Supreme being, creator deity, and principal object of faith in monotheism
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This talk is from an event sponsored by the Hindu Council of Australia in cooperation with the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga.The question was whether there is a distinction between Dharma and Sanatana Dharma? Acharya das explained that while Dharma has conventional definitions including customary religious observance, prescribed conduct, duty, religion, and good works, it has a deeper meaning as an intrinsic characteristic that makes something what it is - something that cannot be removed without changing the fundamental nature of that thing. He provided examples of heat and light being the dharma of fire, sweetness being the dharma of sugar, and liquidity being the dharma of water.Sanatana as meaning eternal, perpetual, permanent, everlasting, and primeval, distinguishing Sanatana Dharma from conventional religion by explaining that it deals with the eternal nature of the living being or spirit soul (atma). Acharya das distinguished Sanatana Dharma as dealing with the eternal nature of the living being or soul (atma), referencing Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada's teachings that Sanatana Dharma refers to activities that cannot be changed and represents the eternal function of living entities in relationship with the Supreme Lord. The lecturer addressed the apparent contradiction in the Bhagavad Gita where Krishna instructs Arjuna to abandon all varieties of dharma and surrender unto Him, explaining that this refers to abandoning temporary religious duties to embrace one's eternal spiritual nature. Acharya das proposed that true self-realization requires understanding the three aspects of the self/soul: one's essence (being Brahman while maintaining distinction from Paramatma), one's position (equal to all living beings but subservient to the Supreme Being), and one's natural function (to love and to serve.) He concluded that bhakti - rendering eternal loving service to the Lord - is the natural function of the living being and the true definition of Sanatana Dharma. Quotes used in the talk:Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear. - Bhagavad-gītā 18.66Pure love for Kṛṣṇa is eternally established in the hearts of the living entities. It is not something to be gained from another source. When the heart is purified by hearing and chanting, this love naturally awakens. - Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 22.107 By chanting the holy name of the Lord, one dissolves his entanglement in material activities. After this, one becomes very attracted to Krishna, and thus dormant love for Krishna is awakened. - Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.109 Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction to Dharma vs Sanatana Dharma 00:05:50 Deeper Understanding of Dharma 00:06:28 Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada's Teachings on Sanatana Dharma 00:08:31 The Bhagavad Gita's Apparent Contradiction 00:12:17 Arjuna's Dilemma and Krishna's First Instruction 00:15:35 The Nature of the Eternal Soul 00:17:48 Varieties of Dharma in the Bhagavad Gita 00:22:06 The Temporary Nature of Vanashram Dharma 00:25:31 Self-Realization and the Three Essential Questions 00:29:46 The Position and Relationship of the Soul 00:31:09 The Natural Function and Characteristics of the Soul 00:35:10 Service as the Soul's Natural Expression 00:38:27 Bhakti as Sanatana Dharma 00:41:10 The Awakening of Dormant Love 00:43:22 Free Will and Universal Brotherhood 00:46:04 Conclusion and the Power of Chanting
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Welcome to Day 2851 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theosis and Its Counterfeit: How Hermeticism, Gnosticism, and Their Heirs Distorted Deification. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2851 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2851 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Our current series of Theology Thursday lessons is written by theologian and teacher John Daniels. I have found that his lessons are short, easy to understand, doctrinally sound, and applicable to all who desire to learn more of God's Word. John's lessons can be found on his website theologyinfive.com. Today's lesson is titled: Theosis and Its Counterfeit: How Hermeticism, Gnosticism, and Their Heirs Distorted Deification. The Eastern Orthodox Church preserves one of the most profound teachings of Christianity: theosis, or deification. This doctrine is not about erasing the line between Creator and creation but about God drawing humanity into His own life. Through Christ's incarnation, death, and resurrection, believers become partakers of the divine nature, not by nature but by grace. Athanasius expressed it clearly: “God became man so that man might become god.” By this, the Fathers never meant that humanity becomes equal to Yahweh in essence. Rather, theosis means that through grace we are healed, restored, and glorified in Christ, sharing in His life while always remaining His creatures. The Counterfeit in Eden The serpent in Eden also offered a form of deification. His words, “You will be like gods,” suggested that humanity could seize by rebellion what God intended to give through communion. The Eastern Orthodox vision of theosis fulfills God's purpose, while the serpent's promise distorts it. Throughout history, this distortion has reappeared in many guises, most notably in Hermeticism and Gnosticism. Echoes of Antediluvian Rebellion Many occult systems, whether ancient mystery religions or modern esoteric revivals, could have drawn their perceived legitimacy from the idea that they recover lost knowledge from before the Flood. Traditions surrounding the Watchers, the Apkallu, or figures like Prometheus all involve heavenly beings imparting forbidden wisdom to humanity in defiance of divine boundaries. This knowledge, which included arts, sciences, and sorcery, was not neutral. It was given with the intent to corrupt and destroy. After the Flood, while the physical giants perished, their spirits, what later literature calls demons, remained. These disembodied spirits could have been the source of insight or inspiration for occult practitioners throughout history, masquerading as guides to hidden wisdom while