Today’s science sees light and matter as convertible, that matter is very slow moving light or “frozen light.” This puts a dagger into dualism that separates spirit from matter because spirit around the world is called Light.
This is true, among other places, in Buddhism and in Christianity. Christianity talks about “Christ as Light”—“I am the Light of the world” and Christ as doxa or radiance or shining light. This is the Cosmic Christ.
In Buddhism, the word for ignorance is avidya and this mean literally “the lack of light.” Vidya or understanding means “made of light.” Because light exists in all things, all things preach of the Buddha.
This is how Thich Nhat Hanh puts it:
The trees, the birds, the violet bamboo, and the yellow chrysanthemums are all preaching the Dharma that Shakyamuni [the historical Buddha] preached 2,500 years ago. We can be in touch with him through any of these. He is a living Buddha, always available.
Today’s science, after wrestling with the question: Is light a particle or a wave? finally came to this awareness: It is both/and. Sometimes light is wave, sometimes light is particle.
It seems to me this understanding is readily applicable to the spiritual realities of the historical Jesus and the Cosmic Christ; and of the historical Buddha and the Living Buddha.
The historical Jesus is a particle of light—as we all are, as all individual beings are, a particle of light made up of particles of light.
The Christ on the other hand is the wave of light coursing through history. What Père Chenu calls “continuous creation” and “continuous incarnation.”
Thus all history and all matter is sacred, the presence of the Christ among us over 13.8 billion years.
The same can be said of the Buddha Nature. The historical Buddha was a particle, a very enlightened particle, an individual who lived his life and moment in history. But after his death his dharma or teaching carries on, and he is called the “Buddha Nature.” Just like the resurrected and Cosmic Christ does the same.
While for some, this sounds like a new Christology, in fact it is the oldest Christology in the New Testament (and is rooted in the Wisdom teachings of Israel).
Adapted from Matthew Fox, One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faiths, p. 76.
See also: Matthew Fox, The Coming of the Cosmic Christ.
And Matthew Fox and Bishop Marc Andrus, Stations of the Cosmic Christ.
And Fox and Andrus, Stations of the Cosmic Christ Meditation Cards and Guide Booklet
To read the transcript of Matthew Fox’s video teaching, click HERE.
Banner Image: “The Mountain of Buddha.” Image by Daniel Arrhakis on Flickr.
Queries for Contemplation
At what age did you first hear about the Cosmic Christ and how did you hear about it? When did you hear about the Buddha Nature? Or how the tselem or image of God is to be found in all beings including the Cosmos itself as a whole?
Recommended Reading
One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faiths
Matthew Fox calls on all the world traditions for their wisdom and their inspiration in a work that is far more than a list of theological position papers but a new way to pray—to meditate in a global spiritual context on the wisdom all our traditions share. Fox chooses 18 themes that are foundational to any spirituality and demonstrates how all the world spiritual traditions offer wisdom about each.“Reading One River, Many Wells is like entering the rich silence of a masterfully directed retreat. As you read this text, you reflect, you pray, you embrace Divinity. Truly no words can fully express my respect and awe for this magnificent contribution to contemporary spirituality.” –Caroline Myss, author of Anatomy of the Spirit
The Coming of the Cosmic Christ: The Healing of Mother Earth and the Birth of a Global Renaissance
In what may be considered the most comprehensive outline of the Christian paradigm shift of our Age, Matthew Fox eloquently foreshadows the manner in which the spirit of Christ resurrects in terms of the return to an earth-based mysticism, the expression of creativity, mystical sexuality, the respect due the young, the rebirth of effective forms of worship—all of these mirroring the ongoing blessings of Mother Earth and the recovery of Eros, the feminine aspect of the Divine.
“The eighth wonder of the world…convincing proof that our Western religious tradition does indeed have the depth of imagination to reinvent its faith.” — Brian Swimme, author of The Universe Story and Journey of the Universe.
“This book is a classic.” Thomas Berry, author of The Great Work and The Dream of the Earth.
Stations of the Cosmic Christ
By Matthew Fox and Bishop Marc Andrus.
This is a book of meditations on the Cosmic Christ, accompanying the images of 16 wonderful clay tablets by Javier Ullrrich Lemus and M.C. Richards. Together, these images and meditations go far beyond the traditional Stations of the Cross to inspire a spirit awakening and understanding of the cosmic Christ Consciousness, Buddha consciousness, and consciousness of the image of God in all beings, so needed in our times.
“A divinely inspired book that must be read by every human being devoted to spiritual and global survival. It is cosmically brilliant.” — Caroline Myss, author of Anatomy of the Spirit
Stations of the Cosmic Christ Meditation Cards and Guide Booklet
Beautiful full-color cards from Stations of the Cosmic Christ to aid in your meditations on the Cosmic Christ, featuring the images of 16 wonderful clay tablets by Javier Ullrrich Lemus and M.C. Richards. Step beyond the traditional Stations of the Cross and experience a spirit awakening and understanding of the cosmic Christ Consciousness, Buddha consciousness, and consciousness of the image of God in all beings, so needed in our times. Includes an instruction booklet containing suggestions on how to use the cards.
