Religious Parallels; and what to make of them.

Jesus and Krishna

Now that I've taken several Religious Studies classes, I'm continuing to find a number of similarities between the beliefs and scriptures of all the various religions - both those that are practiced today, and those that are ancient. I began to learn of some of these similarities in one of the first religious studies courses I took - the Myths, Legends and Scriptures of the Near East. Over the course of a year we read excerpts from Ancient Mesopotamian mythology, the Bible, and the Qur'an. What was especially interesting in this course were the parallels between the Mesopotamian myths and those of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible. Mesopotamia (now in modern Iraq) was home to a prosperous society over 4,000 years ago, and had their own Creation and Flood stories which have some striking similarities to those in Genesis.

In this same course, I began researching religious figures of salvation for a paper, and I found a lot of similarities between Jesus Christ and the figure of Krishna in Hinduism. Krishna can be considered as both an incarnation or avatara of  Vishnu - one of the principal Hindu gods - as well as Vishnu himself. I compared their birth narratives, their representations as God manifested in human form on earth, as well as their teachings of salvation (as attested by Christ in the Gospels and Krishna in the Bhagavad-Gita). Both Jesus and Krishna teach that one can attain salvation through the grace of God, and reveal a loving and personal God. Finally, both are predicted to return at a future time to defeat evil and unite humanity with God. There are, undoubtedly, many differences between Jesus and Krishna, but the features that are similar are remarkable. I've now written two papers comparing and contrasting Krishna and Christ, and I think it is safe to conclude that both figures had a influential impact on the respective faiths, transforming the religious traditions that came before them.

Anyways, I would love to elaborate more on these similarities, but what I wanted to talk about in this post was the most recent 'cross-religious' discovery I've found. I am taking a course in the religion of Ancient Egypt, and just last week my professor was talking about the various cosmogonies (theories of how the universe came into being) that the ancient Egyptians had. The ancient Egyptians had thousands of gods, so it is not surprising that they also had several different theories of how the world came into being. One of these is the Memphite Theology, named after the ancient capital city of Memphis. In this city the god Ptah was regarded as the creator god. Now what is interesting is that Ptah creates the world by 'speaking out'. We know of this cosmogony because of the hieroglyphics on the Shabaka Stone (from about 700 BCE). Here are some excerpts describing Ptah's creation of the world:

"There took shape in the heart, there took shape on the tongue the form of Atum. For the very great one is Ptah, who gave [life] to all the gods and their kas through this heart and through this tongue, in which Horus had taken shape as Ptah, in which Thoth had taken shape as Ptah"

and later:

 "Sight, hearing, breathing - they report to the heart, and it makes every understanding come forth. As to the tongue, it repeats what the heart has devised. Thus all the gods were born and his Ennead was completed. For every word of the god came about through what the heart devised and the tongue commanded" 

This bears similarities to the Genesis story, where God declares something and does it: "Then God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light." (Gen 1:3). It also bears similarities to the opening of the Gospel of John, where the logos, or 'word', is described as divine, eternal, and is also identified with Jesus:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people...And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth." (John 1:1-4, 14)

Both the Memphite Theology and the Bible emphasize the 'word' of (a) god becoming something more. In John, the Word/God brings all things into being, and also manifests as Jesus. In the Memphite Theology, the speech/'words' of the creator god Ptah create all the rest of the gods.

Okay, so now the big question is: What do we make of similarities such as these? Are they mere coincidences? They could be. Or, perhaps, has the one myth/story predated and influenced the other? I believe that this was most likely true in the case of the Creation and Flood stories in the Mesopotamian and Hebrew traditions. But what about Krishna and Jesus? Some might argue that Krishna's teaching of salvation in the Bhagavad-Gita may have been influenced by early Christianity, but on the other hand, I have found a book that claims, quite vehemently, that Jesus and Christianity originated from a Krishna cult! Theories like this abound (I've read a journal article that discusses whether Jesus could have been influenced by Buddhism), but, just as people travel and communicate, religious ideas and philosophies have and do continue to travel. This could also serve as an explanation for the interesting connection between 'creation by word' in ancient Egypt and Christianity.

