The Message That Comes From Everywhere

[Sunny]

The Message That Comes From Everywhere: Exploring the Common Core of the World's Religions and Modern Science by Gary Beckwith

Thanks to a post by wolfgang I ran across this book. It has a powerful message based on the paradigm shift of looking for the similarities instead of the differences between all of the world religions/modern science. This message is not new, but this book does a great job of communicating how when we let go of the dualistic right/wrong perspective we find that the similarities in the world religions/modern science far outweigh the differences and are all pointing towards the same Truth. It provides an intelligent path of hope, unity and peace that is needed in our world today.

This parable from the first chapter does a great job of explaining the premise:

Once upon a time, six blind men happened to come near a standing elephant. They felt, with their hands, different parts of the huge animal, and began disputing about its nature. One caught the end of the tail, and said it was a broom or brush. Another felt the trunk and declared it was a huge python. A third found an ear, and affirmed that it was a large winnowing fan. A fourth found the abdomen and maintained it was a vast drum. A fifth stroked a leg, and asserted it was a thick column. A sixth grasped a tusk, and was sure it was a very large pestle. They argued over their positions. A seventh person happened to pass, and saw them disputing. He had eyes, was a man of vision, a man of wisdom. He explained to them what it was; a compound of all their “opinions.” Each blind man was right, but he only explored one facet of the whole elephant.

The blind man of course represents the world's religions, and the elephant represents the truth or God. All religions search for the truth and find some aspects of it. The time is now for the world to hearken the voice of the wise man! But the wise man is not one person for us to blindly follow. We all have our own eyes and the wise man is none other than us. We need only to remove our blinders and take a look around.

Look inside the book The Message That Comes from Everywhere at Amazon
Download a free PDF Ten Teachings Shared by All Religions
Listen to and audio call with Gary Beckwith discussing the book
Check out Gary Beckwith's website The Harmony Institute

[Antiventurecapital]

I'm surprised that no one has commented on your excellent post so far. This is how I have viewed religion for most of my life.

[NightOwlNation]

Ditto!

[skydust]

great analogy. thanks for posting

[TheColonel]

Repped you for that one. Very nice.

[bellbird]

A viewpoint, or truth in its simplest form, excellent, I like it

[Sunny]

Originally Posted by Sunny

Once upon a time, six blind men happened to come near a standing elephant. They felt, with their hands, different parts of the huge animal, and began disputing about its nature. One caught the end of the tail, and said it was a broom or brush. Another felt the trunk and declared it was a huge python. A third found an ear, and affirmed that it was a large winnowing fan. A fourth found the abdomen and maintained it was a vast drum. A fifth stroked a leg, and asserted it was a thick column. A sixth grasped a tusk, and was sure it was a very large pestle. They argued over their positions. A seventh person happened to pass, and saw them disputing. He had eyes, was a man of vision, a man of wisdom. He explained to them what it was; a compound of all their “opinions.” Each blind man was right, but he only explored one facet of the whole elephant.

The blind man of course represents the world's religions, and the elephant represents the truth or God. All religions search for the truth and find some aspects of it. The time is now for the world to hearken the voice of the wise man! But the wise man is not one person for us to blindly follow. We all have our own eyes and the wise man is none other than us. We need only to remove our blinders and take a look around.

I just listened to Steve's Podcast #13 Beyond Religion and it resonates very closely with the concept described in this quote. He uses the metaphor of running multiple software programs on your computer but the point he makes is basically the same. The two together, the book The Message That Comes From Everywhere and Steve's Podcast #13 Beyond Religion really allowed this whole concept to integrate very deeply for me.