Wisdom Traditions

 The so-called “wisdom traditions of the East” are deeper than they appear at first glance. These traditions have been practiced and developed over a period of time stretching back at least 50 centuries by the calculations of esteemed academics. This wisdom has survived invasion, the destruction of empires, the rise and fall of Rome. Centuries later these traditions are alive and well, inspiring generations with their ideas. It’s worth mentioning here that the innovations in computer technology that led to mobile phones and laptops were really based on the ideas of Alan Turing; Ideas which required no machines. The ideas forming the background of ancient India are profound and worthy of study.

If we examine the ideas at the heart of the commonly understood ancient wisdom traditions of the East mentioned by Dr. Chopra in many of his lectures we will find that they are basically seven-fold. These include six materialistic or “atheistic” theories. The deepest and noblest of the wisdom traditions go beyond atheistic principles to include a higher sense of the spiritual self. We shall deal with theistic traditions elsewhere.

The point of discussing the atheistic or materialistic theories first is to give the reader a chance to reflect on the lack of originality on the part of so-called “great minds” who espouse these concepts as if they were new.

Not content to ask deeper questions  erudite savants of cognitive science, evolutionary biologists, and quantum physicists become media figures celebrating their brilliant insights. But great minds like Douglas Hofstadter, Richard Dawkins, Stephen Hawkings and their followers haven’t done their homework. They don’t see that the philosophies backing their wildest speculations are nothing new.

Six atheistic or materialistic theories have deeply influenced western thought. We see traces of these ideas in the teachings of Douglas Hofstatder, Richard Dawkins, and even Stephen Hawkings. The philosophical ideas of India have been examined and mined by Western philosophers for centuries and were known to Einstein, Oppenheimer and the great physicists of the 20^th century.

The analysis of the materialistic aspects of Indian philosophy into six basic schools is an accepted view promoted first by Bhaktivinoda Thakura in the 19^th century, later codified by S. Radhakrishnan in his two volume study of Indian Philosophy in the 1940s.

It is useful to have a grasp of these materialistic and atheistic philosophies before approaching the higher, spiritual practices that go beyond mere speculation.

In the 1980s I had the opportunity to study these philosophies and the ideas at their core with  eminent sanskrit scholar, philosopher, and param-guru of the Sri Caitanya Saraswat Math in India, His Divine Grace Bhakti Rakṣaka Śrīdhar Dev Goswāmi. We published his lectures in a series of books at Guardian of Press in San José California.  Here’s a breakdown of these six philosophies from the book Search for Sri Krishna (1983) His comments are worth noting, since he gives a nutshell version of the first six wisdom traditions, which have roots in non-theistic concepts. What he says is astonishing. Here´s the excerpt from his talks.

Six Atheistic Philosophies of India

Atomic theory

There are six ancient philosophical systems of India. The first is the Vaiśeṣika philosophy of Kaṇāda Ṛṣi: the atomic theory. According to him, everything is made of atoms. So many different atoms combine and produce this world. Kaṇa means atomic particle. So many atomic particles have combined and produced this world by chance, with no necessity of any reason, rhyme, consciousness, nothing of the kind. And the outcome of these combinations has produced what we find here. That is the opinion of Kaṇāda: it is an atomic world. “By chance atoms have been combined, and with the dissolution of atoms, nothing will remain. Why do you bother? Don’t care. What is fate? It is nothing; ignore it. And when the body is dissolved, nothing will remain. Why lament?”

                         

Analysis, Yoga, and Logic

             

            Kapila has come with the Sāṅkhya philosophical system of analysis saying, “Analyze matter, and you will be free from all this pain.” Patañjali has come with yoga, “Hey, jīvātma! Come to meet Paramātmā! Then all the problems of this world will go away from you. Come in connection with Paramātmā, the Supersoul.” This is his recommendation .

            Gautama comes with logic, nyāya śāstra: “There is one Maker, one Creator, but He is indifferent. He has created this world, finished, and left it. And you must try to live with the help of your reason. Develop your reasoning faculty, and be reasonable in all your conduct. Then only can you help yourself in this world. There is no other remedy. Be a good logician, and then you will be able to control the environment with the power of reason, and you will be happy.” And Kaṇāda:        

Karma

             

            Then, with the philosophy of karma-mīmāṁsā, Jaimini says, “There may be a prime mover who has connected us with this world and our karma, but karma is all in all. He is an indifferent observer. He has got no hold on us any longer. According to our karma we shall thrive or we shall go down. So, these activities are recommended to you. If you go on with your karma you will be happy. Of course, it cannot be denied; karma phala, the result of karma, diminishes and is ended. But stick to karma, good karma; don’t go to bad karma. The result of good karma will be finished, but that does not matter; again go on doing good karma, and the good result will await you in heaven, and you will have a happy life. If anything is friendly to you, it is your karma. There is God, but He is indifferent. He is bound to serve you either good or bad, according to your karma. He has no independence.”

Buddhism

             

            Then another class of philosophy is that of Buddha: “Only the combination of different things has created your mental system. With the dissolution of the mental system, nothing remains. So, somehow, we must dissolve the mental system. Practice ahiṁsā, nonviolence, satya, truthfulness, the practice of right living, ethical dharma and so on.

Summary

            It is seen that all these philosophers are talking either of renunciation or of exploitation (bhukti, mukti). And by setting different types of enchanting traps, they arrange to capture the jīva soul. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākur, the nineteenth century founder of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, sings in one song:  keśava! tuyā jagata vichitra. “O my Lord Kṛṣṇa, I see that everything is available in Your world, which has an infinite, variegated nature. Separated from You, however, we are always feeling miseries. A continuous flow of suffering has swallowed us from birth to death, and we cannot tolerate the pain of such misery. And so many relief agents: Kapila, Patañjali, Gautama, Kaṇāda, Jaimini, Buddha, are running towards us, offering their solutions. But I have come to realize that these fellows are all cheaters. And they all have this common stand; they have no touch of Your devotion, Your service. There, they are one. They cannot deliver any real good. They are common to oppose Your devotional service and supremacy. And ultimately they leave us in chaos. From the ultimate standpoint, I see that they are agents engaged by You to segregate the seriously diseased persons to another ward, for the good of the less seriously diseased patients. It is Your arrangement to segregate the hopeless persons to another side for the benefit of the good side. That is Your design, and they are playing in Your hand like so many dolls. They are Your agents and they are also serving You in some way, because nothing is outside You.”

Bhaktivinoda Thakura concludes by saying, “I bid good-bye to them all. I feel in my heart that I shall show respect to all these so-called good agents from a distance, however, my only real capital is the dust of the holy feet of Your devotees. I rely on that dust as the source of all my prospects. I seek to put all my energy into taking the dust of their holy lotus feet upon my head. This is everything for me.”