Belonging to God

William Keepin

Description

A breathtaking exploration of divine love in Christianity, Islam and Hinduism—and the writings of leading mystics from these traditions—culminating in a glorious universal path of love that is illuminated equally by modern science and ancient wisdom.

There is a unified call from all religions for the human soul to follow a profound path of love that leads to union with God. Belonging to God examines the commonalities in the scriptures, writings of key mystics and core practices of Christianity, Islam and Hinduism in order to illuminate a clear universal path of divine love. It weaves the common spiritual threads into an elegant theological framework, drawing on recent scientific advances in fractal geometry and quantum physics to emphasize the transforming fire that burns on every level from macrocosm to the microcosm, thereby uniting the human soul with the heart of God. Combining decades of Eastern and Western contemplative practice with scientific research, Belonging to God concludes with twelve principles of divine love that point toward a universal spiritual path of the heart, both within and beyond the religions.

Easy to comprehend and uplifting to read, this interfaith journey will appeal to seekers of all faiths interested in the path of love that bridges the world religions, as well as to believers within the Christian, Hindu and Islamic traditions who are eager to learn exactly how their particular faith intersects in a deep way with other religions. Belonging to God will also inspire students of perennial wisdom, comparative mysticism and the new science, and the large number of "spiritual but not religious" seekers who yearn for a universal path of divine love that honors—yet transcends—traditional religions.

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• Interfaith
• Philosophie et théologie
• Ecumenism
• Hinduism
• Christianity
• Islam

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 23 juin 2016
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781594736261
• Langue: English