promoting rebellion against God. Whether through direct contact or mythic lineage, many esoteric movements trace their roots back to this primeval transgression. Hermeticism: Optimistic Gnosis The Corpus Hermeticum, composed in the early centuries of the Christian era, fused Egyptian religion with Greek philosophy. It taught that humans contain a divine spark that can be awakened through hidden wisdom. Salvation came not through God's grace but through gnosis, mystical ascent, and the realization of one's innate divinity. Unlike Gnosticism, Hermeticism viewed the cosmos more positively, as a reflection of divine order, but its end goal was the same: erasing the line between Creator and creation. Gnosticism: Dualistic Gnosis Gnosticism developed in the same cultural environment and shared Hermeticism's focus on hidden wisdom and the divine spark in man. But it was far more pessimistic. Many Gnostic systems taught that the material world was a prison fashioned by a false or ignorant creator, the Demiurge. Salvation meant escaping matter entirely and returning to the realm of spirit. Its texts, like the Apocryphon of John or the Gospel of Thomas, presented elaborate myths of aeons, archons, and cosmic struggles that reframed rebellion as enlightenment. Parallel Streams of Corruption Though different in tone, Hermeticism optimistic and Gnosticism pessimistic, both traditions proclaimed salvation by gnosis. Both claimed man was divine by nature. Both promised deification apart from Christ. And both blurred or destroyed the Creator–creature distinction. Where Orthodoxy taught communion by grace, Hermeticism and Gnosticism promised exaltation by hidden knowledge. Renaissance Rediscovery and Transmission In the Renaissance, Hermetic and Gnostic writings were rediscovered and hailed as the prisca theologia, a supposed universal truth older than Moses. Figures like Marsilio Ficino and Pico della Mirandola embraced these texts as revelations of timeless wisdom. Their influence spread through alchemy, astrology, and ritual magic, setting the stage for later esoteric societies. Hermetic optimism and Gnostic dualism together nourished the roots of Western occultism. Freemasonry Freemasonry grew out of the esoteric ferment of the Renaissance and Enlightenment, which were themselves shaped by the rediscovery of the Hermetic and Gnostic writings. While the fraternity presents itself publicly as a system of moral improvement and brotherhood, its inner symbolism and ritual language reveal a strong dependence on Hermetic and alchemical traditions. The Masonic use of sacred geometry, the emphasis on hidden degrees of initiation, and the maxim “as above, so below” all trace back to the Corpus Hermeticum and related Hermetic texts. The Renaissance had already reintroduced these ideas into European culture, presenting Hermeticism and Gnosticism as prisca theologia, a supposed ancient wisdom that underlay all religions. These concepts filtered into Rosicrucian manifestos in the seventeenth century, which combined mystical Christianity with alchemy and Hermetic philosophy. Rosicrucian influence, in turn, fed directly into the development of modern Freemasonry in the eighteenth century. The lodge thus became an heir to the Hermetic worldview, reframing gnosis not in overtly pagan terms but as moral allegory and ritual drama. Freemasonry's initiation system reflects the Gnostic idea that truth is revealed progressively to an inner circle of the enlightened. The candidate begins in ignorance, is symbolically “raised” to new life, and ascends through degrees of increasing illumination. The rituals employ veiled symbols and allegories rather than explicit teaching, echoing the Hermetic conviction that divine truths must be concealed from the unworthy and revealed only to initiates. This places Freemasonry in continuity with both Hermetic mysteries and Gnostic elitism. Although Freemasonry claims to honor God, it deliberately leaves the identity of God undefined. Its universalist ethos allows men of any faith to participate, so long as they acknowledge a Supreme Being. This broad inclusivity is not biblical covenantal faith but a continuation of Hermetic universalism, which treated all religions as partial reflections of a hidden wisdom tradition. By blending fragments of biblical language with Hermetic symbols and Gnostic structures, Freemasonry offers a path of human self-perfection and enlightenment apart from Christ. Mormonism Mormonism reflects both the Hermetic worldview and Masonic ritual structure. Long before Joseph Smith entered a Masonic lodge in Nauvoo, he was already immersed in practices rooted in Hermetic and occult traditions. In his youth, Smith participated in treasure-seeking expeditions using a divining rod, seer stones, and ritual circles. These tools and practices were drawn from the folk-magic culture of early America, which itself was saturated with ideas that had filtered down from Renaissance Hermeticism and alchemical traditions. The belief that hidden knowledge could be accessed through special instruments, secret formulas, and visionary techniques fits neatly within the Hermetic framework of unlocking the unseen world. When Smith later became a Mason in 1842, he layered these Hermetic practices with Masonic structures. Within weeks of his initiation, he introduced LDS temple ceremonies that bore striking resemblances to Masonic rituals, including secret handshakes, symbolic clothing, and oaths of secrecy. Just as Freemasonry framed its degrees as progressive revelations of hidden wisdom, so too did Smith present Mormon temple ordinances as the means by which believers gained access to the mysteries of exaltation. Doctrinally, Mormonism's teaching of eternal progression mirrors the Hermetic promise of apotheosis. God the Father is said to have been a man who became a god, and faithful men may follow the same path. This collapses the biblical distinction between Creator and creature and transforms salvation into a process of exaltation through hidden rites and teachings. The Mormon vision of countless gods presiding over countless worlds echoes the multiplicity of divine beings in Hermetic and Gnostic systems, while its temple ceremonies function as initiatory mysteries in which knowledge is revealed step by step. From his earliest magical experiments...
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