Wayist Church Overview

Define:

Wayist Church is a devotional movement rooted in first century wisdom with emphasis on personal and individual spirituality and mysticism. Sometimes labelled as the Bodhisattva Path, Wayism holds that anyone who endeavours to walk in the Way of Humility, Simplicity and Compassion is on the way to fulfil the purpose of life, which is to be born again as a spiritual being.

We are in these lives on Earth to fulfil our true potential, as the caterpillar fulfills its potential in being reborn as an entirely new creature, a free creature that feeds only on nectar and who knows worlds and sights that the caterpillar never could have comprehended.

Our transformation starts within, therefore this is an existential quest, an individual transformation. We hold hands on this journey Home, we are not alone in this. Wayists facilitate meetings, dissemination of teaching and beautifully uplifting material for one’s every day soul food. There is no Sacred rite, ritual or scripture that imparts or magically bestows enlightenment. All that there is, you already have in you. With a little bit of Light, peace, soul friends, happiness and basic understanding your inner-life will transform forever. From there on, the goal posts are in view and with angels/spiritual beings sojourning with you — you and all other souls achieve enlightenment and spiritual transformation.

Church of the East

Wayist Church is the logical evolution of what was known as Church of the East, started by St. Thomas in 50CE, in Kashmir, India. After 78AD, with the 2nd coming of Jesus as the Saviour of the World, all Scriptural authority (which was minimal but to attest to history) was replaced by the immediate and direct presence of the Lord and spiritual beings in the lives of all people, all sentient beings.

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BASIC TENETS

Creator

The essence of That Force which acts upon the universes known and unknown, create and uncreate, is beyond our imagination, beyond our (little organic brains’) ability to grasp, know, fathom or name. We cannot speak to It because our language is totally inadequate. Every word we say about It, imposes conditions on the Unconditional. Therefore, we do not speak of, and we do not name That.

We refer to That by the use of symbols. We may use ancient word symbols such as ओम (Om), Tao or the One. We may even use picture symbols such as ☯ (Yinyang) or ॐ(Om) all the while knowing that we can never as soul beings fully comprehend the That.

Gods, in our language refers to senior spiritual beings that impact our lives on Earth. Some people may even use the word god/God when speaking of creative aspects proceeding from the ॐ/ One. One example of use in this is of the gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva which symbolise three aspects of the ॐ: Creator (Brahma), Sustainer (Vishnu) and Destroyer (Shiva). This symbolism helps people to contemplate the cyclic existence of creation / organic life but is insufficient to ever communicate the That. We like to use the word symbols, The One, or the Ultimate One in our writings.

Souls Beings and Spiritual Beings

Soul beings are sentient creatures who have the ability to evolve through learning. Higher evolved souls can learn wisdom. Wisdom is lived-knowledge, a way of life. The highest wisdom a soul can learn is lovingkindness, also expressed as love or humility, simplicity and compassion. Soul beings exist for millions of years and have the ability to incarnate—that is—to take habitat in an organic body and experience life on Earth in that way.

Spiritual beings do not incarnate. Compared to the highest developed soul beings, spiritual beings are typically benevolent, wise, powerful, and loving. Their wisdom is due to their lovingkindness, or their lovingkindness results from their wisdom. Spiritual beings have their own domains, homes, places of residence. We call our home Earth and we call their home(s) Heaven.

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Purpose of Life

The purpose of the soul’s life is to evolve, and become ‘perfected’ or ‘enlightened’. The word "enlightenment" is a future continous sense, it is a process that starts when spiritual awareness is ignited in the soul. Jesus would often tell a questioner that he, the questioner, would not comprehend because he is not yet ready. Jesus trained people who had already developed that spirituality, that awareness which comes with awakening of enlightenment. In that, He said, I am the Light and the Way. He brough enlightenment of the Way.

