yahoo post #8

What is Gnosticism all about and how does it compare to Eastern ideas?
Gnosticism is a belief system that aspires to have knowledge of the spiritual world, or gnosis. This would include tapping into the divine or having a direct knowledge of God. Gnosis can be broken into two forms of knowledge, that which taps into the Divine and that which reveals techniques to in order for one to be with the Divine. The goal of Gnosticism is to free the spirit from its earthly trap, the human body, in order for it to ascend to the heavens to be with the divine. The divine in the Gnostic sense is "an Unknown, Nameless God who is unchanging and immeasurable, transcending any particularity or imposition one can attribute to it." The Gnostic idea of the Divine or God is in no way related to the biblical god that is known to be the creator of all things, including man. According to the Gnostics, this god of creation is a god of the lower rung because it is creation itself that has entrapped the spirit and keeps it preoccupied from it’s true focus.

Gnosticism compares to Eastern ideas, most notably the Sant tradition, in three different areas: doctrine, experience, and ethics. In the area of doctrine, Gnosticism compares to Eastern ideas in the way that the Gnostics and Eastern religions believe in a God that is transcendent, immeasurable, nameless, indescribable. This god is The God and is separate from all other gods, including the god of creation whom the Gnostics and Sants think of as a lower god. The Gnostics and Eastern religions also believe that individuals trapped in the material and have forgotten the divine are asleep or don’t know any better. Also, the Gnostics, Hindu’s, Buddhists, and Jains, believe in the idea of reincarnation as a way to salvation. Next, in the area of experience, Gnosticism compares to Eastern ideas in that the Gnostics and Eastern religions believe that to reach God one has to move beyond the waking state of existence. The Gnostics and Eastern religions also believe in a light and sound that acts as a guide to the Divine. Furthermore, the Gnostics and Eastern religions believe that there are a variety of realms one must pass through in order to reach the Divine. These realms can be described as "spiritual topography." Finally, in the area if ethics, the Gnostics and Eastern religions compare in varying degrees, all depending on which school of thought one is referring to. Where they diverge are on issues concerning of marriage, diet, and how one must interact with his reality.