Some people who know a little about nanotechnology think it could create superior human beings with greater intellect, reasoning abilities and, as a consequence, morality. However, the possible risk of death from taking a pill to cause this evolution into Homo Sapiens Magna has dampened research into the use of nanotechnology to make us smarter and morally superior to the average person.
This is because greater intellect does not preclude insanity, which is validated by schizophrenic people being of a higher intellectual capacity than a person with a mood disorder. Even though bipolar people are highly creative, their tendency toward anxiety in novel situations when not manic tends to moderate their intellect.
As for narcissistic peoples, the only thing they know about the most is themselves, so they would apply their intellect once they confirm what's in it for them, which implies the appearance of high intellect without a corresponding sense of compassion for other people. Were anyone to confront them about their past stupid mistake, things could get really ugly in no time.
Even if we were to evolve, the higher intelligence and reasoning abilities might result in the ability to learn to follow a strict moral code as well as the strong sense of compassion and mercy with the strong risk to develop schizophrenia due to sensory overload caused by too much deep thought.
While it would be cheaper to genetically engineer a human being with superior intelligence and reasoning, it would be impossible to correct the inherent genetic destiny of schizophrenia genetically since most schizophrenia is not due to a genetic predisposition but to not learning successful coping skills in response to stress.
In short, there is no gene that gives you superior coping skills. It has to be learned through experience. Thus, the superior man is not born to cope with life. Rather, he learns how to cope with life through his life experiences.
In conclusion, I reject the nanotechnology and the genetic engineering route for creating the perfect man.
Instead, all it takes is Buddhist learning to perfect the man. This includes daily meditation sessions to develop the calm mind (samatha) necessary to solving koans (vipassana).
Though, the easy way to perfect the man is to chant the Nembutsu or even the Nichiren daimoku "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo". This form of meditation is easy to do, and only requires five minutes or less of chanting daily.
Meditation itself helps Buddhists to discover that Buddha Nature inherent to their own live. Buddha Nature can be considered the perfect qualities of the Buddha which passed into the consciousness stream when he died. Superior intellect, reasoning and morality are three of those perfect qualities.
However, I won't consider this exclusive to Buddhists. Christians use the Sinner's Prayer as an aid to perfect, chanting "God have mercy on me, a sinner" out of humility. Indeed, humility is the essential key to perfection, not the science of technology.
YMMV
Showing posts with label humanity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label humanity. Show all posts
20140117
20131209
Being Stoned, Drunk, High or Psychotic
Being stoned while seeking the Divine is like being caught in religious ecstasy where one is in awe of the realization that
we are just a tiny insignificant part of the cosmos,
all the usual trials in life cannot remove that wondrous moment of awe found in that almost spiritual higher state of mind called "divine madness", and
merrily laugh away all our trouble before that madness quickly fades and is forever forgotten when a tiny voice suddenly cries, "I'm hungry! Let's go eat!!"
Although our physical hunger is barely satisfied while moved by such madness, the origins of that hunger is spiritual, and motivates the sublimation of the libido, which is the root of all human creation. Only with unconditional love are we able to better appreciate this madness, whether its genesis is due to intoxicants or our physical condition. With respect of love's power to transform such madness into that sense of awe of the divine, we seldom fall prey to fear. Once fear is appeased, it no longer perverts our memory of the very first time we were transformed by the state of unity with the Divine itself, be it God or the Absolute Body of the Cosmic Buddha. Thus is being at one with the Divine, be it through madness or religious ecstasy, a vital part of the human condition. For all of us who are born human are especially privileged to don this form and play out our roles in the human realm. "Rare is it to be born a human being and even rarer to have heard the message of the Buddha."
Originally posted: May 26, 2010 at 7:08 PM
20131016
The Humanity of No-Self
According to Buddhist doctrine, the self is as artificial as a car, a house, or even money. It only exists as a concept because a Greek philosopher wrote "pneumos" when speaking about the soul and "autos" for the self.
Such abstract notions have no existence in reality nut only in the mind. As such, they have been reified, taking shape as valid concepts in religions other than Buddhism.
