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Oneness
Within Christianity and Eastern Religion.
(We are One. Speaking the Truth. Fostering Love.)
Spiritual realities are eternal, beyond time, wherever they are found. The Judeo-Christian Bible is firmly grounded within history, and the characters within scripture are generation upon generation moving toward a fuller understanding of these eternal realities. Grounded as they are in history, the eternal perspective is not often out in the open, and is usually only hinted at. Each generation seems caught in its own present truth and human experience, holding onto a surface level of spiritual understanding, often rejecting the new insights of those who would take them one step deeper.
One such truth is Oneness in the Universal Body of Christ.
Jesus
says, "I and my
Father are one", (John 10:30). He prays for believers, and also
foreshadows the oneness and interconnectedness between God and
enlightened
humankind. He says, "This is eternal life... That they all may be one:
as
thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in
us... that
they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that
they may
be made perfect in one... that the love wherewith thou hast loved me
may be in
them and I in them, (John 17:3, 21, 23,26).
The
answer to this prayer
for oneness and interconnectedness is later portrayed within the
Pauline
letters as fulfilled in the universal and cosmic body of Christ. The
church,
humankind, and all creation are reconciled together into the one
spiritual body
of Christ.
"Christ
is all, and in
all", (Colossian 3:11). There is only one universal and cosmic body:
The
body of Christ (Ephesians 1:10, 4:4). This is a philosophy of oneness. The
dualism of
previous generations begins to fade.
God is
in Christ &
Christ is in God. Christ is in us & We are in Christ. We are in all
things
& all things are in us. Through Jesus and His oneness with the
Father we
see in part the oneness and the interconnected universal harmony of all
creation, which is from Him, through Him, and to Him. Everything is
made
perfect, completed, and complemented by everything else, members one of
another, in the one body.
This is the
heart of the prayer
of Christ. "I in them, and thou in
me, that they may be made perfect in one... that the love wherewith
thou hast
loved me may be in them and I in them",
(John 17: 23,26).
In the
early church, this is
a present reality. The Pauline desire is that people might be able to
perceive
the fulfillment of this prayer, and comprehend with all saints and
"know
the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that ye might be filled
with all
the fullness of God," (Ephesians 3:19). You are completed in Christ as a
bride
with a husband. Through Christ you are filled with all the fullness of
the
godhead bodily. Christ is all and in all, that God may be all in all,
(Colossians 3:11, 1 Corinthians 15:28)
God is
all. Christ is all.
We are all... One.
He that
is joined to the
Lord is one Spirit, (1 Corinthians 6:17).
The
Christ is the light that
lightens every man, (John 1:9).
However,
perhaps because of
limited insight, self-centeredness or a cultural emphasis on
individuality, the
universal scope of this oneness is often overlooked. The harmony of God
with
Jesus, and then the disciples was intended to point us to the greater
realization
of the oneness of all. This is hinted at in later writings.
God is
in Christ and Christ
is in everyone and everything, for Christ fills all things, (Ephesians
4:10).
In this way it is realized that there is "One God and Father of all who
is
above all, and through all", (4:6). Not only is God and Christ in
everything, but all things are gathered together in one in the Christ,
(1:10,
4:10).
The
mutual
interconnectedness this implies is staggering. We are not independent.
There is
one spiritual body that includes all humanity, (Ephesians 2:15). For as
"we have many members in one body... so we being many, are one body in
Christ, and every one members one of another", (Romans 12:4-5). We are
members one of another: I am in you, and you are in me, and we are one
in
Christ. What we do to another, we do to Christ, and to ourselves.
Everything
is in Christ.
This Christ is in everything. Everything and everyone is in everything
and
everyone else. Put simply, since everything is in Christ, and we have
Christ in
us, then we also have everything in us. Again, put in Pauline language,
we are
members one of another, and we have all things (1 Corinthians 3:21).