Spiritual Rebirth, Enlightenment and Metamorphosis

Once the soul becomes spiritually aware because of its lovingkindness and grasp of benevolence, it starts to change. That change continues (like the formation of the butterfly) and gradually, the soul being changes into a spiritual being. It is a process of rebirth, the process of enlightenment. When the soul is fully enlightened, the actual rebirth takes place and a new spiritual being, a light being, is born. Light, in our language refers to immense wisdom that emanates / radiates from enlightened beings. Spiritual beings do not reincarnate and are free of the cyclic existence on Earth (samsara).

A common wish/vow expressed by Wayists is the resolve of ahimsa, to cause no harm:

Therefore, in whatever I do,
I will never cause harm to others;
And whenever anyone encounters me,
May it never be meaningless for them.

Soul School Earth

Souls live on Earth for the sole purpose to learn. This present soul school was created on Earth by spiritual beings whom are Gods to us. One such being whom we look up to, and who we hope to emulate and imitate is called in the ancient Sanskrit language Amita Abha, or in English, Illimitable Light. The only true power that creatures can have in the universes is Wisdom. Amitabha is known throughout as the one with Illimitable Light. As a creature, He is almighty in wisdom, which is love.

Heaven

Amitabha is venerated as the Father in Heaven, the King of Heaven. In Sanskrit, the name of this heaven domain is Sukhavati, which translates to Pure Land of Bliss.

The Great Incarnation and the Second Coming

Heaven has been involved with Soul School Earth since its founding. The curriculum of Earth School is governed by laws of metaphysical nature and is not in the hands of any creature. The name of the Law that governs the curriculum for Soul School Earth is Karma.

Notwithstanding, Sukhavati has many workers that are active in the Earth domain. However, one particular time in our history stands out, when Sukhavati sent a most senior spiritual being to incarnate on Earth and work among us to spur reformations in world religions.

The Great Incarnation was known as the man Iesous, or Yesu/Jesus or Issa in the various places where He worked. From Egypt to Northern India, Iesous subtly spurred reformations in major religions. He was killed in the Middle East by religious intolerants.

After the death of the incarnate body, the spiritual being vowed to come back enforce to work in the Earth domain to help us in our quest for enlightenment and freedom from samsara (cyclic existence on earth). He returned in the 70s AD. His title in Sanskrit was revealed in that time to be, Avalokiteshvara—the Lord who hears the pleas of all sentient beings. It was announced that the Lord will appear to us in any form most suitable for us at the time—a woman, a child, an animal, any of the gods and whatever we may need in our time of need. To illustrate this concept, devotees of the Lord sometimes depict his as a being with a thousand arms and heads, sometimes as a woman (in China particularly).

Trinity

From a human point of view three most powerful spiritual beings work as a team for our benefit. They are Amitabha (the Father), Avalokiteshvara (working in Yang fashion, direct, male-like) and MahaSthamaPrapta (working in Yin fashion, female-like). The Sanskrit title MahaSthamaPrapta means The Coming of Great Wisdom and She is often referred to as the Holy Spirit of Wisdom, the Sophia. Speaking to the direct vs indirect ways in which spiritual beings interact with us as soul beings, in Sanskrit lore and writ of late 1^st century, Avalokiteshvara is known as the Son of the Father in Heaven and MahaSthamaPrapta as Daughter of the Father in Heaven.

Reincarnation

The word incarnation literally means embodied in flesh or taking on flesh. It refers to the conception and birth of a sentient being who is the material manifestation of an entity, god or force whose original nature is immaterial _[wikipedia]

Re-incarnation refers to the cyclic nature that souls exist in. For the soul to incarnate is to go to school at the start of the school term. When the human body dies, it is the end of the term. The soul comes back for a following term, and incarnates again. In Sanskrit, this perpetual cycle is covered in the meanings of the term Samsara.

Once enlightened and reborn as a spiritual being, there is no more incarnation.

Hell

Hell is a soul state, an awareness of suffering. Anyone who has failed a module at school, and was sent back to retake those classes, redo the assignment, and re-write the exams know the hell of it.

