The Church of the Lotus Mind of Christ

[Shivani Devi]

Originally Posted by sakredkow

Hi namaste!

The Church of the Lotus Mind of Christ (COTLMOC) was founded by me.

I was raised Catholic in Sydney Australia and my mother was a yoga teacher. That produced an eclectic spirituality from an early age. I went to university majoring in Sanskrit at the Australian National University Canberra.

The COTLMOC is my mission to spread love and forgiveness as humanity's quintessential existential purpose.

love to all!
namaste I bow to you.

Om Swastiastu and Namaste _/|\_

That's pretty cool.

I really should formalise my own knowledge of Sanskrit one day.

Devanagari was a language I just picked up quite accidentally.

As a young child, I spent a lot of time in Bali, Indonesia and fell in love with their customs and culture. I loved attending the Wayang Kulit 2-3 times a week, but totally yearned to understand what they were saying in the long, drawn-out drone they spoke and so, I found myself studying Balinese full-time.

From Balinese, I went on to study ancient Javanese and from there, the Brahmi Script, the Pallava Script and Bhujimol before I started reading stuff in Tibetan without actually formally learning the language. I could read the script, but had no idea what it meant and had to go through relating script to words...which lead me on to the whole Vajrayana Buddhist side of things, even though I was a confirmed Shaivite.

In the end, I noticed the cultural language similarities between all of the Indus Valley tribes...noticing how "Bhairava" also became "Vairochana" dialectically and established the whole 'Mahakala" relationship and the significance between Shaivite Hinduism and Buddhism and led to the formation of the Kapalika sect and laid the groundwork for Agama Hindu Dharma.

From there, when I was 21, I married a Hindu Pundit/Purohit/Pujari from the Fiji Islands and my study of Samskritam began formally with the Rig Veda and the Purusha Shuktam (of all things) and I learned the Agnihotra, the Nav Graha Puja and then I started reading and studying all of the Upanishads in their original Sanskrit, whilst also studying Patanjali's Yoga Aphorisms, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Soundarya Lahari and the Kundalini Tantra.

So, thanks for the exposition on the 24 Tattvas of Prakriti (even though I already know it).

After that, I started reading the Itihasas, the Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, Mahabharata all in the original Devanagari, but I couldn't get into any of that, because all of my prior teachings and knowledge kind of spoiled that for me...I mean, the Vedas, the Agamas, the Upanishads are like the ultimate 'spoiler alert' for anything/everything which followed it.

So, I started doing Hatha Yoga, Laya Yoga and chanting the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra, the Rudram (Namakam and Chamakam), the Shiva Kavacham, Shiva Stuthis, Shiva Stotrams and learned the remainder of Adi Shankara's offerings...all of the Ashtakams and Shatakams, meanwhile having my head buried in the Taittreya and Mandukya Upanishads.

I'm totally blessed with knowing all of the Puranas, the Smarta tradition and the whole Samkhya philosophy...it's so totally beautiful! amazing to be a Hindu!

Like the philosophy started by saint Ramanuja, Madhava and carried on by Sri Chaitanya, I am also of the school of Acintya Bedha-Abheda Tattwa, but I apply it to Shaivism and not Vaishnavism...and I am the only one who does that I have found...even Shaiva Siddhanta and Lingayatism doesn't go there.

In essence though, I am of the Aghor and apply Tantric practices and principles, just like my ancestors all did...yet, I am a Caucasian female of atheist lineage and I was also born and live in Australia...but my past-life is just very rich with all of this. I took to the whole language and philosophy like a fish takes to water.

That's my story and I'm pleased to finally meet you.

Om Namo Bhagavate Rudraya
Om Namah Shivaya

[Shivani Devi]

*double post due to server issues*

All apologies.

Namaste.

namaste Necromancer thanks for your post!

The Church of the Lotus Mind of Christ (COTLMOC) is heavily monotheistic drawing on the dvaita (dualism) school of Vedanta and intertwined with Aquinas' axiomatic Christianity.

Your Sanskrit resume sounds most impressive! I wish I could say I have studied as many varied texts as you but I have tended to specialise in mostly the Bhagavad Gita, some very selected sections of the Upanishads and the Puranas.

