CONTEMPLATING THE MYSTERY
is as old as humanity itself. People cannot help but wonder at the miracle
of life, and have found and developed myriad paths to meaning. Shrouded
in deepest antiquity, the oldest religious traditions share many similar
ideas, and may even share common roots. Contemporary people seek ways
to express their spirituality that are freed from the baggage of the past,
but the authority of antiquity lends an undeniable richness. Like a fine
wine, spirituality needs some aging and "gravity" to persist.
. .
Living traditions are growing traditions, enriched by their relationships with other paths, and "cross-pollination" has engendered a network of commonalities across the religious spectrum. There is a sense of recognition when a familiar practice or concept is seen expressed in a different language or style. Religious traditions have influenced each other in many ways, for better or worse.
Judaism and Vedanta have much in common, and we will explore here some of similarities and differences they share. The idea of "proving" or "disproving" a connection between Judaism and Vedanta can be someone else's project.
SEED THOUGHTS
The idea that Judaism and Vedanta have common roots raises some eyebrows.
The antiquity of possible commonalities may make definitive proof, one
way or the other, impossible. Outwardly, in many ways, the two traditions
are quite different - Judaism's core of human, historical stories that communicate the spiritual message, the Torah, is quite different than Vedanta's almost scientific approach, and Hinduism, a later development of Brahmanism that features a multitude of "Gods" and employs physical statues to represent those Gods. These surface characteristics conceal similarities in
the underlying core concepts.
Both terms, "Judaism" and "Brahmanism," are blanket words that describe huge collections of varying "dialects" within each religion. Comprehensive parallels may be impossible to draw, so prominent, selected threads will be compared, leaving final conclusions as an open choice.
ABRAHAM AND THE BRAHMINS
Genesis 25:6:
"And to the concubine children who were Abraham's, Abraham gave gifts;
then he sent them away from Isaac his son, while he was still alive, eastward,
to the land of the east."
These were the children of Hagar, Sarah's handmaiden with whom Abraham fathered Ishmael, the progenitor of the Islamic strand of Abraham's ethical monotheism. Hagar was also called Ketura, which means "incense." Did these journeyers-to-the-east children of Abraham's become the Brahmins? The timing would be right, Abraham lived around 2100 B.C.E., and the Upanishads and Rig Veda emerged in India in about 1500 B.C.E. The similarity of "Abraham" and "Brahmin" may be purely coincidental. It's also important to note that three of their names were "Shiva," "Ashram," and "Aveda." It's comparable to the fact that the Nordic version of Adam and Eve, the primordial couple, were called in the Eddas "Ask and Embla" [ash and elm trees].
SACRED LANGUAGE - SACRED TEXT
A hieratic language. The Greek word "hieratic" means "priestly," and was originally used to describe Eqyptian hieroglyphics, a lanquage reserved for spiritual purposes. Hieratic languages like Hebrew and Sanskrit are seen as "vessels" that protect spiritual concepts. Each letter, each glyphic symbol contains and transmits"God-force." Each shape, and what it imparts, connects the immanent world to the transcendant world, and is a path along which humans can share in that connection. This idea evolves in some thought into the idea that simply scanning the letters with the eyes opens the soul to the divine, regardless of comprehension of the meanings.
Sacred Texts. The term "Veda," in its narrow sense, refers to the four primary brahmanic "Samhitas," the Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda, and Atharva Veda. Subsequent writings have been assimilated into the tradition, and "Veda" has become a broader term including a body of literature much larger than the core texts. Similarly, in Judaism, the Sefer Torah [Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy], form the primary written law, with later works like the Talmud and Zohar forming a vast body of thought that is sometimes referred to broadly as "Torah."
In both traditions, the
primary texts, Torah and Veda, are thought of as entities much greater
than simple collections of words. Both are seen as "living bodies"
of the Spiritual manifested in the physical world. Both are seen as containing
the sum of all knowledge, and capable of infinite exploration and permutation.