Extrait

Praise for Belonging to God: Spirituality, Science a Universal Path of Divine Love
Helps us to remember what is essential and true, and guides us to live the love that belongs to an awakened soul. Here are keys that we each can use to unlock our own mystic heart.
- Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee , founder, The Golden Sufi Center
[A] vision of unity that inspires the mind with the perspective of contemporary science; ignites the heart with the mystical fire of divine love across faith traditions; and offers us a path for planetary spiritual awakening.
- Yogacharya Ellen Grace O Brian , spiritual director, Center for Spiritual Enlightenment
[With] vast knowledge and deep love of the scriptures and mystics [Will s] humble and reverent case for interspirituality can lead each spiritual seeker to the experience of belonging to God. Isn t this exactly what the world needs, and exactly what we need?
- Robert McDermott, PhD , president emeritus and chair of the Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness Program at the California Institute of Integral Studies; author, The Essential Aurobindo
Calls us to something deeper . Through the framework of three different faiths and that of science, calls on us to love each other s paths.
- Swami Ambikananda , translator, Katha Upanishad and the Uddhava Gita
Weaves the most critical teachings of significant spiritual traditions into a majestic tapestry of love. A substantial invitation to open our hearts to the world that needs to be.
- Rabbi Ted Falcon, PhD , author, Journey of Awakening ; coauthor, Finding Peace through Spiritual Practice: The Interfaith Amigos Guide to Personal, Social and Environmental Healing
One has to appreciate the intensive research done in this scientific and faith comparative study . The path of divine love is available to all humans, so this book is for all.
- Mary Frost , deputy chair, Cape Town Interfaith Initiative
Nothing is more refreshingly relevant than a nuclear physicist writing a riveting book on belonging to God . Will s great gift is both enthusiasm for the progress in these matters and deep discernment with regard to details.
- Father Francis D Sa, SJ , director, Institute for the Study of Religion
A passionate argument for the beauty and profundity of a devotional path to union with the Divine . A song from the heart (and mind) that calls each of us into a devotional state of prayer for wholeness in our own lives and entices us ever deeper toward union with the Divine.
- Rory McEntee , coauthor, The New Monasticism: An Interspiritual Manifesto for Contemplative Living
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To Cynthia, with whom I am blessed to walk this path;
to the Nameless One, who guides us on this path;
and to all who walk the path of divine love.
Contents
Foreword by Father Thomas Keating, OCSO
Introduction
Scriptures of Divine Love
1 The Yoga of Divine Love in the Bhagavad Gita
2 The Compassion and Majesty of Islam
3 Divine Love in the Gita, the Qur an, and the Gospels
Mystics of Divine Love
4 Many Faiths, One Summit: Ibn Arabi, Shankara, and Meister Eckhart
Practice of Divine Love
5 Intimacy with the Infinite: Devotional Surrender to God
Science of Divine Love
6 The Inner Net of the Heart: Science and Spirituality
7 Infinity of Divinity: The Fractal Structure of Consciousness and Logos
Fire of Divine Love
8 Toward a Universal Path of Divine Love
Principles of Divine Love
Appendix 1: Divine Love in Buddhism and Nontheistic Traditions
Appendix 2: Science and Mysticism Are Not the Same
Acknowledgments
Suggestions for Further Reading
Notes
Credits
Index
About the Author
Copyright
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Foreword
Father Thomas Keating, OSCO
I n recent times the interspiritual movement has been gathering interest and energy from many parts of the world. Interspirituality expands upon traditional interfaith and interreligious dialogue to include a greater emphasis on spiritual experience across diverse faith traditions. There are different understandings of what interspirituality is and what form it might take in the future.
Will Keepin in this book makes a significant contribution to the growing literature of the movement. He clarifies with both scholarship and wisdom the main issues, commonalities, and ultimate goal of this sublime capacity of human nature. He unites the spiritual traditions of the world religions into a single vision of the ultimate purpose of religious practice. Focusing on three major world religions, he presents his thesis that the ultimate experience of God, or Ultimate Reality, is one.
To grasp this insight, it is important to recognize that the experience of interreligious dialogue needs a deeper exploration of the spiritual transformative journey itself, which is the primary purpose of religion in the first place. It is not enough simply to listen patiently to others presentations of their particular religious beliefs. What is also essential is mutual learning about the transformative experiences of advancing practitioners in other faith traditions, which tends to create bonds of friendship in a common search, despite theological differences. Interreligious dialogue then becomes interspiritual dialogue. As the practice of interspiritual dialogue matures, it inspires not only respect but love for other religions. One perceives in them, and in their faithful adherents, the presence and action of Ultimate Reality, or the Holy Spirit, to use Christian terminology. This presence, Source of everything that is, secretly underlies and accompanies each of us in every moment in space and time. The sense of the oneness of all creation, which the spiritual traditions of the world religions are revealing, involves a transcendence of certain aspects of one s own path, without relinquishing its basic teachings. Exploring the commonalties of spiritual wisdom and mystical experience can thus serve to bond spiritual seekers into a greater harmony and unity of purpose, which in turn can help to dispel tension or conflict of various kinds.
Will first outlines the essence of the spiritual path of love as revealed in sacred scriptures-focusing on the Bhagavad Gita, the Qur an, and the Gospels-demonstrating a remarkable convergence of the essential teachings of Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity. All three scriptures affirm a supreme Godhead, which goes by different names and is perceived in different ways. Next Will summarizes the transformative spiritual journeys of several leading mystics in these traditions, again revealing deep parallels. Particularly important are the common themes emphasizing surrender of self, absolute trust in God, and the gift of divine grace that transforms and divinizes the soul of the seeker. Despite the many theological differences, Will concludes that the underlying path of transformation is strikingly similar across the three traditions.
As Will s presentation unfolds, a new way of understanding the deeper significance of these teachings emerges, drawing upon scientific breakthroughs in the fields of quantum physics and fractal geometry in mathematics. In quantum physics, a single electron is believed to have some form of awareness of the universe. In fractal mathematics, the macrocosm is replicated in the microcosm; for example, neural networks in the brain exhibit a similar structure to galaxies. Weaving these insights together, Will proposes that consciousness itself has a fractal structure, enabling the Infinite to be replicated in the inmost being and heart of every seeker, and offering a new way of understanding the oneness of human and divine consciousness across all divisions.
The fire of divine love, as Will so beautifully explains, is the key metaphor in all the faith traditions. In this cosmic vision there is one divine fire yet many flames, each of which might represent a particular religion or faith tradition. The conclusion culminates in twelve Principles of Divine Love that provide a summary of his comprehensive study of paths to divine transformation.
Interspiritual dialogue can serve as a catalyst not only for the growth of interreligious dialogue, but also for the future peace of the world. I believe that Will s book offers a valuable contribution to this vision. It certainly will prove to be a primary resource for those engaged in the transformative process, and in grounding the interspiritual movement. I suggest to the reader that as you delve into this book, you pray for the grace to listen with the ear of your heart.
Introduction

I am a Muslim, a Hindu, a Christian, and a Jew-and so are all of you!
-M AHATMA G ANDHI
I am neither Christian, nor Jew, nor Zoroastrian, nor Muslim.
I am not of the East, nor of the West, nor of the land, nor of the sea;
My place is the Placeless, my trace is the Traceless;
Tis neither body nor soul, for I belong to the soul of the Beloved.
I have put duality away, I have seen that the two worlds are one;
I know none other except God.
- R UMI
G andhi belongs to every religion. Rumi belongs to no religion. So it is with all those who belong to God.
This book attempts to articulate the essence of divine love, as revealed through the scriptures, mystics, and practices of three major spiritual traditions, and their relationship to the science of divine love. The spiritual path of divine love is found in one form or another within all the major religious and spiritual traditions, and exists beyond them as well. It is the hid