Planetary Mantras

Sun: Raam

Moon: Soom

Mars: Ram

Mercury: Aim

Jupiter: Shriim

Venus: Hriim

Saturn: Kriim

Rahu: Duum

Ketu: Keem

Pronunciations:
a -- vowel sound (v.s.) in "up"
aa -- "ah"
i -- v.s. in "it"
ii -- v.s. in "eat"
u -- v.s. in "us"
uu -- v.s. in "you"
e -- v.s. in "et"
ee -- v.s. in "ate"
0 -- v.s. in "ah"
oo -- v.s. in "oh"
ai -- v.s. in "ice"

Last Man Standing

For most of its history, Christianity was a tricontinental religion, with powerful representation in Europe, Africa and Asia, and this was true into the 14th century. Christianity became predominantly European not because this continent had any obvious affinity for that faith, but by default: Europe was the continent where it was not destroyed.

As late as the 11th century Asia was home to about a third of the world's Christians, Africa another 10 percent, and the faith in these continents had deeper roots in the culture than it did in Europe, where in many places it was newly arrived or still arriving.

About the time of Charlemagne's investiture in 800, the patriarch, or catholicos, of the Church of the East, often called Nestorian, was Timothy, based in Seleucia, in Mesopotamia. In prestige and authority, Timothy was "arguably the most significant Christian spiritual leader of his day," much more influential than the Western pope and on par with the Orthodox patriarch in Constantinople. Perhaps a quarter of the world's Christians looked to him as their spiritual and political head. His duties included appointing bishops in Yemen, Arabia, Iran, Turkestan, Afghanistan, Tibet, India, Sri Lanka, and China. A Christian cemetery in Kyrgyzstan contains inscriptions in Syrian and Turkish commemorating "Terim the Chinese, Sazik the Indian, Banus the Uygur, Kiamata of Kashgar, and Tatt the Mongol." The Church of the East may even have reached to Burma, Vietnam, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, and Korea.

The Asian church was also more intellectually accomplished: Its operating languages were Syriac, Persian, Turkish, Soghdian, and Chinese. Timothy himself translated Aristotle's Topics from Syriac into Arabic. Much of the "Arab" scholarship of the time, such as translations of Plato, Aristotle, Hippocrates, Galen, and others into Arabic, or the adoption of the Indian numbering system, was in fact done by Syriac, Persian, and Coptic (Egyptian and Nubian) Christians, often in the high employ of the Caliph.

It was also a church immersed in cultures very different from the Roman and Hellenic environments of the West. Timothy engaged in a famous dialogue with the caliph al-Mahdi, which still survives. The church's milieu was not only Jewish and Muslim but also, perhaps more so, Buddhist, Manichaean, Zoroastrian, and Confucian. This made for relations that defy many of our usual assumptions about history. Jenkins recounts how "in 782, the Indian Buddhist missionary Prajna arrived in the Chinese imperial capital of Chang'an, but was unable to translate the Sanskrit sutras he had brought" into Chinese or other useful local languages.

Hence, Prajna did the obvious thing and consulted with Bishop Adam, head of the Chinese church, who was deeply interested in understanding Buddhism. As a result, "Buddhist and Nestorian scholars worked amiably together for some years to translate seven copious volumes of Buddhist wisdom." These same volumes were taken back home by Japanese monks who had been in Chang'an, and became the founding volumes of Shingon and Tendai, the two great schools of Japanese Buddhism.

The Chinese also influenced the West. Around 1275, two Chinese monks began a pilgrimage to the Holy land. One, Markos, was probably a Uygur and the other, Bar Sauma, may have been an Onggud. In 1281, Markos was elected patriarch. He protested that he was not up to it, not least because his knowledge of Syriac was rudimentary. But the church fathers argued that the "kings who held the steering poles of the government of the whole world were the [Mongols], and there was no man except [him] who was acquainted with their manners and customs." Markos established his seat near Tabriz, then the capital of the Mongol Ilkhan dynasty.

Bar Sauma had an equally interesting life. In 1287 the Ilkhan overlord sent him on a diplomatic mission to Europe to enlist aid for a proposed joint assault on Mamluk Egypt: Kublai Khan in Beijing would also be a supporter. The Europeans were amazed to discover both that the church stretched to the shores of the Pacific and that the emissary from the fearsome Mongols was a Christian bishop, one from whom the king of England subsequently took communion.

