This month in the Patheos Book Club, we’re featuring a new book by Richard Hooper called Jesus, Buddha, Krishna & Lao Tzu: The Parallel Sayings. Hooper answered a few questions for us about why he wrote the book and what he gained in the process.

Can you tell us a little about how this book came about?

Between my second and third year of college I had what the psychologist, Abraham Maslow, would call a “peak experience.”  It resulted in a decision to study for the ministry, so I changed my college major to the Philosophy of Religion because it seemed sensible that a Christian minister should know at least something about other world religions.  Surprisingly, when I entered seminary two years later I discovered that I was the only person there who thought such knowledge was important.

In any event, when I started studying the teachings of Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism for the first time, I began to notice similarities between what Jesus taught, and what was generally taught in Eastern philosophy.  A few years later I started studying the Gnostic Gospels, and was astounded by the similarities between the words of Krishna in the Bhagavad-Gita and the words of the risen Christ in Gnostic-Christian literature.

Your book compares the parallel teachings of four world religions, but why didn’t you include Judaism and Islam?

I realized from the beginning that a lot of people would ask this question, so I added a second subtitle to the cover of this book:  “The common teachings of four mystical traditions.”  In other words, this book is not about comparative religion.  It focuses on mystical teachings, and it limits itself to the teachings of the founders, or chief personalities, associated with different religions.  The founders of Judaism and Islam (Abraham, Moses and Mohammed) were not mystics, so there are no parallel sayings to include.

That said, Judaism and Islam did develop mystical traditions, and my next book will include the teachings of Jewish and Sufi mystics.

Wouldn’t a lot of Christians challenge your belief that Jesus was a mystic, and that he taught the same thing that the Buddha, Krishna and Lao Tzu did?

Yes, and that’s another reason why I wrote the book—to address that issue.  Once a person reads the teachings side by side, the evidence is there in black and white.  Certainly those Christians who believe that there is only one path to God will take exception to this book, but I think liberally minded Christians are more open to the idea of universal truth and are delighted to find so many common teachings between different faiths.

A lot of the sayings attributed to Jesus in this book come from apocryphal and Gnostic gospels.  You didn’t limit yourself to the canonical Gospels.  Is this really a legitimate approach?

I think so—especially if I tell readers from the outset what I’m doing and why.  After all, the sayings in this book are only attributed to Jesus, Buddha, Krishna and Lao Tzu.  That doesn’t mean they can lay claim to historical authenticity.

New Testament scholars will point out that the vast majority of sayings attributed to Jesus in the canonical Gospels weren’t spoken by the historical man from Nazareth.  They were words put into his mouth by later Christian evangelists.  Those men were mythologists, not historians.  Scholars will also tell us that there were numerous forms of early Christianity, and virtually hundreds of gospels.  So in that sense the sayings attributed to Jesus in apocryphal and Gnostic gospels are no less “authentic” than most of sayings in the canonical Gospels.

This was the case with the Buddha as well.  His essential teachings were passed down, but we really have no idea what his actual words were.  Every religion has a great deal of mythology in it.  And when it comes to Krishna and Lao Tzu, no one even claims that these persons were real historical figures.  But as one New Testament scholar pointed out, “Just because it isn’t historical doesn’t mean it isn’t true.

What did you gain, personally, from writing this book?

The Buddha asked, “What is the point in reading spiritual texts if you are not willing to follow the teachings you find there?”  Ouch, that hurts.  I admit to being spiritually lazy, so I get the point.

But I also think that there is something to be gained from reading the words of the great masters.  I think sacred texts play a part in our spiritual evolution.  The words have the power to move us and motivate us.  Certainly they remind us of what’s really important in life.  So, for me, writing this book was an act of devotion.

