Seeing (?) Advaita in 'The Secret Gospel of Thomas'

[Guest guest]

Namaste

 

I was recently reading “Beyond Belief – The Secret Gospel

of Thomas” by Elaine Pagels (Vintage Books, New York,

2004). The author who is a renowned religion scholar, a

Ph.D. from Harvard, argues for a relook at these early

texts like the Secret Gospel of Thomas for the ‘recognition

of the light within us all’. The Gospel of Thomas contains

sayings that apparently ‘derive from a tradition different

from that of the synoptic gospels’ (those of Mark, Mathew

and Luke). Though the Gospels of John and Thomas give

similar accounts of what Jesus taught privately, they take

Jesus’ private teaching in ‘sharply different directions’.

Let me use Pagels’ own words to describe in a nutshell the

purpose and content of the book:

 

Quote:(pp.40-41)

 

For John, identifying Jesus with the light that came into

being “in the beginning” is what makes him unique. ... John

calls him the “light of all humanity” and believes that

Jesus alone brings divine light to a world otherwise sunk

into darkness. John says that we can experience God only

through the divine light embodied in Jesus. But certain

passages in Thomas’ Gospel draw a quite different

conclusion: that the divine light Jesus embodied is shared

by humanity, since we are all made “in the image of God”.

Thus Thomas expresses what would become a central theme of

Jewish – and later Christian – mysticism a thousand years

later: that the image of God is hidden within every one,

although most people remain unaware of its presence.

 

What might have been complementary interpretations of God’s

presence on earth became, instead, rival ones, for by

claiming that Jesus alone embodies the divine light, John

challenges Thomas’ claim that the light may be present in

every one. John’s view of course prevailed and have shaped

Christian thought ever since. For after John’s teaching was

collected along with three other Gospels into the New

Testament, his view of Jesus came to dominate and even to

define what we mean by Christian teaching. Some Christians

who championed the four-fold Gospel of the New Testament

denounced the kind of teaching found in the Gospel of

Thomas and called upon believers to cast out such teaching

as heresy. How this happened, and what it means for the

Christian tradition, is what this work will explore.

 

Unquote.

 

 

It is interesting to note the following

Advaita-Vedanta-like statements in the Gospel of Thomas:

 

1. I am the light that is over all things. I am all. From

me all came forth and to me all extends. Split a piece of

wood, and I am there. Lift up the stone and you will find

me there.

2. I am the one who comes from what is undivided. I was

granted from the things of my Father. For this reason I

say, whoever is [undivided] will be full of light, but

whoever is divided will be full of darkness.

3. Two will recline on a couch; one will die, one will

live.

4. When you strip off your clothes without being ashamed,

and you take your clothes and put them under your feet like

little children and trample them, then you will see the son

of the living one and you will not be afraid.

5. If you do not fast from the world, you will not find the

Kingdom.

 

PraNAms to all seekers of Truth.

Profvk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prof. V. Krishnamurthy

 

Latest on my website: Shrimad Bhagavatam and advaita bhakti. Introduction.

Chatushloki Bhagavatam. Vidura and Maitreya. Kapila Gita.

Dhruva charitam. JaDabharata, Ajamila Stories. Prahlada Charitram.

 

http://www.geocities.com/profvk/VK2/Bhagavatam_Introduction.html

 

and succeeding pages.

[Guest guest]

Namaste Prof. Krishnamurthyji.

 

Thanks for your comparative analysis of the two distinctly disparate

lines of Christian thinking. It is a grand case of 'Jesus

nationalized' vs. 'Jesus universalized'. Adherents to the former

live in fear of others - an unwarranted xenophobia. The latter has

no place for fear and is, therefore, much acceptable to Advaitins.

It is a pity that the universalized Jesus has few takers.

 

Your analysis complements Adi Ma who wrote here about Advaitin's

fearlessness and Sankarramanji who wisely quoted Sartre:

 

""Jean-Paul-Sartre says somewhere; "The other is a hell". The

Advaitin has no other.""

 

PraNAms.

 

Madathil Nair

______________________

 

advaitin, "V. Krishnamurthy" <profvk>

wrote:

>

> I was recently reading "Beyond Belief – The Secret Gospel

> of Thomas" by Elaine Pagels (Vintage Books, New York,

> 2004). The author who is a renowned religion scholar, a

> Ph.D. from Harvard, argues for a relook at these early

> texts like the Secret Gospel of Thomas for the `recognition

> of the light within us all'. ............

