In
today’s world we encounter people with many diverse ethnic backgrounds that
come with different religious or spiritual practices.
For
people who are steeped in their practices, there is only one suggestion and
that is, don’t be satisfied with surface information, go as deep into the
teachings as possible.
We
begin with a look at religion.
Religion
is entirely faith based. It relies on scripture and creed of the various
denominations. It teaches about the existence of God.
Arguments
for and against the existence of God
The
existence of God is a subject of debate in the philosophy of religion and
popular culture.
In
philosophical terms, the question of the existence of God involves the
disciplines of epistemology (epistemology is the investigation of what
distinguishes justified belief from opinion) and ontology (the branch of
metaphysics dealing with the nature of being and the theory of value, since
some definitions of God include "perfection").
Arguments
for the existence of God have been proposed by St. Thomas Aquinas’, in the five
logical arguments regarding the existence of God:
The Argument from Motion;
The Argument from Causation;
The argument from contingency;
The argument from degree,
The teleological argument, ("argument
from design").
René
Descartes, said that the existence of a benevolent God is logically necessary
for the evidence of the senses to be meaningful; and Immanuel Kant, who argued
that the existence of God can be deduced from the existence of good.
John
Calvin argued for a sensus divinitatis (sense deity), which gives each human a
knowledge of God's existence.
Philosophers
who have provided arguments against the existence of God include the
aforementioned Kant, David Hume, Friedrich Nietzsche, Bertrand Russell and
others.
Scientists
follow the scientific method, within which theories must be verifiable by
physical experiment. The majority of prominent conceptions of God explicitly or
effectively posit a being which is not testable either by proof or disproof. On
these bases, the question regarding the existence of God, one for which
evidence cannot be tested, may lie outside the purview of modern science by
definition.
The
Catholic Church maintains that knowledge of the existence of God is the
"natural light of human reason". Fideism acknowledges that belief in
the existence of God may not be amenable to demonstration or refutation, but
rests on faith alone.
Atheism
views arguments for the existence of God as insufficient, mistaken or weighing
less in comparison to arguments against.
Other
religions, such as Buddhism, do not concern themselves with the existence of Gods
at all, while religions such as Jainism reject the possibility of a creator
deity.
As
one can see, that there are many who argue for or against the existence of God.
Now
let us take a look at our own existence. We do know that we exist. There is no
doubt. What we may doubt is the nature of our existence. Are we limited beings,
do we have a momentary existence, are we eternal and if so what does it mean?
But we do know that we exist.
The
inquiry into our own nature, of who and what we are ultimately gives rise to
Spirituality. We may begin by asking, am I the body, am I the mind, and am I a
combination of body and mind. Am I something more than a body mind being? Every
step in this inquiry can be verified until we derive at the insight, that in
our innermost being we are ever existent, ever conscious, and ever new joy
(bliss).
We
may now say, this is all fine and good, but where can people who are seriously
interested in Spirituality go to find meaningful teachings?
There
are the teachings of Yoga (union). An all inclusive yoga is known as Kriya
Yoga, introduced to the West by Parmahansa Yogananda. The teachings include a
path for people of every temperament.
Kriya
yoga is a concentrated approach to Self-discovery and spiritual enlightenment:
complete awakening to full knowledge of the Infinite and of cosmic processes.
It includes the most effective processes of all systems of yoga, with emphasis
on wholesome, constructive living and superconscious meditation practice. The
purpose of Kriya yoga practice is to restore the practitioner's awareness to
wholeness. This is accomplished by acquiring knowledge of one's true nature as
a spiritual being; cultivating rational thinking, emotional balance, and
physical health; purposeful living; and meditation.
Additional
approaches being taught are:
Karma
Yoga is the Path of Spiritual Action. The path of
Karma Yoga is the path of uniting the soul with God through selfless activity.
Bhakti
Yoga is the yoga of devotion. It is the spiritual approach to God that stresses
all-surrendering love as the principal means for communion and union with God.
Rajas
yoga is the path of prayer and meditation, for the inner directed person. Raja
Yoga translates from Sanskrit to mean Royal Yoga. It is the eight-limbed path
outlined in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras as well as a tradition of Samkhya
philosophy. When these methods are conscientiously practiced, they will lead
one to experience Self or God Realization.
Jnana
yoga is for the intellectual minded person. Jnana means wisdom or knowledge. It
is considered the most difficult of the four main paths of Yoga, requiring
great strength of will and intellect. In Jnana yoga, the mind is used to
inquire into its own nature and to transcend the mind's identification with its
thoughts and ego.
At
this stage there are people reading this that do not believe in God, and may
choose not to read any further. But for people who want to investigate the
nature of God and their own existence, they are encouraged to read on.
The
catch with the suggested methods is that they take effort and discipline, but
even some practice will calm the mind of the practitioner. However, none of
these methods are based on belief.
Then
there is the non dual way, or Advaita Vedanta.
This
is another powerful Spiritual teaching. Advaita says (all is one), not-two. It
is a school of philosophy and practice, a path to spiritual realization. The
term Advaita refers to its idea that the soul (true Self, Atman) is the same as
the highest metaphysical Reality (Brahman, God). The followers of Advaita seek
spiritual liberation through acquiring vidya (knowledge) of their true identity
as Atman, Self, Soul and the identity of Atman, Self, Soul and Brahman, God.
