Have you ever wondered why Jesus and Buddha each had 12 disciples? It has been said that the number 12 was chosen by writers because it is symbolic of the zodiac, and each disciple can be thought of as having been born under a different astrological sign. Thus  having 12 disciples is symbolic of being all-inclusive. Everyone from any walk of life can be a disciple. I think this is a rather facile interpretation, however it does satisfy the needs of exoteric religion.

If you look into the stories of all of the great spiritual teachers in history, from Lao Tzu to Socrates, to Jesus, you will find that the number of disciples gathered around them is small. In the so-called mystery religions of classical Greek civilization, the priest would have potential initiates undergo many difficult tasks to determine whether they had the perseverance and will power to become a disciple. They were selected on the basis of their knowledge, spiritual aptitude, and ability to persevere under extreme conditions. The number of disciples is always small because at any particular time and place in history there is only a very small number of people who possess the combination of spiritual development and intellectual development which are the prerequisites to being initiated into the deeper levels of mystical knowledge.

To the disciples, the master teacher would impart secret knowledge. They were given the esoteric interpretations of the mythos of their religion. Those outside the inner circle, not having the esoteric knowledge, were usually content to practice the exoteric trappings of their religion. The master teacher would speak to the masses in more general terms. I believe this was the case in all times and places in history, and is so even now, though in today’s world I am hard pressed to find anyone whom I would deem to be a master teacher of esoteric mystical knowledge. I’ll bet there are some out there somewhere, but I am unaware of them.

You might ask me, what was this secret esoteric knowledge that was given to disciples? How should I know? I am just an armchair philosopher, and I admit to being ignorant. That being said, I would like to point out that there are certain ideas that were universal amongst all of the great spiritual teachings (See my blog on mysticism).

One extremely important point is that the masters only took in disciples who were of the highest moral fiber. The one salient feature that I see over and over again in the writings of great men and women who have attained the highest levels of spirituality is that living a simple, moral, and ethical life is of utmost importance. It doesn’t matter how much esoteric knowledge you have, what kind of epiphany you may have experienced, or whether you have special abilities, such as ESP or can communicate with departed souls, or whatever; without basic morality, it is all for naught.

Now let us get back to the subject of the mythos of religion. There is one particular myth that I would like to address here.  It is the myth of the virgin giving birth to a hero, demigod or god, who must die a sacrificial death, and undergo an exultant resurrection.  Most Christians today are unaware that this myth predates Christianity by several millennia. I will forego a discussion of the symbolism of the virgin birth and nativity stories of these gods and focus on the meaning of the death and resurrection.

The suffering, the painful death and subsequent resurrection are meant to be an allegory of the life of the individual who is seeking enlightenment. As the Buddha pointed out, there is suffering in everyone’s life. In the passion story of Christ, the suffering represents the transformative anguish that precedes spiritual enlightenment, and in fact, is necessary in order to put the individual in the frame of mind in which such enlightenment can take place.  Jesus carrying his cross symbolizes the particular difficulties and painful problems that each individual has in their life. We each have our own cross to bear, and must overcome the problems that beset us in this life so that we will gain in spiritual growth. We must bear our own cross because no one can work out our karma for us. That is why the writer of the Gospel of John has Christ carry his own cross, unlike the other three canonic gospels in which a man named Simon carries Christ’s cross for him.

The death and resurrection symbolizes the death to the egotistical and Earthly desires that must occur in an individual as a prerequisite of spiritual enlightenment. It is the death of the old you and the birth of the new you.

For me the passion of Christ is a powerful story, a gripping drama. But to interpret it as an event that literally happened is as ridiculous as interpreting Shakespeare’s plays as historical narratives. It is metaphor. It is a deeply significant myth for those who understand its symbolism.

In closing, I would like to suggest very strongly for all people to be more open-minded and broad-minded about the religions of other people. I implore anyone who reads this to refrain from interpreting the myths of your religion as historical fact. The writers of those myths never meant for them to interpreted as such. Try focusing on the deeper meanings.