How can we reform Hindu (Hindu-Buddhist-Jain-Sikh) culture in the light of logic, science and pure ethics which can be supported by scientific methods?
I am Hindu (Hindu is not a religion). I don’t believe in anything which doesn't satisfy test of logic or I always like complete information.
Living life as dictated by Geeta or values stated in many books by many seers can’t be the ultimate goal of life. Ultimate goal of life for me is to make it utmost productive in optimum harmony with nature and other living beings, for you it can be something else. Ultimate goal itself is a very debatable issue. I see man written scriptures as a means to the ultimate goal. There is huge need for re-study, smart and sincere thinking on human psychology, ethics.
I would like to put some of points, I am still working on it, I need to learn a lot myself. I respect feelings and stay humble to all of the readers.
(1) Ethics did exist even before Humans existed. Ethics were not result of religion. Now it artificially influenced by religion. Root of Human ethics lies first in the way mammals developed, second a necessity for survival, as you need to cooperate with others in order to get results in hunt, to take care of sick, babies or any other task. If you don't cooperate you can’t face enemies. Many times I have found dogmatic thinking and self-deception results in more unethical behaviour.
If aim of introducing something is to establish ethics, then there should be strong scientific and logical explanation for it, it should not just emanate from philosophy. Ethics should be supported by natural laws, just like laws of gravity, evolution etc. Before it was difficult to establish what works why, we had no time. We just adopted everything which worked.
(2) Hindu just meant people across the Sindhu. There is nothing like Hinduism, it is just creation of British and Muslims who impose their petty understanding of religion on others.
(3) We need to continue our identity as Hindu, until all the divisive identities like Christianity and Islam exist.
(4) Hindu scriptures are lot of them but I will identify fundamental flaws:
(a) There is nothing like spirit, soul. It’s all in our sophisticated brain. There is nothing like re-incarnation.
(b) Theory of Karma is flawed. A good deed doesn't result in good return always. Reason behind a good deed resulting in a good result is evolution. We all are survivors of millions of years, because we could identify others intentions. We cooperate with those who cooperate; we take revenge when we are harmed. Once you get into habit of doing wrong, at some point of time other human kicks you back.
But with animals or weak you can keep harming them without any bad happening to you back, as it is happening in all Butcher houses around the world. For most people, our mammalian instinct which makes us love and care stops us from torturing animals.
(c) Scriptures are all man written, and they don't have complete solution to all the problems. The feeling of peace in temple in prayers can all be explained by science.
(d) Satyamev Jayte the logo of India is false. Only powerful wins. Righteousness brings self-honesty, most people practice self-deception. But righteousness doesn’t become victorious.
(5) We don't really need to abandon scriptures because the information contained in most Hindu-Buddhist-Sikh-Jain texts is sea of knowledge which has come from effort of thousands of wise people. I have personally benefitted a lot from many speeches, books etc. There is no harm in practising them as long as you know the limits. They are really powerful. But Humans and smarter species are going to exist for another several million years; flow will bring more knowledge which was unimaginable before, let us open our arms and embrace the future.
(6) Our vision taking scriptures literally or as words of somebody, keeps us from using faculties of our mind, it stops us from being curious, finding new reasons. Many times it results in unnecessary fear or harmful belief.
(7) It is possible to defend our free spirit from onslaught of western materialism, fanatic Abrahmic cults and Jihad. We can find more than enough strength in logic to ward them off. At the same time we can defend ourselves from onslaught of brainless so called atheists. There are enough reasons, if we do the proper research.
There is a solid reason for cultural unity, ethical behaviour, nation, society. Only way to achieve big is cooperation. There will be disadvantages in short term. But in long term we will learn, we will find a way. If we don’t do it, apple will always drop to earth. Nothing untruth can last forever.
(8) How to think, how to groom mind of a toddler, it all can be handled even after understanding the limits of culture. You can teach kids strict guidelines until they have grown adult and then they can think freely.
(9) We need to find new ways to protect ourselves. Shiva, or Akal Parameshwar won’t protect us. We ourselves have to protect ourselves. We can better solve the problems by being rationally brave.
We can retain faith, hope, and courage even after being more rational. We may even end up being stronger as I have become personally over the years. Faith and reason are not contradictory. Contradiction is result of lack of understanding. Reason may aid strong faith (In some different way than you may be practising). I personally have mastered way of healthy faith, which doesn't bind my reason and supports me always.
(10) Good intentions don’t result in good always, and a bad intention may have good outcome. A drop of Medicine is more powerful than prayers of all humanity. We may think that we are most smart but that is story of all previous less evolved humans and all animal species, nobody has seen anything outside their own brain.
(11) Peace, Happiness and prosperity can be individual goals. But it may be distracting also for some other objectives; peace may be undesirable depending on perception. Peace and satisfaction may be stopping one from realizing full potential. Dynamics of thoughts of individual human and its effect on thought dynamics of masses is still a not well studied subject. Many times, people use religion to create temporary lull, to distract themselves from real problems which they should look to solve. It is a false belief that everything is known and fine.
