http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-14414-Columbus-Interfaith-Spirituality-Examiner~y2010m5d18-Spirituality-and-what-is-ascension-about-101continued . . .
Here’s what the Baha’i website http://www.bahai.us/ascension-of-bahaullah says about Ascension Day, ‘May 29 marks the anniversary of the Ascension of Baha'u'llah, the founder of the Baha'i Faith. The day is one of nine holy days in the Baha'i calendar when Baha'is suspend work and school.
The official Baha’i site continues the story, ‘Baha’u’llah died after a brief illness in 1892 in the mansion of Bahji outside Akko (also known as Akka or Acre), in what is now northern Israel. . . . Throughout His long years of exile, Baha’u’llah revealed divinely inspired passages equivalent to more than 100 volumes. This revelation comprises mystical writings, social and ethical teachings, laws and ordinances, and a fearless proclamation of His message to the kings and rulers of the world’ According to http://news.bahai.org/story/716 'Baha’is accept Baha’u’llah as the Manifestation of God for this age, the latest in a line a divine prophets that includes Jesus, Mohammed, Moses, Krishna, Buddha, Zoroaster, and others'.
Listen to http://www.nybahai.org/ascension/ascension.html music to accompany a program on ascension. Here are further reflections and devotions for ascension day http://www.upliftingwords.org/AscensionBahaullah.htm.
The website, Religion Research Institute says, 'Sects that arose in the Middle East before Mohammed put a great deal of emphasis on ascension to heaven. Those who claimed to be prophets within their sects, whether they were mythological figures in their tradition or were given biblical names, all had ascension stories.' [artwork shows ascension of the Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him by Jami Al-Tawarikh ("The Universal History").] Read more about Mohammed's ascension, peace be upon him, on Discover Islam.
The official Baha’i site continues the story, ‘Baha’u’llah died after a brief illness in 1892 in the mansion of Bahji outside Akko (also known as Akka or Acre), in what is now northern Israel. . . . Throughout His long years of exile, Baha’u’llah revealed divinely inspired passages equivalent to more than 100 volumes. This revelation comprises mystical writings, social and ethical teachings, laws and ordinances, and a fearless proclamation of His message to the kings and rulers of the world’ According to http://news.bahai.org/story/716 'Baha’is accept Baha’u’llah as the Manifestation of God for this age, the latest in a line a divine prophets that includes Jesus, Mohammed, Moses, Krishna, Buddha, Zoroaster, and others'.
Listen to http://www.nybahai.org/ascension/ascension.html music to accompany a program on ascension. Here are further reflections and devotions for ascension day http://www.upliftingwords.org/AscensionBahaullah.htm.
The website, Religion Research Institute says, 'Sects that arose in the Middle East before Mohammed put a great deal of emphasis on ascension to heaven. Those who claimed to be prophets within their sects, whether they were mythological figures in their tradition or were given biblical names, all had ascension stories.' [artwork shows ascension of the Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him by Jami Al-Tawarikh ("The Universal History").] Read more about Mohammed's ascension, peace be upon him, on Discover Islam.
For Jains, ascension means something different however. Here are two sites with further information: http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~malaiya/mahavira.html and, http://www.exoticindiaart.com/article/mahavira/
In the Jain tradition, the spiritual leader Lord Mahavir attained an elevated state upon physical death. It’s not what one would call, ‘ascension’, but similar to what in Buddhism or Hinduism one would call, nirvana or freedom from suffering and rebirth. The Jain university site
http://www.jainuniversity.org/lord_mahavir.aspx says, ‘According to Jain philosophy, all Tirthankaras were human beings but they have attained a state of perfection or enlightenment through meditation and self-realization. They are the Gods of Jains. The concept of God as a creator, protector, and destroyer of the universe does not exist in Jainism. Also the idea of God's reincarnation as a human being to destroy the demons is not accepted in Jainism. . . . At the age of 72 (527 B.C.), Lord Mahavir attained nirvan and his purified soul left his body and achieved complete liberation. He became a Siddha, a pure consciousness, a liberated soul, living forever in a state of complete bliss. On the night of his nirvan, people celebrated the Festival of Lights (Dipavali) in his honor. This is the last day of Hindu and Jain calendar year known as Dipavali Day.'