Jenkins places the ending of this world, "the decisive collapse of Christianity in the Middle East, across Asia, and in much of Africa," not with the initial rise of Islam but in the 14th century. One trigger was the Mongol invasions, which threatened Arab Islam as never before. (The Crusades were a minor sideshow.) The Mongols sought alliances with Christians, and there were Christians among them [i.e., the Muslims], hence local believers were treated as a potential fifth column and often massacred [by Muslims].

Later, the Mongols themselves embraced Islam and turned on the Christians. Timur's subsequent invasions, among the most brutal in history, furthered the process, as did Seljuk and Ottoman advances and, further east, rising anti-Mongol Chinese nationalism. Between 1200 and 1500 the proportion of Christians outside Europe fell from over a third to about 6 percent. By 1500 the European church had become dominant "by dint of being, so to speak, the last men standing" of the Christian world.

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.

The Healing of Genesis

Within Genesis, chapters 1 and 2, are the keys to bodily, mental, and spiritual health.

¹ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ² The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

The heavens represent the elements of fire and air. The earth represents elements of water and earth. These elements must be in balance in order for health to be possible.

³ Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ⁴ And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light "day" and the darkness "night." And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.

The light represents the Divine Sun in the Heart, or Soul, of each person. This light, this fire, must be attended to, and cultivated, each day. One must listen to one's soul.

⁶ Then God said, “Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth.” ⁷ And that is what happened. God made this space to separate the waters of the earth from the waters of the heavens. ⁸ God called the space “sky.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the second day.

The waters represent the different parts of the mind: discrimination, sensory mind, and energy-mind. The waters of the heavens represent the discriminative mind, which must achieve independence from the waters of the earth (the sensory and energy minds). Let one's discrimination determine which sensory data is beneficial and healthy, or harmful and unhealthy, and then use the energy-mind to act on the results of discrimination.

⁹ Then God said, “Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear.” And that is what happened. ¹⁰ God called the dry ground “land” and the waters “seas.” And God saw that it was good. ¹¹ Then God said, “Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.” And that is what happened. ¹² The land produced vegetation—all sorts of seed-bearing plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. ¹³ And evening passed and morning came, marking the third day.

The seed-bearing plants represent the physical body. The physical body acts, thus creating results (or fruits) in the world. Karma yoga is the committed performance of action, without being attached to the results, or fruits, of said action. One simply plans, performs, and does one best; without letting the results either discourage or make giddy. Health is a long-term project, whose fruits are certain, but available only to the patient.

¹⁴ Then God said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them mark off the seasons, days, and years. ¹⁵ Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth.” And that is what happened. ¹⁶ God made two great lights—the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars. ¹⁷ God set these lights in the sky to light the earth, ¹⁸ to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. ¹⁹ And evening passed and morning came, marking the fourth day.

The marking off of the seasons, days, and years represents jnana yoga, the yoga of knowledge. The knowledge of the sun, moon, and stars is the knowledge of astronomy and astrology, which themselves form the foundation of all the other arts and sciences, including the science of medicine, health, and wholeness.

²⁰ Then God said, “Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind.” ²¹ So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, and every sort of bird—each producing offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. ²² Then God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply. Let the fish fill the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” ²³ And evening passed and morning came, marking the fifth day.

Being fruitful is characteristic of water, and water represents emotion. Thus, the fifth day is the day of bhakti yoga, the yoga of emotional devotion to Divinity. With emotional devotion, one can dive deep into the deepest ocean; or fly as high as the highest eagle. With love for God, anything is possible.

²⁴ Then God said, “Let the earth produce every sort of animal, each producing offspring of the same kind—livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and wild animals.” And that is what happened. ²⁵ God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to produce offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. ²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”

²⁷ So God created human beings in his own image.
In the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.

²⁸ Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.” ²⁹ Then God said, "Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food.³⁰ And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.” And that is what happened. ³¹ Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day.

Man has dominion. Man is, in a sense, a king, though a king with heavy responsibilities. Raja yoga is the kingly yoga, the yoga that penetrates into the heart of being. Raja yoga reaches into the realm of the soul, the heart of true health.

¹ So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. ² On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. ³ And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation. ⁴ This is the account of the creation of the heavens and the earth.

The seventh day is the day of realization, of enlightenment, of liberation, of salvation. The Latin salvus means whole and complete. Aditya.