Both are seen as cosmological principles, as essential, primary components
of reality itself. Both are closed canons, while still being seen as filled
with endless meaning and sustenance. The import of these texts is often
seen to transcend the literal meanings of the words, and where human interpretation
begins is where endless questions of authority begin. Both traditions have strong systems of interpretation of sacred texts, and encourage difficult questions and expansion of knowledge.
The Talmud is a massive text, lovingly referred to as an "ocean," that records the rabbinical discussions of virtually every letter of the Torah, all in the process of "learning out" meaning from often obscure and contradictory verses, differences in spelling, "back stories" of characters and situations, resulting in a labyrinth of ideas almost fractal in its inexhaustibility.
Another fascinating thing about the Talmud is that the participants in the conversations often lived 100s of years apart ~ their responses layered in concentric margins on each page, so the discussion is revived and kept going.
A familiar complaint about Judaism is that they just "lawyer" their way out of the impossible-to-keep commands in the Torah. This is not just a quip ~ Talmudic logic has a huge influence on modern legal systems, and informed parsing of language is a highly developed and necessary skill for lawyers and rabbis alike.
Christian and Islamic objections to Rabbinical Judaism say that it is an evasion of the law. So then they discarded the old law and wrote a new one. Isn't that the same thing, just more abrupt?
HASHEM - BRAHMAN In Judaism, many of the exact same ideas
are invoked in the daily prayer service: God is One, without form, without
beginning or end, beyond time and space, the source of life and consciousness,
indescribable, inexhaustible, omniscient, omnipresent, original, first,
eternal and absolute principle—the ultimate transcendant reality,
who is hidden in all and who is the cause, source, material and effect
of all creation known, unknown and yet to happen in the entire universe.
The Creator is described as: incomparable, without equal, unbounded by
time, One but not in the sense of counting, preceding everything, and
knowing of all secrets. The idea of God's permeation
of every aspect of life is summed up in both religious traditions with
similar sayings or mantras: one in Sanskrit is, "Tat twam asi" means
"and that, too" - with the idea of mentally acknowledging every
thought and event as being part of God. One corollary in Judaism is a
saying attributed to "Rabbi Ish Gam Zu": "Gam Zu la Tov"
- "and that, too, is for the good." Some threads of Vedantic thought posit
many "sub-forms" of God, giving them names and powers, with
whole cults arising around these various personalities, whereas Judaism
rigidly avoids this, and doesn't indulge in any of these subdivisions.
Another difference is the Jewish importance attached to the "names"
used to describe the Creator, with levels of sanctity attributed to these
names, including a name that cannot be pronounced - that was only pronounced
in ancient times by the Kohen Gadol [High Priest] on Yom Kippur, the Day
of Atonement. Modern Jews use a variety of euphemisms for the Master of
the Universe, and carefully avoid using sacred names in non-prayer situations.
One example is "HaShem," meaning literally: "The Name."
HOLY ABSORPTION Devekut - Samadhi. Vedic
and Chassidic thought share the ideal of "joining" with the
Divine, and myriad approaches to this goal have been described, named,
and practiced. The Hebrew: "bittul ha yesh," means "nullification
of what I have," and is part of "Devekut," or "cleaving"
to the creator. This can be compared to the Sanskrit "moksha"
meaning "liberation," dissolution of the sense of self as an
egoistic personality, which is a precursor to "Samadhi," also
called "Nirvana" - total absorption in Cosmic Consciousness.
Both traditions prescribe comprehensive systems of blessings, meditations
and rituals for keeping the mind in constant focus on the Spiritual World.
Both systems also have varying schools of thought concerning "levels"
of absorption, the purpose thereof, and ways to achieve it. Another aspect of this unification with
the divine is that there is no ulterior motive, not even the motive of
some reward at a future time, like the Christian or Islamic ideas of "heaven."
In Jewish thought this is called "le shem shamayim," "for
the sake of heaven," and in Vedic thought it's called "surrendering
the fruits of your actions," or "karma yoga" - the yoga
of works.
