Is it possible to believe in several religions at once?

[Vinayaka]

i don't think a person needs to take on beliefs to demonstrate tolerance. Some of the most tolerant people I know have been orthodox and secure within their own beliefs. And the corollary is that some of the most intolerant played the 'mix and match' game. For me, it's not a question of belief, but more a question of how much you think I should believe the way you do, irregardless of your belief.

 

[Pegg]

Because God shows himself in a way meaningful to the devotee. That's one reason why so many people have problems with the biblical God, he is not meaningful to them. To say there is only one way God shows himself is to limit God, which is the height of human hubris.

man creates the images that they say God shows himself in.

If a man cuts down a tree and carves an image out of the wood and places it on a pedestal, that is mans interpretation and nothing more. How do you know God really shows himself in such a way when it is the work of human hands?

 

[Jainarayan]

How do you know what God is or is not? No one has ever seen God, that I know of. Maybe God inspired the person to create the image they did. This is the problem many of us have when people have concrete ideas of God and think it applies to everyone.

 

[Vinayaka]

man creates the images that they say God shows himself in.

Many sculptures of all sorts, not just icons, but anyone who carves shapes, animals, etc. will tell you they didn't create it, but the ______ was hiding inside the wood, or stone, and all they did was release it. The first time I heard this had to do with Inuit soapstone carvings, but I've since heard it expressed in several different ways about several sculpture mediums.

 

[Jainarayan]

That was exactly how Michelangelo described his talent. He said he chipped away the unneccessary parts of the marble block until the sculpture was uncovered.

 

[Vinayaka]

That was exactly how Michelangelo described his talent. He said he chipped away the unneccessary parts of the marble block until the sculpture was uncovered.

The only thing I uncover when I try to sculpt something is my own blood.

 

[Kalidas]

Pagg we meet again, I knew we would lol.

I too feel God reveals him/herself to each persin in a way meaningful(even atheists see God as not there.but rather they see the beauty of his/her creations)

In all reality God has no form and yet has infinite forms at the same time!

To limit God to one creed,one image,one religion is to me nothing more than man trying to fit God into a box that is too small for him/her. The box will break.

 

[NobodyYouKnow]

Many sculptures of all sorts, not just icons, but anyone who carves shapes, animals, etc. will tell you they didn't create it, but the ______ was hiding inside the wood, or stone, and all they did was release it. The first time I heard this had to do with Inuit soapstone carvings, but I've since heard it expressed in several different ways about several sculpture mediums.

There is one concept that I have adopted from Native American lore/tradition and that is the concept called Manitou.

Manitou is like the Soul/Atman that resides in everything that is both living and non-living. It is like a pervading form of consciousness that makes everything what it is or appears to be.

In the Fox tribes, it is said that in the Sweat Lodges (their holy place), the steam from the rocks actually goes inside the walls and forces the Manitou out of the walls and into their Lodge space:

Manitou - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As for 'graven images', yes, they are man-made and we don't worship the Deity as a piece of marble, metal or wood...oh no. It is what it represents that matters. It's like the Christian crucifix.

That is not just two pieces of wood joined together is it? It represents something more...a whole concept. This is what the Deities mean.

I still have to 'get over' the idea of worshiping Siva in 'rock form' (Lingam)...I mean, at least the Deities look appealing and very nice, but the Lingam just looks like a rock. I know what it represents...but it is still a rock.
*Siva is helping me with it though.

So, that's how I see it.

 

[Vinayaka]

As to the images, I'm just very into the idea of a mystical presence 'hovering' above or in. Nataraja and Lingam are the two main 'forms' in Saiva Siddhanta.

In the atmartha puja, there is an 'inviting' part, and then a 'welcoming' part. At a temple, or in a home shrine, just at the part in between those two, if you know enough about pujas to know exactly when it is, it feels like being at a concert when the band 'arrives' on stage, or when special guests 'arrive' at your home. A well trained priest will pause, shut his eyes, and feel it, whereas one who doesn't have this 'natha' vibration will just carry on with the mantras.

