• Marring Teachings
• Nyingma Delicacies
• Make the Best of What You Get
• Saved from a Cult and Its Insistence

Marring Teachings

Just because they are common doesn't mean they aren't marring.

There are cult teachings to fear

Dare to ask, "Is there any good evidence that Jesus actually is a guru in Self-Realization Fellowship - managed by Hindu-swamis - against gospel sayings that clearly go against such a possibility?" (Matthew 7:15-20; 24:5; 24:24 etc.)

When a Hindu comes and tells you that Jesus is in his line of gurus, and Bible sayings that are at least put in the mouth of Jesus gainsay such a possibility, what to believe? Make some effort to see what the New Testament says in such matters. Also study how reliable the gospels are. Scholars have worked to find out, and some have published books and articles about it. In short, "Believe less, inspect more" may be fit for health. Otherwise we could be taken in a whole lot.

The gospel of Matthew says the teachings of Jesus and his ministry are for Jews only

The notable Jesus scholar Geza Vermes (1924–2013) sums up:

During his days of preaching, Jesus of Nazareth addressed only Jews, "the lost sheep of Israel" (Matthew 10:5-8; 15:24). His disciples were expressly instructed not to approach gentiles or Samaritans (Matthew 10:5-8). On the few occasions that Jesus ventured beyond the boundaries of his homeland, he never proclaimed his gospel to pagans, nor did his disciples do so during his lifetime. The mission of the 11 apostles to "all the nations" (Matthew 28:19) is a "post-Resurrection" idea. It appears to be of Pauline inspiration and is nowhere else found in the Gospels (apart from the spurious longer ending of Mark [Mark 16:15], which is missing from all the older manuscripts). Jesus' own perspective was exclusively Jewish; he was concerned only with Jews. (Vermes 2012)

To make it clearer still:

Jesus reserve his teachings and salvation for Jews (Matthew 15:24; 10:5-8; Vermes 2012), but only depraved Jews: those of sound moral and spirit are not called by him, and the healthy do not need him (Mark 2:17; Matthew 9:12-13; 12.11). Jesus further puts his sheep on a path to perdition in that he teaches his sheep what is opposed to sound self-preservation. Thereby eyes, limbs, property, fit living-conditions and life itself soon enough are at risk (Matthew 5: 29-30; 39-42). Finally, marring losses come to those who call him 'Lord, Lord' without doing as he tells. (Luke 6:46)

For Gentile followers, all the disciples and the Holy Spirit dispensed with all but a few laws for Jews. And not a word by Jesus for ill Jews was included in the Apostolic Decree from 50 CE either (Acts 15:19-29; 21:25). The four requirements for all Gentile Christians include no to eating blood sausages (blood food) and wrangled poultry (choked animals)

The healthy man does not torture others. - Carl Gustav Jung

Good to simplify wisely

In the gospel of Matthew 10:5-8; 15:24, Jesus says his teachings, salvation and healing ministry are for Jews only. And the later-added missionary command is spurious, a forgery, asserts Dr. Vermes. Joseph Wheless points out why. Gentile believers (non-Jews) got a deal without sayings of Jesus. (Acts 15:19-29; 21:25).

As for gospels, the early church got infamous for forging sayings in the name of Jesus, shows Dr. Bart D. Ehrman in Forgery and Counterforgery: The Use of Literary Deceit in Early Christian Polemics (2013). The four canonised gospels were selected from among many others and edited. Gospels that were not eventually included in the Bible are called non-canonical gospels. It is estimated that early Christians wrote at least twenty gospels. Several of them have been found again in modern times.

So in the earliest Christian movement, many different writings were circulated, and there were many traditions about the sayings of Jesus. Some of the leaders worried about which to use. Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyon and leader of a church in France in about the year 170, declared that "There actually are only four authentic gospels. And this is obviously true because there are four corners of the universe and there are four principal winds, and therefore there can be only four gospels that are authentic. These, besides, are written by Jesus' true followers." (Highlighting added)

His premises are marred: the earth is not flat; cosmos corners are not found, and the idea of four main winds is merely a concept. Granted that, his "deduction" is primitive folly.

