Is it human transcendence?

Do myths in religious culture reflect a real human side of transcendence?

Love and light as real

Love wants to love someone and wants to be with them. Share, give and join. I offer the notion that love and light They are two faces of the same coin. My reason is that without wisdom love is ineffective and without love wisdom is inert. Consequently, I believe that love and wisdom combine to form the universal Source of what is truly human in all of us.

Whether or not it refers to love and light ace ‘God’, you may decide to believe and trust this universal reality. A reality that you can be aware of within your soul. Whatever its source, some mystics and philosophers who do not interpret the phenomenon in a religious framework, however, have assumed that this enlightenment is within oneself and comes from beyond oneself at the same time. A presence of transcendence within our deepest being. Does this awareness of an ultimate reality behind the workings of the universe? In other words, do you recognize that there is a universal human spirit of compassion and wisdom?

When people try to talk about this spirit, they often get stuck in words. As the Hindus say, the real is often hidden from us because we immerse ourselves in appearances. Similarly, I would suggest that if there is infinite truth about existence, our finite mind has a hard time understanding it.

However, even when they are not committed to any religious tradition, many people seem to appreciate new ways of knowing and loving. Because they have noticed a guiding light that inspires hope and confidence.

What is human and inhuman

A clearer idea of ​​the human spirit of love and light it comes when we consider what is inhuman: a spirit of hatred and darkness. Walking away from humanity implies terrible behavior, such as genocide, torture and other terrible crimes: the corruption of love and the light shown in the inhumanity of man towards man..

Therefore, having humanity is about having love and wisdom, not a superficial fad, not an ineffective feeling, not a reckless, yet well-motivated urge. But a kind and thoughtful act: a sensitive concern. This means having consideration for others, their needs, their potential. When a sense of togetherness, an affinity with others, and a caring attitude inspire us, we realize that these feelings are real and present within us. At the same time, what inspires originates from the afterlife. I get the inspiration, but I think it flows from outside of me from what is universally human.

The human side of mythical beings

An example that connects humanity with a religious attitude is Freemasonry, which is a movement that claims great antiquity. Its members unite in a partnership based on brotherly love and faith in a Supreme Being.

Another example is the Hare Krishna movement that promotes human well-being by promoting God consciousness based on ancient Vedic texts from India. Devotees foster this awareness through constant chanting in public.

These two traditions speak of a Divine Being as do many parts of the world of religion. ‘Supreme Spirit,’ Divine Being ‘or more often simply’ God ‘are terms these people use. They think of this Divine figure as something beyond conceivable, a final arbiter of right and wrong, and an intelligence behind the design of the universe.

Do these myths about transcendence as a kind of person represent something true? Or are they simply a fantasy heavily influenced by cultural influences? Do you think that images conjured to satisfy unconscious desires create these myths? Those who do not buy a particular faith, assume that its images represent important human qualities, such as wisdom, kindness, benevolence, but that they do not, however, point to any reality beyond oneself.

On the other hand, we can suspect that the claims about the experience of the transcendence of all kinds of people in each historical period are too varied and generalized to be reduced to the invention of people.

Different images of human transcendence.

The clinical psychologist and mystic Wilson van Dusen once wrote: “Religions are easily distinguished by their representations. What represents God in one religion may simply be a curious artifact for other religions … Below the level of the main representation. There is always a multitude of lesser figures in the art of a culture who are aspects of God, or people like God, or messengers of God. Most of them are a mixture of the human and the divine. The great pantheon of figures in the Hinduism and Buddhism are not multiple gods, but different aspects of God. The Hindu Kali represents the creator / destroyer aspect of the One. The Buddhist goddess Kuan Yin represents the gracious compassion of the Divine. Below this level we have all the saints and God-like people. Gods correlate with points in a world where humans are more open to the power of the ‘other’. “

In a part of the Hindu scriptures known as the Upanishads, the conception of Brahman becomes personal.

“It is possible to pray to Brahman in human terms and expect an answer … in one’s prayers.” (T. Patrick Burke, professor of religion)

Buddhism

Compared to the world of appearances, Buddhists believe that the eternal nature of the Buddha is the only true reality. The Buddha is a human image. The devotional form of Mahayana Buddhism addresses the Eternal Buddha nature for help. Devotees pray to the various forms of the Buddha. They pray for help with the trials of this life. For example, many Japanese Buddhists think of Amide. This is the popular Buddha of Infinite Light. They often see it as nothing more than a name for the Absolute. However, they still find the beloved image of this compassionate deity to be an invaluable help in their spiritual lives.