 

[metis]

I like to examine religious scriptures through various lenses of other religious perspectives. (Such as examining the bible through a Buddhist lens, etc.) Somehow, it helps me to appreciate the different teachings and perspectives more. It might make me a heretic, but at least it makes me an appreciative heretic.

Have you ever read anything by the Catholic monk Thomas Merton by chance? He said that his study of Buddhism made his Christianity jump out at him in ways he never expected.

 

[metis]

For my morning meditation, I use the book "The Path To Tranquility: Daily Wisdom" by the Dalai Lama, and today's reading is quite appropriate for this discussion:

"It is important to think very well before entering a particular spiritual tradition. Once you have entered, you should stick to it. Do not be like a man who tastes food in all the different restaurants but never actually gets down to eating a meal. Think carefully before adopting a practice; then follow it through. This way you will get some results from dedicating even a little time each day. Alternatively, if you try and follow all the various paths, you will not get anywhere" (p.363).

To me, the above has been my approach as I have stayed within Reform/Renewal Judaism and remain very active, including teaching seminars there, but what do you think?

 

[Truth_Faith13]

For my morning meditation, I use the book "The Path To Tranquility: Daily Wisdom" by the Dalai Lama, and today's reading is quite appropriate for this discussion:

"It is important to think very well before entering a particular spiritual tradition. Once you have entered, you should stick to it. Do not be like a man who tastes food in all the different restaurants but never actually gets down to eating a meal. Think carefully before adopting a practice; then follow it through. This way you will get some results from dedicating even a little time each day. Alternatively, if you try and follow all the various paths, you will not get anywhere" (p.363).

To me, the above has been my approach as I have stayed within Reform/Renewal Judaism and remain very active, including teaching seminars there, but what do you think?

That's an amazing quote! Just got to decide on a particular practice

 

[Jainarayan]

but what do you think?

I think, i.e. my interpretation, which should be well-known by now that the practice His Holiness speaks of can be a practice that one formulates for oneself from non-conflicting sources. If one does find and form this practice, and it works, then stick with it. This is not easy to do, as I have discovered. One should carefully study a particular religion before plunging headlong into it, as many of us do, only to find out later that it doesn't suit us.

HHDL made a more detailed comment about it at Dalai Lama Asks West Not to Turn Buddhism Into a "Fashion" | ZENIT - The World Seen From Rome "People from different traditions should keep their own, rather than change. However, some Tibetan may prefer Islam, so he can follow it. Some Spanish prefer Buddhism; so follow it. But think about it carefully. Don’t do it for fashion. Some people start Christian, follow Islam, then Buddhism, then nothing.

In the United States I have seen people who embrace Buddhism and change their clothes! Like the New Age. They take something Hindu, something Buddhist, something, something… That is not healthy.

For individual practitioners, having one truth, one religion, is very important. Several truths, several religions, is contradictory.

I am Buddhist. Therefore, Buddhism is the only truth for me, the only religion. To my Christian friend, Christianity is the only truth, the only religion. To my Muslim friend, [Islam] is the only truth, the only religion. In the meantime, I respect and admire my Christian friend and my Muslim friend. If by unifying you mean mixing, that is impossible, useless."

Gandhi expressed something I take as similar to HHDL's comments (in part): "...My own veneration for other faiths is the same as that for my own faith; therefore no thought of conversion is possible."

 

[metis]

I think, i.e. my interpretation, which should be well-known by now that the practice His Holiness speaks of can be a practice that one formulates for oneself from non-conflicting sources. If one does find and form this practice, and it works, then stick with it. This is not easy to do, as I have discovered. One should carefully study a particular religion before plunging headlong into it, as many of us do, only to find out later that it doesn't suit us.

HHDL made a more detailed comment about it at Dalai Lama Asks West Not to Turn Buddhism Into a "Fashion" | ZENIT - The World Seen From Rome "People from different traditions should keep their own, rather than change. However, some Tibetan may prefer Islam, so he can follow it. Some Spanish prefer Buddhism; so follow it. But think about it carefully. Don’t do it for fashion. Some people start Christian, follow Islam, then Buddhism, then nothing.

