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Shalom!!
Concerning why I was writing this, its been heavy on my heart for awhile to see the trends in culture/ where the church stands.....and to me, its odd to see how much focus has been brought up in regards to Eastern Thought in our current times...placing them out there for entertainment.
Many shows come to mind, one of which is entitled "Avatar: The Last Airbender". A movie was made recently, based off the T.V show that's very based in Mystical thought. One of the groups discussed in the show are known as the Air Nomads, a monastic order of men and women practicing Airbending -- the mystical art of aerokinesis. They were pacifists and highly respected nature and creation....as well as ones into practices of deep spirituality (i.e meditation, restraint, etc). Many hints suggest that the Air Nomads are based on Chinese Shaolin monks and Tibetan culture due to their peaceful nature, monk-ruled society, and geographical isolation due to elevation.
With the Air Nomads from the T.V Show "Avatar", as well as many other groups in the show, I've noticed an exceptionally large amount of youths (including Young adults) ---both in the world and the church---that seem to give much focus on the subject of Monasticism/Mysticism in other religions ...assuming that the Church isn't as mysterious/captivating on the issue...and yet, sad to see how others are often unaware of how much the subject took center stage in the Church when it came to the issue of Monasticism/Mysticism of others in the Early Church.
A Good article for review:
On the issue, I'm not certain if it could be said that the church has nothing to offer those who are going to Eastern Religions. I'm constantly reminded of others such as the Desert Fathers... the desert monks of Egypt, Syria, and Palestine in the fourth to sixth century. Seeing how they sought to live their lives in a fasted lifestyle and continual holiness with prayer/self-inspection and other practices common in monasticism/mysticism, it was beautiful to behold...and something I wish was discussed more.
And of course, there's always the dynamic of those who were Christian Mystics in the early church.
Of course, there can be a danger in studying from the past as it concerns the East/Mysticism. And the only reason I bring this up is because it seems that there's often a lack of caution when it comes to studying the saints/much of Eastern Christianity/the early church. For as it seems in many places, the presence of Eastern religious movements in the West, especially in the past decade or two, has really been influential in much of the church..and for others who either study the saints incorrectly or fail to be aware of them/their practices, many have consequently chosen to either proclaim the equality of Christian religious experiences and the experience of Zen Buddhism/ other pagan religions as equal if seeing the ways Eastern Christianity is mystical...or they choose to dismiss Eastern Christianity altogether when seeing similarities in things discussed there with other Eastern Religions. This has often been the case in many PROTESTANT Camps that exalt intellectualism and rationalism above mystery.
Nevertheless, much of Catholic history--as it concerns Mysticism--could be what those in Eastern Thought could find valuable if/when it came to what it is they thought could only be found within Eastern Religions. Of course, I must be careful to clarify/qualify where I'm coming from. For when considering the 5 Eastern Catholic Churches, there's the reality that even in the Catholic circles there's not a "one size fits all" since within the theological framework of Catholicism, there're battles going on..as the Melkite Greek Catholic Church/Eastern Catholics is radically different from Roman Catholicism in their ideologies when it comes to practices such as married clergy, the election of bishops by the Church as a whole, collegial government and many other features that're unknown to Roman Catholics.
Moving on, within this thread subject, the history of Eastern Catholic Monasticism / monasticism in the Christian East is something that comes to mind. And of course, some of the commonality between the Eastern Christianities and Western Christianities (as it concerns Catholicism) is universal in its appeal, seeing how many have been steadily going toward the Ancient Faith.
On others that've noted the same... as it concerns reference material:
Other camps, of course, feel they're more qualified to reach out to the Eastern Religious than others....and in example, I'm remidned of what another individual in Eastern Orthodoxy noted when claiming only Eastern Orthodoxy had what was necessary to reach those in Eastern Religions. As said in their article entitled MYSTAGOGY: Can Orthodox Christianity Speak To Eastern Religions? (for brief excerpt)
On a side note, there've been similar sentiments shared elsewhere by other Orthodox believers, to the point of claiming that those who are Eastern Catholics cannot do as good of a job as Eastern Orthodox. And for more info:
But outside of that, Does anyone here disagree with the excerpt from the article..or are there aspects that you agree with? Do you feel that there're aspects within Catholicism and Mysticism in the Church that could serve as a means of creating bridges for those seeking deeper experiences for those attracted in Eastern Religious thought?
If anyone has any thoughts, I'd love to hear sometime. Shalom
Concerning why I was writing this, its been heavy on my heart for awhile to see the trends in culture/ where the church stands.....and to me, its odd to see how much focus has been brought up in regards to Eastern Thought in our current times...placing them out there for entertainment.