Today's scholars of the New Testament would not agree with Irenaeus for many other reasons, for it is not known who wrote the gospels we call Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and the Gospel of Thomas. They are all attributed to disciples of Jesus, but we do not really know who wrote them. And chances are they did not come as the earliest sources. The gospels of the New Testament have many differences among them. Different gospels - the canonised and others - see Jesus as a prophet, and not a Christ (Ehrman 2014). They voice different opinions or portrayals of Jesus from very different religious positions.

Church leaders in antiquity were arguing about which gospels to use. It was settled as late as 367 which books were to go into the New Testament in use today. However, one gospel is one too many for non-Jews, shows the alive Jesus in Matthew 15:24; and 10:5-8. To live well without commands of self-maiming, self-inflicted poverty and so, and be violently condemned as a hypocrite, may go a long way toward making life simpler, better (Matthew 5, throughout; Acts 15:19-29; 21:25). Still, there are threats of damnation by the Catholic Church for all who are not members of it -

After all, the four canonised gospels reflect efforts to simplify in the jungle of gospels. A further effort, to make one gospel out of the four, was futile. The best simplification is to do away with all the teachings of Jesus for Jews only, to be on the safe side. That means getting rid of a large part of all the four gospels. And again, not reading them should be OK too, according to the fundament of Christianity, in Acts 15:19-29 and a spirit of Truth -

We may consider how much time and trouble may be spared by fit simplifications. No need to read a lot we can do better without. Consider the advantages, nay benefits, and stop Jesuan self-maiming -

(A source: Elaine H. Pagels, L. Michael White, Elizabeth Clark's contributions in "Emergence of the Four Gospel Canon" [1])

~ೞ⬯ೞ~

Nyingma Delicacies

The ancient yoga teaching is that the figurative gold you, seek, is within - is your Selfhood. It can be developed also. What is needed is to learn where to dig for your gold, how to get inbringing results, and live sensibly while at it. Advaita Vedanta teaches it, and if you manage to withstand later, limited commentaries, the Nyingma Buddhist tradition of Padmasambhava teaches about the same about Self-liberation, which is equated with Self-realization by Padmasambhava himself. Here are accommodated excerpts from Padmasambhava's Self Liberation through Seeing with Naked Awareness, as translated by John Myrdhin Reynolds (2010):

Additions, translated by Dr Kennard Lipman (2010)

"Relax the mind in a state beyond concepts," teaches Padmasambha. (in Lipman 2010, 7)

Nonduality [is] also termed pristine awareness. (in Lipman 2010, 3, 8)

In this above-mentioned pristine awareness, samsara and nirvana cannot be found. (in Lipman 2010, 19)

The pristine awareness [is of] of fundamental sameness. (in Lipman 2010, 20)

Initial purity is just itself. (See Lipman 2010, 41

Lack of pure presence does not exist in the pristine awareness. (in Lipman 2010, 42)

Great bliss of pure presence, pure and total presence. (in Lipman 2010, 51)

Develop the creative potency of pristine awareness. (in Lipman 2010, 56)

There is a pure field of reality. (See Lipman 2010, 58)

Essence, nature, nonduality, [goes] beyond separation or unification. (in Lipman 2010, 58)

Pure presence . . . is itself the creative energy of pristine awareness. (in Lipman 2010, 39)

Atmajnana, or Self-realisation

"Beyond concepts" is Advaita (non-duality) in Sanskrit. Pristine awareness is a synonym in these teachings. Atmajnana, Self-knowledge or Self-realisation, amount to the same attainment. The term Atmajnanais built up of Atma(n) (Spirit, soul, God) and jnana (true knowledge, or gnosis).

~ೞ⬯ೞ~

Make the Best of What You Get

If you cannot get out of brambles, yelling a lot may not help.