In the United States I have seen people who embrace Buddhism and change their clothes! Like the New Age. They take something Hindu, something Buddhist, something, something… That is not healthy.

For individual practitioners, having one truth, one religion, is very important. Several truths, several religions, is contradictory.

I am Buddhist. Therefore, Buddhism is the only truth for me, the only religion. To my Christian friend, Christianity is the only truth, the only religion. To my Muslim friend, [Islam] is the only truth, the only religion. In the meantime, I respect and admire my Christian friend and my Muslim friend. If by unifying you mean mixing, that is impossible, useless."

Gandhi expressed something I take as similar to HHDL's comments (in part): "...My own veneration for other faiths is the same as that for my own faith; therefore no thought of conversion is possible."

Well said, imo, but to me I think that one can have various beliefs or leanings rolling around in their brain and yet decide that they would rather stick to one religion in practice. Gandhi never abandoned his Hinduism, and yet he incorporated numerous beliefs from other religions. HHDL essentially has said that he has more in common with those who are loving and compassionate in various faiths more so than even some within his own faith who might not be as such.

 

[Vinayaka]

There are those that search, and those that have found.

 

[Jainarayan]

Well said, imo, but to me I think that one can have various beliefs or leanings rolling around in their brain and yet decide that they would rather stick to one religion in practice. Gandhi never abandoned his Hinduism, and yet he incorporated numerous beliefs from other religions. HHDL essentially has said that he has more in common with those who are loving and compassionate in various faiths more so than even some within his own faith who might not be as such.

I think that is the gist of those quotes. For that reason I think one could be "90% Christian, 8% Buddhist and 2% Taoist" in the sense of adopting some of the beliefs that do not contradict. For example Taoism is pretty much about harmony: harmony with nature, with God, with other people, with oneself; it's religious only if one wants it religious. From Buddhism: Ananda asked: Would it be true to say that the cultivation of loving kindness and compassion is a part of our practice?" The Buddha replied: "No. It would not be true to say that the cultivation of loving kindness and compassion is part of our practice. It would be true to say that the cultivation of loving kindness and compassion is all of our practice." No reason one could not expand the compassion taught in Christianity to include that of Buddhism. But again, the search is not easy. Some people can't make it work, or don't need it to work. What they have is perfect.

 

[Jainarayan]

There are those that search, and those that have found.

And unfortunately some people never find despite searching for a lifetime.

 

[Vinayaka]

And unfortunately some people never find despite searching for a lifetime.

And fortunately it's not about a single lifetime. As they say, "Better luck next time."

 

[Jainarayan]

:yes: For sure.

 

[Straw Dog]

For my morning meditation, I use the book "The Path To Tranquility: Daily Wisdom" by the Dalai Lama, and today's reading is quite appropriate for this discussion:

"It is important to think very well before entering a particular spiritual tradition. Once you have entered, you should stick to it. Do not be like a man who tastes food in all the different restaurants but never actually gets down to eating a meal. Think carefully before adopting a practice; then follow it through. This way you will get some results from dedicating even a little time each day. Alternatively, if you try and follow all the various paths, you will not get anywhere" (p.363).

To me, the above has been my approach as I have stayed within Reform/Renewal Judaism and remain very active, including teaching seminars there, but what do you think?

Thanks for sharing. I tend to agree.

Personal progress has often been hampered by indecision paralysis. I'll think that my Christian roots can be reconciled with certain insights gained through other practices, but it just ends up causing confusion and frustration as I try to force squares into circular holes. Then I become discouraged, lose hope, and become more apathetic or egocentric. Single-mindedness is essential whenever pursuing a path. This doesn't mean one must be closed-minded, however.

My greatest lucidity has come from practicing Philosophical Taoism/ Zen Buddhism. Whenever I stray too far from this way of life, I just enter into more mindlessness, ignorance, and conceit. Perhaps I needed to observe the evidence of this backsliding firsthand in order to better apprehend its causes.