Some are of the view that matter alone is ultimately true as it
is empirical, objective and verifiable. The Self which is endowed
with consciousness is an effect of matter. So they do not accept
the conscious self (or the soul) as an entity different from matter.
As matter evolves by itself and creates all the conscious beings
consciousness should arise from matter. There is no need to
accept some unseen God as the cause for all entities made of
matter and consciousness.
Religious believers, on the other hand, accept the existence of
an eternal self/soul as an entity different from the body or matter.
So belief in life after death resulting in heaven or hell, naturally
follows. Also there arises a need to believe in a creator/controller
God, as a witness for all individual actions and dispenser of justice.
Obviously, this belief in God as a justice dispenser, has to be based
on faith due to lack of evidence.
It is also well known that it is very hard to either prove or disprove
the existence of God as the creator of the universe, based on pure logic.
But still many thinkers are of the view that consciousness is a product
or consequence or epi-phenomenon of matter and therefore intelligent
people need not take religion and God seriously.
Reply from a Vedic Hindu:
Matter cannot be accepted as the cause for consciousness for
the following reasons:
1. Every individual self/being is a knower or experiencer who
knows or experiences through the medium of the senses or body.
The experiencing self is endowed with consciousness which is
the "light" or power with which everything is known. So it is
self-luminous, while the body including the sense organs are made
of matter which is inert - meaning it has no consciousness.
Our own eyes for example is only an instrument and it will not
"see" anything and so it has no consciousness of it's own.
On the other hand the individual self endowed with consciousness
"Sees" and experiences through the instrument of the eyes. The same
argument applies to all other sense organs and also the body as a whole
which is a product of matter. So body or matter is inert as opposed to
the Self which is endowed with consciousness. The nature of the cause
cannot be diametrically opposite to the effect. Darkness cannot create
light. So inert matter cannot be the cause for consciousness.
2. The Conscious Self always remains as a witness for matter
which is always changing. The Self that witnesses change must
be unchanging. So they both cannot be the same.
3. True to it's name, the individual Conscious Self is always singular
and cannot be divided further, while matter even in its minutest
sub-atomic level is always heterogeneous.
4. Everything in space/time is changing and as a witness of
change the conscious Self always remains as the unchanging
absolute. Everything else in space-time is relative. In other words,
the Self that shines in all being, defies space/time/matter.
To say that matter or nature alone is the cause for one's
existence amounts to saying mud alone is the cause for the pot.
Mud cannot become a pot by itself. So exclusively materialistic
view is not complete. Religions in general believe that God
is the intelligent or efficient cause for the universe just like
a potter is for a pot. This is also not complete as God as only the
efficient cause becomes dependent on material nature for creation.
In the Vedas, God is defined as both the material and efficient
cause in the form of the all pervading and indwelling Self of both
the subjective self (purusha) and material nature (prakrithi).
God as the indwelling unchanging Self of all is the
source/abode/destination of all name/forms.
Objection 1:
The claim that consciousness is unchanging is hard to accept.
Our awareness and liking and so on keeps changing over time.
So consciousness can change. There is nothing that is constant.
Answer:
This is the classic Buddhist view where everything including
the self is changing and therefore ultimately nothing really
exists. Everything is unreal.
The above statement contradicts or cancels itself because the
claim that everything is unreal itself becomes unreal. The denier
of everything cannot deny himself. So indirectly it is supporting
the Vedic view that the Self of the denier is real.
Consciousness as a witness of all changes in space/time is also
a witness to the changes in one's awareness or liking. So it is
unaffected by any change.
Objection 2:
Body/Brain is made up of matter. It is seen that when the
body or Brain is damaged consciousness is affected or lost.
This proves that consciousness is absolutely dependent on
matter and that supports material causality right?
Answer:
Electricity is not lost when the bulb is destroyed.
Body/Mind/Memory/Intelligence/Ego are considered material and they
may get affected due to body/brain damage. But pure consciousness
is different and it will not be affected by any material change.
In the deep sleep / coma state consciousness is deeply withdrawn.
Some such thing happens when there is body/brain damage or death.
It reveals itself when brain/mind/body are functioning normally.
Objection 3:
If matter and consciousness are two different entities then they
both remain as two separate entities with no relation between them.
But every human perception and experience proves the coming together
of both. How is this relation between two dis-similar entities possible?