Hell is a function of Karma. Karma is benevolent, it will continue to bring learning material (experiences) on our path until we finally learn the wisdom required to pass the exams for that module.

Devotees sometimes illustrate hell as a ‘place’ of torture and suffering.

Karma

The metaphysical law of Karma is benevolent. Its function is to help soul beings to evolve—to learn the wisdom mindset and lifestyle of loving kindness.

Karma will continue to bring learning material (experiences) on our path until we finally learn the wisdom required to pass the exams for a particular module.

Dharma

Dharma is a group name that refers to the metaphysical Laws that govern the universe to which we soul beings are tied.

One can learn the teachings of old soul masters about the nature of dharma but the most important aspect of it is in our response to life.

Dharma is, among many other things, fundamentally linked to duty and response. In simple terms: wisdom is wisdom only when we cannot else but respond according to it. Once we have acquired a certain level of wisdom about something, it becomes part of who we are. Henceforth, we will automatically respond in a way that reflects that wisdom.

Do you need a government legislation to stop you from cutting meat meat from live animals for eating, keeping them alive for as long as they will live because you don’t want to deal with all that meat at one time? Chances are that you do not need a policeman to tell you not to do that. However, not too long ago, Moses instituted a law that his people should stop that practice. Chances are that we learned this wisdom several thousand years ago and today we cannot even think it possible for anyone to be that cruel.

This is Dharma and duty. Once you acquire a level of wisdom you cannot but act accordingly. If, however, you go against your dharma because of greed, fear, sloth or whatever else—Karma will put you back in grade school (or something to that effect).

It is a huge wrongdoing to interfere in the duty (dharma) of another person—it is cruel.

The Law of Dharma also dictates that when we advance in wisdom, we inherit a duty to help others to also advance along the Way. We inherit the duty to give back, to sustain teachers and schools and help those who serve the cause.

Mysticism and Yoga

Mysticism as we define can be described as the immediate and direct experience of the presence of the divine. For Wayists, this experience is not limited to moments of worship, fellowship or meditation. We learn to cultivate a lifestyle of mystical awareness of the presence of the energies of the One / ॐ in all things around us, and in us. Furthermore, we cultivate a lifestyle of mystical awareness of the presence of senior souls and spiritual beings who teach, tutor and guide us.

The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit word for yoke, and speaks to the same mystical awareness. It goes a step further in the Bhagavad Gita where we are told to yoke ourselves to the Lord as we walk the Way.

Spirituality

For Wayists, spirituality , is the awareness and study of matters spiritual. For most people, spirituality refers to a process of re-formation of the person. In the Judeo-Christian texts and extra Biblical texts Jesus is quoted using the Greek word (Jesus spoke Greek) metanoia, which denotes transformation of one’s mind. For us, the term pneumatology (pneumatologist) is applied to students of spirituality and spiritual matters.

The Greek word pneuma is translated as spirit and psyche is translated as soul, except in the Bible where the two terms are interchangeable and capitalization of the first letter is applied willy-nilly, often to force doctrinal and dogmatic views.

In the quest of spirituality, we go through phases of development. Six categories of development are identified and had been the source of much writing in the various Buddhist schools of thought since the first century. These are linked to chakras and developmental challenges, therefore we develop in most of these areas at the same time and growth or failing in one area, affects another. Karma will of course help to bring along developmentally appropriate opportunities for being of service to others and personal learning.

Generosity, giving of oneself, humility
Virtue, morality, discipline, proper conduct, knowledge
Patience, tolerance, forbearance, acceptance, endurance, vow, resolution, aspiration, determination
Loving kindness, compassion, energy, diligence, vigor, effort
One-pointed concentration, contemplation, simplicity, skillful means
Spiritual power, wisdom, insight
Non-learning, serving, nurturing

Holy Scriptures

Wayists take a break from Holy Scriptures, because all are essentially flawed. We do not deny that the scriptures held holy by various faith groups may contain helpful truth on the Way, but we notice those tidbits of truth woven in amongst manmade doctrines with religious agenda.

