Review：The baptism of the Holy Spirit (Law of Liberty)
Let's not let fear defeat our values (US values being receptive to diversity). We must support Muslim and other minority communities in the US and around the world.(Google CEO) Parallel run of the missionary work
While the tidal wave of the church movement by gentiles, who had critically absorbed Judaism, occurred in various places around the Mediterranean coast under the cultural fusion of east and west which had occurred following the east expedition of Alexander the Great, more fundamental religious reform movement also occurred in Israel and then the Jerusalem church was born integrating both movements. However, conflicts between the gentile believers and the fundamentalist group surfaced immediately and the gentile believers were forced to withdraw from Jerusalem. Therefore the gentile believers founded a new Church in Antioch and started the missionary work mainly targeting non-Jews. As a result, parallel run of the missionary work by the Jerusalem Church which was mainly targeting Jews and the Antioch Church manifested itself.
James' "Law of Liberty"
Paul, who led the Antioch Church, preached the theory, "justification by one's faith," saying "A man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law." On the other hand, James, the younger brother of Jesus, who led the Jerusalem Church, preached the theory of "practice and faith are one."
Although James the Less performed all the practices enjoined by that rule of life with rigorous exactness and won the high honor of the Righteous among the clergy in Jerusalem, he did not demand strict observance of the law to others, especially non-Jews. He raised a new concept 'Law of Liberty' conforming to the Holy Spirit, saying, "God jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us. (James 4:5)"
Peter's "Free people"
Peter, the leader of the group of former disciples of John the Baptist, also taught the believers to live as "free people (1 Peter 2:16)" who conduct themselves not based on the written low but on the Holy Spirit dwelt among them.
The things they have to keep are laws based on the Spirit in each of them and one who judges is also the Spirit in each of them. Such people are not bound by anyone from outside. Thus they are free people.
By the way, the concepts of both "Law of Liberty" and "Free people" seems to have been sourced directly from Jesus. Because the Old Testament does not have such scriptures, saying, "God jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us.(James 4:5)"
James as if he were Dogen Zenji (1200-1253), who said "Practice and enlightenment are not two but one," reveals the essence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit in a letter addressed to the Jewish believers scattered abroad, saying, "But the one who peers into the perfect law of liberty and fixes his attention there, and does not become a forgetful listener but one who lives it out—he will be blessed in what he does. (James 1:25) Speak and act as people who are going to be judged by the law of liberty. (James 2:12) You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. (James 2:24)"
Paul's "Christ is in all"
Paul also preaches in the Epistle of Paul to the Colossians; "Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge (Gnosis = Prajnaparamita) in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. (Col 3:9-11)"
Therefore, Paul, James and Peter can be said to belong to Gnosticism in a broad term because they all preached the faith based on a inner sprit of each person.
The Spirit of truth
Gnosticism also impacted the Mahayana Buddhism movement in India. Especially, the baptism of the Holy Spirit appears not only to have blossomed as the cultures of Zen Buddhism in China and Japan after being having conveyed to India by Thomas but also to have contributed to the birth of Islam.
Muhammad is said to have been convinced that he was the prophet and the Spirit of truth whom the Deuteronomy and the Gospel of John have had predicted the emergence in the chapter 18 verse 15 and the chapter 14 verse 16 respectively and founded Islam. (Quran 7:157,61:6)
Mr. Pichai's proposal
Google's India-born CEO Sundar Pichai, who had recently been picked for the top job by its founder Larry Page, last week waded into a hot-button political topic in the US of allowing Muslim immigrants into the country with an unequivocal statement that called for greater tolerance and open-mindedness.
(SEAnews 2015-12-25 ArtNo.45592)
Mr. Pichai says on the blog; "I walk around the campus where I work and see a vibrant mix of races and cultures. Every one of those people has a different voice … a different perspective … a different story to tell. All of that makes our company an exciting and special place to be, and allows us to do great things together. We are urgently working to become much more diverse, because it's so important to our future success. I firmly believe that whether you're building a company or leading a country, a diverse mix of voices and backgrounds and experiences leads to better discussions, better decisions, and better outcomes for everyone. The open-mindedness, tolerance, and acceptance of new Americans is one of the country's greatest strengths and most defining characteristics."
He also says, "That is why it's so disheartening to see the intolerant discourse playing out in the news these days—statements that our country would be a better place without the voices, ideas and the contributions of certain groups of people, based solely on where they come from, or their religion." And he calls, "Let's not let fear defeat our values. We must support Muslim and other minority communities in the US and around the world."
Mr. Pichai seems to have realized that the campus of the universities of the United States had inherited the tide of Syncretism which had brought up Christianity, Mahayana Buddhism, Islam and Zen culture following the east expedition of Alexander the Great.
Suchman (Inmo no hito)
YunJuShan HongJue Dashi (853-902), one of Zen masters in Tang Dynasty of China, said, "If you wish to attain suchness ('inmo' in Japanese, 'nenme' in Hanyu Pinyin), you should be a suchman. If you have been a suchman, why should you afraid suchness?"
