“Only simple and quiet words will ripen of themselves…
He who cultivates the Tao is one with the Tao”
~Lao Tsu
I love studying all religions, because it edifies my own in the process. I always subdue a quiet sigh when I meet people who are not only afraid to look into what others believe but actually are convinced to do so would some how warrant the invitation of some creepy devil ever waiting to pounce on the slightest deviation from the fundamental basics of their traditions and/or beliefs.
My basic path, although I’m generalizing, has been Christianity my entire life, but I study other beliefs, and in doing so I learn to understand my neighbors and also I find compatibility and I adapt those things into my own understanding of God for a deeper and richer spiritual life. Everyday I read from my Bible, I also read the Gnostic Gospels, the I Ching, the Dahli Lama, the Qur’an, and parables from the Jewish faith, and I’m always finding Truth and it builds upon my own. I wish people could see this for themselves and begin to understand the tapestry of the Universe is woven together by One and the Truth weaves throughout the whole of it!
“Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.’ But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary.” (Luke 10:40-42)
In my own tradition I see the I Ching Truth on One Way being taught and they sharpen each other when paired. I find the biggest hurdle for people in my own faith is that we are taught to worship Christ rather than LISTEN to him, and so we get all worked up about his divinity being in question rather than hearing the very simple message of Unconditional Love that he preached, such a message is so simple, it will ripen with no work at all, just Listen.
Wisdom is Found Through Experience 
I love your openness and agree with everything you’ve said.
Thank you! 🙂
“I find the biggest hurdle for people in my own faith is that we are taught to worship Christ rather than LISTEN to him, and so we get all worked up about his divinity being in question rather than hearing the very simple message of Unconditional Love that he preached, such a message is so simple, it will ripen with no work at all, just Listen.”
That is what I love about Buddhism, we do not in any way, shape or form worship the Buddha or his Votary who studied all the Buddhist texts available to him in 13th century Japan until he found the one that proclaimed the Way that ALL people could become enlightened including women (which is a big thing in a lot of religions; women are marginalized). Nichiren Daishonin wrote more than one can read in one lifetime, but what he did do was to put in writing what had been passed down orally for 2000 years so that people could continue to hear and study the teachings of the Buddha. There was no worship of either the Buddha or his emissaries, His was a message to be heard and studied and then put into practice.
I, too, have been fascinated by the similarities and differences between religious systems of thought for a long time. I am a sociologist if you believe the degree hanging on my wall so religion and spirituality in many forms being one of the largest parts of most people’s lives has sort of been a natural thing for me to study, but I have never really done so as a sociologist. That would take away the richness that some traditions have. I have two Qu’rans, have the Bible, have the Bagavadghita, and I have read them all. In fact, i have been reading the Qu’ran a lot recently as I have an Islamic pen pal in Egypt who likes to discuss our respective faiths. i have found more similarity between Islam and Buddhism than one might expect.
But, the truly beautiful thing about the type of Buddhism that I practice is that at it’s core it is about study, practice, and action. There is no room for worship, and if that is what you are doing, you are not following what the Buddha said.
I think the idea of worshiping a deity or other divine figure is what turned me off of religion as a whole for a long time, but then I discovered this “Life Philosophy” that had noting to do with worship. It was all about reading and listening and hearing a message of love, respect for all beings, compassion, pascificism, and humanism. Worship is discouraged.
Sorry for the novella, theology makes my mind work overtime, and I find that is something that doesn’t happen very often during the day, but I am always thinking. It is the nature of bipolar with adult ADD not to be able to turn your brain off….. 🙂 It is nice to have such a thoughtful and insightful person to make me think. 🙂
I have the same type of brain….always in motion….I can relate very well to your situation. Thank you for the comment. 🙂
I totally agree with your comment about seeing the message Jesus shared. For some reason, people feel a need to have a god. I wonder how many times Jesus has rolled over in his grave due to mankind trying to make him a god. He was an awesome and gracious master who had/has much to teach us. If people could just get past the place of thinking he needs to be worshiped.
I might should clarify that I also worship Jesus, the very fact that I sit at his feet and listen, then pattern my life according to his philosophy and wisdom is worship, I just feel people get so stuck on trying to prove his divinity, which is pointless. I have to wonder, how many people would actually see Christianity as viable lifestyle and embrace the teachings of Jesus, if the so-called “christians” actually listened and lived accordingly. My worship of him, is personal, I don’t expect others to do so, it flows from me to him, and is born out of my relationship with the Oneness I find in Him and all things.
I hear what you’re saying and I understand where you’re coming from. Though I do not agree with the worship of Jesus, I certainly respect and honor your right to do that. Namaste.
Thanks for stopping by my blog Vacant Pages, much appreciated. Your blog is beautifully written and very inspirational, brilliant.
Thanks so much for saying so…that means a lot. 🙂
Jesus, LaoTsu, Confucius, Siddhartha, Mohamed and many others were no more than mere mortals that “got it”. I mean, they really got it. It is the “it” that they were so freely given that they were trying to give away. Too often dogma and the cult of personality get in the way of the message. I am so grateful I read this. It has reminded me of my need to keep searching with an open spirit so that I might continue to grow.
Thank you
”I find the biggest hurdle for people in my own faith is that we are taught to worship Christ rather than LISTEN to him, and so we get all worked up about his divinity being in question rather than hearing the very simple message of Unconditional Love that he preached,”
Excellent point.
I am not a member of any particular faith, Like you, I see elements of truth in many of them.
But whilst people are told that they must follow a particular religious path, there is no room for understanding of, or empathy with, others of different faiths.
I think this is why I choose not to ”belong” anywhere. It becomes too restricting.
“I find the biggest hurdle for people in my own faith is that we are taught to worship Christ rather than LISTEN to him…” I agree. I am not a Christian… I am Taoist (hence my clicking on this link), and I think Jesus is an excellent role model. If only in addition to worshiping Jesus and other enlightened ones, all could listen to the teachings and find divinity within themselves. We are all children of God just as Jesus was and the divine is not so far away. It is within us. Thank you for your post!