Defining the True Light in Different Cultures

What do you think of when you hear or see the word light? For me, that gets interpreted to various meanings ranging from the brightness of an object which enters our eyes to help us see, to all things great when our lives end. The meaning is probably different for you, and is definitely different for someone like Einstein; Conclusively, it is different for everybody. I can once recall when I was at a church talk several years ago and they related one of Einstein’s stories to religion: he once asked his professor if darkness exists. The Professor responded ‘of course it does.’ Einstein proved him wrong that it does not; He simply explained that light is something that can be measured while darkness cannot be, and so as to gauge how dark a space is, one must measure the amount of light in that space. Even the tiniest fraction of light can break a world of darkness. In essence, darkness is the absence of light, and to Einstein it was a very important fact supporting his philosophy of spiritual beliefs for what the light might have meant to him. The light is a plethora of things associated with good connotations, and it definitely speaks up for the nature of reality, especially when it comes to religious assertions dependent on the region.

Traveling across seas, we may encounter Central and East Asia where they host a methodology of discipline called the Pure Land teachings. In Pure Land teaching, the property of light can be “addressed in two ways: in terms of the Buddha body and as the basic substance of a purified Buddha realm”(Yiengpruksawan 229). What does this mean? Well, for one, Buddha radiates light and is symbolism for radiance and light(Yiengpruksawan 230). In comparison to western religions like Christianity, saints are like the equivalent to Buddha in Pure Land teachings. In script, it is believed that the light of Buddha is “the halls for penitence and protection”(Yiengpruksawan 254). Buddha is worshipped as an idol due to his teachings, mantras, and wisdom, and in this context we refer to special kinds of Buddha named Amita, Amitayus, and Amitabha(Yiengpruksawan 230).

Buddhists worship these figures upon the belief that we may never grasp a world of Eden again per se, so we must follow a set of values which may carry us to another realm, post re-birth, known as the “Pure Land” according to Mimi Yiengpruksawan. Similarly, one may say it is the heaven equivalent for buddhist followers. In a sense, the reality of the Pure Land followers centralize their beliefs around what it means to be a perfect version of oneself and that their light is an inner symbolic suggestion as well as the blessing of Buddha’s light, which is granted in the Pure Land plane of purity and luxury. Personally, I beg to differ against this belief system for few reasons. One being that since I myself am a Roman Catholic, it is against the commandment to worship false idols; Not saying that Buddha should not be worshipped, but since he was an idol of perfection in buddhist’s eyes, shouldn’t followers worship the light, the direct source of achievable means instead? The reality of light should be governed around every individual differently rather than following an idol’s teachings because not everybody functions the same way.

In accordance to Hossein Ziai, “knowing… is… measured by the ‘experience’ of light. Simply stated, a thing is known when ‘seen’”(Ziai 27). To establish the relationship between the statements in the former and the latter, simply put, to get to perfection, to get to the light, one must see it. It might be nearly impossible because people are often critical upon their own imperfections and have a hard time accepting them. Hell is facing individual failings endlessly and we make ourselves our own devil in which we create hell from this world. Even if the smallest fraction of light can break that like Einstein said, the amount of darkness is very prominent against our favor and the amount of distractions are too great.

Several examples may be drawn in reference to the light and/or religious encounters in the Byzantine world as well. In Byzantine tradition, the term light has various symbolisms primarily representing God and Christ. In another context, it may be seen as “the illumination of God’s revelation”(Louth 86). There have been claims that God can be encountered upon meditation of a genuine realization of awareness of one’s own light. This experience is described as a state of “apatheia,” according to text, where one “achieves a state of transcendence over disturbing thoughts and feelings”(Louth 86). It may seem surreal to think about such things, but it definitely is fascinating. In comparison to today’s reality, probably about majority of the population is so distracted by so many different things prominently controlled by technology, that it would be nearly impossible for a lot of us to experience true “apatheia” without having it mixed up with hallucination. It seems like a neat state of trance for a disturbed and troubled mind looking for some light.

Furthermore, accounts of experiencing light was an otherworldly experience according to a theologian named Symeon. He proclaimed a vision such that when asking for mercy from God, a divine illumination shone on him allowing him to enter a non corporeal experience of ascending into heaven becoming light, and it expressed pure, blissful “lightness and joy”(Louth 96-97). This is a very bizarre account. I cannot simply fathom how that experience would feel like because it is an experience that truly transcends most of humanity’s capabilities. It is nice to know that this is the reality that Byzantine worship revolves around as I see the modern world in a decaying dump full of toxic disturbance of the mind, preventing or prolonging people like the common man/woman from achieving that level. That is our reality in this context. The light in correspondence to the nature of reality in the Byzantine context is that we may achieve “apatheia” in which possibilities of having a union with God arise. That’s the ultimate experience with the essence of light.

Collectively when it comes to light, many traditions around the world centralize what they believe could be the true light. A few were mentioned among the many others. In Pure Land Buddhism teachings, Amita, Amitayus, and Amitabha buddha are the idols that people worshipped in hopes of a shangri-la, a perfect, pure, and luxurious rebirth. This was their reality and what the light meant to them. In Byzantine teachings, the union of oneself with God was a concept that was presented as the light. As explained, it was also the ultimate trance one put themself in known as “apatheia.” The definition of the word light in the dictionary means “something that makes things visible or affords illumination.” The term light has so many more applications than one thought, especially in a religious context, and this is only the tip of the iceberg. It is uncertain what the light really is since there were so many different encounters that may relate to each other, but still all different experiences documented; Although, the common suggested implication is favored to be a human transcendental experience. And the way light affects the nature of reality, is that it gives people a code to live by; Prominently the pattern perceived is manifesting what it means to be a good person throughout our lifetimes. That’s what reality of experiencing light really is: light being a guiding agent for betterment of oneself as we correct our imperfections one day at a time.