In many religious discussions today, a large number of Christians believe that all their sins are instantly forgiven the moment they accept Jesus as their personal savior. They believe that no further effort is required on their part; no change or transformation is necessary. They believe the transformation is inherent upon the “acceptance” of Jesus as their savior.
This comforting theory of redemption has many faults, one of which being its hypocritical nature. Let’s face it, most Christians, especially the hardliners, have no interest in personal growth and self-reflection. They seem more interested in projecting an image of being Saved, Special, and Chosen, which is both unfortunate and ironic.
Meanwhile, in the Hindu guru traditions, deeply rooted in Advaita Vedanta, the Guru can be of help. Finding your guru can be healing, illuminating, and helpful along the path to being “Saved” or better yet – enlightened. While the guru can take on your spirit’s ailments and karma, they continually teach you to do the deep inner work. Having the loving guidance and grace of a guru can be exponentially beneficial, but it is not a Get Out Of Karma Free card. It’s a step toward deeply knowing yourself – which is what Jesus was most likely talking about.
The Insanity of Instant Redemption
It is false to say that accepting Jesus means you’ll have complete and instant forgiveness for every sin committed without any self-improvement thereafter. The sin is already forgiven – in all traditions. There is no God or entity that will hate or condemn you for your mistakes. It doesn’t work that way.
You are always loved and forgiven. Christians like to capitalize on their doomsday ideology because it increases enrollment in their hateful cults and it’s a great marketing hook.
“Accept Jesus or go to hell! If you’re not saved, you’re not forgiven! If you’re not forgiven, you’re doomed!”
Sadly, Christians believe their ideology is the only one deemed worthy by God. They rarely have any interest in digging deeper – and beyond the nonsense they’ve been sold throughout time.
The core teachings of hardline Christianity offer false hope by suggesting that we can shift our spiritual responsibilities onto someone else, such as God. Moreover, this view undermines two things: individual development and accountability, both of which are vital to genuine spiritual progress.
In some strict Christian communities, this belief leads to surface-level religion where people only show off their faith outwardly through going to church services regularly, repeating prayers daily, or taking part in various rites frequently without getting involved in deep soul-searching processes that facilitate real inner change. Such an approach breeds complacency and self-righteousness, thereby stunting true spirituality while perpetuating ignorance born out of egoism.
Yeah, this was not at all what Jesus intended.
Eventually, upon an earnest and constant inward search, we find that we are nothing but holographic representations of a contrived Self, separate from nothing, and in no need of an ego to fulfill our spiritual desires. In fact, the ego will undermine our evolution.
Advaita Vedanta Depths: Past Sin & Future Salvation
Contrarily, Advaita Vedanta – a Hindu school of thought based on non-duality – offers profound insights into the notion of sin itself vis-à-vis karma or eternal soul journeying. According to the Advaita Vedanta school, Brahman is the ultimate reality i.e., infinite consciousness beyond the space-time continuum within which everything exists eternally, unaffected by temporal stains or blemishes (sin). Consequently, from this perspective, sins do not leave permanent marks on individual souls but represent ignorance arising out of egoism (ahamkara) – none of which will endure amid our deep self-exploration.
Sin & Karma in the Context of Advaita Vedanta
In Advaita Vedanta, sin is seen as actions arising from wrong identification with the limited self rather than the true boundless nature, thoughts, or deeds performed under its influence; while karma refers to the law of cause and effect binding spirit within the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth known as samsara (samsāra).
Karma remains one of the most central aspects of Advaita Vedantic thought, which suggests that each good/bad deed must have corresponding consequences experienced and rectified (reaped). Through those lives, the soul evolves and recognizes moksha – the state of liberation/enlightenment. Atman, being part of Brahman, is pure and cannot be sinned against, but gathers desires through ignorance, thus attaching itself to objects, becoming an ego that suffers when it fails to get what it wants. Therefore, it needs to free itself from all attachments for release.
The Fallacy of External Atonement
According to Advaita Vedanta, the idea that anyone else can save another person from their own wrongdoings reflects ignorance regarding the nature of reality since all beings are manifestations of different forms of the same consciousness; hence, no one can take responsibility for somebody else’s acts by undergoing a personal purification procedure necessary to achieve enlightenment. Each individual should cleanse himself or herself. The process of overcoming sin and karma bondage involves asking oneself questions, living ethically, meditating, and thinking about God regularly until we realize that there isn’t any “me” apart from everything else.
Walking Through Antiquated Attitudes and Suffering
To become liberated is tough; it forces us to confront those ancient tendencies and karmas. This entails meeting our attachments, sufferings, and egoic projections with full force. Advaita Vedanta says that we ought not to look for an external savior who may relieve us of these burdens but rather realize that freedom comes from within through transformation.
Self-Enquiry and Self-Realization
Who am I? The question ‘who am I?’ forms the basis for all practices in Advaita. It leads to the understanding that there is no difference between the individual self (jiva) and universal consciousness (Brahman).
