We have been discussing about Upanishadic truths and how different people view them. I personally go by the obvious meaning of the Upanishads without resorting to any mental gimmicks. I do it not just because I revere the Upanishads but also for the reason that the idea of unification as put forth by the Upanishads has a deeper implication in our lives.
But as I have already discussed elsewhere, there are some well-known neuroscientists who question this very idea of unification. They say that the unifying experience talked about by the Upanishads is just a brain phenomenon and not necessarily the truth behind our existence. They claim that such experiences can be induced in the brain by selectively stimulating certain brain regions artificially. So, these are just some experiences, like the experiences that a person goes through under the influence of some drug for example. They need not be indicative of the truth, according to them!
Since Upanishads are believed to be record of experiences undergone by various sages as a result of deep meditation, this objection applies to any meditative practice as well. Whatever that people experience as a result of prolonged meditation – is it real or just some brain phenomenon?
There are two aspects to this question. Firstly, universalization experience is not just some experience that flashes at the flip of a switch and vanishes when the switch is turned off. This experience is the culmination of a long process. Also, its effects don’t completely vanish when the process stops. It does have a persistent effect.
Secondly, the process also transforms the individual in such a way that his view towards the world changes. He would be in greater harmony with the world around. Over a period of time, this transformation is going to be more and more enduring and not only the individual but also the society as a whole can move towards a better state. So, there are far reaching positive effects from this experience of unification achieved through meditation. It is not just limited to the individual, nor is it short lived.
If the stimulation experiment of the neuroscientists can replicate the same effects, may be there is some point in equating the two. Unfortunately, like the case of drugs, such effects are temporary and will be accompanied by adverse after effects both for the individual as well as to the society in general. Otherwise, drugs could have been an easier remedy for all our miseries. Unfortunately, they are not 😉
So, overemphasis on some mystic experience should be replaced by long lasting wholistic effects. Overall effect on the existence as a whole should take priority over individual centered experience however thrilling it is. Basically, the truth of ‘truth’ should be decided by its long-term implications and not by some arguments or some playing with electrodes 😉
I am for the unification theory propounded by the Upanishads even if it is completely wrong. I feel that unification idea has a better chance to hold us all together than as a bunch of conflicting individuals. As long as we are self-centered, we are bound to overstep on each other’s interests and the result could be a world with more conflicts. Unification idea brings the world together. That aspect is more important than the truth of anything. More important than winning any arguments.
The Advaita as I have discussed all along, which I also believe is the message of the Upanishads, gives meaning to many of our actions in real life – be it religious or societal. It tries to bring sense to many of our practices and interactions in our day to day life. It tries to pull out the sting of mysticism to a large extent and allow us to talk in terms of a language which we as humans, are more comfortable. All this is possible within the framework provided by the Upanishads.
But I have objections to the illusion or Maya theory of the modern Advaitis. They say that this world is like a dream and not real. As I have tried to show, this claim is not supported by the Upanishads. But Advaitis like Sankara and his successors have used all their intellectual skills to prove it to be so. So, did later Buddhists. But what do they achieve in such a win?
Even if we admit that this world is just a dream, and all happenings in it are mere illusions, does it make our lives any better? As long as you are experiencing a dream, every event in the dream is real. The food you eat in your dream does indeed satiate your hunger. The suffering you undergo in the dream does hurt you. As long as you are dreaming, you cannot ignore any of these. All of them are real at least within the dream. Further, the big question is whether a dreamer can ever declare that it is just a dream? Not when he is dreaming. And surely, he cannot convey it to a person who is still dreaming. So, such a win is useless 😉
In the event of our inability to clearly decipher the reality of our experiences, it is better not to make our lives more miserable even if this misery is also part of the dream. Because, it hurts even within the contours of the dream. The idea that this world is an illusion and it is all like a dream can make us complacent about our duties. We may end up taking our lives lightly. It can make us insensitive about the state of others since ‘it is all a dream after all!’. That definitely affects us collectively even if it is only during the dream.
So, I have no objection admitting the possibility that our lives are like a dream. But let us not make our dreams a nightmare by hanging on to ideas that can promote self-centeredness; that could nullify the gains from the unification thought. The Upanishads are talking about a very practical world where individual existence is as important as the collective existence. Let us not forget that. Even in a dream, it is important that we are happier together.
Let us continue to dream, but not nightmares 😉
No comments:
Post a Comment