The M-Word

The M-Word

Dom Bede Griffiths

We hear a great deal today about the magisterium of the Church, and those who have a position of authority in the Church are even required to take an oath of loyalty and make a solemn profession of faith in the teachings of the magisterium. It is important, therefore, to understand exactly what is meant by this word magisterium.

Many people today think that the magisterium consists of the pope, and the Roman Curia, but this is mistaken. “Magisterium” comes from the Latin magister, a master, and signifies authority to teach. Strictly speaking there is only one such authority in the Church and that is the Holy Spirit whom Jesus promised to his disciples to “lead men into all truth”. The apostles, as St Paul says, were commissioned by the Holy Spirit to preach the Gospel in the name of Christ, and it is generally believed that the apostles commissioned others named presbyters (elders) and bishops (overseers) to succeed them. Thus it is generally recognised today that the bishops who derive this authority from Christ through the apostles constitute the magisterium of the Church.

But there are in fact four organs of the magisterium. The first is that of the pope and the Roman Curia, which is concerned with the day-to-day administration of the Church. But that is subordinate to the authority of the bishops in communion with the pope who constitute the magisterium properly speaking. This was made clear at the Second Vatican Council.

But it is here that a third organ of the magisterium came into play. The bishops were accompanied by periti, or expert theologians, who advised the bishops and were actually responsible for developing the understanding of the Church which emerged at the Council. In a sense it is to the theologians that the word magisterium properly applies, since a theologian is a magister sacrae doctrinae, a master of sacred doctrine, who has been commissioned to teach theology in the name of the Church. The theologian, of course, does not speak or act on his own, but as a member of the Church in co-operation with his fellow theologians.

There is still another organ of the magisterium, perhaps the most important of all, and that is the laity. The laity consists of the people (laos) of God....

The Rebirth of Reincarnation

While participating in Easter Vigil, with the Blessing of Fire and all, I realized that there are a few further comments that need to be said regarding this paragraph of the catechism:

1013 Death is the end of man's earthly pilgrimage, of the time of grace and mercy which God offers him so as to work out his earthly life in keeping with the divine plan, and to decide his ultimate destiny. When "the single course of our earthly life" is completed, we shall not return to other earthly lives: "It is appointed for men to die once." There is no "reincarnation" after death.

An underlying assumption in this denial of reincarnation is that the human person is composed of body, mind, and the soul, or the very self (that which makes awareness of body and mind possible). What this denial of reincarnation means is that the very self does not associate itself with another physical body-mind, after the death of the physical body-mind. From a scientific perspective, this denial is not accurate. The very self does indeed associate itself with another physical body-mind -- during any one particular lifetime. That is, the atoms and molecules, the thoughts and feelings, of a person are constantly changing in any one lifetime. The atoms that existed in your body as an infant will most likely be replaced completely by the time you turn 10. The thoughts in your mind are changing at an even faster rate. So one person might have multiple physical body-minds over one lifetime. That in itself is a sort of "reincarnation".

But the above quote from the catechism is about dying only once, and not gaining another physical body-mind. And yet, even that claim is not totally true. In Christian theology, the dead will undergo a physical resurrection of the body-mind. The resurrected body might be quite different from the body one once had, but it will be physical or solid in some sense. So living as a resurrected person in a resurrected body-mind is a type of "reincarnation", though not a reincarnation into another "earthly" life.

Still, reincarnation into another earthly life might still be compatible with Christian thought. If one considers the atoms that exist in a body, then it is conceivable that atoms hold 'memories' of bodies that once included them. These 'memories' might entail some sort of energetic pattern that remains stable over time. Perhaps these atomic 'memories' are able to induce mental 'memories' in persons' bodies. The atoms of a serial killer, for instance, might carry the energetic patterns associated with that killer's actions and thoughts. The killer himself might be executed, but his atoms might carry the killer's energetic patterns into new bodies; and the persons who embody these atoms might have to deal with those energetic patterns, perhaps tolerate them, resist them, transform them. In such a scenario, the killer's energetic patterns did in fact "re-incarnate", even if the very self of the killer did not. Such an interpretation of "reincarnation" is also compatible with the highest philosophies in Hinduism and Buddhism. What all this means is that we are all indeed "our brother's keeper": what we do affects not only ourselves, but our descendants as well. And what our ancestors (both human and non-human) did, affects us, in more ways than we may have thought.