Another similarity is the concept of "Practice." The shared idea is that the poetry-like repetition of sacred texts, ritualized recitation and action, is meant to work on deeper levels than the immediate tangibles. Simply practicing the ethics, the G-d reminding blessings, the daily, weekly, monthly, and annual cycles harmonises us with natural rhythms, and brings connection and meaning, rootedness. Shared also is the sense of savoring the journey, and the simple repetition, rather than anxiously grasping for some distant Heaven or Hell. With practice, and years, we realize that each new situation is repeating something in our past, and awareness catches us and says: "Pay closer attention this time..."
"A lesson repeated 100 times cannot be compared to a lesson repeated 101 times" Chagigah 9b2 [Talmud]
This is a key departure from Judaism's
"passionate mindfulness." Buddhists don't dance and laugh and cry all the time like Jews do, nor do they celebrate [sanctioned] sexual activity. Judaism's challenge is to spiritualize all of life, to have all of the emotions in play, available, and fully tasted, while Buddhism seeks independence from these states - to have the mind be like Teflon, letting emotions pass without 'grasping' them. People familiar with both systems tend to agree that Judaism has more heart, and a wider dynamic range of moods. FOUR WORLDS- FOUR YOGAS Brahmanic philosophy has defined four
"branches" of yoga, acknowledging the various personality types
and levels of dedication in aspirants. [This is one way in which Vedic
and Jewish thought differ, in that Judaism doesn't explicitly
describe any "types." There are the distinctions of
"Kohanim," "Leviim," and "Yisrael," and
it might be interesting to explore using the 12 Tribes as a model for
this type of taxonomy.] The four types or "margas" of yoga are:
Karma, Bhakti, Jnana, Raja yogas. Each type has numerous traditions and
schools of thought that flow from them, and they are often intertwined.
They can easily be compared to the four levels in the Kabalistic Tree
of Life. Karma yoga, mentioned
above, is the yoga of work, the physical world, and human interaction.
In Hebrew, spiritual work is "avoda," the work of the Priests
in the Tabernacle. It's earthy, material associations correspond to the
foundational Kabalistic world, "Assiah," the
world of making, and the "Birchat ha shachar,"
or Morning Blessings, the beginning of the prayer service and the "lowest"
level. This section of the Jewish service includes meditations on the
physical body - and "Karma Yoga" includes "Hatha Yoga,"
whose purpose is the exercise and "tuning" of the flesh-and-blood
vehicle. This section concludes with the "korbanos," the daily
sacrificial prodecures. The primary Brahmanic texts, the "Vedas,"
are a series of "mantras," "p'sukim," or "verses,"
that are sacrificial instruction manuals. Bhakti yoga is the yoga
of praise, song, and dance. "Kirtan" is the Sanskrit term for
the countless tunes, hymns, singing styles and dance rituals applied to
the mantras of praise and gratitude contained in the tradition. Judaism
is also a singing religion, with "niggunim," "wordless
tunes," at the top of the list of ways to find devekut, and a huge
variety of psalms, Biblical songs, and tunes collected from 3,000 years
of Jewish travels. Singing and bits of melody are woven through every
moment of the day in Judaism. The P'sukei d'Zimra, the
singing part of the prayer service, corresponds in Kabalistic thought
to the second world, the world of "Yetzirah,"
or "formation," and includes Psalms of David, The Song at the
Sea [from Exodus], excerpts from Chronicles, and more. In both traditions,
song and movement are recognized as important and effective ways to soften
the ego, open the heart, and engender love and welcoming of the Source
of Life. Jnana Yoga is the yoga
of meditation, concentration, and union. In Hinduism "Jnana - knowing"
means true knowledge, the knowledge that one's self is identical with
Ultimate Reality, Brahman. In Buddhism, Jnana refers to pure awareness
that is free of conceptual encumbrances, and is contrasted with vijnana,
which is a moment of 'divided knowing'. These two states are comparable
to "mochin gadlut," "big mind," and "mochin katlut"
small mind, in Chasidic thought. This corresponds to the "Kriyas
Shema" level of the prayer service, Briah,
or "creation," and is said sitting, and focusing the mind and
heart on Deuteronomy 6:4, the "Shema:" "Listen-hear, O
Israel, G-d is One," and on the Omnipresent Unity of the Creator.
