The Catch-22 of existence (part 1)
religion·@technovedanta·
0.000 HBDThe Catch-22 of existence (part 1)
<html> <p><img src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/13B8/production/_84584050_3494754156_9273aff2f3_b.jpg" width="624" height="671"/></p> <p>Satan's greatest mistake according to the Bible was his pride; the fact that he wanted to be "like God" himself. In Hebrew this is translated as "k'Elohim". Adam and Eva were seduced by the serpent's promise to become like God, k'Elohim. For this wish they were severely punished and expelled from the paradise in which they had lived in union with God.</p> <p>They were cast into the dualistic world of Good and Evil: Duality arose from a Singularity.</p> <p>In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) the attitude one is supposed to have towards God, is one of submission. The very term "Islam" even means submissions.</p> <p>In order to pay for their (or mankind's) original sin and to be able to be allowed to return to the kingdom of heaven and live alongside God, the followers of these religions must submit their will to God.</p> <p>In Hinduism on the other hand the promise of the religious process is to become one with God again. Not in submission but as a full merger or rather as a process of realising that your soul (Atman) is nothing else than God (Brahman). In Hinduism it is a normal and praiseworthy wish to become like God; k'Elohim. The statement from the Upanishads "Tat Tvam Asi" (Thou art That) testifies that we are not only part of God, but that essentially we are God. The drop (Atman) is not only in the ocean (Brahman), but the ocean (Brahman) is also in the drop (Atman).</p> <p>From the stance of Christianity Hinduism could be considered as a form of "Satanism", due to this wish to become like or even be one with God.</p> <p>Yet in the more mystical branches of the Abrahamic religions this wish is somehow also implicit: The so-called "Unio Mystica" refers to nothing else than a state of "Union with God". This may well be the same as the state known as "Samadhi" in Hinduism and "Satori" in Zen-Buddhism.</p> <p>So implicitly the Abrahamic religions do aim to be like God, for oneness with God cannot be achieved if your state of mind is not aligned with or in resonance with the Godly; in other words "like God".</p> <p>In the modern Transhumanist movement there are quite some Christian people whose wish it is to become like God. Whereas Satan, Eve and Adam were severely punished for this haughtiness, certain Christians do consider it a legitimate wish.</p> <p>In certain branches of Hinduism existence arose from the ocean of undifferentiated consciousness (Brahman) due to the fact that certain Atmas experienced the wish to be different from the rest; to stand out, to have an ego. Thus Brahman, in its limitless goodness granted this wish and brought forth existence.</p> <p>In existence however the different individual souls, who have forgotten about their union with God, compete for limited resources and thereby create mutual suffering. In fact all our pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath and sloth (the seven cardinal sins in Christianity) are mere expressions of desire. A failing desire to become somehow like God, by including as much as possible in our Ego.</p> <p>By hoarding excessive wealth, by acquiring excessive body mass, by physical union via sex, we try (subconsciously) to mimic some kind of union with everything; we try to include physically. This secretly sprouts from a wish to be like the all-encompassing entity which includes everything: God. A material attempt bound to fail due to the limitations of matter.</p> <p>However, when sages are united with God in a state like Samadhi or Nirwana, ultimately -after a long period- the bliss wanes and they long for separation again to experience the world from the perspective of an individual soul again. Whereas when back in duality they constantly long to be re-united with God, cursing the suffering that results from the separation.</p> <p>As long as we identify with a finite form, we can never be infinite.</p> <p>As long as we have preferences for a certain form and exclude other forms by discrimination such as sexism, racism, classism etc. we can never include the whole of existence.</p> <p>As long as we compete with each other, there will always be someone we are envious of.</p> <p>And so we suffer. Suffer because we feel incomplete, missing the feeling of union with the greater Whole.</p> <p>This is a catch-22 situation. Neither in the world of Samsara (the dualistic world we live in) nor in Nirwana (the state of union with the godly; the alleged abode of God-realised sages and saints, angels and shining ones) can one be ultimately free from the desire to "become" something else.</p> <p> </p> <p>Picture from http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-33682878 (Eliphas Levi's Baphomet).</p> </html>