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Quintus Decimus Stele
Religions 1) Religions are essentially an affair of the community rather than of
individuals. Society also
has a power over its members in the way organized religion does and can arouse
the sensation of the 'divine' in the minds of its members, i.e. warriors
sacrifice their lives willingly for the safety of Society.
For its members, society can be what a god is to the worshippers of
religion. So when capitalists proclaim "In God We Trust" are they
saying the same thing as communists when they defend their allegiance to "the
ultimate good of society?"
The great events of life, birth, adolescence, marriage and death (and
lesser events such as sex) are the concerns of religions as a means of holding
an organized society together year after year, generation after generation. The tension between instinctive needs
and strong emotional experiences has led to the development of complicated cults
and beliefs and indeed, varied belief systems. Both Art and Religion, and their
compelling force on the individual, spring from the desire of the individual to
retain his/her place in society (or better it) as a means of survival (and for
some, virtual immortality).
The following is a
survey of some important religious traditions and issues confronted by those who
discuss religion seriously.
2) Two hundred years after the death of Gautama a group of his disciples
adopted a new interpretation of his teaching. They preached a doctrine based on his
personal example of selfless devotion in sharing his enlightenment. This doctrine became known as "Mahayana"
or "the Greater Vehicle," and this had wide appeal to the common man. These believers referred to
orthodox southern Theravad Buddhists as Hanayana or "the Lesser Vehicle." Mahayana Buddhism spread in the north
and its popular aspects differed so greatly from those of Hanayana in Ceylon,
Thailand and Burma that it essentially constitutes a different
religion.
The ideal Buddhist of the Mahayana became a saintly figure known as a
"bodhisattva," a holy man who vowed that he would not enter Nirvana until the
whole human race had achieved salvation with him. Gautama became superseded by a glorious
redeemer, a god known as the mythical Amitabha Buddha or the "Buddha of Infinite
Light," to whom prayers of the faithful were addressed. His dominant virtue is compassion and
inhabits a heaven known as the "Great Western Paradise" or "Pure Land" to which
all good Buddhists can hope to go. This promise of a joyous afterlife is a strong motivating factor to
sustain conscientious religious practice.
One ancient Buddhist text describes this paradise as a place "surrounded
by radiant beams and brilliant jewels of untold price. In every direction the
air resounds with harmonious tunes, the sky is full of radiance, large heavenly
birds of paradise are flying to and fro... [Amitabha] Buddha sits on a lotus seat
like a gold mountain in the midst of all glories, surrounded by his
saints." Some Mahayana sects
developed a conception of hell to which the souls of evildoers passed at
death. Subsequently a goddess of compassion known as Kuan Yin (Kwannon in Japan) developed to guide the faithful
to the promised land. She
eventually came to occupy a place equal to the great Amitabha Buddha in the
affections of the Mahayanists.
3) "Now all religious terms seem... to be used as similes or
allegorically. For when we speak of
God and that he sees everything and when we kneel and pray to him all our terms
and actions seem to be parts of a great and elaborate allegory which represents
him as a human being of great power whose grace we try to win, etc. etc." When people say that god created the
world, they are doing the same kind of thing. The feeling of intense guilt, feeling
that god disapproves of our conduct, is a similar expression in which we seem
constantly to be using similes. "But a simile must be the simile for something. And if I can describe a fact by means of
a simile I must also be able to drop the simile and describe the facts without
it. Now in our case [expressions
about God] as soon as we try to drop the simile and simply to state the facts
which stand behind it, we find that there are no such facts. And so, what at first appeared to be a
simile now seems to be mere nonsense... It is a paradox that an experience, a
fact, should seem to have supernatural value." (Ludwig Wittgenstein, "Lecture on Ethics," 1930) (see Vicesimus Alter Stele, Ethical Decisions, verse 16.)
4) In 1776, (Niskyuna, New York) Mother Anne Lee established the first
settlement of American "Shakers" (the Millennial Church or United Society of
Believers in Christ's Second Appearing). The Shakers observed celibacy, held all property in common, and believed
that Mother Lee was Christ reincarnated. Their nickname was derived from their peculiar bodily movements during
religious meetings under the influence of rapture.
The wide variety in Christian religious practice alone, leaves one
with the quandary, in a historical perspective, of which description of god, if
any, to accept.
"To follow foolish
precedents, and wink with both our eyes, is easier than to think." (William
Cowper)
5) "Inspect every piece of pseudoscience and you will find a security
blanket, a thumb to suck, a skirt to hold. What have we [science] to offer in exchange? Uncertainty! Insecurity!" (Isaac Asimov,
The Skeptical Inquirer, tenth-anniversary issue)
Atheists can add creativity, spontaneity, self-fulfillment, integrity of
self, leadership, enlightenment, refinement, cultural advances, companionship,
mature love, social justice, peace of mind, tolerance, enthusiasm for life and
eagerness to begin each day with a diverse palette with which one might, with a
little luck, create another masterpiece. In fact, we can learn from nature, even
from animal conduct, how best to organize our lives, and the superstitions of
2,000 year old religions (or 10 year old cults) are, if not anachronistic, at
least superfluous.
6) Eskimo belief was among the simplest known and it incorporated the two
common denominators of all religions everywhere: spirits and magic. It lacked the other ideas of religion
found in advanced societies: revelation, a redeemer, a priesthood, orthodox
rituals and articles of faith.
Probably, the Eskimo's spiritual beliefs did not differ much from man's
earliest, prehistoric groupings toward religion. Religious ceremonies are rarely
concerned with the group as a whole, but rather with the rites of passage of the
individual and his immediate family: birth, puberty and
death.
The Eskimo technology and inventiveness was considerable, including
thousands of cultural elements. The
kayak, for example, can be measured, described, photographed and diagrammed, but
no matter how perfect this likeness, the reality or essence of the kayak and its
significance for the Eskimo is left unstated. A kayak is not an end in itself; rather,
it was manufactured to achieve an end, and is thought of as incorporating this
sense of life saving mission.
There are parts of a kayak that no one can ever transport to a
museum. These parts include: who
owned it, who was allowed to ride in it; taboos concerning it; rituals connected
with its launching and its use; the blessing or magic it received; and only when
these many other details are known can anyone understand what the kayak truly
meant to an Eskimo. The same
principle applies to all other aspects of Eskimo material culture, these were
intrinsically connected to the spirituality of the family they
supported.
Eskimo magic differed from other religions in that it did not attempt to
regulate behavior in the society as a whole or to propagate a code of conduct
and belief. It did not serve as
proof of divine intervention; there was no such need because there was no doubt
(in the primitive society). Magic
was limited to the individual's relationship, to his food supply, to his
physical environment and to shamanism including witchcraft. There were hundreds of taboos that
constrained his every action. "What
do we believe? We don't believe; we
only fear." The question of belief
did not occur.
