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November 2007
Sunday, November 11, 2007
What is wrong with the denizens of modernity is that they no longer believe or have faith in a transcendent sphere of existence that is beyond the confines of the psychophyscial body. This is to say, in other words, that religion is irrelevant for the modern individual.
Even though some will protest, to the contrary, that they are religious, their practice is weak if not, altogether, nonexistent. Their religious practice has no connection with introspection seeking the transcendent within. Their own lives, as a matter of fact, betray this. They have pinned their hopes on the external world. They could not care less about searching for the transcendent.
But particularly bad, is that the modern world is fast losing its sense for what is described in the Gospel of John, as the "light of life" (phos zoe). The modern individual no longer believes in the transcendent as real and given, which lies within the immediacy of the being of everyone. Nor does this same individual even recognize its absence. Again, religion has become irrelevant.
When Zen master Yuan-hsien said: "The spiritual light shines independently, transcendentally liberated from organs and objects of sense" he was referring to the light of life which he, himself, had realized. In this regard, Zen master Yuan-hsien understood religion to be about realizing this light.
In respect to the above, I believe it can be argued that the fundamental basis of religion was never about a supreme being, but light—light which is not ordinary reflected light, but light which is both intelligible and animative. This light is so primordial so as to be hidden from even itself. Yet, it is the very stuff of the universe. The universe, as far as it is concerned, is the effect of its attempt to know itself, as it were, to awaken (buddha) from its sleep in which it is lost in its own dreams.
This, of course, means little or nothing for the materialistically inclined modern individual. Their goal is to accumulate wealth in the form of tangible possessions. Although, wealth can be defined as "spiritual well-being" according to the Oxford English Dictionary, this isn't the reason modern man gets up in the morning and commutes to work. He assesses wealth by how much money or possessions he has accumulated. The source of his worth lies in his industry to accumulate ever larger heaps of manufactured goods and money. Yet, all this industry is going against man's true nature from a Buddhist perspective. This same industry is destroying the very foundation of religion, also.
As R.H. Tawney proved long ago in his book, Religion and the Rise of Capitalism, religion and modern economic systems are separated by a chasm. In particular, with the blessings of rationalization (Weber), the economic system of capitalism exploits an ancient moral order that was long ago established by religion. However, without such a moral order, capitalism leads to Ayn Rand's virtue of selfishness, which gives a modern corporate entity the seeming right to force its decision on others in addition to forcing others to sacrifice themselves for its profit. Such a reckless adventure eventually turns to nihilism in which everything is devalued—including the human soul and religion.
What we call religion today is not religion. It is a sham. It sees no evil in avarice, exploitation, and wealth accumulation. It is not aghast at the millions who have died in factories, mines, and by being poisoned. It sees nothing wrong with wage slavery. Ironically, modern religion even lends its support to the destruction of religion. It has even learned to undermine itself.
Regrettably, modern religion gives mankind no hope in the transcendent light of which major religions speak. It only helps the denizens of modernity to cope with their economic slavery. It neither teaches renunciation of this system of slavery, nor of the other shore of transcendence. Modern religion simply runs along the quay. Even the most ardently religious among us like Mother Teresa were affected by this modern evilty who said, “Where is my Faith—even deep down right in there is nothing but emptiness & darkness...”
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Religion and modernity
What is wrong with the denizens of modernity is that they no longer believe or have faith in a transcendent sphere of existence that is beyond the confines of the psychophyscial body. This is to say, in other words, that religion is irrelevant for the modern individual.
Even though some will protest, to the contrary, that they are religious, their practice is weak if not, altogether, nonexistent. Their religious practice has no connection with introspection seeking the transcendent within. Their own lives, as a matter of fact, betray this. They have pinned their hopes on the external world. They could not care less about searching for the transcendent.
But particularly bad, is that the modern world is fast losing its sense for what is described in the Gospel of John, as the "light of life" (phos zoe). The modern individual no longer believes in the transcendent as real and given, which lies within the immediacy of the being of everyone. Nor does this same individual even recognize its absence. Again, religion has become irrelevant.
