A comparative, universal interpretation of Christmas

Should not all spiritual celebrations create an opportunity to celebrate our inner consciousness?

The world is readying to celebrate Christmas, a festival that is commercially interpreted to mean shopping, parties, wine, Christmas trees and Santa Clauses. While all this adds to overall social happiness which is needed in this world, it is important to reflect upon the other side of the coin of Christmas. That is the inner happiness and the spiritual mass that Christmas should be. 

All spiritual commemorations whether it is Vesak or Eid or Mahashivarathri or Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday, Thaipongal or Christmas or Easter should ideally be opportunities of reflection beyond the boundaries of ‘religion.’ This is because all these ‘religious’ paths are essentially spiritual roadway maps for human perfection to attain the ultimate liberation from all ties in this long/joyful/sad/buoyant/weary astral journey we are on, in which human life is only a blink of an eye. 

The liberation of these ties is known as Nirvana in Buddhism and as heaven and going to God for Christians and in similar vein for Muslims and Hindus although the overall cultural nuances and defining may be different. What does this heaven mean? Or what does ‘going to God’ mean?

Comparatively Jesus stated that the Kingdom of God is within oneself (Kingdom of God is within you) and what does this mean?

We can sum this up to mean that making our heaven on earth is linked to the making of the heaven in our heart (to create the kingdom of God within us) and thereby those of the God believing traditions when they leave this human body embark on an astral journey where their spirit/prana is offered to the highest level of purified freedoms – ‘to God.’ This is the ultimate freedom, never to be sullied again by these temporary joys and sorrows and desires of this world but to close all accounts at the helm of all existence, beyond life and beyond death. This is Nirvana. This is Moksha. This is Jannatul Firdaus. 

The etymology of the word spirit is rooted in the old English, French, Latin and Germanic meaning for breath or ‘prana’ which corresponds to the word ‘soul’ and also encompasses the term ‘intellect’ if one carefully studies the linguistic research and interpretation. 

So, should not all spiritual celebrations create an opportunity to celebrate our inner consciousness? Is there not something to learn that is good in all spiritual traditions? 

Let us stop a minute to examine why Jesus is called the Christ. Christ is not a name. It is a spiritual state of being or achievement. In the same way that Buddhahood is a state of spiritual achievement – that of being the Enlightened One.

The word Christ is associated with the word Christos in Greek originally stemming from the word chrio, which means to rub ceremonially with oil; to anoint. Thus Jesus is seen as Christ – the anointed one – anointed with wisdom; the son of man who is also the son of God.

Is this not a lesson for all of us to seek daily to be anointed with wisdom (through awareness, self control and benevolence?) Through Metta, Muditha and Karuna? To travel even long distances (go even to China) as Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said? Should not this travel, this journey be within us essentially?

Jesus, the anointed one, the Christ stated; “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. ~ Matthew 7:7-8

This can be taken to mean worldly comfort and indeed one does need at least an element of worldly comfort to carry out one’s duties in this world and just as there is no virtue in riches there cannot be virtue in material poverty. The point here is that to ask and receive is essentially a communication within the chapel of the self where the kingdom of God resides and thereby communicated to God and all there is in this universe we are upon. (The kingdom of God, Jesus replied, is not something people will be able to see and point to. “Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21) 

Hence this Christmas, amidst the joy of shopping for presents and receiving them and the joy of beholding a beautifully decorated Christmas tree and Christmas lights, let us seek the kingdom of understanding, kindness, wisdom within us – let us seek the kingdom of God within us – let us seek the liberation, the nirvana and the moksha, by dedicating all our actions to the highest version of ourselves – to dedicate it to making our very heaven here and now. The heaven that is achieved when we assess our words so it won’t hurt another, when we understand the suffering of others who cannot commercially celebrate festivals and when we become children of God – by accruing godly virtues (deva gathi).

May we all have a very happy Christmas filled with laughter and joy and let us in the same vein dedicate this season to transform the tears and sorrow of others to laughter and joy.

Specifically for those who are Christians and thereby the followers of Christ, it will be extremely beneficial if a daily meditation of at least half an hour on Jesus, the life and words of Jesus is carried out. This could be a truly life-changing experience outside the realm of dogma but within the parameters of the spiritual quest. The quest of seeking to be more and more like Jesus Christ; the son of man and the son of God and thereby being children of God – i.e. the children of truth, courage, justice, equality, goodness and kindness and equanimity. Children who search Metta, Muditha and Karuna. 

(SV). 

(The writer is a researcher in comparative spirituality.)