Open letter to young non-dualists

[Anonymous No.15242537]

>...It so happens that René Guénon was the chief influence in the formation of my own intellectual outlook (quite apart from the question of Orthodox Christianity). I read and studied with eagerness all his books that I could get ahold of; through his influence I studied the ancient Chinese language and resolved to do for the Chinese tradition what he had done for the Hindu; I was even able to meet and study with a genuine representative of the Chinese tradition and understood full well what he means by the difference between such authentic teachers and the mere “professors” who teach in the universities.

>It was René Guénon who taught me to seek and love Truth above all else, and to be unsatisfied with anything else; this is what finally brought me to the Orthodox Church. Perhaps a word of my experience will be of help for you to know.

>For years in my studies I was satisfied with being “above all traditions” but somehow faithful to them; I only went deeper into the Chinese tradition because no one had presented it in the West from a fully traditional point of view. When I visited an Orthodox Church, it was only in order to view another “tradition”—knowing that Guénon (and one of his disciples) had described Orthodoxy as the most authentic of the Christian traditions.

>However, when I entered an Orthodox Church for the first time (a Russian Church in San Francisco), something happened to me that I had not experienced in any Buddhist or other Eastern temple; something in my heart said that this is “home,” that all my search was over. I didn’t really know what this meant, because the service was quite strange to me, and in a foreign language. I began to attend Orthodox services more frequently, gradually learning its language and customs, but still keeping all my basic Guénonian ideas about all the authentic spiritual traditions.

[Anonymous No.15242540]

>I look back fondly on René Guénon as my first real instructor in Truth, and I only pray that you will take what is good from him and not let his limitations chain you. Even psychologically, “Eastern wisdom” is not for us who are flesh and blood of the West; Orthodox Christianity is clearly the tradition that was given us—and it can be clearly seen in the Western Europe of the first ten centuries, before the falling away of Rome from Orthodoxy. But it also happens that Orthodoxy is not merely a “tradition” like any other, a “handing down” of spiritual wisdom from the past; it is Gods Truth here and now—it gives us immediate contact with God such as no other tradition can do. There are many truths in the other traditions, both those handed down from a past when men were closer to God, and those discovered by gifted men in the reaches of the mind; but the full Truth is only in Christianity, God s revelation of Himself to mankind. I will take only one example: there are teachings on spiritual deception in other traditions, but none so thoroughly refined as those taught by the Orthodox Holy Fathers; and more importantly, these deceptions of the evil one and our fallen nature are so omnipresent and so thorough that no one could escape them unless the loving God revealed by Christianity were close at hand to deliver us from them. Similarly: Hindu tradition teaches many true things about the end of the Kali Yuga; but one who merely knows these truths in the mind will be helpless to resist the temptations of those times, and many who recognize the Antichrist (Chalmakubi) when he comes will nonetheless worship him—only the power of Christ given to the heart will have strength to resist him.

>It is my prayer for you that God will open your heart, and you yourself will do what you can do to meet Him. You will find there happiness you never dreamed possible before; your heart will join your head in recognizing the true God, and no real truth you have ever known will be lost. May God grant it!

[Anonymous No.15242568]

>>15242537
>>15242540
Seraphim Rose, born Eugene Dennis Rose in San Diego, California.
LMAO certified pseud

[Anonymous No.15242583]

>>15242568
Cool

[Anonymous No.15242613]

>>15242537
As a young duelist myself, this doesn't apply to me.

[Anonymous No.15242654]

>>15242583
Fr Seraphim Rose is cool but he's a mid tier monastic thinker. There are a lot of people I would read over him. You might like Archimandrite Vasileios' Hymn of Entry for its discussion of Tradition in the Church.

[Anonymous No.15243155]

Based.

[Anonymous No.15243181]

>>15242537
>Muh western tradition

Why is anyone convinced by this argument that since you're a westerner you need to worship a Jewish rabbi?

[Anonymous No.15243205]

>>15242537
You know most Orthodox Christians don't think much of Seraphim Rose

[Anonymous No.15243254]

[Anonymous No.15245231]

>>15243254
That’s all pretty based desu

[Anonymous No.15245249]

>>15243254
Holy based tbqfh.

[Anonymous No.15245302]

>>15243205
He is respected in Russia. He is respected in Russia. One of the most frequently recommended by priests author.

https://www.labirint.ru/authors/81465/

[Anonymous No.15245318]

>>15242654
Can you make a reading list? I would be very grateful.

