Members of a community dedicated to living out of the truths underpinning all the world’s great religions might be expected to have a working knowledge of, or at least access to, information about the fundamental beliefs of these traditions.

There is no place here for anything other than a brief overview of these, and a short extract from their teachings as an introduction to humanity’s rich heritage of spiritual beliefs and practices. As the majority of new community members will be most familiar with Christian cosmologies I have tended to use that as a reference point. I hope readers from other faiths and traditions will forgive this technique – it is purely intended as a means of effective communication, and certainly not meant as a device to imply that Christian teachings have a more (or less) special place in our own pantheon.

Hinduism
The Hindu faith is the oldest of our living traditions, and in many ways the hardest to categorise. It is historically inspired by the teachings incorporated in the Vedas, which originated 4,000 thousand years ago. However, although certain key beliefs inform all Hindu thought it has branched out into a bewildering variety of forms which frequently leads to confusion in the minds of westerners about the true nature of this religion.

For example, it is not pantheistic but essentially monotheistic, although (un)like Christianity [1] it allows the Godhead to divide into a variety of forms such as Vishnu the maintainer or Shiva the destroyer. It is also extremely tolerant of minor gods, and many institutions and households have their own particular deities which they offer devotions to. This is further complicated by the doctrine of avatars, by which the Godhead will ‘ for the protection of the good and the destruction of evil do-ers, incarnate from age to age.’ God/Vishnu may therefore be bequeathed with different historical titles such as Rama or Krishna.

The sanatana dharma, (eternal duty) as Indians call their religion, is largely free from dogma, and has a long tradition of toleration for other religious beliefs. The main tenets are essentially:

• that the universal Brahman is the sub-stratum of all existence
• a belief in both re-incarnation or the transmigration of souls, and
• karma or the law of cause and effect
• the need to adhere to spiritual duty or dharma
• and by doing so to achieve liberation from the endless wheel of time in which both microcosm and macrocosm are locked.

The means by which this is to be achieved are however extremely varied.

One of the main dramas of Hinduism surrounds the life of Krishna, and the Mahabharata is a great epic poem which tells this story. The key part of this tale, and central to Hindu thought is the Bhagavad Gita – the ‘Song of God’ in which the great warrior Arjuna drives out to the centre of the Plain of Kurukshetra between two great armies poised on the brink of civil war. Krishna goes with Arjuna as his charioteer and offers him the following insights.

Arjuna sees that his own army – the Pandavas – is on the side of good, whilst the opposing army of the Kauravas is a force for evil, yet he trembles at the thought of this conflict and suggests to Krishna that although he is a warrior it might be better for him to eschew the conflict and the inevitable slaughter of kith and kin.

Krishna reveals himself as an avatar – an aspect of God come to earth to liberate mankind – and explains to Arjuna that life and death are but part of a great cycle, and the death of the physical body should be treated by him as little different to the changing of a set of clothes. He goes on to say that there are three kinds of person – the slothful, the passionate, and the noble ones who seek enlightenment through detachment and renunciation. Arjuna’s task as a warrior is take this balanced, or ‘even-minded’ approach and release his attachment to his own life and all earthly things and to strive in battle to achieve the victory of good against evil. He must see renunciation as the release of attachment to the fruits of actions which must be offered to God, not the giving up of all action.

Arjuna is convinced and goes back to his lines. The battle commences and with Krishna’s help the triumph of the Pandavas is achieved.

The Gita is of course a symbolic means of describing the conflicts of perception between personality and soul.

It is an extraordinary paradox that despite this apparently war-like ideology Christians often view Indians as fatalistic. Perhaps it is easy to forget that hunger and exhaustion can significantly contribute to such attitudes. Hindus, on the other hand, have the greatest difficulty in imagining a God prepared to die meekly on a cross, far less that this icon could be central to the mythology of a people with a reputation for military aggression.

Buddhism
Buddhism is of course based on the teachings of Gautama Buddha who was born some 2,500 years ago in northern India, and rests on his famous Four Noble truths and the Eight Fold Path.