You mentioned the Vaisnava sect and it is this group in India the COTLMOC most closely aligns of all the various Hindu schools. I invite you to satsang to discuss further the teachings of Guruji as he has channeled them through me.

nice to meet you and look forward to discussing the infinite joy of yoga with you!

kind regards aum shanti
Shakshi

[shivatar]

Originally Posted by sakredkow

Namaste

When one questions their existential purpose and begins to perceive the cultural engineering they are subjected to since birth that is the beginning of the awakening. Capitalist driven society is horrendous oppression and the individual is hammered into a submissive life of never-ending consumerism. Struggling daily to make ends meet the individual remains oblivious to consciousness and thus their salvation is nullified by the burden of materialistic life.

The very easy way to enlightenment and freedom from the architects of one's oppression is by yoga and meditation on God. That will trigger the individual's path of dharma that will end their perpetual suffering on the wheel of samsara.

aum shanti

What is the point of making your own religion?

These ideas you are bringing have been brought up before, and by people who are more influential, charismatic, and wiser than you. What makes you think you are fit to be a leader in the spiritual field?



and by the way, I'm not fond of your pessimistic view of capitalism. It has it's negatives, like all things, but it also has helped the world in many ways and you are ignoring those.

[shivatar]

Originally Posted by peteyzen

HI sakredcow, I like your vision. for me Christ is an avatar, aong with a few others who are/were god in human form, so Im wth ya.
As for mankind, the consciousness of our sepcies has been slowly sinking for a long while, so we are about to start the up journey now hence the recent several avatars here starting the wave.

Who are the recent several avatars?

[Raziel]

Originally Posted by shivatar

What is the point of making your own religion?

These ideas you are bringing have been brought up before, and by people who are more influential, charismatic, and wiser than you. What makes you think you are fit to be a leader in the spiritual field?



and by the way, I'm not fond of your pessimistic view of capitalism. It has it's negatives, like all things, but it also has helped the world in many ways and you are ignoring those.

Religion should be like Judo dojos - you can teach your own style

It's only the same as Judaism/Christianity/Islam (sunni,shia,wahabi)/ Baptist, Presbyterian, and Lutheran Churches/Mormons/Jehovah's Witnesses/Catholics/Baptist, Presbyterian, and Lutheran Churches.

Who founded those? We'd probably say the same to them - why can't someone do it in modern times?

.

[shivatar]

Originally Posted by knightoflenity

Religion should be like Judo dojos - you can teach your own style

It's only the same as Judaism/Christianity/Islam (sunni,shia,wahabi)/ Baptist, Presbyterian, and Lutheran Churches/Mormons/Jehovah's Witnesses/Catholics/Baptist, Presbyterian, and Lutheran Churches.

Who founded those? We'd probably say the same to them - why can't someone do it in modern times?

.

There is nothing against it. However there should be, for the same reason people don't walk into a hospital and begin operating on patients without experience and knowledge. Serious damage can be done to both people. This guy could be leading himself down a path that will drop off very rapidly in 3-6 months and leave him reeling for the next 10 years.

the "I hurt someone I was trying my very best to help" trauma is a DEEP pain and it doesn't come out easily. Encouraging this person to charge blindly ahead can potentially lead them to experience it. Not to mention the damage they can potentially do to others. Having good intentions isn't enough, it takes more than that to lead people spiritually. And when it comes to the human mind and spirituality... it's just that it's basically the most difficult thing human beings do. It's not something we should jump into because we had a feeling or a craving, or because we have been around it all our lives. It takes a massive amount of dedication, discipline, practice, knowledge, wisdom, etc etc, it takes a lot to do it right. And that lot includes certain life experiences as well as internal attributes like honor, honesty, courage, etc. Sure we can have the attributes from youth, but many of the experiences don't come until mid 30's and early 40's.

Encouraging everybody to teach their own religion is selfish and foolish.

