- Religion is a set of organizing principles for life.
- Right and Wrong are subjective not objective, but that shouldn't stop us (humanity) from inventing a set of organizing principles based on human experience and reason.
- Religion should be on firm ground. Humans have traditionally invented a 'faith-based' God to be at the foundation of a religion. But it needn't be that way. God is basically an entity that is omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient. Guess what, so is the Universe (defining Universe as anything that existed/exists/will exist in the future).
- Universe is unquestionable, it exists in front of our eyes. We are part of it. However the creator of this Universe is questionable and beyond our grasp. Why even try to imagine (or invent) the creator? Just put the Universe at the foundation of religion.
- A set of organizing principles that could be embraced by all of humanity should be based on human experience and reason. All humans experience 'duality' i.e. they just know that they exist (don't need a proof) and know other things exist that which are different from them. All humans and very familiar with rational framework of 'causality' i.e. a bunch of things need to happen, come together to create something, sustain it and eventually destroy/transform it.
- Using the experience of duality and the rational framework of causality, we can define Universe as: "an interconnection of infinite, unique objects". It should be possible for every human to agree with this definition. This is critical to inventing a religion that entire humanity could embrace not just a particular group.
- If Universe is the foundation of the religion, it only makes sense to learn from it.
- From 'interconnectedness', we learn to be aware and to understand the interconnections in nature and to respect it and work in harmony with it.
- From 'infiniteness', we learn that we are infinitesimal in this Universe but it is possible to overcome this depressing fact by being among people we love and who love us back.
- From 'uniqueness', we learn that each person is unique in this space/time and whether he/she likes it or not, it is a fact. It is incumbent upon each of us to express that uniqueness and deliver positive things to world around.
- From 'object-ness', we learn that we live inside a body that makes us a person. It is a pre-requisite to take care of the body as when the body wears off we cease to exist.
- Knowing the right thing is very different from doing the right thing. Being = Knowing + Doing.
- There is a lot to learn with regards to "doing" the right thing. There are a lot of skills that once we learn and incorporate in daily life will help us stay consistent with word and deed.
- There are two attributes that define a great life: meaning and pleasure. You don't want a life with just one of those things. Ideally you want a life filled with great meaning and satisfaction but at the same time very pleasurable.
- Religion gives meaning.
Showing posts with label religion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label religion. Show all posts
Monday, August 18, 2014
Final Post
Thursday, November 15, 2012
A Great Life
I believe there are two aspects to a great life; meaning and pleasure. Meaning has to do with reason/thought part of being a human. Pleasure has to do with emotion/action part of being human.
Meaning:
What gives meaning to your life boils down to the choices you make in life. Religion/Philosophy/Worldview/Culture gives the foundation to make those choices. So, its critical to build that foundation. Whatever Religion you choose, it has to make sense to you and it should be something that you hopefully won't regret later in life. (I humbly propose a religion for your consideration.)
Pleasure:
What gives pleasure to you boils down to how much fun and peace you are having in life. Pleasure within boundaries of Meaning is obviously more meaningful than pleasure without meaning. Mindful engagement in indulged activity, Flow experiences and Deep Sleep are avenues to experience pleasure.
Prescription for a Great Life:
1. Do some serious thinking/exploring and settle down on a religion/worldview that will serve you well throughout your life. It should primarily serve as a guide when you are at crossroads.
2. Make very intentional, conscious choices in life guided by your Religion.
3. Execute those choices mindfully and if possible by having flow experiences.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Rational Empiricism - a religion for nonbelievers
What happens if you don't have a religion?
You conform unconsciously or get confused when you have to make choices in life. Looking back at such a wavering life could cause much distress. You might regret the lost opportunity and it may be too late to fix it.
What is a religion?
A religion is a set of guiding principles for making choices in life. Religion gives the person clarity to make those choices and to consciously decide where to spend their time and energy in this world. It facilitates the person to live a meaningful and pleasurable life and gives the strength to navigate through the painful times.
Does religion need a God?
Religion has to be based on some solid, unshakable foundation. Belief in a God and God's word or a God's messenger's word is one way to create a religion. One downside to such God-founded religion is that there are powerful middlemen interpreting the God's message and laying down rules for others to follow. A second problem is, at times practitioners of religion vilify other Gods and religions and cause communal disharmony. A more serious downside is the nature of faith itself; a faithful can't rationalize why he has faith but he has to always protect his faith. After living a long, devout life, if some incident suddenly converts him to a non-believer, then it invalidates a large portion of his life which would be quite devastating.
What is the foundation for Rational Empiricism?