Answers:
This is the classic problem of Sankhya where only two
realities of subject (conscious self) and object (matter) are
accepted. As they are two separate realities they can never make
contact and so perception cannot be explained in Sankhya.
But Vedic Hindu view resolves this problem by identifying God or
Brahman, endowed with the power of Maya (inexplicable energy),
as the "connecting link" between the subject and object. Brahman
pervades and indwells in both the subject and object as the supreme
Self thereby enabling all perception and experience. Thus the
entire universe is the body of God or Brahman which literally
stands for that which is the biggest.
Just like every individual self is identified through the body,
God or Brahman is identified through the universe.
Perception involving the relation between consciousness and
matter cannot be explained without recognizing Brahman or
God as the connecting third reality who indwells in both
as the inner Self (paramAtma).
Vedic world view explained:
As Brahman is the inner Self of all, the entire universe is His body.
The difference and relation between Brahman and the universe is exactly
similar to the individual self and body. So every individual self is
said to be a reflection of Brahman - the Universal Self.
So for all practical purposes the entire universe is the personality
of God. All that is there in the Vedic Hindu religion can be deduced
based on this algorithm of Soul-body relation.
Absolute dependence on this universal God for our existence cannot
be denied by anyone, including atheists and believers of other
religions. So having faith in God who is manifesting verily as this
universe is so simple, profound and immediately verifiable than
faith in a remote God far removed from the universe.
Every being is individually related to this universal Vedic God
just like a baby in the womb is related to the mother. The vital
connection of the breath is the umbilical cord. The interdependence
among all the many beings in the world also proves the integral or
spiritual oneness of the apparent diversity.
Every part of the individual human body are engaging in their respective
duty or function in total unison and co-operation with others parts,
for the overall good of the being. In the same way all the many
humans with different nature and capabilities, who are like various
parts of the universal body of God, are encouraged to engage in
their respective duties according to their nature and ability, in unison
with others for the overall well being of the universe as a whole
which ultimately culminates as a service onto God, manifesting as the
universe. Thus the institution of varnashrama dharma and the
phenomenon of yagya or sacrifice or selfless service as the basis for
morality, which are unique to vedas gets justified with this view.
Every individual human action performed as part of the varnashrama
dharma for others and oneself, is thus a yagya or worship onto
the God indwelling in others as well as oneself, respectively.
This kind of action in the form of yagya or sacrifice or selfless
service performed for the good of others, alone is liberating as
opposed to actions performed just for one's own selfish benefit,
ignoring or at the cost of others, is binding.
Every entity in the universe like the five elements, Sun, moon,
planets, stars, mountains, rivers and so on are all teaching this
sanatana dharma as they are spontaneously offering themselves in
sustaining the world of beings. There is no selfishness anywhere
in the world. Thus God in the form of the universe is teaching by
example, by himself engaging in selfless service through all the
many entities in nature. But humans have a choice whether to engage
in dharma or selfless service or not and so reap the fruits of their
actions good or bad accordingly.
All beings endowed with some consciousness always like to
exist/explore/enjoy for ever. No being likes to die or suffer or
get imprisoned. This proves that essentially conscious Self is eternal,
joyful and free. But in the embodied state this nature of the self
gets limited according to the nature of the body. The final purpose
of spirituality is to rise above these body/mind limitations and
regain back one's true nature of absolute freedom and joy due to
inseparable relation with the absolute Brahman.
As explained earlier, every perception establishes the relation between
the subject (sentient self) and object (inert matter). A unique third
entity is a must to explain the relation between self and matter.
Brahman or the Self of the universe that pervades and indwells in all
is that third entity! Every "individual self" is inseparably rooted
in that universal Self just like spark in the fire or a drop in the
ocean. It is impossible to separately identify the drop from the
ocean. That ocean is Brahman established as the essential Self of all,
which always remains indubitable and undeniable.
This Self that abides in all is very intriguing and always remains
as the unchanging absolute in relation to changing realities in the
spatio-temporal world. The final point here is that the identification
of every name/form must culminate in this non-dual God having
the entire universe as His body. The Vedic name Narayana literally
means that supreme being in whom everything exists and vice versa.
Every other religious or even materialistic view ends up only as an
approximation to this infinite all encompassing Vedic view.