Adi
Shankara, an early 8th century Indian philosopher and theologian who
consolidated the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta, knew that people would wonder how
he could say such an odd thing as, that the Soul (true Self, Atman) is the same
as the highest metaphysical Reality (Brahman, God). He realized that many
people would ask: "if a person's Soul is really one with God all along,
then what makes a person feel so separate from God?" His answer to this
was that man is ignorant of his real Self being God, because he sees through a
kind of filter, like looking through a dirty piece of glass and he called it maya,
which means "illusion"(nothing is as it appears) in Sanskrit.
Shankara said that our ignorance makes us feel very separate from God, and even
from everything around us. He suggested that the best way people can find the
truth is for them to try to clear their thinking of all ignorant thoughts and
think very hard about who they really are. He said that if a person did all
that, he would realize that God was
himself.
This
is a very different idea from some other religions where we are told we are
separate from God and need to go to Him. In Advaita, the idea is that people
never really were separate from God, but their ignorance made them see it that
way.
All
the religions of the world and all Spiritual aspirations fall into two main
groups. One group is searching for God, the other pursues self inquiry, asking
who am I, what is the purpose and meaning of life?
Searching
for the reality of God and searching for the Self that we are, are two
realities, two inquiries.
Let’s
look at the religions of the world. (The root of the word ‘religion’ lies in
the Latin word ligare, to bind).
Some are God oriented and others are not God
oriented.
Christianity,
Islam, Judaism and some forms of Hinduism are God oriented,
Buddhism,
Jainism (Jainism is an ancient religion from India that teaches that the way to
liberation and bliss is to live a life of harmlessness and renunciation),
Sankhya
philosophy and yoga, all are about Self Realization and mediation. Buddhism is
not concerned about God; some parts of Buddhism actually deny the existence of
God. Sankhya does not talk about God. Yoga investigates the nature of God.
Each
approach has its advantages and disadvantages.
With
the God Centered approach, one has to start with believing in God. For people
who do not question, and who go to the church or temple only to worship, there
is no issue. The problem starts when one asks question that do not specifically
pertain to scriptural or dogmatic texts. One is constantly reminded of what the
scriptures say and that it is all about faith.
The
self inquiry method in this respect has an advantage over the belief system,
since it is not based on faith. It starts with saying that man exists and that
his existence is self evident; but what about disadvantages? One could say,
what is the use of knowing that I exist? My existence is surrounded by all
kinds of difficulties; it is threatened by disease and death, by frustration
and failure. It is also troubled by desire and ambition.
On
the God centered approach these problems do not exist. God is perfect,
omniscient, omnipresent, all loving and good. If He exists, my existence is not
at doubt, but since I have a lot of problems, I may doubt whether God really cares it.
What
then is a solution for those who doubt the existence and benevolence of God and
those who are not concerned about Self Inquiry?
Advaita,
the Non Dual Vedanta brings both approaches together. Leaving out both of the
problems and combining the advantages. It combines the certainty of individual
existence with the Infinitude of God.
The
doubt about the existence of God is done away with (since all is God). We are
not the mind/body complex; we are the Self, one with God. The infinitude of God
removes the finiteness of the personal self.
Our
existence and God’s existence are secure. What has to be eliminated is the
thought of our finite existence. This is the meaning of Tat Tvam ASI That thou
art. The individual thou or Tat, the Self in its original, pure, primordial
state is wholly or partially identifiable or identical with the Ultimate
Reality God that is the ground and origin of all phenomena.
The
primary objective of spiritual practices is the liberation in consciousness, in
the attainment of inner freedom. However, as long as one identifies himself with
the material body, rather than with one’s intrinsic spiritual nature, the Self,
he fills his wants according to his heart’s desires and as a result remains in
bondage, since the desires of the flesh can never be satisfied.
Why
do we suffer? We suffer because of ignorance (erroneous conceptions). When
believing, that this material creation is all that exists and that there is no
beyond. When we don’t recognize that this material plane is nothing but a mere
play of ideas of the eternal spirit of God, being the only Real Substance, then
we live in ignorance.
Ignorance
manifests in man as egoism, attachment, aversion and blind tenacity. Egoism
results in a lack of discrimination between the physical body and the real
Self, between Spirit and Nature. Tenacity is a result of natural conditioning
(belief in nature and her laws as final, instead of belief in the all causative
power of Spirit) Attachment means thirst for the objects of happiness. Aversion
means desire for the removal of the objects of unhappiness.
So
why does man suffer? He suffers as a result of the influence of ignorance,
egoism, aversion, and tenacity to the material creation. He involves himself in
egoistic works and in consequence he suffers. How does he remove the ignorance?
Through knowledge.
It
is hoped, that the insight into these various religious and spiritual practices
can serve as a guide for people who sincerely look for an expansion of their
inner lives. After all, we become what we think, but ultimately we need to go
past the mind in order to realize who we really are.
What
man really wants is contentment of the heart, inner joy. Being content, he can
fix his attention on anything he chooses and can comprehend all its aspects.
Through
the realization, that we are ever existing, ever conscious, ever new joy,
bliss, the heart becomes purified and one is not only a reflecting of the
light, but become the light. This is known as being anointed with the Holy
Spirit.
Ponder
this, when we realize who we really are, by seeing ourselves as one with God we
are free while still in this physical body.
