The Tao of Christ

In this episode I deal with one of the biggest issues that Christians face when it comes to other faith traditions in the world. Especially when they start to get to know people of other faiths and read their scriptures and other writings of non-Christian religions with an open mind. The question is this: Is Jesus Christ the only way to salvation? Framed another way, “Do you have to believe in Jesus to be saved?” The traditional Christian answer is “Yes.” I say, “Not so fast. Let’s look at what Jesus really says.”View Marshall's books here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Marshall-Davis/author/B001K8Y0RU

Silent Night is one of the most beloved carols of the Christmas season. Silent night, holy night All is calm, all is bright Round yon virgin Mother and Child Holy infant so tender and mild Sleep in heavenly peace Sleep in heavenly peaceIt seems to epitomize the essence of Christmas. This hymn conveys the silence, beauty and peace at the heart of Christmas. Christmas celebrates our intuitive awareness of our innate union with God, which I call unitive awareness or nondual awareness. This is represented in the Christ child. The harsh patriarchal judge that is the usual symbol for God gives way to God as an infant, so fender and mild. The Tao te Ching uses this image for the Tao, comparing the Tao to a newborn child. God as an infant holy, infant lowly as another Christmas carol says. In the Silent Night, holy night of Christmas, we know that we are one with God in heavenly peace. For a moment we remember that this is our natural state, the Reality that we were born into and born from. This is true of every one of us, not just the Babe of Bethlehem.View Marshall's books here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Marshall-Davis/author/B001K8Y0RU

In this episode I explore the symbolic proclamation of nonduality presented in the powerful story of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper, found in the thirteenth chapter of the Gospel of John. View Marshall's books here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Marshall-Davis/author/B001K8Y0RU

In this episode I share the many spiritual influences on my life – Christian and non-Christian - and why I see Jesus as my spiritual teacher. All true spiritual teachers throughout the ages in all the different spiritual traditions are in essence the same Spiritual Teacher. Jesus calls this inner Teacher “the Father.” I call this inner Teacher Christ. I explore how Jesus’s death was intentional, so as to expand his ministry and message beyond the lifespan of a first century carpenter.  The meaning of the Resurrection is that the True Teacher does not die, even though his body dies. I also talk about the importance of having a human spiritual teacher to guide us to the One Inner Teacher.  View Marshall's books here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Marshall-Davis/author/B001K8Y0RU

In this episode I explore death in the context of the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. This is a symbolic story that looks at how three people – Mary, Martha, and Jesus respond to death. It culminates in Jesus statement: I am the resurrection and the life. This statement points to the reality that death is conquered now in the realization that one’s true nature does not die. Resurrection is another term for spiritual awakening.  View Marshall's books here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Marshall-Davis/author/B001K8Y0RU

In the Gospel of John we have a parable spoken by Jesus about Nondual Reality. He tells us how to enter into union with God, which he calls Life Abundant and Eternal Life. It is the Parable of the Sheepfold. It is undoubtedly drawn from his own experience watching shepherds in Galilee. The sheepfold represents the Kingdom of God, which union with God. He is talking about how to enter into this nondual awareness. View Marshall's books here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Marshall-Davis/author/B001K8Y0RU

In this episode I interpret Christmas as a proclamation of nonduality. There is a lot in the Christmas story that speaks of nonduality. I deal briefly with three aspects of the story: the Virgin Birth, the Visit of the Wise Men, and the doctrine of Incarnation.View Marshall's books here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Marshall-Davis/author/B001K8Y0RU

Before they were called prophets or Christ (anointed one) or buddha (awakened one) or jnani (knowing one), or arhat (worthy one) they were called seers. The Hebrew Scriptures say that was the term used in the time of the prophet Samuel. It reads, “the prophet of today was formerly called the seer.” Such people were able to see with spiritual eyes what could not be seen with physical eyes. Jesus called this being “born again.” He said, “unless one is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” This spiritual sight is what I am talking about today. In this episode I am looking at a story found in the ninth chapter of the Gospel of John. It is the story of Jesus healing a man born blind. On the surface it is about physical sight and physical healing, but Jesus makes it clear that it is really about spiritual sight and spiritual healing. It is not about being visually impaired but being spiritually impaired.The first thing this story addresses is psychological barriers to seeing the Kingdom of God, particularly guilt. Seeing the Kingdom of God, of course, is just another term for spiritual awakening or enlightenment or liberation or salvation. Then Jesus deals with is spiritual practices. Jesus then turns to the Pharisees and offers an indictment of traditional religion – what we might call today the institutional church or organized religion. View Marshall's books here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Marshall-Davis/author/B001K8Y0RU

In this episode I deal with the most important verse spoken by Jesus in the Gospel of John. Everything so far has led up to this verse, and everything after it is based upon it. It is the pinnacle of the gospel found in the eighth chapter. They are words that Jesus spoken in response to repeated inquiries by people as to who he was, whether he was the Messiah or the Prophet or someone else. Jesus responded, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”To explore that saying properly I need to put it in context and mention briefly what led up to it in chapters 7 and 8. These chapters center on a discussion of the identity of Jesus, explored in the context of the Feast of Tabernacles.We find that Jesus is not just talking about himself. He is speaking as the Son of Man, which he called himself a few verses earlier, as representative of all humans. Jesus is teaching about human nature. He is teaching about our nature. What Jesus said of himself, every person can say of themselves. That is because we are not separate individuals. We are one with Christ. Each one of us can say with Jesus, “Before Abraham was, I AM.”This saying of Jesus is equivalent to a Zen koan. A famous koan says, "Show me your original face before you were born." Or “Show me your original face before your mother and father were born." Jesus’ saying “Before Abraham was, I AM” is pointing to the same reality. These koans are meant to direct our attention to what we truly are apart from our physical human manifestations.In this episode I make this very practical and lead the listener to experience this. What were you before you were you? What were you before you were born? Better yet, before you were conceived? Before your parents were born? What were you before the universe was born? If you know that, then you know what you are. This is what this saying is all about.  View Marshall's books here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Marshall-Davis/author/B001K8Y0RU

The Lord’s Supper is a symbol of what I call unitive awareness, which Jesus called the Kingdom of God. Also called Holy Communion or the Eucharist, this Christian ritual is a symbolic proclamation of nonduality. View Marshall's books here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Marshall-Davis/author/B001K8Y0RU