In the spirit of the new book Letters to a Future Church: Words of Encouragement and Prophetic Appeals, InterVarsity Press and the Patheos Book Club hosted a contest inviting readers to submit their own prophetic letters to the Church.  IVP chose three winners to receive a gift package of books and the opportunity to have their letter published here at Patheos.  We’ll print one winning letter over the next three days. May these letters, and all of those from the book, inspire you to find your own voice for the sake of the future of the Church.

“Become Whole Again” from Andrea VanderMey

Dear Church,

I know that you think that you have it right, but you have it oh so wrong. Don’t misunderstand me. I know that there are parts of you that are reaching out to people. But you are damaged. You are broken. You are supposed to be a whole, not divided as many “churches.” Even though you are in different locations, different cities, different countries, you are one. But you have fallen apart. You let little disputes and arguments easily separate you. These faults are cracking you to the core, and outsiders have noticed. You, Church should be the place where people go to find God, to find answers. Yet you push people farther with your fake love. Church, why are you pushing your “godliness” on outsiders? They just want answers. They just want to feel love. They thought you had the answer, thought you had the hope they longed for. You push them and they in turn want nothing to do with you. Can’t you see that they are fragile? Can’t you see that you have to be tender with them?

Church, you are one body. Not many. You are the bride of Christ, not bride’s. You need to become whole again. You need to put your focus back on God. You need to take your focus off of numbers, presenting an appealing message, and anything else that distracts you from God. The Bible doesn’t always have a pleasant message to present! Don’t lie to the outsiders to strengthen your numbers. Tell them the truth, that they WILL suffer, just like Jesus, if they follow in His footsteps; but be gentle. Jesus told us that the world hated him and that it will in turn hate us. It beat him, bruised him and killed him! How can you be blind to think that it will not do the same to you? You, church, need to be strong for all those seeking refuge. Do not give them a false hope, give them Jesus. Do not tell them that life is going to be easy, it’s not. They will only end up hating you and falling away. How can they believe anything you say if you first tell them a lie? Tell them the truth. Tell them that God is worth it. God is worth the pain and the suffering.

I know that these words may seem harsh, Church. But we have to make a change before it is too late. There are so many souls that have already turned away from God because of you. So many that will not give you a second look because what they see is more hideous than what they see in the bars. There needs to be a change, a unity, and it begins here.

Start to follow the things that you preach. Show grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness– to everyone, not just people you think deserve it. This is what separates you from the world. This is why you are the bride of Christ. You are not like the world, you are not of the world. You are God’s. You are different and called out for another purpose. Rise up church, prove to the world that you are God’s.

With love,

Andrea

By Deborah Heneghan, author of Closer than You Think, now featured at the Patheos Book Club.

Guidance, guidance and more guidance!  We all receive it, but sometimes we don’t see it, or we choose to ignore it.  I will tell you that after going through the remarkable process of writing my book, Closer Than You Think: The Easy Guide to Connecting with Loved Ones on the Other Side, I will always check out any lead that I receive because it proves to be wonderful every time.

And so I’d like to share the importance of following our guidance/leads because the act of doing so, and being open to what’s coming while letting go of the control of the outcome, is miraculous. There are no mistakes in life and most certainly the guidance we receive prepares us for what’s coming next. I know; I’ve experienced it with the writing of my book.

I’m not one for reading books much, let alone writing books, but in 2009 I started receiving messages that I should write a book, and these messages were indeed from above.  The signs came in the form of ideas that popped into my head out of nowhere; my sister above telling me to write; people saying to me ‘you should write a book’; and even advertisements discussing writing books.  It was everywhere I turned.

So as the idea of writing a book settled into my bones, I asked for validation that this was indeed the next step for me to take in my life.  I had already been in the realization, since 2007 when my first son was born, that something was shifting in my life path. Sure enough, I received every single confirmation and then some.  I had no idea how to start the process, but I did want to move forward since this was clearly the direction for me.