This is
the mature
"body, the fullness of Him Who fills all in all - for in that body
lives
the full measure of Him Who makes everything complete, and Who fills
everything
everywhere [with Himself]", (Ephesians 1:23 Amplified). The lines and
distinctions
between God, Christ, the Church, and All Things blur and fade away. God
is all,
in all. When this is realized the lines blur, dualities fade, and all
becomes
One.
Though
I have a Christian
background, and have made most of my spiritual discovery through the
Bible, the
study of world religions is a personal interest of mine. Insights
perceived by
those outside our own traditions are very often valid. Christ is the
light that
enlightens every person everywhere. Many spiritual realities hidden
deep and
often unseen within the Christian scriptures are often discussed
openly, plain
for all to see within other religions, and other cultures. For this
reason,
rather than restricting study only to the Bible, it is often easier to
present
and then apprehend some insights using the language of other traditions. Truth is truth whatever the language.
The
idea of oneness found
within the Christian Scripture is also expressed within Hinduism,
Buddhism, and
other faiths, but often much more succinctly.
Within the Hindu and Buddhist traditions much thought has been
given to
the concepts of oneness, interconnectedness, and the various means that
people
become aware of these realities.
In the
Hindu faith two vital
ideas are Atman and Brahman.
Brahman
is the universal
cosmic mystical force. It is the divine everything, the spiritual
essence of
the universe. Atman is the divine spark in everyone. It is the
spiritual
essence in all human beings.
Enlightenment
is the
realization that the Atman is the Brahman, and the Brahman is the
Atman. They
are one and the same. Understanding this oneness brings liberation (or
Moksha).
Coming
from a Christ
centered perspective I see Christ in all things. When I read about the
Hindu
concept of the Atman I think about the Christ who lightens every
person, (John
1:1,9). I can see the eternal Christ as the divine spark in everyone.
When I read
of the Hindu understanding of the Brahman I am reminded of the
universal,
cosmic and spiritual body of Christ, (Colossians 3:11, Ephesians 1:10).
The
Christ within, the eternal divine spark within all people, is one and
the same
Spirit as the cosmic universal Christ. As it is written, Christ is all,
and in
all. Christ is all there is. Realizing this is the essence of
"enlightenment ”. The
Ephesian prayer was that
the eyes of our understanding might be enlightened so that you might
know,
perceive and experientially understand that we are completed in Christ,
(Colossians 2:10). This was a present
reality. Enlightenment perceives the
universal body
that we were called into. We then recognize everything as the riches
that are
present in, and that we have in this corporate body. Then we come to
know the
exceeding greatness of the power of this reality, (Ephesians 1:17-19).
The
result of understanding the height, depth, breadth, and length of the
love of
God is that we realize that we are filled with all the absolute
fullness of
God, and that we are one spirit, one mind, one body, together able to
do
abundantly above all that we even dare ask, think, or imagine. In
Ephesians, we are already
blessed with all spiritual blessings, (1:3). We are already one. What
prevents
people from seeing this present reality is "the vanity of the mind,
having
the understanding darkened, being alienated... through ignorance...
because of
blindness,” (4:17-18). In a
similar way within
Hinduism, what prevents the realization that the Atman (the divine
spark
within) is the Brahman (the everything of the universe) is illusion (or
Maya).
The goal is to see through this illusion. When we realize that all is
one and everything
is the same we start breaking down the illusion (the Maya). Until then
everything we see, hear, and touch can contribute to this illusion of
separateness and individuality. In
Ephesians, the way out of
this darkness and sense of alienation and separation comes through
Christ in a
variety of ways. Enlightenment is a divine gift that comes by
revelation
(1:9,17), through proclamation (3:8-9, 4:11-13,15, 6:19-20), and
through prayer
(1:17-19, 3:14-20, 6:18). Sometimes, understanding comes while reading,
listening, studying and meditating on the message, (3:3-4). In
Hinduism this realization
of oneness and interconnectedness is often discovered during the
various
practices of yoga. Various types of yoga provide various paths to
perfect union
with the divine. There are 4 common styles of yoga: meditation, study,
work and
love. There is a tolerant recognition in Hinduism that different sorts
of
people need and are most comfortable with different spiritual paths
toward
enlightenment. Individual circumstances and personality type will often
determine the most suitable yoga to practice. Yoga is a means
within Hinduism to see through the alienation and illusion of
separation. Yoga
means "union" and is related to the
English words
to join and to yoke. The 4
most common types of yoga are listed below.