Rational Empiricism is a non-theistic religion founded in reflecting and reasoning human experiences. Every human can testify to these two experiences; a) duality - that he exists and he is different from other things in Universe and b) causality - that there are causes for things to come into existence, causes for their sustenance and causes for them ceasing to exist. From these experiences, one can rationalize a definition for the Universe to be ''an interconnection of infinite, unique objects'. How?
1. Duality gives rise observation of objects
2. Duality also gives rise to distinction of self from other objects and to distinction of one unique object from another.
3. Duality also gives rise to observation of incomprehensible number of objects in Universe which gives rise to infinite, unique objects.
4. Causality indicates that these objects are interconnected as they continuously interact in space and time creating, sustaining and destroying each other.
Putting these concepts together, the definition of Universe as an interconnection of infinite, unique objects is justified. This definition of Universe forms the basis for the religion: Rational Empiricism.
What are the guiding principles of Rational Empiricism?
There are four guiding principles of Rational Empiricism interpreted from conception of Universe:
1. Principle of Uniqueness - Each human is unique, so is every other object in Universe.
2. Principle of Interconnectedness - Humans and other objects are interconnected to each other in complex ways.
3. Principle of Infiniteness - Each human (himself a collection of innumerable objects) and other seemingly infinite objects constitute the Universe.
4. Principle of Fitness - Each human is a person unless he is a corpse.
What is the promise of Rational Empiricism?
Rational Empiricism promises a meaningful and pleasurable life (pleasures within the boundaries of meaning) for the practitioner, a more peaceful and just society and a sustainable planet.
1. Principle of Uniqueness encourages expression of individual's unique passions and adding value through work and predicts that people do their best work in such environment.
2. Principle of Interconnectedness supports equality for all in the society and promotes scientific understanding of the interconnected world and policy making based on those findings and predicts that a human society in-sync with nature will thrive.
3. Principle of Infiniteness asserts that a sense of belonging and companionship is desired by every human in this seemingly infinite universe and predicts that love at home will give the recipient of love the strength to navigate through the tough times in life.
4. Principle of Fitness encourage physical and mental fitness while alive before other objects eventually figure out and transform him/her to dirt.
Will Rational Empiricism stand the test of time?
If we stop experiencing duality and causality, then Rational Empiricism can be discarded. But I am guessing that when that happens we won't any longer be humans, we would have evolved to a different species or we will be living in a new Universe.
Also, if we find new ways to rationalize duality and causality different from the way it is done in Rational Empiricism, then Rational Empiricism can be adapted and evolved to the new concepts. For instance, there are two fundamental mysteries of Universe that are purposely not dealt with in Rational Empiricism: a) What is the origin of Awareness? and b) What is the origin of Universe? Rational Empiricism doesn't bother answering these questions because these mysteries of the Universe doesn't negate our experience of duality and causality. However, if and when somebody presents rational answers to these questions and if that alters our conception of Universe, then we can evolve Rational Empiricism to the new concepts. Until then Rational Empiricism will be valid in its present form for humans.
You conform unconsciously or get confused when you have to make choices in life. Looking back at such a wavering life could cause much distress. You might regret the lost opportunity and it may be too late to fix it.
What is a religion?
A religion is a set of guiding principles for making choices in life. Religion gives the person clarity to make those choices and to consciously decide where to spend their time and energy in this world. It facilitates the person to live a meaningful and pleasurable life and gives the strength to navigate through the painful times.
Does religion need a God?
Religion has to be based on some solid, unshakable foundation. Belief in a God and God's word or a God's messenger's word is one way to create a religion. One downside to such God-founded religion is that there are powerful middlemen interpreting the God's message and laying down rules for others to follow. A second problem is, at times practitioners of religion vilify other Gods and religions and cause communal disharmony. A more serious downside is the nature of faith itself; a faithful can't rationalize why he has faith but he has to always protect his faith. After living a long, devout life, if some incident suddenly converts him to a non-believer, then it invalidates a large portion of his life which would be quite devastating.
What is the foundation for Rational Empiricism?
Rational Empiricism is a non-theistic religion founded in reflecting and reasoning human experiences. Every human can testify to these two experiences; a) duality - that he exists and he is different from other things in Universe and b) causality - that there are causes for things to come into existence, causes for their sustenance and causes for them ceasing to exist. From these experiences, one can rationalize a definition for the Universe to be ''an interconnection of infinite, unique objects'. How?
1. Duality gives rise observation of objects
2. Duality also gives rise to distinction of self from other objects and to distinction of one unique object from another.