Namaste
Suresh
is empirical, objective and verifiable. The Self which is endowed
with consciousness is an effect of matter. So they do not accept
the conscious self (or the soul) as an entity different from matter.
As matter evolves by itself and creates all the conscious beings
consciousness should arise from matter. There is no need to
accept some unseen God as the cause for all entities made of
matter and consciousness.
Religious believers, on the other hand, accept the existence of
an eternal self/soul as an entity different from the body or matter.
So belief in life after death resulting in heaven or hell, naturally
follows. Also there arises a need to believe in a creator/controller
God, as a witness for all individual actions and dispenser of justice.
Obviously, this belief in God as a justice dispenser, has to be based
on faith due to lack of evidence.
It is also well known that it is very hard to either prove or disprove
the existence of God as the creator of the universe, based on pure logic.
But still many thinkers are of the view that consciousness is a product
or consequence or epi-phenomenon of matter and therefore intelligent
people need not take religion and God seriously.
Reply from a Vedic Hindu:
Matter cannot be accepted as the cause for consciousness for
the following reasons:
1. Every individual self/being is a knower or experiencer who
knows or experiences through the medium of the senses or body.
The experiencing self is endowed with consciousness which is
the "light" or power with which everything is known. So it is
self-luminous, while the body including the sense organs are made
of matter which is inert - meaning it has no consciousness.
Our own eyes for example is only an instrument and it will not
"see" anything and so it has no consciousness of it's own.
On the other hand the individual self endowed with consciousness
"Sees" and experiences through the instrument of the eyes. The same
argument applies to all other sense organs and also the body as a whole
which is a product of matter. So body or matter is inert as opposed to
the Self which is endowed with consciousness. The nature of the cause
cannot be diametrically opposite to the effect. Darkness cannot create
light. So inert matter cannot be the cause for consciousness.
2. The Conscious Self always remains as a witness for matter
which is always changing. The Self that witnesses change must
be unchanging. So they both cannot be the same.
3. True to it's name, the individual Conscious Self is always singular
and cannot be divided further, while matter even in its minutest
sub-atomic level is always heterogeneous.
4. Everything in space/time is changing and as a witness of
change the conscious Self always remains as the unchanging
absolute. Everything else in space-time is relative. In other words,
the Self that shines in all being, defies space/time/matter.
To say that matter or nature alone is the cause for one's
existence amounts to saying mud alone is the cause for the pot.
Mud cannot become a pot by itself. So exclusively materialistic
view is not complete. Religions in general believe that God
is the intelligent or efficient cause for the universe just like
a potter is for a pot. This is also not complete as God as only the
efficient cause becomes dependent on material nature for creation.
In the Vedas, God is defined as both the material and efficient
cause in the form of the all pervading and indwelling Self of both
the subjective self (purusha) and material nature (prakrithi).
God as the indwelling unchanging Self of all is the
source/abode/destination of all name/forms.
Objection 1:
The claim that consciousness is unchanging is hard to accept.
Our awareness and liking and so on keeps changing over time.
So consciousness can change. There is nothing that is constant.
Answer:
This is the classic Buddhist view where everything including
the self is changing and therefore ultimately nothing really
exists. Everything is unreal.
The above statement contradicts or cancels itself because the
claim that everything is unreal itself becomes unreal. The denier
of everything cannot deny himself. So indirectly it is supporting
the Vedic view that the Self of the denier is real.
Consciousness as a witness of all changes in space/time is also
a witness to the changes in one's awareness or liking. So it is
unaffected by any change.
Objection 2:
Body/Brain is made up of matter. It is seen that when the
body or Brain is damaged consciousness is affected or lost.
This proves that consciousness is absolutely dependent on
matter and that supports material causality right?
Answer:
Electricity is not lost when the bulb is destroyed.
Body/Mind/Memory/Intelligence/Ego are considered material and they
may get affected due to body/brain damage. But pure consciousness
is different and it will not be affected by any material change.
In the deep sleep / coma state consciousness is deeply withdrawn.
Some such thing happens when there is body/brain damage or death.
It reveals itself when brain/mind/body are functioning normally.
Objection 3:
If matter and consciousness are two different entities then they
both remain as two separate entities with no relation between them.
But every human perception and experience proves the coming together
of both. How is this relation between two dis-similar entities possible?