Humans receive(d) from the gods simple truths. The purpose of life and the Way to fulfill that purpose is not complicated. It can be, and are, stated in a few simple lines. However, when humans receive that holy tapestry with its simple truths, immediately they start to embroider on it. They add things appropriate to the audience of the day (imagine the mind of the average person 2,000 years ago), and appropriate to the politics and agenda of those who want to rule.

There is no way that we can subject our souls and minds to the intricately embroidered mess religions made over the past hundreds of years. They were mainly illiterate, uneducated people who did not know that the world is round, that is not the center of the universe, that stars are complex systems and galaxies rather than light spots coming through a black veil with little holes, that is held between us and the sun. They did not know of the existence of the Americas. They did not know that sperm contains only starting material, for them, there were little humans in sperm. They did not know how people in power engineer world wars, genocides, famines and tribal wars for profit. They had no idea just how deeply evil and callous rich and educated humans can be—how low they stoop. They had not yet learned what a Roman Catholic Church can do to exterminate nations in the name of their God, and what the Jews and Muslims perpetuate ad nauseam. They were an innocent people with very little language, no education and a short lifespan. There is no way that we can take moral lessons from religious folk, not to mention from books written for a Middle-Eastern or North Indian audience of two thousand years ago. We know better, right out of the womb—because we have been there. We have dharma that by far exceeds the teachings of any so-called Holy Scripture.

Between the old Vedas, Quran and Old Testament there are almost twenty thousand deeply disturbing, very immoral and cruel, objectionable verses. We have no need to subject ourselves and our children to Quranic and Biblical commands to, ‘go out to the heathens, take their babies by the heel and smack their heads against the rocks. Kill all, women, children and animal.’ Many religious scriptures are just too awful and quite sick. Humanity needs a break from them.

Of the few lines of simple truths that we humans received, we have made thousands of books full of unnecessary and erroneous embroidery. Jesus called his teaching The Way--taught the Jews a few simple lines about lovingkindness and about rebirth, and about our Father in Heaven (as we reiterated earlier in this document). It is not hard to understand. Takes two minutes. However, Christians have subsequently written hundreds of books and tomes with extra teaching made it into their Bible. Shakyamuni Buddha gave his teaching in a few simple lines and within five hundred years it was a tremendous mess of hundreds of books. In Jesus’ time, He spoke to this and transformations started resulting in Mahayana’s popularity today. Things were simplified and boiled down to basics. Today, however, there are still thousands of Pali scriptures that need translation—there is no end to the silliness of religious folk. The Vedas are not spared this fate and look at the Quran, how Muslims are divided regarding the meaning of the so-called word of God. Again, Muhammed gave a teaching to an uneducated barbaric, warmongering desert dwelling people, trying to save his nation from themselves. Today, they warmonger and terrorize just the same. By the looks of it the bigotry did not end and they learned nothing, improved nothing over the years.

One can accept the fact that the God invented by Abrahamic religions is not a respector of persons. He is due to bring wholesale slaughter and terror to Earth to annihilate in cruel wars all the non-believers, all those who do not worship him—and then his people will reign and only then will there be peace. Ironic, it is, that his people are told to subject the peaceful earth, to strike terror in the hearts of peaceful people—and when the peaceful people are dead, there will be peace. The people of these faith groups may now be more moral than their God but in the end, they believe the God will bring the final terror.

Can thinking, civilized Muslims, Christians and Jews rid themselves of all that? It takes more than being civilized to rid oneself of a bad culture, it takes real guts and sacrifice.