Even where one thinks the soul or the self is discussed in Buddhism, it is only because of confirmation biases that the higher two of the eight consciousnesses theorized by the Yogachara school of Buddhism appear to be similar, but are not.
By denying the existence of the self, Buddhism only remains true to the doctrine of no-self, in which no permanent self exists apart from the body.
Instead, it substitutes the six consciousnesses of modern Buddhism, and rarely discusses the two higher consciousnesses, lest those people who believe in a permanent soul mistake them for the self and the soul.
For those who hold firm to the concept of a permanent soul, and declare that a self exists independent of a body, also claim our humanity with its good works is due to a soul, and falsely assert that the lack of a soul is the reason for evil.
In truth, this fallacy is disproved by the fact that it is humanity's creations which may be deemed good or evil, including the pernicious fallacy called "immortal life".
Indeed, belief in immortal life is a satanism since millions of innocent lives have been sacrificed to it in the name of a Higher Power, be it Allah, G*d or Adonai. In comparison, post-modern human sacrifice to the devil has been proven again and again to be a myth.
Even without a soul, a person may be compassionate and loving, just as one may be uncaring and full of hate, depending on what has been made.
Without a soul, even an animal is capable of creating good. Is not a kitten proof of this? As well, an animal is capable of creating evil. Every time a bear comes to town, its predation is proof of this.
Likewise, what a man creates determines the good of his deed; what he creates also determines the evil of his deed.
What does this have to do with the self? We create, not because of the existence of a self nor do we act out of the goodness of our hearts because of a soul. We act because we are human, and quibbling over its origin in some permanent self or the benefit of a soul is animism.
For the existence of a soul does not make one man good and its absence, another man evil. This kind of fallacy leads to thinking the world is evil because it lacks capacity for a soul.
Yet nature itself is filled with life, and does not need one soul or many souls to exist. Since nature creates itself, and judges not itself, what good will soul be to it?
Since humanity is a vital part of nature, it follows too that humanity can do without soul, since the acts of its members may be judged good or evil without referring to soul.
As for the self, it is but a vain concept that only egocentrics would love to exist, despite not truly being the centre of the world at all.
Such abstract notions have no existence in reality nut only in the mind. As such, they have been reified, taking shape as valid concepts in religions other than Buddhism.
Even where one thinks the soul or the self is discussed in Buddhism, it is only because of confirmation biases that the higher two of the eight consciousnesses theorized by the Yogachara school of Buddhism appear to be similar, but are not.
By denying the existence of the self, Buddhism only remains true to the doctrine of no-self, in which no permanent self exists apart from the body.
Instead, it substitutes the six consciousnesses of modern Buddhism, and rarely discusses the two higher consciousnesses, lest those people who believe in a permanent soul mistake them for the self and the soul.
For those who hold firm to the concept of a permanent soul, and declare that a self exists independent of a body, also claim our humanity with its good works is due to a soul, and falsely assert that the lack of a soul is the reason for evil.
In truth, this fallacy is disproved by the fact that it is humanity's creations which may be deemed good or evil, including the pernicious fallacy called "immortal life".
Indeed, belief in immortal life is a satanism since millions of innocent lives have been sacrificed to it in the name of a Higher Power, be it Allah, G*d or Adonai. In comparison, post-modern human sacrifice to the devil has been proven again and again to be a myth.
Even without a soul, a person may be compassionate and loving, just as one may be uncaring and full of hate, depending on what has been made.
Without a soul, even an animal is capable of creating good. Is not a kitten proof of this? As well, an animal is capable of creating evil. Every time a bear comes to town, its predation is proof of this.
Likewise, what a man creates determines the good of his deed; what he creates also determines the evil of his deed.
What does this have to do with the self? We create, not because of the existence of a self nor do we act out of the goodness of our hearts because of a soul. We act because we are human, and quibbling over its origin in some permanent self or the benefit of a soul is animism.
For the existence of a soul does not make one man good and its absence, another man evil. This kind of fallacy leads to thinking the world is evil because it lacks capacity for a soul.
