Moments 9

Inner Dialogues 2 

How shall we begin the inquiry into what meditation is?

Modern lifestyles have popularized the idea of materialism. Generally, modern materialism—which is considered post-modernism in current philosophy and science—has two facets; one manifests in complex forms of rationalism, and the other, (which is less complex and therefore more dominant) manifests itself in various types of empiricism, like the empirical sciences that offer evidence based knowledge that is tangible and physical. 

A current extension of empiricism, which must be noted, is addressed as a peculiar form of scientism. Its roots are found in Britain’s atheistic schools of thought, and the logical positivism of those like Bertrand Russell, whose aim was to quantify all human affairs in a scientific language—including our social and cultural heritage, while on the whole, of course, they failed. The “ism” attached to science here is a contradiction of sorts, a kind of absurdity, meant to examine and address science’s over-reach into ethical and moral axioms; somewhat like it’s opposite  or seeming opposite, a rigid religious approach that fails in its overreach into areas of a science that it does not understand—which again, is an oxymoron and rather paradoxical. In fact, scientism appears much like religious fundamentalism, as seen in today’s world of pandemics where science’s over-reach is causing irreconcilable concerns within ethical, moral, spiritual, and other aspects of life with which it’s not equipped and yet it attempts to dominate to no avail. And the same can be said in the over-reach of science and technology in all human affairs, such as, the terrors of war, biological weapons, and broken and profit oriented healthcare and educational systems.

As to the current state of the rationalism we are presented with, it proves to be a more complex system that includes the variety of creative, artistic, abstract sciences and arts (like Physics and Mathematics or Psychology and Philosophy), and even the religious thoughts of today’s thinkers. But note that I have at large referred to today’s rationalism as a form of materialism albeit a more complex form of materialism, while stressing the fact that simpler kinds of materialism like the empirical sciences (and their distorted version as ‘scientism’) dominate modern lifestyles. But as to this more complex form of rationalism—which at its core proves to be a complex materialism despite its abstract and religious attempts—“Why is it considered a form of materialism,” one may ask. Because it lacks the spirit, truth, and love of things as they are. 

So according to the above contrasts and definitions, the discussion here is, meditation is something that addresses the spirit, truth, and the love of things or rather the spirit, truth, and love of all that exists as ‘what is’—as each thing or being, or state of being, or unit of one, ‘is’. On the other hand, Rationalism, or rather the mind alone, can not know things as they are, no matter how complex or alluring are its attempts, and obviously nor could empirical materialism and scientism. In other words, in general, todays’ rationalism is simply a more complex empirical and material science even as it utilizes reason. It is not reason founded on the spirit and truth of things, and life itself—experientially and qualitatively—rather it is reason as hypothesis and theory based on things that one does not truly know, except in appearances and fragments—the quantitative study of surface knowledge. For instance, as mentioned in the previous dialogues, speaking on the soul or Angels, one could devise many interesting, poetic, and romanticized notions, which many have done. But which amongst them experienced and understood the soul or Angels experientially as these life-forms simply exist in the same way that a chair or animal exists—as it or they are? 

In regards to the above question, healthy skepticism in the form of agnosticism and atheism, asks valid questions. However, unfortunately, modern scholars have failed to provide the appropriate response. For instance, many modern skeptics and atheists have resorted to nothing but ridiculing the world's great traditions and religions. This is due to both, the ignorance of modern scholars, not to mention their own ignorance. Modern philosophical and theological schools of religious studies main tenet in today's world is, as mentioned, rationalism. So when asked to explain such things as Angels and mystical experiences, they often resort to complex philosophies that fail. This was not so among the great prophets, who were the founders of the great traditions, nor was it the case among the early apostles, disciples, scholars, and companions of those founders—precisely the reason why many of the world's great traditions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) as well as many of the indigenous peoples of the world (the Navajo, the Hopi, the Australian Aborigines, the Kogi) in their early conceptions were widely adopted and respected; and more importantly, the way in which they expanded miraculously like wild-fires of love and transformation, was due to the fact that their people experientially lived those teachings. In other words, they had direct encounters with divine forces and were able to relay that experience directly to others with related practices, practices that have now become largely empty rituals. However, the lives of the ancients  were lived philosophies, not merely rational theologies. Unfortunately, those who still possess such knowledge have become rarer due to modernism and the excesses of rationalism and materialism. 

Even among the early the Greeks and the democratic society of Athens on which western democracy and academic study is modeled, their philosophies and theologies were merely two parts of the whole that covered many more areas of spirituality; such as the fields of theosophy (the lived wisdom of the divine), theophany (encounters with divine forces), and theogony (the generational and genealogical study of the divine forces), astrology, and cosmogony, and more. In other words, where the human connection, humanity, and humaneness were concerned, the quality of life was both a physical and metaphysical experience, and there were many studies that inquired into benevolent divine presences and the interconnectedness of what it means to be human, humane, and divine, for essentially human beings are benevolent spiritual beings who are created in love and live on love. 

(c) Houman Z. Emami