unity, of the merging of realities. In this thinking the ultimate reality is one where the self is an illusion. This touches a nerve. It is natural for us to cling to this separate identity we have. We treasure it, fight for it, are devastated when it is insulted, and so we protect that precious little drop within ourselves that is our own unique identity. This is an illusion, so it’s best to recognize that and let go, and accept the fact that we are part of a greater unity, according to these religions. This renunciation is something that opens doors to new spiritual strength which streams from the essential knowledge of yourself. You are now part of all of the grandeur of the universe and carry the essence of all of it within you.
“Thou art dust.” This phrase in the painting is a reference to the symbolism that clay has in Christianity. This shows how the two religious traditions are different. Hinduism is a religion of unity, and Christianity is a religion of distinction. In the Book of Genesis, God is depicted as a man’s creator, and he made the man’s body out of clay. Clay is the most common substance, and we are to remember that our bodies are mere commonplace envelopes for that drop of essential identity that is the self. On Ash Wednesday the priest says, “Remember, man, that thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return.” He is saying that humility is called for; you are not God.
From there it follows that the essential nature of your identity that you cherish and protect is precious and eternal, and that is why you cherish and protect it, according to Christianity. The ultimate identity is that of God; you can’t be more spiritually advanced than God, who Christians believe is a unity of three persons. Each person’s identity is eternal, and cannot be destroyed, we need not fear for it. So when we are insulted, killed, abandoned, or regarded as irrelevant, we find that this violence never deals a fatal or even partial blow to that which is most precious within us. This can make us fearless as we go through life, and we can make any sacrifice or bear any burden without worry for our ultimate identity.
Another look at the nature of the Trinity reveals the fact that all three exist for the love and benefit for the others. When one loves, there are two loves that come back. As a result, our worship is not an effort to prop up a divine ego; it is participation in the very life of God. It means that I can say a prayer:
O God, You are perfect, and I love you!
When that happens the Persons that are God stop to look. Everyone else participating in the life of God does the same. Millions of beings beyond our imagination, angels, and saints stop and look at me. Then each one replies:
Roberta you are lovable, and I love you perfectly.
This is the Christian’s notion of eternity. In this central tenet of the Christian faith, your self is thus cherished by countless millions, just because of who you are. You are not lost as an insignificant person on an insignificant planet on the edge of one of millions of galaxies, and possibly part of an insignificant universe. By this principle it is actually better that the reality in which we find ourselves is so great and growing. Ultimately those we think insignificant become pillars of the universe. This belief states that we matter to it all, and we are appropriately cherished.
Clay Pots
This small painting is about clay as a symbol in Hinduism and Christianity. Toward the bottom of the painting you find the name Shvetaketu. This is a reference to Hindu thought, and the story about Shvetaketu is found in the Chandogya Upanishad. Shvetaketu was a young man who came home after years of study, and had become arrogant because of all he had learned. So his father, Aruni, asked him what he learned about the principle of substitution. When his son said that he didn’t know what he was talking about, Aruni began to explain that everything made of clay is clay—bricks, pottery, sculpture—all of it is clay. Then he said:
The bees, my dear son, prepare honey by gathering the nectar of different trees and reducing that nectar to a unity. So that the nectar from each different tree is not able to differentiate: “I am the nectar of this tree” and “I am the nectar of that tree.” In exactly the same way, my son, when all creatures merge into reality, they are not aware that “we are merging into reality.” No matter what they are in this world—whether they are a tiger, a lion, a wolf, a boar, a worm, a moth, a gnat, or a mosquito—they all merge into that reality. That finest essence here is the self of the whole world. That is reality; that is the self. And that art thou, Shvetaketu.
So here we have a story that shows us that Hinduism, like several far eastern religions, is one of monism—the characteristic principle is one of
Text © 2008 Roberta Morgan, all rights reserved Image © 2005 Roberta Morgan, all rights reserved
On Clay Pots