Buddhist *Christian* Hindu* and Sufi

[Guest guest]

Questions and more questions - I am curious as to how people

reconcile their beliefs as per subject title involving each great

avatar. Do some people only worship one avatar and do others combine a

medley? Is there any discrepancy that folks find between the faiths when

worshiping them all, or do they fit together nicely?I had a Christian

background and I know they were always saying that "the Christian God is

a jealous God", but then that doesn't leave much room for godly traits,

and PLUS I want to know about Goddess - I know Shiva in Hindu is it, and

Mary in Christian, but she's not really a Goddess, but just the mother

of a son of a God - an intermediary, if you will. Is there any female

goddess in Buddhism or even intermediary (please excuse my ignorance),

and who is a sacred female in Sufiism?

I think I've asked enough questions now, if anyone can answer one or

more of these I'd be mightily appreciative!

<big smiley>

valerie

[Guest guest]

Hi Valerie,

You can approach comparing religious traditions either by looking for differences or commonalities.

It sorta boils down to asking are these different paths to the same

place, or will choosing a particular road

result in very different outcomes? How much can other's opinions

actually help you with sorting this out?

I ask this, because initially floods of new information tend to add to

the confusion and it really does take some

time to absorb what any one path is about. With a question this broad

its hard to get a grip on what the essence

of your question is.

The Goddess, as a representation of feminine qualities occurs in many

forms. In Buddhism, Kuan Yin is a female

Bodhisattva, the Tibetans have various Taras. I found a site for you

that shows images from most all cultures and faiths,

with a brief descriptive identification of source. For me, art has a way of bypassing the

verbal, conceptual. Try looking ... and see what is evoked in you.

http://www.goddess-gallery.com/

Love,

Gloria

(Shiva is actually the masculine energy, his consort Parvati represents the feminine Shakti.)

-

v

Saturday, August 03, 2002 11:58 PM

Buddhist *Christian* Hindu* and Sufi

Questions and more questions - I am curious as to how

peoplereconcile their beliefs as per subject title involving each

greatavatar. Do some people only worship one avatar and do others

combine amedley? Is there any discrepancy that folks find between the

faiths whenworshiping them all, or do they fit together nicely?I had a

Christianbackground and I know they were always saying that "the

Christian God isa jealous God", but then that doesn't leave much room

for godly traits,and PLUS I want to know about Goddess - I know Shiva

in Hindu is it, andMary in Christian, but she's not really a Goddess,

but just the motherof a son of a God - an intermediary, if you will.

Is there any femalegoddess in Buddhism or even intermediary (please

excuse my ignorance),and who is a sacred female in Sufiism? I think

I've asked enough questions now, if anyone can answer one ormore of

these I'd be mightily appreciative!<big

smiley>valerie/join

All paths go

somewhere. No path goes nowhere. Paths, places, sights, perceptions,

and indeed all experiences arise from and exist in and subside back

into the Space of Awareness. Like waves rising are not different than

the ocean, all things arising from Awareness are of the nature of

Awareness. Awareness does not come and go but is always Present. It

is Home. Home is where the Heart Is. Jnanis know the Heart to be the

Finality of Eternal Being. A true devotee relishes in the Truth of

Self-Knowledge, spontaneously arising from within into It Self.

Welcome all to a.Your use of is subject

to the

[Guest guest]

Thank you Gloria for the Goddess Gallery site.

 

I love those depictions and sculptures, always keeping in mind though

that Buddha and the like were in no way ever intending to be seen as

gods or goddesses. How then? Divine yes... as we all are... as we are

at least human beings in the process of reclaiming our innate

divinity.

 

I was a bit of a rake, some 40 years ago, when I left the Trappist

monastery and re-entered the "normal" world.

I was a sculptor, a poet, a rhythm and blues band manager and I worked

for the RC church (burning my candle from both ends). At some point I

got interviewed by some newspaper / magazine writers and after some

intense questioning (by the way, a great deal of my income came from

the church, so I was out on a limb) I answered, "There is no personal

god. There is no god for me nor for any other being. Whoever believes

in a personal god, participates in an all mankind encompassing

schizophrenia: humans have gotten used to project the cause as well

as the effect of their being outside themselves, extrapolating and

personifying their internal growth impulses onto a sublimated god."

 

Strong stuff in those days... I expected to be called in any minute by

"Mother Ecclesia" to account for myself...

 

Wim