Exploring Integral Unity and Synthetic Unity in Dharmic Traditions
Integral Unity and Synthetic Unity in Dharmic philosophies reveal a profound perspective on existence, human unity, and societal structures. Contrasting Western reductionism, this discussion delves into the notion of wholeness, divine connection, and the limitations of historical-centric approaches to unity. Through examples and reflections on modern science and social systems, the discourse highlights the significance of organic unity over synthetic unity.
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Integral Unity and Synthetic Unity Reliance on historical revelation ties humans to the past, while the lure of salvation keeps them fixated on the future This concept of the West only gives dissonance in the present Unity achieved is tentative and artificial Dharmic traditions believe in non-separation of all reality from the divine Integral Unity Human rights, ethics, and law regard human existence is separate and unity must be forced from outside
Integral Unity and Synthetic Unity Dharmic philosophies say that such system lacks wholeness, which is built-in Any unification would be imperfect and will have fault lines The distinction between integral and synthetic unity is related to difference between history-centrism and adhyatma vidya Western tradition is reductionist rather than integral explaining complex social phenomena It is limited in It attempts to explain the whole it terms of its parts
Integral Unity and Synthetic Unity Benefit Modern science has made major contributions to our lives Example Western medicine exists target the body part where disease Integral Unity Only the whole exists, the parts have relative existence Smile in relation to face. Smile can t exist separately Hindus easily blur the human-deity divide
Integral Unity and Synthetic Unity Deva often translated as god , means one who gives something of value Sages give knowledge, parents give guidance, sun gives light Devata We have infinite spiritual potential and can become devas with tapa and dana UN, G8, Coalition govt. goal Synthetic unity selfish rather than common Other examples student for employment), interfaith dialogue health care industry, modern education (prepare
Integral Unity and Synthetic Unity In all previous examples, individual elements retain their interests The whole is merely a collection of individual parts Bhartiya democracy is also synthetic Synthetic Unity is a convenience. It misses out on the much deeper bonds that hold people together Organic Unity The relationship of a biological cell to the human body, or a tree to an ecosystem Holistic healthcare in Norway look for collective health interests of all citizens Doctors, lawyers, and hospitals would all have to fit into the collective system without optimizing their individual interests
Integral Unity and Synthetic Unity Yet all such organic systems fall short of integral unity in the dharmic sense, because their building blocks exist separately Indra Net Integral Unity is illustrated in the metaphor of Indra s Net Vedic deity Indra has infinite net consisting of a jewel in each node Every jewel reflects all the other jewels There is no self-existence of any jewel This symbolizes a universe with infinite dependencies and relations interwoven among all its members, none of which exists apart
Integral Unity and Synthetic Unity Idea of Indra s net is found in Atharv Veda where world is seen as a net of Indra Tasting of the absolute requires non-dual absolute Absolute tasting itself through its essential shaktis is the creation of the world When Absolute (Krishna) relates with the world, this act of grace attracts all souls to unite with him Divine Play Westerner s mind is inadequate for discussing the dynamic character of Bhartiya thought using its static categories The western mind seeks events fixed in space and time (history), whereas the Dharma traditions are comfortable with Itihaas, the more flexible narrative of the past Sugarcane cannot taste itself
Integral Unity and Synthetic Unity Views and Relative Knowledge Total and absolute truth is never perceptible from any given view It is expected that spiritual viewpoints vary and differ from each other Absolute reality cannot be further transcended Ultimate freedom means freedom from all views Attempts to conceptualize reality in any absolute sense are always limited by cognition and hampered by ego attachment Ultimate reality has infinite aspects, but some of those aspects can be experienced only in higher states of consciousness
Integral Unity and Synthetic Unity Reality is multilayered and multifaceted, so many western scholars misinterpret Hinduism as polytheistic They don t understand that the multiple deities are different aspects of the same integral unity Although ultimate reality is formless and beyond conception, human can approach it with the aid of deities The ritual enriches our understanding and engages us in intellectual, emotional ways and via paranormal access to a higher intelligence Relative truths help us to understand and cope with worldly reality in accordance with dharma
Integral Unity and Synthetic Unity Dharma knowledge is classified into: 1. Shruti (revealed knowledge) 2. Mat (opinion) 3. Vaad(argument or view) 4. Siddhanta (Proven theory) 5. Shastras (Systems of thought) 6. Smiriti (Historical records)
Integral Unity and Synthetic Unity Some westerners may ask, What is Hindu Bible Hindus have a library. Any complex knowledge needs more than one book Christian traditions have generated several commentaries on their scriptures, but they have become immutable canons In Hindutva, written scripture is subordinated to the more direct means or oral transmission Reason and representation are seen as conditional and relative, there is no point in canonizing the various paths, scriptures, and spiritual practices
Integral Unity and Synthetic Unity Freedom from Conditioning and Karma Dharma is meant to free humans from the bonds of Karma This leads to sat-chit-anand Unity Consciousness Once in that state, no fresh Karma is accumulated because of the absence of ego Karma of the past gradually gets depleted and exhausted Dharma practitioner is free from the institutional authority