Yet nature itself is filled with life, and does not need one soul or many souls to exist. Since nature creates itself, and judges not itself, what good will soul be to it?
Since humanity is a vital part of nature, it follows too that humanity can do without soul, since the acts of its members may be judged good or evil without referring to soul.
As for the self, it is but a vain concept that only egocentrics would love to exist, despite not truly being the centre of the world at all.
20130207
My Faith is the Same as a Christian's or a Hindu's
Jodo Shinshu has similarities to Lingayatism and Protestant Christianity in that all of these religions claim that an intercessor between humanity and the Absolute is unnecessary.
Jodo Shinshu abandoned tradition in that priest could marry as happens in Protestant Christianity. In Lingayatism, castes were set aside and lower castes were as likely to be members as upper classes. Likewise in Jodo Shinshu, priests, samurai, merchants and commoners are equal before the Buddha.
Despite the dissimilarities between Honen, Basavanna, and Martin Luther, I can safely say, a Buddhist's faith is no different from a Shaivite's or a Protestant's faith.
If we used the differences between Buddhism, Christianity and Hinduism to argue among ourselves, then organized religion is but a place to differ about dogma and doctrine.
However, given that faith is the equalizing factor along with the fact that humanity is free to believe in the form of the Absolute according to the doctrine of their respective religions, nothing is served by argument and differences of opinion.
Although I practice Jodo Shinshu differently from Lingayatism and Christianity, it is sincerity of faith that unites us.
Jodo Shinshu abandoned tradition in that priest could marry as happens in Protestant Christianity. In Lingayatism, castes were set aside and lower castes were as likely to be members as upper classes. Likewise in Jodo Shinshu, priests, samurai, merchants and commoners are equal before the Buddha.
Despite the dissimilarities between Honen, Basavanna, and Martin Luther, I can safely say, a Buddhist's faith is no different from a Shaivite's or a Protestant's faith.
If we used the differences between Buddhism, Christianity and Hinduism to argue among ourselves, then organized religion is but a place to differ about dogma and doctrine.
However, given that faith is the equalizing factor along with the fact that humanity is free to believe in the form of the Absolute according to the doctrine of their respective religions, nothing is served by argument and differences of opinion.
Although I practice Jodo Shinshu differently from Lingayatism and Christianity, it is sincerity of faith that unites us.
20121106
The Golden Ring of True Love (poem)
True love is compassion;
compassion is loving-kindness;
loving-kindness is love that is true;
and love that is true is true love...
Human love pales before such reason!
For such reason solves the question: What is true love?
It also explains why we humans rarely find the love that is true.
Few of us even understand that loving-kindness is the highest love.
Indeed, everywhere we seek true love, only to overlook compassion.
For compassion is true love;
true love is love that is true;
love that is true is loving-kindness;
and loving-kindness is compassion.
Indeed, compassion is true love!
For true love is the balm that heals a broken heart;
once healed, that heart is able to share the love that is true,
because loving-kindness is true love shared.
Even your mother knows this love that is true.
Her compassion brought you to her breast,
so that you could suckle the milk of human kindness,
For loving-kindness is love that is true;
love that is true is true love;
true love is compassion;
and compassion is loving-kindness.
Such kindness is this love that is true which soothes
the brow of the beast within that dies in our arms
so that the life of compassion reveals the heart of our humanity
which yearns longingly for what the romantics call true love!
For true love is love that is true;
love that is true is loving-kindness;
loving-kindness is compassion;
and compassion is true love!
compassion is loving-kindness;
loving-kindness is love that is true;
and love that is true is true love...
Human love pales before such reason!
For such reason solves the question: What is true love?
It also explains why we humans rarely find the love that is true.
Few of us even understand that loving-kindness is the highest love.
Indeed, everywhere we seek true love, only to overlook compassion.
For compassion is true love;
true love is love that is true;
love that is true is loving-kindness;
and loving-kindness is compassion.
Indeed, compassion is true love!