The taboos must be scrupulously observed. To violate one was a sin and the
community united in compassion and tolerance around the sinner. He was encouraged to purge his sin, and
he did so by hiring a part-time religious practitioner, a shaman, who encouraged
confession of exact details of each taboo violation. The extended family sat in the
background chanting cries of forgiveness for this pitiful sinner. (Peter Farb, Man's Rise to Civilization, 1968)
7) Mr. Hold-the-world: "...I can count him but a fool, that, having the
liberty to keep what he has, shall be so unwise as to lose it. Let us be wise as serpents. It is best to make hay while the sun
shines. You see how the bee lieth
still all winter, and bestirs her only when she can have profit and
pleasure. God sends sometimes rain
and sometimes sunshine; if they be such fools to go through the first, yet let
us be content to take fair weather along with us. For my part, I like that religion best
that will stand with the security of God's good blessings unto us; for who can
imagine, that is ruled by his reason, since God has bestowed upon us the good
things of this life, but that he would have us keep them for His sake? Abraham and Solomon grew rich in
religion; and Job says that 'a good man should lay up gold as
dust';..."
Mr. Money-love: "...for he that believes neither Scripture nor reason
(and you see we have both on our side), neither knows his own liberty nor seeks
his own safety...
"...I see the bottom of your question, ...suppose a minister, a worthy
man, possessed of but a very small benefice, and has in his eye a greater, more
fat and plump by far, he has also now an opportunity of getting it, yet so as by
being more studious, by preaching more frequently and zealously, and, because
the temper of the people requires it, by altering of some of his principles; for
my part, I see no reason why a man may not do this, provided he has a call, ay,
and more a great deal besides, and yet be an honest man.
"For Why? 1. ...His desire of a greater benefice is
lawful:
"2. ...Besides, his desire after that benefice makes him more studious, a
more zealous preacher, etc., and so makes him a better man; yea, makes him
better improve his parts, which is according to the mind of
God.
"3. Now, as for his complying with the temper of his people, by deserting,
to serve them, some of his principles, this argueth, first, that he is of a
self-denying temper; secondly, of a sweet and winning deportment; and, thirdly,
so more fit for the ministerial function.
"4. I conclude, then, that a minister that changes a small for a great,
should not, for so doing, be judged as covetous; but rather, since he has
improved in his parts and industry thereby, be counted as one that pursues his
call, and the opportunity put into his hands to do good.
"And now to the second part of the question, which concerns the
tradesman... by becoming religious he may mend his market, perhaps get a rich
wife, or more and far better customers to his shop; for my part, I see no reason
but this may be lawfully done.
"For why? 1. To become
religious is a virtue, by what means soever a man becomes so. [The
ends justify the means.]
"2. Nor is it unlawful to get a rich wife, or more custom to my
shop.
"3. Besides, the man that gets these by becoming religious gets that which
is good of them that are good, by becoming good himself: ...therefore, to become
religious to get all these is a good and profitable
design...
Christian: "...To answer the question, therefore, affirmatively, as I
perceive you have done, and to accept of, as authentic, such answer, is
heathenish, hypocritical, and devilish; and your reward will be according to
your works." (John Bunyan,
The Pilgrim's Progress 1678)
8) Just as Confucianism evolved from a school of thought into a cult, so in
time Taoism became overlaid with occultism and magic. Practitioners developed a myth of their
own in which the hereafter sometimes became a kind of wonderland ruled by a
fairy queen and peopled with happy immortals. Two influential passages were used to
support what became the religious practice:
"He who contains within himself the richness of Tao's virtue is like a
babe. No poisonous insects sting
him. Nor fierce beasts seize. Nor birds of prey strike
him..."
"He who attains Tao is everlasting. In time the hope of attaining Tao became the hope of attaining
immortality on Earth. Taoist
teachers began to claim supernatural powers: they could foretell the future,
engender tempests, and prolong life through breathing exercises and diets of
powdered dragon bones, moonbeams and mother of pearl.
During the First Century AD Taoism was threatened by the official
importation from India of Buddhism, which rapidly gained acceptance. In response to this challenge Taoism
transformed itself into a formal religion.
By the end of the Second Century, AD the religion had grown into a
semi-clerical state with organized worship, monasteries, fixed tributes and a
priesthood. Where the Buddhists had
thirty-three different kinds of heaven, the Taoists came up with
eighty-one. They dedicated gods to
stars, metals, occupations, ancient heroes, epidemics, mythical animals and even
to robbery and drunkenness. The
supreme god, the fabled Jade Emperor, was allegedly invented in 1012 AD by the
Emperor Chen Tsung who, for political reasons, needed a revelation from
heaven. Taoism went down-hill from
there into gloomy levels of idolatry and superstition, regarded by contemporary
Chinese as a source of folklore.
9) "Is speech essential for religion?
I can quite well imagine a religion in which there are no doctrines, and
hence nothing is said. Obviously
the essence of religion can have nothing to do with the fact that speech occurs
-- or rather: if speech does occur this itself is a component of religious
behavior and not a theory.
Therefore nothing turns on whether the words are true, false, or
nonsensical.
"Neither are religious utterances figurative, for else they should be
also expressible in prose.
Thrusting against the limits of language: Language is not a
cage.
"I can only say: I don't belittle this human tendency; I take my hat off to it. And here it is essential that this is
not a sociological description but that I speak for
myself.
"For me the facts are unimportant. But what men mean when they say that
'The world is there' lies close to my heart." (Ludwig Wittgenstein, Lecture Notes, December 17, 1930)
10) The
worship of Hotei in Japan as one of the Seven Lucky Gods is of interest because
this is the one God based on a real living person. Hotei is the god of fortune,
guardian of children, patron of fortunetellers, wits, bartenders and the god of
popularity and magnanimity. His
description is of a corpulent man, big, full, fat, bald, smiling with bristly
whiskers and chest hair. The
stoutness indicates inner wealth and largeness of soul, therefore not
necessarily a defect in Japanese society.
(I received a statue and this explanation from a friend, who thought this
god had a passing resemblance to myself, hopefully in character more than in
appearance.)
"Hotei's" name in Chinese was Kaishi and records indicate he died in
March, 916. He was a Zen priest
with a mendicant lifestyle, and in China he was often ridiculed for his casual
attire, exposed chest and careless habits.
He ate fish and meat which were otherwise forbidden to the priest
class. He was a marvelous speaker
and had a huge repertoire of Buddhist texts and verses by memory. As a fortune teller, he was given credit
for always predicting what would happen and refused to tell for anyone who did
not want to know misfortune and absolute truth."
