The Tree of Life: Unity in Diversity
The symbol of the Tree of Life, or a spiritual cosmic Tree, is found in all religious traditions.
In Taoism, we have the Tree of Immortality that blooms every 3000 years, whose fruit grants the boon of immortality.
In Buddhism, the symbol of the Tree is synonymous with the life of the buddha. He was born in a grove of sala or teak trees. When he was forty years old, he attained Enlightenment after meditating for forty days beneath a fig tree, called the “Bodhi Tree” which means Enlightened Tree. Then he went on to teach the Dharma.
Krishna, the great avatar worshiped in India, taught of the Cosmic Tree, which finds its “roots above and its branches below.” This is the Tree of Worlds that becomes a metaphor for the universal body. And in Kabbalah, the Jewish mystic tradition, the Tree of Life is a map of the emanations of God.
Yggdrasil is an important feature of Norse mythology. It is the Norse Tree of Life, encompassing all nine worlds that are part of the ancient Norse view of the cosmos. It is an ash tree in which all of the worlds, including the world of humans and the world of the gods, nestle among the branches and roots.
The ancient Mayas of Central America believed that a giant Ceiba tree, Ya’axche (Maya) stood at the center of the earth, connecting the terrestrial world and the spirit-world with the long thick vines hanging from the canopy, thus providing a connection to heaven for their souls.
Even in the famous vision of the Native American shaman Black Elk, who lived at the turn of the 20th century, we have a great Tree standing above and uniting all the hoops of the world. This tree was seen in a vision when he was 9 years old, when he became sick for 2 weeks straight and went on a fantastical journey through the spirit realm, where he learned of the future destruction of the Native American tribes that he would witness in his lifetime. The Tree of Life stood as a sentinel of hope, unity, and shelter for the tribes of the future.
In Islam, there is only one Tree in the Garden, which is the Tree of Life. And this symbol of the Tree was famously used by the great sufi master, Ibn Arabi, in his philosophy of the Tree of Being. But in Christianity, we find two trees in the garden of Eden: the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge. Eve is tempted to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, but the Tree of Life is the Tree of Immortality that sustains the spiritual life of mankind. In the book of Revelations, the Tree is described as crossing the two sides of the River Jordan, which has become symbolic of the manifestation of Heaven on Earth. Unfortunately, Heaven is not going to be handed to us by any magical intervention; we will need to build Paradise one brick at a time. So you may think of the teaching of the Tree of Life as a cornerstone to that someday Paradise, that we might continue to build a foundation for world peace by seeking unity in faith.
So we can see that the symbol of the Tree of Life is present throughout the great spiritual teachings and mystic visions of different cultures. And this is very significant. It should not be overlooked as a coincidence. Some people who listen to this podcast might be familiar with the name Carl Jung. Carl Jung was a student of Freud and one of the founding fathers of modern day Psychology. He was a hidden Buddhist who adopted many of the theories in Buddhism about mind, self and ego into modern day Psychology practice. He believed mankind had a collective consciousness, and he proposed that archetypal symbols exist within our subconscious mind that are universal across cultures. These archetypal symbols can be found in folklore, storytelling, artwork, dream interpretation, and cultural norms. The wisewoman or the witch, the child, and the shadow are all examples of what Carl Jung called “Universal Archetypes.”
Based on the universal occurrence of the Tree of Life, it is my theory that in the world of the subconscious, the Tree of Life is a universal archetype for the pure and transcendent Self, or God. It is both the macrocosm and the microcosm. The Tree of Unity has deep symbolic meaning that ties together all of mankind. Through its roots, we see the intersection of all the world religions uniting as one great flourishing Tree, which is symbolic of the journey of the soul to God; the growth of the soul into God; the awakening of our spiritual Consciousness, and our awareness of interconnected Reality. Within this great heavenly Tree, all of life becomes one. We live among its roots and we ascend into its branches. This cosmic Tree becomes a universal archetype for the harmony and unity that is inherent within all spiritual practice. Unity in diversity. We are all united as One in the Tree of Life.
When viewed through this vast interconnected tapestry of world traditions, we can see that in Truth, it has always been One Religion. One great teaching. As human beings, we become so focused on our own life, we can’t see the whole tapestry laid before us. We must pull back and expand our vision. Every sacred teacher is inspired from the same Source. From the beginning of the human species and even before, we have been working toward this understanding of the Tree of Life — how we are all interconnected — because God is One, called by many names.