Many shows come to mind, one of which is entitled "Avatar: The Last Airbender". A movie was made recently, based off the T.V show that's very based in Mystical thought. One of the groups discussed in the show are known as the Air Nomads, a monastic order of men and women practicing Airbending -- the mystical art of aerokinesis. They were pacifists and highly respected nature and creation....as well as ones into practices of deep spirituality (i.e meditation, restraint, etc). Many hints suggest that the Air Nomads are based on Chinese Shaolin monks and Tibetan culture due to their peaceful nature, monk-ruled society, and geographical isolation due to elevation.
With the Air Nomads from the T.V Show "Avatar", as well as many other groups in the show, I've noticed an exceptionally large amount of youths (including Young adults) ---both in the world and the church---that seem to give much focus on the subject of Monasticism/Mysticism in other religions ...assuming that the Church isn't as mysterious/captivating on the issue...and yet, sad to see how others are often unaware of how much the subject took center stage in the Church when it came to the issue of Monasticism/Mysticism of others in the Early Church.
A Good article for review:
On the issue, I'm not certain if it could be said that the church has nothing to offer those who are going to Eastern Religions. I'm constantly reminded of others such as the Desert Fathers... the desert monks of Egypt, Syria, and Palestine in the fourth to sixth century. Seeing how they sought to live their lives in a fasted lifestyle and continual holiness with prayer/self-inspection and other practices common in monasticism/mysticism, it was beautiful to behold...and something I wish was discussed more.
And of course, there's always the dynamic of those who were Christian Mystics in the early church.
Of course, there can be a danger in studying from the past as it concerns the East/Mysticism. And the only reason I bring this up is because it seems that there's often a lack of caution when it comes to studying the saints/much of Eastern Christianity/the early church. For as it seems in many places, the presence of Eastern religious movements in the West, especially in the past decade or two, has really been influential in much of the church..and for others who either study the saints incorrectly or fail to be aware of them/their practices, many have consequently chosen to either proclaim the equality of Christian religious experiences and the experience of Zen Buddhism/ other pagan religions as equal if seeing the ways Eastern Christianity is mystical...or they choose to dismiss Eastern Christianity altogether when seeing similarities in things discussed there with other Eastern Religions. This has often been the case in many PROTESTANT Camps that exalt intellectualism and rationalism above mystery.
Nevertheless, much of Catholic history--as it concerns Mysticism--could be what those in Eastern Thought could find valuable if/when it came to what it is they thought could only be found within Eastern Religions. Of course, I must be careful to clarify/qualify where I'm coming from. For when considering the 5 Eastern Catholic Churches, there's the reality that even in the Catholic circles there's not a "one size fits all" since within the theological framework of Catholicism, there're battles going on..as the Melkite Greek Catholic Church/Eastern Catholics is radically different from Roman Catholicism in their ideologies when it comes to practices such as married clergy, the election of bishops by the Church as a whole, collegial government and many other features that're unknown to Roman Catholics.
Moving on, within this thread subject, the history of Eastern Catholic Monasticism / monasticism in the Christian East is something that comes to mind. And of course, some of the commonality between the Eastern Christianities and Western Christianities (as it concerns Catholicism) is universal in its appeal, seeing how many have been steadily going toward the Ancient Faith.
On others that've noted the same... as it concerns reference material:
- "Historical Sketch" of Christian Mysticism from Mysticism (1911)
- Panentheism – Perichoresis – Christology: Participatory Divinity << Zoecarnate
Other camps, of course, feel they're more qualified to reach out to the Eastern Religious than others....and in example, I'm remidned of what another individual in Eastern Orthodoxy noted when claiming only Eastern Orthodoxy had what was necessary to reach those in Eastern Religions. As said in their article entitled MYSTAGOGY: Can Orthodox Christianity Speak To Eastern Religions? (for brief excerpt)
I recently had a conversation with a dear Eastern Orthodox priest, whose twenty six year old son had left home the day before to live indefinitely at a Buddhist monastery. He was heart broken. His son was not a stranger to Eastern Orthodoxy or to its monastic tradition, having even spent two months on the holy mountain of Mt. Athos.