So I said a prayer one evening before going to sleep asking for guidance on what I needed to get started. The next morning, which was a weekend morning, I felt compelled to check my email as soon as I woke up (something I never do) and the first email in my inbox had a subject of “You Should Write a Book; I’m Glad I Did.”  The email provided me the exact steps to get started.  It was from that point forward that I literally was provided absolutely everything I needed to write the book, including figuring out the topic to write about!  It was the most remarkable and miraculous experience in my life (next to having my children).  And it was all inspired and guided by my beautiful sister, Kathy, who passed away in 1987.  She popped in and out continuously providing messages, guidance, ideas for the book, and even the strength and courage to do it. I must admit that writing a book was very new and a bit scary for me, but knowing Kathy was cheering me on and leading me gave me exactly what I needed to do it.

Some of the synchronicities and blessings I experienced as I followed those spiritual breadcrumbs (a phrase a good friend of mine always says) included being brought the perfectly talented ghostwriter, Linda Sivertsen, to help me write my book proposal and actual book.  We were brought together by my sister and her parents on the other side.  I couldn’t have done it without her and the fabulous stories and people she brought to the table.  In addition, when I submitted my book proposal to a few publishers the timeline for their response was 6 to 8 months or longer.  This just did not feel right in my heart.  It was only 1 ½ weeks after submission that I seriously considered self-publishing because I felt an urgency to get this book going (more guidance via my intuition).  So I said a prayer on a Monday that if I am supposed to self-publish that I will sign up with a self-publisher on Friday, and if I’m supposed to get a book deal I will receive it before then.  Low and behold, I got a book deal that Wednesday; exactly two weeks after I submitted my proposal. I couldn’t believe it.  At this point, having a book deal meant meeting deadlines, no excuses. The idea of working full-time with a newborn and a 21 month old just did not sit right with me (nor was it even possible). I was off on an extended maternity leave and requested to work part-time. My request happened to fall at a time when the company had just laid off 16,000 employees in North America, so the odds were against me.  However, deep in my heart I knew what felt right and so I asked anyway.  Miraculously, a part-time position was not only created for me, it was approved.  This allowed me the extra time to write my book and to have the balance I desired between my work and personal life as a new mom.

I could go on and on with amazing stories of how everything literally just fell into place perfectly, but there isn’t enough room. J  So what I want to get across to everyone is the importance of listening and paying attention to the messages whirling all around you right now.  If something doesn’t feel right in your heart, then pay attention.  Your body will speak to you when you should be considering something else.  Don’t allow your mind (and its crazy chatter) to keep you from following your heart in any area of your life (relationships, jobs, finances, beliefs, etc.).  Do not allow fear to hold you back. Do not allow beliefs or the world around you make you feel as though you can’t do something that you believe you can. Make a choice to live your life on truth and on following your heart.  Love yourself enough to do what feels right to you.  Stop following the majority just because that’s what everyone else is doing.  Be a leader in your own life.  When you do this, you will be abundant in every area of life.

Ever since my book was finished and published, my world has opened up more than I could’ve thought possible.  I’ve grown so much as an individual and have learned so much about myself and my 40 years of living (routines, patterns, beliefs, etc.).  It’s amazing to me by how much my sister’s passing has affected me in so many (positive) ways.  I’m open to guidance, to growth, to learning from others, to sharing my experiences, and most importantly to following my heart.  My heart knows Truth, as does yours.  I leave you with the request to please follow your heart, your intuition, your guidance, and be open to what’s next without controlling the outcome.  When you let go of control, open your heart, and have faith in the process, the rest will miraculously fall into place. This is fact. I know. I’m living it right now.

Deborah Heneghan is a working mother who has been communicating with her dead sister for over 20  years. She is the founder of Closer Than You Think, a national resource for after-death communications, grief management and learning how to live a more spiritually fulfilled life. She has her own weekly radio show, and has appeared on Lifetime TV, and programs on ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox.  Visit her website at http://closerthanyouthinkthebook.com/about.html