The core principles of the Great Western Vehicle

[Jhanananda]

The core principles of the Great Western Vehicle (GWV) are:
1) All of the progenitors of all of the major religions were contemplatives who became mystics.
2) All the major religions have been corrupted by their priesthood, and the translation and interpretation of their doctrine has been corrupted as well; however, the original documents are often correct in their original language, with the exception of some pseudo epigraphy, which has yet to be fully identified.
3) The contemplative life is the holy life.
4) Holiness is becoming a mystic.
5) A Mystic is someone who, through leading a rigorous, ethical, self-aware, contemplative life, became a mystic.
6) Anyone can become a mystics by leading a rigorous, ethical, self-aware, contemplative life.
7) Mystics are people who manifest the fruit (phala) of the contemplative life as defined in DN-2 of the Sutta Pitaka of the Pali Canon, and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.
The stilling of the mind is not an end in itself.
9) The stilling of the mind is an essential doorway to the rest of the fruit (phala) of the contemplative life.
10) The Noble Eightfold Path is a reasonably good description of the path to liberation and enlightenment.
11) However, the priesthood of the three vehicles of Buddhism have corrupted that translation and interpretation of the Discourses of the Buddha.
12) The original Pali canon is a reasonably good representation of the teaching of Siddhartha Gautama; however, there is some pseudo epigraphy within that document, which has to be defined.
13) Accepting these core principles one will work cooperatively with the community of teachers and seekers (sangha) who embrace the premises of the GWV.

[stugandolf]

Jeff,  In addition to the core principles what is your position on the birth of religion...  Stu

[Jhanananda]

Thank-you, Stu, for posting your question.  Organized religion is a product of civilization, and was used as an arm of the hegemony.  This is why all religions have marginalized their mystics, because the mystics are the ones who point out that the king has no clothes, the religion is a fraud, and the family is dysfunctional.

The masses like organized religion, because it reinforces their delusion that life is good, and all they have to do is believe in the delusion that life is good, to go to heaven, which is just another one of their many delusions.

[stugandolf]

Jeff,  I agree - the spirit of the grand inquisitor pre- dated Fydor Dos...  Stu

[Jhanananda]

Thank-you Stu, Dostoyevsky, was certainly a critic of his and western culture at large.  If he had not had his execution stayed by Nicholas I, then none of us would know who he was, nor would 15 million people have enjoyed reading his criticism of western culture.  To argue that the critic is just a malcontent is simply to overlook that some people are skilled at self-awareness and reflexive thinking.