Live as if you'll live a 100 years. Love as if you'll die tomorrow.
Live as if you'll reincarnate for a 100 eons. Love as if you have just one life.

Has Anyone Seen God?

Mani: “You say, ‘Has anyone seen God the way I see this tree?’ Suppose God came as a human being and said, ‘I am God,’ will you believe him? Don’t you know the story of Lazarus? When he died and was in the other world, Lazarus said to Abraham, ‘Let me go tell my relatives and friends that there really is another world and a hell.’ Abraham said, ‘Will they believe you if you say that? They’ll say that some charlatan has come and is telling stories.’ Thakur [Sri Ramakrishna] says, ‘God can’t be known by reasoning. Everything comes from faith: jnana, vijnana, vision, intimacy – everything.’”

-- Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita, Volume IV, Section XXXIII, Chapter III

Four Levels of Interpretation

There are four levels of interpretation of scripture and religious teachings in general.

The first level is the literal, or physical, level.

The second level is the psycho-energetic level.

The third level is the noetic, or soul, level.

The fourth is the solar level.

John 14:6: "Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

At the literal, or physical, level, Jesus Christ is stating that to come to the Father, one must literally, physically go 'through' him. Now, how can one go 'through' another person? Does it mean that one must somehow 'meet-and-encounter' Jesus Christ before coming to the Father? Such questions lead us to the other levels of interpretation.

At the psycho-energetic level, John 14:6 means that no one comes to the Father except through adopting the psychological and behavioral practices taught by Jesus Christ. That is, one's psychology and energy must take the way of compassion and wisdom; that one's concept of truth and life must be one centered on loving one's neighbor and loving God, as Jesus Christ suggested.

At the noetic, or soul, level, John 14:6 takes a more radical turn. Just to take one example, let's look at "I am the way". The "I" that Jesus Christ speaks of, is the "I" of each human being, ultimately. For those who have ears to hear, when Jesus Christ speaks of "I am the way", a noetic level of interpretation would interpret this to mean that for each of us, the "I" is the way to the Father. That is, no one can take this path for us. Only "I" can do it.

And finally, the solar level of interpretation. The solar level is the most challenging. "No one comes to the Father except through me." At the solar level, this statement indicates that when the Father is found, there is "no one" who has found the Father. The Father is One, and in His Presence there is only One. There is "no one" else there.

Orthodoxy and Heresy

No one form of religion will do for all. Each is a pearl on a string. We must be particular above all else to find individuality in each. No man is born to any religion; he has a religion in his own soul. Any system which seeks to destroy individuality is in the long run disastrous. Each life has a current running through it, and this current will eventually take it to God. The end and aim of all religions is to realise God. The greatest of all training is to worship God alone. If each man chose his own ideal and stuck to it, all religious controversy would vanish.

-- Swami Vivekananda

Vivekananda is not simply arguing that each person should be its own religion. Vivekananda himself remained a Vedantan, while at the same time creatively constructing his own vision of what Vedanta means, drawing deep inspiration from his Guru, Ramakrishna. More orthodox Hindus criticized Vivekananda, and understandably so, but one might argue that orthodox Hinduism's very survival was strengthened as a result of the work of Vivekananda and Ramakrishna. Creating one's own spiritual path, choosing one's ideal, I would suggest, can be done, and is best done, within a framework that includes orthodox. It's the mutation that allows for evolution to occur, for the species' survival. The mutation occurs in the context of stability, and stability occurs in the context of mutation.

Every statement of orthodoxy contains implicit within it, the existence of heresy as its pre-condition and reason for being. The complementarianism of opposites is the source of life. Adam and Eve. Yin and Yang. Yahweh and Shekhinah. Linga and Yoni.

The orthodox need the heretic. And the heretic would do well to recognize its need for the orthodox.

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.

Qualites of the Dhamma

From the Gotami Sutta (Anguttara 8.53):

I have heard that at one time the Blessed One was staying at Vesali, in the Peaked Roof Hall in the Great Forest.

Then Mahapajapati Gotami went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to him, stood to one side. As she was standing there she said to him: "It would be good, lord, if the Blessed One would teach me the Dhamma in brief such that, having heard the Dhamma from the Blessed One, I might dwell alone, secluded, heedful, ardent, & resolute."

