The New Age Movement Isn't "New"

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.

"What if you were to arrive at the Pureland of the Buddha, or if you are Christian, in the Kingdom of God? How would you walk? You must be able to leave footsteps where no trace of sorrow or anxiety can be found. Only peace and joy."

-Thich Nhat Hanh

If we can walk with peace and serenity here on earth, and our footsteps leave no trace of sorrow, hate, or anxiety, then we no longer walk on earth, but in Heaven. Both the Buddha and Christ taught that Heaven is here, it is inside of us. If we can learn to walk in peace, to live with compassion, then we already live in the Kingdom of God.

"Just don't seek from others,
Or you'll be far estranged from Self.
I now go on alone;
Everywhere I meet It:
It now is me; I now am It.
One must understand in this way
To merge with thusness."

Dongshan Liangjie

“I do not care to know your various theories about God. What is the use of discussing all the subtle doctrines about the soul? Do good and be good. And this will take you to freedom and to whatever truth there is....”

-The Buddha



Here is truth: God does not care who you profess to, who you bow to, what you follow, for all doctrines are in equal parts right and wrong. What matters is that your actions find their root in kindness and compassion. A kind, selfless man who claims to not love God is a liar, for his actions speak differently, and it is by actions that we see the state of the heart, and it is by actions that we are judged. Don't be satisfied with becoming a member of a group. Become a leader of all people through pure thought, intention, and selfless action. This is the thread of commonality shared by all major world religions. Become selfless. Destroy the ego. Overcome the devil inside of you. Then you are free to know God.

When we serve God, God serves us. My life, and the lives of many others, are testimony to that. It doesn't matter how we understand it. What matters is that we do it.

To change the world, we must change our vision of God.

To unify ourselves, we must become unified under God. In many ways, we are already; the same basic truths are practiced in every major religion. Every religion is valid, as are the words of every prophet. No religion was ever started to deceive, but rather, to lead its followers to the highest truth. When we look past the minute differences between religions, we see a far larger picture unfold: that the divine has been present in every culture, every community, through a myriad of profound teachings that all lead to the same basic principle. The purpose of our existence is to reach a union with God.

“Don't you know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”
1 Corinthians 6:19

"He who experiences the unity of life sees his own Self in all beings, and all beings in his own Self, and looks on everything with an impartial eye."
Buddha

"And when a man sees that the God in himself is the same God in all that is, he hurts not himself by hurting others. Then he goes, indeed, to the highest path. "
Bhagavad-gita

It is said that the Buddha would not speak of who he was before Enlightenment, because the man he had once been was now dead. As the Buddha, he was given new life.

Bad Programming

Do not allow yourself to be hurt by another's "bad programming."

We learn behaviors. Sometimes, due to circumstances beyond our control, we learn very bad behaviors. When we love another human very much, we can be hurt by their "bad programming" because we have exposed our hearts out of trust. Sometimes, the people we love can be mean and hurtful... but if we can take a step back and recognize their behavior as learned programming, and not as a personal attack, we are better able to forgive the ones we love.

The metaphor of an arrow is used in Buddhism. Buddhism teaches that when people act toward you with mean or selfish intention, their words and actions are like arrows being shot at the ground in front of us. We have the choice to either leave the arrow lying on the ground, or we can pick the arrow up and stab ourselves with it. We allow the actions of others to effect us. We allow the mean words of those we love to penetrate our hearts, even when we know better.

Remind yourself that when someone you love is acting selfishly towards you, it is not your fault, but their own bad programming. Distance yourself from the situation, give them time to "run the program" and wind down. Once they are back to their normal, loving selves, forgive them. They know not what they do -- and some learned behaviors are very old and ingrained, and difficult to overcome.

Your soul is not your human programming. The body suit you wear can be programmed through will power, mental focus, and prayer. You can either bring your body and programming into alignment with God, patience, kindness, sincerity... or you can allow your body to program itself, to be at the mercy of the influences around you, and become enslaved by your senses. Do not forget that both you and the ones you love are at the mercy of your programming. Continue to love and forgive. The slightest change in your actions can rewrite your program, and can profoundly change the programming in others.