My main issue with the New Age movement is its insistence on taking the ancient wisdom found in most major religions and trying to act like it is something "new." Instead of "bodhisattvas," "sidhas," "prophets," or "disciples," we now have Indigo Children and Astral Travelers. Different names for the same spiritual beings, yet devoid of the centuries of authority from real prophets, real sidhas, and real Buddhas.
Despite its insistence on being "philosophical" and "scientific," the ideas discussed in most New Age books don't even scratch the surface of the philosophical principles of Greek dialogues, Buddhist tantras or the Christian Bible, and let's not even start on "scientific evidence." There is an entire history of philosophy and theory from all around the world that has been incorrectly jotted down by a few half-educated people and shoved in front of the public eye. These people now want to tell us that if we visualize something, it will happen. The Secret to life is that there is no Big Secret. Truth is everywhere, as is God. Crack open any text from any established religion and you'll begin to see it. Except that maybe you're not really looking for God. Maybe you're looking for any explanation other than God.
It seems like anyone can write a self-help manual, stick some meditation and chakra aligning techniques in it, talk about spirit guides, and suddenly have a right to speak for God. Well here's what I've learned in my tiny insignificant life -- God's laws don't change just because we change our theories. You want to know the truth in the world? Do what the Buddha and Christ both said -- be good. Goodness brings us to a unity with God. Anything else is an unnecessary distraction. Serve each other. That is the true spiritual path.
Beautifully said and a shot at The Secret to boot. I love your mind my sister.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion the new age movement was well infiltrated by those with designs to distract peoples of the world in a path to endless searching. Much like book based religions and the truths therein were bastardized by the corrupt power hungry puppets feeding on the emotions of the seekers. Do you not query the reason why the modern world is bereft of spiritual truth when great philosophers and ancient texts were rife two to three thousand years ago. Ignorance is not happenstance it is contrived.
In Lak' esh, my sister, sending waves of love rippling to my shore...
It is love that has and always will hold this world together, the very universe. Yes, ignorance and selfish leaders have perverted religion. But we are evolving. Just as you and I in a microcosm go from babies, to children, to teens, to adults, so the human world in a macrocosm has been evolving.
ReplyDeleteWe are approaching adulthood. Buddha was standing by a tree with His disciples. He reached up and grabbed a handful of leaves. Then He told His disciples that His knowledge was as all the leaves on the tree, and that what they needed to know was in His hand. Jesus told His disciple that He had many things to tell them but they could not bear it yet.
We live in a world where we can see the planet from space, one earth.
Love today does not mean love of your family only, your race only, your country only. Your neighbor is the whole world. The Creator has left none of us alone. He has sent a Messenger to all of us throughout written and unwritten history. When we examine the seemingly different spiritual, life-giving principles of all peoples, we see that the outward symbols may be different but their inner meanings are the same. Out of ignorance or self-aggrandizement we have separated ourselves saying we are a part of the Tree of Good and others are a part of the Tree of Evil. In reality there is only one Tree and we are all a part of it. There is only Unity and Oneness.
Alláh 'u' Abhá,
Billy