His son's journey is not an isolated event. Eastern religious traditions are a growing and competing force in American religious life. Buddhism is now the fourth-largest religious group in the United States, with 2.5 - 3 million adherents, approximately 800,000 of whom are American western "converts"? There are actually more Buddhists in America today than Eastern Orthodox Christians! The Dalai Lama (the leader of one of the Tibetan Buddhist sects) is one of the most recognized and admired people in the world and far better recognized than any Eastern Orthodox hierarch? Have you looked in the magazine section of Borders or Barnes and Noble lately? There are more publications with names like "Shambala Sun", "Buddhadharma", and "What is enlightenment?" on the shelves than Christian publications!
In addition to losing seekers to eastern spiritual traditions (many of them youth), eastern metaphysics has also seeped into our western cultural worldview without much notice. They are doing a better job (sadly) "evangelizing" our culture than we Eastern Orthodox Christians are!
The Lord Himself commands us clearly "that repentance and remission of sins (baptism) should be preached in His name to all nations" (Luke 24:47). Buddhists (of which there are many sects) and Hindus live among us in America in ever-growing numbers, in our college classrooms, on our soccer fields, and in our "health foods" stores - they are right in our own backyards! They are a rich, potential "mission field" for the Eastern Orthodox Church in the United States. Unfortunately with few exceptions, like the writings of Monk Damascene [Christensen] and Kyriakos S. Markides, we are not talking to this group at all.
As a former Hindu and disciple of a well-known guru, or spiritual teacher, I can tell you Orthodox Christianity shares more "common ground" with seekers of non-Christian spiritual traditions of the east than any other Christian confession! The truth is when Evangelical Protestants attempt to evangelize the eastern seeker they often do more harm than good, because their approach is western, rational, and doctrinal, with (generally) little understanding of the paradigms and spiritual language (or yearnings) of the seekers of these eastern faiths.
There are three "fundamental principles" that Buddhists and Hindus generally share in common:
What do these metaphysics have in common with our Eastern Orthodox Faith? Not much, on the surface. But in the eastern non-Christian spiritual traditions, knowledge is not primarily about the development of metaphysical doctrine or theology.
In addition to losing seekers to eastern spiritual traditions (many of them youth), eastern metaphysics has also seeped into our western cultural worldview without much notice. They are doing a better job (sadly) "evangelizing" our culture than we Eastern Orthodox Christians are!
The Lord Himself commands us clearly "that repentance and remission of sins (baptism) should be preached in His name to all nations" (Luke 24:47). Buddhists (of which there are many sects) and Hindus live among us in America in ever-growing numbers, in our college classrooms, on our soccer fields, and in our "health foods" stores - they are right in our own backyards! They are a rich, potential "mission field" for the Eastern Orthodox Church in the United States. Unfortunately with few exceptions, like the writings of Monk Damascene [Christensen] and Kyriakos S. Markides, we are not talking to this group at all.
As a former Hindu and disciple of a well-known guru, or spiritual teacher, I can tell you Orthodox Christianity shares more "common ground" with seekers of non-Christian spiritual traditions of the east than any other Christian confession! The truth is when Evangelical Protestants attempt to evangelize the eastern seeker they often do more harm than good, because their approach is western, rational, and doctrinal, with (generally) little understanding of the paradigms and spiritual language (or yearnings) of the seekers of these eastern faiths.
There are three "fundamental principles" that Buddhists and Hindus generally share in common:
1. A common "supra-natural" reality underlies and pervades the phenomenal world. This Supreme Reality isn't Personal, but Trans-personal. God or Ultimate Reality in these traditions is ultimately a pure consciousness without attributes.
2. The human soul is of the same essence with this divine reality. All human nature is divine at its core. Accordingly, Christ or Buddha isn't a savior, but becomes a paradigm of self-realization, the goal of all individuals.
3. Existence is in fundamental unity (monism). Creation isn't what it appears to the naked eye. It is in essence "illusion" and "unreal". There is one underlying ground of being (think "quantum field" in physics!) which unifies all beings and out of which and into which everything can be reduced.
3. Existence is in fundamental unity (monism). Creation isn't what it appears to the naked eye. It is in essence "illusion" and "unreal". There is one underlying ground of being (think "quantum field" in physics!) which unifies all beings and out of which and into which everything can be reduced.
On a side note, there've been similar sentiments shared elsewhere by other Orthodox believers, to the point of claiming that those who are Eastern Catholics cannot do as good of a job as Eastern Orthodox. And for more info:
But outside of that, Does anyone here disagree with the excerpt from the article..or are there aspects that you agree with? Do you feel that there're aspects within Catholicism and Mysticism in the Church that could serve as a means of creating bridges for those seeking deeper experiences for those attracted in Eastern Religious thought?
If anyone has any thoughts, I'd love to hear sometime. Shalom
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