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Christ the Eternal Tao (Taoism and ancient Christianity)

Karolina

Member
Since such a book was written ("Christ the Eternal Tao" by Hieromonk Damascene), I'm surprised to be unable to find more people who have a Taoist-leaning-yet-ancient-Christianity-appreciating approach to their spirituality? At least none that I've seen discussed. I see people who are Taoist enthusiasts completely reject the need for a personal God, and I see eastern Christians mostly using the Tao Te Ching (those that even broach the subject) simply to reaffirm their Orthodox (or Catholic) worldview. What I don't see is people who can hold both simultaneously and perhaps appreciate Jesus as a Jewish Taoist who can lead people to God through the application of Taoist principles (which I find much more user-friendly and relatable as they are expressed in the Tao Te Ching versus how they are expressed in the Christian gospels).

I'm hoping to find others with similar spiritual tendencies who do not want to dismiss a personal God, who do not want to ignore the example of Jesus, yet who find the Taoist philosophy to be a better explanation of what Jesus taught. Let me know if you're out there so we can chat!
 

ajay0

Well-Known Member
I remember reading the Gospel of Thomas (which is accepted in gnostic Christianity ), and a teaching of Jesus in it clearly rhymed with Taoist teachings.


(22)

(1) Jesus saw infants being suckled.
(2) He said to his disciples: “These little ones being suckled are like those who enter the kingdom.”
(3) They said to him: “Then will we enter the kingdom as little ones?”
(4) Jesus said to them: “When you make the two into one, and when you make the inside like the outside and the outside like the inside and the above like the below —
(5) that is, to make the male and the female into a single one, so that the male will not be male and the female will not be female —
(6) and when you make eyes instead of an eye and a hand instead of a hand and a foot instead of a foot, an image instead of an image, (7) then you will enter [the kingdom].”

This is very similar to the harmony between yin and yang in Taoism, as well as the concept of Ardhanarishvara in Hinduism of the harmony between the male Shiva and female Shakti seen as one.

As per eastern philosophy, there is a male and female within each person, on account of their having a male and female parent. When the male and female within a person are in total harmony through spiritual development, this is the point where enlightenment happens.

The enlightened person is similarly associated with innocent children in eastern philosophy, on account of their pure state of consciousness.
 

wellwisher

Well-Known Member
I remember reading the Gospel of Thomas (which is accepted in gnostic Christianity ), and a teaching of Jesus in it clearly rhymed with Taoist teachings.


This is very similar to the harmony between yin and yang in Taoism, as well as the concept of Ardhanarishvara in Hinduism of the harmony between the male Shiva and female Shakti seen as one.

As per eastern philosophy, there is a male and female within each person, on account of their having a male and female parent. When the male and female within a person are in total harmony through spiritual development, this is the point where enlightenment happens.

The enlightened person is similarly associated with innocent children in eastern philosophy, on account of their pure state of consciousness.
Jesus and Buddha both made a distinction between the inner and outer man. Children are free spirits, who are driven from within. They have this natural and spontaneous inner child that can amaze and delight. Since they are small and harmless, most parents and adults will give them a few years, to walk to the beat of their own natural inner drum. But as their education starts, external structuring begins. This external structuring tries to replace the inner voice of the child; spontaneity, with the external fears and desires of the adult cultural superego.

This external education can cause so much external noise; fear, insecurity and prejudice, that the inner voice can no longer be heard. It gets buried or repressed. Alternately, in story of the rich man trying to enter the kingdom, some people can learn to play the external world game so well, they learn to optimize via the external approach; wealth and fame. This places them even further away from the inner voice. Different parts of the brain.

Buddha, was from a very a wealthy royal family, and he leaned to use the external approach to the max; wealth and royal pampering. But he realized he had lost his natural inner voice of the child, so he change directions. Jesus starts out middle class; half way to wealth, so he could still find the inner child or that part of the brain that is natural; part of natural creation.

We are born of mothers and fathers, so we all have male and female genes. All males will have a female side, and all females will have a male side in terms of brain firmware. There is confusion among the trans generation, which is which. However, they are a good example of how both have a life of their own.

Jesus was a male, but his gospel of love and children, seems more like being from a female; a mother. His good heart came from his inner female side, which has a bridge connection to the natural firmware of the male brain. If Jesus had been more extroverted; outside and worldly, he would have been more like the expected Messiah; tough military leader. But his approach was from the inner voice, which is mediated by a male's female side; softer. She is the firmware means by which the male can go even deeper, all the way to the inner self; inner voice of the spirit through layers of firmware priority.
 

Brickjectivity

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
Since such a book was written
Thank you for the book suggestion.

Is Taoism a religion founded to promote obedience to government?

I have heard some claim here on RF that Christianity is. It is debated of course and not generally agreed upon.
 

freelight

Soul Pioneer
Premium Member
Good points,

'Christ' is like the 'tao' in John's prologue.....the eternal 'word', or universal principle that pervades the whole of creation/nature. So, the greek idea of 'logos' correlates in some respects to the 'tao', as holding the universal rhythm and harmony of the natural world, which also is the regulating pulse within individual souls and the Universal Soul.


--------------o
 

Windwalker

Veteran Member
Premium Member
Good points,

'Christ' is like the 'tao' in John's prologue.....the eternal 'word', or universal principle that pervades the whole of creation/nature. So, the greek idea of 'logos' correlates in some respects to the 'tao', as holding the universal rhythm and harmony of the natural world, which also is the regulating pulse within individual souls and the Universal Soul.


--------------o
Good thoughts. Logos does correlate to that process of creation from the Tao to the myriad things, or the world of form, as explained in the 42nd chapter of the Tao Te Ching. Logos in John is the Formless expressing itself into form. Hard to explain that, but I do see a similar view of how creation comes into being from the Infinite potentiality of the Tao, or Godhead, the Divine Reality out of which all creation arises, and the relation of the world of form to the Divine, that balance of yin and yang where Wuji that stillness bridges between the Tao and the world of form. That's what Logos does, brings the formless into form. Through Logos, the Infinite is made known.

I'm not entirely clear in my thinking on this, but there is a correlation with Tao, to Wujii, to Tay-yi, to Tai-Chi, to Yin and Yang, and the basic metaphysical ideas of John's prologue.
 
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