Refuge of the Worlds

Speaker 1

Our next speaker, Jackson Washburn, is a 19-year-old freshman pursuing a major in religious studies from Arizona State University. Raised in an interfaith household, his passions include Mormon and religious studies and interfaith activism. He is the current youth advisor for the Arizona interfaith movement, has spoken at venues such as the Parliament of the World’s Religions. And the United Nations, and is looking to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints this summer. Please welcome Jackson.

Jaxon Washburn

So before I start, I just want to give a warm thank you to the Mormon Transhumanist Association. The reason I’m here, I believe, is because of French toast, as weird as that may sound. About a year ago, I was taken out to brunch by Blair Osler. uh Carl Youngblood, um Nathan Hadfield and Lincoln Cannon. And uh they uh we engaged in some good conversation and uh they Extended a a healthy invite to consider joining the Mormon Transhumanist Association. And funnily enough, I I remember leaving the brunch and after returning home to Arizona talking to my dad about it. You know, he asked me how it was, and I’m like, oh, you know, they’re really nice, but they’re a bit too eccentric for me. I don’t know if I’ll ever do anything with the MTA. But a year later, it looks like I’ve changed my mind. So I’ve come around.

Jaxon Washburn

So today I’m going to be talking. Talking about transfiguration and divine embodiment in the Hindu and Latter-day Saint tradition. And I’ll begin with kind of Engaging with a summary of what I’m to be speaking of, the conceptualization of divine embodiment in Western religious thought. Is often deeply tied to works of literature and sacred myths found within the Judeo-Christian tradition. Lesser known and equally striking instances of such can also be found within the wider corpus of Vedic scripture, an example of such being depicted in the eleventh chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, wherein Krishna reveals his universal form to the mortal prince Arjuna. Though certainly a minority perspective when compared to its matured theological predecessors, Mormonism likewise carries within its theological tradition a rich and dynamic emphasis on the materiality of the Divine and their respective corporeal interchanges with mortals. Such is textually exemplified By various accounts in the Pearl of Great Price and the Book of Mormon, as well as in several pivotal events in the Mormon Restoration. This presentation will analyze the themes of Transfiguration. Theophany, incarnation, as held within the traditions of Hinduism and Mormonism, giving credence to their similarities as well as their points of difference. On a metaphysical, textual, and theological basis, with special emphasis being given to the conducive nature of divine embodiment with Mormon transhumanism, demonstrating that while much of its terminology might be unfamiliar, Latter-day Saints can stand to benefit greatly by studying the parallel narrative elements and spiritual themes held between the Bhagavad Gita and their own sacred texts.

Jaxon Washburn

And it looks like I have about 12 minutes to do that or so. So don’t expect too much, right? I can, you know, we won’t go too deep. But here we have a picture. of uh uh the theophany that Moses experiences uh as recorded in the Book of Moses and the one uh that Arjuna experiences uh uh at um the feet of Krishna uh within the Bhagavad Gita. So to start, we need to kind of understand what transfiguration is, especially within a Mormon context, considering this is the MTA, right?

Jaxon Washburn

So the prophet Joseph Smith explained that Quote, God dwells in eternal fire. Flesh and blood cannot go there, for all corruption is devoured by the fire. And then he goes to say that our God is a consuming fire, which has many parallel biblical themes as well. Within the New Testament, with the transfiguration of Christ, we have the description that his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment. Was white as the light. That’s in Matthew 17, too. Spiritual change, allowing them to not only behold the glory of God, but to enter His presence. It is characterized by illumination of countenance, such as Moses experienced, as we’ll elaborate, and comes about by an infusion of God’s power. So, you know, there’s a physical and a spiritual. Element to the process of transfiguration. Doctor in Covenants 67:11 through 12 says, For no man has seen God at any time in the flesh, except quickened by the Spirit of God. Neither can any natural man abide the presence of God, neither after the carnal mind. And so, transfiguration, as we’ll see, has some very interesting implications for those involved with its process.

Jaxon Washburn

So to set a context, we must first comprehend Kind of the setting of the subjects at hand. So we’ll begin with two mortals separated by time, space, and mythic textual traditions. And they’ll be the subject of our analysis moving forward. And they are Moses as described in the Book of Moses, and Arjuna within the Bag of Agida. The Bhagavad Gita being a sacred text stemming from the Hindu tradition, aptly described as containing a summary of all the essentials of Vedic teachings. The Gita begins in the midst of the great Kurukshetra War, wherein two warring families, the Kauravas and the Pandavas, Don’t mind my pronunciation, I probably butchered that. They make battle over control of the throne, said to have set in what is now known as the Haryana region. of contemporary India.