In Japan belief in Hotei began in the Edo era. According to a legend, before Zen came
to Japan, a belief in the world of mercy would be brought to Japan by an
unlikely looking priest who would be a manifestation of Buddhist Kwannon, (see
verse 2 above) Shi-Bosatsu, or Miroku.
Miroku was the saint who would save those people not saved through
Buddha. This belief is more
complicated than suggested here, but suffice it to say that "Hotei" is regarded
as the Miroku of the legend.
11) "A
religious world is one that structures existence around sacred things... this is
something that exists or does not exist outside the participants' own
world... that is enough; that is the fact.
"Sacred objects play a powerful role in organizing human behavior. To the insider, the holiness of Christ,
or Amida Buddha, or the Qur'an is absolute; to the outsider, in contrast, these
symbols have no special value at all and may even be considered
illusory...
"The very nature of a religious world is to experience the universe
through its own focal symbols, to see the whole of time in terms of its own
history, to find the absolute in its own churches and temples, and to equate its
particular moral order with the ultimate order of the entire world." (William E. Paden, Religious Worlds, 1994)
12) Numinous: "Gods appear to us
reciprocally according to our attitudes toward them, and our attitudes toward
them are reciprocal with the way gods appear to us. As the fourteenth-century mystic Meister
Eckhart put it, the eye by which we see God is the same eye by which He sees
us."
These patterns of interaction are of two main types. First: humans on the receiving end of
the relation; Second: humans are the active agent in the
relations.
"When god is received, this is connected with the sense of the
numinous. Rudolf Otto's term
is useful here for naming the feeling of being encountered by a powerful 'other'
-- of being faced by a reality or being that is astonishingly greater than
one's self... producing awe, amazement, ecstasy." The elaboration of numinous experience
is frequently the source of a religion and often a continuing element in
personal faith.
"Human responses to gods follow certain patterns. There are identifiable,
thematic ways that people relate to numinous objects, and these actions form the
stuff of much daily religious life... The long-term relationship... service...
faith and trust is the realm of loyalty, steadfastness, and commitment...
obedience... positively in terms of obligations, and negatively in terms of
interdictions and sanctions... There are also more specific, patterned ways the
behavioral relationship between humans and gods are acted out... 1} petition
(ask), 2} atonement or confession (purify), 3} offering (give), 4} celebration
(honor) , and 5} divination (inquire)." (William E. Paden, Religious Worlds, 1994) "Cultivation" may be a new pattern, see verse 40 below, or a
word for all these combined.
13) The
Buddhism of China is most often Zen Buddhism, which is Buddhism transformed by
Taoism. Taoism, often referred to
as "Lao-Chuang philosophy," is one (along with Confucianism) of the native
religions that has grown up in China.
Taoism is "the philosophy of the Tao." The two most important Taoist
philosophers were Lao Tzu (sixth century BC) and Chuang Tzu (fourth century
BC). Taoism rests on two books: Lao
Tzu's Tao Te Ching and Chuang Tzu's The Book of Chuang Tzu.
"...When a superior man truly has the virtue, to look at his face you'd
think he was simple-minded. Get rid
of all this dignity and pretense, get rid of all this pose and aspiration. None of it does you any good..." Lao Tzu developed and practiced the Tao
and its Energy, but this was a hermetic art he practiced by himself. It was not a "How To" that he publicized
or sold. Today's men that study Lao
Tzu scorn Confucian scholarship, concerned with day-to-day rules of conduct; and
today's Confucian scholars scorn Lao Tzu, a more spiritual level of
concern.
(Fifty-Six)
Knowers don't speak.
(One)
The tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.
14) In
Shinto of Japan, man is physiologically a son of the gods "Kami-no-ko" and is
entitled to that name after being presented to the Kami in the temple (jinja) on
the thirtieth day of his life.
It is understood that man and the divine are the same; there is no
worship, per se, there are ways of showing respect and concentrating the mind on
its spiritual being and divine ancestry.
(If the Jewish are the chosen people, how much more self confidence,
possibly arrogance, would you have knowing you were the same as god?) The Japanese religious attitude is both
respectful and friendly towards all ancestors, both human and devine,
undifferentiated.
The use of the word "Kami" is more broad than the use of "god" in the
English language. One needs to
think as follows: "...the deification of life-force which pervades all beings,
animate and inanimate. Kami is the
invisible power which unites spirit and matter into a dynamic whole, while it
gives birth to all things without exception." Thus it is much less anthropomorphic
than the Western version of god, more often referring to the Sun-Goddess or
sacred entity, and never to god-the-father.
15) Islam, the youngest of man's popular religions, is also in many ways the
simplest and most explicit. It
venerates a single, all-powerful God (not a trinity). Its founder, Mohammed, was neither savior
nor messiah, but one through whom God chose to speak, the last and the greatest
prophet. Its faith is unclouded by
subtle dialectic and concerns itself as much with man's behavior in this world
as with his fate in the hereafter.
Islam was not an accidental development of history, in a few years of
Mohammed's death in 632 AD it had overwhelmed the entire Middle East. In another hundred years its domination
extended from Gibraltar to the Himalayas, not unlike the original Roman Empire
intended.
Islam's continued strength and durability derive in part from the nature
of its appeal -- simple, lucid and affirmative. It is more than a doctrine, more than a
formal religion, it is an all-pervasive way of life guiding thought and
action without parallel in the Western world. To the believer, religion, life, faith
and politics are inseparable.
The God of Islam, Allah, is basically the God of Judaism and
Christianity. But in Moslem [one
who submits] eyes his word was incompletely expressed in the earlier scriptures
and fulfilled only in the Koran.
Islam was beset from the beginning by internal discord. The first differences arose over the
question of Mohammed's successor, and out of these early conflicts rifts
developed that persist today. As
one might expect, in time doctrinal differences gave rise to schismatic sects
and to splinter groups that can be violently opposed to each other.
16) "Sometimes even a wrong view, which is held with fervor, may indirectly
invite an experience that opens the gates to spiritual life. Even at the stage of shariat, [external
conformity to religious traditions and rituals] or karma-kanda, allegiance to
religions is not infrequently a source of inspiration for many selfless and
noble acts. For while the dogmas or
creeds are blindly accepted, they are often held with fervor and enthusiasm.
...Dogmas and creeds, as compared with barren views and doctrines, have the
distinct advantage of being embraced not only by the intellect but also by the
heart. They cover and affect a
wider part of personality than purely theoretical
opinions."
"Dogmas and creeds generally, however, are as much a source of evils as
of good, because in them the guiding vision is clouded owing to degeneration of
suspension of critical thinking... it has more often done
harm...
