Siddhartha and Jesus (2/7)

Join us as we embark on a journey of self-discovery, inspired by the stories of Siddhartha and the teachings of Jesus. This Sunday, we will explore the profound wisdom that comes from turning inward, seeking truth beyond conventional knowledge, and embracing the transformative power of self-awareness. Through the examples of Siddhartha and Jesus, we will learn how to navigate the path of self-discovery and find profound insights that lead us closer to our true selves.

Share the morning with us as we experience an inspiring message, beautiful music, and wonderful time spent with one another at our potluck lunch and Community Conversations event.

Listen & Watch

Sermon Notes

Main Scripture

The Baptism of Jesus (Luke 3:21–22)

“Now when all the people were baptized and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’”

Supporting Scripture

The Testing of Jesus (Luke 4:1–12)

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tested by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over he was famished. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’ ” Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” Then the devil led him to Jerusalem and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’ ” Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.

Quotes

“Thus Gotama walked towards the town, to collect alms, and the two Samanas recognised him solely by the perfection of his calm, by the quietness of his appearance, in which there was no searching, no desire, no imitation, no effort to be seen, only light and peace.” (ch. 3, p. 24)

“With a soft, yet firm voice the exalted one spoke, taught the four main doctrines, taught the eightfold path…” (ch. 3, p. 25)

“Behold, now you’ve turned into a man and are choosing your path for yourself. I wish that you would go it up to its end, oh my friend, that you shall find salvation!” (ch. 3, p. 26)

“…nobody will obtain salvation by means of teachings!” (ch. 3, p. 29)

“This is why I am continuing my travels—not to seek other, better teachings, for I know there are none, but to depart from all teachings and all teachers and to reach my goal by myself or to die.” (ch. 3, p. 30)

“I am deprived by the Buddha, thought Siddhartha, I am deprived, and even more he has given to me. He has deprived me of my friend, the one who had believed in me and now believes in him, who had been my shadow and is now Gotama’s shadow. But he has given me Siddhartha, myself.” (ch. 3, p. 31)

“I was afraid of myself, I was fleeing from myself! I searched Atman, I searched Brahman, I was willing to dissect my self and peel off all of its layers, to find the core of all peels in its unknown interior, the Atman, life, the divine part, the ultimate part. But I have lost myself in the process.” (ch. 4, p. 34)

“I do not want to kill and dissect myself any longer, to find a secret behind the ruins.” (ch. 4, p. 34)

“I want to learn from myself, want to be my student, want to get to know myself, the secret of Siddhartha.” (ch. 4, p. 34)

“And it was not long until he walked again in long strides, started to proceed swiftly and impatiently, heading no longer for home, no longer to his father, no longer back.” (ch. 4, p. 36)

Concepts, Ideas, Etc.

The Four Noble Truths

Dukkha: The Truth of suffering
Samudaya: The Truth of the origin of suffering
Nirodha: The Truth of the end of suffering
Marga: The Truth of the path to the end of suffering

The Eightfold Path (Precepts)

Right View
Right Intention
Right Speech
Right Action
Right Livelihood
Right Effort
Right Mindfulness
Right Concentration

John the Baptist

Represents the natural man, the physical man. His face is turned toward the light in the measure that he recognizes and pays homage to the higher self within the individual. The intellectual perception of Truth by the natural man (John the Baptist) is not the true light (the Christ) but bears witness to the light and prepares the way for its dawning in consciousness. —Charles Fillmore (Revealing Word)

Understanding

There are two ways of getting understanding. One is by following the guidance of Spirit that dwells within, and the other is to go blindly ahead and learn by hard experience. Intellectual understanding of Truth is a tremendous step in advance of sense consciousness, and its possession brings a temptation to use for selfish ends the wisdom and power thereby revealed. Spiritual understanding is the quickening of the Spirit within. Spiritual understanding is the ability of the mind to apprehend and realize the laws of thought and the relation of ideas one to another. —Charles Fillmore (Revealing Word)