Can I study Christianity and Vipassana at the same time?

Q : Today I find much happiness and thanks to you, you have enlightened us with your words. These days I practice Vipassana. I have a question - since I have started taking interest in spirituality and religion, different question arise in my mind. Why some people who do not meditate still gain heights, like Christians? Why is there so much contradiction in different religions? I will probably be going to church school to continue my further studies where I must take a course in religion, may be Christianity. Can I benefit from the praying and studying a religion like Christianity while practicing Vipassana which is a teaching of Buddha? As for Christians, they say Jesus protects you and helps you, which is opposite to what I know - that nobody can help you.
Mabin Sainju

Answer

Mabin Sainju, the truth is that the teachings of Christ, have got lost in the Vatican style of preaching. Moreover, the enlightened words of Jesus have been misinterpreted and you would be really shocked to know this that Jesus himself practiced Buddhism at one time, when he was in Kashmir. He stayed in a monastery. There are many researchers now who believe this and if you check on internet you will find that definitely. Although Christianity & the Vatican denies it totally, but there is a parallel line of those scholars & researchers who have their own proof where they say Jesus himself studied in a Buddhist monastery and when he went back to his homeland ,he used those teachings in his own way.

Which it should be, because if I am going to speak to a child then my language is going to be of that level. If I am going to speak to a scholar then my language cannot be of that style that I used for a child. Similarly, people around Christ were simple people, ordinary people - cobblers, fishermen, farmers, daily wage labourers and Jesus spoke to them. So Jesus had to dilute everything, but Christian mysticism is absolutely firmly going to speak the same language that a true enlightened person would speak, meaning that those teachings are not different from Vedanta or from Buddhism maybe.

Say for example, it is said that once Einstein went to a school and he had to explain what he knew. He had to really modify his words, his gestures, his body language so that he could relate to the kids. But that does not mean if someone saw Einstein talking to the children in the language they understood, he would think that well, Einstein is very childish himself.  He is not. Einstein is Einstein, but the methodology has to be changed as per the calibre of the audience.

So if you really have to study Christianity, I believe your choice should be about the Mystics of Christianity. Well, there you will not find any dilemma and you can easily as per my opinion, incorporate your Vipassana practice along with the study of religion Whatever differences you see in between religions are not because truth is different or God is different, but the truth is that once Masters have left the world, all those people who take up the reins - whom we call the priest or father or parish or pastor or punditji or mullah - these are the people who really corrupt everything. They begin to misinterpret things in such a way because now they are going to use words of these great enlightened Masters to their benefit, so they are not only going to misinterpret but really mess it up and that is the reason that from time to time, new Masters are needed on this Earth to explain again, to refresh, to teach in a new way and sometimes even to condemn the old ways.

As Jesus did it. Jesus is thought to be in the lineage of Moses. Let me tell you, Jesus was a born Jew and the Jews would follow the sayings of Ibrahim & Moses and what did Jesus do? He said that I have come here to refresh, to give a fresh opinion, to give a fresh light to what Moses said. There is a beautiful saying of Jesus  - “I was there even then when Ibrahim was not yet born, I was then present even when Moses was not yet born. I and my father are one.” If I see it in the light of Vedanta, then it is just a simple exposition of the MahaVakya of the Vedas, which says “I am Brahmasmi, I am God.”

So Mabin, you continue doing your Vipassana and this is indeed true that it’s not a matter of faith; no one can redeem you, you can only be your own redeemer. My logical mind and my intellect do not accept a lot of theories which are concocted about Jesus. Everyone has to work on themselves. Masters are there to show us the path. No Master can gain moksha or salvation for us. We have to search our path & we have to work on it.

Gurumaa

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