Good to consider

Buddha teaches we should not give to undeserving ones. Still, what helps health, healing and knowledge of the Dharma, the great appropriateness, may be dispensed to all, says Buddha too. [Details]

We could improve our chances of success by fair teachings, good methods and help. How fast we develop may be intertwined with conductive your network is to wellbeing and a decent fare. Learn best methods, use them wisely and well, and consider how friendly and helpful your associates are, and stick to sound moral. Adhere to health-ways and health-preserving living if you can. Protect your dear assets well.

The Bhagavad Gita 7:3 says that self-realised ones are rare. But proficiency in handling life, in dealing, and in yoga-meditation could make a difference. Consider, too, that progress depends a lot on one's good guru. In ways such as these you could end up with a better momentum in life.

Good gardening on many levels

◦Beware, beware, keep your garden fair. - Let no man steal your thyme (folk song).

Your own fruits are got from the trees growing in the soil of your mind. It is good if you can avoid them getting bitter, as palatable fruits are boons -

Try to go for and protect your garden with the fruit trees and the berry bushes in it, and note that descriptions of a thing are somehow at best approximations, metaphors. The very essence of a garden, trees, and fruits go beyond concepts, but may still be enjoyed. Yet, success may depend on your neighbours, thieves, the weather and much else.

Gardening is not just about doing things a certain amount of times. More should be counted in. It is good to use discernment and skills too. Get into to the most helpful and sanity-helping methods and ways of life that help. There are sound moral mentions and a regulated living to adhere to also. Rudolf Steiner stresses the value of moral and character thus: "For every one step that you take in the pursuit of higher knowledge, take three steps in the perfection of your own character." (Knowledge of the Higher Worlds and How to Attain It, 1947, 69)

Findings on TM, ◦Transcendental Meditation, are clear. It works all-round best of all researched meditation methods.

1. Subtle karma teachings on health and disease

Karma teachings see diseases as results of former transgressions or new stresses - probably the last ones are most influential, as stress research reveals. Holistic medicine seeks to have wider or fuller scope than medical doctors trained in handling drugs. There is much to watch out for in a life - and suppose too early, symptom-lessening treatment is one.

What if a person who is seemingly healed (made symptom-free) by a doctor, is thereby losing a chance to get ill from the deeper causes of his illness(es)? A disease tends to require adjustments. Some wise adjustments may be aborted by medicine, but if disease-impelled, decent adjustments are lessened or made unneeded too early by prescribed drugs or therapies (!) a moral fall might be due to it. If so, good therapies too early might be questioned (!). What do you think?

Consider if making symptoms less or go away too early, aborts or off-sets the struggle to get solved deep within, and may make a too quickly symptom-helped patient merely "half of what he or she is meant to be". Or one third, and so on. Ask for evidence it is so. If not, be free to doubt it, and doubt to your long-run benefit.

2. Teachings on health by Jesus

Jesus cautioned people he healed from diseases, to sin no more, or the diseases could return.

Jesus also says in Mark 2:17 that the healthy Jews do not need him; that he had come to call sinners among Jews, and not righteous persons there. (Matthew 15:24; 10:5-8)

Therefore, be healthy rather than a sick sinner, be healthy rather than a sheep led by Jesus. If you are decent, you do not need Jesus, says Jesus in several gospels. His self-maiming and poverty-embracing teachings are for Jews he considered ill, depraved, and his Kingdom and Salvation is for Jews only too.

Later, all the apostles and their hovering Spirit decided to let non-Jewish followers get it easier than Jewish ones, and made only four requirements for Christians. Acts 15:19-29 tells the story. It is confirmed in Acts 21:25. (WP, "Council of Jerusalem") Also worth noting is that the Christian deal (of the Apostolic Decree from ca. 50 CE), does not include one word by Jesus, or of following Jesus.

When we discern this much, we are able to reject the Self-Realization Fellowship gurus' pitfalls. Why? They want others to believe they preach Jesus. But they are not Jews, and we may not be Jews either, and Jesus is not for those of sound moral and mind. To play Jesuans without qualifying, is it hypocricy? Bear in mind that Acts 15:19-29 is a game-twister and gives a better fare than that of Jesuan self-maimers (Matthew 5).