The Truths are:

• The Truth of Suffering
• The Truth of the Arising of Suffering
• The Truth of the Cessation of Suffering
• The Truth of the Path Leading to the Cessation of Suffering

The nature of the Path is often interpreted as having three constituents. These are:

• Moral self -discipline, incorporating a peaceful, truthful, upright and disciplined way of life.
• Meditation, meaning the cultivation of proper states of mind in addition to proper actions, equanimity and control. Meditation is not thought of as a practice undertaken only by sitting in solitude, but something that can be brought into everyday life.
• Wisdom, i.e. a perception of the world based on the Four Noble Truths.

In today’s’ world Buddhism is practised in a variety of forms by the majority or significant minorities all over South east Asia. There are two main schools. The Mahayana or Great Vehicle, attempts to investigate the nature of nirvana about which the Buddha himself remained silent, and is predominant in Tibet and Nepal. Hinayana or Small Vehicle, largely found in Burma, Ceylon and Indo-China does not diverge from the original teachings. Zen is a particularly direct (i.e. non-symbolic) form of Mahayana Buddhism, stemming from China and Japan, and much influenced by Taoist thought. In this part of Scotland we have most strongly felt the particular influence of Tibetan Buddhism, due to the presence of the centre of Karma Kagyu lineage at Samye Ling in Dumfriesshire. Although stemming from the Mahayana, Tibetan Buddhism has its own characteristics.

Buddhists are the great spiritual psychologists and technologists of formal religion. So much so that many practitioners of this faith find Christian teachings can seem rather naive by comparison. For example, the notion of original sin can be seen as a somewhat over-simplistic interpretation of karma, the idea of heaven, purgatory and hell a trivialisation of the complex bardo states in between incarnate life and so on. On the other hand, Buddhist cosmologies can appear both nihilistic and indeed atheistic to Christian observers.

Readers must judge for themselves, but here follows a fragment of Buddhist thinking that may be of practical value and give those unfamiliar with its techniques a taste of the richness this faith is heir to. It is taken from the ‘Tibetan Book of the Dead‘ [2], and involves a description of different states which occur due to a greater or lesser separation from the ‘luminosity’ which Christians might call God or The Holy Spirit.

The Realms
The hypothesis is that the mind produces certain projections which seem to exist objectively and inhabit the external world. Depending on the state of the mind there are different ‘realms’ that a being may appear to him or herself to be in. These realms particularly refer to the ‘bardo’ or transition state in between one life and another, but they may also be usefully applied to living and waking states. The Book of the Dead concerns itself for the most part with various practices which will aid a being in such a bardo state. We need not concern ourselves with those here, but the realms can de described as follows.

Firstly there is the Hell realm. Here the being imagines a state of terror or paranoia, which turns inwards, and a degree of violence is felt towards the self. In this realm it is not so much a question of punishment meted out by some external agency, but of a self inflicted environment of fear. It could be one of fiery rage, or frigidity and loneliness.

The Hungry Ghost realm is one in which the desire for possessions becomes overwhelming. The more you consume, the hungrier you become for more of this nourishment which you desire. It is not a state of enjoyment of things, but of the endless pursuit of more.

The Animal realm, (which is a slightly misleading name from a western point of view) is dominated by a lack of a sense of humour. Dour religious observance, dogged but joyless work, or a rigid family life all characterise this realm. It is entirely lacking in spontaneity or unpredictability.

The Human realm is one of passion, which involves some of the hungry ghost demands for endless striving, and an element of animal realm predictability, but the prime characteristics are slyness, and a desire to maintain achievements and successes at all costs, despite the inevitable impermanence of life.

The Realm of Jealous Gods is one of great intelligence, but also one of fear. It is like a game which involves intrigues, deceits and diplomacy, but one whose rules demand a concentration on survival and winning. This is a realm which many personal relationships exist in.

The final stage is the Realm of the Gods, also known as the realm of pride. Here there is state of peace and bliss, but also a recognition of self as separate from the luminosity.