Answers:
This is the classic problem of Sankhya where only two
realities of subject (conscious self) and object (matter) are
accepted. As they are two separate realities they can never make
contact and so perception cannot be explained in Sankhya.
But Vedic Hindu view resolves this problem by identifying God or
Brahman, endowed with the power of Maya (inexplicable energy),
as the "connecting link" between the subject and object. Brahman
pervades and indwells in both the subject and object as the supreme
Self thereby enabling all perception and experience. Thus the
entire universe is the body of God or Brahman which literally
stands for that which is the biggest.
Just like every individual self is identified through the body,
God or Brahman is identified through the universe.
Perception involving the relation between consciousness and
matter cannot be explained without recognizing Brahman or
God as the connecting third reality who indwells in both
as the inner Self (paramAtma).
Vedic world view explained:
As Brahman is the inner Self of all, the entire universe is His body.
The difference and relation between Brahman and the universe is exactly
similar to the individual self and body. So every individual self is
said to be a reflection of Brahman - the Universal Self.
So for all practical purposes the entire universe is the personality
of God. All that is there in the Vedic Hindu religion can be deduced
based on this algorithm of Soul-body relation.
Absolute dependence on this universal God for our existence cannot
be denied by anyone, including atheists and believers of other
religions. So having faith in God who is manifesting verily as this
universe is so simple, profound and immediately verifiable than
faith in a remote God far removed from the universe.
Every being is individually related to this universal Vedic God
just like a baby in the womb is related to the mother. The vital
connection of the breath is the umbilical cord. The interdependence
among all the many beings in the world also proves the integral or
spiritual oneness of the apparent diversity.
Every part of the individual human body are engaging in their respective
duty or function in total unison and co-operation with others parts,
for the overall good of the being. In the same way all the many
humans with different nature and capabilities, who are like various
parts of the universal body of God, are encouraged to engage in
their respective duties according to their nature and ability, in unison
with others for the overall well being of the universe as a whole
which ultimately culminates as a service onto God, manifesting as the
universe. Thus the institution of varnashrama dharma and the
phenomenon of yagya or sacrifice or selfless service as the basis for
morality, which are unique to vedas gets justified with this view.
Every individual human action performed as part of the varnashrama
dharma for others and oneself, is thus a yagya or worship onto
the God indwelling in others as well as oneself, respectively.
This kind of action in the form of yagya or sacrifice or selfless
service performed for the good of others, alone is liberating as
opposed to actions performed just for one's own selfish benefit,
ignoring or at the cost of others, is binding.
Every entity in the universe like the five elements, Sun, moon,
planets, stars, mountains, rivers and so on are all teaching this
sanatana dharma as they are spontaneously offering themselves in
sustaining the world of beings. There is no selfishness anywhere
in the world. Thus God in the form of the universe is teaching by
example, by himself engaging in selfless service through all the
many entities in nature. But humans have a choice whether to engage
in dharma or selfless service or not and so reap the fruits of their
actions good or bad accordingly.
All beings endowed with some consciousness always like to
exist/explore/enjoy for ever. No being likes to die or suffer or
get imprisoned. This proves that essentially conscious Self is eternal,
joyful and free. But in the embodied state this nature of the self
gets limited according to the nature of the body. The final purpose
of spirituality is to rise above these body/mind limitations and
regain back one's true nature of absolute freedom and joy due to
inseparable relation with the absolute Brahman.
As explained earlier, every perception establishes the relation between
the subject (sentient self) and object (inert matter). A unique third
entity is a must to explain the relation between self and matter.
Brahman or the Self of the universe that pervades and indwells in all
is that third entity! Every "individual self" is inseparably rooted
in that universal Self just like spark in the fire or a drop in the
ocean. It is impossible to separately identify the drop from the
ocean. That ocean is Brahman established as the essential Self of all,
which always remains indubitable and undeniable.
This Self that abides in all is very intriguing and always remains
as the unchanging absolute in relation to changing realities in the
spatio-temporal world. The final point here is that the identification
of every name/form must culminate in this non-dual God having
the entire universe as His body. The Vedic name Narayana literally
means that supreme being in whom everything exists and vice versa.
Every other religious or even materialistic view ends up only as an
approximation to this infinite all encompassing Vedic view.
Namaste
Suresh
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