St. Paul vs Adviata VendAnta

[headheart]

Did St. Paul teach Maya?
Did St. Paul teach that Christ means 'the unity of absolute being' ?
If this is true.
Could it be that St. Paul borrowed his ideas from the Hindu Texts ?

Sincerely,
HH

ps. You might want to read what is meant by Adviata VendAnta, before answering.
ps. For that matter, did Jesus teach this idea.

[Mountain Man]

Did St. Paul teach Maya?
Did St. Paul teach that Christ means 'the unity of absolute being' ?
If this is true.
Could it be that St. Paul borrowed his ideas from the Hindu Texts ?

No.

[UrbanMonk]

Did St. Paul teach Maya?
Did St. Paul teach that Christ means 'the unity of absolute being' ?
If this is true.
Could it be that St. Paul borrowed his ideas from the Hindu Texts ?

Sincerely,
HH

ps. You might want to read what is meant by Adviata VendAnta, before answering.
ps. For that matter, did Jesus teach this idea.

Just for the fun of it, maybe you could ask the mods to correct the spelling from Vendanta to Vedanta. It might get done if no one has a vendetta against the vedanta.

My argument is that P(s)aul represents a judaized version of the earliest teaching legacy of Jesus, called "the Way", which reflects an adviata vedanta legacy. I observe evidence that P(s)aul, an ex-Pharisee, unwittingly added "the leaven of the Pharisess" to what is fundamentally a non-Jewish teaching legacy.

I point out that there were 17 missing years in the biography of Jesus; plenty of time to travel, head east, master the oneness teachings (adviata vedanta) and be back just in time to save the "lost sheep of the house of Israel". I support this by pointing out that Jesus fits the profile of an eastern, adviata vedanta master more than anything Hebrew homegrown. What Jesus thought about himself is the same as what adviata vedanta teaches anyone/everyone. Conversely, nothing in Hebrew folklore teaches anyone to think like Jesus. In fact, to do so was considered blasphemy.

The judaizers wanted Jesus to be one of their homeboys. This essentially validates what they already wanted to believe about salvation, and how it is achieved. It also reflects a kind of nationalistic prejudice in favor of a super-race especially favored by god. This is an ego-oriented theology that causes the "house of Israel" to be utterly "lost". A judaizer simply has too much pride to admit that everything he ever thought about salvation and god were wrong. Jesus recognized this habit/trait, and challenged the best of them to "sell everything you have and follow me". In other words, he challenged them to recognize that everything they ever thought about salvation was worthless, and they needed to get rid of it, make a clean break, and start over. P(s)aul disparaged "judaizers", not realizing that he was one himself.

What Jesus taught has been passed through a gauntlet of interpreters, each of whom adds his preference/bias to what is essentially a purely non-dualistic message about Identity. 99.9% of the world's population is addicted to (a dedicated believer in) duality or they would not be having the experience of duality in the first place. This is the essential "leaven" of which Jesus asks us to "beware". If you add dual leaven to a non-dual message, you will ruin the whole batch and have to throw it out. This is essentially what I do with P(s)aul's interpretations. However, I like to keep such P(s)aul preserved (passed on) passages (sayings) such as:

"There is no male or female in Christ...no Jew or Greek".
"Flesh and blood shall not inherit the Kingdom of God"

These are examples of non-dual teachings (adviata vedanta). Unfortunately, they are compromised by whatever else (Jewish) P(s)aul was talking about, most notably a dual god who blesses and curses out of the same mouth. The net result of compromise is a confusing collection of teachings we call "Judeo-Christianity", a dualistic thought system that accepts both good AND evil, instead of only Go(o)d.

Urban Monk

[headheart]

No.

[technomage]

Did St. Paul teach Maya?
Did St. Paul teach that Christ means 'the unity of absolute being' ?

No.





















Oh, you wanted something more substantial?

Comparing Paul to the Advaita Vedanta is like comparing apples to coconuts. Paul clearly assumes duality in the relationship between God and man, between different people, and between people (and God) and the material universe--indeed, major portions of Paul's Gospel rely on God being separate from man. To the Advaita Vedanta, all of these "separations" are nothing more than error induced by illusion.

[headheart]

No.





















