earl Posted March 25, 2005 Share Posted March 25, 2005 From the little bit more "googling" I've done, it seems to me that "dipolar theism" in another term for panentheism or "duality in unity". A quote I found said this:Process Theology is a contemporary movement of theologians who teach that God is dipolar, or has two natures, and that he is integrally involved in the endless process of the world. God has a "primordial" or transcendent nature, his timeless perfection of character, and he has a "consequent" or immanent nature by which he is part of the cosmic process itself. Another quote said this: Dipolar theism, according to Charles Hartshorne, understands God as both absolute and relative, abstract and concrete, eternal and temporal, necessary and contingent, infinite and finite (DR). The being of God does not exclude but rather includes the being of the world. Jeep said: Is it similar to the Dualism which I mentioned as the System of thought used in the Bible in my recent post? No. Di-polar theism isn't Duality. Think of a coin with two sides or of a magnet with two poles. There is ONE coin with TWO sides. There is ONE magnet with TWO poles. The coin wouldn't be a coin without two sides. The magnet wouldn't be a magnet without two poles. They are DUALITY in UNITY. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> This view of God has parallels in Buddhism such as the Heart Sutra's famous verse re "form is no other than emptiness, emptiness no other than form." Also there is a parallel between the "Trikaya" or Three Bodies of Buddhism and the the triune expression of God as "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit," as well. Love to discover similar themes in mutliple religious views. When I see that, it suggests to me a "univeral" truth at work, though I believe fundamentally that the Truth that is meant to manifest for a given individual will be the Truth that most resonates with their soul/essence. Take care, Earl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AletheiaRivers Posted March 25, 2005 Author Share Posted March 25, 2005 The Heart Sutra has been talked of on the Dialectical Monism webpages I have found, along with Taoism. It all comes together nicely doesn' it? I was thinking earlier about the Trinity from this viewpoint and I thought, maybe the Trinity isn't a trinity/unity. Maybe is is a duality/unity because I don't think many believe that the Holy Spirit is a third distinct being, but rather an aspect of Jesus or an aspect of God. Did that make sense? Jesus/spirit - God/spirit = Jesus/God = duality = Unity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jeep Posted March 25, 2005 Share Posted March 25, 2005 The Heart Sutra has been talked of on the Dialectical Monism webpages I have found, along with Taoism. It all comes together nicely doesn' it? I was thinking earlier about the Trinity from this viewpoint and I thought, maybe the Trinity isn't a trinity/unity. Maybe is is a duality/unity because I don't think many believe that the Holy Spirit is a third distinct being, but rather an aspect of Jesus or an aspect of God. Did that make sense? Jesus/spirit - God/spirit = Jesus/God = duality = Unity <{POST_SNAPBACK}> AlethiaRivers: IMO A Course in Miracles would say: Jesus/Christ - God/H.S. = Sonship/God = duality = Unity. WOW! What a possibility. BTW your insight into panentheism helped me a lot to understand Hartshorn. He is one rough cookie to handle. He died here recently. What a loss. Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
earl Posted March 25, 2005 Share Posted March 25, 2005 Probably neither traditionalist Christians nor Buddhists would like my comparison of the Trinity with the Trikaya, (perhaps then that means I'm on to something ), but one way to view the Trinity is akin to the trikaya. In Buddhist thought every Budhha possesses 3 "bodies," the Dharmakaya, the Sambhogakaya, and the Nirmanakaya. The dharmakaya is the "Body of Truth," the supra-ontological, formless Ultimate Reality beyond any conceptual descriptions with their inherent limitations; i.e., the Father. The sambhogakaya is "Reward Body," the Body of pure light and bliss visible only to those of high spiritual attainment-the "container" of the energies of enlightenment-i.e., the Holy Spirit. The nirmanakaya is the Body of transformation, "on this level the Buddha has the power to assume any appearance for liberating and enlightening sentient beings." It is the corporeal form of the fully realized "human.," the Son. Personally, never found a way to understand the Trinity I liked better than this "buddhist" model. Take care, Earl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredP Posted March 26, 2005 Share Posted March 26, 2005 Ken Wilber fan? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
earl Posted March 26, 2005 Share Posted March 26, 2005 Ken Wilber fan? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Actually, yes. There's a book by Jim Marion, "Putting on the Mind of Christ," that essentially applies his model to Christian msyticism. I agree with most of what he says & it's a fascinating book, but that doesn't mean I necessarily reduce Jesus to simply a highly evolved soul. On the other hand, he did say that his followers would do greater things than him. If he was so uniquely divine, that comment wouldn't make sense. So, again, Jesus/Christ is a koanic enigma to me & probably always will be, though his message of universal compassion is pretty clear! Take care, Earl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soma Posted March 27, 2005 Share Posted March 27, 2005 (edited) I feel the trinity is a way to talk about one universal consciousness with a mind that sees duality. It is like a music chord where three notes vibrate tobether to make one Chord or sound, universe ( uni or one verse). God Generator=God Operator= The Holy Ghost Destroyer= Jesus who came here to bring us away from the ego to focus on a broader focus, the all pervading pure consciousness of God. Edited March 27, 2005 by soma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PantaRhea Posted March 29, 2005 Share Posted March 29, 2005 Ken Wilber? He's grrrreat! I just finished reading Sex, Ecology, Spirituality. I think Ken has a way of making Whitehead more understandable. His idea of a "Holon" is synonymous with Whitehead's "Actual Occasion". (See HOLONS) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredP Posted March 29, 2005 Share Posted March 29, 2005 Ken Wilber? He's grrrreat! I just finished reading Sex, Ecology, Spirituality. I read SES years ago -- I was in more of a scientific reductionist phase then, so my opinion of it was lower than it would be now, but I still think it's too damned long! I recently read A Theory of Everything, and I thought it was more the "right size" for the material being covered. I picked up A Sociable God today (breaking my Lenten fast on shopping!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PantaRhea Posted March 29, 2005 Share Posted March 29, 2005 Ken Wilber? He's grrrreat! I just finished reading Sex, Ecology, Spirituality. I read SES years ago -- I was in more of a scientific reductionist phase then, so my opinion of it was lower than it would be now, but I still think it's too damned long! I recently read A Theory of Everything, and I thought it was more the "right size" for the material being covered. I picked up A Sociable God today (breaking my Lenten fast on shopping!). <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Hey! I bought A Sociable God a couple weeks ago. Cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted April 6, 2005 Share Posted April 6, 2005 Probably neither traditionalist Christians nor Buddhists would like my comparison of the Trinity with the Trikaya I do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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