[Guest guest]

Professor-ji !

 

Thank you so much for sharing this 'wisdom' with all of us. For some

odd reason, i always liked the gospel of Thomas ( although he was

called the 'doubting' THOMAS )! What caught my immediate attention

was your drawing a parallel between the teachings found in the Gospel

of Thomas and the Advaitha philosophy! A valiant effort!

 

i SPECIALLY LIKED THIS 'ONE'

 

(I am the light that is over all things. I am all. From

me all came forth and to me all extends. Split a piece of

wood, and I am there. Lift up the stone and you will find

me there.)

 

Reminds one of the following verses from the Srimad Bhagwat Gita

I am Sapidity (Taste - Rasa) in the Water,

 

I am Light in the sun and the moon,

 

I am OM, the root of spoken words and all world languages, from which

Veda (knowledge) arises.

 

I am Sound in the Space,

 

I am Virility in a men,

 

I am Sweetness and Fragrance in the soil,

 

I am Brilliance in the fire,

 

I am Life Spark (Jiva-Chetna) in all beings,

 

I am Austerity in austere,

 

I am Seed in all species and living beings, (sperm and ovum in male

and female),

 

I am Splendor in the splendid (beautiful) things and beings,

 

I am Strength in strong, who are free from attachments and Ego

centric desires,

 

I am Desires and Ambitions (Kama) consistent with moral codes of

religions. (Verses 8 to 11- CHAPTER 7- BG )!

 

AND RIGHT NOW , OUR RESPECTED SRI RAM-JI is elaborasting in greater

detail all the vibhutis ( glories) of Sri Krisna Paramatma from

chapter ten where 75 such vibhutis ( in different objects,

locations ) are listed!

 

wow ! the invisible God seen in visible objects ! SUCH IS SsRI

KRISHNA'S OMNIPRESENCE! as nARASIMHA avatar , he even appeared in a

pillar ! AUM SRI LAKSHMI-NARASIMHAYE NAMAHA !

 

oN ANOTHER NOTE, It gives me great pleasure to share somewhat a

similar 'idea' presented in my group 'sadhana_ shakti' - ABOUT the

similarities between eastern Mysticism and CHRISTIAN thought! ( after

all, both Krishna and christ have the same root word - "kri" which

means to 'do' - Lord is the door , we are mere instruments! )

 

HERE IS AN EXCERPT FROM THAT POST THAT APPEARED IN GROUP

SADHANA_SHAKTI :

 

This valuable member wrote:

 

Here are some quotes from a book called The Hidden Gospel by Neil

Douglas-Klotz, a Sufi who has researched the original Aramaic text

of Jesus' sayings and put together this book.

 

1) The "I am" leads us to the right experiences at the right time and

place.

 

("I am the good shepherd," King James Version of the Bible at

John 10:11)

 

2) Simple Presence is the food of understanding, giving life to all.

( "I am the bread of life," KJV, John 6:35)

 

3) The "I am" gives knowledge of all levels of sensation and

existence.

 

( "I am the light of the world," KJV, John 8:12)

 

4) Simple Presence is the door between all worlds.

("I am the door," KJV, John 10:9)

 

The author makes the point that the phrase "I am" does not

necessarily refer exclusively to the person of Jesus, and that the

Aramaic sense of the words allows for interpreting them as above,

whereas the "traditional" or orthodox way of interpreting them

(KJV) makes Jesus the "only way."

 

*********************************************************************~

There were some 'positive' comments in response to this post!

 

Here is what Beloved Ben-ji responded in his 'inimitable' style :

 

"As the great Ramana Maharshi said, the

famous 'I AM' spoken by God in the Old

Testament is the best definition of God.

Here are Ramana's words, from Talks

with Ramana, 29th November, 1935:

 

"M: The Self is known to everyone but not

clearly. You always exist. The Be-ing is the

Self. 'I am' is the name of God. Of all the

definitions of God, none is indeed so well

put as the Biblical statement 'I AM THAT I AM'

in EXODUS (Chap. 3). There are other

statements, such as Brahmaivaham, Aham

Brahmasmi and Soham. But none is so direct

as the name JEHOVAH = I AM The Absolute

Being is what is – It is the Self. It is God.

Knowing the Self, God is known. In fact God

is none other than the Self."