In Jainism there are 5 great vows:
‘Nonviolence (Ahimsa)not to cause harm to any living beings; Truthfulness (Satya)to speak the harmless truth only; Non stealing (Asteya) not to take anything not properly given; Chastity (Brahmacharya)not to indulge in sensual pleasure; Non possession/ Non attachment (Aparigraha) complete detachment from people, places, and material things’.
According to Jain University, the spiritual master, ‘Mahavir emphasized that all living beings, irrespective of their size, shape, and form -how spiritually developed or undeveloped, are equal and we should love and respect them. This way he preached the gospel of universal love. Mahavir rejected the concept of God as a creator, a protector, and a destroyer of the universe. He also denounced the worshiping of gods and goddesses as a means of material gains and personal benefits.’
For atheist authors the idea of ascension is a joke because it presupposes belief in an unproven other-worldly existence beyond this physical place and plane. Contrasting the ancient scriptural texts taken literally versus contemporary astrophysics, ‘if Jesus bodily rose, he is still in orbit’, some would say with disdain.
Looking at ‘ascension’/’enlightenment’ from three completely different religious perspectives, one might say symbolically that upon death, (but sometimes in altered consciousness in life- as Sikh Guru Nanak experienced) one reaches a new threshold, a new state of transcendent existence unencumbered by the physical realm and its attendant decay. This then serves to give light to millions of followers. For those who live consciously and give their lives for others, a higher state of life beyond our present reality exists, one of joy and bliss, enlightenment and elevation. Our deep heritage of the world's spiritual stories offer a fascinating glimpse.
In the Jain tradition, the spiritual leader Lord Mahavir attained an elevated state upon physical death. It’s not what one would call, ‘ascension’, but similar to what in Buddhism or Hinduism one would call, nirvana or freedom from suffering and rebirth. The Jain university site
http://www.jainuniversity.org/lord_mahavir.aspx says, ‘According to Jain philosophy, all Tirthankaras were human beings but they have attained a state of perfection or enlightenment through meditation and self-realization. They are the Gods of Jains. The concept of God as a creator, protector, and destroyer of the universe does not exist in Jainism. Also the idea of God's reincarnation as a human being to destroy the demons is not accepted in Jainism. . . . At the age of 72 (527 B.C.), Lord Mahavir attained nirvan and his purified soul left his body and achieved complete liberation. He became a Siddha, a pure consciousness, a liberated soul, living forever in a state of complete bliss. On the night of his nirvan, people celebrated the Festival of Lights (Dipavali) in his honor. This is the last day of Hindu and Jain calendar year known as Dipavali Day.'
In Jainism there are 5 great vows:
‘Nonviolence (Ahimsa)not to cause harm to any living beings; Truthfulness (Satya)to speak the harmless truth only; Non stealing (Asteya) not to take anything not properly given; Chastity (Brahmacharya)not to indulge in sensual pleasure; Non possession/ Non attachment (Aparigraha) complete detachment from people, places, and material things’.
According to Jain University, the spiritual master, ‘Mahavir emphasized that all living beings, irrespective of their size, shape, and form -how spiritually developed or undeveloped, are equal and we should love and respect them. This way he preached the gospel of universal love. Mahavir rejected the concept of God as a creator, a protector, and a destroyer of the universe. He also denounced the worshiping of gods and goddesses as a means of material gains and personal benefits.’
For atheist authors the idea of ascension is a joke because it presupposes belief in an unproven other-worldly existence beyond this physical place and plane. Contrasting the ancient scriptural texts taken literally versus contemporary astrophysics, ‘if Jesus bodily rose, he is still in orbit’, some would say with disdain.
Looking at ‘ascension’/’enlightenment’ from three completely different religious perspectives, one might say symbolically that upon death, (but sometimes in altered consciousness in life- as Sikh Guru Nanak experienced) one reaches a new threshold, a new state of transcendent existence unencumbered by the physical realm and its attendant decay. This then serves to give light to millions of followers. For those who live consciously and give their lives for others, a higher state of life beyond our present reality exists, one of joy and bliss, enlightenment and elevation. Our deep heritage of the world's spiritual stories offer a fascinating glimpse.
copyright 2010, Patricia A. Rodemann
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