When Zen master Yuan-hsien said: "The spiritual light shines independently, transcendentally liberated from organs and objects of sense" he was referring to the light of life which he, himself, had realized. In this regard, Zen master Yuan-hsien understood religion to be about realizing this light.
In respect to the above, I believe it can be argued that the fundamental basis of religion was never about a supreme being, but light—light which is not ordinary reflected light, but light which is both intelligible and animative. This light is so primordial so as to be hidden from even itself. Yet, it is the very stuff of the universe. The universe, as far as it is concerned, is the effect of its attempt to know itself, as it were, to awaken (buddha) from its sleep in which it is lost in its own dreams.
This, of course, means little or nothing for the materialistically inclined modern individual. Their goal is to accumulate wealth in the form of tangible possessions. Although, wealth can be defined as "spiritual well-being" according to the Oxford English Dictionary, this isn't the reason modern man gets up in the morning and commutes to work. He assesses wealth by how much money or possessions he has accumulated. The source of his worth lies in his industry to accumulate ever larger heaps of manufactured goods and money. Yet, all this industry is going against man's true nature from a Buddhist perspective. This same industry is destroying the very foundation of religion, also.
As R.H. Tawney proved long ago in his book, Religion and the Rise of Capitalism, religion and modern economic systems are separated by a chasm. In particular, with the blessings of rationalization (Weber), the economic system of capitalism exploits an ancient moral order that was long ago established by religion. However, without such a moral order, capitalism leads to Ayn Rand's virtue of selfishness, which gives a modern corporate entity the seeming right to force its decision on others in addition to forcing others to sacrifice themselves for its profit. Such a reckless adventure eventually turns to nihilism in which everything is devalued—including the human soul and religion.
What we call religion today is not religion. It is a sham. It sees no evil in avarice, exploitation, and wealth accumulation. It is not aghast at the millions who have died in factories, mines, and by being poisoned. It sees nothing wrong with wage slavery. Ironically, modern religion even lends its support to the destruction of religion. It has even learned to undermine itself.
Regrettably, modern religion gives mankind no hope in the transcendent light of which major religions speak. It only helps the denizens of modernity to cope with their economic slavery. It neither teaches renunciation of this system of slavery, nor of the other shore of transcendence. Modern religion simply runs along the quay. Even the most ardently religious among us like Mother Teresa were affected by this modern evilty who said, “Where is my Faith—even deep down right in there is nothing but emptiness & darkness...”
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This entry has 2 comments: (Add your own)
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Sadly enough, I largely agree with you except for the physics metaphor, and the fact that historically, religions by and large haven't been about awakening.
You can find "conflict of interest" written over religions as far back as the Egyptians, and their contemporaries.
5/25/08 4:21 PM
Addendum to Commandment 2
The oppressed also include blacks, minorities, people of color, gays, the disabled and people of different religions. Give them all equal rights.
Posted by scott at 12:58 PM 0 comments
New Commandments
New Commandments
Here are some more commandments that we can ignore:
1. Heal the sick. All over the world. Not just America.
2. Free the oppressed. In Tibet, Burma, Palestine, America and all over the world. Free women too. Give them equal rights.
3. Help the poor. All over the world and in America too.
4. Protect the unborn.
5. Take care of the earth. All of God's art.
6. Have mercy on all. Including prisoners and criminals. No more torture or inhumane treatment of any kind. No capital punishment. We are all murderers and criminals. For example, most Americans killed 600,000 Iraqis over a lie.
7. Do justice to all. Including the weak and powerless. Including the victims of crime.
8. Try to be fair. Find the correct balance between mercy and justice.
9. Try to find the correct balance. In all things.
10. Be nonviolent. Violence should be the very last resort. Currently it is not and never has been. Maybe it was a last resort in World War II. But it was the harsh reparations after World War I that eventually led to World War II. Follow the examples of Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Aung Sung Su Chi and Corozone Aquino.