Dear friends, let me just answer to some of your points:
On the issue of Christ being the only way: That is not my "true believer's" idea, but it is what Christ is teaching. It is not matter of "my way" or "your way", it is a matter of God's way or man's way. Man's way does not work, never, no matter what it is. The gulf between God and man is so great that only God can bridge it. And He did. Christ not only said that He is the way the truth and the life (He "is", not He "knows"), He was also very outspoken about others making such claims. He said they were thieves and robbers. He also said that unless I partake of His nature, I have no life in myself, that without Him I can do nothing, and so on. He said that He came to save the world, not to condemn it. He implored people to come to Him, and allow Him to carry their burdens. But He also said that in the end He would judge everyone. Very clear words, they leave no doubt about what He was talking about; that is if you care to read them. Now did He really say all this? This question actually came up immediately after His resurrection and final ascent, as certain people were trying to muddy the waters. Peter and John address it in their apostolic letters to the churches, and make a strong point that they were eye witnesses of all that happened, and of what He said. They also fully support and authenticate the teachings of Paul, who received direct revelation from Christ. Now Peter and John certainly understood what Jesus was saying, and they rendered it in Koine Greek, in the gospels and in their letters. Koine Greek was the commonly shared language of the time, very much as English is today, so the translation of these scriptures is fairly well established. Recent discoveries of Greek manuscripts from that period confirm that the Greek words in the Bible were used in their commonly accepted meanings. Sparaig made the point how could a simple natural relaxation technique prevent me from receiving from God. Well, obviously it couldn't. But TM is not a simple natural relaxation technique, far from it. The TM mantras are seed mantras (bhijas) which establish a connection between the presiding spirit and the practitioner. That is not superstition, but it is the spiritual reality. TM is based on the release of spiritual power. If it would be just matter of keeping the mind restful and alert, why the instruction to come immediately back to the mantra, once there is awareness of no mantra no thought? Why then is it so important to select the mantra carefully? Why do these supposedly "meaningless" words have such powerful influence? No, let us realize that what Maharishi is bringing out now is much closer to the truth than what is taught in the intro lecture. Don't we all know that the true content of the teaching is spoonfed, one little bit after the other, until you have embraced spiritual concepts and practices that you would have never entered into before. If you want to embrace them, fine. Make your choice in freedom. But don't deceive yourself into thinking that the ideas you are basing your eternal destiny on are self-evident, or that they are compatible with the teachings of Christ. Sincerely Kai ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/JjtolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
