Quakerism and Hinduism

I am a slightly odd bird when it comes to cosmology. I see myself as a pantheist. My understanding is that the entire universe is one being and that we, as part of that being, are one with one another and with the universe. I see the universe as God and we as part of God. This is very similar to the Hindu view of cosmology, but it also intersects with the Quaker view. For Hindus, we are all in God and for Quakers, God is in all of us. I see the two as essentially the same, for if God is in all of us, then we are all in God.





Of course, there are a great many differences between Hinduism and Quakerism. Hinduism, at least in practice, generally employs symbolism and images as the focus point of meditation, while Quakerism rejects symbolism and images as the focus of "anticipated waiting", the Quaker way of describing group meditation. Hindus meditate individually and Quakers meditate in groups. Hindus experience their enlightenment individually and Quakers share their enlightenment with one another as it happens.

In the end, however, both interact with the universal "God" directly and both rely on this direct experience, rather than on blind faith. In a sense, that is what makes Quakers different from canonical Christians. Quakers don't take God on faith. Quakers take God on direct experience of God. The Bible is completely unneeded in Quakerism (though some cling to it nevertheless).