That’s religion, not really phenomenology. Although we can say that some religious ideas are little steps toward a more phenomenological method.
Most of us grow out of the emo nihilist phase as teenagers or in the early 20s. Someone like Shopenhauer examples what are probably strong personality defects causing him to stall along the path. I say probably because it could also be an intellectual failure, however he seems to possess enough raw intelligence and motivation to use it. Then again who knows what weird stuff he absorbed from his university times. It’s important to also not discount the ‘random’ factors of incidental encounters and how these can cause very significant branches in our life path if occurring at key developmental moments.
Although it looks like he was only 30 when World as Will and Representation was published, so he would have written it in his 20s. Could just be a late bloomer, who knows. I could never get past the idiocy of his ideas to bother studying his other writings, not after I began to actually take truth seriously. But in terms of fun ego stuff to feed your inner edgy narcissist he can be good. I remember his talent for aphorisms isn’t half bad. Nothing compared to Nietzsche on that, but still.
Call it religion then. Aldous Huxley cites William James who makes the same point : “Practice may change our theoretical horizon, and this in a twofold way: it may lead into new worlds and secure new powers. Knowledge we could never attain, remaining what we are, may be attainable in consequences of higher powers and a higher life, which we may morally achieve.”
And yet W. James and A. Huxley agree with Jesus that moral purity affects spiritual insight in the statement I quoted. Huxley may have forgotten that principle when he attempted a psychedelic shortcut.
Schopenhauer said, “there is no more mistaken path to happiness than worldliness, revelry, highlife, for the whole object of it is to transform our miserable existence into a succession of joys, delights and pleasures process, which cannot fail to result in disappointment and delusion on a par in this respect with its Obbligato accompaniment, the interchange of lies.”
He found that “purely intellectual occupation for the mind that is capable of it, will, as a rule, do much more in the way of happiness than any form of practical life, with its constant alternations of success and failure, and all the shocks and torments it produces.”
I don’t know how old Schopenhauer was when he made the statement I cited, but when in his 20s Schopenhauer was first introduced to the Upanishads he was immediately impressed by them. He called them “the production of the highest human wisdom” (Wiki) His appreciation for them did not diminish over the years and his philosophy was based on the insight that Vedanta and Buddhism gave him on life.
Schopenhauer wrote of death and its relation to the indestructibility of our true nature. He found that Brahmanism and Buddhism were superior to other religions and philosophies in so far as they enable us to look death in the face with a quiet glance.
To be honest…I was more of an enjoyer of the Bhagavad-Gita.
The underlying cause for totality was greed power hungry aristocrats…the backbone of the religions itself. The monotheistic deity that is light, (God), has shown himself to countless prophets, devout followers, and even the non-believers. We just don’t talk about that part. That part of the whole world that was curtained away from humanity for the past, like what? 900 years or so. The Greek pantheon was as old a teacher of some of the more explicit compendium of race Gods. They waged war on each other every time they saw each other. Which is why half the realms are under hell and should stay there. Let us have our moment in the sun and drink a strawberry bud light too. Yet not everything was as it seemed, ya see.
Long ago when polytheism was around they cared not, or didn’t bother concerning themselves to explore and find out more in hand matters out about the universe then themselves. What little we know about ourselves and we can’t imprint onto the mind what we thought was conclusive evidence of interstellar and cosmic overlords. They shaped and molded the Gnosticism and broadened it with gleams of curiosity. Yet wouldn’t step foot near someone who believed in it. And for good reasons too. It’s an abolition of ascent. They try so fascinatingly to discern even the makers, the true makers craftwork. Now how can that be done? It’s like we’re recreating the pantheons all over again but with new names now. The highest wisdom there is, is light. The construct of absolute light.
Like if you take someone’s dream and interpret it wrong of course they’re gonna be skeptical as to what may lay dormant as the case with mysticism. It’s a mystery for a reason, I’m not gonna cloud your beliefs with my beliefs and I accept nothing more than the same back. Faith always brings me back to where I need to be and it will always guide my soulless body into the nebular plane back into the ethereal and spit out again.
Dual constants are hilarious to me though, described like the middle ground for those that don’t want to be caught neutral on a moving train. It’s simplistic ignorance or simple bliss, however you wanna look at it. Yet when Sanskrit textiles are documented and well recorded over the course of a whole countries lifespan there are gonna be misinterpretations of who’s galactic conquest was more prevalent. It’s more-so open to speculation and knowledge was the purveyor of said luxuries. The poignant fact of the matter is somewhere, somehow down the line we got told half truths which turned out to be over exaggerated falsities expounded by devout followers and misinterpreted facts never taken literally and still we argue to this day about the happiness and joy it brings us… Like? Seriously…?
I’m pleased that you enjoyed the Bhagavad Gita. It is an epic poem with a purpose. The Bible is also an epic narrative, but it is written in prose.
