| topic | Monothesim | Monism |
| Highest Reality | Personal God | Impersonal Absolute |
| authority | Teachings founded by a prophet who is the messenger of God for this age (Moses, Mohammad, etc), or by the supreme incarnation of God (Christ, Krishna, etc) | Teachings founded by an
Enlightened being (e.g. Buddha, Shankara, etc) who has realised the by the supreme Absolute |
| scriptures | Sacred scriptures and religious doctrine have
absolute validity - revealed once and for all time by God as a manual or guide-book for the universe. |
Sacred scriptures and doctrine are a useful
teaching device to help one attain Self-Realisation - nothing more. |
| Teacher | usually, Prophet or Saviour a historical figure totally beyond the level of normal people. | Ideally, Enlightened being an example who points the
way so others can follow and attain his state. |
| practice | Prayer - supplicating or calling upon an external higher power | Meditation - contemplat
ing and attuning to the Light and Divinity within |
| reality/ world-view | Dualistic view of reality (God and the Supernatural order separate from the visible cosmos and the self) | Monistic view of reality
(Absolute Reality not separate from the cosmos or the Self) |
| Time | Time and history conceived of as linear (the unfolding
of the Divine Plan) |
Time and history conceived as cyclic; ahistoric. |
| Nature of the Cosmos | The Cosmos is totally real. | The Cosmos is ultimately illusory (Acosmism). |
It is important to emphasise howver that this comparison is of two extremes - many forms of esoteric theism - Sufism, Kabbalah, etc - combine both the monistic and the theistic postions.
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page uploaded 8 April 1999