Raja Yoga is the culmination
of the other yogas - "raja" meaning "king." This is
total absorption and immersion, connecting the transcendant and immanent
worlds. Here is where all of the preparation comes to fruition, and the
aspirant merges with the spiritual realm. In the Jewish prayer service,
this could be compared to the "Amidah," the
standing prayer that is said in silence. Chasidut connects the Amidah
to Atzilut, the highest world in the Kabalistic Tree
of Life, the world of intimacy, and emanation. STREAMS OF THOUGHT IMPERMANENCE - HEVEL BREATH AND GOD There are important references
to breath in the Jewish texts, but there have been fewer developments
in the area. As mentioned above, "hevel" means "breath,"
and originally was the image of "seeing the breath" when it's cold out. It is used poetically to mean "vanity."
The book of Kohelet [Ecclesiastes], begins with
the words: In modern terms, we know that the brain
uses more oxygen than any other organ in the body, and that efficient
brain function is vitally dependant on an adequate supply. The deep, rhythmic
breathing of yoga systematically oxygenates the entire body, especially
the brain, sharpening focus, concentration, and enthusiasm. Passing references
in the Jewish literature mention breathing as a valuable practice, and
certain early Kabalists are said to have employed breathing techniques
with their prayer to achieve deeper kavanah, but until recently there
have been few explicitly developed routines for including breathing with
Jewish prayer. Lunar - Solar Calendars KEY DIFFERENCES Circumcision is the primary
physical covenant every Jewish male undergoes, and there is no evidence
of this on any formal level in the Dharmic religions. While many elaborate
forms of alterations to the physical body occur in Hinduism especially,
Jewish law firmly forbids any mutiliation of the body, including
tattoos and piercings. Removal of the foreskin at the age of 8 days is
the only exception. Fasting is practiced
across the spectrum of religions, and the Dharmic paths include many prescribed
and self imposed periods of food deprivation. The Jewish fasts are fewer,
and prescribed for specific days. Self-imposed fasting is less common,
and cases of extended fasts are almost unheard of, with the exception
of Moses. There are even allowances to eat on the prescribed fasts for
pregnant women, older people and the infirm. While
sexual abstinence and / or withdrawal from social life for extended meditation
is celebrated in the Vedic world, it is rare and not encouraged in Judaism.
While there are famous and revered cave-dwelling holy men in
the Jewish past, Jewry in general is enjoined to participate in the material
world, to work for a living, to have sex (within a sanctified marriage),
to drink (in controlled and prescribed ways), and to dance. Jewish prayer
is said to be more effective when done with the community, and the tradition
of "Minyan," ten adult (male) Jews required for the recitation
of Kaddish and certain other parts of the service is a foundation of Judaism.
This challenging prescription of maintaining Holiness while fully participating
in the world is distinctly Jewish, and helps to curtail more fantastic
manifestions like the Indian fakirs with their nail beds and hot coal
walking. Dietary traditions between
Judaic and Dharmic worlds have various differences and similarities. While
Vedic philosophy has an extended science of diet, it frequently eliminates
meat from the menu entirely, in the interest of ahimsa or "nonviolence."