Muslims are forbidden to make friends with Jews and Christians, or other kafir nonbelievers. The Quran, Allah, threatens them with hell torture should they transgress. They are allowed, however to feign friendship for reasons that benefit the Muslim (business or employment), but never indulge a friendship. Christians too, are told to not make friends with non-Christians for they would be “unequally yoked” and there is no profit in the “darkness” of unbelievers.

Wayists, since the 1st century already, are guided to work for the benefit of others without motive other than helping, in eleven ways:

Befriending the friendless;
Counseling the confused;
Helping the helpless;
Protecting the fearful;
Comforting the grieving;
Sharing with the destitute;
Mentoring those who seek spiritual guidance
Accompanying those traversing the path;
Praising the prudent;
Admonishing the rash;
Subduing those who will not yield to good counsel.

Religions, and in particular their scriptures have had their time. Most people have outgrown them. They may have served us well in past lives but we have grown up. It is time now for spirituality to take us into the next era of evolution.

Bible and Quranic verses applicable to this article (warning: not for the sensitive):

Three Measures

Wayists are to walk the Way in Humility, Simplicity and Compassion. These three are measures for our thinking, business conduct, every day affairs, relationships and lifestyle.

Loving-kindness, or Maitrī as it is stated in Sanskrit, is a sincere wish for others to be happy. It is an active love that reaches out and touches not only people, but Earth, animals, organisms and all sentient beings.

Maitrī is the root word from where the Maitreya Buddha is named. Maitreya is the one which Shakyamuni Buddha prophesied, the Compassionate One who would come to save all souls. In Iesous and subsequent Avalokiteshvara, the prophesy was fulfilled. We now follow in the Way of the Universal Gateway of Compassion, as Avalokiteshvara is called in Sanskrit sutras of late first century—the Way of Humility, Simplicity and Compassion.

Three Attitudes

Our attitude is perhaps the only thing we really have control over. Our attitudes define our person, our path on the Way, and our state of being.

Of the attitudes in the metaphysical world it is said that all things created are also imbued with attitudes, typically one will dominate. Garlic, for instance has an attitude that makes of it a medicine but also an extreme.

The three attitudes, called in Sanskrit are Rajas, Sattva and Tamas. While knowing that we are capable of either, and that each has its place, as evolving souls we strive for Sattva, the golden mean.

Universal Salvation

All sentient beings, therefore all evolving souls have the potential to gain release from samsara (the cycle of perpetual return). Souls are not immortal, they can wither and die. Love is nurture for souls and perpetually loveless souls wither away. When a soul dies, its energies separate and simply joins all other created energies. Apart from these unloving souls who self-exterminate, all sentient beings will graduate from Soul School Earth.

Old Souls

Some old souls are those of us who have been at school much, much longer than others even though we have not yet made it to higher grades. However, the term is usually applied to wiser souls, those who have advanced at school.

Bodhisattva Path

We do not use this Buddhist term because, like so many thing religious, it has lost its meaning over the years. The term is nowadays variously defined and loosely used by all and sundry. We do follow the Path set out for us by a Bodhisattva, Iesous who came again as Avalokitesvhara.

The Bodhisattva Path, as used by Buddhists, often applies to people who vowed to pursue Buddhahood for the benefit of humanity, or it may refer to spiritual beings who forego sitting in Heaven being Buddhas but spend their time in the earth realm for our benefit. We believe the latter to be correct and therefore will never refer to ourselves as Bodhisattvas.

One thing that all so-called Bodhisattva Paths have in common, and we share that ideal, is that we must live our lives for the benefit of others--not as parents spoiling their children (even lower animals do that) but as spiritual wanderers spreading loving kindness.

Lifestyle of Worship and Mystical Practice

Most religious practice result in a ‘lifestyle’ of sorts. It has to do with the norms of a society, the things that happen during holy festivals, when people gets married and buried. Most religions have intricate rules and codes of conduct, many opportunities for clergy and monks to come out and perform some paid rite or ritual. It is normal business for most folk. It takes money to keep organizations going, and deliver services to public.

