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#2876 - Thursday, July 19, 2007 - Editor: Jerry Katz
The Nondual Highlights - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDhighlights
One: Essential Writings on Nonduality: http://nonduality.com/one.htm
In this issue an article by Eric Chaffee entitled Was Jesus Religious? This is followed by two announcements which I think you'll find interesting, especially if you live in Goshen, IN, or San Francisco.
Highlights contributor Eric Chaffee was inited to write a column for the Newsweek / WashingtonPost online forum, OnFaith, located at http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2007/07/was_jesus_religious.html
Here is the column:
The On Faith site says it's
a conversation about religion. I ask: "Was
Jesus religious?" Some respond with that no-brainer:
"Is the Pope Catholic?"
My question about Jesus is not so easily dismissed.
Jesus responded to his
critics by asserting that he had not come to pull
down, but fulfill, the moral code and prophecy. He was an
outsider,
an itinerant rabbi, but he spoke with authority. His words healed
people.
This was acknowledged by insiders and adversaries alike. Two whom
he
healed, the Magdalene and Bartimaeus, even called him Rabboni
-- a term reserved for the president of the Temple. Yet he
counseled his
followers (Matthew 23) not to allow anyone to call them Rabbi,
Father,
Teacher, Leader, Director, or Master. (These English words are in
evidence in the Greek.) Is this being heeded by clergy and
believers
today? Pew-sitters rarely hear anything from this chapter!
Yet it is worthy of close reading, and alarming in its severity.
Perhaps religiosity is the
problem. And perhaps the sticking point is
found where our own faith stories collide with that of this man,
whom many
regard as the central character of history. Most are taught to
worship
Jesus. Yet Jesus says 'call no man good, but one, who is our
Father in
heaven.' (-see also John12:44.) He claimed to come, not seeking
to
be worshipped, but to serve; and he was ever seen pointing to Our
Father.
Religion, contrarily, enthrones him. Yet he said "the
kingdom of God is
within you" (Luke 17:21) and "you are the light of the
world" (Matt
5:14).
Jesus was not interested in
religiosity. He deeply wished that we
know the other 'rel' word -- 'relationship' (in God's family).
Those who dare appear to downplay Jesus' stature risk being
reviled;
yet his own focus was not on himself, but on his
"siblings."
His parody of the
authorities -- riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, made
such a mockery of their parades of power and pomp, even while he
foreknew the result: crucifixion. Sadly, this was the only way he
could awaken us.
Sadder yet is the misunderstanding that persists over his place
in the
history of consciousness. He wasn't kidding when he said the
kingdom is
within. Oz-like, we are to "Pay no attention to that man
behind the
curtain" for it is only a Rabbi/Father/Teacher/Leader/
Director, or ego.
Look inside. The Father's kingdom is at hand if we, with faith,
are
ready to let go of our own religiosity, and do business with the
Divine. This does
not preclude worship, for the preacher needs your help in
releasing that burden, too.
Eric Chaffee is a
long-time student of Christian Science. He has been
elected to conduct worship by various memberships of that
denomination,
but does not purport to represent fellow members' views. He also
writes for
nondual_Bible_verses_project@yahoogroups.com and may be found in
the
archives of nonduality.com.
From the ArunachalaAshram website http://www.arunachala.org/ashrama/satsangs/schrock/.
Orva is the author of Grandpa's Notebooks: The Evolution of an Amish Soul, which you may read about here: http://www.amazon.com/Grandpas-Notebooks-Evolution-Amish-Soul/dp/1598003747/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-5936403-4980917?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1184894876&sr=1-1 GOSHEN, IN -- Orva Schrock
Dear Friends,
More and more over the years I am drawn to Bhagavan Ramana as the light of my spiritual life. Arunachala Ramana, Who dwells in the hearts of everyone as the One Spiritual Self.
If you would like to attend a meeting to share the joy, insights, and fellowship as we serve, honor and seek to know Bhagavan, please send email otsclu@msn.com or call 574 875-6298.
Goshen located approx 25 miles East of South Bend and the University of Notre Dame.
Orva Schrock
2007 Conference on Nondual Wisdom and Psychotherapy - October 25- 28 at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Please mark your calendars for the 2007 Conference on Nondual Wisdom and Psychotherapy that is being held October 25th - 28th at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. For the complete schedule, please see www.wisdompsy.com/conference1.htm . For online registration by the end of July, please see www.ciis.edu/publicprograms/ and click on "public programs".
This will be our most comprehensive conference to date. I hope you can make it! Please pass this email notice on to any interested colleagues and friends. Thanks!
best wishes,
John Prendergast, Ph.D. (Conference Organizer)
p.s. I will be out out the country until August 6th.