A Universal Religion?

Temple Universal is a non-profit corporation dedicated to a global vision of spirituality, drawing from the philosophy of the Vedanta, the wisdom of Transpersonal Psychology as well as the myths and symbols of all religions.

In Alfred Lord Tennyson’s “Akbar’s Dream” he says:

"I dreamed that stone by stone,
I reared a sacred frame, a temple;
neither Pagoda, Mosque, nor Church,
but loftier, simpler, always open-doored to every breath from Heaven;
and Truth and Peace and Love and Justice came and dwelt therein."

Tennyson speaks deeply as he poetically distills out a place of universal worship, which I feel is the cry of our age. And this is largely why I have created this website. My deepest ambition and prayer is to see such a place as Temple Universal emerge in the physical world.

Swami Brahmavidyananda

In reviewing this website, you’ll notice sections on “Shrine” and “Personalities” where we come face to face with the eternal dilemma. How do we bring these seemly incompatible, warring religions into an integrative, healing system of philosophy? What we ordinarily see is the clash of theologies along with the tremendous suffering these differences have brought into our humanity down through the ages.

Fundamentalists

Fundamentalist Christians, Jews, Muslim, Hindus, etc., make up the largest part of the world’s population. However, with inter-faith ideas becoming active, our fundamentalists feel compelled to utter praises for unity, while in fact still indulging in negative ideas about those outside of their own religions.

"As long as you keep a person down, some part of you has to be down to hold him down, so it means you cannot soar as you might otherwise... "Marian Anderson

Liberals

Many liberals have aligned themselves with the interfaith world, and see all religions as historically relevant and valuable. Moreover, liberal ideas are creative and insightful. However, an inclusive metaphysics has yet to be introduced into these interfaith ideas and ambitions.

"To understand all makes us very tolerant.." Madam de Stael

Universalists

Temple Universal sees every religion as part of an all inclusive philosophy that affirms an immortal Reality that underlies creation at large. We must always be encouraged to draw from the images, stories and metaphors of every religion while developing a spiritual practice that speaks to us in our own unique way. Carl G. Jung calls this 'individuation.'This larger metaphysics not only validates our primary need for independence and individuation, but intellectually links us up with religions at large.

"Wisdom is not in words, it is in understanding"....Hazrat Inayat Khan

Examine history and we’ll always see a theological and experiential movement occuring within in every religion. Theology begins with rigid ideals of dualism, in which creation is seen as distinctly different from God. Gradually, more unitary versions emerge, in which God or Reality is seen as part and parcel of every day life. And ultimately these unitary versions open out into ideas of an absolute God or Reality that is all pervasive, and is the essence of everything.

The Psychology of Dualism

In the “Psychology" section, please notice that if the individual is caught up in the surface of things, whether he/she be Christian, Jew, Hindu, Muslim or whatever, the primary belief the mind holds is that the physical world is absolutely real. God is an “out there Deity,” a creator and destroyer who stands apart from His/Her creation. God is also "up there," controlling a very tangible world that’s "down here."

Through inner growth and lifetimes of experience, the mind matures and begins to sense this "Creator God" existing within creation. As a result, a more unified theology of creation arises.

If you're interested in a summary on how consciousness develops, stage by stage, click on the

"Way of the Sage"

Ultimately, the individual is able to intuit that God is in fact, our essence. Here is where an inclusive, unitary metaphysics emerges, which is in fact the aim of all scientific enquiry.

The true doctrine of omnipresence is that God reappears with all His parts in every moss and cobweb.... Ralph W. Emerson

Omnipresent Reality is emerging within all of life

The position at Temple Universal is that the same truth, "transcendent Awareness" is emerging within everyday life through our every day “ahas” and insights. This ongoing expansion of consciousness is called samadhi and is captured in"Way of the Mystic: Part I" and "Way of the Mystic: Part II" The ultimate consequence of samadhi is the advance of civilizations and the manifestation of the world's religions.

"I see God in everything....I recognize my oneness with all mankind and my oneness with God..." Peace Pilgrim

All secular knowledge is part of a sacred process. An underlying Transcendent Reality silently, yet irresistibly impacts upon the whole knowing process, forcing consciousness to open out into ever larger understandings of life; and this opening out process continues until the Divine becomes manifest within.

"Enlightenment is the natural condition of life after you strip the unnatural heavy and dark conditions away....." Ron Smotherman

Not only is scientific enquiry sacred, but the elementary knowledge emerging within all life forms is part and parcel of this "sacred coming up." Through endless insights and understandings, yes, this includes giraffes, cows, paramecium and trees. There’s an evolution of nature, up through the mineral world, into the plant world and animal world out into our human condition, which ultimately culminates in the all inclusive visions that characterize the saints and sages of the world's religions.

 

A spirituality that embraces all religions

All religions as authentic manifestations of the Divine. No entity, nor any one religion holds the ultimate truth. Religions are merely evolving manifestations of this grander spirituality that pervades life itself.

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