Tibetan teachings can help

In Tibetan Buddhism, as laid bare by Christopher Hansard (2001, 2003, 2006), a good way is to visualise good outcomes and thereby activate your heart. The last point is essential: The Self resides in the heart, some Upanisads say, for example the Mundaka, Isa, and Chandogya Upanishads. Heart matters are often highly significant matters.

Teachings of Christopher Hansard's stem from the Tibetan Kum Nye. Some forms of Kum Nye belong to a body of knowledge which describes Tibetan practices used to promote health and healing. Some systems of Kum Nye may remind of Yoga. Many practitioners approve Kum Nye as a well balanced workout for the body enhancing suppleness and strength. Kum Nye has been popularised in the West through publications by Tarthang Tulku (born 1934) (e.g. 2006, 2007). Kum Nye is related to the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism and Bön traditions. [WP, "Kum Nye"]

Zoroaster wisdom

A inborn, growing capacity of imagination is given a human:

Imagination is far from being a false and deceptive faculty. It is exactly the most accurate and truth-telling factulty which the human mind posseses. It is all the more truth-telling because in its work, much vain can be crushed. And so man becomes more of a mirror used to reflect many others. Perhaps no other efforts could lead up to that. [See Surti 1981:36]

Imagination, its true force lies in its marvellous insight and foresight. So whenever we want to ascertain what could be the real and underlying facts of any case or object, go to good poets. They can assist seeing into the heart of things by this marvellous faculty of imagination. [Cf Surti 1981:36-7]

Moreover, the good Creator's spenta archangels give good thoughts, good words, and good deeds, says Zoroaster. [More] The good-forms bring on good order eventually. Good nourishment may get even higher. Many forms of good can be created or formed. We can for example starty with visualising good things in the depth of our hearts (and hope for the best).

Good order is a part of Maat in ancient Egypt. There is much to learn from ancient Egypt about Maat-adjustments that are not unfit. Several of the Ten Commandments are traced back to Maat-teachings.

Solved, but . . .

There are only four basics laid out for non-Jewish Christians. That is what Acts 15:19-29 tells us:

"It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things."

This groundwork, essential to the Holy Ghost and all the apostles for non-Jews, seems quite tabooed for the sake of other, conform adaptations, such as having denounced blood food for Christmas: black pudding, Brat, Wurst and blood sausage - things like that. A certain lack of consistency flares up.

Consider the lay of the land: Despite the commands of Jesus - for Jews only, on his word - a Christian keeps his or her, do not share it wilfully or embrace poverty or ruthless self-maiming as Jesus asked from Jews. Christians also keep their eyes and limbs even though Jesus teaches his Jewish followers to "pluck them out" under certain conditions, and so on. And there is nothing wrong or hypocritical with keeping one's eyes, limbs and other organs for a non-Jew. It seems these things are solved in regular practice the world over, albeit only poorly in theory.

A wrong practice: Non-Jews are calling Jesus "Lord, lord," and ignore his words that his sayings that his teachings, salvation and ministry are for Jews only. A Gentile follower should at least from eating blood food and choked chickens and two more requirements. Yes, many who think adultery is gross and nasty, eat blood sausage or choked chickens and think they are saved.

Consider forgeries

Let each tub stand on its own bottom (Proverb). Besides, "titlephrenia" flung high probably will not help.

Christ Gundersen (1908–45), gives us a tantalisingly brief glimpse of what life was like for a Norwegian-American Christ in Brooklyn once, tells Solveig Zempel (1991, 185). [More]

"Christ" (Messiah) of the gospels was never called a Gundersen, but "demon-possessed and raving mad (John 10:20)" and "blaspheming!" (Matthew 9:3). He was executed as a blasphemer. See for example Bart Ehrman's How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee (2014) for more. According to Ehrman and other Bible scholars, Jesus neither thought of himself as God nor claimed to be God. Study the evidence before concluding (by a faith).

In his scholarly Forgery and Counter-Forgery (2013), Bart Ehrman examines Christian text forgeries of the first four centuries CE. He shows how unknown Christian authors used forgeries to defend their own faith and attack other interpretations of early Christianity. Further, some scholars resist acknowledging these forgeries, because the forgeries call into question the imposed authority of the New Testament.