Judaism has a complex dietary regimen, called "Kashrut," which
does allow meat, but with serious controls, both in the slaughtering and
consumption. Similar to the rejection of hermitism and celibacy, this
forces the Jew to face the harsh realities of life while sanctifying them
at the same time. Holy Days
Judaism differs in that its primary Holy Day,
the Sabbath, happens weekly, and that all of the various special
days are fairly consistent throughout the Jewish world, as opposed to
the wide variety existing in Hinduism, Buddhism, etc. In both traditions,
complex associations and rituals impart spiritual lessons while also serving
the purpose of bringing people together. Many important Jewish festivals occur at full moons or equinoxes, for example Pesach - Passover and Purim are always full moons in the spring, and Rosh HaShanah is always at a new moon in the autumn. Daily Practice DEATH RITUALS Funerary rituals
vary widely in the Vedic world, with cremation being a common form of
disposal of the body, which sharply contrasts with the Jewish insistence
on leaving the body in its natural state, with no chemicals, and a coffin
with holes in it that permits rapid deterioration and assimilation-into-the-earth
of the body. Tibetan Buddhists accompany the dead with readings from the
Bardo Thodal [lit. "liberation through hearing in the intermediate
state"], which are mantras designed to guide the departing soul towards
a positive outcome: either ultimate release, or rebirth into a favorable
incarnation. Similarly, Jewish tradition has the deceased accompanied
by the reading of Tehillim [Psalms of David], ideally from the moments
before death until the burial is complete. Varieties of "ancestor
worship" or commemorations of the deceased are common among Vedic
traditions. In Judaism, a special "Kaddish" is said for the
dead by close relatives for 11 months after the death, and yearly death-anniversaries
are also commemorated. Both traditions have some forms of prayers that can presumably "guide" the soul on its journey ~ saying Kaddish achieves this in Judaism. TRIBES AND CASTES Another distinguishing feature of Judaism
is the sense of national loyalty and group cohesion. Though there are
several "strands" of Judaism, there is still a strong sense
of community - family connection, borne of generations of group life.
The Hebrew of the Torah also provides a common language that holds the
community together. Vedic religions share Sanskrit in the same way, but
have had no desert-dweller rigor of system. The spiritual imaginations
of the yogis proliferated like the jungles they lived in, while the Avot
[fathers], "built a fence around the Torah," whose edifice of
liturgy and ritual has kept the original prophetic vision consistent and
pure. The difference between Zen Buddhism and Kali-cult Hinduism, though
they both grew from the Vedas, is vast. Though there is a wide spectrum
of Jewish levels of observance, details of the basic cosmology
and practice remain fairly consistent. The Torah concept of an entire
nation of slaves being liberated, and then experiencing prophecy
simultaneously at Mount Sinai, is unique. CONVERSION BIBLIOGRAPHY / READING LIST Most of the information on this page
is patent knowledge within each tradition, and widely communicated, though
parallel comparisons like this are rare and tend to be scholarly, voluminous,
impenetrable. This page is only a "nutshell" analysis of an incredibly
vast and deep reservoir of knowledge and practice, and an invitation to
deeper study. Commonalities or sharp contrasts were the focus of this
abbreviated overview, and both traditions include volumes of activity
not discussed here. Veda and Torah: Transcending
the Textuality of Scripture by Barbara A. Holdrege State University
of New York Press (December 1995) Encyclopedia Judaica
Volume 10 :: 1972 Keter Publishing House Jerusalem Ltd. Sefer Yetzirah - The Book
of Creation :: Aryeh Kaplan : 1990 Samuel Weiser Inc. :: York Beach,
Maine The Yoga Aphorisms of
Patanjali :: Translated by Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood
1953 Vedanta Society of Southern California :: Hollywood, California On The Possibility of Jewish
Mysticism in Our Time :: by Gershom Scholem Translated by Jonathan
Chipman 1997 The Jewish Publication Society :: Philadelphia, Jerusalem
The Myth of Freedom- and
the Way of Meditation :: By Chogyam Trungpa :: 1976 Sambhala Publications
:: Berkeley, California. The Path of Blessing
:: By Rabbi Marcia Prager :: Bell Tower :: New York :: 1998 And of course, WIKIPEDIA.