Jaxon Washburn

Fighting for the Pandavas, the warrior Prince Arjuna finds himself at the helm of his army, the time for the two sides to meet in combat rapidly approaching. As should be expected, the brutality of the conflict and the number of lives that have been lost therein. uh causes Arjuna to take a massive psychological blow, especially as he considers the identity of those standing opposed to him on the other side. Grandfathers, uncles, brothers, grandsons, even Arjuna’s childhood mentor, Drona, stands on the army opposite him. And with the embodied God Krishna as his advisor, he says, O Krishna, seeing our own people standing near, eager to fight, my limbs weaken and my mouth dries up. My body trembles, my hair stands up, my bow slips from my hand, and truly my skin burns. I have no power to stand. My mind reels, O Krishna, and I see ill omens. I foresee no good. in killing our own people in battle, and seek neither victory nor kingdom nor pleasures. So shaken, disheartened, and disenfranchised from the conflict he is overseeing, Arjuna experiences the damaging effects of the war first hand, albeit on a mental and emotional level. This spiritual nadir then sets him up to be instructed in eternal wisdom by Krishna, who seeks to confide in him what are considered by many to be the principal teachings of all Vedic literature. touching on the nature of divinity, true worship, individual dharma or duty, and many other spiritual facets of the Hindu system.

Jaxon Washburn

So serving as a climax for this sacred text is the cosmic vision That Krishna bestows upon Arjuna after being prompted to show him his true form. And this will find comparison in the Book of Moses, wherein the prophet Moses experiences several cosmic visions and theophanies. And to give a similar context for the Book of Moses, contrary to what many might within the Latter-day Saint tradition might think. The Book of Moses would be best described as a kind of scriptural pseudepigrapha. So, from a literary perspective, the Revelation features a biblical-like inclusio. Bracketing the text through the repetition of keywords in its introduction and conclusion. I’m quoting David Boccovoy here and his author of the Old Testament. Beginning with the superscription in Moses 1:1, the Revelation then concludes 41 verses later with an editorial colophon that repeats key thematic elements from the beginning of the text. Moses is set and the scene is set in with Moses being on top of a mountain, which has parallel themes in Ezekiel, Revelation, 1 Nephi, and other Passages of scripture within the Mormon canon. And, you know, to kind of bolster my belief that it’s best described as pseudopigrapha, We have an omniscient narrator in the text speaking about Moses in the first person. The text itself does not view Moses as the author. And so, thus, I think, as well as Richard Bushman, that it should be described as pseudopigraphy.

Jaxon Washburn

So, moving forward, now that we kind of had the two scenes set. Moses also, in his experience in the Book of Moses, which is a rather short book of scripture. Um he experiences several visions like I mentioned, uh some of them wi with God, uh some of them with uh the devil. Um and um so you know he has some interesting experiences that also teach him about the nature of God, the existence, humanity. And so on and so forth. So, moving forward, my focus at ASU deals with text practice and representation. So, I do a lot of textual work. And so, we’re going to try and put these two texts in dialogue because that’s where I think the benefit is. So, you know, from the narrative structure and thematic elements, as you’ve likely read. That’s what happens to Krishna moving forward with the transfiguration of Moses. Moses experiences some similar things as well. Uh so he’s shown the whole of creation. Uh Moses after being transfigured returns to his natural state. Uh that causes him to more fully realize the gulf between divinity and humanity. He’s shown a secondary cosmic vision and so there’s different parallel themes that we’ll explore.

Jaxon Washburn

So Krishna or Arjuna specifically starts off with what is. Oh, let me go back. What is a desire to see God’s true form? He says, O Lord, you are as you have said, yet I wish to see your divine cosmic form, O Supreme Being. O Lord, if you think it’s possible for me to see your universal form, then O Lord of the yogis, show me your transcendental form. And Lord Krishna says in response, O Arjuna, behold my hundreds and thousands of multifarious. Divine forms of different colors and shapes. Behold all the celestial beings and wonders never seen before. Also behold the entire creation, animate and inanimate, and whatever else you’d like to see all at one place in my body. But you are not able to see me with your physical eye, therefore I give you the divine eye to see my majestic power and glory.

Jaxon Washburn

We turn to the Book of Moses. And he saw God face to face, and he talked with him, and the glory of God was upon Moses, therefore Moses could endure his presence. Just like Arjuna, is given some type of spiritual assistance in order to withstand being in the presence of God. And it’s then that they see. God, in a more heightened or super sense.

Jaxon Washburn

Arjuna saw the universal form of the Lord with many mouths and eyes, many visions of marvel, and numerous divine ornaments. He describes them: if the splendor of a thousand suns were to blaze forth all at once in the sky, even that would not resemble the splendor of that exalted being. So, where else do we find parallels of that within Mormonism? I think I’m going to be using that one in the first discussion on my mission.

Jaxon Washburn

In the, let’s see, Arjuna saw the entire universe divided in many ways, but standing is all in one and one and all in the transcendental body of Krishna, the Lord of celestial rulers. We have Moses with, well, God speaking to Moses, Behold, I am the Lord God Almighty, and endless is my name, for I am without beginning of days or end of years. And is this not endless? And behold, I will show thee the workmanship of my hands, and not all, for my works are without end, and also my words, for they never cease.