Oh, you wanted something more substantial?

Comparing Paul to the Advaita Vedanta is like comparing apples to coconuts. Paul clearly assumes duality in the relationship between God and man, between different people, and between people (and God) and the material universe--indeed, major portions of Paul's Gospel rely on God being separate from man. To the Advaita Vedanta, all of these "separations" are nothing more than error induced by illusion.

"apples and coconuts"



I can tell this is going to be a very fruity thread....and it all started with cherries.

Peace,
HH

[technomage]

The inclusion of fruit metaphors is nothing but a quince-idence.

[headheart]

The inclusion of fruit metaphors is nothing but a quince-idence.

Attachment 76138

How very sweet of you.

Sincerely,
HH

[robertb]

Did St. Paul teach Maya?
Did St. Paul teach that Christ means 'the unity of absolute being' ?
If this is true.
Could it be that St. Paul borrowed his ideas from the Hindu Texts ?

Sincerely,
HH

ps. You might want to read what is meant by Adviata VendAnta, before answering.
ps. For that matter, did Jesus teach this idea.

Maybe one could posit that the theology of the Indian Subcontinent was likely known by the Hellenists, at least since Alexander.

Did this information influence Hellenic thought? Perhaps.

Was it direct borrowing by Paul? Probably not knowingly.

[headheart]

I would hope that St. Paul had read the Hindu writings, but it seems he drank from a very different well.

Sincerely,
HH

[robertb]

I would hope that St. Paul had read the Hindu writings, but it seems he drank from a very different well.

Sincerely,
HH

Perhaps, though he may have not known that his neighbors' wells were, well, leaking into his...

[headheart]

Perhaps, though he may have not known that his neighbors' wells were, well, leaking into his...

..never thirst again...

Sincerely,
HH

[UrbanMonk]

Did this information influence Hellenic thought? Perhaps.

I see evidence that what we call "gnostic" is derived from eastern, adviata vedanta type sources. Gnashtics are fond of calling any school of thought that seriously questions the origins of this world "gnostic". But it is adviata vedanta that first questioned it. And questioning it, I believe Jesus found the answer/riddle to it's nebulous genesis. To him, the world was founded on "sand"...a shifting, unstable foundation of questionable value. Anything built on it would have to eventually fall and be washed away.

Was it direct borrowing by Paul? Probably not knowingly.

I agree. I don't think P(s)aul was that educated in the ways of the east, and was probably ignorant of the seventeen missing years out of Jesus' biography. And so, as he persecuted what later became "the Way", he had no idea he was resisting an adaptation/interpretation of adviata vedanta.

"There is no condemnation in Christ" is adviata vedanta. But P(s)aul was a rather poor learner, and could not wean himself from schizophrenically promoting a god who blesses and curses out of the same mouth. "This ought not to be", says James.

[robertb]

I see evidence that what we call "gnostic" is derived from eastern, adviata vedanta type sources. Gnashtics are fond of calling any school of thought that seriously questions the origins of this world "gnostic". But it is adviata vedanta that first questioned it. And questioning it, I believe Jesus found the answer/riddle to it's nebulous genesis. To him, the world was founded on "sand"...a shifting, unstable foundation of questionable value. Anything built on it would have to eventually fall and be washed away.

Maybe.

I agree. I don't think P(s)aul was that educated in the ways of the east, and was probably ignorant of the seventeen missing years out of Jesus' biography. And so, as he persecuted what later became "the Way", he had no idea he was resisting an adaptation/interpretation of adviata vedanta.

Again, maybe.

"There is no condemnation in Christ" is adviata vedanta. But P(s)aul was a rather poor learner, and could not wean himself from schizophrenically promoting a god who blesses and curses out of the same mouth. "This ought not to be", says James.

That may be why Marcion derided some other Christians for worshiping the demiurge.

[UrbanMonk]

That may be why Marcion derided some other Christians for worshiping the demiurge.

Sometimes I listen to Judeo-Christian radio stations. About every fifth song worships/praises the demiurge...the god of this world...the maker of the stars, the seas, the trees...ect. I suppose every song is intended to worship just such a maker. Do you think it is this type of (Judeo)-Christian Marcion was deriding?