Visit my Yoga pages at: bodyawn.org
"Definitions" of "God" are very similar in Judaic
and Vedic philosopy. According to the monotheistic and panentheistic theologies
of Hinduism, God (the Supreme Being) is, in the highest sense, One: beyond
form, infinite, and eternal. God is changeless and is the very source
of consciousness. God is beyond time, space, and causation and yet permeates
everything and every being. God is beyond gender. When God is thought
of as this infinite principle, God is called Brahman. Brahman is the indescribable,
omnipresent, original, inexhaustible, omniscient, first, eternal and absolute
principle—the Supreme Cosmic Spirit—who is without a beginning,
without an end, who is hidden in all and who is the source, cause, material
and effect of all creation known, unknown and yet to happen in the entire
universe. Brahman is the Absolute Truth: it is pure existence, consciousness
and knowledge. According to the Hindu philosophical school of Advaita
Vedanta, nothing in the universe truly exists except Brahman.
Techniques for keeping one's attention in the spiritual realm vary widely. Judaism accompanies virtually every act with some kind of blessing, or "bracha," and there are many other physical objects and movements that keep one's attention focused on the higher impulses. The daily Jewish prayers, if done completely, involve hours of 'mantra' chanting - Psalms, Biblical and Talmudic excerpts, Piyyut [hymns], meditations, wordless niggunim [tunes], and poems. Many dharmic traditions feature similar routines. In the Buddhist end of the spectrum, many forms of meditation practice cultivate non-attachment - a "dispassionate mindfulness."
"Yoga" means "union," or "yoke," referring
to the idea of a system of practices intended to bring samadhi or devekut
- union with the Source of Creation. The oxen's yoke is a primordial symbol,
and is also prominent in Judaism. The "Ohl Malchut Shamayim,"
the "Yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven," is the system of "Halacha,"
or "path," which organizes Jewish life into a constant meditation
on Holiness. "Raja Yoga - Kingly Yoke," and the "Ohl Malchut
- Yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven" are almost identical twins - a spiritual
ox-team.
"Ivri," root of the word "Hebrew," means to cross
over; and it first appears at Genesis 14:13, referring to Abraham, after
he has crossed the Euphrates River. This "crossing over" is
seen as the advance of moving into a spiritual life from a worldly life.
In Buddhism, distantly related to Brahmanism, "crossing the river"
is a metaphor for the long process of acheiving enlightenment. The two
main strands of Buddhism take their names from this powerful symbol, Mahayana
[big vessel] and Hinayana [small vessel] are the broader and narrower
approaches. Key symbols in Judaism are the Hebrews crossing the Red Sea
on dry land, and Moses "surrendering the fruits of his labors"
by not crossing the River Jordan at the end of the 40 years in
the desert.
In Buddhism, a "Dharmic Religion" that grew out of Brahmanic
philosophy, a key concept is anitya, a Sanskrit word meaning
impermanence, the only end of which is Nirvana, dissolution of self and
unification with the Divine. The Jewish prayer service includes a dramatic
section culminating with the concept that all human accomplishment and
even "superioriity of man over beast" is called "hevel,"
or "futile - impermanent," and that the only remedy is in the
acknowledgement that "God is One." "Hevel" also means
"breath," which provides an opening to another set of shared
ideas between the two traditions.
An entire branch of Yoga is dedicated to the purification and care of
the body with the purpose of deepening the connection with the Divine.
Hatha Yoga [ha - sun / tha - moon] recognizes that the physical vehicle,
the body, is a rare opportunity, and our only chance for spiritual development.
Health problems are an impediment to meditation. Prana is the Sanskrit
word for "breath." Prana is the "life force," the
vital energy that supports the entire natural process of the universe,
and a complex science has grown around it in Vedic practice, called "Pranayama."
"Havel, havalim, ha khol, hevel" - "vanity, vanity, all
is vanity." Since "vanity" also means "breath,"
this could be seen as an exact corraboration of the Vedic idea of prana's
permeation of the universe. The last verse of Psalms [Ps. 150:6] says
"Khol ha neshama t'halel Ya," "Every soul will praise God."
"Neshama," or "soul," also means "breath,"
- so here King David is saying "every breath should praise God"
- exactly what Pranayama does by connecting breathing exercises with sacred
mantras. In the twice daily readings of the "Shema" passage
of Deuteronomy, in the two paragraphs that follow [Deut 6:5-9, and Deut
11:13-21], both contain verses exhorting the Jew to "love God with
all your soul - breath," another suggestion that breath is part of
Devekut.
