Part 10: The Tai Ji Symbol and the Oviphile Swastika, Cont.

Addressing the links between Christianity and Buddhist/Daoist Hermetic thought, Wilhelm states in his opening discussion of The Secret of the Golden Flower: "Even the mystical marriage, which plays such an important role in Christian parables, appears several times; there is also mentioned the child, the boy within ourselves (the puer aeternus, the Christ, who must be born in us and who, in another way, is the bridegroom of the soul), and the bride as well. And what is most striking of all, perhaps, even an apparently minor detail, the need of having oil in the lamps so that they can burn brightly, takes on a new and weighty psychological meaning in our text. It is worth mentioning that the expression ‘Golden Flower’ (Chin Hua), in an esoteric connection, includes the word ‘light’."

This is probably not so illuminating as Wilhelm thought. Light, divine marriage and the puer aeternus are universal features in spiritual experience.

To anyone who is familiar with Roman Catholic rites and who also is privileged to be admitted to the priesthood of China’s Southern Chan, the similarities between the two religions are nothing short of amazing. C.A.S. Williams in his Outlines of Chinese Symbolism and Art Motives has referred to the importation of Christian ideas: "Buddhism has much in common with Roman Catholic Christianity, having its purgatory, its Goddess of Mercy, and its elaborate machinery for delivering the dead from pain and misery through the good offices of the priests. Among other similarities may be mentioned celibacy, fasting, use of candles and flowers on the altar, incense, holy water, rosaries, priestly garments, worship of relics, canonization of saints, use of a dead language for the liturgy and ceremonials generally. The trinity of Buddhas, past, present, and future, is compared by some to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. The immaculate mother of Shakyamuni, whose name Maya is strikingly similar to that of Mary, the mother of Jesus, is also to be noticed, while Buddha’s temptation on Vulture Peak by Mara the Evil One, may also be contrasted with the similar temptation of our Lord. The eighteen Lohan (formerly less in number), or followers of Buddha, have also been compared with the twelve disciples of Christ..." He further suggests that the Dalai Lama’s spiritual sovereignty resembles that of the Pope. And, of course, it does.

Williams does not mention even greater similarities which include conducting rituals which follow the ancient Christian rule of first dismissing the catechumens - hence the word Missa for the Mass in many countries. In China’s Buddhist temples, for example, there is a beautiful communion service which only priests may witness. Everyone else is sent out and the temple doors are shut. Williams would have been even more impressed had he been privileged to witness this particular ritual.

The forms that rituals take are neither copyrighted nor patented. Anyone is free to adopt the emblems and liturgies of another’s religion. We have Christmas trees that have nothing whatsoever to do with Christmas. We have Easter bunnies and eggs that have a lot to do with spring’s fecundity but little or nothing to do with Christ’s resurrection as it existed independently of such renewal. Even Easter is Ishtar which is hardly a Christian name. That one civilization may readily accept the terms, symbols or holidays of another has less to do with specific cultures and more to do with universal experience - spiritual experience that quite transcends parochial custom. The underlying causes which rituals commemorate are built into the human psyche and do not need to conform to the plans and specifications of any organized priesthood. Religions are a dime a dozen, but the life of the spirit is a priceless unity.

Again, human beings need shelter; but whether that shelter is an igloo or a bamboo hut is the result of the need for shelter and not the inspiration for it. The Chinese did not need to be taught mystical secrets by the Nestorians or by anybody else. And if they adopted some foreign methodology or ritual, so what?

The regimens of spiritual exercise and meditation technique given in various texts are standard, mystical procedures. It matters little from which religion the mystic operates: he may be an Islamic Sufi, Hebrew Cabalist, Christian Contemplative, HinduYogi, Chan Buddhist, Native American shaman, or Chin Hua Daoist. (It would be nice, indeed, to learn what the ancient Basques called their mystical path. Its existence, however, may be safely assumed.) The startling fact is that the world’s mystics have more in common with each other - indeed everything - than they have with the uninitiated members of their respective religions. (But try telling that to the rank and file!)

To insist that only one school is the correct one seems always to imply that unless a person is "properly" taught how to summon God, God will not appear.

Somebody is confusing witchcraft with mysticism.

In our next chapter we’ll examine alchemy more closely, paying particular attention to the White Cloud Monastery’s famous stone rubbing which illustrates the instructive adventures of the Oxherder and the Spinning Maiden.

As an exercise, sit quietly and perform a Jungian "active imagination" technique. Mentally reconstruct a pleasant scene, invoking all of the senses. For example, recall walking at the beach. Then, mentally place yourself at the beach. Feel the sand between your toes and the ocean breeze on your face, smell the salt air, listen to the sea gulls mew, see the waves roll up onto the sand and drain away, and so on. Don’t see yourself objectively (as if in a picture) walking down the beach... but place yourself there and experience the sensations immediately... as if you were actually at the beach. Look around and carefully note what you observe as you walk along the shore.

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