The truth is not everyone is worthy. We all have the potential, that is to say we all are worthy deep down at the most absolute level, but that is not enough merit to justify the position of spiritual leader. The most cold blooded killers are worthy deep down, they are God at some level, however we all know what happens when they preach. It becomes a cult. It's the far end of the spectrum, sure, however we can reason that infinite variations exist from the cold blooded to the most saintly. From this example we can say "yes everyone has potential, but not everyone is worthy to lead".

That's not to say that only saints should lead. But to be honest, the best people would be led by saints. The people who are still lost in their troubles will seek a troubled leader. As a troubled person, how are they going to react when they are surrounded by troubled people? Are their problems going to suddenly vanish? or get bigger? Nobody knows to be honest, there is so much variation based on individual experiences, however its playing with fire if you ask me.

It's like saying "only saints will be able to preach a religion that will catch on and become a widespread force for spreading love and positivity". Everybody else will fall short and probably give up quickly, or possibly resort to underhanded tactics to keep followers like manipulation or deceit. Fall short in being able to achieve the goal of raising consciousness worldwide.

If the goal is to simply orate our beliefs to people who will listen, well that's not really a goal. That is giving up a goal and settling for what we can easily achieve.

[Raziel]

Originally Posted by shivatar

The truth is not everyone is worthy. We all have the potential, that is to say we all are worthy deep down at the most absolute level, but that is not enough merit to justify the position of spiritual leader. The most cold blooded killers were worthy deep down, they were God at some level, however we all know what happens when they preach. It becomes a cult. From this example we can say "yes everyone has potential, but not everyone is worthy to lead".

I'm not disagreeing but .. I'd say the same could be said for the ones that exist already.

From circumcision to exorcism, Inquisition to ISIS they have all done everything you have mentioned. Apart from "tradition" is there anything that really separates a new or old religion?

Catholic priests in the you-know-what context shows that being established don't mean jack.

Bill Marr said of the Vatican - "it's hardly the house of a humble carpenter".

.

[shivatar]

Originally Posted by knightoflenity

I'm not disagreeing but .. I'd say the same could be said for the ones that exist already.

From circumcision to exorcism, Inquisition to ISIS they have all done everything you have mentioned. Apart from "tradition" is there anything that really separates a new or old religion?

Catholic priests in the you-know-what context shows that being established don't mean jack.

Bill Marr said of the Vatican - "it's hardly the house of a humble carpenter".

.

Being new doesn't make something better or worse. Similarly being old doesn't make something better or worse. They have potential benefits as well as potential downfalls.

The essential part of any religion is it's founder and the spiritual experience they went through and want to guide others to or through.

If I made a religion how good do you think it would be?
As good as Buddha's? As good as Jesus's? As good as Muhammad's?



I'm not talking about making a religion that 10 people will follow. I think that is a weak and loose definition of religion. What I talk about when I mean religion is something that has the power to change the world as we know it, to affect billions of lives over hundreds of years for the better.

Everybody can be willy nilly, make a religion based off their ideas and experiences, but very few people can make a religion that will stand the test of time and affect billions for years to come.

Because I understand the difficulty of doing it right I don't encourage people to do it just because they want to. It takes more than desire.

[Shivani Devi]

Greetings to both Knight and Shivatar.

The 'religion' the OP professes is a mixture between Gaudiya Vaishnavism (think; Hare Krishna Movement) and orthodox Christianity - think; Jehovah = Krishna and all that entails!

Not my 'cup of tea' unfortunately although as far as 'creating religions' goes...I have basically created my own; or re-created it since it died out in the 13th century.

I'm looking at my shrine right now...of course there are statues of Shiva - 2 of them, a nice statue of the Goddess, Kali...I just went out and bought a Thai Buddha today and that is there alongside a Shiva Lingam and on my wall there's another picture of Shiva, a picture of Ardhanarishwara (Shiva Shakti), the Shri Yantra, the Yin/Yang Symbol, a chart of the Chakras, a Tibetan mask of Bhairava/Mahakala and another Buddha (in Yab Yum), a picture of Prambaran Temple, a picture of Patanjali...

Is tantra a religion? if not, I have just made it so. lol (but only for myself mind you). =)