The Original Jesus Movement (Ebionites) Recognized Those in India Who Worship the One God, are Vegetarians, and Follow the Same Peaceful Ethical Precepts
Release Date: 06/11/2020
Spiritual Awakening Radio
Three Central Teachings According to the Sikh Masters in the Guru Granth: 1) The Need For A Living Master -- to Receive Initiation from a Living Satguru Into the Meditation Practice; 2) Hearing the Sound Current in One’s Meditation Practice (Naam, Shabda); and, 3) Following a Non-violent Vegetarian Diet. "Meet a Satguru and receive his initiation. Surrender thine all and look within." (Guru Nanak)
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In the category of Sant Mat spirituality some might be familiar with the Radhasoami tradition, perhaps paths associated with Hazur Baba Sawan Singh or Kirpal Singh, but there is also the satsang of Maharshi Mehi based in Kuppaghat, Bhagalpur, Bihar, and elsewhere in northern India & Nepal. Today an introduction to the Sant Tulsi Sahib branch of Santmat associated with Maharshi Mehi Paramhans. You'll also hear selections from the mystic poetry and hymns composed by Maharshi Mehi known as the Padavali.
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"What your own eyes cannot see, your human ears do not hear, your physical hands cannot touch, and what is inconceivable to the human mind -- that I will give you!" (Yeshua, Gospel of Thomas)
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The mystical utterances of Rumi and other great Sufi Masters speak directly to the heart. They encourage us to see the hidden Light, to perceive the Way that lovers can find their Beloved. The Sufis, through their poems and ecstatic revelations are attempting to share their Secrets with the world, or at least with those discerning souls who find their words to be not only nice poetry, but something much more: soul-expressions coming from lovers caught up in the divine bliss of a higher reality.
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There is a spiritual core at the heart or center of the world religions: schools of saints, friends of God, lovers of the Beloved, gnostics, solitaries and sufis. Examples of contemplative meditation practice, also Inner Light and Sound experiences present in Christian mystical texts are provided. Masters do not divide the world, nor do they condemn any existing religion or community. They always inspire us to get initiated into the Mysteries of spiritual practice, to go within and see what the Reality is.
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One can say the journey to the Kingdom of Heaven is far, that much of the inward journey remains to be traversed. There is however, another way of seeing this, whether experienced in meditation or not. Heaven may seem far, and yet, the Reality is that it is near — close by — in our midst, within us, even now, in the living present. We are drops of soul consciousness from the Ocean of Love. We are already in heaven but don’t know it. And, as Rumi might say, this is “the Secret of Secrets”.
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"When the Father, who alone is good, visits the heart, he makes it holy and fills it with Light. And so a person who has such a heart is called blessed, for that person will see God." -- Valentinus of Alexandria
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Kabir says: "For millions of years you have slept. This morning, will you not wake?".
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Through the various noble attempts at mystical experiments of consciousness called "spiritual paths" or "religions" human beings have been using meditation practices to unplug from the relentless noise pollution and multitudes of distracting voices of the world in order to reconnect with their inner selves in the pure restful tranquility of silence, tapping into the wisdom from above, gazing through the lens of the third eye, and listening intently to the sound of silence emanating from mystic skies beyond.
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Enoch is an example of a category known as "apocrypha" and "lost books of the Bible". First Enoch was quoted in the New Testament and was part of the Dead Sea Scrolls. First and Second Enoch remain part of the Ethiopian Bible of today. The Books of Enoch were called "scripture" by some in early Christianity. There is also Third Enoch (Hebrew Enoch). Today, an introduction to the Enoch literature, and we explore the spiritual contents of these important ancient texts that describe the Seven Heavens.
info_outlineThe Clementine scriptures are surviving Jewish-Christian writings from antiquity that represent the teachings of the Ebionites, a movement founded by Christ, and eventually lead by James the Just and his spiritual successors during the first few centuries AD. I was expecting this group to be very legalistic and tribal, believing that only they have access to the true God and spiritual Truth, but the reality turned out to be rather surprising! In Recognitions of Clement, Book 9, Chapter 20, "Brahmans", an Ebionite author has very nice things to say about their brothers and sisters in India who worship the One God, follow peaceful customs and laws, and are vegetarian or vegan. Ebionite One Love. Clearly he sees parallels between his own religion and those like-minded devotees and disciples residing “in the Indian countries.” (India was divided into many separate states or kingdoms 2,000 years ago.) It's one of the most amazing passages I know of in the extra-canonical apocryphal scriptures, as it is a rare example of one religion (Ebionite Christianity) recognizing “Truth” in another religion from elsewhere (Hinduism in India). Imagine that! A rare inter-faith moment in human history. And I just know the Ebionites would have really loved Kabir and the Sants of India that emerged during the medieval period. So I also share some key teachings of the Sant tradition, the Way of the Saints (Sant Mat), the Path of the Masters, very much in agreement with the Ebionites: 1) belief in, and meditation upon, the One God, 2) opposition to the worship of idols (all forms of idolatry), 3) opposition to ritual animal sacrifice in various religious temples, and 4) strictly adhering to a vegetarian (or even vegan) diet as part of their peaceful (ahimsa) ethical foundation for living.