"When a person gives up uncritically accepted dogmas and creeds in favor
of views and doctrines to which he has devoted thought, there is a certain
amount of advance -- insofar as his mind has now begun to think and critically
examine its beliefs... The mind has been emancipated from the domination of
uncultured emotion, but this is often achieved by sacrificing the cooperation of
the heart. If the results of
critical thought are to be spiritually fruitful, these results must again invade
and recapture the heart so as to enlist its cooperative functioning." (Meher Baba, Discourses,
1967)
Atheists can accept this advice and internalize their humility and sense
of wonder, creating reverence for life, rationally, that improves on religious
fervor. Poetry is one source of
inspiration about the beauty in Universe and nature. Religion can have this affect, but as
suggested, "it has more often done harm."
17) Dateline: Tel Aviv, October 23, 2000; On the eve of Yom Kippur, two Sundays
ago, Azmi Bishara heard on a radio call-in show that a Jewish mob intended to
torch his house. Bishara, an Arabic
member of parliament from Nazareth, advocates an end to Israel's Jewish
character in favor of "a state of all its citizens." He rushed home to evacuate his pregnant
wife and two-year-old daughter, and at midnight a crowd gathered outside his
home and stoned it.
Israelis' Arab minority rioted in the Galilee and in major cities like
Jaffa and Haifa. Jewish mobs
responded with attacks of their own.
"Coexistence between Arabs [who are mostly Islamic] and Jews in Israel
has started to collapse," says Salah Tarif, a Druze Arab [Christian] member of
Prime Minister Ehud Barak's One Israel party. The problem is that the 1 million
citizens of Israel called 'Israeli Arabs' tend to think of themselves as
Palestinians who happen to live in Israel, not as Israelis of Arab descent. It's a crucial distinction and has
always been a potential trigger.
The Government fears more outbursts of violence from both sides of the
religious divide -- meaning Israel itself could be turned into a real
battleground. Television stations
did not broadcast the full footage of two Israeli soldiers being lynched by
Palestinians in the West Bank, out of concern that it would prompt reprisals
against Israeli Arabs. "It's a
very, very ugly situation," says Bishara. "Here, in this democracy, you have to
fear for your life because of your ethnicity." (Time Magazine)
18) Lucretius (circa 99-55 BC) wrote a master poem, De Rerum Natura,
that should be required reading for every high school senior. Lucretius was an original thinker among
the Roman elite, who interpreted the teachings of Epicurus, and emphasized that
sense perception is the foundation of knowledge. He determined that it is possible to
investigate natural phenomena with no religious inhibitions and to explain them
on purely materialistic lines, rejecting divine purpose, providence, and the
immortal soul, without sacrificing the joys of reverence and
adoration. He finds the
basis of social cooperation, not in calculated self-interest, but in a
natural instinct that impelled the strong to take pity on the weak. He taught this 2,000
years ago.
19) Gautama now at the age of thirty-five had become a Buddha. He arose and found the five ascetic
monks who had abandoned him. To
them he preached the middle way to Enlightenment, which became the essential
doctrine of Buddhism:
The Holy Eightfold Path
Right Views
And the Four Holy Truths
First: that all existence -- birth, decay, sickness, and death -- is
suffering
These steps to the extinction of self were the way of
the Buddha, the way of Enlightenment. (If you don't want anything -- "cessation of craving" -- and that's what
you get -- nothing -- it makes sense that you might think yourself in Nirvana or
paradise -- which is nowhere.)
20) Religion in the News! There
are not enough vultures left in India to take care of the religious needs
(disposing of the dead) of the Zoroastrians in Bombay, according to one recent
report. The Parsi sect, also know
as Zoroastrians, practice the tradition of placing their dead on a
dakhma, or platform in the open to be devoured by birds of prey,
specifically White-backed Vultures.
These birds are near extinction because of an epidemic of an unidentified
virus sweeping through South Asia.
"To protect their way of death, Parsi leaders plan to build a 50-ft high
aviary around their jungle-shrouded "Towers of Silence" in... Bombay to breed
vultures and to cope with the three human corpses placed there on an average
day." Khojeste Mister, the leader
of this effort to develop the first captive vulture-breeding center, said: "It
may seem perfectly normal for some people to bury a body in the ground. To me it is repulsive that worms are
eating a body for as long as 60 years." (Time, Nov. 13, 2000) One can imagine a rather large aviary
that might be used for golf practice, as a golf driving-range on slow days.
21) "No
attempt has apparently been made...to establish any connection between the
Shinto Genesis and the various Hindu descriptions of the creation of the
universe... Hinduism considers the creation (srishti) of our world as a fall from
a higher state...as a cycle, periodical, alternating with dissolution of the
world. Shinto...views creation as a
development for which man should be unqualifiedly grateful, makes no reference
whatever to an eventual dissolution of the world and completely ignores the
concept of cyclic return."
"When one considers the most apparent esoteric meaning of the Shinto
myths of Genesis...one sees the remarkable similarities they offer with the most
apparent esoteric meaning of the myths of the ten Avatars of Vishnu as given in
the various Hindu Scriptures...it would be extraordinarily difficult to explain
the concordance of the two series of myths as purely accidental." The text proceeds to compare verse by
verse the development of both myths with a convincing argument that strongly
suggests that Shinto is a derivative of the original oral tradition of Hindu
teaching. "Kojiki and Hihongi...the
original Shinto myths were written before AD 720 '...to preserve the true
traditions from oblivion,' because 'the records preserved by the chief families
contained many errors'." (Jean Herbert, Shinto,
1967)
This is more than 1,000 years after the written origins of Vedas of
Hinduism. When this is taken with
the recent discoveries of a well developed culture in the Indus Valley dating
more than 4,500 years old, it seems very likely that this region could have been
the source for many ancient religious traditions around the
world.
22) In
the Zoroastrian faith it is the individual's duty not only to earn salvation
from his individual cycle of birth and death, but also to assist the Creator in
helping others, the whole world and ultimately the entire creation attain their
respective salvation. Praying
throughout the day is a practice intended to create virtue and speed the return
of the individual to the oneness with the creator.
The most common prayers in the "Avesta" are the Gahs. At the core of the gahs lies the concept
of time. The Avesta has three distinct concepts of time. Each individual has his own personal
time period, called Thwashe Khadat, which is one cycle of birth to
death. The world we live in has its
own time frame, called Zurvane Darrego Khadat, a repeating cycle of
81,000 years from creation to destruction. These two are part of Zurvane Akarne, or endless time, cosmic,
immeasurable and merged within three dimensions. (see Octavus Stele: Time, verse 17)
23) John
Locke was a rational philosopher who nonetheless was a Christian and defended
his faith. He described the
centuries before the arrival of Christ and the contemporaneous Jewish religion
as a period of religion of convenience.