Up until now, as a species, we have been blinded by our differences: skin color, language, culture, customs, sexuality, religions. We’ve asked, “Which one is right? Which one is best?” But this is not the way God thinks. In God, there is no hierarchy. There is no “Best.” There is only Truth. All things are equal in the eyes of supreme Love.
Now, in the 21st Century, the human species is large enough, and the world small enough, that we can see where all the great teachings intersect. But it has always been One teaching. One Truth. One lesson. Instead of seeing each religion as separate, let us see them each as a chapter in the book of The Tree of Life, written by the same Author, whose Creativity knows no bounds. For upon my own spiritual path and education, I discovered that what felt incomplete in one religion was made whole by the inclusion of another. For instance, the lack of description of the Holy Spirit in Judaeo-Christian tradition is made whole by the concept of chi in Taoism. Likewise, the loving relationship and friendship with God taught by Christians exemplifies the path of devotion taught in Vedanta. The Buddhist concept of detachment is made clearer by the teaching of Ayin (Nothingness) in Kabbalah. The Enlightenment of Sri Ramakrishna mirrors that of St. Augustine of Hippo, and we can see it embodied as well in the great Native American shaman, Black Elk. And I intend to discuss all of these figures and more on this podcast.
God clothes Himself in all of us; in many colors and by many names; but no matter the method of our beliefs, no matter how complicated or simple they become, the divine always answers. God is not proud. The Divine Self does not care if we call upon Her as Mother or Father, or Allah or Tao, or if we envision Him as The Way, a King or The Tree of Life. It is the same God who answers to all, and this God is the Absolute — the Alpha and the Omega — the One who sustains all Life.
It is through this unity that we can perceive higher Truth about the nature of life and our human destiny. It is through this exploration of Truth that I hope to restore the spiritual heart to mankind, and shelter the world from the rise of materialism, fame-worship and self-delusion that is always threatening to overcome our fragile species.
We need to remember who we are.
We need to grasp hold of the great inheritance that lies at the heart of every being: our Unity and stewardship of all Life.
God is not some beard in the sky, or a King on a throne waiting to judge the wicked and throw atheists into hell. God is living now within your heart, and in fact, that same Holy Spirit of Life dwells within all people, all animals, all plants, even rocks and rivers and plastic and cardboard. This Pure Consciousness is dwelling within your very body. It pervades the world around us, to my left and to my right, beneath me and above me. Everything is contained within the divine essence. Coming into this awareness by union within the heart is the attainment of Enlightenment, or merging with the Tree of Life.
As written in the Rig Vita: “Truth is one, sages call It by many names.”
So the teachings of the Tree of Life are meant to be expansive, impartial, all-encompassing and all-prevailing, and most importantly, easy to grasp and understand for even the simplest soul. This is my own inspired philosophy that I hope to share with similar-minded people, in hopes of encouraging you in the attainment of Liberation, finding a common language, and healing some of the division that has taken root in the modern world. And if some of what I say is in alignment with the great teachers of the past, it is only because we have all seen the same Light of Lights, that great Unity of Love that resides at the heart of all Being. We are all One in the Tree of Life.
The concept of God and spirituality does not belong to the rationalists. It does not belong to the sophists, the philosophers, the New Age pseudoscientists or the dry theologians with their Dusty books and their Dusty voices. Spirituality belongs to the children — all of them. It belongs to the storytellers, to the seekers and the creators and the wanderers; it belongs to the sisters, the brothers, the workers and the everyday masses. It is the everyday man and woman who can truly benefit from these teachings. They are meant for you. God exists outside of religion, beyond religion, hidden within the nature of the cosmos and the human heart. It is the greatest gift of our species, to have this deep knowledge and friendship to the divine. You can know this hidden, spiritual Kingdom in which we dwell, and if you have some patience, and a bit of whimsy, I will share everything that I know with you, and explore these hidden realms of the heart together, as friends.
So let us take these high-minded ideals back from this wave of Rationalism that has all but destroyed our cultural identity; away from the nihilist man and the materialist. Spirituality needs no justification; the existence of God needs no proof. You are the proof. You are the justification. God dwells within you. God belongs to you. Let no man stand between you and God, and let no institution of man stand between you and your spiritual inheritance. This world is vast, and the way is yours. Let us walk together in Love.
Listen on Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/treeoflifespirituality