However, I also wonder if similarities such as these -  which cover huge geographical, cultural and time periods - instead point to a common, underlying psychological, 'human condition'. Ever since humans began to think, they have thought that there must be a greater power of some kind. Some may then argue that 'god' and 'religion' are a thing of the past, but if you consider that millions of people today are Muslim, Hindu, Christian, or 'spiritual', or even agnostic, then this claim cannot easily be made.

Maybe the common ground between religious beliefs (in those currently practiced and those that have disappeared) instead suggests that there is some kind of higher power, and that throughout history humankind has interpreted and experienced it in a variety of ways.

Tomorrow's Just Your Future Yesterday

"It's a great day for America!"

"Welcome back my cheeky little monkeys!"

"My frisky badgers!"

"Remind you of anyone?"

"Oprah’s announced that she’s quitting her show in 2011. Now you know why the Mayans ended their calendar in 2012. Once Oprah leaves her show, the most powerful woman on TV will be Ryan Seacrest. There was also news about Dr. Phil’s show: Unfortunately, he’s going to keep going."

 - Craig Ferguson

First off, let me apologize. It has been way too long since I have posted anything here. So much for my new year's resolution...yikes. But what better way to get back at it again than with a post about one of my idols - the one and only Craig Ferguson, or as he sometimes calls himself, "the Scottish Conan guy." I love this guy so much - I find him so incredibly funny and entertaining - but I have also chosen to write about him today because I am actually going to see him do a stand-up show tomorrow evening at the River Rock casino in Richmond!

For those of you who don't know, Craig Ferguson is a Scottish-born comedian who hosts a late night talk show on CBS called The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Prior to this he played Drew Carey's boss, Nigel Wick, on The Drew Carey Show, and he has also written and starred in several films.

I began watching The Late Late Show a few short years ago, and stumbled across his show while watching tv late at night (his show only starts at 12:35am PT). Since then I've watched on a fairly regular basis, often watching clips that people have uploaded onto youtube the day after its aired on television. These users often post the entire show in several segments, and if you're interested, the user that I always rely on is Malinky2Stoatir.

The main reason that I love this man and his show so much is not just for his jokes about the news, celebrities, bodily functions, his own sexual preference, CBS, the lighting (or lack thereof) on his show, or his self-deprecating sense of humor in general, but the fact that he is honest and genuinely seems to be having a great time while doing the show. He is not afraid to laugh at himself, even when he does mess up a joke; and every now and again he actually has to pause for a moment because he has made himself laugh so hard. 

Anyways, to give you a bit of an idea of what I mean, check out these two clips. The first is from the intro he gives at the beginning of each show (before the titles and monologue), and in this specific clip, from last Friday's show, he actually mentions that he is coming to Canada and to 'tropical' Vancouver!




This clip, also from last Friday's show, will give you an idea of what his monologues are usually like:




Anyways, I'm really excited about seeing him perform live. It will be interesting to compare his stand-up to his usual performance on The Late Late Show (which is of course on public television). I will definitely post my thoughts after I've seen the show, and hopefully I will blog on a more regular basis as well.

Happy New Year!

2010 has begun! I hope it is going well for everyone so far. The first two days of the year have been pretty fantastic: spent in the company of family and (mostly) old friends. I got the chance on New Year's Day to jam with my old band after nearly two years, which brought back many great memories. I used to spend many weekends making music with those guys; from the end of Grade 10 right up until the beginning of my second year at university. It will always remain a big part of my life.

