Crackpot Theory #56
All scriptures, religions and belief systems (especially the Indian flavour) make a big issue of salvation, of being one with the GOD. Of the glorious days that await us in “heaven”, where it’s difficult to say where we end and god begins.
They point to the way forward, of struggle and penance and meditation and hardwork and virtue. Of being simple and honest and dare i mention joyless. They say that to be one with god, I need to renounce all my worldly pleasures and be a simple hermit. Man, in fact, needs to be devolved. Has to renounce whatever he has fought for all these years.
But what if the scriptures weren’t the way forward, but more the story of evolution? What if they were records of the way taken to be where we are? Why not look at religion and scriptures and holy books as historical records? Instead of -man fighting hard to be simple and renouncing worldly pleasures in order to see god and be one with him, why couldn’t it be backwards – single cell amoeba to first signs of life on the surface to primates to home erectus to homo sapiens?
What if the god and the supreme state of oneness was our first stage of life? What if Unity was actually that first Cell?
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November 13th, 2004 at 4:36 am
thinkable it is….! we made computers. they out do us in at least speed. possible is it not that we may exceed god. in at least one respect?
November 13th, 2004 at 12:26 pm
Probably you shud play Halo.
And if possible, Halo 2
Apparently it contains a lot of religious connotations
November 13th, 2004 at 12:45 pm
hey,
selective amnesia is all about evolving constantly, eh?
cheers!
November 14th, 2004 at 1:50 am
Now here is an interesting thought! I feel an idea for a sermon coming on! Actually, you are I suspect more than part right in that scripture (in any religion) records the spiritual development of that religion. It should therefore be seen as an evolutionary process – one which continues in each and every one of those who follow any religion. This is why I have severe problems with fundamentalists of all flavours – they seek to lock all religion into the ethos and understandibng of the century in which “enlightenment” dawned for the particular “founder”. Thus Christian Fundamentalists seek to cling to the understanding of the 1st Century of the Christian era, Muslim’s to the 7th Century and so on. We cannot, religion must grow in us as we develop our own understanding.
Also, I don’t buy the “give up everything” bit – I think it should be more a case of “use everything you have to gain understanding and help others along that path as well.”
Peace be with you.
November 14th, 2004 at 3:23 am
what about sex?
November 14th, 2004 at 4:33 am
Spiritual evolution?
Whenever someone leaves a comment on my blog I try to follow up the link(s) and read theirs – it’s only courtesy, after all. I have to say that many I have visited in this way have given me something…
November 15th, 2004 at 11:21 am
Being one with God or the realization of universal unity is no way related to being in heaven.
> Of being simple and honest and dare i mention joyless.
Not really! In fact pursuit of religion is for greater joy and happiness, greater than anything you can imagine.
The first sign of a religious person is the happiness and peace that emanates from him.
Its like this. Remember when you were young and your parents told you to focus on study instead of playing and they said that by doing so you will be happy when you grow up (presumably by getting a job and … )?
Now they want you to be happy. And in their wisdom they realized having a good education is very helpful in the quest of wordly happiness. So they are asking you to give up smaller happiness so you can get longer lasting and more happiness later. The point is sometimes in life you have to give up smaller pleasure in favor of bigger ones.
> They say that to be one with god, I need to renounce all my worldly pleasures and be a simple hermit.
You can also lead your normal householder life, follow your duties and in time you will too reach the same goal. There are always a dual path prescribed in Hinduism – the path of a householder and the path of a hermit.
Angsuman
November 17th, 2004 at 1:27 am
hey…really really sorry that we couldn’t meet. I was away in bombay for sometime, then diwali adn then last minute hurry-burry. May be next time
November 23rd, 2004 at 2:10 am
A few corrections in the post…
According to Hindu scriptures, there are four things that can happen to one after one’s life on earth, based on Punya/Pappa’s count (law of karma).
1. More Punya – Then you go to heaven. This is called Punyalokam
2. More Pappam – Then you go to Hell. This is called Pappalokam and not Pathalam (this is the underground world where snakes etc. live)
3. Mix of Punyam and Pappam (and desire ofcourse) – Then you are born again in earth
4. If you earned lot of Tapas – Then you go to Tapolokam
And so on….
Abosulte Zero – No punya, No pappa – when you are really a person who said “Narayana yethu samarpayami” to everything – Then you become one with the God or you get Vaikuntam.
This absolute zero is very difficult, but not impossible and to reach this absolute zero, the vedas have prescribed all the various yogas – Gyana, Bhakthi, Karma etc.
This state is the state where you are devoid of not just punya and pappa, but karma also. And in this state there exists no thoughts….
Well! As you guess it, this is all my bookish knowledge, but truth heard from others
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November 28th, 2004 at 1:42 am
So what if oneness and the supreme state was our first stage of life? That would make some sense, so through our process of evolution we are questing to return to that original source. So beginning and end are the same. I can buy that, but then perhaps all through the middle is the same as well?
On a side note regarding the scriptures moving forward. There is an old Buddhist proverb, I forget the original source so bear with me. It speaks of vehicles that people use, in the Buddhist case vehicles to acheive enlightenment. At some times it makes sense in your journey to change vehicles. You wouldn’t sail across the ocean and then use the boat for land travel would you. Of course not. The scriptures are and have been vital for sometime. Perhaps a new vehicle is in order??