In a way the three essential values that the institute is advancing, is a trinity of values. If one were look at these three values from a Christian perspective, the first essential value “oneness of reality” is somewhat analogous to God the Father, According to what Christ preached and taught, God the Father is personified as being a loving forgiving person. The second essential value; “all human beings are responsible beings equal in dignity and rights” is analogous to Christ the God the Son, who taught and preached that we need to reciprocate and love God, and that that it was equally important to love your neighbor as yourself.  The third essential value “the intrinsic relationship between human beings and the natural and cosmic environment around us, is analogous  to the Holy Spirit, the cosmic presences of God, that is the source of all, knowledge, wisdom, and consciousness that the Catholic Jesuit theologian Pierre Teilhard de Chardin defined as the “noosphere”.  Yet the God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit are believed to be three persons in One God, an omnipotent infinite, and absolute being, entity or realm.

 

In Judaism and Islam, one does not find this concept of three person’s in One God, but they still believe in God as an omnipotent infinite being, that has domain over all creation. While Muslims believe in Christ as a Prophet just as Abraham and some other prophets of the Old Testament, they do not believe in Christ as the only son of God. In Judaism they do not believe in Christ, to be even a prophet. Also even some Christian sects such as the Unitarian Church do not believe in the concept of the Trinity as three persons in one God, but do believe in Christ as a son of God as all human beings are sons and daughters of God, and also as a prophet and a messenger of God.

If one were to look at these three essential values from a Buddhist perspective, The first essential value; “oneness of reality” is somewhat analogous to Buddha the Enlighten Omnipotent One, who has attained the Supreme Consciousness of Nibbana,  The second essential value; that “all human beings are responsible beings equal in dignity and rights” is analogous to the Sanga. While within certain sects of Buddhism Sanga mainly includes Buddhist monks, particularly in the Mahayana Sect of Buddhism, the Sanga is considered to include lay people as well, and in effect all human beings. And the third essential value “intrinsic relationship between human beings and the natural and cosmic environment is analogous to Dharma, which may be understood as Buddha’s teachings, concerning the truth about human existence on Earth. In other words Buddha’s teaching of the four noble truths, that there is suffering (dukkha), the cause of suffering craving (tanha or prevalence of greed, of hate, and of delusion), way to end suffering (maga- the Noble Eightfold Path), and cessation of suffering (Nibbana). According to a recent book The Island: An anthology of the Buddha’s teachings on Nibbana written by Ajahn Pasanno & Ajahn Amaro; quoting Buddhist Scriptures Nibbana is described as “It is the Unformed, the Unconditioned, the End, the Truth, the Other Shore, the Subtle, the Everlasting, the Invisible, the Undiversified, Peace, the Deathless, the Blest, Safety, the Wonderful, the Marvellous, Nibbana, Purity, Freedom, the Island, the Refuge, the Beyond”. Thus this description of Nibbana is analogous to an Omnipotent, Infinite and Absolute Realm, an Island the Refuge Beyond,

If one were to look at these three essential values from a Hindu perspective, the first one, “oneness of reality” is somewhat analogous to Brahma, the Supreme Creator God. The second essential value; that “all human beings are responsible beings equal in dignity and rights” is somewhat analogous to Shiva the destroyer, generally understood as destroying constraints, and enabling change to happen. Also in effect analogous to challenges in life that human beings face, with changes that occur throughout their existence on Earth. More specifically what is being destroyed is the illusion of individuality. Shiva also have human attributes of Love, generally represented as a loving spouse of his two wives Sati and Shakti. Shakti is personified in many forms, but mostly as Parvathi. Shiva is also the father of Ganesh and Katikeya. The third essential value “the intrinsic relationship between human beings and the natural and cosmic environment is somewhat analogous to Vishnu the preserver and protector of the universe. Vishnu is also the embodiment of mercy and goodness, and maintains the cosmic order and the Dharma, which is not merely a set of beliefs having no connection with living, but a set of essential principles for a harmonious and beneficial life. Dharma is constant but its application may vary depending on the circumstances at a given time and place.

Also Vishnu as the preserver of the cosmic balance between good and evil, comes to earth as an avatar whenever evil forces tends to upset the balance between good and evil. While Hindus’ believe in many incarnation of Vishnu they mostly focus on ten such incarnations. First as Matsya a fish. Second as Kurma a Turtle. Third as Varaha the Boar. Fourth as Narashingha the Lion. Fifth as Vamana the dwarf, Sixth as Parasurana, a normal human being, Seventh as Ram or Rama as in the Story of Rama and Sita. Then as Krishna as revealed in the Bhagavad-Gita. The ninth as Buddha, but many Hindu’s do not consider Buddha as the ninth incarnation of Vishnu. Even though Buddhism originated in India, by accepting Buddha as the ninth avatar of Vishnu, Buddhism has in effect been assimilated into Hinduism and Buddhism almost ceased to exist as a separate religion in India.

The tenth avatar of Vishnu is yet to come. It is interesting to observe that the nine avatars of Vishnu appears to be higher and higher life forms, somewhat similar to Darwin’s theory of evolution, except that many Hindus probably would not accept that Buddha is a higher life form than Krishna, and Krishna is a higher life form than Rama. Another significant aspect of Hinduism is the intimate connection and no clear separation between what one may perceive as God, gods, demons, human and all life forms on earth,

Even though Hinduism have a whole range of gods, goddesses, demons and other life forms, according to the central Hindu Pantheistic Concept of God: God is One Omnipotent, Infinite, and Absolute Entity. This Hindu Pantheistic Concept of God is somewhat clearly described in the Introduction (p26) of S. Radhakrishnan’s book on The Bhagavadgita as follows:

The Divine pattern and the potential matter, both these are derived from God, who is the beginning, the middle, and the end, Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva. God with creative ideas is Brahma. God who pours out His Love and works with patience which is matched only by His love is Vishnu, who is perpetually at work saving the world. When conceptual becomes the cosmic, when heaven is established on earth, we have the fulfilment represented by Siva. God is at the same time wisdom, love and perfection. The three functions cannot be torn apart. Brahma, Vishnu and Siva are fundamentally one though conceived in threefold manner.

Thus we see that different religions may perceive “oneness of reality” in different forms. Probably the broadest perspective analogous to “oneness of reality” is the Hindu perspective of the pantheistic concept of God as One Omnipotent, Infinite, and Absolute Entity. Then there is the Buddhist concept of Nibbana or Nirvana as an Omnipotent Infinite Absolute Realm. Then there is the Catholic, Anglican and some other Christian Sects that perceives “oneness of reality” in a Trinitarian terms of three persons in One God. And there is the various Monotheistic and Unitarian perspectives of Oneness of Reality, as God as being One Omnipotent, Infinite, and Absolute personal God.

Perhaps when one considers that Omnipotent, Infinite, and Absolute “Oneness of Reality” is in fact somewhat inconceivable, so whether it is a Personal Being, an Entity or a Realm, is somewhat immaterial, it could well be that the “Oneness of Reality” could simultaneously be a Personal Being with an absolute infinite consciousness, and an Absolute Infinite Realm, and at the same time an Absolute Infinite Entity. Perhaps one could gain a deeper understanding and consciousness of “oneness of reality” by opening our minds, and in a respectful loving manner try and study and meditate on the various perspectives of “oneness of reality” and try and arrive at one’s own love for and appreciation of oneness of reality.

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