Global Religion & Philosophy book

[Nicholas Weeks]

In 2010 this important book was printed. It surveys spiritual concepts from philosophical, scientific & religious viewpoints. It is a valuable two-volume work and is worthy of study.

Global Philosophical and Ecological Concepts: (In Two Volumes) Cycles, Causality, Ecology and Evoultion in Various Traditions and Their Impact on Modern Biology

 

[Nicholas Weeks]

Here is a little on the first of seven fundamental concepts this work by Rudi Jansma is based on:

SEVEN FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS
1 CYCLES
Cyclic processes are fundamental in manifested nature. They are recognized in such phenomena as the cycles of day and night, of the seasons, of ebb and flow, of the movements of celestial bodies and intra-atomic movement, etc. Cyclic processes have been acknowledged as fundamental by most great cultures of past and present. For this reason the circle is a most sacred symbol among many Native Americans. In Hinduism cycles are governed by the creating, sustaining and destroying/renewing trinity of Brahmå, Vishnu, and Siva. The Hindus have a very elaborate system of cycles within cycles linking every event in the universe, from the smallest to the largest. Most important, partly because of its ethical and psychological implications, is life as opposed to death. With many cultures life and death have been recognized as a cyclic alternation comparable to “life and death” of the sun each day, which means that something continues when life has withdrawn from the realm of visibility and later returns to manifested physical existence. In Buddhism the cycle of rebirth (bhavacakra) is a basic teaching, and Tibetan Buddhism in particular contains detailed descriptions of after-death states of consciousness. Also many Native Americans are acquainted with the concept of reincarnation or reembodiment.

[page 32]

 

[Nicholas Weeks]

The second fundamental:

2 CAUSALITY
Events are the results of previous causes. Results are expected to follow causes mathematically, and if related to matter in strict correspondence with the physical laws of nature. But the interpretation of causality varies greatly with different cultures. In occidental thinking the concept of chance has been introduced and absolutized, which makes it possible to calculate with the results of untraceable causes. Forces that transmit the information contained in a cause are supposed to act blindly, and uncontrolled by mind and intelligence. Other cultures seem to have explained results of unknown causes as fate, depending on the will and imponderable mind of God or gods. In the Indian systems the concept of karma is very important, which is neither blind, nor controlled by higher beings outside the actor, but is the eternal “habit” of manifested nature to restore the balance, working on all levels of existence and for all beings, including the gods. The explanations of karma given by Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism lay emphasis on different aspects of this universal doctrine. We will see that, hidden beneath the surface of myth, the knowledge of karma exists with Native Americans as well. Causality is thus directly linked with individual responsibility in action and thought, and consequently with ethics. Karma is cyclic: results of actions sooner or later return to the actor.

[pp.32-33]