"Next to the knowledge of one God; maker of all things; a clear knowledge
of their duty was wanting to mankind [not just to the Jews]. This part of knowledge [duty], though
cultivated with some care, by some of the heathen philosophers, [Greek?] yet got
little footing among the people.
All men indeed, under pain of displeasing the gods, were to frequent the
temples, every one went to their sacrifices and services; but the priests made
it not their business to teach them virtue. If they were diligent in their
observations and ceremonies, punctual in their feasts and solemnities, and the
tricks of religion, the holy tribe assured them, the gods were pleased; and they
looked no farther. Few went to the
schools of the philosophers, to be instructed in their duties and to know what
was good and evil in their action.
The priests sold the better penny-worths, and therefore had all their
custom. Lustrations and processions
were much easier than a clean conscience, and a steady course of virtue... No
wonder then, that religion was every where distinguished from, and preferred to
virtue, and that it was dangerous heresy and prophaneness to think the
contrary... But natural religion, in its full extent, was nowhere, that I know,
taken care of by the force of natural reason..."
Moving forward in time, Locke suggests that virtue and morality are
not so easy to achieve by reason alone. "Native and original truth, is not so
easily wrought out of the mine, as we who have it delivered, ready dug and
fashioned into our hands, are apt to imagine... Experience shews that the
knowledge of morality, by mere natural light (how agreeable soever it be to it),
makes but a slow progress, and little advance in the world... 'tis plain in fact,
that human reason unassisted, failed men in its great and proper business of
morality... And he that shall collect all the moral rules of the philosophers,
and compare them with those contained in the new testament, will find them to
come short of the morality delivered by Our Saviour, and taught by his apostles;
a college made up, for the most part, of ignorant, but inspired fishermen."
(John Locke, The Reasonableness of Christianity, para. 241,
1691)
24) Jainism is all about 'Live and let Live' and is considered the oldest
religion in India (by its adherents, a sect of Hinduism by others). The use of the four-way symbol, now
associated with the swastika, is connected to the practice of pacifism,
ahimsa - nonviolence, and belief in this credo. All those who follow the religion are
vegetarian and follow the practice of repeating the Mahamantra called
'Navkara.'
Namo Arihantanam
This is like breathing for a Jain and occupies a prominent place in every
ritual in Jain life from birth to death.
Many esoteric practices have been based on a different mantra, Namaskara
Mahamantra. Other mystical
practices for immediate benefit are used, but have as their essence the Navkara
alone. Even while practicing the
Mantra the aspirant must have mokhsa [salvation] alone as his aim. As medicines cure diseases, so too
Mantras can remove or mitigate karmas, give peace of mind, provide mental
pleasure, call forth deities before the aspirant and make them follow the
command of Jina.
Some historians suggest Jainism sprang into practice in the 6th century
BC as a revolt against the unworthy practices of Hinduism. However, Vardhamana, the first recorded
'fordmaker,' claimed to be the successor of the previous 23
Tirthamkaras,
who help the faithful cross the stream of existence
and so obtain release. He is
also referred to as 'Jina' or the Victorious One, and Mahavira, or Great
Hero. Jainism does not recognize
the validity of the Vedic (Hindu) scriptures and thus is considered open to the
lessons of other great, inspired religious teachings.
25) For
most people the essential characteristics of religion are a belief in a god, a
supernatural spirit associated within the human body and an afterlife. For some this is a too restrictive
definition, and they prefer to describe religion in terms of accepting 'the
sacred.' Others look for a
functional definition of how religions operate to influence human life. In this case the concern is for what
religion does for an individual psychologically or for a group socially. At a more fundamental level religion
can be defined as a body of thought that provides support for a group or brings
a sense of comfort or well-being to an individual.
The matter of definition is considerably more difficult than common sense
would suggest, because once one acknowledges the differences between one
religion and another, which often are in dramatic conflict, identifying the
similarities or a single common element might be
impossible.
This kind of oversimplification led, in the eighteenth century during the
'Age of Enlightenment,' to the proposition of 'natural religion' consisting of
the single, basic and original religious concepts shared by the entire human
family. These theorists were called
'Deists' and included philosophers and statesmen such as John Toland, Matthew
Tindal and David Hume all of Britain; Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin; and Denis
Diderot and Voltaire in France. The
gist of this concept is a belief in a creator god who made the world and then
left it to its own natural laws, provided Man with a moral code and promised an
afterlife if the faithful were good and avoided evil.
The best hope for humanity, according to the Deists, was to try to
recover this original faith and live by it in peace, tolerance and serenity
as a universal brotherhood of all people.
The culprits according to this interpretation are those who distorted the
natural religion, the magicians, churches, bishops and theologians. The origin
of natural religion was said to be human reason, fear and ignorance -- not a
doctrinaire god by way of supernatural revelations.
This effort at intellectual synthesis is still active. The hope of saving
some vestige of respectability and legitimacy for religion in general, rather
than any single religion, is a pale form of agnosticism. Concluding that none of the organized
religions seems quite right but we can salvage the idea by taking the best from
each, is a childish solution to a difficult emotional problem. The problem is multifaceted: overcoming
the nurturing, brainwashing and conditioning of being raised in religion; not
having the courage or strength to leave this nurturing behind; this is certainly
an emotional, not just an intellectual struggle. Striking out for independent
free-thinking is a huge intellectual step into the great unknown. Jump into the water of Atheism? The water can be turbulent for the
beginner without first developing an educated frame of
reference.
26) In
quite a different interpretation, religion is unjustly described as a system of
beliefs, doctrines and a strict moral code. It is more appropriate to describe the
component of experience, what religion does for believers, quite apart
from the pursuit of history, knowledge or morality. In this interpretation there is an
aesthetic and affective character to religions (not considering the limited
affect on casual believers). In his writings, Friedrich Schleiermacher in 1799,
"...wanted to show the artists and critics with whom he associated that what
they despised was not religion but the dogmas and institutions that result from
mistaking external forms for the inner life of the spirit, and that real piety
is identical with the spiritual integrity and sense of harmony with the universe
which they sought in the aesthetic and cultural life." In addition he suggested that
Religion is "...a sense that precedes and is independent of all thought, and
that ought not to be confused with doctrine or practice, religion can never
come into conflict with the findings of modern science or with the advance
of knowledge in any realm. It is an autonomous moment in human experience and
is, in principle, invulnerable to rational and moral criticism." This is certainly seeing the glass half
full.
