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About John of AllFaith
Expertise
To varying degrees I have worked and studied with many different groups including:
The Noahides, Gaudiya Vaisnavism, Swami Muktinanda's Sidha Yoga Foundation, the Yoga Society (of Sri Ramamurti Mishra), Sikhism, various Pagan and neo-Pagan groups, Sunni Islam (Wahabi), Taoism, various Buddhist sects (including the Dharmad Hatu of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche), various diverse Hindu sects, numerous Christian denominations and movements, and have been involved with numerous other groups and movements too numerous to mention. I refer to my personal beliefs as AllFaith.
See my questions and answers at allfaith.com/questions
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Experience
Experience: A lifetime spent Reaching for the One.
I hold an MA in Religious Studies from JFKU. I hold three Christian ordinations. I hold a counseling ordination from the Interfaith Seminaries of Santa Cruz. I am an initiated Vaishnava bramana (Gopinath Gaudiya matha and ISKCON), have practical experience with many other branches Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Paganism, Wicca (Welsh Traditionalist mainly), Judaism and other traditions. I own and manage AllFaith.com
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You are here: Experts > Religion/Spirituality > Religious Careers > Comparative Religious Studies > spiritaul
Expert: John of AllFaith - 10/31/2009
Question
dear john of all faiths i am still suffering with doubt however i have recently had an insight into suffering what do you think of my spiritaul practice i meditate on the qulities of jesus and green tara being there qulities are universal love forgivness kindness non violence gentleness fearlessness compassion and inner peace im not trying to be jesus or green tara im trying to cultivate there qulities with in me i have been doing this practice for a few years now and i have noticed a lot of my negitive emotions have lessoned ie anger greed etc whilst my good qulities ie love compassion forgivness fearlessness etc have grown i have come to a place in my heart and mind that sees the goodness in all relgions ie forgivness universal love peace fearlessness kindness gentleness etc however i do get upset when certain people use relgion as a exsuse for violence when all true relgions teach peace love compassion gentleness fearlessness non-violence forgivness etc i wish all sentient beings happiness fear free joy and inner contentment and peace for the sake of us the one human family may the kingdom of heaven be relised by all sentient beings not in the past not in the furture but now in the present om taray totaray toray swha thank goodness for teachers like the buddha and jesus etc if it were not for there teachings i surely would have fallen to a hell state yours sincerly daniel
Answer
Hi Daniel,
I'd say that if this practice is working for you, if you are growing in Love and Light that's a good thing.
Questions such as these are difficult because spirituality (as opposed to religion) is such a personal experience. As the sages of India say: Truth is One. The sages call It by different Names.
I personally don't "merge" the religions like that but there are many paths to the One. When I mediate on Green Tara I do so in harmony with the Buddha Dharma. When I meditate on Y'shua (Jesus) I do so in a Jewish context. The two were extremely different in their teachings and beliefs... but again, that's just me.
A difference comes into play when we go from internalized spirituality into the field of religion.
You say: ... however i do get upset when certain people use relgion as a exsuse for violence when all true relgions teach peace love compassion gentleness fearlessness non-violence forgivness etc...
What are "true religions" is a matter of opinion. Those Muslims who are seeking to overthrow the world and establish Sharia law are simply, faithfully, following the teachings of Muhammad as they were presented by him. Those Muslims who are calling for peace and friendship are at odds with their religion. "Radical Islam" is true Islam.
Is Islam a 'true religion?" its followers would say so.
Outside of Sufism, Islam does not promote "peace love compassion gentleness fearlessness non-violence forgivness etc i wish all sentient beings happiness fear free joy and inner contentment and peace for the sake of us the one human family." Islam promotes submission and absolute obedience. For Islam Islam is the ONLY acceptable path.
My point with this is, personal spirituality is one thing, religion is another.
In terms of spirituality what you are doing sounds wonderful and spiritually uplifting.
Om Santi
(Praise Peace and Pursue It)
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