The mage, the prophet and the nuclear bomb Ancient Cosmology Why miracles are not miraculous.
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Transcript of The mage, the prophet and the nuclear bomb Ancient Cosmology Why miracles are not miraculous.
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The mage, the prophet and the nuclear bomb
The mage, the prophet and the nuclear bomb
Ancient Cosmology
Why miracles are not miraculous
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View of the universe in ancient
cultures• To over-generalize a little, the cosmologies of ancient religions (e.g. Hinduism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, aboriginal beliefs, Egyptian religion) share certain similarities:
• Primacy of consciousness--a conscious being (s) or force (s) as the creative agent of the universe
• This naturally leads to the primacy of conscious thought in creation--the word
• The existence in human beings of an immaterial principle
• The ability of man to commune with a Consciousness and Being above himself
• The ability of man to grow in consciousness
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Primacy of Consciousness
• In the modern world, it is widely believed that the human consciousness is a result of the human brain and body
• This is in fact a view almost never held in most ancient religions
• Their view is that human consciousness is the result of an immaterial principle, e.g. the spirit (this will vary from religion to religion)
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Primacy of Consciousness
• Matter is not viewed as being the cause of consciousness
• A conscious force or agent is the cause of matter• In Christianity for instance, God created the
universe, in Hinduism, the Supreme Principle (Brahman) created/manifested the cosmos
• As such, it is not surprising that different forms of consciousness, whether the human mind or the Divine Mind, can shape and affect the physical universe
• This is affected by a combination of the thought (word) and the will
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The Immaterial Principle
• Most ancient religions accept some principle in man that transcends matter and in some sense reflects or partakes of divinity
• Hindus call it the Atman, the Self, the divine principle in the deepest heart of man
• And as we have seen, Christianity and Judaism believe that man is created in the image of God
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Communion with the Supreme
• Both Hinduism and Christianity believe that because of man’s link to the Supreme Consciousness/Energy, it is possible for man to have some kind of link or relationship with Him/Her/It
• Indeed, many ancient religions believe in the possibility of an intimate closeness of man with this Supreme Consciousness
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Growth in consciousness
• Hinduism is typical among ancient religions in believing in different forms/levels of consciousness (Sri Aurobindo 1999 ‘The Secret of the Veda’, 373)
• Indeed, Hinduism has an elaborate system that divides the universe into various ‘levels’ or dimensions, each having a different form of consciousness
• The whole universe is envisaged like a ladder or mystic staircase
• This cosmology is described in Hinduism oldest scriptures: the Vedas (knowledge, tradition, teaching)
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What do you think is primary? Matter or consciousness?
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The Vedic Cosmology
• Lowest level: Bhur, the material world, the physical universe. The lowest and most ignorant form of consciousness.
• Examples include the consciousness of stones
• Yet it is also the evolutionary plane that contains all the planes
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The Vedic Cosmology
• 2nd level: Antariksha, the mid-level world, the world of life, the elan vital
• Animals and plants will be stuck in this level of consciousness
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The Vedic Cosmology
• 3rd level: Dyaus, the ‘heavens’, the world of mind and intelligence
• This consciousness is shared by both men and the devas (shining ones,somewhat like angels)
• 4th level: Swar, the highest and supreme heaven of satyam-ritam-brihat (the truth, the right, the vast) Man can grow from his poor and darkened consciousness (the lower dyaus) to the higher dyaus, and even reach this stage
• 5th level: Sat-Chit-Ananda (Being, Consciousness, Bliss)-the home of God, the highest of the highest worlds
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• Experience of a modern Rishi: Sri Ramakrishna
(1836-1886)
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• ヤ One day I saw that, through Samadhi, my mind was going up by a luminous path. Going beyond the gross world studded with the sun, the moon and the stars, it entered first of all into the subtle world of ideas.
• The more it began to ascend to subtler and subtler strata of that realm, the more did I see beautiful ideal forms of deities existing on both sides of the path. It came gradually to the last extremity of that region. I saw a barrier of light there, separating the realm of the divisible from that of the indivisible.
The ‘ascension’ of consciousness
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The ‘ascension’ of consciousness
• Leaping over it, the mind entered by degrees the realm of the indivisible. I saw that there was no more any person or thing there having a form.
• As if afraid to enter there, even the gods and goddesses [devas] possessing heavenly bodies exercised their authority only over realms far below. But the very next moment I saw seven wise Rishis having bodies consisting of divine Light only, seated there in Samadhi.
• I felt that in virtue and knowledge, love and renunciation, they had excelled even the gods and goddesses, not to speak of human beings.
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Consciousness and miracles
• Since the Supreme chit (consciousness-energy) is the creator of the universe, as man progresses in consciousness, he too share more and more in the power of the Creator
• Thus Hindus believe that the consciousness of the Rishis and other seers are far more powerful than that of normal human beings.
• They are indeed like the devas, able to shape and transform matter and energy
• It is in that sense they attain the siddhis, ‘perfections’, miraculous powers
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The eight classical siddhis
• anima: to be as small as an atom• mahima: to become infinitely large;• laghima: super-lightness, levitation;• prapti: pervasiveness, extension, to be anywhere
at will;• prakamya: fulfillment of desires;• vashitva: control of natural forces;• ishititva: supremacy over nature;• kama-avasayitva: complete satisfaction. • The supreme siddhi (parasiddhi) is realization of
the Self, Parasiva.
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Do you think mankind’s consciousness can be enhanced and expanded?