THE AVATAR REVISITED
In Hinduism, an avatar is an incarnation of God. Avatars have appeared on earth many times in different ages, and in different forms, for the purpose of reestablishing the forgotten truths of religion.
Unlike embodied souls, the avatar is not born in consequence of past deeds and tendencies, called karma. His birth is the result of choice. He is conscious of his divine mission throughout his life, and is able to transmit divine knowledge by his mere touch, look, or wish.
The body or shape of an avatar is not earthly stuff, so to speak, but is composed of heavenly matter, called suddha sattva in Hinduism, and is a temporary manifestation only.
Avatars are countless, according to Hinduism, for besides the popularly known figures, such as, for example, the Buddha and Sri Ramakrishna, any spiritual teacher is an avatar to some degree, being at least in part if not fully an embodiment of the divine.
The Hindu can accept Christ as an avatar, but according to Christian theologians familiar with the doctrine, Christ, "the Word made flesh," cannot in Christian teaching be considered an avatar. Christ, they point out, was both human and divine, while an avatar is not human.
In his book Ramakrishna and His Disciples, Christopher Isherwood differentiates between an avatar and a saint. A saint is one who, in the highest form of samadhi, a superconscious state, realizes union with God. The person who attains this level of consciousness does so as a result of many human births. His karma from past lives, growing ever better, has impelled him through countless births, deaths, and rebirths to this point of realization. It is, as it were, the apex of a huge karmic pyramid. An avatar, by contrast, has no "past," for he has no karma. He is not driven by his karma to be born. He takes human form as an act of pure grace, for the good of humanity. Though he voluntarily enters the world of time and space, he remains eternal. He is not bound by time, and he is not subject to the illusion of earthly existence, called maya in Hinduism.
The avatar doctrine reached its fullest development during the Puranic period (A.D. 300-1200). However, it is still found in modern times, as, for example, Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948) is considered an avatar in some circles.
Unlike embodied souls, the avatar is not born in consequence of past deeds and tendencies, called karma. His birth is the result of choice. He is conscious of his divine mission throughout his life, and is able to transmit divine knowledge by his mere touch, look, or wish.
The body or shape of an avatar is not earthly stuff, so to speak, but is composed of heavenly matter, called suddha sattva in Hinduism, and is a temporary manifestation only.
Avatars are countless, according to Hinduism, for besides the popularly known figures, such as, for example, the Buddha and Sri Ramakrishna, any spiritual teacher is an avatar to some degree, being at least in part if not fully an embodiment of the divine.
The Hindu can accept Christ as an avatar, but according to Christian theologians familiar with the doctrine, Christ, "the Word made flesh," cannot in Christian teaching be considered an avatar. Christ, they point out, was both human and divine, while an avatar is not human.
In his book Ramakrishna and His Disciples, Christopher Isherwood differentiates between an avatar and a saint. A saint is one who, in the highest form of samadhi, a superconscious state, realizes union with God. The person who attains this level of consciousness does so as a result of many human births. His karma from past lives, growing ever better, has impelled him through countless births, deaths, and rebirths to this point of realization. It is, as it were, the apex of a huge karmic pyramid. An avatar, by contrast, has no "past," for he has no karma. He is not driven by his karma to be born. He takes human form as an act of pure grace, for the good of humanity. Though he voluntarily enters the world of time and space, he remains eternal. He is not bound by time, and he is not subject to the illusion of earthly existence, called maya in Hinduism.
The avatar doctrine reached its fullest development during the Puranic period (A.D. 300-1200). However, it is still found in modern times, as, for example, Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948) is considered an avatar in some circles.
posted by Donald L. Simons at
3:04 PM
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