Scientific Method in Religious Practice

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Axioms of science: The world is arranged under the laws. The world

can be learnt

Axiom of religion: The God (Creator) exists

Between them there are no contradictions

 

Scientific Method in Religious Practice

 

Introduction

Many people tend to view religion as something totally opposite to

science, as a blind faith of intellectually weak people, who never

bother themselves with searching for any proof...

Yes, this kind of religiosity does exist...

But there is also another kind of religion - that of reasonable

people - adepts of which make real efforts on self-transformation

according to the God's design. It is in this case that there exists a

possibility of using a scientific method for attainment of the

Highest religious Purpose - a complete spiritual Self-

Realization.

 

What is the scientific method

The scientific method of studying any phenomena, from physical to

psychological, biological, and psychoenergetic, must be based on

reproducibility of results obtained in the course of an experiment.

Suppose, there is a phenomenon or a group of phenomena for which

science has no explanation currently. The scientific method consists

in development of a working hypothesis, setting of an experiment,

that can either corroborate or refute this hypothesis, evaluating the

results, etc.

But while in a physical experiment the object of research is a

phenomenon of the material world which is studied by means of some

material instrument, in religious practice the object of study is in

non-material worlds, while as the scientific instrument the

experimentalist-practician uses his soul, consciousness.

The studying of psychoemotional states with the help of

encephalographs does not provide scientists with the complete picture

of what a person experiences; this is but a reflection, a projection

of reality onto the "material" plane.

But in the same way new discoveries become possible as scientific

instruments get more sophisticated, one becomes able to directly

experience new religious truths as one's consciousness grows more

purified and larger in size. As a result of such practice a person's

outlook inevitably changes towards more profound understanding of the

structure of the Universe and realization of the interrelationships

between the world and oneself. Also, false religious dogmas get

destroyed in a natural way.

 

About principles of working with scriptures

A person willing to engage in religious study should know the Bible

and other religious scriptures. But study of these books can be

optimized if one takes into account the following:

1) Books were written by people, and people tend to err sometimes;

2) A significant part of what is written in these scriptures is but

an allegory;

3) Many recommendations that they contain were relevant only to the

specific situation at the time the particular scripture was written;

4) Some parts of the scriptural text have been to a significant

extent distorted or taken out by people over time. Other important

information was not even included in those scriptures - for either

objective or subjective reasons.

 

Practice

The complete doctrine of spiritual practice can be summarized in

short in the following three points:

1) There is God - the Universal Consciousness of the Creator, Who

lives in the highest eon of multidimensional universe.

2) He is Love.

3) We really can and should strive to become one with Him through

transforming ourselves into Love. And it makes sense to dedicate our

lives to comprehending and realizing this, as well as helping others

do it also.

A spiritual practice for psychogenetically mature people

implies:

1) Initial familiarization with the concept of Spiritual Path and

accumulation of relevant knowledge;

2) Ethic purification in accordance with the principles that

incarnate people received from God. At this stage various methods of

psychic self-regulation, based on shifting the concentration of

consciousness from one chakra to another and mastering the functions

of chakras can render one a significant help.

3) Psychoenergetical work on transforming oneself into a developed

spiritual heart, expansion of it within multidimensional structure of

the Absolute, and substituting the Higher Self for individual lower

self

The religious Truth in all its entirety is impossible to understand

by its description - one can only perceive it by one's own personal

experience. And all people who successfully advance on this Path

experience it.

Such practice results in clearly perceptible and noticeable changes

of the inner state of a person.

This doctrine of spiritual heart has never been published before. But

now this knowledge is available for all people((http://swami-

center.org/en/text/Practices.html) Spiritual Practices (Training

Aid) ) .

 

Mistakes and deviations

1) Religion-specific theological schools, which do not consider all

spiritual phenomena and do not have a developed practical part,

cannot be called scientific

2) Scientific approach to studying religion cannot be based solely

on the systematization of outer form of worship, i.e. religious

rituals. Rituals represent the most primitive stage of religious

practice that does not aim at serious positive transformation of a

person, of his spiritual state. The only benefit of religious rituals

is strengthening of the faith in the existence of God, which creates

a foundation for further advancement.

