I feel deeply captivated by the similarities between Advaita Vedanta (in the Hindu tradition) and mystical Christianity – basically the teachings of non-dualism in these two great religious traditions (which also exist in other religions and spiritualities). For example, Yoga means union with Divinity. The practices and ultimate goal of both Yoga and Christianity is union with God.
This morning as I was praying the Office of Readings in the Roman Catholic Liturgy of the Hours for today, I encountered a beautiful reading from a homily by St. Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335 – 394). Here is an excerpt:
“.. . [F]rom the Lord’s saying: Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God, we are to learn that blessedness does not lie in knowing something about God, but rather in possessing God within oneself.
“I do not think these words mean that God will be seen face to face by the man who purifies the eye of his soul. Their sublime import is brought out more clearly perhaps in that other saying of the Lord’s: The kingdom of God is within you. This teaches us that the man who cleanses his heart of every created thing and every evil desire will see the image of the divine nature in the beauty of his own soul. I believe the lesson summed up by the Word in that short sentence was this: You have within you a desire to behold the supreme good. Now when you are told that the majesty of God is exalted above the heavens, that his glory is inexpressible, his beauty indescribable, and his nature transcendent, do not despair because you cannot behold the object of your desire. If by a diligent life of virtue you wash away the film of dirt that covers your heart, then the divine beauty will shine forth in you.
“Take a piece of iron as an illustration. Although it might have been black before, once the rust has been scraped off with a whetstone, it will begin to shine brilliantly and to reflect the rays of the sun. So it is with the interior man, which is what the Lord means by ‘the heart.’ Once a man removes from his soul the coating of filth that has formed on it through his sinful neglect, he will regain his likeness to his Archetype, and be good. For what resembles the supreme Good is itself good. If he then looks into himself, he will see the vision he has longed for. This is the blessedness of the pure in heart: in seeing their own purity they see the divine Archetype mirrored in themselves.
“Those who look at the sun in a mirror, even if they do not look directly at the sky, see its radiance in the reflection just as truly as do those who look directly at the sun’s orb. It is the same, says the Lord, with you. Even though you are unable to contemplate and see the inaccessible light, you will find what you seek within yourself, provided you return to the beauty and grace of that image which was originally placed in you. For God is purity; . . . . Once purified, you see things that others cannot see. When the mists of sin no longer cloud the eye of your soul, you see that blessed vision clearly in the peace and purity of your own heart. That vision is nothing else than the holiness, the purity, the simplicity and all the other glorious reflections of God’s nature, through which God himself is seen.”
Christians sometimes argue whether the ultimate goal of union with God is attained through human effort or through the grace of God. The answer, as Advaita Vedanta also agrees, is BOTH. Union doesn’t happen by magic. Our various spiritual practices and disciplines are necessary to predispose us to the work of God’s grace within us. May we all attain the goal of life in this world, and share our peace and joy with the world!
Holistic Yoga & Spiritual Guidance 