Integral Unity and Synthetic Unity Common misperception Asians are not. This is exactly opposite Westerners are individualistic, whereas Westerners tend to be formal members of religious organizations In contrast Dharma traditions are masked by individualism Abrahamic religions have never interacted with another Abrahamic religion, much less with any non-Abrahamic one
Integral Unity and Synthetic Unity West s Inherent Problems 1. Deficiency in Inner science 2. Anti-intellectualism and an absence of debate 3. Outward projection of the search for fulfillment 4. Quest for freedom without giving up the dualistic self
Integral Unity and Synthetic Unity Problem 1 &2 No Adhyatma Vidya Institutionized Christianity has always marginalized its own mystics Habits of inquiry, debate, reason are not encouraged Problem 3 Ego asserts itself with futile attempts to manipulate the external world Other cultures are seen as resources to be devoured and digested to fill a vast emptiness at its heart
Integral Unity and Synthetic Unity Problem 1 &2 No Adhyatma Vidya Institutionized Christianity has always marginalized its own mystics Habits of inquiry, debate, reason are not encouraged Problem 3 Ego asserts itself with futile attempts to manipulate the external world Other cultures are seen as resources to be devoured and digested to fill a vast emptiness at its heart
Problem 4 The stronger the ego grows, the more anxious it becomes about what it does not possess This is self-defeating because it is founded on a synthetic notion of selfhood Only through prolonged inquiry in the present moment is it possible to discover the inner sciences, and use them to overcome anxiety West is not much concerned about individual freedom; they emphasize collective freedom through obedience to God
Five Synthetic Movements of the West 1. Rome and the birth of western Christendom Roman emperor Constantine (274-337) appropriated Christianity Established Christian hegemony within the framework of Roman imperialism Christianity was made state religion of Rome by violence Constantine saw cross of light in the heaven, bearing the inscription CONQUER BY THIS 2. The Renaissance and the Reformation During the 15thand 16thcentury, there was a breakdown of the unstable medieval synthesis Sacred and secular power and Hebraism (Christianity) and Hellenism (Greek logic, reason) disintegrated
Five Synthetic Movements of the West Reformers emphasized return to sources (Bible), whereas humanists sought to revive the texts and Greek classics, including commitment to reason and were against clerical authority Renaissance 14th-17thcentury rediscovery of philosophy, literature, and art of the ancient Greeks Protestant reformation which followed Renaissance used rational and scientific methods and advocated free inquiry Still, the resulting movements were inherently divided and in conflict with one another For the reformers, the goal was not freedom from history-centrism but freedom from the Catholic priesthood and Roman hegemony These movements basically secularized the sacred realms
Five Synthetic Movements of the West 3. Enlightenment and Modernism Enlightenment Modernism critique of the empty promises of previous movements. Modify traditional beliefs in accordance with modern ideas Modern thought was founded on disembodied aspect, based on dualism The supremacy of the Church was challenged Given the inherent contradictions between biblical scriptures and science, it was difficult to reconcile Drove a wedge between soul and body, reason and revelation, scientific and spiritual inquiry, and secular and the sacred realm rationality and freedom would save man from himself
Five Synthetic Movements of the West West accepts Cartesian mind/body problem remains to be solved Cartesian Theory The natures of mind and body are different from one another and that each could exist by itself Dharmic thought never created such mind/body divide Prana is a central concept which unifies mind and body Prana cannot be contained in either the mind or body, but spans both The abandonment of God s presence in the world became an abandonment of values Cosmos is seen to be governed by value-free mechanical laws This is explained by exploitation of nature
Five Synthetic Movements of the West 4. The Oriental Renaissance Since the late 18thcentury, the West has undergone an Oriental renaissance The West s encounter with Dharmic traditions challenged the West and elicited some of its most problematic projections Efforts to digest Asian cultures and metaphysics put an even greater strain on western synthetic unity (more in U-turn Theory) Europe s encounter with Sanskrit revolutionized the European study of linguists This process continues today through Yoga, meditation, healing science, philosophy and pop culture
Five Synthetic Movements of the West These cannot be easily assimilated into the western culture, because of the profound differences between the two traditions 5. Colonial Conquests Mostly occurred as the split between the sacred and the secular in western culture became more and more acute West s struggle for synthetic unity were projected outward in the conquest and colonization After the breakup of the unified Christian worldview during Renaissance and Enlightenment, various components came into mutual conflict When Europeans were enduring fights between and among rival institutions at home, they were starting to conquer other people around the world
Five Synthetic Movements of the West Psychological pressure gave rise to increased anxiety and fear This gave rise to aggression, and to secure themselves, they dominated and incorporated others This outer revolution helped removal of feudal theocracies and authoritarian ideologies But internal restlessness has demanded expansionism This expansion was followed by the rise of America as the new Europe Protestant and secularized version became more important In 15thcentury, the European conquerors insisted that whatever lands they invaded were their discoveries and property Christopher Columbus is celebrated as discoverer of the new worlds , took possession of the Americas for the queen of Spain (Doctrine of Christian Discovery)