These terms may not be familiar to everyone, but these six realms have been said to make up the entirety of our psychological world, and if it appeals to you, you may find it helpful to observe which of these states you are in at any given time, and to learn techniques for moving into other states you may find more suitable.

Judaism
The religion of the Hebrews is important partly because of its contemporary influence (although it is by far the smallest of the religions under our consideration), but also because it is the root from which the stem of Christianity, and thus western religion, philosophy and culture has grown. Its historical beginnings as related in Genesis concern the call of Abraham, who migrated from the Euphrates estuary to Canaan c.1850 BC.

The holy books of Judaism are the Torah and the Talmud. The former is essentially the Written Law, and includes the Pentateuch of the Old Testament in the Christian Bible. The Talmud is largely a later codification of the Oral Law. Although it is a religion with ancient roots, it would be entirely wrong to think of Jewish thought and practice as being in some way more old-fashioned than its children. Like the Vedas it provides deep insight into areas untouched by other religious traditions.

Judaism has for instance a well developed moral philosophy in the realm of commerce, equalled perhaps only by the Islamic tradition. Alas, there is certainly nothing to compare with this in modern Christianity to temper the activities of amoral business practitioners. Judaic practice is also the font of the Kabbalah, probably its greatest contribution to contemporary esoteric ideas.

A detailed description of the ‘Tree of Life’ is not possible here, but there follows a brief overview of its treasures.

On penetrating into the sanctuary of the kabbalah one is seized with admiration in the presence of a doctrine so logical, so simple, and at the same time so absolute. The essential union of ideas and signs; the consecration of the most fundamental realities by primitive characters; the trinity of words, letters and numbers; a philosophy as simple as the alphabet, profound and infinite as the Word; theorems more complete and luminous than those of Pythagoras; a theology which may be summed up on the fingers; an infinite which can be held in the hollow of an infant’s hand; ten figures and twenty two letters, a triangle, a square and a circle. Such are the elements of the kabbalah.

Eliphas Levi [3]

Islam
The prophet Muhammad, after the mention of whose name it is customary to say ‘Peace be upon him’ was born in 570 AD at Mecca in what is now Saudi Arabia. His religious work began in earnest when at age 40 he received the call from god through the Angel Gabriel while meditating in a cave.

He is the central figure in Islamic teaching but he is considered to be human rather than divine. Through his revelations came the Koran which contains 114 surahs or chapters, and is taken by Muslims to be the Word of God.

The Five Pillars of Islam are:

• There is no God but Allah, and Muhammed is His Prophet.
• The daily performance of prayers
• Regular payments to charity
• The making of a Pilgrimage to Mecca
• Fasting during the time of Ramadan

Muhammad, (Peace be upon him), died in 632 AD, or the 10th year of the Islamic calendar. In 622 AD the prophet and his followers were forced to escape from Mecca to Medina after growing opposition to his teachings in the former city.

Despite the impression one might gain from western media reports the Islamic faith is tolerant of other traditions. For instance, it was common in Islamic medieval cities for there to be Jewish quarters at a time when the persecution of Jews was rife in western Europe. Jesus is considered to be a great prophet by Muslims, but they believe Christians err in perceiving him as divine. (Jews and Christians are known to Muslims as ‘The People of the Book’.)

The great majority of the followers of Islam are ‘Sunnis’ who accept certain traditions derived from the Prophet’s political successors as authoritative. Shia Islam, which rejects this path, and follows the traditions of his family successors, is predominant only in parts of Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran.

Sufism is an esoteric sect of Islam, and although Sufis can trace their heritage back to the roots of their religion, and perhaps even further, the order which operates in the west was founded by Hazrat Inayat Khan who was born in India in 1882. The modern leader of this movement is Pir Vilayat Khan. Sufism has probably had more direct effect on our communal life than orthodox Islamic practice. The Sufi order is very ecumenical aiming at a direct understanding of the nature of God which goes beyond the specific creeds of formal religion.

Sufis love allegorical spiritual anecdotes and stories of which this is one.

