Hail Mary, Eastern Form

The Angelic Salutation, from the East:

Θεοτόκε Παρθένε, χαῖρε, κεχαριτωμένη Μαρία, ὁ Κύριος μετὰ σοῦ. εὐλογημένη σὺ ἐν γυναιξί, καὶ εὐλογημένος ὁ καρπὸς τῆς κοιλίας σου, ὅτι Σωτήρα ἔτεκες τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν

Theotokos Virgin, Rejoice!

Mary, Full of Grace, our Friend is with you.

Blessed are you among women,

and blessed is the fruit of your womb,

for you have borne a Guru of our souls.

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.

God and Buddhism

The most essential meaning of "God" is quite simple: "God" is a person or event of greatest significance. As such, Buddhism does teach about God.

The Buddha is God. This would also imply that the Bodhisattas (those who are on the path to Buddhahood) are also God. (The Buddha corresponds to God the Son of Christianity.)

The Dhamma is God. "Dhamma" doesn't simply mean the Teaching of the Dhamma. "Dhamma" also means the Reality that the Buddha realized: Nibbana, as well as the abandonment of greed, hatred, and delusion, and the perfection of giving, love, and wisdom. (The Dhamma corresponds to God the Father in Christianity.)

The Sangha is God. Sangha is the community (infinite in number) of those who have realized, to one degree or another, what the Buddha taught. The Sangha includes both monastics and laypersons. (The Sangha corresponds to God the Holy Spirit in Christianity.)

The Buddha is ever-present, never absent, because the Dhamma is always True, and the Sangha is always practicing.

Without Buddha I Could Not Be A Christian

(From the back cover:) Honest and unflinching, Without Buddha I Could Not Be A Christian narrates how estreemed Catholic theologian, Paul F. Knitter overcame a crisis of faith by looking to Buddhism for inspiration. From prayer to how Christianity views life after death, Knitter argues that a Buddhist standpoint can encourage a more person-centered conception of Christianity, where individual religious experience comes first, and liturgy and tradition second. Moving and revolutionary, this book will inspire Christians everywhere.

Knitter's basic argument is that being a student, even a disciple, of Shakyamuni Buddha can indeed make you a better Christian. Knitter's ultimate commitment is to Jesus Christ and the Christian tradition, and he sees no ultimate incompatibility with Buddhism and Christianity. Heck, he has even taken Refuge in the Triple Gem, which is comparable to being baptized.

One

There's only one Christ.

Christ in matter.

Christ in mind.

Christ in the soul.

Christ in the Sun.

Ever going out.

Ever returning in.

The Giver.

The Taker.

The Lover.

The Beloved.

The Ascetic Tantrik.

The Signs of God

Krishna the Avatar represents the astrological sign Cancer, ruled by the Moon.
Siddhartha the Buddha represents the astrological sign Capricorn, ruled by Saturn.
Jesus the Christ represents the astrological sign Aries, ruled by Mars.
Nanak the Guru represents the astrological sign Libra, ruled by Venus.

Cancer, Capricorn, Aries, and Libra are the signs of action-against-all-limitation.

Dattatreya the Avadhut represents the astrological sign Leo, ruled by the Sun.
Muhammad the Rasul represents the astrological sign Aquarius, ruled by Saturn.
Moses the Prophet represents the astrological sign Taurus, ruled by Venus.
Vardhamana the Tirthankara represents the astrological sign Scorpio, ruled by Mars.

Leo, Aquarius, Taurus, and Scorpio are the signs of utter-resoluteness-against-all-enemies.

Confucius the Wise represents the astrological sign Virgo, ruled by Mercury.
Laozi the Master represents the astrological sign Pisces, ruled by Jupiter.
Kabir the Poet represents the astrological sign Gemini, ruled by Mercury.
Zarathustra the Priest represents the astrological sign Sagittarius, ruled by Jupiter.

Virgo, Pisces, Gemini, and Sagittarius are the signs of vibrant-creativity-within-creation.

Says Kabir:

O how may I ever express that secret word?
O how can I say He is not like this, and He is like that?
If I say that He is within me, the universe is ashamed:
If I say that He is without me, it is falsehood.
He makes the inner and the outer worlds to be indivisibly one;
The conscious and the unconscious, both are His footstools.
He is neither manifest nor hidden, He is neither revealed nor unrevealed:
There are no words to tell that which He is.

Christic Yogas

The Christ is a Person, true. But the Christ is not limited to personality.

The Christ is a Person, to whom one can be in devotional relationship, in the form of Bhakti Yoga.

The Christ is a Fire, the process of tapasya, of atonement, in the form of Raja Yoga.

The Christ is an Insight, the understanding of the nature of reality, in the form of Jnana Yoga.

The Christ is a Work, the sacrificial action of compassion and wisdom, in the form of Karma Yoga.

The Immaculate Conception

The CCC explains the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception:

491 Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, "full of grace" through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854:

The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin.

