Recommended book and lecture: "Christ the Eternal Tao"

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It’s not a perfect book by any means, but it’s one I very much like; and since its publication it has become something of a classic — and rightly so. I refer to Christ the Eternal Tao (St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1999, now in its eighth printing), by Hieromonk Damascene (Christensen). Nor is the taped lecture given by the author, embedded directly below, without some aspects open to criticism, although, in my opinion, these are minor. Before turning to the criticisms, however, here is a description of the book, taken from the publisher’s website:

Not until now has the ancient wisdom of Lao Tzu been presented alongside the otherworldly revelation of Jesus Christ in a way that encompasses the full significance of both. Avoiding the common pitfalls of religious syncretism, CHRIST THE ETERNAL TAO shows Lao Tzu’s Tao Teh Ching as a foreshadowing of what would be revealed by Christ, and Lao Tzu himself as a Far-Eastern “prophet” of the Incarnate God.

Inspired by Fr. Seraphim Rose’s early studies of the Tao Teh Ching, this book draws from the unpublished translations and teachings of Fr. Seraphim’s Chinese philosophy teacher, Gi-ming Shien, in order to uncover the esoteric core of the Tao Teh Ching. Then, through the transmission of mystics of the ancient Christian East, Lao Tzu’s teaching is brought into a new dimension, exploding with new meanings.

Part I contains a “New Testament” of the Tao Teh Ching, which looks at Christ through the eyes of Lao Tzu and presents the Gospel in Lao Tzu’s own intriguing way. Part II unfolds the history of the revelation of God, from the creation of man, through the fall, primordial civilization, Lao Tzu, Confucius, and the ancient Hebrews, and finally to God’s Incarnation in Jesus Christ and His ultimate revelation of His Being as Three Persons. Part III offers practical advice from Eastern Orthodox teachers on how to unite oneself to Christ the Incarnate Tao/Logos and acquire His Divine Grace (in Chinese, Teh).

Much more than a mere study in comparative religion, CHRIST THE ETERNAL TAO uses Lao Tzu’s intuitive realizations as a springboard by which to catapult the spiritual seekers of our day all the way into the mystical depths of Eastern Orthodox Christianity.

It’s important to stress that the book is, quite openly and unapologetically, an Orthodox Christian reading of Lao Tzu’s ancient text. It’s also a richly illustrated and beautiful volume, in addition to being educational and a bit daring. The author presents the Tao Te Ching with great care and respect, and then relates it brilliantly to the spiritual tradition of Eastern Christianity. It’s a tour de force, and — enjoying a good tour de force myself — I heartily recommend it.

Below is a recorded lecture by Hieromonk Damascene on the subjects he addresses in the book, and here I offer my few criticisms. First, no doubt some will have mixed or negative feelings about Fr. Seraphim Rose, Hieromonk Damascene’s spiritual father (if you don’t know who he was, you can read about him here). I have definite reservations about some of Fr. Seraphim’s teachings, but I also admire him in many ways. There’s no reason to exaggerate or denigrate his influence, and I choose to take him warts and all. I never read anyone uncritically; likewise, I refuse to write off anyone whose good insights were often very good indeed, even if some of his other ideas weren’t equally felicitous. But Fr. Seraphim is mentioned in passing in Christ the Eternal Tao, and the book is Fr. Damascene’s. My second criticism is that, in the lecture, Fr. Damascene provides what I regard as a too simplistic understanding of the essence/energies distinction in Orthodox spiritual theology. I have no intention of belaboring the point (maybe I will in a future post), but I am quite uncomfortable with the “within/without” language he uses concerning the concept of grace late in his talk. That sharp distinction, it seems to me, isn’t justified. Third, Fr. Damascene waxes declamatory in his lecture, and it took me a few moments to get used to the style. Finally (and this is a small quibble), his pronunciation of Chinese words and names could be better than they are.

That said, I love the book and — again — I recommend it. Hieromonk Damascene has done us a great service.

Here’s the description provided on the YouTube link:

Igumen Damascene (John Christensen; born 1961) is an igumen of the Serbian Orthodox Church, and abbot of St Herman of Alaska Monastery, Platina, California.

Born in 1961 in family with Scandinavian roots. He was raised as a nominal Protestant Christian. By the time he began college, however, he believed that the highest spiritual reality was not a personal deity or God, but rather a transpersonal reality. He considered himself a Buddhist, specifically, in the Zen tradition, and he had various experiences, which he writes included darkness, infinite nothingness outside space and time, where everything is now and time has no meaning. Despite these experiences, there was still something missing in the soul. While in college at U.C. Santa Cruz, John Christensen met Eastern Orthodox Christian students and was invited by them to a lecture by an American priest-monk, who had also been a serious student of Eastern philosophy and Buddhism. It was through this lecture that Father Damascene met the man through whose influence his life would be radically altered. This man was Seraphim Rose, spiritual seeker, Eastern religious scholar, Orthodox monk and priest. It was through this meeting, his ongoing studies, and many pilgrimages to the monastery that Fr. Seraphim had founded in the secluded woods of Northern California, that John came to discover that truth was not just an abstract idea, sought and known by the mind, but something personal, even a person, sought and loved by the heart. He developed a dialogue with Fr Seraphim, who taught him that Truth was personal (rather than an abstract concept). John was to meet Christ through this. Eventually, Fr Seraphim became his spiritual father. Less than two years later, he was at Fr Seraphim's bedside at his repose.