'Rigvedic verse 10.97.11 mentions this idea of Ātman, an inner light inside every person, likened to the sun.' Photo: A diya lamp, by Charu Chaturvedi on Unsplash.
‘The moment that got me into Quaker theology wasn’t some feeling of being one with God.’
Light reading: Om Patil on Quaker links to Hinduism
‘Oats and pacifism.’ For about fourteen years of my life, that’s all ‘Quaker’ meant. Not a great starting place for a kid about to matriculate at a Quaker high school. My definition of Quakerism changed soon enough, to ‘oats, pacifism, and sitting in silence’. Just kidding.
Honestly though, the moment that got me into Quaker theology wasn’t some feeling of being one with God, or finally understanding why I existed. Rather, it was a simple connection I made while I was sitting at my laptop: ‘Hey, this idea of “the inner light” sounds awfully like Ātman – Hinduism’s first principle’.
This realisation sent me down a rabbit hole of essays, articles and poorly-translated texts. But I’ll start way back with the Rigveda and the Avesta, two holy books that were most likely influenced by Proto-Indo-European religion. The two books are actually representative of a great schism between followers of that original religion: Devá, the Sanskrit word for God, means Devil in Avestan. The Vedic religion evolved into early Hinduism, and the Avestan religion evolved into Zoroastrianism. I’m sure there’s a treasure trove of information that discusses the ideas that Quakerism draws from Zoroastrianic thought, but I’d like to focus on how the Rigveda diverges from Zoroastrianism, and how some of those ideas lead into Quaker thought.
Rigvedic verse 10.97.11 mentions this idea of Ātman, an inner light inside every person, likened to the sun. Inner Light. How then, did these ideas make their way to the Levant? It’s speculated that Plato traveled to Persia and Iran. While there, it’s very possible he was influenced by Vedic ideas. Plato’s theory of forms clearly shares ideas with the Vedic concept of Maya, for example. But the clearest line between Ātman and the Greeks lies in Plato’s ‘pneuma’ theory. That’s pneuma translated as ‘ruach’ in the Hebrew Bible – Spirit. This intelligent spirit was imagined as a substance akin to a current of air, or breath, but also possessed the quality of warmth. It was immanent in the universe as God, and in humans as the soul. At the time of Jesus’ ministry, such philosophy was incredibly popular; thus, when the Bible discusses the Holy Spirit, we must keep in mind that the Greek version considered the Spirit to also be life-giving. Therefore, John 1:9, the passage which discusses the inner light, can be read as the light being the life-giving force.
Of course, that’s not to say that Quakerism is a just a subsect of Christianity. But Quakerism is clearly a tradition that is rooted in Judeo-Christian ideas – and those ideas were influenced by the Vedas.
All this serves as a testament to the ideas themselves. Whether we are Hindu, Zoroastrians, Christians, or Buddhists, the idea of an Inner light is something that holds true everywhere.
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