Volume 2 Number 17 September 12, 2007

MarketFaith Ministries is an equipping ministry which is focused on helping Christians become more effective
in living out their faith in the midst of the increasingly diverse worldview environment of modern society.
About Today’s Article

Before we get into today’s article, can I ask you a favor? Would you take a moment to share this newsletter with your
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Today’s article is about Far Eastern beliefs. As I have grown up, I have read about Eastern religions and have had some
sense of the basic beliefs. But it has always been difficult to grasp the real significance of it. Today we are attempting to
simplify and explain what it is all about. Because it is so different than our Western way of thinking, it requires a bit longer
explanation, but it is our hope that you will grasp some things that you may have found puzzling before. Our purpose is
not simply that you have more knowledge, but that you are able to use this to strengthen your own faith and witness.

I hope that you are finding our worldview resources helpful. Please feel free to contact me and let me know what has
been especially helpful for you and how we can be even more helpful in the future.
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A Basic Understanding of Eastern Mysticism

You may think that you don’t really have that much interac-
tion with Far Eastern Mysticism because you don’t hang out
with Hindus or Buddhists. But if that is what you think, you
have become desensitized to many of the things that are
going on all around you.
There are many well known and popular movies and televi-
sion shows which promote the beliefs of Eastern Mysticism.
In addition to that, any time you hear people giving cre-
dence to ideas such as karma, Eastern meditation or rein-
carnation, you are bumping into this belief system. It is also
not unusual for some people to use elements of modern
science, particularly quantum physics, as a means of help-
ing promote elements of the Far Eastern Worldview. Then
there are several actual Eastern belief systems which have
gained a firm foothold in our society – such as Buddhism,
Transcendental Meditation, Hare Krishna, Taoism, and
some elements of New Age philosophy. The fact is, the ten-
tacles of this worldview have penetrated deeply into many
parts of modern American society without most people even
realizing what it is.
Because it has become such a prominent part of our soci-
ety, it is essential for Christians to be able to recognize it
and understand why it is not the Truth. To protect our per-
sonal faith and effectively share the gospel with those who
follow this worldview, we must prepare ourselves to deal
with it.
A Basic Understanding
Eastern Mysticism is a more popular term for the worldview
we are calling Far Eastern Thought (FET). For Westerners,
FET is probably the most difficult of the four worldviews to
fully comprehend. That is because it is so dramatically dif-
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God bless,
Freddy

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ferent from the primary worldview beliefs of Western cultures. FET is the belief that the ultimate expression of reality con-
sists of an impersonal life force. There is no God for a person to personally relate to, or one who is able to reveal himself to
humankind. Philosophically speaking, this worldview does not distinguish between the secular and the divine (pantheism)
and teaches that all of reality is composed of, and reducible to, a single substance (monism).

The gist of this belief system is that the essential core of all living beings is a part of the impersonal life force. The essence
of existence is not personal and self-conscious, rather it is impersonal and without a personal self-consciousness. This
means that even though you seem to be aware of yourself and to be able to live life based on your awareness of personal
desires, that is all an illusion. Your ultimate fate is to have no self-conscious existence at all. Your life force simply exists as
a part of a larger impersonal mass.

Looking at the big picture, the life force is a unified whole which exists in the cosmos. However, for some reason, pieces of
the life force have become separated from the main body and trapped in the material universe. These pieces do, however,
have within them a drive to become united with the main body. The belief is that this is accomplished through the process
of many physical reincarnations which serve to bring an individual to higher and higher levels until, one day, they are able
to escape the cycles of reincarnation in the physical world and become absorbed into the impersonal main body.

Adherents of FET are not able to take seriously any kind of material reality – whether knowledge or sensory experience.
That is because they don’t acknowledge that such a thing actually exists. They go on to assert that the nature of ultimate
reality (the impersonal life force) is quite beyond the ability of humans to fully comprehend. The goal of life, therefore, is to
simply accept that reality cannot be fully known, and to passively live life. This attitude frees a person from the suffering
that “seems” to be all around. The idea is that since pain and suffering are nothing more than an illusion, we can simply
ignore it. When the state of total passivity is achieved, individuals are freed to simply let life come as it will.

Some of the major belief systems which have a foundation in FET include Hinduism, Buddhism, Hare Krishna, Transcen-
dental Meditation, Taoism, Jainism, Sikhism, and some elements of the New Age movement.

Historical Background
The FET understanding of reality originated in India. Its various expressions have become known as Hinduism, but this
characterization can be a bit misleading. Hinduism, even in its early period, was not a monolithic religion. It has absorbed
uncountable customs and concepts from the various places it has moved into, and has branched off into many other reli-
gions, some radically different from their source. In fact, there are so many schools of Hindu thought today that almost any-
thing that could be said about it must be qualified to some extent.

