THE COINHERENCE SYMBOL

General

The Coinherence Symbol combines at least eleven separate symbols (some observers may discern more) related to at least thirteen major religious traditions in such a way as to represent simultaneously the full and autonomous presence of each tradition and their intimate interrelation, each inside the other, in the mode of coinherence ( [perichoresis], translated by the Western Church as circumincessio).

Details

At first, the impression may be one of confusion, lack of order, and insoluble complexity. This is the way many of us feel when we look at the planetary scene of religions, philosophies, and ideologies as a whole. On closer inspection, individual symbols appear, and each can be seen as if it alone were the most important and central symbol. A different number of symbols may be discerned by different observers, and each symbol may be understood in different ways, so that the actual number of symbols present is indefinite. The following eleven symbols were consciously chosen when the Coinherence Symbol was designed.

1: Point

The center of the circle, which has no dimension and is not explicitly marked, may be considered as the infinitesimally small origin from which everything arises and which contains everything. Hinduism might call it the atman, but the idea is found in many traditions.

2: Circle

The circle, which here contains all the other symbols, is one of the most polyvalent of the symbols. In many systems a circle stands for completion (the Chinese character yuan, literally "round", also means "complete, perfect"). In Shinto and other traditions it can represent the sun as the source of life, or a mirror in which everything is contained and revealed. Because it is, mathematically, an endless line, it can symbolize eternity, and thus, in the theistic traditions, the Godhead. Since we now know that the earth is round, the circle can symbolize our planet, the matrix in which all religious, philosophical, and ideological systems co-exist.

3: Equal-Armed Cross

The equal-armed or so-called Greek Cross is used in Christianity but is, more anciently, a symbol of the four cardinal points. As such, it is found in some Native American traditions (e.g., the Zuñi). It is pointed out in Sufism that this form is produced by a human being standing erect with arms outspread. This can be taken to show that the human is a microcosm in both the theistic sense ("I am a little world" says John Donne) and the alchemical, occult, or Gnostic sense ("As above, so below"). In the Renaissance reversal of this image (as in the famous drawing by Michelangelo) the symbol represents the human as the measure of all things and can therefore be taken to represent Secular Humanism.

4: Dharmachakra

The wheel (chakra) with eight spokes is a common symbol in Buddhism, with each spoke representing one of the eight limbs (anga) of the Noble Eightfold Path. The symbol is also found in the catacombs where the early Christians drew it as an equal-armed Cross on which is Christ (shown by the first letter of his name in Greek (Christos), which resembles an X in the Roman alphabet), the whole surrounded by the circle of Eternity.

5: Labarum

The first two letters of Christ (Christos), in Greek uncial script (XP) one on top of the other in a combined logo were, according to tradition, seen in a vision by the Emperor Constantine. It is a more distinctive symbol for Christianity than the Cross.

6 (a): Shri Yantra

Two intersecting equilateral triangles are often used in Hinduism to represent the Absolute as the union of opposites (communio oppositorum, coniunctio oppositorum) symbolized as the union of male energy (represented by the upturned triangle commonly identified as the lingam or phallus of Shiva) and female energy (represented by the down turned triangle commonly identified as the yoni or vagina of Parvati) which meet in the central point, which may be seen as Ardhanareshvara (Androgynous Shiva).

6 (b): Mogen David

Gershom Scholem has demonstrated that the Shri Yantra entered the Jewish tradition from the Indian Subcontinent via Babylonia, after which its origin was forgotten and, as the Star of David, it became a distinctively Jewish symbol. In this form, the central point has no symbolic value and is ignored.

7: Taiji Tu

A circle bisected with a swung "s" shaped line is used in the Chinese tradition to represent the complementary yin (yielding, receptive) and yang (initiating, creative) forces which together produce the universe. Seen as a unity they are called taiji or "Supreme Ultimate". Although the symbol is described in Taoist texts it is not specific to Taoism but underlies all of traditional Chinese cosmology.