 

Thus spake Ramana. It is entirely possible

that in Aramaic, the other 'I am's of Jesus

had the original I AM in mind. Jesus was

very mindful of his roots!

 

And as Ramana says, the 'I AM', understood

correctly, is the essence of Advaita."

 

**********************************************************************

Here is another response from a knowledgeble member

 

"As for the specific phrase "I am," Philip K. Dick wrote three novels

toward the end of his life, when he had gone stark raving mad. His

madness opened a fresh burst of artistic creativity. One of these

novels was The Transmigration of Timothy Archer, a thinly veiled

roman à clef basedon the true story of the death of Bishop Pike in

the desert in Israel. According to Dick, the bishop died searching

for a mushroom that caused Jesus to realize his divinity. If he could

have found it, he believed it would unlock the real secret of

Christ's religion and allow everyone to realize Christhood, or

something like that. The mushroom's name was "anoki" which means 'I'

or 'I am' in Hebrew. However, reading about "anoki mushroom," all I

could think of was those tender little white Japanese mushrooms

called enoki."

 

 

**********************************************************************

 

Well, it is a fascinating subject , is it not ? TO find the etymology

of every word ( something that our beloved Ken Knight taught us so

effectively ! ) and then the common thread uniting all Faiths!

 

One last point :

 

Matthew 17:19-20 "Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and

said, 'Why could we not cast it out?' He said to them, 'Because of

your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size

of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to

there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you."

 

and compare the above to the this

 

Mookam karoti vaachaalam

Pangum langhayatey girim

Yatkripaa tamaham vandey

Paramaananda Maadhavam

 

Which means:

 

I salute that Madhava,

the source of Supreme Bliss,

whose Grace makes the dumb man eloquent

and the cripple cross mountains

 

YES! dear-hearts! it is all about'Shradda' ( sincerity )

 

Shraddavan Labhate Jnanam !

 

One who is sincere BECOMES knowledgeble!

 

Love and light

[Guest guest]

Dear Sri Nairji,

 

advaitin, "Madathil Rajendran Nair"

<madathilnair> wrote:

 

> Thanks for your comparative analysis of the two distinctly

> disparate lines of Christian thinking. It is a grand case

> of 'Jesus nationalized' vs. 'Jesus universalized'. Adherents

> to the former live in fear of others - an unwarranted

> xenophobia. The latter has no place for fear and is,

> therefore, much acceptable to Advaitins.

> It is a pity that the universalized Jesus has few takers.

 

 

I am prompted to add here a few words to yours...

 

In the year 1945, many hidden scrolls were discovered in the caves

around the Dead Sea. These scrolls are today called the Dead Sea

scrolls. They contain the teachings of the Essenes. In them may be

found many things that Jesus said, and these sayings go beyond the

teachings of the Church. The Essene Gospels have much that is common

with the tenets of Hinduism.

 

In the year 1947, many hidden scrolls were discovered beneath the

ground in a village called Nag Hammadi in Egypt. These scrolls are

today called the Nag Hammadi Library. They are also called the Coptic

Scripts. They contain the teachings of the Gnostics. Many scrolls

contain the teachings of Jesus Christ. Many of them contain teachings

similar to Vedanta and the Tantras. The Gospel of Thomas belongs is

one such and it belongs to the Nag Hammadi Library.

 

The Gnostics were part of the religion of Christ, and indeed there

was at least one Pope during the early period of Christianity who was

known to be a Gnostic. But the Gnostics were later persecuted by the

Church and driven away from the fold of the Church. Some of the

teachings of Jesus contained in the Gnostics scrolls were declared as

apocryphal scripts and they were excluded from the 'official' Bible

of the Christians.

 

The religion of Christ was a religion of renunciation. Like Buddhism,

it was not for the householder. It was for him or her that wanted God

and not mammon. It was certainly not a religion that had a place for

a Church to preside over the lives of men and women living in towns

and cities. It was the Church that gave to the religion of Christ a

secular twist through the Ecumenical Councils that sat down to decide

what the 'official' religion of Christ should be. The religion of

Christ was a religion of the heart. It breathed in the fields and in

the solitude of spirit. The religion of the Church, on the other

hand, became a religion of the cities. The Church thought that it was

giving to the people a second epiphany after the first that was given

by Jesus himself. Thus there came into being the religion of the

Church. The religion of Jesus continues to breathe wherever there

live the pure of spirit.

 

Warm regards,

Chittaranjan

[Guest guest]

Well, Adiji, it looks like you were taking notes.

