Introduction to Eastern Spirituality for Christians and Its Benefits

Dear Christian friends,

From left to right: Krishna, Jesus, Buddha, Laozi

I have been interested in religion for some time now. I probably understand Christianity better than the others I have studied but most recently I have focused my studies on Buddhism, Taoism, and a sprinkling of Hinduism and Confucianism. First off, I think there is nothing in these other religions that has to conflict with your Christian faith (although they might at times depending on your interpretations). I think the spiritual benefits of meditation and studying these other philosophies can be quite enormous so to the best of my knowledge, I will attempt to lay out the connections between Christian theology and Eastern religious beliefs (mostly focused on Buddhism).

In Christianity, Jesus Christ is the son of the one and only God who created the universe. A Hindu could accept this belief fully. To the Hindu, Jesus was an avatar, a human incarnation of Brahman which can be described as the highest or ultimate universal reality. In this sense, a Christian could interpret the concept of Brahman as God. One could say they are the same thing depending on one's interpretation of God or Brahman.

However, a Hindu (or a Buddhist) could also say to you, "Of course, Jesus was God. He got it. He woke up. The truth is YOU are God as well. You just don't know it and don't believe that truth. You're asleep." That is when a Christian could be taken aback and even offended. However, let's analyze that to figure out exact what he might mean by that statement.

Who are you? You say you are a Christian and you believe in the resurrection of Christ and read the Bible and attend church and spread the Good News and pray and so on. But this notion of self that you have when you say, "I believe" or "I love", this "I", self, or ego, what is that?

Buddha just riding the wave

Well, aren't you a child of God, borne out of His Creation which encompasses His Being? His Spirit or essence moves through and with you and, in a fundamental sense, that is really what you are. If it helps, think of the waves moving in the ocean. What is a wave? A wave is a part of the ocean that peaks out with the crest on top and a peak underneath that you can surf on. That wave is you and the ocean and all the energy within it is Brahman or God. That is one interpretation and is one of the key concepts of Buddhism.


Let's shift gears slightly and discuss salvation, or more simply, finding peace and happiness. Jesus told his disciples to leave all worldly possessions behind to join him on their spiritual journey and said that it is harder for a man attached to his abundance of material goods to enter the Kingdom of God than it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. This is actually the same teaching of Siddharta Guatama (the "Buddha") who lived between four hundred to six hundred years before Jesus' birth. Let's explore this crucial concept.

If you think about it, we are often very miserable and at unease because of our worldly desires (e.g. good food, cars, nice houses, attractive mates, the hottest new gadget). What can be harmful about this mindset of "not-enough" and "more consumption" is that the cure is not "more stuff". It is very much a mindset and although you may be satiated briefly, you will then want more and move on to the next thing you desire. In fact, the pursuit of more consumption is endless. It's an interesting peculiarity of human psychology.

What, then, is the key to happiness? The ultimate key to happiness is within YOU all along, not "out there somewhere" like we are often inclined to think. You get into Harvard and think that is where you will be happy or get into a romantic relationship with that person with whom you are infatuated and think life will be like in fairy tales. But the truth is that there are people who are rich, have beautiful families, own many fancy homes and vehicles, and are adored by millions around the world and are deeply unhappy.

Kurt Cobain in NYC, five months before his suicide at the age of 27

Personally, this shift in mentally has benefited me well. I have chronic lower back pain, below-average kinesthetic ability, tens of thousands of dollars of student loan debt, a very tiny "bedroom" in Bushwick that cannot fit a proper bed, many of my closest college friends who were in my freshman class do not live in NYC, and a whole host of other "problems" I can mention. However, I am relatively healthy, do improv and sketch, have a great family, have ready access to food and water, can access vast amounts of information via the Internet, and live in a fantastic city in a wealthy, diverse country with enormous opportunities. When I think about the important things in life and what I already have, I am able think in perspective more clearly and really appreciate life. Perhaps being grateful precedes being happy and not the other way around.

There are other topics we can discuss like the nature of consciousness, morality, meditation, spiritual experiences, death, etc. but I wanted to highlight what I think are the core concepts in Eastern spiritual teachings as I currently understand them. I may write about other related topics later based on interest.

Sincerely,
Lester