The Sanctification of the Moon is the
first commandment given to the Jews in the Torah. The annual cycle of
Festivals, Torah readings, fasts and other holidays in the Jewish calendar
are determined by the moon. This is a shared characteristic among almost
all religions - only the Gregorian calendar is exclusively solar.
Vedic science has created a complex lunar system of Astrology that parallels
an equally complex solar system. Judaism doesn't get too didactic about astrology, preferring the actual physical enactment of the monthly Kiddush Levanah - Blessing of the New Moon.
Brahmanic, or "Dharmic" religions frequently tend to asceticism,
in the forms of celibacy, fasting, and other physical privations. Seen
as ways to reduce the influence of the physical and make way for the spiritual,
these practices are often carried to the extreme. Jewish law, halacha,
also curbs or channels the physical, with some key differences.
The Brahmanic traditions have a rich variety
of festive and holy days throughout each year, many religious, and others
peculiar to local customs. Buddhist and Vedic traditions usually have festivals at equinoxes and soltices
like Judaism, though ostemsibly for things like "Buddha's day of birth," his day of enlightenment, etc.
Both traditions feature daily rituals,
and as with the larger cycle of holidays, Judaism is much more codified
and consistent across the Jewish spectrum. The wide variety of practices
in Dharmic religions share the common underlying urge to unification with
God, as do the less varied Jewish liturgies. Vedic and Judaic systems
both have detailed systems of blessing, or sanctifying virtually every
part of the day's activities, even the most mundane. Thus, waking, washing,
excretion, and the first words of the day are sanctified with God-consciousness
by accompanying these activities with "Brachot," "Mantras,"
or "Blessings." An important difference is that in many strands
of the Dharmic tradition, "God Images" are used to focus meditation,
whereas in Judaism, such images are avoided. The only "images"
in Jewish practice, are the Hebrew letters themselves, which are, as indicated
above, seen as physical manifestations of Holiness.
In both the Torah and
Vedic traditions, emphasis is placed on life in this world, with
the afterlife receiving passing or sketchy attention. Over attention to
life-after-death is seen as a morbid "ego trip." Both traditions
posit forms of reincarnation, with some strands of the Vedic tradition
creating detailed taxonomies of incarnational structure, and even assertions
of "lineage" extending into the past for certain exalted individuals.
Midrash, Jewish oral tradition, refers to the souls of prominent Biblical
personalities as resurfacing over time, but specific, hard cast claims
are avoided.
Brahmanic tradition has taken the idea
of classes of holiness and racial purity to great lengths, creating complex
social stratification referred to as the "caste system." Judaism's
version of this is first of all, the concept of a "Holy Nation;"
that is, the "Children of the Covenant," or the "Chosen
- or Singled Out People." Stratum exist within Judaism itself, namely
the Kohanim, Leviim, and Israel. These Biblical divisions are much less
restrictive, especially in modern times, than the Indian caste system.
Today, there are definite "levels" of authority, credentials
based on family history or modern criteria of educational achievement.
A strong Jewish distaste for charlatanism creates a reliable barrier against
false claims of "holiness," and hard-won spiritual authority
is maintained through reputation and works in the community.
Becoming a Hindu, Buddhist, or member
of any of the other Dharmic religions is not difficult, and simply requires
study, ritual, and purity of intention. The Dharmic religions are distinctly
non-evangelical, and rarely proselytize, much like Judaism. Conversion
to Judaism, on the other hand, is a daunting task. Midrash enjoins a Rabbi
approached by a potential convert to refuse the seeker three times. Partly
because of social problems arising from the surrounding community in reaction
to conversion to Judaism, and the difficulty of maintaining a Jewish life
after conversion, Judaism has substantially smaller numbers than most
other world religions. Serious converts are held in great respect, and
despite the difficulty, more people are converting to Judaism today than
at any time since the time of Greek ascendency.