A Christian point of view - Resurrection - long

[Guest guest]

In a spirit of Christmas,

>From Meditation on the Tarot

A Journey into Christian Hermeticism

Anonynous

 

Letter XX - The Judgement

 

«« What is the idea and ideal of resurrection? the following parable can

be useful to us for understanding the meaning of the idea of

resurretion:

 

Somme people are near the bed of a sick person and give their opinions

on his state and his prospects. One of them says:

"He is not ill. It is his nature which is manifesting in this fashion.

His state is only natural."

Another says:

"His illness is temporary. It will be followed naturally by the

re-establishment of his health. Cycles of sickness and health follow one

after the other. This is the law of destinty."

A third say:

"The illness is incurable. He is suffering in vain. It would be better

to put an end to his suffuring and to give him, through pity, death."

Then the last one begins to speak:

"His illness is fatal. He will not recover at all without help from

outside. It will be necessary to renew his blood. I shall give my blood

for the transfusion". And the end of the story is that after treating

him accordindly, the ill person - being healed - gets up.

 

These are the four principal attitudes towards the world. The pagan

attitude is that of accepting the world as it is. The "pagan" i.e. he

who believes that the world is perfect and for whom the world is the god

"Cosmos", denies that the fact that the world is sick. There was no Fall

of Nature. Nature is health and perfection itself.

 

The attitude of "spiritual naturism". i.e. that of minds whose horizon

is enlarged beyong the present state of the world to recognition of the

semi-cyclical evolutions - the "seasons" of the great cosmic year - of

the world, is that believing that degeneration and regeneration follow

one another cyclically in the world, that "falls" and "reintegrations"

of the world alternate as do the seasons of the year. For spiritual

"naturism" the present world is certainly "sick", i.e. degenerate, but

it will re-establish itself, i.e. regenerate, necessarilly, according to

the law of cyclicity. One as only to wait for it.

 

The attitude of "spiritual humanism" is that of people who raise

themselves above the pure and simple simplicity of "spiritual naturism"

and who protest, in the name of the individual being, against the

interminable chain of cyclicity (be it "seasons" of the world or

individual reincarnations) - seing here interminable subjugation and

suffering for the human being. This attitude is one of `negation´ both

as a whole and in details of the past, present and future Nature -

whether spiritual or material, cyclical or unique. Life is suffering;

therefore it would be cruel and inhuman to affirm it. Human salvation,

dictated by pitty, is to cut for ever all links of the human spirit with

the world and its cyclicity.

 

The naive cosmolotry of paganism is the point of view of the first

person in our parable - the one who says: "He is not ill". The

"spiritual naturism" of enlightened paganism is the point of view of the

second person - the one who says that illness is only a cyclic episode.

The negation of the world of the "spiritual humanism" is expressed by

the third person who says: " The illness being incurable, it is better

to let the sufferer die".

 

Now the three attitudes towards the worls- historically manifested in

pagan Hellenism, in Hindu Brahminism, and in Buddhism - are

distinguished from the fourth, i.e. that of active intervention with a

view to accomplishing the the work of purification and regeneration of

the world, in that they lack the 'therapeutic impulse' and 'faith in

therapy', whilst the attitude which is manifested historically in the

prophetic religions (Iranian, Judaic and Islamic) and in the religion of

slavation (Christianity), where 'renewal' of the world is the motive

force and final aim, is essentially 'therapeutic'. It is the fourth

person of our parable - he who acts, healing the illness through a

transfusion of his blood - who represents the "Christian attitude",

which includes and realises those of prophetic religions. The Christian

ideal is the renewal of the world - "a new heaven and a new earth"

(Revelation xxi), i.e universal resurrection.

 

The idea and ideal of resurrection goes further that the negation of

Nature, as is the case with "spiritual humanism" of Buddhism; it

signifies its complete transformation, the alchemical work on a cosmic

scale of the transmutation of Nature - spiritual as well as material.

"heaven" and "earth". There is no idea or ideal more bold, more contrary

to all empirical experience, and more shocking to comoon sense than that

of resurrection. Indead the idea and ideal of resurrection presupposes a

force soul which render it capable: not only of emancipation from the

hypnotising influence of the totality of empirical facts, i.e. of

breaking away from the world; not only of deciding to take part in the

evolution of the world - that is to say, no longer in the capacity of an

object of the world but also, and rather, as a subject, i.e. of becoming

a motivating spirit instead of a "moved" spirit; not only of

participating actively in the process of world evolution; but also

raising oneself to conscious participation in the work of divine magic -

the magical operation on a cosmic scale who is resurrection. »»

 

A point of view,

 

Antoine

[Guest guest]

Dear Antoine:

 

C.S. Lewis could not have expressed this idea more vividly and meaningfully

as you have. This is a very necessary and illuminating perspective that all

good "thinkers" and spiritual seekers should read. They then, as would be

wise, should meditate and reflect on the consequences...as knowledge is not

only power and liberation, but responsibility and duty. The high path of

Buddhism is, I believe, just as proactive in terms of devotion toward healing

the "sick" , i.e., revitalizing the earth itself with human devotion,

sacrifice, wisdom and nobility. In Christian terms, such implicit sacrifices

are required whenever "good" must prevail against "evil," and in Buddhist

terms, the Dharma manifests itself to those who can perceive the ills of the

world and then are responsible to act in good faith to heal it.

 

For myself, the most simple and expressive thing, reduces down to the most

basic act of goodness, of rightness and of healing...choosing consciously to

be a thoughtful and caring person...willing to do whatever is necessary to

achieve "good" results.

 

What amazes me, is how small a thing, such as a word, or kind expression to

another can achieve so much healing. Your kindness, humor and deep humanity

are evident in all of your communications and I have come to value your

friendship deeply. So, it does not always take great sacrifices to help heal

the world...or for us to encourage and heal one another...it only takes a

moment...the right moment.

 

Blessings & Joy!

 

Zenbob