Truth is that we have no contol over things in the world including ourselves.Things happen as they do, despite us.We imagine cause and effect relationships;in fact causal relationships are only a tool of our mind to categorise events.
The only way to remain happy is to change our perceptions of the world and accept things as they are.(even here our choice is limited as our dispositions to perceive are predetermined , whether you accept it or not)
Category: Indian Philosophy
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On Things we control.
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What is Truth?
It is difficult to define Truth as well as lie.
Lies come in different forms,Falsehood,Suppressio veri, suggestiofalsi,misleading statements etal.
In case of Truth, Truth is multi faceted and at times selfcontradictory, depending on the perceiver and
conditions.
Safest definition for Truth shall be ‘That which does not hurt others”
It is pertinent to remember that one should speaktruthfully, but not
all theTruth at all times.
Lies of all hues are contra to facts and are used to protect one, his
family etc.At such times better to keep quiet.Link
Truth is what ‘is’.It is true at all points of time,past,present and
future.It is different from facts, for facts are perceived by five
senses and mind and they vary from individuals and even for an
individual ,facts present themselves differently. at different points
of time.For instance the sun appears to rise in the east is a
fact,based on our eyes,but science explains that it appears to rise in
the east.Hence, the fact as we have seen with our eyes is not true.But
what about scientific explanation? Honest answer is, as Locke says,I
Know not.
Again what we see as truth is often incomplete as it has various
versions, depending on the individual and circumstances.So, senses
alone do not guarantee Truth.
Then what is Truth? It is multifaceted.Truth is that which exists in
itself and it does not need the existence of anything else to be
understood and it does not need the conception of anything else in
order to be conceived.
Hence Truth is self evident and it is understood by us intutively. You
can not explain what Truth is to one as you can not explain what
yellow is to a man who is born blind.One has to experience Truth.
Science is not truth but only facts, observed under certain
conditions.It assumes axioms, especially two , namely law of
Uniformity of Nature and Law of Causality.Logically you can say, at
best Universe is following certain laws,say, Gravitation;there is no
guarantee that it will be so tomorrow.
Law Causality: Two events happen; we call one the cause of another,or
one is the effect of another.One cause may produce more than one
result and one result may have more than one cause.Granting that one
event causes another, we assume that Law of Uniformity is operational,
which we have seen is not true.Law of Causality and Uniformity are the
modes through which we perceive and catalog events,nothing more.This
is due to the fact that Human mind operates through two spectacles of
Space and Time, without which we can perceive ,conceive or imagine
anything.That which transcends space and time is the Reality and its
attributes are Being,Pure Knowledge, and Bliss.That is our true
nature.Rest of the things, like world as we see it, are Relatively
true,just as a rainbow, which is true so long it lasts or like the
reflection of the moon in water,The moon is one, yet we see many moons
in water at different vessels.These are transitory.
So where does it leave us in terms of lies?
For practical purposes lie is one that harms others.Conversely Truth
is that which does not hurt others.One must remember to speak
truthfully, but need not speak all the Truth. -
Stay Happy and Healthy.
1.Eating good food.Food that is cooked afresh,neither too hot, nor cold,neither too much of salt,spicy,tangy;reheated food,food that is old.
Faith.in something worth living for.(Gita)
3.Do what you ought to do and do not anticipate results.(Gita)
4.Remember we can change nobody nor their opinions.People and things are what they are.Leave them be.(Gita)
5.Too much of attachment to anything is a curse.
6.We are born with none and shall leave alone.All relationships acquired.These are of two kinds.One is SONDHAM( relative is a poor substitute) ,which is not determined by us, namely parents, brothers and sisters and children .These can not be avoided.We must take this with a pinch of salt in that because of their special place in our existence that does not give us the right to interfere in their lives.The other is BANDHAM.These are acquired by us, like wife, profession , friends.Less interaction that would lead to our well being is better.
5.Avoid comments on others.
6.Attachment leads to desire;desire to anger, anger to imbalance, imbalance to destruction of intellect-and that leads to ruination. Be content(Gita) -
Public Conscience Vs Private Conscience.
Hobbes’s definition that private conscience as distinct from Public conscience omits conveniently the fact that Public Conscience (?) has been formed after collective private consciences.This dichotomy is due to mixing up of ethics, which is normative against running day to day life ,which is pragmatical.Freedom of choice is individualistic and not collective.Conflict arises only when there is a different perception of the same issue eithet by many or by the same individual at different times.Put it simply, what one’s conscience says as Right at one point of Time, the same conscience will say Wrong at another time.
Then what is Right and what is Wrong at the individual level?
There are as many systems of thoughts as there are philosophers-Idealism,Empiricism,Pragmatism , Logical positivism.
Interesting to note the concept of ‘Dharma’ in Hindu Philosophy.Dharma is performing what one ought to in consonance with one’s Nature, which consists of his dispositions.This has to be tempered with social responsibilities, as we call Public judgements today.In case of Conflict,Public responsibility must take precedence. Compare this to Kant’s Categorical Imperative, which states an action is to be performed, because it ought be..
As for as political context goes, this option will help those who want to cross vote , as happened in India , when President V.V.Giri, won a conscience vote(cross voting),defeating official candidate of the Party in Presidential election.
Politics and Ethics do not mix. -
Environment Concerns in Hinduism
‘May the four legged animals be Happy;May the two legged animals(Man) be Happy;May water reach the roots of the plants.May there be Happiness to all living beings.
-‘May the ruler be Happy; May the citizens be Happy;May the ruler rule righteously;May the Learned,animals be Happy’
The above two verses are from the Vedas, the Holy Book of Hindus.These chantings are a must at the conclusion of any Prayer or Oblation.
Every Temple in India has a Pond,a Tree, a Village/Town which is glorified and revered and worshiped.
The importance given to Earth is to read to be believed;Earth is mother.
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