1.
Royal (or Raja) Yoga Within
Royal Yoga perfection
is discovered while meditating on the supreme personality of the
Godhead within
one's heart. The ultimate goal of Royal Yoga is the super ultra
conscious state
of understanding that knows that Atman is the Brahman. This
consciousness is
called Samadi. 2.
Knowledge (or Jnana) Yoga In
Knowledge Yoga, study is
for the pursuit of spiritual wisdom, not academic knowledge. When
enough
theoretical and experiential knowledge is combined with an intense
longing for
liberation then oneness is realized and the scriptural freedom is lived. The
ultimate goal of
Knowledge Yoga is spiritual insight. Spiritual insight eliminates
ignorance.
Ignorance is the cause of Maya (or the illusion of being separate). 3.
Action (or Karma) Yoga. Karma
Yoga is serving
without expecting a return. This is selfless work and action. This is
divine
work. It is not the self doing the actions. It is the Atman (or the
divine
spark within), which is the Brahman (or the universal cosmic divine),
which
does the work. Often
those who practice
Action Yoga or selfless action become completely absorbed in their
work. They
may lose track of all time and become released from self.
4.
Devotional (or Bhakti)
Yoga Devotional
Yoga is the most
common type of yoga, practiced by lower classes and the common people,
and is
characterized by love, devotion and relationship with the divine. This
relationship is often expressed through prayer and giving. Amongst
Christians, and
others enlightenment and flashes of insight often come during similar
practices. I have been awakened and transformed by new insights while
walking
on a treadmill meditating on the nature of God (Royal Union), while
studying
the scriptures (Knowledge Union), in service to others while preparing
for a
presentation (Action Union), in private and group prayer and
meditation, and
while in the midst of community with outward expressions of love in
worship
(Devotional Union). Often these insights come with visions and mystical
experience, but they are always life altering. When the insight comes,
whether
it is during meditation, or prayer, or study, or expressions of love...
when
the revelation of the Christ comes … we are changed. In a
similar way, the Buddhist
notion of skillful means is the idea that enlightenment can
come in a variety of ways. Mahayana
Buddhism, for example, invites many philosophical and practical
approaches
toward enlightenment and the discovery of cosmic unity. Some people
need to
hear a message, others need the connection of a community, and others
still
need only silence and emptiness, while some focus on the divine nature
to see
the deeper reality. For Zen Buddhists enlightenment comes as a flash of
insight
and the sudden realization that nothing is separate from oneself. There
is the
Buddha (or Christ) nature within and also the Cosmic Buddha. Everything
is a
part of everything else, and all people and things exist together. I
have even
heard of some coming to this realization from the study
of physics,
chemistry, and science.
For me,
I look to the Christ,
but since Christ is all there is, there is truth everywhere I look. I am
glad to
see the graciousness of God in revealing these realities to people
everywhere. Indeed,
we all are able to
see beyond a limited human cultural viewpoint, the eyes of our
understanding
being enlightened to the eternal or divine perspective. We all have the
mind of
Christ. Whatever
the language,
Christ is all and in all. The cosmic Christ is the Christ within.
Whether
Christian, Buddhist, Hindu or not each moment is and can be an
experience of
completeness. With enlightened eyes we behold with wisdom and
compassion, the
completed and ultimate unity. We are all interconnected and one. God is
all, Christ is all,
and We are all… One. Celebrating
our Oneness,
In
Christ, URfriend,
Dean
Johnson
Christ
is all, and in all,
that God may be all in all.
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