“How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?” Sherlock Holmes, “The Sign of Four”
We’ve discussed Science; we’ve talked about Empiricism, and Rationalism. We’ve even appealed to Tradition (listen to our latest podcast).
Now, we venture forth into what–in today’s postmodern world–might be considered by many to be (for all intents and purposes)–the unknown…
In this blog, we are going to start taking a look at the world’s religions and their “sacred” texts from the vantage point of epistemology. Is it possible–as Sherlock Holmes might say–that one of these religious texts might prove to be a source of ultimate truth?
According to one website, the oldest religion in the world is Hinduism. And it’s associated group of texts is called the Vedas. It seems that the Vedas were written sometime after the Aryans invaded the Indian subcontinent (c. 1500 BC). They were based upon oral traditions which seem to be much older. The Vedas tell us that the Hindu religion involves the worship of many gods, which does not seem that unusual, but they also include rules for something called the caste system, through which the earlier (pre-Aryan) peoples–called Dravidians–began to be considered to be “untouchables.”
One interesting feature of Hinduism is the idea that God (Brahman) and the universe are one. He (it) is “eternal, conscious, irreducible, infinite, omnipresent.” The purpose of life for the Hindu is Moksha— “considered the most important meaning of life and (offering) such rewards as liberation from reincarnation, self-realization, enlightenment, or unity with God.“
Think of Odo and the “Great Link” from Stark Trek: Deep Space Nine.
For Odo, his physical form is something he takes on for the sake of his interaction with humanoid (“solids”), but his “real” existence is something other-worldly, a condition which is often associated–especially among westerners–with eastern religions, in general, and with Hinduism, in particular.
Terms that have come into the West from Hinduism include: Maya – the idea that the physical world and all that is in it is an illusion, and that “the real nature or essence of this world is divinity alone.” Adherents (and proselytes) are encouraged to “see” real reality through “spiritual wisdom” obtained through yoga. They are also encouraged to achieve ethical standards through dharma, a kind of general moral law (but which also includes specific laws to be followed “according to one’s class, status, and station in life.”)
It is thought that the Aryans were a originally a nomadic nation of Central Asian cattle-herders that actually conquered and subjugated the previous (pre-vedic) culture of the surprisingly -sophisticated Indus Valley Civilization.