I’m not sure what you mean by “totality,” but power-hungry aristocrats are not the backbone of religions, but rather the breaking of the backbone in many cases. Aristocracy comes from Greek aristokratia “government or rule of the best; an aristocracy,” from aristos, “best of its kind, noblest, bravest, most virtuous.” However, history shows us that in many cases, the opposite was true. The Christian church was, for example, undermined by “second sons” or aristocracy to give them a title and thereby turned the church back into the authoritarian state it rose from.
However, from your flippant use of language, I presume that you are a casual observer with “no skin in the game” as it were. That is why devotion is a mystery to you, whereas it is something fundamental for the devotees. If we cannot get past the superficial appearances, we are unable to delve into the character of a text and learn. Regarding the past as deficient with regard to our modern knowledge is a misunderstanding, and numerous examples show that we are wrong to set ourselves higher than the ancients.
I’m amazed that you do not know that ancient civilisations that had pantheons of gods were often highly sophisticated in various ways, and their knowledge might indeed surprise modern people. For example, many ancient civilizations, such as the Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Greeks, and Mayans, had impressive knowledge of astronomy. They tracked celestial movements, developed calendars, and even made accurate predictions of astronomical events like eclipses. Ancient civilisations such as the Babylonians and Egyptians had advanced mathematical knowledge. The Babylonians developed a sophisticated number system and used advanced arithmetic and geometry in their architectural and engineering endeavours.
Ancient civilizations, such as the Egyptians, Greeks, and Chinese, developed various medical practices. They understood anatomy, performed surgeries, and used herbal remedies to treat ailments. The ancient Greeks, for example, had detailed medical texts and even performed rudimentary forms of brain surgery.
The ancient Romans were renowned for their engineering feats, including the construction of aqueducts, roads, and buildings. Their architectural innovations, such as the use of concrete, are still admired today. Some civilisations like the Sumerians, Egyptians, and Chinese developed sophisticated agricultural techniques. They understood the principles of irrigation, crop rotation, and soil management, allowing them to sustain large populations.
Ancient Greek philosophers like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle explored fundamental questions about the nature of reality, ethics, and the purpose of life. Their philosophical inquiries laid the foundation for Western philosophical thought. They produced timeless literary works and epic poetry that continue to be studied and appreciated today. Examples include not only the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh, but also the Greek epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey, and the Indian epic, the Mahabharata.
Ancient civilisations produced stunning works of art and architecture, showcasing their craftsmanship and creativity. The monumental structures like the Pyramids of Giza, the Parthenon, and the temples of Angkor Wat are just a few examples of their architectural achievements. I hope these examples demonstrate that ancient peoples were far from ignorant and made significant contributions to various fields of knowledge and human achievement.
It’s a wonder for sure, a sensory overload really. I’m a firm believer that from star dust we were made, and from star dust we’ll be destroyed. I spent nights wondering about the Amesha Spenta and Ahura Mazda creation story. Zoroastrianism, the seven divines and how they form the properties of nature, travelers from the stars that returned eons later.
This was similar to Enki’s travels to Dilmun in Sanskrit legends. The earliest of the cylinders depicted Ea a celestial Deity that governed wisdom and the arts. See, Methuselah was Noahs grandfather, Enoch’s son. Supposedly the legend started there. But, who knows? I still need to read the forgotten books of Eden. The Annunaki were those Watchers who looked over man at the time and saw how destructive they really were. Although they were forgotten about in a sense they still did remarkable things in their life. Later were mythic tales of the Babylonians and how they were just getting started with creating their lineage. It was the Earth chronicles, there was originally the 12th planet in our solar system, yet diminished to only 8. Like you have to be a strong government to make a whole 4 planets disappear. The blood of extraterrestrials of the past were those of our decedents and we carried that genetic with us everywhere we go. Humans don’t realize they’re lot more similar to our ancestors and feel the same desires as they once shared.
They shared unto us technology that rivaled competition, and expressed knowledge dependent on great benefactors. Brickmaking and the undertaking of smithing was taught to ajoint. It opened up a great plethora of understanding how tools and certain inventions functioned. Animal husbandry and clay making was found in both Mesolithic era and paleolithic era. They knew how certain inventions like the arrow worked.
As if Vedanta, Idealism and Schopenhauer is not enough of a rabbit hole to hop down. The history channel has been stoking this fire for years. There certainly are plenty of mysteries. Here’s one https://youtu.be/7OqW-LXHevk?si=MjSfDuJqGlFmVsxz
She who realizes that the whole universe is really nothing but consciousness and remains quite calm is protected by the armour of Brahman; she is happy.
All is one within the stillness of life this can’t be undone and is only a fragment of what consciousness is and can be that’s the most amazing feeling is to be. Just to be.
I see a struggle going on around us, in which wisdom is struggling to keep balance with power. Power is taking on the personality of Ares all over the world, and silencing wisdom wherever it can.
Because I care for people, and see their suffering because of this struggle, I find it difficult to be happy.
