by Parmjit Singh
Once Mulla Nasrudin saved a lot of money and someone suggested to him to go to a mannequin parade in town and have a little fun. Later, he was asked about the parade and how he liked it.
‘It is a complete rip off’, he replied with visible annoyance.
‘Why’?, his friend asked.
‘They show you the woman and then try to sell you the clothes’.
The moral and satirical relevance of the anecdote of legendary folklore hero Mulla Nasrudin is aptly applicable to the modern day movement of spiritual education sweeping the Western nations. Unsuspecting people desperate to find inner peace and satisfaction are falling prey to the methods of sham spirituality and false enlightenment. God, mind and universal consciousness are fashionable wares to be sold to spiritually impoverished public in a consumerist environment. Enlightenment and spirituality is on sale!
Ever since modern science took reins to explain everything ranging from God to AIDS, the conventional old definitions of religion, spirituality and inner meaning of life have been conveniently brushed aside.
French philosopher, Rene Descartes’ three fateful dreams in the early 17th century proved to be a watershed in the direction and growth of science for the next three hundred years. The permanent division that he drove into body and mind are still practiced in the areas from medicine to engineering. The knowledge that grew in the wake of this, has dominated the worldview since then.
A new kind of religion, then emerged: the religion of materialism. As science progressed, old wisdom of mystical philosophies of Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism and other major religions were thrown out of the window in favor of new ‘objective and rational’ data flowing out of the science laboratories. Humans came to be considered as sophisticated pieces of machine. Religious theories or contentions, which could not stand the rigorous acid test of the so-called ‘scientific’ examination, were simply considered featherbrained invention of unscientific thinking.
This revolution not only altered the complexion of humanity at large, but also catalyzed a major cultural transformation. In the olden days, people used to worship God in churches, temples, and mosques. Nowadays, the worship has taken different connotations and meanings. Corporate houses and universities are the new temples. Books, journals and scientific instruments are the new scriptures. However, nothing has changed except the object of worship. The old mind-set is still there. The old form of God and spirituality has transformed into the new convenience of science and technology.
Unfortunately, over-reliance on material philosophy has raised a Frankenstein in the form of a fractured family and social system, growing social irresponsibility among kids (a Stanford University psychologist speculated that computers and internet options at home or elsewhere leave the kids with a lost sense of social responsibility for they have far less time to mingle physically with other kids to learn the healthy ways of society), violent trends among youth, substance abuse, alarming dissatisfaction among workers (In North America alone, a large percentage of the workers in high-performance industry are depressed or are suffering from similar disorders) and above all, a stubborn sense of emptiness in life.
These disturbing trends in society and failure of scientific understanding to guarantee a magic cure for all social and medical ills forced introspection among people. Old questions and queries revisited once again and whispered about the flaws and limits of science being more audible.
In an interesting side development, the mystical nature of the writings of Albert Einstein, Neil Bohr and Werner Heisenberg--in which they supported the wisdom enclosed in ancient scriptures of various religions--became more apparent. The ancient philosophies of Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism, which hitherto were considered vague and unverifiable, found a new voice and support.
During the same time period, old science of Newton and Laplace was being replaced in the laboratories of West with a new understanding of quantum world (smallest particles like atoms, protons and electrons). That was the end of ‘pure and objective science’ and beginning of a new science (which considers that everything is interconnected). This is where religion and science met to some extent, though reluctantly and after a prolonged labor pains.
As hard-core scientists and other skeptics began reconciling to the shifting view of the science and its far-reaching implications, a new wave started fascinating the Western nations: eastern mystical philosophies. Fed by the growing general dissatisfaction in life, it launched a multi-million dollar industry of providing inner peace and contentment to the despaired souls. Our old materialistic tendency took another dangerous turn and this time in the form of spiritual materialism. But why have humans taken another wrong turn? Here lies one of the darkest secrets of human psychology.
In a very short duration of time, the traditions of yoga and meditation have gained a widespread reputation and applicability in erstwhile suspicious Western nations. Scientists who were bitterly opposed to the usefulness of these techniques and methods started experimenting with them. The old cynicism gave way to a more receptive attitude of ‘let us try it’. The first notable scientist, among others, to put meditation under a scientific microscope was a Harvard physician Herbert Benson. He investigated the effectiveness of Transcendental Meditation on various psycho-physiological measures and found it working. The initial findings were published in the 1972 edition of the prestigious magazine Scientific American.
Since then more and more research has focused on yoga and meditation and its salutary effects on health. It has gained a niche in the western lifestyle and nowadays engaging in meditation is considered a status symbol. Involvement of celebrities has added another dimension of glamour to the whole affair.
It must be understood that Western philosophy, more or less, is driven by the age-old paradigms of attaching much importance to data about objects. That type of knowledge is gained by dissecting the objects into finer and finer elements by a method commonly known as reductionism (reducing everything into minutest particles or divisions).
The underlying psychology behind such a tendency is the compulsion of western mind to divide things to understand their real nature. One presumption that goes with this kind of scientific understanding is that by knowing all individual components of a particular thing, we will be able to predict the total nature of that thing. For them, the sum of the individual parts is equal to the total function of that part. For example, scientists hope that understanding the function of each part of the human brain will help them solve the mystery of mind and consciousness.
As we see, the growth in spiritual industry is too hard to dismiss. The newspaper advertisements, brochures, new magic books, retreats and excursions are too common to miss. Not only do these retreats and camps claim to equip people with infallible wisdom to find inner peace and happiness, but also, in some cases, certify the attendees for using the same knowledge for running professional services to the needy. It is becoming a quick business and no qualification can be easier than a yogic or meditative one. Few days of attendance and one becomes a certified teacher. Mystique and reverence attached to these disciplines provides an additional lure.
Sadly however, it constitutes a situation of irony and mockery that spiritual wisdom that took centuries to distil and take shape is being doled out in weekend workshops?
Why? If you look deep into the whole issue, you will find a disturbing semblance. The same materialistic mentality is at work. Self-claimed experts of yoga and meditation have learnt the basic postures and movements of these disciplines and have started thinking that learning few dozen slow-motioned gyrations of body would make them a yoga or meditation master. If that was the case, why did a Master have to spend his whole life doing the same things over and over?
It is not the postures that are the crux of these techniques and methods, but the basic existential philosophy underlying them. Postures are simply a way to control the body and for eastern traditions, body is the only first step in self-realization. Body is just a vehicle in the total transformation and that total cannot be conceived and understood without the personal experience of controlling the mind.
In Taoism, it is said that, ‘If it could be told, then everybody (enlightened) would have told their brothers’. Such is the privacy of spirituality that even the Buddha would not be able to help if a personal journey is not undertaken.
During brief retreats and excursions, it will be truly difficult to train even the body, let alone the mind. In that situation, the education provided and received is only half-baked. It is very important to have an adequate personal experience to teach the inner traditions. Unlike some mathematical principles, it cannot be learnt in weekend workshops.
Then what is being peddled? It is the old materialism under the garb of spirituality.
Mulla Nasrudin is coming true!!!
