The Transitioning of Rev. Ike

“Close your eyes and see green,” Reverend Ike would tell his 5,000 parishioners from a red-carpeted stage at the former Loew’s film palace on 175th Street in Washington Heights, the headquarters of his United Church Science of Living Institute. “Money up to your armpits, a roomful of money and there you are, just tossing around in it like a swimming pool.”

His exhortation, as quoted by The New York Times in 1972, was a vivid sampling of Reverend Ike’s philosophy, which he variously called “Prosperity Now,” “positive self-image psychology” or just plain “Thinkonomics.”

The philosophy held that St. Paul was wrong; that the root of all evil is not the love of money, but rather the lack of it. It was a message that challenged traditional Christian messages about finding salvation through love and the intercession of the divine. The way to prosper and be well, Reverend Ike preached, was to forget about pie in the sky by and by and to look instead within oneself for divine power.

“This is the do-it-yourself church,” he proclaimed. “The only savior in this philosophy is God in you.”

One person who benefited from this philosophy of self-empowerment was Reverend Ike himself. Along with Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart and Pat Robertson, he was one of the first evangelists to grasp the power of television. At the height of his success, in the 1970s, he reached an audience estimated at 2.5 million.

In return for spiritual inspiration, he requested cash donations from his parishioners, from his television and radio audiences, and from the recipients of his extensive mailings — preferably in paper currency, not coins. (“Change makes your minister nervous in the service,” he would tell his congregation.)

He would also, in return, mail his contributors a prayer cloth.

His critics saw the donations as the entire point of his ministry, calling him a con man misleading his flock. His defenders, while acknowledging his love of luxury, argued that his church had roots both in the traditions of African-American evangelism and in the philosophies of mind over matter.

Whether legitimately or not, the money flooded in, making him a multimillionaire and enabling him to flaunt the power of his creed with a show of sumptuous clothes, ostentatious jewelry, luxurious residences and exotic automobiles. “My garages runneth over,” he said.

Fantastic Four

Islam: Man and God totally separate. (Ben Grimm)

Christianity: Man and God separate, but God unites with Man. (Reed Richards)

Buddhism: Man and God separate, but Man unites with God. (Johnny Storm)

Hinduism: Man and God always not-separate. (Susan Storm)

Unity: Trevor Hall and Matisyahu

Lyrics

Trevor Hall

Ishta Devata

There is a saying in Sanskrit “ Ekam Sat – Vidwaan Bahutaa vadantii” meaning that “Truth is One (God is One) – Learned Ones of Yore have explained it in different forms!” Though it is true that Almighty is One, it is also equally true that meditating or praying to the Formless, Blemishless Paramaatmaa is not within the mental maturity level of most common persons. The concept of a Personal God (Called Ishta Devataa) helps persons to relate better to Divine....

Here in comes the concept of “Phalana Devataa” (The Divine Form that gives manifest good results to a native). Phalana Devataa is the Form of Divinity that best relates to a human being’s inner psyche and thus gives fast results for mundane activities. We can say that these Phalana Devataas are the guardian angels of a person. Astrology does give valuable clues to find out which of the various Forms of Divine can give best results to a native. Based on these clues if a person does worship to that Deity Form, manifest results can be obtained. This will strengthen the belief system of a person towards occult matters, and when all material desires get fulfilled by the help of that Deity Form, the person may progress to Higher Forms of Meditation and Philosophy which will pave the way for Ultimate Salvation (Mukhti)....

What I have given here is only “indicative” or “suggestive.” If you have already received “Deeksha” from holy persons, they might have relied upon other processes for short-listing the best worship procedures for you. Again, one’s Family Deity (kula Devataa) should be Honoured before one does worship of one’s own Guardian Deity indicated above. On no account should one abandon the worship of Family Deities ( a Deity that has been worshipped continuously in the Family for at least 3 generations becomes the Family Deity of the Family. In most cases, there will be an unbroken line of worshippers of a Deity going back to even 100s of generations! Such Deities as Family Deities over many generations will be powerful, and mostly the Guardian Deity as shown by horoscope will be the same as Family Deity in such cases. These Deity Forms are easily pleased and it is really one’s good luck to be born in such spiritual families). If you are already in a Family of Upaasakaas (Serious Worshippers of a Particular Divine Form), you need not check the astrological indications; you can just follow the path of your ancestors in serious worship. By the Grace of the Family Deity, you will be led to Higher paths – if necessary!

Balance

There are four traditions that balance one another:

Buddhism balances Christianity

Hinduism balances Islam

Buddhism: realization of the Transcendent

Christianity: realization of the conditional

Islam: There is One God

Hinduism: There is Only God

Contradictions

There is no inherent contradiction:

between Christianity and Buddhism

between Buddhism and Islam

between Islam and Hinduism.

There are contradictions, of course:

Love contradicts lust

Light contradicts anger

Logic contradicts ignorance

Life contradicts fear

Those are contradictions I can live with.

Cubed Interpretation

The Four Types of Religious Statements:

1. Physical-Interpretation is a statement that may be interpreted literally. “You shall not murder....” (Mark 10:19)
2. Psychology-Interpretation is a statement that may be interpreted psychologically. “If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off....” (Mark 9:43).
3. Noetic-Interpretation is a statement that may be interpreted noetically. “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” (Mark 6:50)
4. Solar-Interpretation is a statement that may be interpreted solarly. “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (Mark 4:41)

The Fourth Mark

The Fourth Mark of Conditional Events:

Sabbe sankhara rocana: All conditional events are luminous, shining, and bright. The Divine Sun shines behind, through, and as all conditional events.

The Three Marks

The Three Marks of Conditional Events:

Sabba sankhara anicca: All conditional events are impermanent

Sabbe sankhara anatta: All conditional events are not self-contained, are incapable of independent existence, are inherently tantric, or are inherently "relational"

Sabbe sankhara dukkha: All conditional events are subject to lust, anger, ignorance, and fear; are subject to apparent divorce from Radiance

(See the tilakkhana of traditional Buddhism, especially in the Dhammapada.)

The Buddha and the Siddha

There are two Paths. The Lokuttara Path is the path that takes you out of the conditional cosmos altogether. Jainism, Buddhism, and various other traditions were founded upon the Lokuttara Path, even if most of the members of those traditions do not actually aim for transcending the conditional cosmos altogether. Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism and various other traditions were founded upon the Lokiya Path, the path that aims for the fulfillment of the conditional cosmos, even if some of the members of those traditions may actually aim for the transcendence of the conditional cosmos altogether.

The Lokuttara Path may be called the Path of the Buddha, the Buddha being one who has 'awakened' to the transcendent realm.

The Lokiya Path may be called the Path of the Siddha, the Siddha being one who has 'accomplished' the fulfillment of the conditional realm.

In that sense, Jesus of Nazareth was a Siddha, and Christianity is a Siddhic tradition.

Another name for Siddha is Tantrik.