3. Duality also gives rise to observation of incomprehensible number of objects in Universe which gives rise to infinite, unique objects.
4. Causality indicates that these objects are interconnected as they continuously interact in space and time creating, sustaining and destroying each other.
Putting these concepts together, the definition of Universe as an interconnection of infinite, unique objects is justified. This definition of Universe forms the basis for the religion: Rational Empiricism.
What are the guiding principles of Rational Empiricism?
There are four guiding principles of Rational Empiricism interpreted from conception of Universe:
1. Principle of Uniqueness - Each human is unique, so is every other object in Universe.
2. Principle of Interconnectedness - Humans and other objects are interconnected to each other in complex ways.
3. Principle of Infiniteness - Each human (himself a collection of innumerable objects) and other seemingly infinite objects constitute the Universe.
4. Principle of Fitness - Each human is a person unless he is a corpse.
What is the promise of Rational Empiricism?
Rational Empiricism promises a meaningful and pleasurable life (pleasures within the boundaries of meaning) for the practitioner, a more peaceful and just society and a sustainable planet.
1. Principle of Uniqueness encourages expression of individual's unique passions and adding value through work and predicts that people do their best work in such environment.
2. Principle of Interconnectedness supports equality for all in the society and promotes scientific understanding of the interconnected world and policy making based on those findings and predicts that a human society in-sync with nature will thrive.
3. Principle of Infiniteness asserts that a sense of belonging and companionship is desired by every human in this seemingly infinite universe and predicts that love at home will give the recipient of love the strength to navigate through the tough times in life.
4. Principle of Fitness encourage physical and mental fitness while alive before other objects eventually figure out and transform him/her to dirt.
Will Rational Empiricism stand the test of time?
If we stop experiencing duality and causality, then Rational Empiricism can be discarded. But I am guessing that when that happens we won't any longer be humans, we would have evolved to a different species or we will be living in a new Universe.
Also, if we find new ways to rationalize duality and causality different from the way it is done in Rational Empiricism, then Rational Empiricism can be adapted and evolved to the new concepts. For instance, there are two fundamental mysteries of Universe that are purposely not dealt with in Rational Empiricism: a) What is the origin of Awareness? and b) What is the origin of Universe? Rational Empiricism doesn't bother answering these questions because these mysteries of the Universe doesn't negate our experience of duality and causality. However, if and when somebody presents rational answers to these questions and if that alters our conception of Universe, then we can evolve Rational Empiricism to the new concepts. Until then Rational Empiricism will be valid in its present form for humans.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Different pieces of the puzzle
A quick summary of all the previous blogs:
==========================================
I started off the first blog post in this site on July 2008 with observations and questions about human's place and role in the Universe and how our incomplete knowledge of Universe causes uncertainty and consequently uneasiness in day-to-day life. I argued that incomplete knowledge is inevitable in a life of Duality as existential questions are beyond human knowledge. I initially thought the solution lied only in the domain of non-duality i.e. that there has to be a self annihilation; which happens naturally in dreamless sleep and in a state of flow. I soon realized a satisfactory solution is very much needed in the domain of duality as well, as we do spend substantial time outside the states of non-duality.
I argued that a philosophy for life in duality has to be synthesized to provide sails to navigate the seas of duality. Prevailing religions didn't appeal to me as they are based on an unseen God as their foundation. I am not wired to be a man of faith. I knew that any philosophy I synthesize won't comprise of 'absolute truths' of nature, but I wanted it to be at least complete, non-contradictory, elegant and rational based on human experience. The following philosophical framework is my take on the idea of god and a definition of a religion which will be a compass to live a life in duality. The hope for this is two-fold: a) that it gives me clarity in life, that it would serve as an anchor and rudder in predominantly a life of duality and b) that it would help others like me who are traveling a similar path.
Philosophical framework for life in duality:
============================================
Non-essential
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. God - universe
Although God is non-essential in this philosophical framework, the concept of God demands clarification. God is generally considered as the being that created Universe. God outside of Universe is unimaginable. God inside (part) of Universe is finite and hence unacceptable. What is approachable is the idea that God is indistinguishable from Universe. Consequently, a reverence for everything in the cosmos is reasonable.
Essential
~~~~~~~~~
2. Religion - practice this; respect everything, contribute every day, love along the way
Religion is a guide to life. The necessary characteristic of religion is it should be unshakable over your lifetime. If you become skeptical over its fundamental precepts, then it can't serve as a guide any more.
practice: Internalizing and expertise requires mindful practice. Practice; duality imposes you to act, which you can do good job of with practice.
respect: All things in existence are equal by virtue of their existence, hence all things (animate/inanimate) deem respect. Respect everything; self-respect is an intrinsic right. Threads: Intrinsic, Self, Objective, Community, Laws & Justice, Non-judgment => Equality, Scope for Meaning.
contribute: Contribute as you consume much from this world, only that is fair. Contribute everyday; self-value is created when you create value in the world. Threads: Extrinsic, Other, Subjective, Personal, Economics & Value, Education => Employment, Scope for Flow.
love: Deep, meaningful social relationships are needed to avoid feeling lonely. Love along the way; self-love is a gift that you receive when you receive love. Threads: Holistic, Mutual, Relative, Inter-Personal, Sociology & Nurture, Parenting => Family, Scope for Positive emotions.
The progression is: respect < value < love. Ideally; everyone will respect you, some will value you, a few will love you.
3. Pleasure - Practicing a religion that makes sense to you gives meaning to life. If the quality of our experiences going through life are also pleasurable to us, then that is the icing on the cake. Just seeking pleasure without meaning is an empty, unsatisfactory life and on the other hand just having a meaningful life without enjoying it is unsatisfactory as well. So, the formula for a great life, a happy life is a concoction of meaning and pleasure.
Summary
~~~~~~~~
A meaningful+pleasurable day for a human would be as follows:
1. being in an environment where everyone's treated with dignity and equal rights are upheld and there is a compassionate social net for young and old people without a family
2. having flow experiences at work and being appreciated for the good work
3. receiving immense love from and having fun with family and friends
4. having a very restful, dreamless, great night's sleep
Most humans, however have a sub-optimal experience:
1. There are still sections of society that are discriminated even in most countries. Most countries don't give all its citizens even their basic rights. We still have homeless on our streets. We are just scratching the surface on rights of non-human entities.
2. Most people's skills and strengths don't sync up with the education they get or the jobs they do. So, they drudge through their workday instead of enjoying it and being creative at it.
3. Many don't have the social skills to be in a loving relationship, raising a family, giving unrequited love to their children, making genuine friends and having fun.
4. May be the sub-optimal experience of human lives reflects on the sub-optimal quality of sleep we have in the nights?
-
==========================================
I started off the first blog post in this site on July 2008 with observations and questions about human's place and role in the Universe and how our incomplete knowledge of Universe causes uncertainty and consequently uneasiness in day-to-day life. I argued that incomplete knowledge is inevitable in a life of Duality as existential questions are beyond human knowledge. I initially thought the solution lied only in the domain of non-duality i.e. that there has to be a self annihilation; which happens naturally in dreamless sleep and in a state of flow. I soon realized a satisfactory solution is very much needed in the domain of duality as well, as we do spend substantial time outside the states of non-duality.
I argued that a philosophy for life in duality has to be synthesized to provide sails to navigate the seas of duality. Prevailing religions didn't appeal to me as they are based on an unseen God as their foundation. I am not wired to be a man of faith. I knew that any philosophy I synthesize won't comprise of 'absolute truths' of nature, but I wanted it to be at least complete, non-contradictory, elegant and rational based on human experience. The following philosophical framework is my take on the idea of god and a definition of a religion which will be a compass to live a life in duality. The hope for this is two-fold: a) that it gives me clarity in life, that it would serve as an anchor and rudder in predominantly a life of duality and b) that it would help others like me who are traveling a similar path.
Philosophical framework for life in duality:
============================================
Non-essential
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. God - universe
Although God is non-essential in this philosophical framework, the concept of God demands clarification. God is generally considered as the being that created Universe. God outside of Universe is unimaginable. God inside (part) of Universe is finite and hence unacceptable. What is approachable is the idea that God is indistinguishable from Universe. Consequently, a reverence for everything in the cosmos is reasonable.
Essential
~~~~~~~~~
2. Religion - practice this; respect everything, contribute every day, love along the way
Religion is a guide to life. The necessary characteristic of religion is it should be unshakable over your lifetime. If you become skeptical over its fundamental precepts, then it can't serve as a guide any more.
practice: Internalizing and expertise requires mindful practice. Practice; duality imposes you to act, which you can do good job of with practice.
respect: All things in existence are equal by virtue of their existence, hence all things (animate/inanimate) deem respect. Respect everything; self-respect is an intrinsic right. Threads: Intrinsic, Self, Objective, Community, Laws & Justice, Non-judgment => Equality, Scope for Meaning.
contribute: Contribute as you consume much from this world, only that is fair. Contribute everyday; self-value is created when you create value in the world. Threads: Extrinsic, Other, Subjective, Personal, Economics & Value, Education => Employment, Scope for Flow.
love: Deep, meaningful social relationships are needed to avoid feeling lonely. Love along the way; self-love is a gift that you receive when you receive love. Threads: Holistic, Mutual, Relative, Inter-Personal, Sociology & Nurture, Parenting => Family, Scope for Positive emotions.