27) There
are few subjects about which Karl Marx is so brief or as blunt. "Religion, he says, is pure
illusion. Worse, it is an illusion
with most definitely evil consequences.
It is the most extreme example of ideology, of a belief system whose
chief purpose is simply to provide reasons -- excuses, really -- for keeping
things in society just the way the oppressors like them. As a matter of fact, religion is so
fully determined by economics that it is pointless to consider any of its
doctrines or beliefs on their own merits... Marx asserts, that belief in a god or
gods is an unhappy by-product of the class struggle, something that should not
only be dismissed, but dismissed with scorn." (Daniel L. Pals, Seven Theories of Religion, 1996) This is seeing the glass half empty (or entirely
empty.)
28) The
more we learn about Universe and Earth, the more mysteries we discover because
we are just tracking along an infinite path. It may be that knowing the
questions is more important than the answers? But what would a religion be like
if it worshipped the questions only?
When we separate the mysteries from the known facts there is still room
for the most constructive religious faiths to teach different ways to celebrate
these mysteries and incomprehensible infinity. But, if a religion discourages its
adherents from looking for and accepting new facts, that religion should be
suspect and even discarded. That
portion of religious experience that has nothing to do with descriptions of
Universe, clinging to archaic answers, devoid of mythical explanations; that
part that enriches our lives and helps us celebrate the wonders of nature, can
be useful and artistic (the rest can be ignored.) The facts of nature don't disprove this
kind of religious or 'spiritual' experience nor should the mute laws of nature
be used to 'prove' religious beliefs.
Universe is essentially amoral and it takes man to show, not just tell,
explicitly and in simple language what makes life so
worthwhile.
29) "Let
me explain what I mean by religion.
It is not the Hindu religion which I certainly prize above all other
religions, but the religion which transcends Hinduism, which changes one's very
nature, which binds one indissolubly to the truth within and which ever
purifies. It is the permanent
element in human nature which counts no cost too great in order to find full
expression and which leaves the soul utterly restless until it has found itself,
known its Maker and appreciated the true correspondence between the Maker and
itself.
"...it may perhaps be more correct to say that I have no word for
characterizing my belief in God... There is an indefinable mysterious Power that
pervades everything. I feel it,
though I do not see it. It is this
unseen power which makes itself felt and yet defies all proof, because it is so
unlike all that I perceive through my senses... For I can see that in the midst
of death life persists, in the midst of untruth truth persists, in the midst of
darkness light persists. Hence I gather that God is Life, Truth, Light. He is Love. He is the Supreme
God.
"...Faith then does not contradict reason but transcends it. Faith is a kind of sixth sense which
works in cases which are without the purview of reason... God is not a
person... God is the force. He [it]
is the essence of life. He [it] is
pure and undefiled consciousness.
He [it] resides in our hearts.
If we could completely obliterate in us the consciousness of our physical
body, we would see Him [it] face to face. " (M. K. Gandhi, All Men Are Brothers, 1960) If one feels
this "Power" then it is reasonable to accept a positive religion, if one does
not feel the "Power," there is no amount of convincing that will create the
feeling. It is like being in love;
contrast that with the feeling of being infatuated.
30) 'Humanism' may be the 20th century anti-religion, if it were not for the
fact that some people in religion use the term as readily as do Atheists. The most critical irony in dealing with
modern Humanism is the inability of its advocates to agree on whether or not
this worldview is, or might be religious.
The earliest 'Renaissance Humanists' encouraged study and learning and
they had confidence in the ability of human beings to determine for themselves
truth and falsehood. This arrogance is actively opposed to most organized
religions, certainly fundamental Christians who require a scriptural basis for
their truth.
The most commonly accepted definition is: "...a naturalistic philosophy
that rejects all supernaturalism and relies primarily upon reason and science,
democracy and human compassion." (Corliss Lamont) However, the Christian Humanists
suggest: "a philosophy advocating the self-fulfillment of man within the
framework of Christian principles."
The catholic Pope has subscribed to this concept, but for others it is an
oxymoron, internal self-contradiction to suggest that Humanism could be placed
in any religious framework.
For fundamentalists, Secular Humanists are the arch-enemy for espousing
the teaching of evolution in schools, banning prayer in public schools and
meetings and defending the strict interpretation of the US Constitution
establishing the separation of church and state. Because of all this confusion, I tend to
shun the label, although it otherwise seems harmless enough, in an ambiguous
sort of way.
31) In
1826 some Shakers built community halls in Sodas Bay, only thirty miles from
Palmer, New York, where the young Joseph Smith, first prophet of the Church of
Christ (established April 6, 1830), might have watched the dervish-like
worship. During the fantastic
services, the spinning and whirling believer soon fell exhausted on the floor
uttering an incoherent gibberish generously referred to as 'the gift of
tongues.' Brigham Young, the second
leader of the Mormon Church was known to have practiced this 'gift' in the early
days of what was subsequently named The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints.
"For all their incongruity the Shakers had a certain dignity, which came
from their cleanly habits and intense industry. Such was not true of the entourage of
another female subdivinity ruling in Jerusalem, twenty-five miles from Joseph
Smith's home. This was Jemima
Wilkinson, the 'Universal Friend,' who thought herself to be the Christ... she
governed her colony by revelations from heaven and swore that she would never
die. She was a handsome woman with fine eyes and jet-black hair, which curled
over the purple robe hanging from her shoulders...
"Nowhere was lapse from the old codes more evident than in the churches,
which were racked with schisms. The
Methodists split four ways between 1814 and 1830. The Baptists split into Reformed
Baptists, Hard-Shell Baptists, Free-Will Baptists, Seventh-Day Baptists,
Footwashers, and other sects.
Unfettered religious liberty began spawning a host of new
religions.
"There was Isaac Bullard, wearing nothing but a bearskin girdle and his
beard, who gathered a following of 'Pilgrims' in 1817 in Woodstock,
Vermont... Champion of free love and communism, he regarded washing as a sin and
boasted that he had not changed his clothes for seven years." (Fawn W. Brodie, No Man Knows My History, 1973) Religions
grow like weeds in the metaphysical landscape of US
culture.
32) "The
senses are God's gateway to the human mind and imagination. For this reason, Catholics emphasize
ritual more than learning. If the
imagination is not excited, the intellectual and philosophical underpinnings are
meaningless. The bells, beads, and
candles used in Catholic rituals are not just decorations; they are essential to
spirituality and to effective Catholicism.
"One of the strengths of the Catholic tradition is that Catholics are
a people convinced that everyone is able to sense God. They can touch God, feel him, taste him,
bring him inside themselves through the scent of incense, and see him in the
colors of the vestment. Upon
entering church, they dip their fingers in water. Incense at Mass fills the nostrils. The
priest wears vestments of various colors: purple at Advent and Lent, white at
funeral masses celebrating the Resurrection, Easter, and Christmastime, and
green on all other Sundays. These
vibrant colors touch the eyes.