[Anonymous No.15245322]

>>15245302
>He is respected in Russia. He is respected in Russia.
Κύριε ἐλέησον, Κύριε ἐλέησον
Κύριε ἐλέησον, Κύριε ἐλέησον

[Anonymous No.15245348]

>>15242568
Thats how baptism works. We recieve new names

[Anonymous No.15245358]

>>15242537
>It so happens that René Guénon was the chief influence in the formation of my own intellectual outlook
Cringe, stopped reading, monkey man is old news

[Anonymous No.15245621]

>>15245322
Kek

I copied it because the site lags

[Anonymous No.15246095]

>>15243205
Most Orthodox Christians are worse than Catholics in going to church weekly or even reading about their faith at all.

Rose is still like probably the most popular one worldwide.

[Anonymous No.15246137]

>>15243254
The only questionable thing here is Ancient Faith Radio. There's nothing wrong with struggling against your sins. That's why we pray.

[Anonymous No.15246350]

>>15246137
>The only questionable thing here is Ancient Faith Radio
Why?

[Anonymous No.15246387]

>>15242537
>>15242540
my heart felt the same way when I began to read Hindu scriptures and philosophers/saints that Seraphim's heart felt when entering the Orthodox Church

[Anonymous No.15246421]

>>15246387
Same brother. Now take the next step and join us in Holy Orthodoxy.

[Anonymous No.15246430]

Just like an entire country such as Russia could be justified by a few Geniuses Born therein, so too can an adherence to a religion be not because of the multitude but because of a few people. The workload of a religious tradition is nice because they have already gone through a bunch of things which saves people some time and effort. But there is still work to be done.

[Anonymous No.15246439]

>>15246421
No thanks, I respect your choice but I'm not as compelled by Christianity as I am by Hinduism

[Anonymous No.15246626]

>>15246439
Neither was I at the time. Once you get seriously into Orthodox theology it completely BTFOs all eastern philosophies.

[Anonymous No.15246678]

>>15246626
I see Orthodox theology as being mostly Christianized Neoplatonism, and Neoplatonism itself I consider to be interesting but ultimately not as refined as the various eastern traditions and their philosophies. I only replied to this thread because it was titled 'an open letter to non-dualists', now that I have said my piece I will no longer be posting in this thread, because I have no interest in trading replies with someone who is only interested in trying to proselytize me into something.

[Anonymous No.15246795]

>>15246678
This is a very common misconception. Actually, Orthodoxy completely contradicts and rejects Neoplatonism. Yes, there are some shared Greek words but they do not refer to the same concepts.

[Anonymous No.15246933]

>>15246678
Isn't Dugin's endgame to backdoor a neoplatonic revival into the Orthodox church

[Anonymous No.15247144]

>>15245318
Bump :3

[Anonymous No.15247269]

>>15243181
What is the alternative? Nihilism is a black hole. Paganism is dead. Buddhism is alien and the version peddled in the west by a certain race of merchants is completely corrupted.

[Anonymous No.15247276]

>>15246095
>Most Orthodox Christians are worse than Catholics in going to church weekly or even reading about their faith at all.
source?

[Anonymous No.15247479]

Bump

[Anonymous No.15247759]

>>15243254
I grow more attracted to the orthodox church by the day.

[Anonymous No.15248143]

Why is always the Russian Orthodox Church though? Why don't people ever convert to the Greek, Ukrainian, Albanian, Serbian, Georgian, etc. churches?

[Anonymous No.15248298]

Why not Oriental Orthodoxy?

[Anonymous No.15249134]

>>15248143
The other ones are ultra ethnic, I've read many reports about them completely shunning outsiders. Also, the music of the Russian church is vastly more pleasing to Western ears.

[Anonymous No.15249378]

>>15246933
that's called satanic inversion.

[Anonymous No.15249598]

>>15248298
It's crypto-monothelite/crypto-monophysite as far as I can tell; the whole situation is very convoluted. There are attempts by the Russians to join them to Orthodoxy but Armenians largely don't care about discussing theology very much from what I see and the others are too proud of their anti-Chalcedonian theologians and heritage.

[Anonymous No.15249797]

Bump

[Anonymous No.15249811]

>>15249134
Is Russian Orthodoxy really more open than the Greeks? I mean didn't they have a fit and break away the other day?

[Anonymous No.15249825]

>>15249598

Do the oriental orthodox believe in the Real Presence of the Eucharist? Is the theology quite close?

A lot of the pseudo-monphysite stuff they seem to push aside these days, almost like a big ret-conn.

[Anonymous No.15249858]

>>15243205
Only diaspora Greeks have a problem with (st) Seraphim. I have heard him recommended by priests from Serbia, Russia, Antiochians, everyone apart from diaspora Greeks

[Anonymous No.15249880]

>>15246933
Kinda yeah

[Anonymous No.15249890]

>>15248143
I converted with Serbs

[Anonymous No.15249903]

>>15249598
>crypto-monothelite/crypto-monophysite
Do you know what those terms actually mean, or are you disregarding them because your own tradition throws those accusations at them? It would be nice if someone more read in these issues can point out the practical implications of these different theologies

[Anonymous No.15249907]

>>15249811
>Is Russian Orthodoxy really more open than the Greeks? I mean didn't they have a fit and break away the other day?