13 thoughts on “The Light in all Things: Buddhism, Christianity, Science continued”
Matthew, Today you begin by sharing with us the fact that: “Christianity talks about ‘Christ as Light’—’I am the Light of the world’ and Christ as doxa or radiance or shining light. This is the Cosmic Christ. In Buddhism, the word for ignorance is avidya and this mean literally ‘the lack of light.’ Vidya or understanding means ‘made of light.’ Because light exists in all things, all things preach of the Buddha.” You point out that question of whether light is wave or particle, is not really a question of either/or but is both/and. Sometimes light is wave, sometimes light is particle. Then you make an application from what science has learned about light, and you have imposed it upon Christology–saying that the historical Jesus is like the particle and the Cosmic Christ is like the wave. And then you do a similar comparison with the Buddha. You end in saying: “While for some, this sounds like a new Christology, in fact it is the oldest Christology in the New Testament (and is rooted in the Wisdom teachings of Israel). (See: my comment to Melinda yesterday). You ask us today: “At what age did you first hear about the Cosmic Christ and how did you hear about it?” I first heard about the Cosmic Christ from you back in 1988. “When did you hear about the Buddha Nature?” I first heard about the Buddha Nature from you, when you first started comparing it to the Cosmic Christ. And finally you ask about the Jewish idea of the tselem–that is, the image of God or Imago Dei. That I have known for a long time…
I am a living particle within the quantum field of light… learning to ride the unfolding, evolving, emerging wave of cosmic light. I am like a drop of light… enfolded in a sea of light. I am light particles of energy in motion… in space and time… reflecting the cosmic light. I am matter, I am light, I am Spirit… Oned With… the One Light… of the all and the everything of creation. I am a cosmic being, co-creatively and imaginatively dreaming in a realm of matter… sometimes intuitively aware of and consciously manifesting the true nature of this light… other times unfortunately, I am also manifesting, from the shadow side of this light… unconsciously and unaware of my true nature… which is kind of like being momentarily on the dark side of the moon… yet also being gravitationally drawn once again to the light.
Hence, I now more fully appreciate and see the importance of the wisdom of the ancient rituals and ceremonies within the Christian tradition… which mystically and mysteriously bring the particles of light, into harmony with the wave of light, of the Cosmic Christ.
Jeanette, Today you write: “I now more fully appreciate and see the importance of the wisdom of the ancient rituals and ceremonies within the Christian tradition… ” and to that I say, Amen!
The particle, much like the ‘drop’ as relates to water, is one and the same as the wave it resides in, is it not? To say then that there is a historical Buddha and a historical Jesus, is contradictory is it not? Do we continue to create our own ‘cosmic’ paradigms then to replace a reality that we do not readily ‘see’, not unlike the water in its third form as evaporation. Let’s contemplate before we so readily dismiss. — BB.
Bill, Today you write: “To say then that there is a historical Buddha and a historical Jesus, is contradictory is it not?” No, it is not either / or but rather both / and. Just because water comes in three forms as a liquid, a solid, and a gas doesn’t mean that it still isn’t all water!
Theology or the study of God from a human perspective is limited to reflective thinking. In doing so it assumes God has no communication in the lives of other species. The experience of living the Life we all are predestined to follow is the study of Lifeology. It is observable that Life is invisible, silent and with living things always. We are never alone. There is only one Life, we all share, love and loved us first. God is Love, is a noun. A loving living God that shares unconditionally Divine Life with Putin, Trump or the rat, as the least of these, is an active, verb. We all yearn for the fullness of everlasting Life at our death and “Resurrection and Life”.
I love this. I agree. Scientists like Rupert Sheldrake are gracing us with language that is capable of carrying us (carrier wave) further to the “essence” of what we are within the overall finer and denser distribution of Energy or Light. We are experiencing the dawn of our knowing-feeling-seeing our psychological “field” in each other, that is, our grounding “essence.” This is our Universal Soul Field. This is the Universal Consciousness or Universal Self (Same Self) in all of us. This Universal Soul Field is the Christ-Buddha-Krishna Consciousness.
Gary, And agree with you !!!
My understanding is that the recognition of the wave/particle duality resulted in the knowledge that the observer, the human being who set up the experiment, is not just an ‘observer’ but is an actual ‘participant’ in the universe, because of the personal choice s/he makes in setting up the experiment. This ultimately led to the conclusion that there is no absolute objectivity in the scientific process and progress. By extension, this awareness leads to an understanding of our participation in the whole darkness/light continuum. This raises further questions about the existence of dark matter: Is it stored light/energy??? My question: Is dark matter the hidden face of ‘God’???
Gwen, You ask today: “My question: Is dark matter the hidden face of ‘God’???” If God is all that there is, then dark matter and dark energy could be the hidden face of God–at least in part…
In my 60s I started hearing about the Cosmic Christ which helped me better understand Christianity’s mystical tradition, because I had already been reading the mystics from the mystical traditions of other religions, like Buddhism. Prior to this understanding of the Cosmic Christ, Christianity used to confuse me because it would use the words Jesus and Christ interchangeably, almost synonymously. Now for several years I understand the difference between the historical Jesus and the Cosmic Christ. Besides Matthew Fox (and it continues in today’s DM), Thomas Merton, Fr. Maloney, Richard Rohr, and other Christians who have written about the Cosmic Christ, another contemporary Christian mystic less well known who passed in 2017 is Bernadette Roberts. Her last book was THE REAL CHRIST. Thomas Keating was a friend of hers, and he wrote to me in his last year before passing and he said she was many years ahead of her times.
🔥💜🌎🙏
Damian, Thank you for telling us about “another contemporary Christian mystic less well known who passed in 2017 is Bernadette Roberts. Her last book was THE REAL CHRIST. Thomas Keating was a friend of hers, and he wrote to me in his last year before passing and he said she was many years ahead of her times.” I’l have to get her book !!!
I have no idea how old I was when I first began to contemplate these things, but I’ve been thinking about them for over 60 years.
Apparently, our physical form interacting with Spirit can’t function without the concept of Time, which we must have invented in response to that imperative. If we can ever grasp timelessness and the truth of eternity, we’ll be truly enlightened and healed.