Caravanserai
A visitor appeared in the city and marched straight into the palace and demanded an audience with the king. Such was the strangeness of his appearance that no-one dared question him.

On approaching the king he said: “I should like a place for the night in this caravanserai.”

The king answered: “This is not a caravanserai – it is my palace!”

“Who lived here before you?” demanded the stranger.

“My father.”

“And before that?”

“My grandfather.”

“And this place where people come and go, staying and moving on, you call other than a caravanserai?”

Christianity
Christian teaching is based on the life of Jesus Christ of Nazareth who lived in Palestine from approximately 3BC to 33AD. His life and work need little elucidation here, but three main points may be made.

The Doctrine of the Trinity envisages God as having three major aspects. God the Father, who is transcendent (outside of our ordinary experience), The Holy Spirit which is immanent (pervading our experience), and God the Son i.e. Jesus himself.

Christianity replaces the Old Testament notion of a system of moral balance ‘an eye for an eye,’ with one of ‘loving one’s neighbour as oneself’ and ‘turning the other cheek’.

The Crucifixion of Jesus is seen as a central moment in human history when a new pact between God and mankind began. Christianity thus involves a uniquely personal God ‘who gave his only son’ so that humanity might be saved from its errors. Early Christian philosophy may lack a comprehensive inquiry into the nature of reality [5], but the simplicity of its message and its emphasis on a loving God may be the main reasons for its continued success.

The three main forms of Christianity currently extant are Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and Protestantism (of which there are over 20,000 denominations). To outside observers the differences often appear more administrative and cultural than philosophical, although the current Papal stance on contraception is a significant exception. Often still thought of as ‘the white man’s religion’ today over half of all Christians are non-white.

There is no history of acceptable esoteric Christianity outside of monastic houses, but other themes of interest are:

The Essenes, a spiritual community which existed in Palestine shortly before the ministry of Jesus and whose philosophies (arguably) bear similarities to both Christian and New Age ideas.

Gnosticism, widely viewed by the orthodox as a heresy, in which contact with or ‘knowing of’ God can be made directly rather than through priestly intermediaries. It is not simply a philosophy of mysticism but a set of doctrines which perceives humanity as trapped in an alien world.

The writings of Teilhard de Chardin who attempted to bring together the rigours of scientific inquiry and Christian faith, through his theology of creative evolution.

Creation Spirituality, which is a modern movement largely based on the work of Matthew Fox [6] which seeks to explore the mystical Christian tradition and attempts to reconcile the spiritual side of ecology with Christianity.

Finally, here is a delightful short story about community life which brings out the simplicity and compassion at the heart of Christianity. Although recently publicised by M. Scott Peck it is an old tale. The fact that it is may be of Jewish origin will not, one hopes, offend. Perhaps its place here might even be seen as an acknowledgement of the debt Christianity owes to Judaism. After all, Jesus himself is sometimes referred to in the Bible as ‘Rabbi’.

The Rabbi’s Gift
A once-renowned monastic order had fallen on hard times. All the daughter houses had closed and the mother house was kept alive only by the efforts of a handful of ageing monks. Although the individual faith of these monks was strong, collectively they had begun to accept the inevitability of the death of their order. There had been no new recruits for many years and as their number slowly dwindled the buildings crumbled into greater and greater disrepair.

At last there were only a handful of monks left and the abbot knew the end was close at hand. One of the few real joys left to him was his occasional visits to an old friend, a rabbi who lived in a nearby forest. Yet it was with a heavy heart that he made his journey through the woodlands on this occasion. His old bones complained every step of the way and he wondered how often, if at all, he would be able to visit with his spiritual companion again.

At length he arrived at the rabbi’s quiet abode amongst the trees. “How goes life in your order?” asked his friend.

“Not good, not good,” replied the abbot. “We are now but five, and none are young enough for heavy tasks.”

The rabbi viewed the monk with empathy and compassion. “Alas,” he said, “it is the same for me. The young do not visit the synagogue, and I fear for my faith in this barren and Godless time.”