3) Also those esoteric schools cannot be called scientific-religious

that do not aim at cognition of God. They usually seek merely

development of certain personal qualities of their students, but this

cannot be considered a religious practice.

 

Conclusions

If a strictly logical approach that takes into account all above

said, is used, religion really becomes science, while its practical

part - spiritual Self-Realization.

 

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human life. Methodology of spiritual self-perfection

 

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(http://swami-center.org/en/text/Theology.html) General Theology -

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(http://swami-center.org/en/text/Ecology.html) Ecology of Human Being

in Multidimensional Space

(http://swami-center.org/en/text/Life.html) The Meaning of Our Lives.

What Kind of Russia Is Needed by God?

(http://swami-center.org/en/text/New_Upanishad.html) The New Upanishad

(http://swami-center.org/en/text/SunOfGod.html) Sun of God

(http://swami-center.org/en/text/Issa.html) The Original Teaching of

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(http://swami-center.org/en/text/New_Testament.html) Ethics of the

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(http://swami-center.org/en/text/Tao_Te_Ching.html) Ethics of Tao Te

Ching

(http://swami-center.org/en/text/Juan_Matus.html) Teaching of Juan

Matus

(http://swami-center.org/en/text/Three_aspects.html) Three Aspects of

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(http://swami-center.org/en/text/Talks_with_God.html) Talks with God

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(http://swami-center.org/en/text/Places_of_Power.html) Places of Power

(http://swami-center.org/en/text/Principles_of_Yoga.html) Basic

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(http://swami-center.org/en/text/Laws_of_Yoga.html) Laws of Spiritual

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(http://swami-center.org/en/text/Raja_Buddhi_Yoga.html) Raja- and

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(http://swami-center.org/en/text/Highest_Yoga.html) The Highest Yoga

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(http://swami-center.org/en/text/Why_Children_Different.html) Why are

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[Guest guest]

Shree dim_usa

 

Vedantic approach is not as dim as you advocate. Science is essentially based

on anaumaana or inference as the basis of knowledge. Vedaanta rejects that as

the valid means of knowledge for spiritual unfoldment. Epistemological and

ontological issues have been exhaustively treated in analyzing vedantic truths.

It has been uncompromisingly declared in Vedas that one cannot arrive at the

truth by logical analyses, which objective sciences are based. naishhaa

tarkena matiraapaneya - says kaThopanishhat. It does not mean vedanta is

illogical. The approach is through scriptural study and inquiry within based on

the truths declared in the scriptures. There is 'no means' for arriving at

truth if the truth is oneself. Hence it is called aprameyam - no means of

knowledge or approaches are valid for the discovery of the truth since it is

self-evident. The paths are only for purification of the mind and there any

number of paths - including your chakras for those who want to be concerned

about them- technically all are called yoga-s and are valid depending on the

nature of the impurities present.

 

Please use the list serve not to propagate you methods but to discuss why your

methods are much superior to what has been discussed in the scritures. For

that, of course, one needs to have some understanding of what has been

discussed to convince the readers why your methods are superior to others.

 

Welcome to the adviatic vedantic study.

 

Hari OM!

Sadananda

 

 

--- dim_usa <dim wrote:

> Axioms of science: The world is arranged under the laws. The world

> can be learnt

> Axiom of religion: The God (Creator) exists

> Between them there are no contradictions

>----------

> Conclusions

> If a strictly logical approach that takes into account all above

> said, is used, religion really becomes science, while its practical

> part - spiritual Self-Realization.

>

> Scientific-Spiritual Center "Swami" (http://swami-center.org/)

> Contemporary knowledge about God, the Evolution and the meaning of

> human life. Methodology of spiritual self-perfection

>

 

=====

What you have is His gift to you and what you do with what you have is your gift

to Him - Swami Chinmayananda.

 

 

 

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