Many people have the religious viewpoint that something humanly divine comes from beyond self. They think of this as an ultimate reality that everyone can find, connect with, relate to, and benefit from.

Negative connotations of the word ‘God’

If you want to interact with what is higher than yourself, then you need some representation of transcendence. However, for many people who see themselves as spiritual but not religious, the word “God” can be a problem. There are even those who have broad religious sympathies and a sense of a higher presence in their lives, but are uncomfortable calling this “God.”

Perhaps the term God has reached its expiration date. I would suggest that the reason there are various negative connotations associated with the word ‘God’ is because of the questionable doctrines and hypocritical misconduct that can sometimes be encountered when promoting faith in God.

According to Wilson Van Dusen, if asked, the average person says that the worst aspect of most religions is a notable tendency toward intolerance. This extends from ‘I have found the right path; everyone else is lost, ‘to feel totally justified in killing members of any other religion. “(Wilson van Dusen, clinical psychologist and mystic)

Van Dusen also points out that on many occasions when people of different faiths appear to be in conflict, it is actually due to cultural and economic differences. In such cases, religion is just a convenient way to identify adversaries.

However, I would say that through the attitudes of some people who identify with Christianity, the term God These days it has been linked to dogmatism, sexism, racism, and power and control.

Feminism

The notion that God The fact that he is a man also alienates many people from religion these days. Feminism has alerted us to the way culture tends to prioritize the male point of view. Traditional society has organized around male authority figures, resulting in injustice to women.

Actually, I think that at least for some religious people today, deep down the idea of God it does not imply any specific gender. This is because the God of the scriptures as masculine is not to take them literally but symbolically. Masculine and feminine correspond to different human tendencies, both originated in his concept of God.

If human beings are created human in Gods image, as Christianity teaches, then presumably God it has both masculine and feminine qualities. There are passages in the Bible where the Divine is compared to having qualities that are related to the compassionate, yearning, and tender qualities found more on average in mothers. May I suggest the idea that this human idea of God it does not mean an individual human being and therefore not a male human being.

Looking for a transcendent source of human qualities

In life, change is inevitable. At some point, our situations and circumstances are altered in unpleasant and unpleasant ways. We are forced to find qualities of courage, patience, tolerance, self-control, kindness, etc. Perhaps deity figures are in human form because people seek a spiritual source for these ideal human characteristics.

Philosopher Roger Scruton wrote the book ‘The Face of God’.

“Scruton examines the view that God should be understood through one’s fellowship with one’s neighbor, and not through philosophical speculation about the ground of being.” (PK Moser, Loyola University Chicago)

According to the author, the human face gives expression to the subjective awareness of thoughts and feelings. The human face appears in the world of objects as if ‘lit from behind’. In this way, it shows a higher moral dimension of life. So I would say that your idea of ​​our spiritual source has a human dimension.

I once saw a woman walking into a town hall to dispose of a long tube of fluorescent light. Unfortunately, he tripped and dropped the tube which exploded in a cloud of smoke. It looked and sounded dramatic. Her old friend was still behind. At that moment upon seeing the prostrate woman and hearing the explosion, he exclaimed ‘Oh God, God’ and ran forward. This friend may not be religious, but wasn’t she asking about your idea of Gods help without even realizing it? Maybe she God She answered her prayer because, although she was a little surprised, the fallen woman got up and dusted herself off. It turned out that he had not suffered any injuries. If the help needed is beyond the capacity of our loved ones or friends, we may decide to turn to the human face of transcendence for help.

12 step program

Those who attend Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings feel that it is easier to confess their misconduct to other people who are in the same boat and therefore are not judged. In the same way, they may be turning to a higher power that they assume accepts them for who we are, warts and all.

According to AA and other self-help groups that follow the Twelve steps Program, tThe focus of Step 7 of is humility, asking a higher power to do something that you cannot do of your own free will or mere determination. I would suggest that this spirit can influence those members who pray for help as long as they take personal responsibility for their own conduct. This image of transcendence is an image of human acceptance and encouragement deeply felt by those who are honestly facing their failures.

You might be thinking that alcoholics turn to the idea of ​​a saving deity out of desperation. But many religious people are not ruined by lack of self-control or the limits of their attachments. However, turn to religious faith for help with your fallibilities. There may be some, but do all of these need despair before they can believe in the spirit of human transcendence?