They commiserated with one another and read holy texts together, weeping as they compared the memories of their youth with the worries of their future. At length the abbot had to leave, and in his heart he wondered if he would ever see his old friend again. “I am glad we met,” he said, “but before I leave is there any advice that you can give me that would help to save my dying order?”

“No, I am sorry,” the rabbi responded. “I have no advice to give you, but I can tell you this. The Messiah is one of you.”

The abbot left the clearing puzzling over this last remark, and when he returned to the monastery he told his fellows about the rabbi’s concerns, and his enigmatic statement.

“Whatever can it mean?” they asked themselves. “The Messiah is one of us?” and they retired to their cells pondering the riddle. At first it seemed to them simply a jest, perhaps an off-hand comment that the abbot had misinterpreted. He was getting old after all, and maybe he had misheard the rabbi. But in the quiet of the night they mulled their thoughts over and began to consider the possibilities.

“It must be the abbot,” thought Brother Jeffrey. “Although he is old and prone to forgetfulness, he is the most venerable and wise of us all. If the Messiah is here it must be him. Mind you, Brother David is so quiet and gentle, so unassuming. If any one of us is close to God, surely it is Brother David. He is always on hand with his compassionate advice and helping hands.

“Although it could be Brother William. He is very rigid, but perhaps that is a measure of his faith. He is so dedicated to prayer and worship. Even when no one else can come through illness or duty he always can be found in the chapel ready to take a service for us or our visitors and guests. Yes, it could definitely be Brother William.

“I don’t think it could be Brother Roger, he is so crotchety. On the other hand, he knows the history of our order like no other, and he is very knowledgeable about the scriptures. He goes everywhere with a Bible in his hand. He always has something useful to say, and when he is critical it is usually because he has seen something important.

“At least I know it’s not me,” thought Brother Jeffrey. “I am not the Messiah type at all. I have too many faults and failings for that role. I am dedicated to being your good servant, Lord, but I am not ready for that — am I? Oh please Lord, do not let it be me!”

And so the monks were left alone with their thoughts, and although they never discussed them with one another a mysterious change came over their house. When they met they remembered the rabbi’s words and started to treat one another differently, just on the off chance that one of them might indeed be the Anointed One. They were more caring, more willing to take time for one another, more ready to see each other’s virtues rather than faults. They also began to view themselves in a new light. “It might be me,” they all thought, “and even if it is not, God must value my work if he has chosen me to serve the Messiah.”

Soon, the occasional visitors to the monastery began to notice the change. The atmosphere of the whole place seemed to them to have become sanctified, and imbued with a deeper sense of spirituality. The visitors told their friends of their experiences, and the trickle of guests grew into a regular stream. From time to time one of the guests would become so inspired by what they saw that they asked to stay and become apprentices to the order. In time the company of monks began to grow and as the years passed the order flourished once again and, thanks to the rabbi’s gift, brought spiritual solace to all who encountered it. [7]

---

[1] Many Christians would think of the concept of the ‘Father, Son and Holy Ghost’ as ‘One God in three Persons’. Muslim scholars, on the other hand, have argued that this is not monotheism but tritheism.

[2] Guru Rinpoche; The Tibetan Book of the Dead: The Great Liberation Through Hearing in the Bardo; Shambhala, 1975. This incorporates a commentary by Francisca Fremantle and Chogyam Trungpa.

[3] Eliphas Levi; Transcendental Magic; Rider; 1968. page 19

[4] Idries Shah; The Way of the Sufi; Pelican; 1968. A version of the story ‘Caravanserai’ appears on page 260.

[5] This is widely acknowledged by Christian theologians, e.g. “There is absolutely no system of theology or doctrine to be found in the Bible; it is simply not there.” Emmet Fox; The Sermon on the Mount; Grosset&Dunlap; 1934

[6] Matthew Fox; Original Blessing; Bear and Co; 1983.

[7] A version of this story has been publicised by M. Scott Peck; The Different Drum: Community Making and Peace; Arrow; 1990.