{Hinduism, Yantra}[20th March 1988]

[Redbook5:99-100][19880320:1220b]{Hinduism, Yantra}[20th March 1988]

19880320.1220

[continued]

I have just reread most of 'Yantra: The Tantric symbol of Cosmic Unity', by Madhu Khanna (Thames and Hudson, 1979), given to me by [W] 25/12/81; and I am dipping into 'Hinduism' by K.M.Sen (Pelican, 1961) which I acquired in 197802. These books place the Fundamentalist attacks in perspective, although my purpose in reading them was to try to see whether I had added anything of value to the ideas which presumably must have influenced me.*

It is possible to conceive of the religious impulse moving (like other things) in very broad terms Westwards – not simply over Time but through development as well. What I mean by this is that if you conceive of religion as an attempt to understand the governing principles of Creation, in a spiritual as well as a physical sense, of which Hinduism has preserved the basic approach; as we move westwards we become through Judaism and Christianity more God-centred,** finally giving expression to God as the Christ in a way which excludes the rest of the basic experience.***

Islam may be regarded as a slight reverse step in direction and development (not necessarily a wrong step – that is quite another question) which returns closer to Judaic monotheism but, like Judaism, keeps its sub-principles strictly sub-ordinate.

By comparison, extreme Protestantism (found particularly in the United States of America, be it noted – but then, so are many others) may be said to have excluded all other sub-principles in favour of the One God incarnated as one principle.

It is possible that the Eastward movement multiplies and lowers the level of sub-principles and moves into ethics; but I don't know.****

*[Possibly ref last previous entry but two, [Redbook5:96-98][19880319:1910]{Type Cycles}[19th March 1988],&f; but there are many earlier refs to Hinduism.]

**{We also separate Science from Religion.}

***[cf. [Redbook5:73][19880316:1300k]{False Christs; True Christ [continued (9)]}[16th March 1988]&2f]

****[e.g. Animism, Confucianism? <20180318>]

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