"Gotami, the qualities of which you may know, 'These qualities lead to passion, not to dispassion; to being fettered, not to being unfettered; to accumulating, not to shedding; to self-aggrandizement, not to modesty; to discontent, not to contentment; to entanglement, not to seclusion; to laziness, not to aroused persistence; to being burdensome, not to being unburdensome': You may definitely hold, 'This is not the Dhamma, this is not the Vinaya, this is not the Teacher's instruction.'

"As for the qualities of which you may know, 'These qualities lead to dispassion, not to passion; to being unfettered, not to being fettered; to shedding, not to accumulating; to modesty, not to self-aggrandizement; to contentment, not to discontent; to seclusion, not to entanglement; to aroused persistence, not to laziness; to being unburdensome, not to being burdensome': You may definitely hold, 'This is the Dhamma, this is the Vinaya, this is the Teacher's instruction.'"

That is what the Blessed One said. Gratified, Mahapajapati Gotami delighted at his words.

In this sutta, the Blessed One, Siddhartha Gautama the Buddha, outlined the qualities that arise in the presence of the true teaching (Dhamma) of the Buddha and the true discipline (Vinaya) of the Buddha. If these qualities arise within oneself, know that you are in the presence of the true teaching and true discipline. Really, though, these are qualities that arise in the presence of the true teaching and discipline of all the Buddhas, including the Christ, the Avatar, and the Rasul. Some clarifications should be made, though, for the sake of the house-holder spiritual practice. "Passion" refers to an addictive grasping. "Accumulating" refers to unnecessary intellectual curiosity. "Entanglement" refers to excessive dependence upon others.

N.B. "Dhamma" is Pali. The Sanskrit form is "Dharma".

The Ultimate Birth and Death

Historically, Christianity has most often taken a certain position on death:

1013 Death is the end of man's earthly pilgrimage, of the time of grace and mercy which God offers him so as to work out his earthly life in keeping with the divine plan, and to decide his ultimate destiny. When "the single course of our earthly life" is completed, we shall not return to other earthly lives: "It is appointed for men to die once." There is no "reincarnation" after death.

There are many points that could be made regarding the issue of reincarnation and Christianity. I would suggest that reincarnation, properly understood, is not antithetical to Christianity (just as it is not antithetical to Judaism, or Islam). For instance, it is true, as many Christians believe, that "there is no reincarnation after death". At the same time, it is also true, as quite a few Christians believe, that there is reincarnation after death. Now, the reader may be puzzled, and begin to ask, "How can A and B both be true, when A and B make opposite claims?" The reader may then ask, "How can both reincarnation and non-reincarnation be true?"

A certain Sufi teacher, Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, suggested one way in which both can be true. (In fact, many Sufis make the same or a similar type of suggestion.) The human person is one, of course, but death signals a separation of the components of the human person. The human person is composed of body, mind, and the Very Self. The elements of the body form, exist, and transform into some other form. The atom in your thumb, for instance, once existed in another form, perhaps another person, and in the future, that atom will exist in another form. In short, that atom will "reincarnate". The elements of the mind (thoughts, feelings, intentions, e.g.) likewise exist in your consciousness. These elements of the mind also existed in some other form previously, and will exist in another form at some time in the future. Thus, the mental elements also "reincarnate".

Some person, after your own physical death, will inherit your physical atoms, as well as your mental elements. Thus, that person would be, in some sense, a reincarnation of previous persons, including yourself.

However, the human person is not just body, and not just mind. The human person also is the Very Self, that which makes awareness of the body and the mind possible. This Very Self (known to the Hindus as the Atman) does not change, even while associated with the constantly changing body and mind. While the body and mind undergo their alterations, the Very Self does not "appear" and it does not "disappear". While the body and mind are born and die, the Very Self never takes birth, and the Very Self will never die. The Very Self does not incarnate, and thus does not re-incarnate.

Nonetheless, according to the Sufis, the Very Self did take birth once, and it will indeed "die" once. The Very Self was born at the moment Very God created it, and the Very Self will "die" when it finally returns to Very God.

To say that man is born once and dies once, is to refer to the Very Self arising from God and returning to God. Such a process happens once and only once. To say that man reincarnates, is to refer to the elements of the body and of the mind. Since man is body, mind, and Very Self, man both reincarnates and does not reincarnate.