Let us be brave and truthful to ourselves unconditionally.
Living life as dictated by Geeta or values stated in many books by many seers can’t be the ultimate goal of life. Ultimate goal of life for me is to make it utmost productive in optimum harmony with nature and other living beings, for you it can be something else. Ultimate goal itself is a very debatable issue. I see man written scriptures as a means to the ultimate goal. There is huge need for re-study, smart and sincere thinking on human psychology, ethics.
I would like to put some of points, I am still working on it, I need to learn a lot myself. I respect feelings and stay humble to all of the readers.
(1) Ethics did exist even before Humans existed. Ethics were not result of religion. Now it artificially influenced by religion. Root of Human ethics lies first in the way mammals developed, second a necessity for survival, as you need to cooperate with others in order to get results in hunt, to take care of sick, babies or any other task. If you don't cooperate you can’t face enemies. Many times I have found dogmatic thinking and self-deception results in more unethical behaviour.
If aim of introducing something is to establish ethics, then there should be strong scientific and logical explanation for it, it should not just emanate from philosophy. Ethics should be supported by natural laws, just like laws of gravity, evolution etc. Before it was difficult to establish what works why, we had no time. We just adopted everything which worked.
(2) Hindu just meant people across the Sindhu. There is nothing like Hinduism, it is just creation of British and Muslims who impose their petty understanding of religion on others.
(3) We need to continue our identity as Hindu, until all the divisive identities like Christianity and Islam exist.
(4) Hindu scriptures are lot of them but I will identify fundamental flaws:
(a) There is nothing like spirit, soul. It’s all in our sophisticated brain. There is nothing like re-incarnation.
(b) Theory of Karma is flawed. A good deed doesn't result in good return always. Reason behind a good deed resulting in a good result is evolution. We all are survivors of millions of years, because we could identify others intentions. We cooperate with those who cooperate; we take revenge when we are harmed. Once you get into habit of doing wrong, at some point of time other human kicks you back.
But with animals or weak you can keep harming them without any bad happening to you back, as it is happening in all Butcher houses around the world. For most people, our mammalian instinct which makes us love and care stops us from torturing animals.
(c) Scriptures are all man written, and they don't have complete solution to all the problems. The feeling of peace in temple in prayers can all be explained by science.
(d) Satyamev Jayte the logo of India is false. Only powerful wins. Righteousness brings self-honesty, most people practice self-deception. But righteousness doesn’t become victorious.
(5) We don't really need to abandon scriptures because the information contained in most Hindu-Buddhist-Sikh-Jain texts is sea of knowledge which has come from effort of thousands of wise people. I have personally benefitted a lot from many speeches, books etc. There is no harm in practising them as long as you know the limits. They are really powerful. But Humans and smarter species are going to exist for another several million years; flow will bring more knowledge which was unimaginable before, let us open our arms and embrace the future.
(6) Our vision taking scriptures literally or as words of somebody, keeps us from using faculties of our mind, it stops us from being curious, finding new reasons. Many times it results in unnecessary fear or harmful belief.
(7) It is possible to defend our free spirit from onslaught of western materialism, fanatic Abrahmic cults and Jihad. We can find more than enough strength in logic to ward them off. At the same time we can defend ourselves from onslaught of brainless so called atheists. There are enough reasons, if we do the proper research.
There is a solid reason for cultural unity, ethical behaviour, nation, society. Only way to achieve big is cooperation. There will be disadvantages in short term. But in long term we will learn, we will find a way. If we don’t do it, apple will always drop to earth. Nothing untruth can last forever.
(8) How to think, how to groom mind of a toddler, it all can be handled even after understanding the limits of culture. You can teach kids strict guidelines until they have grown adult and then they can think freely.
(9) We need to find new ways to protect ourselves. Shiva, or Akal Parameshwar won’t protect us. We ourselves have to protect ourselves. We can better solve the problems by being rationally brave.
We can retain faith, hope, and courage even after being more rational. We may even end up being stronger as I have become personally over the years. Faith and reason are not contradictory. Contradiction is result of lack of understanding. Reason may aid strong faith (In some different way than you may be practising). I personally have mastered way of healthy faith, which doesn't bind my reason and supports me always.
(10) Good intentions don’t result in good always, and a bad intention may have good outcome. A drop of Medicine is more powerful than prayers of all humanity. We may think that we are most smart but that is story of all previous less evolved humans and all animal species, nobody has seen anything outside their own brain.
(11) Peace, Happiness and prosperity can be individual goals. But it may be distracting also for some other objectives; peace may be undesirable depending on perception. Peace and satisfaction may be stopping one from realizing full potential. Dynamics of thoughts of individual human and its effect on thought dynamics of masses is still a not well studied subject. Many times, people use religion to create temporary lull, to distract themselves from real problems which they should look to solve. It is a false belief that everything is known and fine.
Let us be brave and truthful to ourselves unconditionally.