For true love is the balm that heals a broken heart;
once healed, that heart is able to share the love that is true,
because loving-kindness is true love shared.
Even your mother knows this love that is true.
Her compassion brought you to her breast,
so that you could suckle the milk of human kindness,
For loving-kindness is love that is true;
love that is true is true love;
true love is compassion;
and compassion is loving-kindness.
Such kindness is this love that is true which soothes
the brow of the beast within that dies in our arms
so that the life of compassion reveals the heart of our humanity
which yearns longingly for what the romantics call true love!
For true love is love that is true;
love that is true is loving-kindness;
loving-kindness is compassion;
and compassion is true love!
20100716
IF... or What It Takes to be Human
In this poem Kipling implies in no uncertain terms that anyone can be a MAN - indeed, this poem defined what it means to be human.
---
IF.....
IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!
---
IF.....
IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!
-- Rudyard Kipling
20070816
Being Human
It's really hard to be human, and still be good.
There's so much temptation around, a person can't help but be naughty some of the time.
This is when the adage of "to err is human; to forgive, divine" works well with the meditation which leads to the pure mind, the bodhi mind, nirvana.
It doesn't mean to not make mistakes; it means to forgive oneself.
It means the meditation of forgiveness is the way to the pure mind.
There's so much temptation around, a person can't help but be naughty some of the time.
This is when the adage of "to err is human; to forgive, divine" works well with the meditation which leads to the pure mind, the bodhi mind, nirvana.
It doesn't mean to not make mistakes; it means to forgive oneself.
It means the meditation of forgiveness is the way to the pure mind.
20040828
Panentheism Revisited (poem)
Panentheism Revisited
I. First Truth
When one part of it hurts
The whole universe hurts.
Yet only rarely does humanity
realize the role of suffering
is to shape the human spirit wisely.
Always awake, enlightened, truly whole,
the whole universe is infinite
to this fool, yet is the source of life,
atom by atom, molecule by molecule.
II. True Joy
When one part of it rejoices
The whole universe rejoices.
Then, humanity may only feel joy
as spontaneous, the spark of freedom
to appreciate life as it is.
From the universe came the soul pristine,
the gift to seed in this mortal coil
at birth, only to be returned at death,
to the infinite, pristine and unchanged.
III. Illumination and Enlightenment
When one part of it illuminates
The whole universe is illuminated.
Here and there, wisdom slowly ebbs and flows
with the human tide on this grain of sand,
sometimes seeing the whole universe.
Through love and compassion, the wise support
with kindness their equals, the foolish,
sharing the wealth of the infinite,
securely complemented with prudence.
I. First Truth
When one part of it hurts
The whole universe hurts.
Yet only rarely does humanity
realize the role of suffering
is to shape the human spirit wisely.
Always awake, enlightened, truly whole,
the whole universe is infinite
to this fool, yet is the source of life,
atom by atom, molecule by molecule.
II. True Joy
When one part of it rejoices
The whole universe rejoices.
Then, humanity may only feel joy
as spontaneous, the spark of freedom
to appreciate life as it is.
From the universe came the soul pristine,
the gift to seed in this mortal coil
at birth, only to be returned at death,
to the infinite, pristine and unchanged.
III. Illumination and Enlightenment
When one part of it illuminates
The whole universe is illuminated.
Here and there, wisdom slowly ebbs and flows
with the human tide on this grain of sand,
sometimes seeing the whole universe.
Through love and compassion, the wise support
with kindness their equals, the foolish,
sharing the wealth of the infinite,
securely complemented with prudence.
