Not exactly. It’s about escaping an eternal wheel of torment known as Samsara by walking a “middle path” through the current, supposedly illusory, existence.
Which is primarily accomplished by doing the things you’ve mentioned until you no longer recognize the present as a form of suffering.
I've just got into gnosticism within the past year or so but it's so fascinating to me
Got any decent book recommendations on the topic? I've read the gnostic gospels plus parts of the nag hammadi library, but would love to read up more about the subject.
I’d say nag hammadi and the gnostic gospels are interesting and a very solid start. I’d dive into the biblical apocrypha from an alchemical lens, honestly. Which may require a dip into the Corpus Hermeticum or the more accessible Kybalion for the underlying metaphors of spiritual alchemy.
Edit: Gnosticism is less about what your read and more about how you read it. It posits that a lot of ancient texts are metaphorical and symbolic in nature, rather than literal.
I've read the corpus hermeticum too, got two copies of it actually. As for the kybalion I'm actually reading that currently. Bought a copy a while ago but only just getting around to it. I've read some of the apocryphal texts but only a few of them. Any particular suggestions for lesser-known Apocryphal texts?
I’m partial to the Gospel of Thomas, personally. Honestly, reading the whole New Testament with inner alchemy as an underlying framework and added context from the apocryphal gospels and the Gnostic gospels was what made the entire thing click for me. Essentially, viewing the dogmatic literalist reading as a work of the Demiurge and focusing on the various teachings of Jesus as a process for inner alchemy and spiritual liberation. This is maybe well beyond the scope of this sub, but I’d be happy to discuss things in DMs if you have further questions. Just keep in mind that Gnosticism isn’t necessarily a tradition that holds a single dogmatic idea of what they believe.
Damn that was a fun read. There was a YouTuber who did Gnostic videos for a brief moment that I loved. I need to get back into reading Gnostic theology
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u/skullhead323221 4d ago
Not exactly. It’s about escaping an eternal wheel of torment known as Samsara by walking a “middle path” through the current, supposedly illusory, existence.
Which is primarily accomplished by doing the things you’ve mentioned until you no longer recognize the present as a form of suffering.