Gnosticism

[bogdan9310]

Gnosticism (Greek for "knowledge") is a variety of ancient religious ideas and systems, originating in Jewish-Christian milieux in the first and second century AD. These systems believed that the material world is created by an emanation or 'works' of a lower god (demiurge), trapping the divine spark within the human body. This divine spark could be liberated by gnosis, spiritual knowledge acquired through direct experience. Some of the core teachings include the following:
- All matter is evil, and the non-material, spirit-realm is good.
- There is an unknowable God, who gave rise to many lesser spirit beings called Aeons.
- The creator of the (material) universe is not the supreme god, but an inferior spirit (the Demiurge).
- Gnosticism does not deal with "sin," only ignorance.
- To achieve salvation, one needs gnosis (knowledge).

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=QQtMaJJUvZY

[Eagle Eye]

53:1 By the star when it descends
53:2 Your companion has not strayed, nor has he erred
53:3 Nor does he speak from inclination.
53:4 It is not but a revelation revealed
53:5 Taught to him by one intense in strength -
53:6 One of soundness. And he rose to true form
53:7 While he was in the higher horizon.
53:8 Then he approached and descended
53:9 And was at a distance of two bow lengths or nearer.
53:10 And he revealed to His Servant what he revealed.
53:11 The heart did not lie what it saw.

[conk]

I certainly resonate with these two tenants:
- Gnosticism does not deal with "sin," only ignorance.
- To achieve salvation, one needs gnosis (knowledge).

Buddha said, "all problems arise from ignorance", to paraphrase.

[johnf]

Whenever we look to a system to better understand our present world and it's complex events, and perhaps
to find ideas and practices which might free us, it is a good idea to spot the principle of divide and conquer.
The opening post contains this remark, "- All matter is evil, and the non-material, spirit-realm is good."
And that sort judgement is very hard to avoid, whether it is from Gnosticism, or any other system, it seems to find it's way
into the mix. If we accept that matter, and our accompanying stuckness to the body is what we are here to deal with, we are much more likely to see helpful ways to deal with it, and therefore be more free of it.
The idea of a demiurge is something that I find quite useful, but calling it evil I don't find helpful.

As far as a cosmology that describes such things, I find that various records of a talk by Guatama Buddha are very helpful.
Here is one version of that talk:
https://accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sagga/loka.html


I think that the demiurge is referred to in the description for Great Brahmas (the plane numbered 14, perhaps 11),
"Great Brahmas (Maha brahma) One of this realm's most famous inhabitants is the Great Brahma, a deity whose delusion leads him to regard himself as the all-powerful, all-seeing creator of the universe." So a deluded "being" or thought. The source of delusion is described in plane number 11," (11) Devas Wielding Power over the Creation of Others (paranimmita-vasavatti deva) These devas enjoy sense pleasures created by others for them. Mara, the personification of delusion and desire, lives here."
The most fascinating part of this system, to me is the correlation of 11 planes comprising the physical universe with the 11 dimensions described in string theory. I suppose that beings on plane number 14 might be creating all sorts or universes besides what we see as ours.
I find a big difference in tone between these two systems (as often described on the internet anyway), and that is the focus or lack of it in blame, and looking for an external source of blame, as opposed to simply watching ones own thoughts as they arise and fall, and

looking for things to do that might help our fellows be free of suffering. Of course one could carry out that work by using Gnostic principles,and practices, or by using Buddhist principles, and practices, as well as other schools of thought.


My last addition to my post is going to be a description of an image that is rather persistent in coming up in various attempts of mine to calm my mind and body, and that is this seahorse looking fractal like pattern mentioned by John Lash in a talk about Gnostic principles. I did a quick search on John Lash with the word archons included.
I got this:
https://www.ashtarcommandcrew.net/fo...s-by-john-lash

Am image similar to that fractal pattern cam up last night after I did a quick trial of a posture that is used by zen practitioners, and people performing the tea ceremony. I went back to sitting in my chair watching a show, and this image came up with a strong link to my solar plexus, and was accompanied with feelings and ideas about being trapped in my body, and this shifted toward settling more into my body and feeling more free of it. It also started with thoughts of being victimized somehow by this energy, or being, and that shifted to more of an acceptance, and feelings of it not being a problem. Also the idea that there was some sort of enemy in my body gave way to an awareness that there was just a body with energy in it, and seeing things as bad, or something to get rid of just made it worse.


John

[DNA]

I always felt that Gnosticism, Taoism, Castaneda and the Urantia book had a lot to offer.

[Arak]

I have visited twice in the local gnostic temple. Yes, there are still such. Was very interesting, but what was even more interesting was that those guys were actually also running masonic temple next to the gnostic one.

[Kryztian]

From the title of this video, it may sound like a dogmatic fire and brimstone religious sermon, but it is a sober historical discussion of religious and intellectual ideas. "Heresy" just refers that ideas are different from those in Trinitarian Christian or Roman Catholic doctrine.

Robert Barron has become the leading proponent of Roman Catholic apologetics in the age of the Internet. Here he traces Gnosticism as an intellectual idea in opposition to the historical mainstream of Christianity, and today's R.C. version of Christianity.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=JOvVgqBpeTY

Personally, I agree with some of his arguments, from the perspective of how he sees gnosticism (especially as it was expressed in the 2nd century) on two points:

- evil, corruption, sin, etc. is not a problem of the material world, but one which is also spiritual. Death, the release from the physical realm, doesn't release us from this world - there is darkness in the spiritual world as well.

- the body is not just a material phenomena. There is a resurrection of the body, the energy body.