Joy:
"I am joy in expression!" (DW, 8.10.09)
"He will yet fill your mouth with laughter, and your lips with shouts of joy." (Job 8.21)
Mei Meditatio:
Joy is the singing of the heart. As I further realize my place in the universe as a child of the living and loving God of Being, I sizzle with resounding joy. I am grateful for reconciliation and revivification in Christ and emit zeal with my being for God's Divine Order.
In the name and through the power of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. Amen.
Well, Jesse, after reading through your blog, I've decided to give Unity another look. I have found your posts intriguing--Unity steps into the 21st century!
ReplyDeleteI studied Taoism for awhile, and found the concept of an impersonal force to be compatible with my own views. Returning to Unity, it seems these two schools of thought share a similar theology pertaining to the nature of divinity. Methodologies for communion also appear similar (meditation, enlightment via self-realization, etc.).
My Taoism studies were helpful. When I first studied Unity, I was leaving Catholicism, my birth religion. Even though I understood Unity teachings, I couldn't seem to apply them to my life. (Catholicism can do that to a curious mind.)
I now see Unity as a blend of rudimentary Western and Eastern philosophies. Yeah, I mean that in a GOOD way. Anyway, Unity seems much more, well, doable now.
How about you, Jesse? Do you see Unity's basic beliefs to be similar to Taoist philosophy?
Specifically, do you see Unity's view of "God" (which I call Creative Principle) similar to the Tao? Are they the same?
Let me add that in no way do I seek to conform either philosophy into something they are not.
ReplyDeleteYour entry about Karma as described by a Unity writer and its misperceptions featured great points. I agree--to adopt a belief after forcing it through the sieve of our own pre-existing paradigms and memes seems a bit wishy-washy.
You get a watered down product--all ice, little Pepsi.
Oh, I've also studied Theravada Buddhism, some Jainism, and a pinch of Hinduism.
Wow, Tara, thanks for the great post. I'm glad to hear your feelings about Unity aren't quite as "negative" as before -- though I certainly share some of your frustrations with many Unity circles.
ReplyDeleteI do like Taoism, and really Chinese philosophical perspectives in general. Unity is firmly situated in the Western religio-philosophical tradition, for sure, though with a mystical-practical bent. (I always think Plotinus meets Meister Eckhart.) And, you're right, there's a definite Eastern influence that exists in Unity. I think this started with the Fillmore's and their being affected by the Transcendentalist tradition of Emerson and Thoreau who both integrated Eastern (particularly Indian - Vedantist) thought into their writing. And Eastern influences have abounded because I think Unity has always, as a whole, held a rather open-minded and inclusive way of relating to non-Christian traditions, often bringing these ideas and practices into Unity spirituality. (So, now I think Plotinus meets Eckhart meets Ramakrishna meets Lao-tzu and Kung-fu-tzu.)
In any comparison of religions, cultures, philosophies, etc. I take a postmodern hermeneutical approach. Traditions are plural and diverse, so they are different. But upon further study and contemplation one can easily find convergences. So, I view this dynamic as one of analogy: similarity-in-difference.
Unity and Taoism are distinct traditions with different histories, cultural contexts, linguistic influences, and subtleties of practice, and so each tradition is unique in this way. Yet, we can note some real similarities (not identities or samenesses). For instance, one similarity that you suggested is that both Unity and Taoism articulate their understandings of the Ultimate in terms of an impersonal Oneness or creative Principle of potential. We could talk about more analogous similarities that these two have in common in spite of their divergences.
Personally, due to my tendency to see the unification and underlying connectivity of everything in the universe in God, I do believe Unity's view of God and the Taoist Tao are referring to the same reality. But I think they are two different linguistic articulations of different temporal (that is historically-culturally contextualized) experiences. Yet, at base, I think these different expressions of different experiences are pointing to the same referrent. Does that make sense? (I often confuse myself.)
I'm glad you enjoyed my commentary/critique of a Unity minister's essay on "karma." I needed to highlight the lack of nuance and understanding of the variety of interpretation of "karma" in the Indian traditions. I felt she was being way too general (though I'm aware of how small a space she had to write).
I've really enjoyed dialoguing with you and hope to keep it going. Take care and God bless! Peace.