I also just got back from a rather belated birthday celebration for another good friend, who I first met in first year. Over the years we've kept in touch - going out for dinners, or 'date nights', having lunch together on a regular basis during some semesters, potlucks etc - and it is amazing to look back on where we've begun and where we are now, doing completely different things but still being able to get together and always have a great time. After most people had left, four of us sat drinking tea and discussing the environment, society, democracy, religion, and memes (which I learned about for the first time tonight - it's mind-blowing!). What a great start to the year!

Anyways, before another busy semester starts, I just want to collect my thoughts and record some of my resolutions for this year, as well as some quotes to keep in mind. Here they are:

1. "I may be able to speak the languages of men and even of angels, but if I have no love, my speech is no more than a noisy gong or a clanging bell" (1 Corinthians 13:1)

I have to work at being better at loving the world, and everyone in it. I also need to be aware that my words and actions have consequences on other people.

2. "One who bears hate for no creature
is friendly, compassionate, unselfish,
free of individuality, patient,
the same in suffering and joy"
(Bhagavad-Gita 12:13)


Something else I need to work on is being more selfless. This ties into my first resolution, in that it means that I need to be better at accepting people for who they are.


3. "Verily, with every difficulty
There is relief"
(The Holy Qur'an 94:6).

I also need to curb my tendency to over-worry and over-analyze things. And finally,

4. "Thou shalt blog on a more frequent basis"
(The Bloggers Bible, 26:01)

Ok, I made that last one up...but I will try to blog more frequently! At least once a week.

So that's what I've got so far. We were talking about resolutions tonight at my friend's celebration, and I realize that these are all pretty intangible, and therefore may be hard to achieve, or at least hard to always follow or even measure one's success. So I need to think of more tangible, achievable goals that correspond to these ambitions.

More on that later.

Reality Check

"What do I owe you! You taught me a lesson, hard indeed at first, but most advantageous. By you I was properly humbled”

 - Mr. Darcy (Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen)

The past two weeks have been nuts with having to write a research paper for my Indian mythology class and write final exams. But it is all over! I handed in my paper and had my last exam on Saturday, and am now back at home relaxing and enjoying the holiday. Although it was overwhelming towards the end, it has been a great semester. I’ve read a lot, encountered many new perspectives about the world and beyond, and been challenged in many ways.

But while my head has been up in the clouds thinking about gender/sexual issues in literature, devotional Hinduism, and all sorts of philosophies and ideologies, I’ve been missing some very real aspects of myself that could use some improvement. It took a special person to point this out to me, and to show me how blind I have been in many ways. I have realized how flawed I am in certain areas of my life, and how these areas could most definitely be worked on (New Year’s Resolution?). I’ve also realized that I have to be careful not to be trapped in ideologies or philosophies while ignoring the realities and experiences of real-life.

And so, in light of this experience, I thought this quote was most suitable. It is taken from Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice, which I read over the Christmas break four years ago. These words are spoken by Mr. Darcy to Elizabeth Bennet, who admits that he has been self-righteous, but has learnt his lesson.

Time for me to learn mine.

Hell...

Hee hee hee....

Ok, so it's been way to long since I've written on here. The past two weeks since my last blog post have been really busy with classes coming to an end, and having final assignments and papers to write. Perhaps it is rather fitting that this post is titled "Hell..."!!

The real reason I chose this title is because of a great quote I found several days ago. While I was doing research for my paper on James Joyce's Ulysses (for my British-Irish studies class) I came across a book of mythologist Joseph Campbell's writings on the works of James Joyce. Joseph Campbell (1904-1987) wrote extensively on comparative mythology and religion, and since I was researching religious motifs in Ulysses (of which there are no shortage) his book was very helpful. Anyways, while scouring through the book to find info relevant to my paper, I also found this really fascinating quote about hell:

"Hell is the state of a soul that is absolutely committed to its earthly experiences, fixed (as it were) in their time-space aspects, without recognizing through these experiences the radiance of the divine dimension. Hell is simply the experience of your limitations, to which you are so firmly committed that nothing can break them. No one can show you the divine dimension of life that transcends your experiences"

