Missing the Point of the Many Masks [was: dvija varNa]

[Ven. Tantra]

[Continued]: A study of the quasi-historicity and mythic background of the
Jesus story could help in this regard. One becomes amazed how the Roman
Church based its entire universal view on what can only be seen as a
purely concocted figure called Jesus, "The Christ," but which was strongly
imbued with the Orisis-Isis-Horus myth - thank god! For one learns from
mythology that �myth-in-itself� has a tremendous cultural validity. But
for some funny reason, people accept Lords Shiva, Ram, Ganesh and Krsna as
purely mythic beings. They understand the story as "only a story." Yet
still, in doing so, they willingly entrust themselves to the stirring
iconographic dramaturgy, allowing it to spiritualize and actuate their
consciousness. "'And what about The Buddha?" "He's patently historically."
Or so one thinks; and whenever one is challenged by the fairytale bio -
"Well, that's just adornment added later to the *irreducibly historical*
Buddha."

Sri Vidyasankar wrote:
<<I see your comments more as a criticism of how much most academicians
are willing to believe in this regard, for whatever reason. Do you think
that the majority of them have forsaken scholarly skepticism in favor of
an extreme degree of credulity?>>
=>I would like to know how inclined they would be to continuously refer to
the figure of Jesus as "The Christ" when discussing the early history of
Christianity. This is why it's so essential for the myth to remain myth,
and for myth to remain mystery. But as with Christianity, creeping
literalism impinged on the creation of the Buddha myth; and god only knows
why the story took on its particular gloss, accreted _and bifurcated_ time
after time. Hundreds of versions began to circulate. Multi-level
racketeers stepped in and - _ta-daa!_ - Tupperware parties proliferated
everywhere. To attract to more subscribers in their membership drive,
appealing histories with astro-theological underpinnings were carefully
drafted. Soon there arose contending Mafiosi who sought to control the
entire market share� By the convening of the mid-third century Peacock
Council, the muscle bound cult of state-decreed orthodoxy was staunchly
entrenched, and the only remaining business at hand was to consolidate
power, standardize dogma and silence all contention = heresy.

<<Is the suspension of disbelief a tad too willing? :^)>>
=>Well, this is actually a very interesting mechanism - "suspended
disbelief." It's key to all literary, theatrical and dramaturgical arts -
and certainly no tragedy. It is through this apparent human need to be
taken for a roller coaster ride of the emotions that allows catharsis to
works its wonders. The willingness of audiences to suspend disbelief is
precisely what has lent the Indian Epics such brilliant power over the
vast communal consciousness, sustaining much universal appeal to this
today. So the natural progression, then, should not be toward the
skeptical, but "giving in" to the theatrical dimension of life - to
renounce ones literalism and see the endeavors of the early Buddhist
Church as an attempt to fabricate another grand puranic tapestry. It is a
natural impulse for the Indian artist to stretch and string his audience
out; to empower, inform and loom imagination - to involve the mind deeply
and transfix it to the dream. But the Buddhist Theater developed quite
late. It also coincided with advancements in writing technology and the
crazed human endeavor to prove things literally. This dwarfed gestation
and denied its troubadours ample time to explore the ragas. Rasa suffered,
and as taste buds relate, the fare turned out quite fascistic in flavor.

Ven. Tantra




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