Dogen Zenji (1200-1253), the founder of the Japanese Soto Zen School, in his book "Shobogenzo" explains that HongJue Dashi tentatively described the unsurpassable enlightenment as 'inmo.' According to his explanation, all things in Jinjippokai (the world of ten directions: north, south, east, west, southeast, northeast, northwest, southwest and up and down) are embodiment of the unsurpassable enlightenment. The unsurpassable enlightenment cannot be contained in Jinjippokai and is overflowing from it. We are also part of Jinjippokai. We can recognize ourselves as 'inmo' because our bodies are manifested as objects in Jinjippokai. At that time, the body is already nonego, the life also flows in time and does not stop even for a moment. A rosy youth in the morning may become crumbling bones in the evening. One's words may flow from his heart. The change of heart is the way of the world. It is impossible to keep the mind.
But one may make up his mind to abandon his habit, enter the priesthood and try to listen the things never heard and testify the truth never testified before without reason. These do not come from him but from 'inmo.' Because he is a suchman (inmo no hito).
And one can recognize himself as suchman because he wishes to attain suchness. And once one can recognize himself as suchman, you need not to afraid suchness.
There are various 'inmo.' 'ShoShiki(sound and appearance)-inmo' as the object of perception, 'ShinShin(body and heart)-inmo' as the entity of perception and 'Shobutsu(Buddhas)-inmo' which sublates host and guest, etc.
Even if there are 'inmos' which cannot measure with scales of Buddha dhatu (sphere), dharma dhatu and form dhatu, you need not afraid it, Because you are already 'inmo no hito (suchman).' Then Dogen Zenji summarized, saying, "One, who fell down on the ground, does not doubt that he fell down on the ground when he stands up with his hand on the ground." 《Shobogenzo Chapter 17: Inmo》'
Dogen Zenji also advices in his Scripture 《Fukan-zazengi (The Way of Zazen Recommended to Everyone)》, "Originally, the Way (truth) is complete and universal. You need neither practice nor testimony. The Vehicle of Reality is in the Self. Why should we waste our efforts trying to attain it. - omit - Therefore cease studying words and following letters. Learn to withdraw, turning the light inwards, illuminating the Self. (Doing so), your body and mind will drop off naturally, and original-Self will become manifest. If you wish to attain suchness, practice suchness immediately."
Chinese zen master Xiangyan, upon hearing the sound of the hitting the bamboo, instantly experienced vast enlightenment. In India, Buddha was enlightened upon seeing Lucifer while sitting under the bodhi tree and testified "Holy am I alone throughout heaven and earth. Grass, trees and the domains of all living things, all attain buddhahood." According to a legend, Buddha was enlightened upon eating yogurt given by Sujata. For Buddha, which was 'Inmo', Lucifer, a pretty girl Sujata or yogurt? It is left to your imagination.
＜To be continued.＞What is "Baptism with The Holy Spirit"?
According to the dialectic of the Gospel of John,
【Thesis】"A man can possess eternal life through accepting testimony of the Son of man and being baptized by him." (John 5:24)
【Anti-thesis】But "The one who comes from the earth cannot accept the testimony by one from heaven."(John 3:32)
How then can a man possess eternal life?
【Synthesis】"If you want to be baptized with the Holy Spirit, you can just go back to the word which was with God in the beginning (John 1:1) and certify that God is truthful. (John 3:33)"
When he said, "You are Huichao," Zen Master Fayan thrusted vivid Self in Huichao in front of his eyes. (P.171)
Purchase here[Reference] 7:157. Those who follow the Messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor write (i.e.Muhammad ) whom they find written with them in the Taurat (Torah) (Deut, xviii, 15) and the Injeel (Gospel) (John xiv, 16) , - he commands them for Al-Ma'ruf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam has ordained); and forbids them from Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism of all kinds, and all that Islam has forbidden); he allows them as lawful At-Taiyibat [(i.e. all good and lawful) as regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons, foods, etc.], and prohibits them as unlawful Al-Khaba'ith (i.e. all evil and unlawful as regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons, foods, etc.), he releases them from their heavy burdens (of Allah's Covenant), and from the fetters (bindings) that were upon them. So those who believe in him (Muhammad ), honour him, help him, and follow the light (the Qur'an) which has been sent down with him, it is they who will be successful .
61:6. And (remember) when 'Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), said: "O Children of Israel! I am the Messenger of Allah unto you confirming the Taurat [(Torah) which came] before me, and giving glad tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmed . But when he (Ahmed i.e. Muhammad ) came to them with clear proofs, they said: "This is plain magic."
Let's not let fear defeat our valuesGoogle CEO Rebukes Donald Trump's Anti-Muslim Comments, But Doesn't Name Him谷歌CEO皮查伊撰文挺穆斯林：不要让恐惧战胜我们的价值观正法眼蔵第十七恁麼(いんも)正法眼藏(第十七)恁么之，(第二十六)佛向上事云居道膺禅师曹洞宗云居道膺禅师香嚴智閑XiangyanZhixian(?-898) Your Comments / Unsubscribe
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