There are many ways to understand the Immaculate Conception. One way is to understand Mary as an Avatar, Daughter of Durga, who took birth as the Mother of Jesus, in order to perform the work She needed to accomplish in conjunction with Jesus. By stating that Mary was kept free from the original forgetfulness (or original sin), the Church is stating that Mary was an Avatar. By stating that her initial and subsequent freedom from original forgetfulness was a result of the "merits of Jesus Christ", the Church is stating that Mary took birth as human form before Jesus did, but only because of the work both Mary and Jesus were to accomplish.

Hail Mary, Full of Grace
The Lord is with You.
Blessed are You among women,
And blessed is the fruit of Your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners,
Now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

The Christ Guru

In Christian theology, Jesus is called "the Christ", and "the Son of God":

441 In the Old Testament, "son of God" is a title given to the angels, the Chosen People, the children of Israel, and their kings. It signifies an adoptive sonship that establishes a relationship of particular intimacy between God and his creature. When the promised Messiah-King is called "son of God", it does not necessarily imply that he was more than human, according to the literal meaning of these texts. Those who called Jesus "son of God", as the Messiah of Israel, perhaps meant nothing more than this.

442 Such is not the case for Simon Peter when he confesses Jesus as "the Christ, the Son of the living God", for Jesus responds solemnly: "Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven." Similarly Paul will write, regarding his conversion on the road to Damascus, "When he who had set me apart before I was born, and had called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles..." "and in the synagogues immediately [Paul] proclaimed Jesus, saying, 'He is the Son of God.'" From the beginning this acknowledgment of Christ's divine sonship will be the centre of the apostolic faith, first professed by Peter as the Church's foundation.

In Dharmic terms, Jesus the Christ is also known as the Avatar, the Buddha, the Bhagavan. The Avatar is the descent of the Divine into human form. The Buddha is the awakener, the realizer. Bhagavan is the Blessed One. The Hebraic "son of God" refers to someone with a close relationship to God, and Jesus would certainly fit the bill and more. The Christian "Son of God" refers to someone who has realized his fullness-in-God, to the point of being one with God consciously and embodiedly.

In Dharmic terms, the Son of God would be a Sat-Guru, someone capable of bringing others into the state of fullness-in-God, to the point of being able to confess "I and the Father are One". Many followers of Jesus the Christ believe that Jesus is the Only Son of God; many followers believe otherwise. In any event, the important point is that whichever Sat-Guru would follows, one should be aware of the nature of such a relationship. The Divine Physics of that relationship flourishes in the context of the recognition of the very Divine Incarnation of the Sat-Guru. Sts. Peter and Paul recognized that Divine Incarnation in Jesus. Arjuna recognized it in Krishna, the Avatar. Sariputra recognized it in Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha. Khadijah recognized it in Muhammad, the Rasul.

Thus, Christianity is based on Guru-Bhakti Yoga, or the Spiritual Practice of Devotion to the Divine-Human Person. Swami Sivananda outlined some of the laws inherent in Guru-Bhakti Yoga:

1. To learn cooking, you need a teacher; to learn science you need a professor; to learn any art you need a master. Is not Guru necessary to learn Atma-Vidya?

2. Guru indeed is the sole refuge to take you across the Samsaric deluge.

3. On the thorny path of Truth to guide you there is none but Guru.

4. Guru’s Grace can work wonders.

5. In all your struggle of daily life, Guru will guide and protect you.

6. Guru is the torch-bearer of wisdom.

7. Guru, Isvara, Brahman, preceptor, teacher, Divine Master, etc., are synonymous terms.

8. Salute your Guru first before you salute God, because he takes you to God.

9. Take Mantra Diksha from your Guru. This will inspire and elevate you.

10. Guru will not do Sadhana for you. You will have to do it yourself.

11. Guru will show you the right path.

12. Guru can select the right Yoga for the disciple.

13. By Guru’s grace, the disciple can overcome obstacles and doubts on the path.

14. Guru will lift the disciple from the pitfalls and snares.

15. Sacrifice your body and life to serve your Guru. Then he will take care of your soul.

16. Don’t expect a miracle from your Guru to lift you up into Samadhi. Do rigorous Sadhana yourself. A hungry man will have to eat himself.

17. If you cannot get a Satguru you cannot progress in the spiritual path.

18. Be patient and wise in selecting your Guru, because you cannot divorce your Guru afterwards. It is the greatest sin.

19. Relation between Guru and Chela is sacred and lifelong. Understand this point very well.

Yudha et Shanti

Yudha Mantras ("Mantras of Spiritual War"):
1. Durga!
2. Jesus!
3. Skanda!
4. Allah!

Shanti Mantras ("Mantras of Spiritual Peace"):
1. Aum Namah Shivayah
2. Jesus Buddha
3. Buddha
4. La ilaha il Allah

Mantras

Aum Namah Shivayah is the offering (yajna) mantra.

Jesus is the seed (bija) mantra.

Buddha is the root (mula) mantra.

And Allah is the fruit (phala) mantra.