"Catholics call these things -- holy water, incense, rosaries, and
vestments -- sacramentals or little sacraments... "Each age has attempted to use language to express belief in the real
presence of Jesus.
"Transubstantiation is a term from the Middle Ages. This term was used to describe the
belief that the priest's blessing during the Mass changes the substance of the
bread and wine. It expressed the
difference between the appearance of the bread and its actual 'substance,'
now believed to be Jesus' body and blood. [Cannibalism] But this language
is incomplete today. More important
than the substance of Jesus is his reality as a force or presence in the
Catholic spiritual life. The church
uses the term transubstantiation as one way to talk about the action of
the Eucharist, but it is by no means the complete way." (Bob O'Gorman and Mary Faulkner,
Understanding Catholicism, 2000)
33) The
Mormon religion "...was not a revivalist sect. Although [Joseph Smith] followed some of
the revivalist patterns, he appealed as much to reason as to emotion, (1830-1844) challenging his critics to
examine the evidences of his divine authority -- The Book of Mormon, the
lost books of Moses and Enoch, the sworn statements of his witnesses, and
numerous Bible-like revelations.
The importance of this appeal cannot be overestimated, for it drew into
the Mormon ranks many able men who had turned in disgust from the excesses of
the local cults. The intellectual
appeal of Mormonism, which eventually became its greatest weakness as the
historical and 'scientific' aspects of Mormon dogma were cruelly disemboweled by
twentieth-century scholarship, was in the beginning its greatest
strength.
"He [Joseph Smith] believed in the good life... 'Man is that he might have
joy' had been one of his first significant pronouncements in the Book of Mormon,
and from that belief he had never deviated. He was gregarious, expansive, and
genuinely fond of people. And...his
theology in the end discarded all traces of Calvinism [strictness] and became an
ingenuous blend of supernaturalism and materialism, which promised in heaven a
continuation of all earthly pleasures -- work, wealth, sex, and
power."
This religion "...has grown into a vast pyramidal organization, in which
the workers finance the church, advertise it, and do everything but govern
it. The Mormon people are still
bent on building the Kingdom of God, and everyone from the twelve- year-old
deacon to the eighty-year-old high priest is made to feel that upon him depends
the realization of that ideal.
Here as in no other church in America the people are the church and the
church the people. It is not only
work and sacrifice, but a sense of participation and responsibility that
generates the steadfast Mormon loyalty."
(Fawn M. Brodie, No Man Knows My History,
1971)
Much of the church literature and lessons are based on 'proof' of the
restored gospel, and in many cases the doctrines cure the defects of other
Protestant faiths. Material success
and wealth are thought to be one of the rewards of righteousness. Furthermore, participation feeds the
ambitions of leadership in male members and leads to self-satisfaction and
personal growth.
34) What
is the difference between a religion and a cult? It's not just somebody else's religion,
there are some consensus distinguishing factors. A Cult is generally a new religious
dogma, where the founder is alive and usually in autocratic control based on
divine inspiration. Other factors
include a blind obedience from followers and devotion to this charismatic
leader, often maintained by threats and coercion. Many cults are made up of 'chosen
people' who are in some way superior by virtue of being devout. Frequently secret rituals, covenants and
obligations become part of the cult.
"Unlike traditional religions, the primary goals of most cults seem only
to be growth and wealth.
Traditional religions can point to thousands of church-sponsored programs
designed to help those in need in America as well as abroad. Similar programs sponsored by even the
richest and most powerful cults are rare... Because debate is discouraged and
unquestioning obedience praised, followers learn to suppress critical
thinking. They do not weigh, evaluate, or question the reliability of
information they are given... Learning to think critically is one of the most
important skills an individual develops. [A central purpose of Frame of
Reference.] ...That skill can be lost or its growth stunted if it is not
constantly used...the typical cult [not all] has little interest in developing a
strong, adult personality in its followers... The longer a follower remains
within a cult, the longer he or she allows the cult to override personal growth,
the greater their dependency on the cult becomes." (Joan Johnson, The Cult Movement,
1984) A useful religion should have
as a goal helping individuals integrate into society in a free, constructive and
healthy way. Any organization that
opposes or falls short of that goal, might be suspect as a destructive
cult.
35) What
is the role of religion in the economy?
If an economy is organized by principles of capitalism or socialism it
does make a difference to the individual because his success in that economy
relates to his personal choices and motivation. "You didn't need a god to reward or
punish by some mysterious system to make it [the economy] work. If religion had initially organized
society to achieve this dynamic stage of enlightenment, [Christianity in western
society during AD] it had also supplied it's own share of confusion, possibly as
a means of self-preservation.
"Religion had preserved the tradition and tamed the beast in man, music
could do that. Now a pluralistic
culture could do that [with the aide of compulsory education]. Religion has been a convenient tool for
the organization of society in the same way that a dictatorship is an efficient
way of meeting the goal of industrialization and economic growth of emerging
nations. But, religion is only
necessary to those who were attracted to it...
"Jack realized he could live with the question of infinity without
imagining or rationalizing answers. He could live without religion and still be civilized and lead a
constructive life... Belief was irrelevant, a mind game played by people caught
in a mental cramp like the mindless passion some people displayed for
professional wrestling.
"Understanding this doesn't mean he solved the mystery of the Universe,
infinity is still there, everywhere, at the end of every trail for
discovery. No, not at the end. Because there wasn't any end. You just couldn't use this limited
language and say it any other way." (IJ, Jack and Lucky, 1993)
A theocracy can organize an economy as can a fascist dictator, but only
coercive force can ensure the longevity of that form of government, and in every
historical case that coercive force has failed, i.e. the Islamic control of the
Mediterranean economies during the 'dark ages.' The separation of church and
state is a relatively modern phenomenon, but it seems to be key to thriving, in
a successful, long-term political economy.
36) "The best alternative to religion he had found is to recognize life as
an art-form. This was probably
the most significant success Jack had during his sojourn [two years, four
months] in Italy, [as a Mormon missionary] paradoxically. He went to teach others about the Mormon
God, and ended teaching himself to appreciate the beauty in life without
dependence on a belief in any god.
Along the way there were those who argued that life had no meaning
without a concept of god or an after-life.
Jack learned that the meaning of life was more poignant and sensible when
he finally discovered how to explain it in this very new, more realistic
context. Solving such a riddle is
even more exciting than having the solution handed to you [by
religion]...