8 (a): Atom

Two intersecting ovals with a central point are often used to represent the structure of the atom. The symbol may then be taken to refer to Science which, although not usually regarded as a religion, and indeed sometimes spoken of as the adversary of religion, functions as an explanatory system or ideology, perhaps at the moment the most universal ideology on the planet, and interacts with religion in important ways.

8 (b): Jiva

Statues of the Jain Tirthamkaras feature a star shaped mark at the center of the chest to represent the jiva or life force. The intersecting ovals, although not exactly the same shape as the jiva mark, are reminiscent of it, and may be taken to stand for Jainism.

9: Chalice

A bowl or chalice is an important symbolic object in Wicca, a system, now being revived, which may stand for all Northern European pre-Axial traditions. It is significant in many other pre-Axial traditions and may be evocative of the traditions of native peoples in general. A chalice is also used in the ceremonies of Unitarian Universalism.

10: Crescent

The crescent moon is used to symbolize the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and is a generally recognized symbol of Islam. It is also important in many other traditions, in many different ways.

11: Khanda, Padma, or Flame

The Sikh flag (Nishan Sahib) displays a logo called Khanda which is schematically represented in the Coinherence Symbol by an upright oval flanked by two obliquely placed crescents. This form is similar to a lotus (padma) viewed from the side. The lotus is commonly used in the Indian Subcontinent to represent purity, and an open lotus, viewed from above, has been adopted by the Baha’i as their distinctive symbol. The form may also be seen as a flame. Since a carefully tended sacred fire is a prominent feature of Parsi temples, the flame may be taken to represent the Zoroastrian tradition.

Using the Coinherence Symbol

The Coinherence Symbol may be used as a yantra or focus of meditation in order to increase our awareness of the present, and possible future, of the religions, philosophies, and ideologies on this planet. Ninian Smart, in his Gifford Lectures, has argued that the distinction between religions, philosophies, and ideologies is merely formal, and he has suggested worldview as a comprehensive term. Since this word is already in the English language, it carries a certain baggage, and means different things to different speakers. I therefore suggest the neologism logosphere as a more suitable inclusive term. In this word, the element logo- is used in the sense of Viktor Frankl’s Logotherapy as set out in his book Man’s Search for Meaning, and the element sphere follows Teilhard de Chardin’s use in his terms lithosphere, biosphere, and noosphere. A logosphere, then, is a realm of meaning, sometimes explicit but usually implicit, in which a human feels at home in the way that another animal might feel at home in a certain biosphere. A logosphere might also be called a noospheric system. The use of any of these terms circumvents the problem of defining religion and deciding whether a particular logosphere is a religion, a philosophy, an ideology, or something else.

To use the Coinherence Symbol as a yantra, place yourself in front of the symbol so that it is at eye level a convenient distance in front of you, and enter a state of relaxed alertness according to whatever meditative technique you have found to be effective. Then, select one component symbol as your main focus. If you identify with one particular logosphere, you may wish to focus on its symbol. If you feel that you have no religion, it is likely that you exist in a logosphere, and it is probably some form of Scientific or Secular Humanism, the component symbols for which are the equal-armed cross or the atom.

Let your chosen component symbol fill your vision as the main component of the entire complex. After a while, allow your gaze to focus on one other component symbol, whether or not you regard its logosphere as valid, and see that symbol as central. Then, look for connections between the two symbols. Continue this process until you have seen as many symbols as possible in modes of centrality, interconnection, and coinherence. Allow yourself to see connections between the component symbols which you did not expect and which might not, at the moment, represent connections between the logospheres represented by the symbols.

Finally, you may wish to take the Coinherence Symbol, or some parts of it, into your heart, and contemplate how you yourself relate to the logospheres and how you might discover that you are a meeting point for them.

The results of this exercise can be expected to be an increased tolerance for logospheres with which you do not identify, an appreciation of the richness they bring to the human condition, and a sense of connectedness with all humanity.

Roger Corless
Professor of Religion, Duke University
9 January 2000