Osho (Indian Guru)

[Nancy]

Hi there all,
Peace to you all!

I have just read a book by a chap named Osho (for short, you can google Osho and he will come up) It is called No Water, No Moon and it is a book of Zen parables in regarding enlightenment. I find Zen very interesting with an emphasis on being rather than doing and there is a lot of what Christ said being identical to Zen, such as the kingdom is within you.
I hope to receive and read another book of Oshos' which is a commentary of Christs' teachings in the Gospel of Thomas' which are very Zen-like. 

I feel a bit guilty about looking at other faith systems but then isn't God in all faiths.  I am not a christian who believes that only through Christ will you find God.  I believe that Christ was saying  not through Him as a person (because a person doesn't exist in the absolute sense, only spirit) but through His awareness of God can a person see God.
But I believe a lot of that is through conditioning in the past.  I think that christianity can be a bit infantile in that respect i.e. my god is better than yours!

Osho has had a controversial past but that doesn't take away from his teachings, I feel.

Godbless
Nancy

[Tim B]

Hi there all,
Peace to you all!

I have just read a book by a chap named Osho (for short, you can google Osho and he will come up) It is called No Water, No Moon and it is a book of Zen parables in regarding enlightenment. I find Zen very interesting with an emphasis on being rather than doing and there is a lot of what Christ said being identical to Zen, such as the kingdom is within you.
I hope to receive and read another book of Oshos' which is a commentary of Christs' teachings in the Gospel of Thomas' which are very Zen-like. 

I feel a bit guilty about looking at other faith systems but then isn't God in all faiths.  I am not a christian who believes that only through Christ will you find God.  I believe that Christ was saying  not through Him as a person (because a person doesn't exist in the absolute sense, only spirit) but through His awareness of God can a person see God.
But I believe a lot of that is through conditioning in the past.  I think that christianity can be a bit infantile in that respect i.e. my god is better than yours!

Osho has had a controversial past but that doesn't take away from his teachings, I feel.

Godbless
Nancy

Hmm, well, I haven't read it. But I'm glad you liked/are liking it!  :thumbsup:

[sparrow]

Nancy, I enjoy your posts so I hope this does not offend you.
We all have our own path to walk and I am not trying to discourage you from walking you path. I just wanted to share.
These are just my thoughts, you may quite possibly come to a different conclusion!


I have been down many paths. From Buddhism to New Age stuff to you name it.
And no path had everything like the path of Jesus. What Jesus did, what he shared while He was here, and how He ultimately layed down His life for all, and rose from the dead. So many things that pointed to the character of our Creator.

There is a lot of truth to be gleaned in religion.
There is a lot of beauty to be gleaned from religion.
I wholeheartedly agree.
But I believe most religion are just branches on the tree.
Jesus is the main trunk. Jesus isn't a religion.
The main trunk is ultimate truth.
For me, Jesus is that ultimate truth that points to the Father.

Religion is just branches on the tree.
People will walk their path down the branches and ultimately ALL will get to the main trunk.
The main trunk that is is Jesus that leads straight up to the Father.
If you just take one of the branches and walk away from the main trunk... it will just lead to ultimately nothing, air, sky. Turn back around, though and you'll get to the Father.
It's almost like two trees in one. The trunk is the Tree of Life. And all the branches are The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.


What is love, is truth. In ANY religion. If it points to LOVE, than it is ultimately pointing to the FATHER. I believe these truths will help point to Jesus in that when a human being encounters Jesus (if not in this life, then when they pass over), he will be able to understand Jesus. Be able to understand who Jesus is, what He has done and how he points to the Father.

I firmly believe that "at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow.."
I believe in freedom of religion because I believe God reaches people in His own way, and in His own time.  I fully trust God. He has allowed His children freedom to find Him. At least that is the way it seems to me. I know that He goes after the lost sheep and we are ALL lost sheep.

I know all are saved. Yes, I think that Christianity is also a branch on that tree. It is not the main trunk. ONLY JESUS is the main trunk. Christianity leaves a lot to be desired.
Whatever is LOVE will endure. In any religion. Whatever is love will endure.
That is the way those branches lead back to the main trunk. Through love.
It's love that leads the path down that branch back to the main trunk.
There is TRUTH and LOVE in a lot of things.
Some atheists know more about God than some Christians.
God doesn't see labels.
He sees the heart.


I think truth is truth is truth, no matter or how you find it.
And I think the same thing about NON-truth.
You will find both in all religions.
But, like I said, just me personally.... there is no other Jesus.
Every knee WILL BOW.
Jesus is the ultimate flashing arrow pointing to the Father.
Our Father.
Our Creator.