"Living in a religion such as the Catholic Church is like being an artist
slavishly captive to a certain technique of painting. Each new work of art, each new life was
caste in the same medium, with the same style, yet displaying a family
resemblance.
"The Hindu had their own brush and tinted the world they found with their
own biases and shades of color. Leading a simple, ascetic life was an eternal triumph but they became
blind to the need to contribute their innate talents to the enrichment of
mankind. "The unique Islamic symbols were symptoms of a different formalism. A strict association with a way of life
derived from a single charismatic leader should always be suspect. A life that follows these forms can be
elegant but will never move beyond to the beauty that is possible when life is
inspired by independent thoughtfulness. The basic human need for security and authority is satisfied, but beyond
that is where the art of life begins."
37) "How
does one go about creating a meaningful life in the absence of any of these
structures, unconstrained by doctrine or myth? It's reasonably simple to look around
and find out what works in society. Those actions that lead toward a better functioning society ought to be
given strong consideration. An
enlightened, thoughtful society creates its own morality.
"Religious belief is fearful and desperate if it is based on the fire and
brimstone Evangelism or emotional blackmail. This belief is simpleminded if it is
only a convenient reaction to the need to have answers, any answers. It is more profound if it is consciously
based on an appreciation of the mystery that engulfs the world. Man can be forgiven for surrendering to
a realization of his insignificance in the face of infinite Nature. When we acknowledge the limitations of
our own perceptions as the roots of religious belief, we begin to acknowledge
the possibility for life as art...
"Those who captured this mystery and incorporated it into their ritual
came closer to giving proper homage to the vastness of Universe and to the
conspicuously limited role of humanity. Ritual is metaphor for reality when it engenders connection to
infinity...It is more honest to say 'I don't know,' then proceed to solve the
puzzle of life." (IJ, Jack and Lucky, 1993)
38) Martin Buber describes an existential concept, giving a distinction
between two functionally different kinds of mental activity in relation to human
experience and the environment. These are "orientation" and "realization." (Martin Buber
(German), Daniel, 1913)
Orientation is the objective attitude that gives order to the environment
for knowledge and use. (This might
otherwise be referred to as "positive" or factual knowledge, phenomena, derived
from the senses. This includes the scientific approach.)
Realization is the mental attitude that finds or identifies the inner
meaning of life in intensified perception and existence. This is characterized by the mental
gymnastics necessary for intellectuals to overcome their doubts -- or
agnosticism -- and retain attachment to a 'living god.' Realization is what people do when they
have an epiphany of faith and emotion in front of the wailing wall, or develop
spirituality elsewhere (numinous). (This is associated with the beginnings of 'normative' thinking, that
which leads to opinions, values and biases.)
If Buber had accepted his natural religion, as more than 90% of his
kinfolk, he would not need to entertain these complicated explanations. His independent thinking (Orientation)
might be called 'self-realized.'
Accepting one's natural religion, on the other hand, is the kind of
thinking (developed by nurturing and by example) that most often leads to racism
and prejudice, and keeps most people in their religions in spite of their
"orientation" -- in lieu of "rationalization." In other words, most people just
don't think as deeply about the subject as Buber implies.
At still another level we all have instincts that speak to us in that
'still small voice.' "Save
yourself, run." Buber identifies
the first two kinds of thinking but ignores the third (following tradition) and
this fourth (instinct), which are probably more powerful in considerations of
religious belief.
Intuition and creative thinking are combinations of the above. Some people have the ability to arrange
facts into original patterns (i.e. Buber); more power to them; may they be safe
and protected from the destructive, stultifying influence of
religion.
39) "Some
people oppose a modification of laws [changing the social order] relating to the
right of a married woman to own property on the ground that economic
independence of woman would lead to the spread of immorality among women and
disruption of domestic life. What
is your attitude on the question?
"...Has not independence of man and his holding property led to the
spread of immorality among men? If
you answer 'yes' then let it be so also with women. And when women have rights of ownership
and the rest like men, it will be found that the enjoyment of such rights is not
responsible for their vices or their virtues. Morality which depends on the
helplessness of a man or woman has not much to recommend it. Morality is rooted in the purity of our
hearts." (M. K. Gandhi, All Men Are Brothers, 1960) The right to wallow in religious nonsense, (be part of a
priesthood) as with the right to economic freedom, should not be denied on the
basis of gender or sexual orientation, if any.
40) The
cycle of creating new religions to replace old ones continues into the
21st Century. One of the most recent, popular religions is Falun Gong. This religion based on a
synthesis of the Chinese traditions of Buddhism and Taoism, is the work of Li
Hongzhi. "On one occasion I had my mind connected with four or five great
enlightened people and great Taos from extremely high levels…their levels were
so high that everyday people would find it simply inconceivable. They wanted to
know what was on my mind. I have practiced cultivation for so many years…With my
consent, therefore, they linked my mind with theirs for a period of time. After
the connection…I am among everyday people and…my heart is devoted to saving
people…
"…After reaching high-level cultivation…cultivation practice is
completely automatic. As long you improve your xinxing [moral character], your
gong [cultivation energy] grows. You do not even have to do any exercises. Our
exercises are for reinforcing the automatic mechanism. Why does one sit still in
meditation? One is completely in a state of wuwei [no intention]…" (Li Hongzhi,
Zhuan Falun, 2001) This may be enough to suggest the intent of the religion, to
foster self-improvement and spiritual enlightenment, to move adherents and
society further along the path toward some betterment. A new charismatic leader
has emerged. Accepting one religion or another might be as much about style and
inclination as trying to find truth.
Though his body may decay, he never perishes."
Speakers don't know.
Know you don't know: that's superior...
Look, if you have flaws and say they're flaws,
that's how you lack flaws.
The sage lacks flaws. He takes his flaws to be
flaws, and that's how he lacks flaws.
The name that can be named is not the eternal Name.
The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth.
The named is the mother of ten thousand things.
Ever desireless, one can see the mystery.
Ever desiring, one can see the manifestations.
These two spring from the same source but
differ in name; this appears as darkness.
Darkness within darkness.
The gate to all mystery.
Right Intentions
Right Speech
Right Conduct
Right Livelihood
Right Effort
Right Mind-fullness
Right Concentration
Second: that all suffering and rebirth are caused by man's selfish
craving.
Third: that Nirvana, freedom from suffering, comes from the cessation of
all craving
Fourth: that the stopping of
all ill and craving
comes only from following
the Holy Eightfold Path.
Namo Sidhdhanam
Namo Ayariyanam
Namo Uvajzayanam
Namo Loe Savva Sahunam
Eso panch namokkaro
Savva Pav ppanha Sanho
Mangalanam cha savvasim
Padhamam havai mamgalam
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