The Promised Infallibility

The issue of infallibility is thus defined:

890 The mission of the Magisterium is linked to the definitive nature of the covenant established by God with his people in Christ. It is this Magisterium's task to preserve God's people from deviations and defections and to guarantee them the objective possibility of professing the true faith without error. Thus, the pastoral duty of the Magisterium is aimed at seeing to it that the People of God abides in the truth that liberates. To fulfill this service, Christ endowed the Church's shepherds with the charism of infallibility in matters of faith and morals. The exercise of this charism takes several forms:

891 "The Roman Pontiff, head of the college of bishops, enjoys this infallibility in virtue of his office, when, as supreme pastor and teacher of all the faithful - who confirms his brethren in the faith he proclaims by a definitive act a doctrine pertaining to faith or morals. . . . The infallibility promised to the Church is also present in the body of bishops when, together with Peter's successor, they exercise the supreme Magisterium," above all in an Ecumenical Council. When the Church through its supreme Magisterium proposes a doctrine "for belief as being divinely revealed," and as the teaching of Christ, the definitions "must be adhered to with the obedience of faith." This infallibility extends as far as the deposit of divine Revelation itself.

The doctrine of infallibility operates on two levels: definition and inclusiveness. The definition of infallibility is a negative definition: being preserved from "deviations and defections", teaching doctrine "without error". For instance, to say "the sun is a star" is to say an infallible statement, a statement that is error-free. The statement "the sun is big" can also be seen as infallible, without error, since the sun is indeed big under many standards of measurement. Even though the sun may not look big when seen from earth, or when compared to even larger celestial objects, to say "the sun is big" is not to say something in error. Thus, an infallible statement is true, but an infallible statement is not necessarily the last word on the subject.

And that leads to the second level of infallibility: inclusiveness. An infallible statement, though without error, is not exclusive, or exhaustive. An infallible statement may be without error, but being without error is different from being an exhaustive statement that says everything that can be said about the subject. To say "humans are animals" may be without error, but it doesn't say everything that there is to say about humans, or animals, for that matter. An infallible statement need not be the last word on an issue.

So, the Church's doctrine of the infallibility of, say, the Roman Pontiff, is restricted to issues concerning "matters of faith and morals". Whatever the Pontiff says about faith and morals need not be infallible, though. Only certain statements concerning faith and morals, under defined conditions, are considered infallible. And even these infallible statements, though without error, are not the final words on the subject.

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.

Original Sin

The Christian theology of original sin:

397 Man, tempted by the devil, let his trust in his Creator die in his heart and, abusing his freedom, disobeyed God's command. This is what man's first sin consisted of. All subsequent sin would be disobedience toward God and lack of trust in his goodness.

398 In that sin man preferred himself to God and by that very act scorned him. He chose himself over and against God, against the requirements of his creaturely status and therefore against his own good. Constituted in a state of holiness, man was destined to be fully "divinized" by God in glory. Seduced by the devil, he wanted to "be like God", but "without God, before God, and not in accordance with God".

Original sin may also be understood in Buddhist terms. "Sin" itself would be an act of violence, untruth, dispossession, inebriation, or sensual infidelity; all five of these sins correspond to the five precepts of the Buddhist. The "devil" would correspond to the demon "Mara", who is often believed to be a personification of one's own temptations. The "Creator" refers to the very nature of reality, and how that very nature of reality was something our ancestors had complete trust in. Somehow, along the way, we've lost that basic trust in reality, in life. After losing trust, or "faith", in life, we disobeyed, or "forgot", what life had to tell us. To forget what life itself has to tell us, is to turn our attention away from life and toward our own limited ego-selves, thus preferring our ego-selves over and against life itself. It was our destiny to live in trust of life, and thus enter into greater and greater depths of life and living. But we forgot the big picture, and began to focus on the immediate gratification of the small picture, the small ego-self, thinking that the ego-self was somehow divine in and of itself. Whereas, the truth is that the ego-self can only realize its own divinity, by forgetting its own small self, and remembering life itself. The infinite growth into life, a journey that has no one end, is called "theosis" in Christianity, and "nirvana" in Buddhism.

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.

Reincarnation in Judaism

Reincarnation is part of some Jewish mystical traditions.

Job 1:21:

He said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD."

Sins, Gifts, and Virtues

Astrological symbolism exists regarding the seven capital (or "deadly") sins, the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the seven virtues.