When a fellowship that claims many Christs, comes in the name of Jesus who warns against hungry wolves and false leaders and false "christs", protect your assets and rights, for it may be a lot better to be healthy than enrolled there. Jesus suggests a healthy Jew is much more valuable than a sheep. (Matthew 12:12)

Thus, seek to be a healthy, morally OK individual if you can. If not, training might help a little at least.

~ೞ⬯ೞ~

Saved from a Cult and Its Insistence

There was someone who claimed he recalled former lives, and that he had been Arjuna, who is said to be a mildly enlightened one in the expanded version of the Bhagavad Gita. He sees Krishna as central, but not his Self as the centre. The latter is good Self-Realization. Besides, the chapter that describes the enlightenment, is a much late-added Gita chapter. Poetic enlightenment ought not to be confused with real-life enlightenment, also called Self-awakening by Shankara. Be that as it may for now, the claimed past Arjuna maintained he had been a vicious, murderous desert marauder too (Dasgupta 2006, 112). [More]

"Saved" has many meanings. You can at least try to keep rational and avoid being misled by bluffs, crazy tales, lies, confused minds, group faith, and more. A normalcy-helping strategy ought to be free for all. Ask for good evidence first, as a matter of routine. Compare: [Kalama Sutta]

After all, this could amount to make for more proficient long-run living if things go well and you are not sabotaged all the time.

What you read into should bear fruits

The number of years spent on a thing may not matter as much as the skill of performance, and it is often like that. Apply the teaching on a wider scale:

• It is not the number of books in your library that matters the most.
• It is not the number of books you have read that matters the most.
• It is not how many times you have read the books that matter the most.
• It is what you have made your own from reading the books that matter (in this context),
• And what you are doing with that also matters - for good, bad or in between.

In the light of this, reading the heavily post-mortem edited Autobiography of a Yogi a hundred times could mean long hours wasted. [Learning tips]

Also, the many who have left a monastic order - for example in their 30s or 40s or older - may consider all that was lost or dumped before they left: Golden moments, golden opportunities, steering into far better courses when there was ample time and probably fertile women to be with. The time spent on serious regrets may be added to the grievances. (Parsons 2012, 170)

Dealing with budding neuroses

Neuroses bind you. Some profit from that.

The field of cults may be a hotbed of neuroses. There are up to 5000 cults in the United States, (Singer 2003, 4) and many psychologists and therapists who make a living off a lot of them.

Where is there reliable, fit evidence that Jesus sought help from Babaji in the mountains to have kriya yoga save people because he found God in Acts to be not good enough? Was not the Apostles' Holy Spirit good enough?

Better go for integration rather than getting fragmented mentally. All who guess they can move mountains by just saying something to the mountains, may or may not consider themselves saved - Martyrs in the millions in the first church may have believed many gospel sayings, unable to free themselves from animals in the Colosseum and elsewhere in the large Roman Empire. They had been misled to think when the end of the world would come soon anyway. Jesus was wrong again in his teachings for [depraved] Jews only. In Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium. (2001), Dr. Bart D. Ehrman examines textual and archaeological sources and proposes that Jesus can be best understood as someone who believed the world would end dramatically within the lifetime of his apostles and that a new kingdom would be created on earth. Since it did not happen, he seems like a false prophet. Here are sayings from the Old Testament (the Law) on false prophets:

A prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say . . . must be put to death. You may say to yourselves, "How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?" If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him. Deuteronomy 18:20-22.

False prophets . . . will become fools. [Jeremiah 50:36]

My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. . . . I am the Sovereign Lord. [Ezek 13:9]

Jesus vouched for the complete Law of Moses (Matthew 5:17-21) - it is sadder than you might think - and said:

"Watch out for false prophets . . . inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognise them. . . . by their fruit you will recognise them. [Matthew 7:15-20, passim]

Those who sacrifice a lot may eventually find themselves to be stultified victims somehow.