As far as the "state of being" I don't know if we are talking about the same state of being but I will share my thoughts. It may be different from what you are talking about though, I'm not sure. I think the "state of being" rather than doing is ultimately a lot of hot air.
I really do. I have taken that belief to it's end and found nothing but confusion and a house built on sand. I think it totally over-spiritualizes. It takes something a step farther than it should. When I say "state of being" I'm talking about the belief that basically we all eventually are headed towards just "being" and that is it. No "doing". Everything is static, we are just basically absorbed into God (literally) and basically become God, become literally one, (not just metaphorically) but literally just one big...not sure how else to put it, but just one big THOUGHT. One big lump of energy. One big blob of God. I don't buy this. In the least.
Perhaps that's more the "new age" state of being and not the state of being you are talking about I'm not sure. But have had countless discussions on this topic with people that believe this. And it never went anywhere. It just ended up in a massive state of confusion. Like I said, perhaps you are talking about something completely different. That may be the case, I'm not sure. Perhaps, I will find that I'm wrong. And we do become one big blob of God. But looking around creation... I highly doubt that. Some say that to be tied to the physical is evil. That we must deny all senses. I don't see creation as being wrong. at all. floating around as some big God blob, to me sounds like the epitome of madness. I think things are far better than we expect them to be. Eye has not seen...
All I know is I look forward to a glorified state.
And I look around at all creation and see that it is good... and look forward to IT'S glorified state.


With that said, I do truly hope that nothing I said was offensive or seemed insensitive.
I just wanted to share. I know we all have our own path to walk.
No-one's path is better than anothers.
We are ALL in God's hands, no matter what.
But I just wanted to share some things that were on my path.

peace... and may God wrap His loving arms around you and keep you.

[Nancy]

hi Sparrow,
You didn't offend me, i love your openness, honesty and simplicity in your posts.

I completely know what your saying but christianity hasn't helped me.
God/Christ, whatever you want to call it, has though!  I find a lot of truth in Buddha's teachings that we suffer because of desires and surrender is the only way, the middle path.
When people say believe in Jesus and He will help you, i have never felt helped, i always felt lost, that everybody had it except me.  It is not important to me anymore to see Jesus as the ONLY son of God, i believe that we are ALL sons of God.  I don't see this as blasphemy anymore. I don't have to believe that Mary had a virgin birth, that Jesus rose from the dead literally. Believing in the cosmic Christ makes more sense to me and is more helpful.  Didn't Saint Paul say not to look at the body of Christ but to the spirit of Christ!

I totally agree that there are some atheists who are more compassionate that christians. Just because you call yourself a christian it doesn't mean you love Christ. Only God can see the heart as you say.

In saying all this, i don't like the thought that we may be absorbed in the cosmic blob of God (i like that) and that we may reincarnate again and again until we are enlightened.
But as always i remain open minded.
God IS love

Godbless
Nancy

[sparrow]

hi Sparrow,
You didn't offend me, i love your openness, honesty and simplicity in your posts.

I completely know what your saying but christianity hasn't helped me.
God/Christ, whatever you want to call it, has though!  I find a lot of truth in Buddha's teachings that we suffer because of desires and surrender is the only way, the middle path.
When people say believe in Jesus and He will help you, i have never felt helped, i always felt lost, that everybody had it except me.  It is not important to me anymore to see Jesus as the ONLY son of God, i believe that we are ALL sons of God.  I don't see this as blasphemy anymore. I don't have to believe that Mary had a virgin birth, that Jesus rose from the dead literally. Believing in the cosmic Christ makes more sense to me and is more helpful.  Didn't Saint Paul say not to look at the body of Christ but to the spirit of Christ!

I totally agree that there are some atheists who are more compassionate that christians. Just because you call yourself a christian it doesn't mean you love Christ. Only God can see the heart as you say.

In saying all this, i don't like the thought that we may be absorbed in the cosmic blob of God (i like that) and that we may reincarnate again and again until we are enlightened.
But as always i remain open minded.
God IS love

Godbless
Nancy

Hi Nancy, I just wanted to address this real quick.

These are just my thoughts, I'm not trying to force anything on you... :HeartThrob:

One thing that helped me was to pray for guidance, ask the Holy Spirit to guide me to truth. And to remember that it's a journey. ups and downs, faith and doubt. Listening for His voice. He will speak to you in a myriad of ways... through not only the bible, but through other people, through nature, through so many different things. The key is discernment. You feel it in your heart. You feel it through the love in your heart. There are those who confidently proclaim God told them this and that. but it's not always like that. His voice comes in whispers. Coincidences that you cannot deny. But always measure it against love. Then, I think you will know when He is talking to you. It's personal. And he meets you where you are.

With that said, I will say that I don't believe that Jesus was just "another ascended master who found enlightnment, etc.." I know you didn't say that but it's a common theme in certain circles.
I believe Jesus is THE saviour.
The Creator who came and dwelled among His creation and put an end to the slavery, granted freedom to those in bondage, and showed us just how loved we really are.

I believe the more you seek, the more you ask for guidance to the truth, the more you will find. And you will be able to discern what is truth.

I know all of this sounds awfully "religious"  :sigh: but...
to me, it's just all so much simpler than folks make it out to be.
Well, I pray that He leads you where you need to be and that He walks with you and guides you.

Peace to you sister....
Only through Him have I found what I've always been looking for.
Where some things eventually gave way under the sandy foundation.. I can tell you, it's been about 7 years that Jesus began His foundation in me... and it's only gotten stronger as the years go on. Do I still have doubts? of course, I am afterall only human and humans walking this journey walk in the valleys and walk up on the moutaintops. But there's a reason for that. It serves to strengthen. Go slow.... and just keep asking Him to show Himself to you and to lead you to truth.
With much, much, love...
your friend,
sparrow

P.S. Jesus Christ is the most controversial figure in the history of this entire WORLD. There is a reason for that.  :HeartThrob: