A Wisdom Archive on Oneness

Oneness - The Golden Rule

	"Hurt not others with that which pains yourself." (From the Udanavarga 5.18)
Buddhism
	�In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.� (Matthew 7:12 - NRSV)
Christianity
	"Do naught to others which if done to thee would cause thee pain." (From the Mahabharata 5.1517)
Hinduism
	�No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself.� (Sunnab)
Islam
	�In happiness and suffering, in joy and grief, we should regard all creatures as we regard our own self.� (Lord Mahavir 24th Tirthankara)
Jainism
	�What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow human beings. That is the law; all the rest is commentary.� ( Talmud, Shabbat 3 l a)
Judaism
	"Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. (Chief Seattle)
Native Spiritual Traditions
	"Be Charitable to all beings, love is the representation of god." (KO-JI-KI Hachiman Kasuga)
Shintoism
	"Don�t create enmity with anyone as God is within everyone." (Guru Arjan Devji 259. Guru Granth Sahib)
Sikhism
	"Regard your neighbor's gain as your own gain; and regard your neighbor's loss as your own loss." (Tai Shang Kan Ying P'ien)

Courtesy to: We Are one, http://www.fashionsforpeace.com

Oneness Temple Dance

Global Oneness Community

Introduction and links to related topics

Below are some short introductions. Click on the blue hyperlinked word to get more related articles.


Oneness - Quality or state of being one. Unity, identity, especially in spite of appearances to the contrary - e.g., the oneness of soul and God.
See: monism.

Oneness Pentecostalism - A schism that emerged from the mainstream Pentecostal movement during the years 1914–1916. Unlike traditional Pentecostals, “Oneness” followers maintain view similar to Monarchianism. In addition, most Oneness Pentecostal organizations also teach that speaking in tongues, baptism, and maintaining various moral “standards” are necessary for salvation.

Hologram - A three-dimensional projection resulting from the interaction of laser beams. Scientists have discovered that the image of an entire hologram can be reproduced from any one of its many component parts. New Agers use this to illustrate the oneness of all reality.

Consciousness Revolution - New Age advocates call for a "consciousness revolution" a new way of looking at and experiencing life. The primary focus of the new consciousness is oneness with God, all mankind, the earth, and with the entire universe.

Evolution Of The Soul - Adhyatma prasara.

In Saiva Siddhanta, the soul''s evolution is a progressive unfoldment, growth and maturing toward its inherent, divine destiny, which is complete merger with Siva. In its essence, each soul is ever perfect. But as an individual soul body emanated by God Siva, it is like a small seed yet to develop. As an acorn needs to be planted in the dark underground to grow into a mighty oak tree, so must the soul unfold out of the darkness of the malas to full maturity and realization of its innate oneness with God.

The soul is not created at the moment of conception of a physical body. Rather, it is created in the Sivaloka. It evolves by taking on denser and denser sheaths-cognitive, instinctive-intellectual and pranic-until finally it takes birth in physical form in the Bhuloka. Then it experiences many lives, maturing through the reincarnation process. Thus, from birth to birth, souls learn and mature. Evolution is the result of experience and the lessons derived from it. There are young souls just beginning to evolve, and old souls nearing the end of their earthly sojourn. In Saiva Siddhanta, evolution is understood as the removal of fetters which comes as a natural unfoldment, realization and expression of one''s true, self-effulgent nature. This ripening or dropping away of the soul''s bonds (mala) is called malaparipaka.

The realization of the soul nature is termed svanubhuti (experience of the Self). Self Realization leads to moksha, liberation from the three malas and the reincarnation cycles. Then evolution continues in the celestial worlds until the soul finally merges fully and indistinguishably into Supreme God Siva, the Primal Soul, Parameshvara. In his Tirumantiram, Rishi Tirumular calls this merger vishvagrasa, "total absorption. The evolution of the soul is not a linear progression, but an intricate, circular, many-faceted mystery. Nor is it at all encompassed in the Darwinian theory of evolution, which explains the origins of the human form as descended from earlier primates.
See: Darwin''s theory, mala, moksha, reincarnation, samsara, vishvagrasa.

Vedanta - (Sanskrit) "Ultimate wisdom" or "final conclusions of the Vedas."

Vedanta is the system of thought embodied in the Upanishads (ca 1500-600 bce), which give forth the ultimate conclusions of the Vedas. Through history there developed numerous Vedanta schools, ranging from pure dualism to absolute monism.

The first and original school is Advaita Ishvaravada, "monistic theism" or panentheism, exemplified in the Vedanta-Siddhanta of Rishi Tirumular (ca 250 bce) of the Nandinatha Sampradaya in his Tirumantiram, which is a perfect summation of both the Vedas and the Agamas. This is a dipolar reconciliation of monism and dualism which, as philosopher-statesman Dr. S. Radhakrishnan (18881975) declared, best depicts the philosophy of the Upanishads.

After about 700 ce, many other schools developed, each establishing itself through written commentaries on the major Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita and the Brahma Sutras. The latter text, by Badarayana (ca 400 bce), is the earliest known systematization of Vedanta, but its extremely terse aphorisms are philosophically illusive without commentary.

During the "scholastic era" (700-1700), three main variations of the original Vedanta were developed:
Advaita Vedanta, or pure nondualism, exemplified by Shankara (788-820);
Vishishtadvaita Vedanta, or qualified nondualism, most fully expressed by Ramanuja (1017-1137); and
Dvaita Vedanta, expounded by Madhva (1197-1278).

Panentheism is embodied in those qualified nondual Vedanta schools that accept the ultimate identity of the soul and God. Examples are the Vishishtadvaita of Bhaskara (ca 950), the Shuddha Advaita, "pure nondualism," of Vallabha (ca 1475-1530) and, to a lesser degree, the Vishishtadvaita of Ramanuja.

In summary: Madhva, the dualist, conceives Brahman to be the Personal God. In his philosophy, the universe, souls and God are all separate from one another and real. Ramanuja, the qualified nondualist, also conceives Brahman to be the Personal God. In his philosophy, God must not be considered apart from the world and souls, for the three together form a one whole. The world and souls are real as the body of God, and the individual soul feels himself to be part of God. Shankara, the strict advaitist, conceives Brahman to be the Impersonal God, the Absolute. Shankara does not deny the existence of the Personal God, known as Ishvara, but declares Ishvara to be equally as unreal as the universe and the individuality of the soul. In truth, the only Reality is the Absolute, and man is that Absolute. To Rishi Tirumular, the panentheist, there is an eternal oneness of God and man at the level of their inner Being, but a difference is acknowledged during the evolution of the soul. Ultimately even this difference merges in identity. Thus, there is perfectly beginningless oneness and a temporary difference which resolves itself in perfect identity.

Vedanta is one of the six classical philosophies (shad darshanas) along with Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Sankhya, Yoga and Mimamsa. Vedanta is also called Uttara Mimamsa, "upper or later examination," as distinguished from Purva Mimamsa, which concerned itself solely with the earlier portions of the Veda. Other important schools of Vedanta include the Dvaitadvaita, "dual-nondualism,"of Nimbarka (ca 1150), and the Achintya Bhedabheda, "unthinkable difference-nondifference," of Chaitanya (14851534).
See: acosmic pantheism, Advaita Isvaravada, dvaita-advaita, monistic theism, Madhva, panentheism, Ramanuja, Tirumantiram, Vallabha.

Non-duality Of Delusion And Enlightenment - (Jpn.: meigo-funi or meigo-ittai) See: oneness of delusion and enlightenment

Samadhi - The state of superconsciousness where Absoluteness is experienced attended with all-knowledge and joy. Oneness.

Liberation - Freedom from the cycle of birth and death; the state of realization of oneness with the Absolute.