The history of Hinduism comes from the Aryan peoples who moved to the Indus Valley in northwestern India, somewhere
around 1500 B.C. Over the next several centuries they conquered the entire subcontinent of India and brought with them
the religion that was then in Iran. The Aryans were polytheistic and had an elaborate system of sacrifices which led to the
formation of a priesthood (the Brahmins). This later evolved further into the caste system. In the process much of the reli-
gion of the invaded group was absorbed as well.

The earliest stage of Hinduism is usually called the pre-Vedic period. At this time the people were polytheistic and wor-
shiped a mother goddess and a horned god.

The second stage, the Vedic period, began around 1500 B.C. when the Aryans invaded northern India and imposed their
Vedic civilization and religion on the Indians there.
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(Eastern Mysticism - Continued from page 2)

Around 600 B.C. came the Upanishadic period when Hinduism became a more philosophical religion and began evolving
into the popular religion of the masses. During this time, the Vedic religion boiled all the gods down into a single pantheis-
tic principle (the absolute universal soul, or Brahman – our universal life force) with the belief that the universe is god and
god is the universe. This completed the process of evolution from which the major tenets of FET emerged.

Basic Beliefs and Practices

There are many different branches of FET which philosophically and theologically diverge in various directions. There are
several concepts, however, which form the basic foundation of almost all FET systems.

1. Submission to Fate - Man is understood to be a part of the eternal life force (the universal absolute) and has no access
to a personal God who can help or do anything for him. Each person does his deeds on earth and “what will be will be.”

2. The Law of Karma - Karma is the principle that every action a person does has consequences beyond the act itself.
Good actions create good karma and bad actions create bad karma. Karma is carried over from one lifetime to the next,
so one’s present state of existence is determined by his performance in previous lifetimes. The goal is to accumulate
enough good karma to end the cycle of birth, death and rebirth.

There are different categories of karma. There is the karma one is born with which came from previous lives, the karma
from the actions of one’s present life, karma produced by one’s thoughts and life plans, and the karma that is in force for
this present life. In addition to individual karma, there is al-
so the karma of one’s people and culture.

Karma is also used to explain evil. If something terrible Subscription Information

happens to a person with no seeming connection to their
direct actions, it is assumed that the law of karma is operat-
ing based on bad deeds of the past.
3. Reincarnation - This doctrine refers to a chain of rebirths
in which each soul can move to higher or lower states
through successive lives. It is believed that all living crea-
tures, including man, are trapped in a nearly endless series
of rebirths in a quest to rise to higher levels, and eventually
escape the cycle altogether. All beings progress from lower
life forms up through human life, which is the highest level.
Once in human form, one ascends through the lower
castes and ultimately to the highest caste of the Brahmins.
At that stage, if one generates good karma over a lifetime,
it is possible to finally achieve release or liberation.
4. Absorption into the Impersonal Cosmos - This is the final
stage that one reaches when the soul is liberated from the
chain of rebirths and is united with the “cosmos.”
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5. Methods for Joining the Self with the Divine - Often re-
ferred to as “yogas,” these are physical disciplines which
enable an individual to control the body and emotions. This
is done in order to help individuals focus on the ultimate Support MarketFaith Ministries
impersonal reality rather than the present illusory material
world. By practicing the yogas, a person is able to build The purpose of MarketFaith Ministries is to equip the Body
good karma in order to progress forward through the re- of Christ to become more effective by sharing the practical
birth cycle. applications of worldview. We are involved in developing
training and resource materials for that very purpose. If
6. The Moral Order - This principle asserts that there is a you would like to partner with us in this effort, you may
religious duty and practice that each individual must find send your tax deductible contribution to MarketFaith Minis-
and follow in order to reach the ultimate goal of being ab- tries, 321 Anton Dr., Tallahassee, FL 32312.
sorbed into the impersonal life force. Individuals may
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understand this based on their placement in life in their current incarnation. It is a person’s duty to live their life properly
based on their current position. They must willingly and faithfully fulfill their duty.

Worldview Questions
In order to understand FET more fully, let’s look at how it answers the seven worldview questions.

1. What is the nature of ultimate reality?

Ultimate reality is impersonal, pantheistic (god is everything and everything is god), and monistic (all of reality is com-
posed of different forms of a single substance).

2. What is the nature of material reality?

Material reality is impersonal, illusory, and seeking oneness.

3. What is a human being?

Personality and individuality are illusions. Humans are simply elements of the impersonal life force which are seeking
oneness with the main body.

4. What happens to a person at death?

At death, the life force recycles (reincarnates) into another form which either moves it forward toward the ultimate life
force or further from it.

5. Why is it possible to know anything at all?

Knowledge is an illusion. Nothing exists as it appears.

6. How do we know right and wrong?

The cosmos is perfect at every moment. Good and evil are an illusion.

7. What is the meaning of human history?

Time, as we experience it, is an illusion. It moves in cycles.