Wayist lifestyle is more mystical and existential _[wikipedia] than other traditions. As the Zen (which has its roots in Avalokiteshvara teaching) saying goes, “none but the taster knows the flavor of the water” it cannot be described or proscribed. It has more to do with the individual’s personal response to the divine in her life, than with traditional doings and rituals of symbolic significance. We teach, encourage and foster this in those whose hands we hold as we walk home.

We do meet in groups and we do make use of common meditation and worship devices (mantas, music, etc.) but that serves a social aspect of fellowship with people with whom you hold values in common.

Who else holds common values and know something about the symbolism and worldview of Wayists?

All who know something about Avalokiteshvara (Quanjin [Chinese], Kannon [Japanese], etc.) can identify with us. Zen (Chen) has its roots in this simple yet profound teaching. Pure Land Buddhists are intimately aligned with us. Most Hindus and Buddhists identify with the teaching in every respect. Anyone knowing about The Bodhisattva Way knows. Some people put the number of people with common views in this respect close to two billion but that may be a bit ambitious.

Symbols and Symbolism

Most Wayists have a home shrine established with symbols that help us focus on certain aspects of the quest for spirituality and growth. Keep our mind on the true purpose of everyday life. There are no set rules or regulations in this regard.

An oft’ used symbol on an altar is for example the Wayfarer Mandala, called Margadarzaka in Sanskrit. It contains several elements that quickly reminds us of significant aspects of true reality—helping to keep the balance between life here, now, and our immortal existence over the long term.

Another loved symbol is the image of Avalokiteshvara on thanka or statuette, also replete with symbolism that helps the mind focus.

Most people add flowers, nice pieces of wood or natural objects dear to them to draw attention to our appreciation of the lives of other beings on the planet—our neighbours.

Many Wayists choose to add pictures of loved ones, creating a worshipping congregation and also garden of remembrance in their home.

Clergy (group leaders)

Monks, clergy, pastors, ministers, counselors and teachers or group leaders are all designations that we see in Wayism for the same thing—people who give their time and effort to learn the skill and knowledge to facilitate group meetings, wedding and funerals (among other).

The International Association of Wayist Organization makes available training opportunities to help newcomers adapt to the Wayist ministry. Some clergy have advanced degrees in the field, other have advanced dedication.

We have leaders from all religious traditions, and several with an atheist background coming in to serve. As you have seen from the above, the switch is easy and logical. The biggest challenge for most group leaders is not the new learning, but the unlearning.

“Holy Days”

The word holy comes from Greek hagios meaning sacred, or particularly, ‘set aside for the gods’.

Wayists set in every day time for awareness. However, we institute four periods a year for special attention. These four periods revolve around the solstices and equinoxes. Not that we believe any special spiritual activity is coming our way from Heaven at those times, only that we coincide our festivals with periods of natural phenomena that also bring about change.

Solstices and equinoxes are times on earth when some things come to an end, and other things start. It is for us symbolically reminiscent of changes in our soul lives. As we struggle with grow through periods, we come to times when we put those struggles behind us and start anew again.

We celebrate changes in nature and renew awareness of other beings who also go through changes and phases. Plants, animals and insects all share in this and some need our help because we took the lion share of resources. In many places, we hog the space and make it very difficult for them to live their lives as we want to also have resources to live our lives.

Matrimonial

Wayist matrimonial services are replete with symbolism. There is a lot of gift exchange (of the traditional simple white scarves) between the two families united by the couple’s decision to bring them all together. Emphasis is on the fact that two people decided to join, and walk the Way together, holding hands on the way home.

Funeral

Wayist funerals emphasize our immortal nature, and reincarnation. Also, the phenomenon of souls moving through in groups through the cycles of life. Ancestors are important, in many ways still in empathy with us on earth.

Funerals are not required for departing souls but are recommended for friends and family to come to terms with things. To celebrate a life, a friendship, of a dear co-wayfarer is important.