To: K-list
Recieved: 2002/11/14 09:15
Subject: [K-list] Scientific Method in Religious Practice
From: dim_usa
On 2002/11/14 09:15, dim_usa posted thus to the K-list:
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.
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
Books:
(http://swami-center.org/en/text/Theology.html) General Theology -
the Science about God
(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/Practices.html) Spiritual Practices
(Training Aid)
(http://swami-center.org/en/text/Sbook.html) Sexology
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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
Krishna's Teaching(http://swami-center.org/en/text/Manifesto.html) Scientific-Spiritual
Center "Swami" (Manifesto)
(http://swami-center.org/en/text/About_School.html) About our School
(http://swami-center.org/en/text/Questions_and_answers.html)
Questions and Answers
(http://swami-center.org/en/text/Talks_with_God.html) Talks with God
(http://swami-center.org/en/text/Jesus_prayer.html) The Jesus' Prayer
(http://swami-center.org/en/text/Healing.html) Healing
(http://swami-center.org/en/text/Work_with_plants.html) Work with
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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
Principles of Yoga
(http://swami-center.org/en/text/Laws_of_Yoga.html) Laws of Spiritual
Development
(http://swami-center.org/en/text/Raja_Buddhi_Yoga.html) Raja- and
Buddhi-Yoga
(http://swami-center.org/en/text/Highest_Yoga.html) The Highest Yoga
(http://swami-center.org/en/text/Love.html) Love
(http://swami-center.org/en/text/Why_Children_Different.html) Why are
Children Different?
(http://swami-center.org/en/text/Rajneesh.html) About Rajneesh
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