I'm glad you cared enough to go to the trouble.

I took notes too. I have a whole folder on you.

 

Ben-ji

 

 

advaitin, "adi_shakthi16" <adi_shakthi16> wrote:

> Here is what Beloved Ben-ji responded in his 'inimitable' style :

>

> "As the great Ramana Maharshi said, the

> famous 'I AM' spoken by God in the Old

> Testament is the best definition of God.

> Here are Ramana's words, from Talks

> with Ramana, 29th November, 1935:

>

> "M: The Self is known to everyone but not

> clearly. You always exist. The Be-ing is the

> Self. 'I am' is the name of God. Of all the

> definitions of God, none is indeed so well

> put as the Biblical statement 'I AM THAT I AM'

> in EXODUS (Chap. 3). There are other

> statements, such as Brahmaivaham, Aham

> Brahmasmi and Soham. But none is so direct

> as the name JEHOVAH = I AM The Absolute

> Being is what is – It is the Self. It is God.

> Knowing the Self, God is known. In fact God

> is none other than the Self."

>

> Thus spake Ramana. It is entirely possible

> that in Aramaic, the other 'I am's of Jesus

> had the original I AM in mind. Jesus was

> very mindful of his roots!

>

> And as Ramana says, the 'I AM', understood

> correctly, is the essence of Advaita."

>

> **********************************************************************

[Guest guest]

advaitin, "V. Krishnamurthy" <profvk>

wrote:

>

> Namaste

>

> I was recently reading "Beyond Belief – The Secret Gospel

> of Thomas" by Elaine Pagels (Vintage Books, New York,

> 2004). The author who is a renowned religion scholar, a

> Ph.D. from Harvard, argues for a relook at these early

> texts like the Secret Gospel of Thomas for the `recognition

> of the light within us all'. The Gospel of Thomas contains

> sayings that apparently `derive from a tradition different

> from that of the synoptic gospels' (those of Mark, Mathew

 

Namaste,

 

I have written a commentary on this gospel at this site.

 

http://www.geocities.com/aoclery/Jesusbook/Thomasgospel.htm

 

I hope you will appreciate it.....ONS...Tony.

[Guest guest]

advaitin, "Tony OClery" <aoclery> wrote:

>

> advaitin, "V. Krishnamurthy" <profvk>

> wrote:

> >

> > Namaste

> >

> > I was recently reading "Beyond Belief – The Secret Gospel

> > of Thomas" by Elaine Pagels (Vintage Books, New York,

> > 2004). The author who is a renowned religion scholar, a

> > Ph.D. from Harvard, argues for a relook at these early

> > texts like the Secret Gospel of Thomas for the `recognition

> > of the light within us all'. The Gospel of Thomas contains

> > sayings that apparently `derive from a tradition different

> > from that of the synoptic gospels' (those of Mark, Mathew

>

> Namaste,

>

> I have written a commentary on this gospel at this site.

>

> http://www.geocities.com/aoclery/Jesusbook/Thomasgospel.htm

>

> I hope you will appreciate it.....ONS...Tony.

 

Namaste, Tony-ji

 

I just browsed through your site on the Gospel of Thomas. It is

wonderful. I shall keep reading it more and more in detail. In the

meantime I recommend it to all the members of this list for their

reading. Your purports are illuminating and refreshing from an

advaitin's point of view. Thanks for bringing it to my notice.

 

PraNAms to all seekersd of Truth.

profvk.

>

[Guest guest]

advaitin, "V. Krishnamurthy" <profvk>

wrote:

>

> >

> > Namaste,

> >

> > I have written a commentary on this gospel at this site.

> >

> > http://www.geocities.com/aoclery/Jesusbook/Thomasgospel.htm

> >

> > I hope you will appreciate it.....ONS...Tony.

>

> Namaste, Tony-ji

>

> I just browsed through your site on the Gospel of Thomas. It is

> wonderful. I shall keep reading it more and more in detail. In

the

> meantime I recommend it to all the members of this list for their

> reading. Your purports are illuminating and refreshing from an

> advaitin's point of view. Thanks for bringing it to my notice.

>

> PraNAms to all seekersd of Truth.

> profvk.

 

Namaste profvk-ji,

 

Thank you I have attempted Mathew to some extent as well, in the

same jesusbook but it doesn't lend itself to advaita as much as

Thomas does..........ONS...Tony