The cult that I left

Chechar, you are obviously searching for truth. I have discovered there are two forms of truth, relative and universal. Relative truths are those connected to time. The best illustration of this is found in a Sufi story.

“What time is it?”

A seeker once asked a sage why he contradicted himself. The sage replied that such contradictions are merely illusion and asked the seeker to walk with him. As they walked through the streets, the sage stopped and asked a passerby, “What time of day is it?” The passerby replied, “Why it is time for morning prayer.” Sometime later the sage asked another passerby what time of day is it?” The passerby replied, “It is time for the noon prayer.” Still later the sage asked another passerby what time of day is it? The passerby replied, “Why it is time for evening prayer.” The sage then said to the seeker, “Each one of these replies was truthful, yet, none could be applied except at the moment the question was asked. Had the same replies been provided at different times, they would have been contradictory and not truthful.”

Universal truths are those immutable laws that apply throughout time. These truths are taught by many who walking different paths. Universal truths can be found in all religions, but are invariably couched within the cultural context in which they are taught. Worse however, is the fact that many recognize the information to be harmonious with the basic human condition and use the knowledge adversely to fulfill their own selfish desires. The Sufis say that true teachers tailor their teaching for the time, place and people to which they are applicable. There is a story that the great Persian poet Rumi, was once asked how he came to become a great poet.

Rumi replied that he never really cared for poetry and would never have chosen it for his teaching method; however the people whom he was addressing responded best to that form of teaching. Many still use outdated methods tailored in such a manner. As Idris Shah once said about the whirling dervish (yet another method developed by Rumi), The whirling method will serve to develop a perfect thirteenth century man, but what use is a thirteenth century man in the twentieth century? As illustrated by the example of the Buddha, a true teacher has surmounted their most pressing desires and are wholly fulfilled; thus, they require nothing from their students. Teachers that use students to attain power and wealth are false teachers. True teachers do not teach the masses, for the masses are not prepared for such teachings.

Typically one finds the true teacher addressing a small group of seekers who have prepared themselves beforehand for the teachings. This allows the teacher to provide the personal instruction necessary to impart such teachings. Perhaps the most relevant idea behind the true teacher is that the seeker does not find the teacher, instead the teacher finds those properly prepared to receive the teachings. Esoteric knowledge is not really secret but remains hidden due to the reactions by those unprepared or those seeking power and wealth. Many false teachers, having only partial knowledge of these teachings, use them for that very purpose. There are many paths. Each individual must travel their own unique path. Therefore each must discover the path that best serves their spiritual progress. The beginning of my search began with religion. Religion alerts man to the presence of God, but then stultifies and redirects his progress to achieve the selfish goals of others. The Sufis say that religion provides a good start, but ultimately religion must be transcended if truth is to be found. Certain truths cannot be described by words but must be experienced, as is the case with a strawberry. One can endlessly describe the taste of a strawberry, but the experience of tasting the berry exceeds any possible description. To put it another way, it is like trying to send a kiss by messenger.

At the midpoint of my life, I was given a book by Idris Shah titled “Reflections.” Initially the book made no sense, but I kept reading the stories and over the years their meanings finally became evident. In time, I have learned there is no ultimate “ah hah!” moment when one is suddenly filled with truth. It is instead a gradual, ongoing, process requiring many life times to achieve. The best description of the enlightenment process I have discovered is Boris Mouravieff’s book “Gnosis” of which Volume I provides the most relevant information.

These are the essential esoteric teachings couched in the Orthodox Christian tradition. Beware however, as I pointed out earlier these teachings will make no sense until one has prepared their mind to receive such information. Good Luck with your search.