- Mythic Worlds, Modern Words: Joseph Campbell on the Art of James Joyce

I find this description of hell as the state of being 'limited' to earthly, time-space experiences, really fascinating and thought-provoking. The idea of hell as a state of mind, or "state of a soul", is really intriguing. Perhaps this definition could also fit into the Judeo-Christian notions of heaven and hell. Even if one believes that heaven is a sort of spiritual 'place' or 'existence' then perhaps hell is not an equivalently 'evil' spiritual place or existence but instead, as Campbell says, being limited to earthly experiences and not being able to move beyond these limitations. Then again, 'heaven' could be regarded as moving beyond, or 'transcending' these limits; a sort of 'enlightenment'...or nirvana. Hmmm...

Rain...and my article on 'Leave Them Laughing'

"Looking out the door
I see the rain fall upon the funeral mourners
Parading in a wake of sad relations
As their shoes fill up with water"

 - 'Lover You Should've Come Over' by Jeff Buckley


So it's been pouring rain here in Vancouver for a good solid week and a half. We've had a few dry spots here and there, but overall it's just been rain, rain, rain. And it is definitely getting to me. I've been feeling gloomy. I mean, not only does it get dark early in the winter, but with the rain and cloud cover it gets darker even earlier. So if the sun could just pop out it's head and say "hello", that would be nice. You'd think I'd be used to it by now - I've been living here for over 5 years now - but every winter it never fails to get to me. And then there are the joys of waiting for buses in the rain, getting soaked, and stepping in all of the unavoidable and massive puddles on campus...

So I wanted to post some great literature quote about rain but I couldn't think of any off the top of my head (although I do have a great quote about snow - just wait until the first snow fall!). All I could think of were the opening lines to "Lover You Should've Come Over" by Jeff Buckley. Anyways, it is an amazing song and these words do paint a very vivid picture. I know my last post was about Jeff Buckley, but he is just so awesome that I can't get enough of him.

Also, I had promised last week that I would post my finished article about Canadian director John Zaritsky and his new movie Leave Them Laughing. It was published in the Ubyssey this past Monday. Here is the link to the article on the Ubyssey website:  http://ubyssey.ca/culture/?p=11054

Hope you like it!

Happy Birthday to the late Jeff Buckley

And I feel them drown my name

So easy to go and forget with this kiss

I'm not afraid to go but it goes so slow...

 - Grace by Jeff Buckley

On this day in 1966 an amazing musician entered the world. Jeff Buckley, one of my music idols, was a talented guitarist and singer-songwriter with a beautiful voice and remarkable vocal range. He passed away long before his time, in a drowning accident on the evening of May 27, 1997. He had been swimming in the Wolf River (off of the Mississipi), singing 'Whole Lotta Love' by Led Zepellin, while one of his roadies remained on shore. The roadie turned to move their radio out of reach of the water, and when he looked back Jeff was gone. A couple of days later his body was found. The autopsy showed no signs of drug or alcohol use - it was merely a tragic accident. What a way to go.

He had only released one complete studio album, Grace, and at the time of his death he was working on a new record titled My Sweetheart the Drunk . Grace was a critical success and highly regarded by other musicians, and this legacy continues today. I stumbled across this album because my brother's drum teacher had given it to him to listen to, and once I started listening I was completely blown away. It is one of my all-time favourite albums, and I would definitely include this in my 'desert-island' collection...it is so brilliant that I would say that if I had to choose only one album that I could listen to for the rest of my life, this might just be it (although Dark Side of the Moon and OK Computer  would be close...).

Ok, I could go on and on describing how much I love him and how beautiful his lyrics and music are (maybe one day I'll write a much longer post about him...), but instead I'll let you check out this video of Jeff and his band performing 'So Real' and 'Last Goodbye', two tracks from Grace. This live and acoustic version is really stripped down, showcasing just how versatile and beautiful his voice is, especially when he yells passionately at the end of 'So Real' (around 3:47 and after). Here it is: