Thank you for taking out time to think about the philosophy of life. To inquire about the truth is really the purpose of human life because that is what distinguishes us from animals who seem to not have that cognitive capacity. That you're doing so is really encouraging.
Abstract or subjective experiences like love are not quantifiable but their symptoms, such as a couple holding hands, are. On that basis love is real even to the hard-core empiricist. This is indeed the very same argument we can use to conclude that the soul, or jiva, and the Supreme soul, or God, are also real, because while we cannot perceive them with our material senses, we can perceive their symptoms, namely, consciousness in the body & the intelligent workings of nature, respectively. In fact, the entire physical manifestation seems to be endowed with so much intelligent complexity and ultimately design, that it is hard to deny the workings of an intelligence behind nature.
Abstract or subjective experiences like love are not quantifiable but their symptoms, such as a couple holding hands, are. On that basis love is real even to the hard-core empiricist. This is indeed the very same argument we can use to conclude that the soul, or jiva, and the Supreme soul, or God, are also real, because while we cannot perceive them with our material senses, we can perceive their symptoms, namely, consciousness in the body & the intelligent workings of nature, respectively. In fact, the entire physical manifestation seems to be endowed with so much intelligent complexity and ultimately design, that it is hard to deny the workings of an intelligence behind nature.
"Every one who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of the Universe -- a spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one in the face of which we with our modest powers must feel humble. In this way the pursuit of science leads to a religious feeling of a special sort, which is indeed quite different from the religiosity of someone more naive." - Albert Einstein
Another verifiable symptom of the existence of a Supreme being is our own existence. We cannot deny that we exist, for how else would we be pondering our existence? However, we also know that everything that is physical about us is constantly changing, in other words it doesn't last. If we strip ourselves of all our perishable faculties, tags, labels, packaging, et all, then what we are left with is who we are. Upon doing so we find that the only lasting thing about our experience is that we are conscious throughout all the fluctuation of body & mind.This unchanging, conscious character is the symptom of all life -- of spirit -- and is what we are. Now that we have established that we are each a spark of consciousness, and we exist, where do we come from? We are finite and in our experience, all finite things come from something else. So being finite sparks of consciousness, we must come from some ultimate source. Our source however, must also possess consciousness in order to impart it to us. Inherent in this argument is the assumption that the possessor of consciousness or soul is a fundamental (indivisible) unit of existence. And so we can figure that we (the spiritual spark or jiva) come from a reservoir of consciousness. Thus we arrive at an ultimate source of consciousness, that possesses consciousness, as being necessary for our own existence as conscious beings. Thus we have arrived at a purely intellectual understanding of the existence God.
However, reductionists and materialists will tell you that all this order, including our own selves, arose randomly because of some fluctuation in a field of quantum energy that is ever existing.
So here are essentially two paradigms, neither of which can be empirically proven, one points to a conscious source and another to an unconscious material source. We can't empirically prove that the quantum field of our origin, which exists within time & space, is ever existing and doesn't itself have its source in an intelligent consciousness, God. Neither can we empirically prove God, since by definition He is a spiritual being, exists outside of material time & space, and isn’t made of matter which has a beginning & end. In other words God does not possess a material body, so how can we hope to see him with material senses and material instruments? Implied in this argument is that spirit cannot be perceived directly by the material senses that we possess. But the Vedas teach that if we uncover our spiritual senses through spiritual practice, the hypothesis is that we can then truly perceive God; something that sages and saints across time and from all paths have claimed. Are they all lying? In either case, our origin cannot be empirically proven, and so in order to find out our origin we must search out an alternative or non-empirical paradigm that does, at least claim, to provide us the experience of the Absolute Truth, the Fountainhead of existence.
The Vedic or Yogic paradigm is one such paradigm. And what distinguishes the Vedic paradigm from others is that it is inclusive of all genuine religious processes and is non-sectarian. And this is because it has in-built, a system of "peer-review". If a particular practice/book/teaching that claims to deepen our experience of God is presented to the Vedic teachers, they accept or reject it on the basis of its merit (on how effective it is in bringing about God-consciousness) and not on the basis of which religion it springs from. That is why we see a variety of spiritual practices and processes present and encouraged in the Vedic or Bhakti-yoga system (from prayer which is central to the abrahamic faiths, to deity worship which is present in the traditions of the ancient world, to meditation which is found in the religions of the East and spiritual sacrifices which are also found in many ancient traditions, amongst others.)
More on the Vedic paradigm in future posts!
Another verifiable symptom of the existence of a Supreme being is our own existence. We cannot deny that we exist, for how else would we be pondering our existence? However, we also know that everything that is physical about us is constantly changing, in other words it doesn't last. If we strip ourselves of all our perishable faculties, tags, labels, packaging, et all, then what we are left with is who we are. Upon doing so we find that the only lasting thing about our experience is that we are conscious throughout all the fluctuation of body & mind.This unchanging, conscious character is the symptom of all life -- of spirit -- and is what we are. Now that we have established that we are each a spark of consciousness, and we exist, where do we come from? We are finite and in our experience, all finite things come from something else. So being finite sparks of consciousness, we must come from some ultimate source. Our source however, must also possess consciousness in order to impart it to us. Inherent in this argument is the assumption that the possessor of consciousness or soul is a fundamental (indivisible) unit of existence. And so we can figure that we (the spiritual spark or jiva) come from a reservoir of consciousness. Thus we arrive at an ultimate source of consciousness, that possesses consciousness, as being necessary for our own existence as conscious beings. Thus we have arrived at a purely intellectual understanding of the existence God.
However, reductionists and materialists will tell you that all this order, including our own selves, arose randomly because of some fluctuation in a field of quantum energy that is ever existing.
So here are essentially two paradigms, neither of which can be empirically proven, one points to a conscious source and another to an unconscious material source. We can't empirically prove that the quantum field of our origin, which exists within time & space, is ever existing and doesn't itself have its source in an intelligent consciousness, God. Neither can we empirically prove God, since by definition He is a spiritual being, exists outside of material time & space, and isn’t made of matter which has a beginning & end. In other words God does not possess a material body, so how can we hope to see him with material senses and material instruments? Implied in this argument is that spirit cannot be perceived directly by the material senses that we possess. But the Vedas teach that if we uncover our spiritual senses through spiritual practice, the hypothesis is that we can then truly perceive God; something that sages and saints across time and from all paths have claimed. Are they all lying? In either case, our origin cannot be empirically proven, and so in order to find out our origin we must search out an alternative or non-empirical paradigm that does, at least claim, to provide us the experience of the Absolute Truth, the Fountainhead of existence.
The Vedic or Yogic paradigm is one such paradigm. And what distinguishes the Vedic paradigm from others is that it is inclusive of all genuine religious processes and is non-sectarian. And this is because it has in-built, a system of "peer-review". If a particular practice/book/teaching that claims to deepen our experience of God is presented to the Vedic teachers, they accept or reject it on the basis of its merit (on how effective it is in bringing about God-consciousness) and not on the basis of which religion it springs from. That is why we see a variety of spiritual practices and processes present and encouraged in the Vedic or Bhakti-yoga system (from prayer which is central to the abrahamic faiths, to deity worship which is present in the traditions of the ancient world, to meditation which is found in the religions of the East and spiritual sacrifices which are also found in many ancient traditions, amongst others.)
More on the Vedic paradigm in future posts!