The progression is: respect < value < love. Ideally; everyone will respect you, some will value you, a few will love you.
3. Pleasure - Practicing a religion that makes sense to you gives meaning to life. If the quality of our experiences going through life are also pleasurable to us, then that is the icing on the cake. Just seeking pleasure without meaning is an empty, unsatisfactory life and on the other hand just having a meaningful life without enjoying it is unsatisfactory as well. So, the formula for a great life, a happy life is a concoction of meaning and pleasure.
Summary
~~~~~~~~
A meaningful+pleasurable day for a human would be as follows:
1. being in an environment where everyone's treated with dignity and equal rights are upheld and there is a compassionate social net for young and old people without a family
2. having flow experiences at work and being appreciated for the good work
3. receiving immense love from and having fun with family and friends
4. having a very restful, dreamless, great night's sleep
Most humans, however have a sub-optimal experience:
1. There are still sections of society that are discriminated even in most countries. Most countries don't give all its citizens even their basic rights. We still have homeless on our streets. We are just scratching the surface on rights of non-human entities.
2. Most people's skills and strengths don't sync up with the education they get or the jobs they do. So, they drudge through their workday instead of enjoying it and being creative at it.
3. Many don't have the social skills to be in a loving relationship, raising a family, giving unrequited love to their children, making genuine friends and having fun.
4. May be the sub-optimal experience of human lives reflects on the sub-optimal quality of sleep we have in the nights?
-
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Living In Duality
Abandon the search for Absolute, Synthesize a Point-of-Reference
Although we experience duality, we are unable to satisfactorily understand the truths about duality. Our deepest craving is to know the unsublatable truths about origin, nature, purpose etc of duality. Neither Religion nor Philosophy or Science has provided us with unambiguous and irreplaceable answers.
| Concept | Religion | Philosophy | Science |
| Existence | Existence was created by God. | The ground of existence is the transcendental, timeless, ultimate reality. | Big-bang is a popular origin theory. The ground of existence is some fundamental particle. |
| Self | You are not God. | The self immediately evident to you is non-different from the ultimate reality. | The self is a product of brain’s processes. |
| Path to Truth/God | Live a life of faith following scripture to approach God in after-life. | Cultivate mental poise that is conducive for realization of the truth. | Look forward to better theories to explain reality. |
All the three approaches; religion, philosophy and science agree on the presence of Existence but differ on its origin and nature. All the three agree on a self but differ on its nature. All the three agree that it is a process to obtain the truth and not immediately available to anyone at any time. So, our answer to questions about duality is: we don’t have unsublatable truths to understand duality at the moment.
If we look closely at the proposed paths towards truth, one way is to live a life of faith by following a religion. Another way is to live with noble ideals of an ascetic/monk which is required for mental poise as rationalized by the Philosophy. Yet another way is to pursue a career in fundamental physics or neuroscience to better understand the fundamental particle or the brain respectively. Some folks of faith may indeed pursue the above paths in search of absolute truths (rather than as a profession to make a living). But for most people, it is not very convincing just because of the lack of communicable proofs.
In this blog, I present a logical solution to only those people (including myself) who cannot commit themselves to the paths proposed by religion, philosophy or science. It’s based on the fact that life continues even without figuring out the so-called absolute truths. In light of that fact, it seems to me that the sensible thing to do would be to continue living life in duality and forget about the quest for truth. If the question arises in mind, be aware of it and ignore it. Move on and do the usual stuff. Ignore existential questions, indulge in duality is the mantra. However, can this be done?
Without the unsublatable truth there is no real point of reference for life in duality. Nothing is right/wrong, good/bad, better/worse unless there is a point of reference. Without a point of reference, living in duality is miserable as there is no way to form ethics and rules for decision-making when faced with choices etc. Metaphorically speaking, we need a map when we are lost.
A point-of-reference is an over-arching set of ideas that would explain in a very broad stroke all the happenings in duality. This set of ideas is knowledge we create by reflection on experiences in duality and are not equivalent to the intangible, absolute truths. Such a point-of-reference is our map; it should explain all the happenings of duality in a satisfactory way for us to lead a life in duality with a certain peace of mind. So, a point of reference has to be synthesized by us if we are to relinquish the quest for absolute truth.
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