Russians are more open to converts but also more nationalistic. They love their people but don't hate others. Greeks are anti-nationalist(except for greeks) and will pretty often ask you why you're not at the catholic church down the street if you come to liturgy and you're not greek. I really can't stand Greeks.

[Anonymous No.15249921]

>>15249903
Oriental Orthodox doesn't have a unified theology in the same way we (EO) do. One of their recent popes denied the possibility of theosis because he was a literal monophysite and didn't agree that there was a common nature between man and Christ that could be participated in, but the current pope is of the opinion that the whole disagreement between OO and EO is a linguistic confusion and there are no serious theological disagreements.

[Anonymous No.15249926]

>>15249825
> Do the oriental orthodox believe in the Real Presence of the Eucharist?

Absolutely.

> Is the theology quite close?

Absolutely not.

[Anonymous No.15249927]

He has rather strange ideas about Orthodoxy (meta-Old-Believer), but he is a cool guy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9g9k7LvDAk

[Anonymous No.15249939]

Recommend some good books, brothers

[Anonymous No.15249957]

>>15249939
God, History, and Dialectic by Joseph P Farrell. It's basically the lecture notes of a patristic theology degree turned into book form.

[Anonymous No.15249970]

Are there any siddhis in orthodoxy?

[Anonymous No.15249982]

>>15249926

I would appreciate it if you would elaborate on the principal differences between Oriental and Eastern Orthodoxy.

[Anonymous No.15249991]

>>15249970

[Anonymous No.15250000]

[Anonymous No.15250008]

>>15249982
In Oriental Orthodoxy, Christ has a single nature which is a divine-human synthesis. In Eastern Orthodoxy, Christ has two natures, human and divine, in union but maintaining distinction, without confusion. Since Orthodox soteriology is entirely based upon participating in Christ's deified human nature (which OO doesn't acknowledge), our entire conception of how we are saved is incompatible

[Anonymous No.15250012]

[Anonymous No.15250018]

[Anonymous No.15250033]

[Anonymous No.15250040]

[Anonymous No.15250050]

[Anonymous No.15250229]

Bump

[Anonymous No.15250251]

>>15248143
Russian one is most open to converts. Greek one is widespread but is just an ethnic culture club. Rest I don't know, I hear Georgians are nice.

[Anonymous No.15250392]

>>15249907
This. Greeks have a reputation of being extremely unwelcoming. It's too bad, would have been nice to have a single language for liturgy and scripture.

[Anonymous No.15250833]

based?

[Anonymous No.15250841]

based

[Anonymous No.15250924]

>>15250841
based
>>15250833
thats armenian, but whatever

[Anonymous No.15251030]

>>15247269
Someone created orthodox Christianity at some point. Why couldn’t we recreate paganism? something mixing orthodoxy with paganism would be ideal imo. Paganism is still a part of us.

[Anonymous No.15251040]

>>15251030
relativism
Christ is absolute

[Anonymous No.15251049]

>>15251040
Relativism. Christ is absolute to you.

[Anonymous No.15251101]

>>15251030
>mixing the clean with the unclean
How is that "ideal"?

>>15251049
>"absolute" "to" "you"
Relativist cringe.

[Anonymous No.15251268]

>>15251030
You could create something, but it would be something new not a revival of the old traditions. And since the prevailing spiritual quality of our age is gayness, anything we’d come up with would be extremely gay right from the start. In this case we don’t even need to speculate, we can simply look at ‘neopaganism’ and see how gay it all is.

[Anonymous No.15251312]

>>15251030
>Someone created orthodox Christianity at some point
Yes, God himself created it when he created the angels.

[Anonymous No.15252152]

>>15250012
>>15250018
Is that a lion? Very based

[Anonymous No.15252417]

>>15247269
Look for the truth. This pragmatic attitude where you join a tradition based on cultural affinity is not going to help anyone. It really is just larping, taking on an external identity and a set of new forms, outfits, ready made opinions isn't going help you. Yes we all feel like we lack an identity because of how things are now, but just picking a preset relgious identity and pretending you are that , it won't work. You can try it for a few years, but once you're out of your 20s you'll lose interest and be back where you started, but this time you'll be fed up with it all and a real nihilist instead, you will be out of energy and just not care

[Anonymous No.15252937]

>>15252152

[Anonymous No.15252974]

>>15249927
MOMMY