The Way the Stream Flows

 Bernadette Roberts

Nevertheless, I now see a possible line of travel that may be of use before crossing the stream. It would be to start with the Christian experience of self's union with God whereby we lose the fear of ever becoming lost – since we can only get lost in God. This is done with the help of Christ, the ever-present guru or master who, unlike other mediums, is always around when you need Him, both in the stillness within and in the silence of the Eucharist without. But when the self disappears forever into this Great Void, we come upon the Buddhist discovery of no-self, and learn how to live without anything we could possibly call a self, and without a frame of reference, as we come upon the essential Oneness of all that is. After this we come to the peak of Hindu discovery, namely: the identity of the One Ultimate Existent that is all that Is – All, of course, but the self.

I am not a scholar of religion East or West, and though I know each religion feels it can ford the stream alone, I think it far superior to ford it together, because it is a difficult stream to cross no matter how well the life-preservers are constructed. Theoretically, such an eclectic approach may be impossible, but after taking this journey, I am convinced that on an experiential level, the pivotal truth of our major religions ultimately come together. This, at least, seems to be the way the stream flows.

The Experience of No Self