What are the Implications of Far Eastern Thought?

Based on the information above, it is possible to draw some conclusions about how this worldview is expressed in the
actual lives of people who follow it.

1. The primary impact of FET on culture is to promote passivism. This passivism, however, is not defined by how we re-
late to conflict. It relates to the very essence of how one thinks about the structure of reality. The material world is under-
stood to be an illusion. As a result, nothing that one accomplishes in this life relates to matters of ultimate significance.
The purpose of this life is to live rightly in order to move to a higher level in the next life. The particular material accom-
plishments that one achieves really do not mean much.

(Continued on page 5)

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(Eastern Mysticism - Continued from page 4)

2. The ultimate expression of this passivism, then, is to sit back and accept the life you have been born into. If it is a
low level of life, you just accept it and do the best you can so your next one will be better. If it is a higher level, the goal
is the same.

3. Nothing that we experience in this life is a true expression of reality. Thus, so there is no point in struggling to ac-
complish anything beyond the level of your current incarnation. People ought to do the best they can with this life, but
the purpose is not to create a better physical life, it is to move to a higher level in the next incarnation.

What Does Far Eastern Thought Believe Concerning God?

As we have already noted, FET asserts that there is no personal God and that the essence of all existence is an im-
personal life force. Since there is no personal God, there is no transcendent being to communicate with. Therefore,
prayer is not a part of the belief system. Rather, meditation is practiced as a means for individuals to come to a per-
sonal realization of what they need to do in order to advance properly to their next incarnation. Essentially, ultimate
reality is expressed as a mechanical process rather than the expression of a personal God.

What Does Far Eastern Thought Believe about Human Beings?

In FET, contrary to appearances, human beings are not personal. The fact that we seem to be personal, self-con-
scious beings is simply an illusion of our material existence. The truth is, the essence of a human being, as well as of
any other life form, is an impersonal life force.

Due to the fact that we are currently residing in what seems to be a physical existence, we know that we are separated
from the main core of the life force. The part of the life force, though, that is associated with our own body is actively
working its way to merge with the main core. It is progressing, lifetime by lifetime, to higher levels until one day it will be
able to merge with the main body.

What Does Far Eastern Thought Believe about Salvation?

FET understands salvation to be liberation from one's physical existence by escaping the recurring cycles of life on
earth, and being absorbed into the impersonal cosmos. Life in the physical world is perceived to be primarily character-
ized by pain and suffering. The goal is to leave physical existence where pain and suffering no longer exist.

This salvation is achieved by effectively working one’s way through successive life cycles to finally have one’s life en-
ergy merge with the impersonal cosmos. To accomplish this, individuals must live their lives according to the rules of
their physical existence. If they do this properly, they are able to move to a higher level in their next incarnation – which
is closer to escaping physical existence. Once they reach the highest level and live that life well, their life force leaves
the physical world and merges with the main impersonal body.

Why Far Eastern Thought Does Not Represent the Truth

Based on all we have seen, let’s summarize the problems related to FET which help us see why this belief system
does not represent the truth.

FET does not match up with the way we experience reality. Interestingly, it admits this up front by saying that our ma-
terial reality are an illusion. The problem we run into is, how do we know that the assertions about the belief are not,
themselves, an illusion? We are given a whole series of concepts but there is no reason to accept any of them as truth.
The beliefs have been developed over the centuries based on the experience of religious leaders, but there is nothing
authoritative to say that this approach to understanding reality is more valid than some other worldview approach. Ba-
sically the logic is, “This is what I believe and how I have learned to experience life, so it must be true.”

Since there is no transcendent God to reveal the Truth about reality, mankind is left to figure it out for himself. But,
there is no way to affirm that what has been “figured out” by ancient sages actually relates to the way things really are.
It simply uses limited human experience as its foundational authority. All that exists is the assertion of a group of peo-
ple over a period of time who teach that it is impossible for us to fully know the nature of ultimate reality. Unfortunately,
even the means used to put forth this line of reasoning are defined as an illusion. There, literally, is nothing to stand on
in asserting FET as a truth position.
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Conclusion
Whether you realize it or not, you run into concepts related to Eastern Mysticism all the time. When you don’t understand
what it is you are confronting, the only choices are to accept it or ignore it. Accepting it pollutes your own understanding of
the truth. Ignoring it puts you in a position where you are not able to stand strong in your own faith or to share the gospel
effectively.

While you may not yet be an expert in this area, even with the little bit of knowledge contained in this article, you have
gained enough understanding to know why FET is not the truth. This provides you with some of the elementary tools you
need to stand strong and to be an effective witness. People who follow Far Eastern beliefs need to know a relationship
with God. Now, you can be an instrument which God can use to bring these people to himself.

Coming in October – How Can a Knowledge of Worldview Help Spiritual Growth?