20030922
Humanity is one family
"Two instances of Hindu Principles that symbolize the outcome of freedom of thought are the pronouncements made not today, but four thousand years back by unnamed rishis (Hindu ascetics) that, 'This world is one family' (Vasudaiva Kutumbakam) and that 'The Universal Reality is the same, but different people can call it by different names' (Ekam Sat Viprah Bahuda Vadanti). In these two proclamations made in ancient Hindu India, we see the seeds of globalism and freedom of thought, four thousand years before the world was to become the global village of today." - http://veda.wikidot.com/hindutva
My objection to the modern interpretation that "vasudaiva kutumbakam" is the seed of globalism, is that the English rendering, "this world is one family" refers not to the whole world, but to the person. "World" is an late English term referring to "the people as a whole", i.e. humanity, reality. A closer translation of "vasudaiva kutumbakam" would be "Humanity is one family."
vasuda, vasudha (`containing wealth'): the earth, world, globe - http://vedabase.net/v/vasuda, http://vedabase.net/v/vasudha
iva: adv. & conj. Thus, like, in like manner as; as, in some way, almost, scarcely - http://vedabase.net/i/iva
kutumb: household, family - http://vedabase.net/k/kutumb
akam: without desire i.e. an epithet of the Supreme. - http://vedabase.net/a/akam
Thus "vasudaiva kutumbakam" means "the world as ideal family".
"Ekam Sat Viprah Bahuda Vadanti" is from RgVeda 1.164 verse 46c, and is translated as:
ekam: adj. One - http://vedabase.net/e/ekam
sat: the Supreme, pure, spirit, eternal, the cause - http://vedabase.net/s/sat
viprah: sage - http://flaez.ch/cgi-bin/rv.pl?wort=vi/praa
bahuda: repeatedly - http://flaez.ch/cgi-bin/rv.pl?wort=bahudhaa/
vadanti - to call it. - http://flaez.ch/cgi-bin/rv.pl?wort=vadanti
But that quote from the RgVeda has continues on to read: "agnim yamam matarishvanam ahuh", which translates as "many gods the rishi call".
Thus, this line translates as:
One truth, the sage (repeatedly) calls it.
Many gods, the rishi call.
The implication is that Brahman has many names, the names of the devas and devis. Although Brahman is the one true God, a rishi may propitiate many gods representing aspects of Brahman.
Reference:
Sanskrit translations: http://vedabase.net
Rig Veda: http://flaez.ch/cgi-bin/rv.pl
Hindutva: http://veda.wikidot.com/hindutva
My objection to the modern interpretation that "vasudaiva kutumbakam" is the seed of globalism, is that the English rendering, "this world is one family" refers not to the whole world, but to the person. "World" is an late English term referring to "the people as a whole", i.e. humanity, reality. A closer translation of "vasudaiva kutumbakam" would be "Humanity is one family."
vasuda, vasudha (`containing wealth'): the earth, world, globe - http://vedabase.net/v/vasuda, http://vedabase.net/v/vasudha
iva: adv. & conj. Thus, like, in like manner as; as, in some way, almost, scarcely - http://vedabase.net/i/iva
kutumb: household, family - http://vedabase.net/k/kutumb
akam: without desire i.e. an epithet of the Supreme. - http://vedabase.net/a/akam
Thus "vasudaiva kutumbakam" means "the world as ideal family".
"Ekam Sat Viprah Bahuda Vadanti" is from RgVeda 1.164 verse 46c, and is translated as:
ekam: adj. One - http://vedabase.net/e/ekam
sat: the Supreme, pure, spirit, eternal, the cause - http://vedabase.net/s/sat
viprah: sage - http://flaez.ch/cgi-bin/rv.pl?wort=vi/praa
bahuda: repeatedly - http://flaez.ch/cgi-bin/rv.pl?wort=bahudhaa/
vadanti - to call it. - http://flaez.ch/cgi-bin/rv.pl?wort=vadanti
But that quote from the RgVeda has continues on to read: "agnim yamam matarishvanam ahuh", which translates as "many gods the rishi call".
Thus, this line translates as:
One truth, the sage (repeatedly) calls it.
Many gods, the rishi call.
The implication is that Brahman has many names, the names of the devas and devis. Although Brahman is the one true God, a rishi may propitiate many gods representing aspects of Brahman.
Reference:
Sanskrit translations: http://vedabase.net
Rig Veda: http://flaez.ch/cgi-bin/rv.pl
Hindutva: http://veda.wikidot.com/hindutva
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