, education • Jesus did not die for our sins, because he did not have to. We are imperfect, but not lost. • Scripture: The writings of Baha-Ullah. There are many!

43. Other World Religions • Shinto—the ancestral religion of Japan. Animist • Zoroastrianism—Dualistic religion with origins in Persia. Worship of Ahura Mazda; a fire god.

44. Summary • The theologies of world religions are fundamentally and diametrically opposed to one another. Many paths to the same God is a ludicrous philosophy. • The truth of the Bible is confirmed by • Clear evidence of inspiration (fulfilled prophecy, types and foreshadows, historical accuracy, scientific evidence, etc…) • Public miracles worked by Moses, Elijah and others, and especially by Jesus Christ (Hebrews 2:3,4).