"Do not go by reasoning, nor by inferring, nor by argument" -
the Buddha.
"When you do not understand, then you will know". - Zen student
"Mind always protects what is false. Mind is a black light"
- Guru Maharaji Ji
"He who knows, doesn't speak; he who speaks, doesn't know" -
Lao-Tse
"To the law and the testimony! If they do not speak according to
this word, it is because there is no light in them." Isaiah 8:20, The
Bible.
Turned off by the deadness and hypocrisy of much of conventional churchianity,
multitudes of people have sought wisdom, inspiration and inner peace by
turning to the philosophies and religions of the East. A guru once
told Os Guinness:
"To the Christian, talk of God is rather like the great bulk of an
iceberg, whereas his experience of God is only the tiny tip of the iceberg;
but for the Easterner the experience of God is the bulk of the iceberg,
whereas his talk about God is only the tip."
It is true that in many churches there is more talk of love than love, more talk of peace than real peace, and more talk of God than God. Jesus promised living water to those who believe in him, but many churches have left people thirsty because they have not known how to receive this living water of the Spirit. I know this from personal experience myself. Having been brought up in the church all my life, it was not until the age of 19 that I actually became conscious of the powerful reality of the presence of God in my heart for the first time. My own church had not taught me how to know God in that way.
George Harrison, of the Beatles is reputed to have said, "I kicked the concept of the man in the sky a long time ago." He wanted to experience divinity. We live in an age where people want more than a religious theory or dogma. People want the reality of an experience that gives them true fulfilment in life. The Eastern philosophies promise this, and multitudes have turned to them for help and enlightenment. But is it right? Is it true? Can something so illogical actually be the path to true enlightenment? See "Irrationality and the Eastern Mindset".
What Feels Good is not always true
Many eastern philosophies encourage people to throw out their minds, so that they can shake off their delusions and come into a knowledge that they are "part of everything" and "One with the Universe". Even though our minds are not perfect, and sometimes deceive us, we should approach suggestions to discard our rationality with a great deal of caution. Why is this?
To give an example: they say it feels good to be under hypnosis. So relaxed, so peaceful. Yet a person under hypnosis has lost the ability to resist deception. Such a person can easily be made to believe things and experience things that are not true. They can be tampered with emotionally, intellectually and in every way, given enough skill and patience on the part of the hypnotist.
A lot of practices in eastern religion is similar to hypnosis. Yoga and meditation is related to self-hypnosis. It may offer some short term emotional benefits. But the lock to the mind and will has now been broken open, and now the person is more vulnerable to suggestion and manipulation. A lot of psychological damage can be done in this way. The mind becomes vulnerable to suggestions from a source which will always actually oppose the Spirit of God. This is why you will find a hostility towards the Bible and Christian concepts amongst those who have given themselves over to eastern meditation.
Eastern meditation sometimes fails to give the practitioner the peace
and sense of well-being that they were looking for. They may then feel
attracted to so
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