Meditation and Mindfulness
Regular meditation quiets down the mind, thereby dissolving the ego’s stronghold, allowing non-duality awareness to arise naturally. While living moment by moment, one becomes mindful of egoistic patterns or reactions and then learns how not to get attached to them.
Ethical Living & Dharma
As one lives righteously according to dharma, it purifies his/her mind, thus reducing negative karma accumulation. Among such acts include being compassionate, truthful, and non-violent.
Devotion and Bhakti
Humility springs forth from surrendering oneself before the divine in any form; this also dissolves the ego identity completely. An individual can be devoted towards their personal deity, guru, or impersonal Brahman itself.
Liberation from Madness and Sinfulness
In Advaita Vedanta, the goal is not just redemption from sin but the realization of the true self beyond good/evil dichotomies. Once achieved, it brings about eternal life release where the soul merges back into infinite consciousness, i.e., Brahman. In such a liberated state, everything becomes one entity, hence a person sees universality in everything around him/her while blissful experiences (ananda) should be understood as nothing other than the real nature of selfhood. Past karmas, ancient habits, and egoistic projections fall off, thereby exposing the inherent sanctity of the soul.
Contemporary Hardline Christianity’s Hypocrisy
In contrast to the deep inner journey advocated by Advaita Vedanta, some of today’s hardline Christians put forward a simple and arguably hypocritical ideology: “Just accept Jesus because he died for your sins – you don’t have to change anything else about yourself or what you believe.” While comforting to many people, this view ignores the profoundness of spiritual transformation and growth.
Beyond Personality: Opening The Heart and Soul
When Christians talk about being saved, they often mean an intense opening up of their hearts so that they are in touch with who they really are beneath all those layers which make up personality-ego, etc. This experience can change everything as people feel loved by God unconditionally, thus finding peace within themselves while also realizing unity between themselves and God. But unfortunately, many misinterpret it, thinking that only through accepting Jesus can such things happen, not knowing that this is awakening one’s divine nature within them.
This misconception creates paradoxical situations where individuals having true spiritual awakenings continue strongly identifying themselves with Christianity. This leads to another layer of the egoic self since now they start seeing themselves as belonging to a special group whom others do not belong to due to lack of the same experience. Instead of deepening their understanding of godly things, these persons may end up falling under religious exclusivism accompanied by dogma.
The Real Essence of Spiritual Awakening
According to Advaita Vedanta, spiritual enlightenment involves piercing through the veils of the ego and realizing that the self is none other than infinite Brahman. It is important to note that this is a process that requires ongoing self-enquiry, meditation, and ethical living. This event does not occur once but grows continuously in knowledge and transforms oneself more deeply.
When people have open hearts, they touch on something deeper than themselves. Love, acceptance, and unity are not limited to any particular religion but represent divine qualities shared by all beings everywhere. One should realize this fact to go past religious boundaries towards wider spirituality.
Ego-Identification and Religious Contrivance
Many Christians, even after awakening, still identify with the religious group they have been “saved” into. This ego-identification can cause one to feel superior to others, which is the opposite of spiritual enlightenment. Genuine spiritual growth means rising above any labels or roles we identify ourselves with; it means acknowledging that there is something divine in everything, including oneself and all living creatures.
According to Advaita Vedanta philosophy, all suffering stems from the ego. If you identify yourself as being religious or having achieved certain personal goals, then you are still under ignorance, thus bound by the karma cycle forevermore until such a time when this ego disappears entirely through realization of oneness with everything else.
Embracing True Love and Acceptance
Genuinely awakened individuals manifest love and acceptance universally without discrimination towards anything whatsoever. This implies going past our usual tendency of loving only those who share similar views as ours but rather recognizing each person we meet along life’s journey as being nothing less than God herself clothed in human form. It demands a complete turnaround in mindset so that one begins seeing things differently from what they used to be.
Once people start connecting deeply within themselves by opening their hearts wide enough to embrace everybody else irrespective of surface divisions created by religion, race, nationality, etc., then we naturally develop empathy which enables us to understand where others are coming from, thereby treating them kindly always no matter what.
The Path to Liberation
Advaita Vedanta has the most effective method for achieving liberation ever known to date. The way out is enlightenment via self-inquiry coupled with meditation, ethical living, devotion, and other practices aimed at realizing our inherent identity with ultimate reality beyond illusory egocentricity so that we can live every moment fully aware of who we were truly meant to be.
Instead, whatever masks might have been worn prior – were all dropped during last night’s sleep and once again we are reborn anew today.
While the hardline Christian notion of instant redemption offers superficial comfort, it falls short of true spiritual transformation. Advaita Vedanta, with its emphasis on personal responsibility, self-inquiry, and the realization of non-duality, provides a more profound and enduring path to liberation. By opening their hearts and connecting with their true selves, individuals can transcend the limitations of religious identity and experience the true essence of divine love and unity.