Jaxon Washburn

Then we have Arjuna after being given this experience. He becomes afraid. It becomes too much for him to handle. Perhaps the supernatural assistance that he’s been given. Begins to wear off because he cries out to Krishna for mercy to descend back into his lesser form. And we also see something similar with Moses.

Jaxon Washburn

I’m running short on time, but And it came to pass, Moses looked and beheld the world upon which he was created, and of the same he greatly marveled and wondered. And then we are told that the presence of God withdraws from Moses. His glory was not upon Moses. Moses was left unto himself. And as he was left unto himself, he fell to the earth. And it came to pass that it was for the space of many hours before Moses did again receive his natural strength, like unto man. And he said unto himself, Now for this cause I know that man is nothing, which thing I had never supposed.

Jaxon Washburn

Later in the Bhagavad Gita we have uh Lord Krishna saying, Arjuna, I am pleased with you. I have shown you through my own yogic powers this particular supreme shining, universal, infinite and primal form of mine that has never before been seen by anyone other than you.

Jaxon Washburn

Switching to a different book of Mormon scripture, the book of ether contained within the book of Mormon, we have a similar theophany taking place with the brother of Jared with God. Wherein Christ says, Behold, this body which ye now behold is the body of my spirit, and man have I created after the body of spirit. He says, And never have I shown myself unto man whom I have created, for never has man believed in me as thou hast. So the brother of Jared is given a vision, and similar wording is used where the deity in question says, You are special, you are unique. I’ve never given anyone a vision quite like this.

Jaxon Washburn

We can continue forward. And we have Krishna saying, The one who does all works for me and to whom I am the supreme goal. Who is my d devotee, who has no attachment and is free from enmity towards in being, attains me, O Arjuna. And where else, better than you know, perhaps the Gospel of Matthew, do we hear Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. The Bhagavad Gita and the Christian Gospels both have this theme that it is the pure in heart. It is when we are cleansed, we transcend. we are transfigured into a state higher than this, that goes beyond our own carnal insecurities and weaknesses, that we are able to fully withstand the presence of God.

Jaxon Washburn

And that is all so that we can Participate in bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. Now, of course, there’s similarities and differences between Hinduism and Mormonism. I don’t nearly have enough time to elaborate on all of them. I wish I did. It’s very interesting stuff for me. But one thing that’s similar in both.

Jaxon Washburn

Is that we’ve seen in the Book of Moses and in the Bhagavad Gita is that mortal transfiguration precedes increased cosmic knowledge. It is this increased capacity that we are given that allows us to receive that knowledge, come to a higher understanding. Today we’ve already been talking about the limits of human cognitive abilities and how we might expand that. Well, I think that very aptly describes the process of transfiguration, of us transcending to a higher state. That mortals can take on attributes of deity, like having higher capacities for knowledge, like that, like being able to withstand that kind of divine light or glory. But, you know, as a warning, this increased knowledge should lead to humility and increased devotion. We see this both in the Book of Moses and In the Bhagavad Gita, wherein the two individuals who are transfigured and experience these visions at the end They don’t become arrogant or prideful, or you know, feel like now that they have seen these visions that they can hold that against others, that they are holier than thou. Instead, they are that much more devoted. to serving God, to loving others, and that they’ve truly changed their state into one that is closer to God.

Jaxon Washburn

And to further understand these principles, at least for us as Mormons, Latter-day Saints, and saved people in general, we must seek out the best books. Words of wisdom, I’m quoting the Doctrine Covenants here, to guide technological, spiritual, and societal advancement. It’s by taking different traditions. putting them in dialogue with one another, that we’re able to see their similarities and differences, that we’re able to see where some work more than other better than others. And I think this is a very Mormon activity and one that we should all be anxiously engaged in.

Jaxon Washburn

I’m going to end with this quote and well, two quotes, including this one. Philip Barlow says that he’s a Mormon scholar. Says that if certain truths were not originally included in the Bible, they are truths none the less, and readers will be edified by studying them. It is not the text of the Bible as such, or just any scripture, but rather the truths of God that are sacred. We can get these truths by studying different books of wisdom.

Jaxon Washburn

Spencer W. Kimball, and I’ll close with this, says, Is it hard to project ourselves from the elemental world of puny man to the world of omnipotent God, who with great purpose has developed precision instruments operated through his omnipotent knowledge? Is it difficult to believe that the Uriman thummim carried down through the ages by the prophets, even in the hands of our own modern-day prophet, could be that precision instrument which would transmit messages from God Himself to His Supreme Creation, man? and women. Can God have limitations? Can atmosphere, distance, or space hold back his pictures? Would it be so difficult for Moses or Enoch? or Abraham or Joseph to see a colorful, accurate, moving picture of all things past and present and even future? Could one doubt that the holy man, Moses, could stand on the mountaintop and see?

Jaxon Washburn

And so I hope that all of us moving forward Desire to stand on top of this holy mountain, to have these visions for ourselves, because I believe that the religion of Mormonism affords us this capacity and invites us to partake in such. And so I want to close with that. Thank you.